THE AMERICAN SOCIETY

WINTER 2018

UNDER THE SUN CARNEROS, AGAIN THE WIDOW CLIQUOT VIDAL BLANC WITHOUT A WINERY MASTER CLASS

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 1 Questions? Contact our National Conference Chair - Diane Meyer [email protected] or 937.558.6559 americanwinesociety.org

2 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG features

4 | Jim Rink 22 | J. Stephen Casscles Editor’s Note Vidal Blanc — The Workhorse

In this issue of the Journal we look Vidal Blanc, also known as Vidal 256, is a westward at some interesting agricultural workhorse grape variety for the eastern developments that, with or without a mas- United States. The reason for its work- 6 ter plan, certainly have transformed the face horse status is that it yields ample crops of the wine industry in at least two states. and produces quality .

6 | George Medovoy 24 | Kristine Austin Under the Arizona Sun Making Wine Without a Winery

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA — I couldn’t have This article is for those of us who either picked a better place to discover cannot afford to, or don’t want to, Arizona’s fascinating wine industry – and so purchase rows of stainless steel fermen- much more. ters, bladder presses, and glycol units.

10 | Roger Morris 27 | Eric Miller 10 Carneros, Again Finger Lakes (FLX) Riesling Master Class Duhig Road veers off from Route 12 and heads south, splitting in half this hilly region It’s good to have friends in high places. where Napa and Sonoma valleys come You get to lead tours to wine areas you together at the foot of the Mayacamas otherwise couldn’t afford to visit. You Mountains before both fizzle out into the get to meet your heroes, like Robert marshlands bordering San Pablo Bay. Mondavi and Pierre Clape.

15 | Review by Madeleine Vedel 30 | Ellen Landis, CS, CSW The Widow Cliquot: The Story 21 Wines to Watch of a Champagne Empire 15 and the Woman Who Ruled It In her continuing column, Ellen Landis selects 21 wines for you to enjoy with any Who was the Widow Cliquot? How did she occasion or celebration. build her champagne empire at a time when women rarely were given the reins 32 | Jim Rink of a business, and Europe was nearly New or Noteworthy perpetually in turmoil? According to MyNorth News Service, on 17 | Ellen Landis, CS, CSW October 19, 2018, the most prestigious Tempranillo: A Global award at the 19th Annual Canberra Favorite Taking Root in International Riesling Challenge (CIRC)— Best Wine of the 2018 Challenge—was Would it surprise you to learn that given to a : Black Star Farms 17 Tempranillo is one the top five grape 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling. varieties planted across the entire globe? And that Tempranillo vineyards are increasingly being planted across the Pacific Northwest? All true.

27 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 3 editor’sLETTER JIM RINK VOLUME 50 NO. 4 · WINTER 2018

Published by “The history of American agriculture suggests that you The American Wine Society, can have transformation without a master plan, a non-profit corporation, PO Box 889, Scranton, PA 18501 without knowing all the answers up front.” Single copies $5.00 — Atul Gawande Copyright © 2018 by AWS, Inc. Reproduction or use of the editorial n this issue of the Journal we look westward at some interesting agricultural or pictorial content without written developments that, with or without a master plan, certainly have transformed permission is prohibited. I the face of the wine industry in at least two states. Library of Congress Class Number: TP544 A46A3 LC Card 76-647900 Our very own sommelier Ellen Landis, CS, CSW, takes a look at Tempranillo, an Publisher Old World grape taking root in Oregon. And Roger Morris revisits a renaissance in David Falchek Carneros, which has learned to embrace its unique “above ground” , ending Editor its quest to emulate Burgundy. Jim Rink Contributing Writers On the travel front, George Medovoy recently spent some time in Scottsdale, Kristine Austin, J. Stephen Casscles, Arizona, where he experienced three of the state’s “treasured assets:” its emerging Ellen Landis, CS, CSW, George Medovoy, wine industry, the world of tequila and great cuisine. Eric Miller, Roger Morris, Jim Rink, Madeleine Vedel Kristine Austin has some advice for home winemakers in her article titled, Editorial Office How to Make Wine Without a Winery. Here’s one secret: Use old wine barrels for Jim Rink 2800 S. Lake Leelanau Drive fermentation and for added complexity, make small batches of the same wine Lake Leelanau, MI 49653 in different ways for blending later. [email protected] BECOME A

Unsolicited manuscripts or other Stephen Casscles gives us the inside story on a “workhorse grape” known as information will not be returned unless Vidal Blanc, and Madeleine Vedel reviews a book titled: The Widow Cliquot: accompanied by return postage. The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It. This is a book Advertising Office about a woman, and a tumultuous time in history; it’s an extraordinary tale of PO Box 889 perseverance and success. Scranton, PA 18501 888-AWS-9070 Eric Miller recently attended a Riesling master class crafted by the Finger Lakes (fax) 570.344.4825 executivedirector@ Wine Alliance. Eric provides some background on the Finger Lakes (FLX), the Wine americanwinesociety.org Alliance and offers some wine descriptions and recommendations. Creative | Production 404.925.2677 For our finale, we have “21 Wines to Watch.” In this issue, Ellen features wines from The Blue Guy, LLC Michigan, New York and Oregon. Bottle prices in this issue’s collection range from [email protected] $17 to $125. theblueguy.com

Stay thirsty,

4 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG Founder The AWS is the largest consumer based wine education organization in the U.S. A non-profit Konstantin Frank group, the AWS is devoted to educating people on all aspects of wine. Its members include AWS National Officers and Board of Directors

wine novices, experts, grape growers, amateur and professional winemakers, chefs, wine President Treasurer Director of appreciators, wine educators, restaurateurs and anyone wanting to learn more about wine. Kristin Casler Kraft Tom Wallman Member Services Director of Jay Bileti Vice President Educational Services Joe Broski Executive Director AWS ACTIVITIES Aaron Mandel David Falchek AWS Chapters: Local community groups of AWS members sponsor programs, usually Secretary Director of Competitions monthly. Activities include: tastings, dinners, lectures, picnics, winery tours, winemaking and Leanne Wheeler Joe Dautlick cooking demonstrations, viticulture conferences, amateur wine-judging events, and other Past Presidents wine-related social events. Guests are welcome and novices have nothing to fear. Chapters 1967–1970 1991 2002 are self-supporting, so expect a nominal charge to attend a tasting, dinner, etc. If a local Albert W. Laubengayer Stephen R. Kampers William H. Eisberg 1971–1972 1992 2003 chapter does not exist in your area, the national office will be glad to assist in forming a Robert A. Dickmann J. Randy Hurteau Frank C. Aquilino chapter. All that is needed are a few interested wine lovers. Meeting can be informal and 1973–1974 1993 2004 held in member’ homes or in other settings, such as restaurants and wineries. Carl W. Damoth Alcide L. Porrell Willis L. Parker 1975–1976 1994 2005 AWS Regional Events: Organized by regional vice-presidents, include statewide wine Jerry S. Miller George E. Wilson Tom Castronovo 1977–78 1995 2006 judging, contests, special tastings, regional wine conferences, regional picnics and dinners. Kathryn Froelich Kenneth P. Brewer Janice Cobett 1979–1980 1996 2007 AWS National Conference: Held each fall—a two and one-half day national conference and Joseph P. Nardone Raymond A. Hartung, Jr. Albert L. Guber, Jr. extravaganza of wine. Attendees become part of a tradition that has drawn wine-lovers, 1981–1982 1997 2008-2009 winemakers and gastronomes together every November for over 45 years. Prominent John M. Hasson Eugene J. Spaziani Raymond A. Hartung, Jr. American and international speakers conduct seminars and lectures on all aspects of wine 1983–1984 1998 2010-2011 Michael A. Farren Gary C. Pavlis Willis L. Parker appreciation, wine production, grape growing and cuisine. Members experience fine food at 1985–1986 1999 2012-2014 connoisseur luncheons and dinners, tastings of hundreds of wines and royal treatment by Lewis H. France, Jr. Gayle M. Darugh Jane M. Duralia the finest American hotels and resorts. The annual conference brings professionals, serious 1987–1988 2000 2015-2016 Thomas C. Iezzi, Jr. Charles E. Hastings Frank C. Aquilino amateurs and novices together to discover what is new in wine. 1989–1990 2001 Alton L. Long Pamela J. Davey

AWS MEMBER BENEFITS INCLUDE: • Participation in local chapter activities BECOME A • Participation in local, regional and national events MEMBER • Personalized membership card • Professional Member Website Links and Promotions Join on-line at americanwinesociety.org or use this form • AWS Bimonthly Newsletter • AWS vintage charts I want to join the AWS I want to give an AWS Gift Membership to: • Wine Judge Certification Program • National Wine Tasting Project • Winemaking competitions Last Name First Name Middle Initial • AWS Wine Competition Discounts • Discounts from wineries and other AWS partners Street Address City/State/Zip Code Check Membership type: Phone E-mail Individual $49.00 This Gift Membership is from: Household (2 family members-same address) $62.00 Professional (includes plaque) $99.00 Last Name First Name Middle Initial Lifetime $950.00 Student (full-time, ages 21-30) $25.00 Street Address City/State/Zip Code NOTE: Payment must be made in U.S. dollars. For Canada and other non-US countries, add $5 for postage. Phone E-mail Method of Payment: Check/Money Order (payable to AWS) Complete and Mail With Your Payment To: Visa Mastercard American Express Discover American Wine Society PO Box 889 | Scranton, PA 18501 Account No. Security Code 888-AWS-9070 | (fax) 570.344.4825 Expiration Date E-mail: [email protected] Cardholder’s Signature AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 5 Under e Arizona Sun by George Medovoy SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA — I couldn’t have picked a better place to discover Arizona’s fascinating wine industry – and so much more. “I think there’s a big responsibility,” Caballero says as he gets ready for the evening’s dinner service, “to have the wine intertwined directly with the dining experience.”

Caballero also believes that Arizona wine is “going in a positive direction,” noting that the Arizona Vignerons Alliance is pulling together its resources “to make sure they’re making the best concentrated and concerted effort to make really good wine….”

QUE… ? The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess - Photo courtesy of George Medovoy

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess — a AAA Five Diamond “I think we’re making some incredible strides,” he says, “and I Spanish colonial-style resort — is where I first learn about think there’s a lot of really exciting wines we’ve been putting Arizona’s emerging wine story with advanced sommelier Jason out, which is really cool….” One of these, he notes, is Syrah. Caballero at Bourbon Steak, the resort’s restaurant led by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Mina with on-site executive A pioneering effort on behalf of Arizona winemaking is taking chef Sara Garrant. place at the Southwest Wine Center of Yavapai College in the Verde Valley, where Michael Pierce is Caballero notes that Arizona Viticulture and Enology Director. wines are pushing the envelope on quality. For its part, Bourbon The center has a 13-acre vineyard Steak has at least 600 labels and a 3,000-case production facility and close to 5,000 bottles, used for coursework – a good including Arizona labels like portion of which is involved in wine in- Rune Wines, Caduceus Cellars dustry workforce development. In 2005 (owned by rock band vocalist Pierce and his father studied wine Jason Caballero, advanced sommelier, at Bourbon Steak. Maynard James Keenan), plus together in Washington State because there Dos Cabezas Wine Works and Callaghan Vineyards. was no wine school in Arizona. His father now Caduceus, by the way, is located in Jerome, a fun little historic runs the family vineyard in Willcox, with wine copper mining town up in the hills of Yavapai County that is produced in the Verde Valley under the well worth visiting! Bodega Pierce label.

6 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG Arizona, with 106 licensed wineries, has three high-desert viticulture areas: Verde Valley, north of Phoenix at 3,500 to 4,000 feet; Sonoita, an AVA south of Tucson at 4,800 to almost 5,000 feet; and Willcox, an AVA also south of Tucson, at 4,200 to 4,600 feet.

With winter weather there are no super-hard freezes. “We don’t have terrible issues with winter kill,” Pierce Fairmont Scottsdale Princess ice skating rink. - (Photo courtesy of Fairmont Scottsdale Princess) says. In the higher elevations there is potential for spring frost, including frost after spring growth. now that we’re starting to get a hold on what our climate likes The rainiest season, with its classic “monsoon” rains, coincides and what is appropriate…So people are trying different with harvesting at the end of July and the first part of August, things, and consumers are…latching on to diversity and requiring growers to make sure that canopies are up and open unique varieties. for good air flow. “You know, 50 years ago, was not a “I think Arizona wine is world-class quality,” Pierce says. “It’s household name. That was just as obscure as Bianca. everything that people would want to get into wine for…a So I think we still have some work to do in the market to… good thing in life, something to enjoy. The wine is just as showcase the lesser-known varietals.” good as any of the three big growing states…California, Washington and Oregon…” Another example of this “diversity” is explained by Luke Bernard, brand ambassador at Page Springs Cellars, located in Based on volume, Arizona grows a lot of Syrah and Cabernet Cornville in the Verde Valley. The winery does a lot of blending Sauvignon. “But I don’t think that tells the story of Arizona wine,” and, as Bernard explains, it likes to “think outside the box with Pierce says. “The story of Arizona wine is all about diversity.” our blends because for us it’s more about taste than it is about following tradition…” The message on its website is pretty Winemakers are open to trying different things, given the dry, clear: “Trust Your Palate.” warm climate typical of southern Europe or even the eastern Mediterranean, with elevation providing big temperature swings from daytime to nighttime.

One example of these “different things” is Malvasia Bianca, typically grown in Greece, Turkey and parts of Italy. Another is the Italian Aglianico. “It’s got great concentration…nice, deep, rich color,” Pierce says. Then there is Graciano, a Spanish grape Short Rib Barbacoa at La Hacienda. - (Photo courtesy of Fairmont Scottsdale Princess) “equally as interesting.” Back at Bourbon Steak the dinner menu offers something for “We didn’t have a frame of reference 15 or 20 years ago,” says everyone, including American Kobe beef, poultry and fish, Pierce, “so we planted what was commercially popular. It’s just slow-poached in butter, grilled and finished over seasoned

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 7 wood-fueled flames. Duck Sandoval doesn’t believe that food should necessarily be fancy fat fries can be a fun treat – but it should have what he terms “intriguing flavors.” as an amuse bouche, while other favorites include ahi He notes: “I have always said that food does not have to be tuna tartare and lobster complicated, as long as it has great balance and great flavor. So pot pie. when I cook, if you look at some of my recipes, there’s not many steps, but again it’s all about the ingredients and the flavors.” Cocktails are offered at the bar or on the two-level Sandoval’s book, New Latin Flavors: Hot Dishes, Cool Drinks, outdoor patio with fire spotlights his inventive recipes and also includes a section on Katie Schnurr, the “Tequila Goddess.” - Photo courtesy of George Medovoy pit tables. sangria, which Sandoval in his book calls “the ultimate summer- time party drink.” Another memorable culinary experience at the Fairmont is La Hacienda, the creation of Chef Richard Sandoval, the father of For dinner, the Pescado Zarandeado (bbq’d sea bass) was very modern Mexican cuisine. The offerings here are either inside or flavorful, served with a tasty charred serrano aioli, heirloom outside with fire pit patio seating. tomato and avocado. The guacamole was not only delectable, but entertaining to watch being made table side! Sandoval remembers his childhood meals as a happy influence on his eventual culinary career: “As you know, in Latin culture For dessert La Hacienda’s very light Cinnamon Dusted everything evolves around food. In my grandmother’s house Churros were amazing – a real testament to Chef de Cuisine when I was a child, every Friday and Saturday 20 or 25 Forest Hamrick’s familiarity with the food markets of Mexico. family members would gather at her house. Food would be “Sometimes I close my eyes,” says Sandoval, “and I eat one of his free flowing. dishes and feel like I’m in a market in Mexico.”

“I wanted to create this kind of home atmosphere, where you DRINK OF THE GODS come in and really enjoy the nice courtyard…the wood beams on the ceiling, the tile floors….I think that was our main goal Besides food, La Hacienda is also about tequila, the drink of – being at someone’s home, enjoying a meal.” Mexico’s Mayan gods, and it’s where I meet Katie Schnurr, Fairmont’s “Tequila Goddess.”

My first question to her is: “How did you get to become the Tequila Goddess?”

Schnurr, at the time a student at Arizona State University, was also working as a bartender in Scottsdale’s Old Town and needed a topic for a research paper. “You know what,” she thought, “what about tequila?”

Soon thereafter, she responded to an open-

The Bourbon Steak restaurant at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has the unmistakable ing for a tequila expert at the Fairmont -- and look and feel of Arizona! - (Photo courtesy of Fairmont Scottsdale Princess) was hired!

8 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG Tequila pairing is similar to wine pairing, with fish requiring something crisp and refreshing like a “blanco,” while meat calls for an oaky tequila.

Beyond the food and the libations is the Fairmont’s Well & Being Spa, a 44,000-square-foot retreat where I experience being under miniature “waterfalls” inspired by the Grand Canyon Havasupai Falls, and I find the eucalyptus inhalation room a nice experience.

The Tamale Trio at La Hacienda. - (Photo courtesy of Fairmont Scottsdale Princess) The Fairmont has six pools, including the Sunset Beach pool with 830 tons of sand. The resort also has “Here at La Hacienda we offer one of the largest portfolios (of two 18-hole TPC Scottsdale courses, home to the PGA Tour’s tequila) and one of the most exclusive…in Arizona,” she says, Waste Management Phoenix Open. with over 240 varieties from 26 different labels. Winter comes to the resort in a special way from November 21 “You can only produce tequila in five regions of Mexico and through December 31 with an outdoor ice skating rink made legally call it tequila,” explains Schnurr, who is certified by of real ice, and a four-story Christmas musical tree that plays 17 Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council. songs to 70,000 synchronized lights.

Drinking tequila, of course, is all about breathing. It’s all enough to warm the heart!

“Oddly enough,” For more information about the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, says Schnurr, visit www.scottsdaleprincess.com and for the Southwest Wine “there is a big Center visit www.southwestwinecenter.org. technique to drinking tequila properly. It’s all about breath- About The Author ing…With wine, George Medovoy is a longtime contributor to the you’re breathing Journal. George is a veteran travel writer, whose all that in. With tequila, you drink, website, www.PostcardsForYou.com, covers regional A view of one of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess you swallow, and Resort’s six pools from a guestroom. - California destinations, as well as national and overseas (Photo courtesy of Fairmont Scottsdale Princess) you breathe out with your mouth. So when you take that nice exhale and you travel. George can be reached at [email protected]. breathe out with your mouth, it’s going to take away that big alcohol bite…you’re just a little bit more in the zone with your palate.”

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 9 CARNEROS, AGAINby Roger Morris Forty years ago, the Carneros had hopes of becoming the Burgundy of California. It didn’t – but neither did anywhere else. Now, it’s back in the limelight just by being itself.

rectangular patches of vineyards, now farmsteads paint a picture that would have Then green but turning red and yellow, stretch struck a note with Steinbeck. across dune-like rolling hillsides. From time Los Carneros, late 1970s. to time, a truck full of makes its Yet, for all this rural solitude, there is a sense way north. of excitement and adventure. Up Napa Duhig Road veers off from Route 12 and Valley, family winemakers who have lived heads south, splitting in half this hilly The drive is mostly a journey past a quiet existence since before Prohibition, region where Napa and Sonoma valleys hardscrabble, mixed-farming countryside. as well as excitable, deep-pocketed come together at the foot of the The dun-colored hills of grass, undulating newcomers, are adjusting to the idea that Mayacamas Mountains before both fizzle in the afternoon breezes coming through the outside world suddenly considers out into the marshlands bordering San the Petaluma Gap to the west, are marked Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon the equal Pablo Bay. It is an early fall afternoon, and by grazing herds of cows, goats and sheep. of those produced in Mother . a drive down Duhig and its side roads is Jerry-built corrals on bleached-out Moreover, many are speculating that mostly a serene one. Here and there, Carneros just might be the Valley’s answer to Burgundy.

And that is Napa’s goal – not just to make great California Pinots and Chardonnays, but to make Pinots and Chards that a blind taster might confuse with those from the Beaune region. There is an excitement that, having experienced success with Cabernet and during the Paris tasting of 1975, this New World region can make wines the equal of those from anywhere in ZD Wines Carneros vineyard - Photo courtesy of ZD Wines the Old one.

10 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG Artesa Winery vineyard - Photo courtesy of Artesa Winery

Those winemakers who are attempting to Joseph Phelps to start up his eponymous replanted in 1961, is second only to Heitz’ perform this wine alchemy almost all come winery in Sonoma Carneros. In 1981, a Martha’s Vineyard in regional reputation, from facilities located up valley where own- group of investors, including the DuPont and wineries from all over are bidding up ers have long used Carneros as a source and the Kiplinger families, will found the price of di Rosa’s grapes so they can of grapes but have never seen the need Chateau Bouchaine, as it will be known for produce a “Winery Lake” label. During the to build wineries down here. In fact, in a while, and David Graves and Dick Ward 1979 vintage, for example, three startup his newly published 1978 book, Wines of will decide to relocate their new Saintsbury wineries get immediate critical attention America, wine historian Leon Adams brand from up valley to down valley. And by buying reports, “There is only one producing the first sparkling producer in Carneros, Winery Lake winery in the Carneros, the new 35,000- Spanish-owned Gloria Ferrer, will open its grapes – Aca- gallon Carneros Creek cellar on Dealy Lane” winery in 1982 in the Sonoma sector, cia, Kistler (in which opened in 1973. although everyone still thinks of Carneros Sebastopol) as being a strictly Napa Valley domaine. and La Cre- But now things are changing dramatically. ma Vinera, In 1979, the Moller-Racke family from But perhaps the most exciting thing still lodged Germany began renovating the 120-year- happening in the late 1970s is occurring at in a Petaluma old Buena Vista property on the Sonoma artist Rene di Rosa’s Winery Lake property, warehouse – side of Carneros, and Mike Richmond and a mixture of prize vineyards populated by and featuring Larry Brooks will soon be opening the the artist’s landscape sculptures, including its name on spanking new Acacia on the Napa side. The a herd of multi-colored cows. Di Rosa’s their labels. year 1980 will see Walter Schug leaving Winery Lake Vineyard, an older property

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 11 wineries investing in more direct-to- consumer sales, especially in tasting rooms.

Today, there are about 8,500 planted acres of vines in the Carneros with 27 operating wineries, both significant increases from 1978, although the density of producers is still less than other non-mountain subappellations in the valley. While a few new wineries continue to be built in the Carneros – long-time grower Larry Hyde and his family opened a new one in 2017 – many of the larger up-valley producers still own, or purchase grapes from, vineyards in the Carneros and make the wine elsewhere. This includes such well-known wineries as Domaine Carneros, Robert Mondavi, Rom- bauer and ZD. Ana Diogo Draper, winemaker at Artesa Winery - Photo courtesy of Artesa Winery

From today’s perspective, the long-held All this excitement comes to a tipping Rita Hills as well as other Sideways-hyped quest to emulate Burgundy seems a bit point in 1983 when the region receives its Santa Barbara appellations; the Russian precious and far-fetched, even pointless. own appellation shared between Napa Val- River Valley; Mendocino and, more-recent- Like a sibling who has spent years trying to ley and Sonoma County. “Los Carneros,” or ly, the amoeba-like Sonoma Coast. All will duplicate the success of an older brother just plain “Carneros,” is now official. have similar results. California, the wine or sister, California winemakers for the past world will realize before the century is over, couple of decades have reveled in the free- It won’t be long, however, until both trade can produce fabulous Pinot Noirs and dom of shedding unrealistic expectations and consumer attention in Carneros starts Chardonnays, but it isn’t Burgundy and and being content to make damned fine to fade, not because it still isn’t making never will be. wines from Burgundy varieties in whatever great wines – it is – but because it will be style they want. considered a bit of disappointment Now because it did not fulfill California’s search To do this, they have concentrated on find- for the Holy Grail of turning California “We are experiencing a renaissance in ing the right combinations of soils and grapes into Burgundy wines. Carneros,” says Carla Bosco, chair of the growing conditions, clones and rootstocks, Carneros Wine Alliance (CWA). “People are picking dates, ways to manage increasingly But that quest is not yet over – it will just discovering or rediscovering us, and high alcohols (or simply accepting them, as move on to other places, such as Bien tourism continues to grow as we become many have done), fermentation practices, Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, more consumer-focused. We are providing barrel regimens and other variables that provider of grapes for a generation of a variety of experiences for visitors,” she says, yield wildly different results, each with its Pinotphiles, and what will later become Sta. a reflection of the national trend toward coterie of advocates.

12 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG much as do growing “On a good day in the Carneros, the conditions. morning fog burns off around 11, the temperature is in the mid-80s, then the “We came here in wind comes up in the afternoon,” says Chris the 1980s from Spain Pisani of ZD, an up valley winery that has when there were still been using Carneros grapes for about 30 very few vineyards years. “You can set your watch by it,” agrees and fewer wineries,” Priest. “At 3:30 in the afternoon, the wind says Eva Bertran of picks up off the Pacific and starts blowing Tasting room at Artesa Winery - Photo courtesy of Artesa Winery Gloria Ferrer, which through Carneros.” Does the Carneros make better Chardonnay produces both sparkling and table wines. and than other areas of California “At that time, Chardonnay was king, but Axel Schug, who took over from his late and Oregon? Perhaps trying to determine then you had the Sideways effect, and now father, Walter, in producing the the region in America that produces the everyone is looking for places to plant family’s wine in the Sonoma part best Burgundy varietals is as pointless as Pinot Noir.” Chardonnay still leads Pinot in of Carneros near where the Petaluma the earlier quest to duplicate red and white acreage, but just barely, constituting 46% Gap channels in these cool winds off the Burgundies. Yet the argument does exist of production to 44% for Pinot Noir. cold-water Pacific Ocean, says, “The between partisans of each region. influence of the wind in producing ABOVE-GROUND TERROIR Carneros grapes is probably understated, “I grew up in Santa Barbara,” says Jon Priest, yet it’s the most important part of our The attraction of the Carneros is partly the winemaker of Etude, located in eastern terroir. The winds are so strong they shut soil, although that varies greatly from the Carneros, “so I was quite provincial about down sugar production in the vines, which deeper soils that border San Pablo Bay to the local Pinots.” Today, he enjoys making results in longer hang time without those farther up the hillside, as well as from Etude wines from grapes sourced in producing higher sugars.” Bertran adds, east to west. But the feature that most Santa Barbara, Sonoma Coast and “We’ve also learned that the wind is very distinguishes Carneros is the part of Willamette Valley in addition to Carneros, important in how we plant the direction of terroir that exists above ground – its fogs but says, “My allegiance is now somewhat our vine rows.” and winds. to Carneros. The older, well-drained soils give Pinot Noir a nice sense of structure with deep intensity of fruit – but not sappy. It has a soft openness.” Chardonnay in Carneros,” Priest continues, “is more fine-tuned – acidy, minerally with flavors that are almost like tree blossoms and stone fruits.”

The changing demands of the market- places have influenced whether Pinot Noir or Chardonnay reigns in the Carneros as Schug Winery barrel room - Photo courtesy of Schug Winery

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 13 Of course, both Chardonnay and Pinot Vineyards. On its website, Ricci says, grapes and the wines generally have more Noir have many clonal variations, so it “bordering on the fringes of a Burgundy fruit than the Napa side.” The price of Pinot is no surprise that the Carneros has gone and the edges a Rhone grape, St. Laurent Noir grapes, he says, is cheaper in the Napa through many experiments in trying to could best be described as Pinot Noir with sector than in Sonoma, while the reverse is find the rights ones, as have other parts sultry underpinnings.” Ana Diogo true with Chardonnay. of California as well as Oregon. “Different Draper is winemaker at Artesa, another “Although there are limitations from county regulations, there is still plenty of THE WIDOW CLIQUOT\ space in the Carneros for new vineyards and new wineries,” says CWA’s Bosco. “It’s a very collegial environment for winemakers.”

Diogo Draper, who had previously made wine in Bordeaux before coming to the Carneros, says, “I love it here. We’re still the most rural area of Napa with a lot of old-school grape farmers here. We are definitely still off the beaten path – for good or bad.”

Schug Winery in Carneros - Photo courtesy of Schug Winery clones are our spice box in winemaking,” Spanish-owned producer of bubbly and says Etude’s Priest. “We have in our own table wines, began planting Tempranillo vineyards nine different clones of Pinot Noir years ago on her hillside vineyards, and she and six of Chardonnay.” is now also looking at Albariño and even About The Author Cabernet Sauvignon, which she believes While most wineries in Carneros has “a big potential here.” Roger Morris is a Pennsylvania- specialize in these two varieties, another based writer who contributes 10 percent of the vineyards are planted Even though the Carneros is split between to other grapes. Those include 16 acres Sonoma to the west and Napa to the east, article to several publications, of Alsatian clones of at Etude’s most of its winegrowers tend to treat it as including Wine Enthusiast, Town prized Grace Benoist Ranch – according to a single unit. “The Eastern growers have & Country, The Drinks Business, Priest a legacy of Etude’s founder, Tony deeper soils with rolling hills and generally Beverage Media and TheDailyMeal. Soter. Schug is a fan of the lesser-known more-mature vineyards with a lot of Martini St. Laurent variety, grown primarily in and Pommard clones and generally better com. Roger can be reached at Germany and acid structures,” Schug says, “so most of the [email protected]. grapes that go into sparkling wines come Eastern Europe, making a few cases a year from the East side. The West has shallower from vines grown in the nearby Ricci soils and mainly younger vineyards, and the

14 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG THEBOOK REVIEW WIDOW CLIQUOT\ The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo, Clara C. Piper Associate Professor of English at Colby College, Maine Review by Madeleine Vedel

Who was the Widow dressmaker. Her family’s wealth came from the manufacturing Cliquot? How did she of cloth and quality woolen goods. Her father, ambitious and build her champagne politically astute, fluidly shifted his alliance from the royal family empire at a time when whose coronation at the Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims he women rarely were given had supported, to the radical Jacobins and subsequently to the the reins of a business, conquering General Napoleon. and Europe was nearly perpetually in turmoil? Married in a clandestine ceremony held underground in the family wine cellar to the son of another wealthy manufacturer, About The Author Tilar J. Mazzeo has done François Cliquot, in 1798, during the turbulent times of the First research worthy of her scholarly Republic, Barbe-Nicole’s life carries that whiff of mystery and background, pouring through the meticulously danger that would set the scene for a fantastic historical novel. maintained account records of the champagne house, a forceful presence in the wine world still today, seeking out any It is her husband François who seeks to reinvent the family and all accounts of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Cliquot during her business and move into growing his father’s small wine trade lifetime, unearthing the few letters still extant in her own hand. business to include managing vineyards and wine making, To fill in where the written accounts were few or non-existent, reviewing and reinvesting in the large expanses of family Mazzeo offers historical details from local archives, the property in the Champagne region. He apparently welcomed movements of war, treaties and international trade through the company and thoughts of his new wife in this venture. which Barbe-Nicole lived. Together they toured the vineyards and sought to deepen their knowledge of winemaking techniques. Barbe-Nicole’s life traversed the French Revolution. As the local order was toppled in 1789, she was a child, whisked away from Little did they know that the wars of Napoleon would her convent school for the wealthy and aristocratic by a family continue to cause upheaval throughout Europe and their

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 15 distant clients on and off for the next fifteen years. Champagne, Mazzeo takes us through each period of her long life (she died and the house Cliquot-Muiron, focused their energy on exporting at the age of 89, in 1866), through her remarkable achieve- their wines. Russia and Great Britain were the sought-after clients. ments: the invention of riddling, or remuage to produce crystal Wars, blockades, and a few terrible wet summers frustrated the clear wine by tilting the bottle and gently turning it a quarter most optimistic of businessmen, and, whether by Typhoid or turn every day over a period of 6-8 weeks, concentrating the by suicide, François made a widow of Barbe-Nicole in 1806. She lees and permitting them to be expelled with minimal loss of was 27 and the mother of a three-year-old daughter. wine, a technique she kept secret from her closest competitor Moët for over a decade. Mazzeo conveys the stress and daring By force of personality, by her clear intelligence, Barbe-Nicole of successfully evaded blockades to ship valuable containers persuaded her father-in-law to support her aspiration to con- of wine during precarious summer months when wine might tinue the business expansion begun with François, no matter spoil, bottles break, and all manner of difficulties ensue, to reach the international turmoil and the fact that she was a woman. the valuable export market in Russia before her competitors.

Mazzeo makes sure the reader understands how rare and unusual This is a book about a woman, a tumultuous time in history, an ex- Barbe-Nicole’s destiny was for her time. Historically, socially, eco- traordinary tale of perseverance and success, and the evolution of nomically, how did a young widow take over a family venture and a very sweet, temperamental wine with undesirable “toads’ eyes” lead it to the extraordinary international success it became? From foam into the most delicate, bright, bubbly we so enjoy today. a small family operation selling 15,000 bottles a year in the 1790s, to the supplier of champagne to Czar Nicolas and his family, and I confess, though, that I, along with the author, would have such name recognition that all an Englishman needed say to his enjoyed learning the true thoughts and feelings of this extraor- butler was “a bottle of the Widow please.” dinary woman. The paltry personal resources available to Mazzeo - not a diary nor personal journal to be found, and letters few — Though at times repetitive, Mazzeo makes the point that the leave the reader hungry for more. Perhaps an historical novelist shifting social structure from late 18th Century to the early will take up the challenge and transform this account into a richly 19th, and the passage of the Napoleonic codes coincided with embroidered tale, no need for bodice-ripping or exaggeration, a shift of norms. A century before, women participated more just a bit more dialogue and delving into the personal. routinely in running a family’s business affairs, particularly in the agricultural sphere of wine-making and distribution. However, the early 19th Century saw the wives and mothers of wealthy About The Author industrialists confined to drawing rooms, and the domesticity Madeleine Vedel was initiated into the world of wine of running a household, raising children, and requesting specif- by her wine-loving parents who had a prized - if ic menus of the family cook. small - wine cellar to be shared only with those who knew the difference. While married to a French chef And yet, though a daughter’s life was ruled by her father, a in Provence she ran food and wine tours for nearly 20 wife’s by her husband, a mother’s by her grown son, a widow years. She is currently based in Traverse City, Michigan was permitted self-rule. Not remarrying, in addition to the honing her cheese and pastry skills, and happily support of her father and father in law, permitted Barbe-Nicole consuming both local and international wines within independence and control of her affairs. her budget.

16 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG ould it surprise you to learn that Tempranillo is one the top five grape varieties planted across Wthe entire globe? And that Tempranillo vineyards are increasingly being planted across the Pacific Northwest? All true. At this writing, impressive versions of Tempranillo are being offered by more than 110 vintners across many Pacific Northwest AVAs. Oregon has seen the most significant growth of acreage planted since 2000, and its fan base continues to rise each year, with

by Ellen Landis, CS, CSW A Global Favorite Taking Root in Oregon

good reason: Tempranillo shows off fresh (where it is known as Tinta Roriz), used as Alliance. The name, , is an archaic and fruity characteristics in its youth and a blending grape for Port, and in Portugal’s Spanish word meaning “they plant a grape is equally magnificent with years of aging. Dão and Tejo regions (known as Aragonez), vine.” And indeed they did; in Roseburg, In Tempranillo, old world character meets used to produce dry red table wines. in the Umpqua Valley AVA, within the new world vivaciousness. Southern Oregon AVA. Earl and Hilda have As this classic varietal develops in the ~27 acres of nine clones of Tempranillo An early ripening grape, Tempranillo is United States, Oregon producers are planted, some on steep slopes - their Fault native to Spain. Gaining its reputation leading the way with award winning Line Vineyards has slopes ranging from flat in Rioja centuries ago, it remains the entries that show the varietal’s vibrance to a 43% grade! Abacela offers both dominant grape there. Known under a and potential. single variety Tempranillos and a variety of names, it is also widely planted in Tempranillo based blend. They are Spain’s Ribera del Duero region (Tinto Fino UMPQUA VALLEY passionate about this variety, and continue and Tinta del Pais). Other noteworthy to pull in top scores and awards, includ- regions for Tempranillo in Spain include Abacela Winery’s co-owners Earl and Hilda ing Gold, Double Gold and Best of Class Catalonia (Ull de Llebre), La Mancha Jones were the first in the state to grow for their Fiesta, Reserve and Barrel Select (Cencibel), and Toro (Tinta de Toro). It is also Tempranillo in 1995. Earl is one of the Tempranillos, which all display depth and cultivated in Portugal, in the region of Douro four founders of the Oregon Tempranillo sense of place. Their remarkable multiple

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 17 Triple Oak Vineyard in Oakland, Oregon rhubarb, and black currant fruit, melding began in 2000 when Betty Tamm and her in harmony with earthiness, cocoa and late husband Paul planted their vineyard. roasted coffee. Beautifully textured with a Betty explains how the winery name came spice-tinged finish.

Winemaker/Co-owner Stephen Reustle (right) and about - she lives on Oak Street, in the town Associate Winemaker Wade Smith at Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards in the Umpqua Valley AVA in Oregon. of Oakland, and the name Tamm means ROGUE VALLEY oak in Estonian. The first vintage under their Gold medal winning 2015 Fiesta label was 2005. Sadly, Paul passed away in Weisinger Family Winery’s first vineyard Tempranillo is juicy, fruit driven and 2013, just two weeks before they earned was planted by John Weisinger in 1988. In pristinely balanced. Stimulating the their first Gold medal. Today, she and 1997, John’s son Eric Weisinger took over palate are flavors of raspberry, red cherry husband Geoff Faraghan carry on the the reins, and continues the family legacy. and spice dusted blueberry compote, tradition of crafting award winning wines. Eric is one of the founders, and the current accented by mocha, vanilla bean and well They have scored Gold for their President of the Oregon Tempranillo integrated oak. concentrated and spicy 2015 Umpqua Alliance. This 40-member organization

Valley Tempranillo. It confidently displays promotes the growth and sales of Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards winemaker/ blueberry, cassis and blackberry fruit, co-owner Stephen Reustle and his wife/ savory elements, well placed oak and a hint co-owner Gloria began planting six acres of chocolate, carried by a silky texture. The of Tempranillo clones 1, 2 and 3 in their acids and tannins are in fine balance with Romancing Rock Vineyard in 2002. And yes, the lush fruit, and it finishes upbeat. there really is a “Prayer Rock” at the Additionally, they earned Gold for their vineyard. At the top of the south- 2014 Red Oak red wine, a zesty blend of facing slope is a large rock that was the Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. meeting place for Stephen and his son in

the mornings to pray to God for blessing Girardet Vineyards & Winery, also located over their vineyard. The Tempranillo vines in Roseburg, Oregon, came to be in the sit among the steepest parts of their 200- early 70’s. Philippe and Bonnie Girardet acre Umpqua Valley property, also located were employed as a rocket scientist and in Roseburg. Thus far in 2018 their wines school teacher respectively, when their scored numerous Gold, Double Gold, passion for wine steered them in a new and Platinum awards, and they secured a direction. They purchased 54 acres in the Best of Class award for their extraordinary Umpqua Valley, planted several vine twigs, Tempranillo in Oregon and beyond 2015 Timnah Bloc Estate Tempranillo. It is and Girardet Vineyards was born. In 1999, (www.oregontempranilloalliance.com). well-structured, impeccably balanced and son Marc took over the winemaking duties Eric crafts a stunning Tempranillo from smooth, with black cherry, dark plums, from his father and continues the family vineyards in the Rogue Valley AVA. His 2014 tobacco leaf, hints of leather, and tradition. Marc’s 2013 Bush Vines Umpqua Estate Tempranillo was recently freshly ground peppercorns wrapped Valley Tempranillo earned a Gold medal. awarded three Double Gold Medals and around a backbone of refined tannins and Kicking off with scents of brambleberry a Best of Show award. This nicely finessed bright acids. This approachable, and leather on the nose, it continues a fine wine simply shines with floral aromas, and ageworthy wine exhibits an trajectory on the palate with dark plum, bright raspberry, strawberry and everlasting finish.

18 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG vineyards much of their young lives), and spouses contribute to the success of winery operations. Among other awards, they captured Double Gold for their 2012 Ellis Vineyards Tempranillo. Plush and juicy, this wine bursts brightly onto the palate with strawberries, olallieberries, and marionberries, a hint of earth, and spice box accents. It dazzles from the alluring aroma, through the energetic palate, to the lingering finish.

Raptor Ridge owner/winemaker Scott Shull (whose winery is in the Willamette Valley) Weisinger Family Winery also produces Tempranillo with fruit grown in the Valley. Their 2015 high loganberry fruit, sweet pipe tobacco, Scott is one of the founders of the Oregon elevation Folin Vineyard Tempranillo leather, a touch of orange zest and delicate Tempranillo Alliance, and their passion for Riserva broadcasts expressive aromas that chervil notes. It’s immaculately balanced Tempranillo is evident. Kriselle Cellars pave the way to dense plum and dark berry with a lingering finish. Tempranillos have secured multiple awards fruit, savory spice and firm tannins. over the past few years. Among their Gold Earthiness, minerality and oak notes At JAXON Vineyards, proprietors Jamie and medals is their 2014 Tempranillo, a complement the deep fruit, and the finish Katherine McCleary had a vision and dream deeply hued wine with dark berry and is spicy and invigorating. that led them to the Rogue Valley. In 2009 melted chocolate aromas. Deep, well- they started turning an old pear farm into structured and velvety in texture, it fills the a thriving vineyard. Their Gold medal mouth with flavors of wild berries, El winning 2013 Estate Tempranillo is richly Dorado plums, hints of earth and licorice, Red Lily Vineyards owners Les and Rachael textured and aromatic. Plush and mouth and a kiss of chocolate on the tasty finish. Martin planted Tempranillo in 2004, along filling with generous layers of red raspber- Thompson Creek in the Applegate Valley ries, black plums, notes of anise and lingon- Pebblestone Cellars owners Dick and Pat AVA (a sub-appellation within the Rogue berry jam, framed by firm tannins. The spice Ellis became enamored with wine decades Valley and Southern Oregon AVAs). Les is scented finish is lifted and satisfying. ago in northern California. As home one of the founders and current Treasurer winemakers, they crushed grapes and of the Oregon Tempranillo Alliance. Their At Kriselle Cellars in the Rogue Valley, made wine from 1981 to 2002. In 2003 they 2014 Life of Riley (blend of 88% Tempranillo winemaker/co-owner Scott Steingraber found an ideal spot in southern Oregon and and 12% Cab Sauvignon) took a top notch and his wife/co-owner Krisell have 25 acres became owners of what is now the home Best of Class award. It’s luxurious and deep of grapes planted on their Buxton Ranch of Ellis Vineyards. They have 15.5 acres of with brilliant acidity, brimming with layers property. Their vineyards are perched on grapes planted, including Tempranillo, of Bing cherries, olallieberries, cacao nibs, a southfacing slope near the Upper Table which thrive in their rocky, sandy loam soils. fresh tobacco and underlying oak spice. Rock volcanic plateau near the Rogue River. Their three children (having been among Tasting their 2006 Tempranillo was also a

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 19 treat. It has aged beautifully, showing dried vintages of Plaisance Ranch wines have sweet chocolate. Underlying toasty oak is berry, earthy, saddle leather elements, an achieved high accolades over the past ten well managed, tannins are finely grained, elegant structure, and fine balance. years. Their lush 2014 Tempranillo oozes and the polished finish continues well be-

with jammy, gorgeous dark berry and plum yond the final sip. Plaisance Ranch is also situated in the fruit, fresh chopped herbs, and tobacco Applegate Valley AVA. The Ginet family has Vidon Vineyard owners Vicki Lewis and her aromas and flavors. Full bodied and palate been a part of the ranching and vineyard husband/winemaker Don Hagge, Ph.D., pleasing with firm, yet approachable ownership business for centuries, in both a former NASA physicist, created a beau- tannins, it finishes with vibrance. Europe and North America. Winemaker Joe tiful property among the vineyards in Ginet brought his French born grandfather’s Schmidt Family Vineyards is a fami- the Chehalem Mountains AVA (also within dream of family winemaking in America to ly-owned and run business, fulfilling a the Willamette Valley AVA). Head winemak- reality. In addition to their acres of grapes dream for winemaker/co-owner Cal and er and molecular biologist David Bellows, on their working ranch, owners Joe and his wife/co-owner Judy. They own two Ph.D., joined Don in applying their deep his wife Suzi offer organic, grass fed beef, family businesses, and their children and scientific backgrounds to the creation of and Oregon Certified grape vines. Multiple grandchildren contribute to the success wines worth seeking. Vidon offers a rich of both. Daughter Rene, their winemaker, and finely balanced 2015 Explorer crafted the Gold medal winning 2014 Tem- Tempranillo that opens with a delightfully pranillo from the Applegate Valley. Rich fragranced floral aroma. Coating the and intense with red fruits on the nose, palate are bright flavors of blackberry, it broadens expansively on the palate. tarragon, and candied cherry, a nice touch Well-defined as concentrated cherry, of oak, and savory elements. The succulent vanilla, black currant liqueur, raspberry fruit is supported by vivacious acidity and preserves, a suggestion of tar, and spicy smooth, approachable tannins, and the elements entwine, leading to a powerful finish is long and spicy.

and lasting finish. Redgate Vineyard & Winery owners, WILLAMETTE VALLEY Charlene and Steve Dunn, planted grapes

in the southern part of the Willamette Stone Griffon Vineyard planted 2.5 acres Valley AVA in 2006. Their site is 12 miles of Tempranillo in 2007 at the hands of southwest of Oregon’s capital city, Salem. winemaker/co-owner Terry McIntyre and Their 2015 Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette his wife/co-owner Carol. Their 2014 and Valley Tempranillo recently captured 2015 Estate Tempranillos garnered Gold Double Gold. It’s a full bodied, fruit medals, and their 2014 Total Eclipse forward, charismatic example of this Tempranillo captured Double Gold honors. notable grape. Cassis and mixed berries The skillfully crafted 2014 Eclipse Tempranillo on the nose broaden on the palate. Rich wakes up the senses with its provocative, and deep with flavors of blackberry, black mouth-watering aroma. On the palette, cherry, cocoa, raspberry and a twist of it’s balanced and elegant, with captivat- multi-colored peppercorns. It’s well ing layers of red cherry and raspberry fruit, balanced and palate pleasing from earthy notes, vanilla, exotic spice and semi- engaging start to lingering finish.

20 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG Fault Line Vinyards’ Cobblestone Hill at Abacela Winery

Holloran Vineyard Wines’ 2014 Tempranillo Pacific Northwest at Red Willow Vineyard comes from grapes cultivated in Eola- in Yakima Valley in 1993. Along with Yakima Amity Hills sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley Valley, additional well-crafted Tempranillos About The Author AVA. Proprietors Bill and Eve Holloran, can be found in Washington’s Columbia Ellen Landis, CS, CSW, is a published winemaker Mark La Gasse, and Vineyard Valley, Wahluke Slope, Lake Chelan, Walla wine writer, certified sommelier, Manager Vincente Mora have created Walla Valley, Ancient Lakes of Columbia wine educator and professional wine judge. She spent four years focused and energetic Tempranillos with Valley, and Horse Heaven Hills regions. In as a sommelier at the Ritz Carlton distinction. Black raspberry, loganberry and Idaho, several wineries are also growing and sixteen years as Wine Director/ chocolate covered cherry, savory spice and and producing award winning Tempranillo Sommelier at the award winning a dusting of forest floor nuances stimulate in the Snake River Valley AVA. boutique hotel she and her husband built and operated in Half Moon the senses, from the inviting aroma through Bay, CA. They recently sold the hotel the tangerine scented finish. Additionally, Tempranillo is a compelling, zesty variety, to devote more time to the world their 2016 clonal samples demonstrated full of personality in its youth and depth of wine. Ellen is a moderator for highly acclaimed wine events, beautiful typicity and brightness—a and sophistication in its maturity. Until judges numerous regional, national vintage to keep in mind for the future. recently, it might not have been the wine and international wine competitions you’d expect to fall in love with here, but each year, and creates and executes BEYOND OREGON those made in the Pacific Northwest are wine seminars for individuals and corporations. She has traveled showing a lively, impressive side of this Tempranillo has taken root, growing in extensively to wine regions around global favorite. the globe. popularity beyond Oregon and into other AVAs in the Pacific Northwest. In Washing- Contact Ellen at: ton, Mike Sauer was responsible for the [email protected] very first planting of Tempranillo in the

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 21 VIDAL BLANC The Workhorse Grape by J. Stephen Casscles

Professor Vidal in breeding Vidal 256 was to produce a fungus disease resistant grape that could produce brandy.

Vidal Blanc is a thick-skinned grape that is moderately hardy to hardy to winter damage, but less so than Baco Noir and about the same as Cayuga White. It is commonly grown in the cool idal Blanc, also known as Vidal 256, is a workhorse climate states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, New grapeV variety for the eastern United States. The reason for England, and Canada. It is generally resistant to fungus diseases its workhorse status is that it yields ample crops and and is not sensitive to sulfur treatments. The vine is vigorous, a produces quality wines. It is a commonly grown grape in most consistent producer, and very productive. The variety can grow cool climate regions of the eastern United States and Canada. in many different soil types and conditions. It buds out late to Further, it is made both as a varietal wine and used extensively very late in the spring, but if damaged by a late spring frost, it in blends. can produce a secondary crop. Vidal matures late to very late

and produces grapes of high sugar in cool climates. This high acid white grape is very versatile in the cellar and can make either bone-dry, steely white wines; barrel-aged Fumé A WIDE RANGE OF STYLES Blanc type wines; sparkling wines; or sweet dessert or ice wines.

Its genetic makeup is 75% vinifera and contains the grape This grape can make a very wide range of wine styles, species lincecumii, rupestris, and vinifera in its ancestry. Vidal including: an Alsatian-style wine with viscous/oily qualities; Blanc is a cross of the vinifera grape called St. Emilion or Ugni flinty Burgundian-style/Chardonnay whites; wines like Blanc in southern France and Trebbiano Toscano in Chianti, Vouvray/; big fat Fumé Blanc-style wines/ Italy. It is distilled in both France and Italy to manufacture , if aged in oak; and Rhine wine-like dessert brandy. It was hybridized by Jean-Louis Vidal, (1880-1976) wines. As a crisp wine without oak aging, Vidal is very clean, director of the Institut de Recherches Fougerate at Bois- metallic, and flinty with floral and resinous notes that include Charentes, France, A viticultural research station located just fruit flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, melon, hazelnuts, pears, northeast of Bordeaux, near Cognac. orange blossoms, spice, dried flowers, and lead pencils. It has

high acid levels, so residual sugars are often left to help The grape’s seed parent is vinifera and its pollen parent is the balance the acid levels. French-American hybrid Rayon d’Or (S.4986). Vidal Blanc shares a common parent with Seyval Blanc, Rayon d’Or. The goal of As a Fumé Blanc-type wine, the grapes are left on the vine for

22 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG a longer period of time to increase sugars and to reduce the Charentes, which is located just northeast of Bordeaux and grape’s high acid levels. These wines are helped greatly with encompasses the commune of Cognac. The distilled brandy at least six months of wood aging to soften its body, brighten called Cognac is made exclusively in the Cognac district. its nose, give it more complex smoky notes and rich spice and Professor Vidal bred primarily white grape varieties, hoping to butter flavors, and to elongate its finish. These wines are more produce new fungus disease resistant varieties that were approachable than the steely Vidals described above. This style capable of producing suitable brandies in Cognac. of Vidal is more nutty, buttery, and complex. These wines have the flavors of ripe pears, orange rinds, vanilla, and almonds. Professor Vidal had no idea that his work would lead to the development of Vidal 256, which is versatile for the production As an ice wine, Vidal Blanc has the classic Rhine wine qualities of many different styles of table wines and of great of rich honey, citrus flavors reminiscent of Grand Marnier, and importance to the eastern United States’ wine industry. Vidal hazelnuts, with an underlying metallic finish. Many wonderful worked for many years to breed grapes that could produce a Vidal ice wines are made in the Finger Lakes and in Canada. It Cognac equal to that produced with Folle Blanche which is is a lot of work to make these ice wines, but the results are well susceptible to fungus diseases when grown in Charente. Vidal worth the effort. was breeding grapes that were more resistant to a myriad of fungus diseases. However, in the end, Professor Vidal’s Vidal Blanc can be used as a base wine that is blended with resultant grape variety, Vidal Blanc, is a great grape for the cool Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Cayuga White, Vignoles, and many climate vineyards of North America because it is a solid other white wine grape varieties. Vidal on its own can have a producer in the field and makes a wide variety of quality wines muted and neutral nose and taste when compared to other in the cellar. white wine varietals, but it has a solid body and foundation that lends itself to become a base wine for blending. Blending it with other whites can brighten its taste and add complexity. One of the great strengths of Vidal in the cellar is that it is good on its own and is a worthy component in blended wines in cool climate regions. About The Author

Stephen Casscles, is author of “Grapes of the Hudson Not surprisingly due to its genetic heritage, Vidal has more Valley” (2015), and a frequent guest lecturer in the vinifera qualities than most other French-American hybrids. For winemakers, Vidal is easy in the cellar because it ferments Hudson Valley at colleges, historical societies, and easily, is protein stable, that has few “hybrid” flavors because it botanical gardens in New York City, Boston, and the ferments clean. Vidal Blanc should continue to be a mainstay Hudson Valley. He writes for wine/agricultural/local grape variety for the east coast wine industry. Below is a short biography of the creator of Vidal Blanc. history journals on grapes, winemaking, and on

horticultural subjects and local history, and is as-

Professor Jean-Louis Vidal (1880-1976) – sociated with with the SUNY at Cobleskill Father of Vidal Blanc Fermentation Sciences Program. He can be reached

at: [email protected] The French hybridizer Jean-Louis Vidal was director of the Institute de Recherches Viticoles Fougerat at Bois Charentes, France. This research station is located in the department of

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 23 Whether you are fermenting in a bucket or No cutting corners on this one either. Use

his article is for those of us who a barrel, adjust your pH with tartaric acid. a sodium hydroxide or sodium bicarbonate either cannot afford to, or don’t want to, The same goes for the wine. After fermen- for cleaning and a citric acid/sulfur solution purchaseT rows of stainless steel fermenters, tation, if it ends up above 4, please adjust it or peracetic acid solution for sanitation. bladder presses, and glycol units. Whether to taste (not necessarily number, more to Take the time to clean! Even when you feel you are just trying your hand at fermen- taste). Don’t be afraid to adjust your juice/ like you don’t have time, in the scheme tation in the garage with some buckets wine. Think of it this way: You can end up of things, it is much easier to take the 15 and carboys, or starting a small business with a natural, flabby wine which no one minutes to sanitize your materials than to venture, or maybe you’re somewhere in be- will actually enjoy, or a slightly adjusted spend time dealing with spoilage tween, here are some methods for mak- wine which is quite tasty. The same goes organisms down the road. ing wine without breaking the bank for sugars; if your brix are too low, add Making Wine Without a Winery

Fancy equipment has its place, but it’s not sugar (yep, table sugar will do), if they are Keeping pH and sanitation in the back of necessary to make delicious wine. too high, add water. I don’t know where your mind, next comes the tactical part the idea came from that these things were of making wine. By this I mean taking the

I mean when you think about it, people looked down upon, but if your food was time to understand gravity and thermody- have been making wine long before all the bland you would add salt, if your dough was namics. If you don’t have access to a pump fancy machinery was available. Of course, dry you would add water. Your purpose is let gravity do the work for you. All you have whether or not it was actually delicious to make something that is palatable. There to do is think five steps ahead. Before you back in those days…I can’t speak to that, isn’t a recipe for the greatest tasting wine; fill a fermentation vessel, think about but with the proper know-how…I swear it however we can avoid making the worst raising it off the ground a little, stack a can be done. tasting wine by making adjustments when couple wooden pallets and place the necessary. barrels/bins/buckets/containers whatever

Most of the know-how of which I speak has you are fermenting in on top. You can to do with pH and sanitation (see previous WHAT HAVE THE ROMANS use a ladder to do punch downs and articles on pH). Get a pH meter — no DONE FOR US? (SANITATION) take samples. excuses. If your juice has a pH of 4 or higher, you are in a microbiological danger zone. Second part of the know-how is sanitation. The advantage is that when fermentation

24 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG is finished, you can use gravity to drain the destemming is by choosing whole cluster Nalgene container of sorts because they vessel. I suggest using a 1/2-inch in diam- fermentation, which in many cases works handle hot water better than the flimsy eter length of tubing zip-tied to something quite well. plastic water bottles. Do not use glass; it is sturdy and straight. You can push it thru not worth the chance of getting shards of the cap and then siphon the liquid out. Onto temperature control, the poor man’s broken glass in your wine. Place a sieve or a colander at the end of the glycol is water. If you are using a fermenter hose to catch any grapes that tried to tag such as a plastic poly tank or a bucket or a Now for my favorite method of tempera- along. If you are thinking it will be a huge garbage can you can buy some drip line or ture control: not doing much at all. How? pain to fill a fermenter that is lifted, lugging a soaker hose and wrap it around the ves- Ferment in the barrel. I know a lot of you all those grapes up to a higher level! Well, sel you are using. Connect the water and are saying, “I can’t afford barrels!” but I’m not I speak from experience it is much greater turn it on, this will provide a constant drip talking about barrels for the purpose of oak

Making Wine Withoutby Kristine Austin a Winery pain (without a pump) to try to separate of cold water on the outside of the vessel. influence. I’m talking about using barrels as the liquid from the grapes from a vessel You can also do this with warm water if you fermentation/storage vessels. Used barrels that is ground level. have access to it. are not expensive and generally not hard to come by. Most commercial wineries phase If you don’t plan on making whites or rosé In addition to the irrigation hose you can out their old barrels when they get new you can technically avoid the purchase of a also make reusable ice cubes! Freeze some ones and you can find them for $50 or less. press and just use free run. If you are going water in reusable sealable containers (free to invest in a press, I would go with a small of labels). Don’t forget to leave a little room BARREL AHEAD basket press, it shouldn’t break the bank. for expansion. Once frozen, they act as re- The smaller ones can be worked by hand usable ice cubes for your fermenting juice. Maybe some of you are saying, but I’m not (and a cheater bar). The one problem I hav- They will float which is great because the making whites or rosés! If you are ferment- en’t found any way around is destemming top of the fermenter is usually warmer ing reds, you still use the barrel, just in a without a destemmer. There isn’t really a than the bottom. Freeze enough of them different way. All you need is a big chisel replacement. Of course destemming by so that you can have a consistent supply: (aka a hoop driver) and a hammer and you hand is an option but it is just brutal unless some frozen, some freezing and some in can remove the head of the barrel and you have enough time, friends and beer. your fermenter. You can do the same with ferment in it standing up. Before you start, The only way to cheat your way out of warm water. For this I would try to use a mark the head and barrel so that you put

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 25 So you really don’t have to worry about bucket or whatever you are fermenting cooling or heating. I don’t know about you, in. I would also try a few different toasts/ but I’m all for one less worry. dosages just for variation. You can add oak later if you choose to age your wine but if I find the challenge with small batch you ferment with the oak it tends to find a winemaking is that you don’t have the smoother fruit/oak balance. opportunity achieve complexity in the wine. This is simply because you usually Making wine without a winery has been just have a small amount to work with. done for ages, but to make good wine I can suggest a few tricks to get more without a winery takes a lot of thinking complexity in your small batches. Ferment ahead. Another important duty is to write the proper head back with the proper half whole cluster, or try different percent- down your steps. You think you will barrel and with the same orientation. To ages of whole cluster. Try to use different remember what you did to each batch but remove the head of the barrel, well, I could yeasts. Yeasts do make a difference because I guarantee you that by the next harvest describe it to you but you might as well just they can produce different aromas and it has all blended together, pun intended. watch one of the videos on the internet. flavors. Now, say you use two yeasts and Winemaking is not for the faint of heart, it Fill the barrel about ¾ full with whole destem one batch and use whole cluster requires unbridled attention and determi- clusters and/or destemmed grapes. Roll in the other. All of a sudden instead of nation. Winemaking is messy and wet and your pants up, clean your feet, hop in the having one Syrah you have four makes your back hurt; but when you open barrel and stomp around! different lots of Syrah, which you can mix a bottle of wine that you made and it and match later. You can also play with actually tastes good, all you remember are As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, cold fermentation temperatures. Let one the good times. And if it doesn’t taste good, soaking is used to extract color during the fermenter go to higher temperatures and try another, and another, and another. And juice stage, but if you don’t have cooling, one fermenter stay in cooler temperatures if you’re still not happy by the time you’ve an alternative option is adding a solid dose using the methods I suggested earlier. made it to your last bottle, at least your of sulfur dioxide (100ppm) which will Fermentation temperatures matter, cellar is empty and ready for next harvest. postpone the fermentation for a few days. producing more jammy flavors on the This high dose of sulfur dioxide initially hotter end and more peppery/fresh flavors appears to bleach the juice, but I promise on the cooler end. About The Author the color will come back in full force by Kristine Austin could be considered the end of fermentation and often more Another option for creating more variation an over-educated migrant worker. vibrant than ever. Also fermenting with in your wine is oak influence. If you want With a degree in philosophy and a untoasted oak also seems to stabilize color. degree in enology she travels the oak flavors purchase some chips or spirals world making wine, working for or cubes or whatever shapes they have on The lovely thing about fermenting in great winemakers, doing the hard the market nowadays. I suggest ferment- work and getting zero credit (but barrels is that they seem to be the perfect ing with the oak alternative; this incorpo- having very few responsibilities). proportionate size to maintain moderate rates the oak flavors better, lessening the Kristine can be reached at kristine. fermentation temperatures. The natural possibility of disjointedness in your wine. [email protected] insulating properties of the wood help too. So throw some into your old barrel or your

26 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG FingerRiesling LakesMaster Class FLX by Eric Miller

t’s good to have friends in high places. You get to lead stage. Sadly for most of us, its programs are geared for members tours to wine areas you otherwise couldn’t afford to visit. of the restaurant, retail and wholesale trade – but the more it is You get to meet your heroes, like Robert Mondavi and out there, the more we all benefit. Here’s my take-home from PierreI Clape. You get invited to taste the work of and meet the this “Riesling Roadshow” I attended recently in Philadelphia. cutting edge winemakers of the dynamic Finger Lakes (FLX) Riesling scene. Lunch is served, the wines are exciting, For those of you with Rip Van Winkle Disease, the Finger Lake’s excellent graphics are projected onto the screen, presenta- first winery was bonded in 1860. FLX is New York’s first and tions are professional, packed and mercifully brief. And there is largest AVA (Federally recognized Viticulture Appellation). In the ubiquitous Bob Madill, founder of Sheldrake Point Winery, the 1950s, a couple of visionaries like Charles Fournier (Gold winemaker extraordinaire, to put things in a global perspective. Seal Wine Company) and Konstantin Frank (Vinifera Wine Cellars) took a sharp turn from the previous hundred years’ of The Master Class crafted by the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance is growing Labrusca (e.g., Concord and Niagara) grapes for wine smooth-running and puts education about the region center and planted vinifera grapes, among them Johannes-

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 27 burg Riesling (a name phased out by the U.S. government’s Of the over 100 members of today’s Finger Lakes Wine Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau – TTB – in 2006, Alliance, there were only nine wineries and 18 wines in favor of either “Riesling” or “White Riesling”). From a couple represented at this Master Class. But it was clear that these par- of experimental acres of mixed varieties, the region has ticipants were a very collegiate bunch. Evidence? They speak blossomed today to 950 acres and 200,000 cases of flagship well of each other. They share facilities. They buy grapes from Riesling production. each other. They shared revelations on winemaking with each other right there, in public. They are trading information about I know, I know, there are some great FLX Cabernet Francs, the effect of indigenous VS cultured yeast strains, pros and Pinot Noirs, other cool climate vinifera and hybrid wines cons of barrel VS stainless steel fermentation. It’s no surprise (and the unmentionable, beer) but this tasting was all then, that today’s FLX have achieved a consistent about Riesling. high quality…at the same time showcasing wines that reflect individual terroir, personal viticulture and winemaking style, DRAMATIC FLX TODAY and bottlings that explore unique clones and distinct soil types.

It can be downright freezing in FLX and fortunes have been SO WHAT ARE THE WINES LIKE? lost learning the local terroir. Today, careers are being made by understanding the subtle relations between wind, In general, young FLX Rieslings are a pale straw color, light in temperature, elevation and soil. Elevations here are between body with a zippy acidity, delicate fruit and a firm but gentle 700 and 2,000 feet. The smart money has planted delicate clean grip – not unlike a first-rate Riesling from the Mosel Valley. varieties like Riesling around these deep lakes (max 632 feet) They are incredible values at around twenty bucks. where prevailing winds off the lakes cool the warm sunny summers, providing diurnal variation key to a wine’s perfume. My opinion is that the jury is out about how well FLX Rieslings By being large and deep the lakes resist freezing in age. For example, some dry Rieslings from Alsace simply don’t winter and warm the air to moderate frigid temperatures. show much until after a couple years of age or until an hour or Where lake-influenced sites remain cool in Spring, two after the bottle is open. Then, they come out screaming vines are not tempted to bud early and like banshees: “Peaches! Green apple! Mineral!”. This event are less prone to early frost did not simulate a sufficient range of wines for that kind damage. Soils range of revelation. from If it sounds like I was blinded by a free lunch and wine, I was clay and not. The Finger Lakes today is a real wine region with real schist to higher pH people making wine in good and difficult vintages. It’s no limestone. Like other non-arid grape more perfect than Burgundy or New Zealand, but it has growing areas that are margined a coterie of winemakers who go to any length to by freezing winters, it’s make great wines. Here are a few wines you need important in FLX to plant in to know about: soils that drain excess moisture.

28 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG was mouth-watering with a bit more forward juicy fruit. So where did that mint come from?

• Anthony Road Wine Company 2014 Sparkling Riesling – Once, just once in my life, have I ever tasted a Riesling-based Sekt (German sparkling wine) of this caliber. (1.4%RS, 2.94pH, 11.3% alc). It was in the Mosel Valley and I forgot the name. I could almost give up Champagne to drink this wine but thank heavens we can have them both! • Wagner Vineyards 2017 Caywood East Dry Riesling – This Pale yellow, never-ending tiny bubbles, floral (the sommelier amazing beauty of a wine is second to no Alsace, German, next to me identified it as almond blossom) with a pure fresh Australian or Washington State Riesling. At the risk of making slice of Golden Delicious Apple and crisp acidity. life boring, it is what I want every FLX Riesling to be. Notes of cotton candy and green apple in the nose, with clean acidity • Sheldrake Point Winery 2016 Riesling Ice Wine (19.4%RS, and a richness that made me think, mistakenly, that it had 3.52pH, 11.8% alc) – Talk about Big Love. This incredibly some residual sugar.(7.7 TA, 3.05pH, 12.3% alc) concentrated, explosively sweet, “forget the dessert just bring me another glass of that wine” is world class. It is a true Ice • Boundary Breaks Vineyard 2017 Riesling Dry #239 – This wine’s Wine in that some crazy person picked the grapes when they delicate lemon-lime notes in the nose and mouth and were frozen and another crazy person put the grapes into a exuberant acidity masked the 0.8% residual sugar and allowed press while they were still frozen, and what came out was a apple pie spices to show through. (7.35 TA, 3.00pH, 12.3% alc) super sweet manna of the gods. A perfect balance of acidity and luscious sugar. And to think it’s hundreds of dollars less • Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery 2016 Salmon Run Semi-dry expensive than Chateau d’Yquem. Riesling – I’d have loved this even if it wasn’t priced at 10 bucks! It made me think of other German Rieslings when I smelled that red rubber and apple pie fruit and spice. (1%RS, 7.0TA, 3.14pH, 12% alc) About The Author

Eric Miller has been an east coast American • Fox Run Vineyards 2014 Lot 11 Lake Dana Riesling, Semi- winemaker for more than 40 years, first at his Dry – With a residual sugar of 6.3, the sugar registered but family’s Benmarl Vineyards in New York State was ethereal and just plain awesome when played against and then at Chaddsford Winery in Pennsylva- a bracing acidity of 2.85pH and wonderfully low alcohol of nia, which he founded and co-owned from 8.6%. Hints of apricot and peach with a generous mouth. 1982 through 2012. He has spent all of his adult life growing, conceiving and producing wines, • Glenora Wine Cellars – we tasted both the Humphrey’s Vine- learning and teaching about wine, traveling to yard 2017 Reserve Riesling (1.43% RS, 3.29 pH, 10% alc) with wine regions around the world, and, most clean pure fruit (a non-soda drinker’s 7-UP), and their simply importantly, tasting and drinking wine. He can labeled 2017 “Semi-Dry” (3.6%RS, 3.03pH, 11.5% alc), which be reached at: [email protected]

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 29 21 Wines to Watch Ellen Landis, CS, CSW Bel Lago Vineyards & Winery | 2013 North Vineyard Pinot Noir smoothly textured with chalky tannins and excellent balance. It’s approachable today, while Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan also promising additional years ahead. The expressive aroma of florals, cherries and earth provides the perfect intro to this luminescent Food pairing: Tilapia piccata | SRP: $35 | Food pairing: Mushroom cappuccino soup Pinot Noir. Seductive on the palate as forest floor, brambly fruits, cranberry chutney, anise, and minerality join spicy nuances from 30-month French oak aging. Finely chiseled tannins and a Black Star Farms | 2016 Isidor’s Choice | Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan perfect vein of acidity keep it keenly balanced. The wine remains pure and elegant as it heads to This remarkably fragrant red blend, crafted of Teroldego, , Lagrein and , is a long-lasting finish. Delicious now and cellar worthy. compelling. A lovely coupling of power and elegance, with a generous measure of wild berry, Food pairing: Mushroom cappuccino soup | SRP: $35 | www.bellago.com plum, blueberry and boysenberry fruit entwining with tobacco leaf, allspice, pencil shavings, and well-integrated oak. Fine grained tannins and good acids provide good counterbalance to Big Little Winery 2017 | “Dune Climb” Sauvignon Blanc the lush fruit, and the finish lingers. Drink now or hold for future enjoyment. Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan Food pairing: Lamb tagine | SRP: $32.50 | www.blackstarfarms.com Fermentation in 50% stainless, 50% neutral oak creates a fresh, stimulating Sauvignon Blanc with good complexity. Glorious aromas announce prominent varietal correctness. Brengman Brothers | 2017 Roth Vineyard “Traverse Coast” Blend It brims over with fresh peaches and nectarines, bright lemon-lime accents, juicy Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan slices of summer melon, and a pleasing suggestion of grassiness, exhilarating the palate. This jazzy blend of 90% Riesling and 10% Grüner Veltliner opens with an enchant- Immaculately balanced and crisp through the lively finale. ing sun-ripened white peach aroma. Cascading onto the palate are vibrant flavors of Meyer Food pairing: Oysters on the half shell with mignonette sauce | SRP: $21 lemon, spice-laced peach cobbler, chamomile tea, star fruit, fresh chopped tarragon, and a www.biglittlewines.com broad stoke of minerality. Refreshing and dynamic with nice balance and energy through the thirst-quenching finish. Mari Vineyards | 2016 Praefectus | Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan Food pairing: Spicy crab spring rolls | SRP: $19.95 | www.brengmanbrothers.com This finely structured, age-worthy blend is composed of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. An intoxicating aromatic begs you to linger over the glass. It continues Walter Scott Wines | 2016 Sojourner Vineyard Pinot Noir to engage the senses as layers of black cherry, boysenberry and black currant fruits meld with Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon cocoa, capsicum, graphite, and hints of earthiness. Aging 10 months in new French barrels adds From rocky volcanic soils comes this sophisticated and ageworthy gem. Opening with beautiful pleasing elements of oak, and the well-integrated tannins are firm. florals followed by engaging layers of raspberry, cherry blossom, bay leaf, Rainier cherries, and Food pairing: Slow-cooked beef short ribs | SRP: $48 | www.marivineyards.com a solid thread of minerality. Elegant and silky, with underlying oak (from 35% new French barrels) perfectly positioned in the background; Skillfully structured with firm tannins and per- Bonobo Winery | 2017 Devil’s Dive Vineyard sistent length. Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan Food pairing: Game hens with cherry glaze | SRP: $55 | www.walterscottwine.com This highly aromatic, well-crafted Pinot Blanc is extraordinary. The purity of fruit, precise bal- ance and gorgeous mouthfeel simply shine. Lip-smacking layers of red delicious apples, Casaba Alexana Winery | 2016 Fennwood Vineyard Pinot Noir melon, Asian pears, Meyer lemon, Marcona almonds, and a pinch of fresh cut herbs unwind Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley, Oregon gracefully onto the palate. Vibrant and superbly balanced through the long, memorable finish. From marine sedimentary soil comes this exquisitely fragranced Pinot Noir. The woodsy, Food pairing: Parmesan crusted flounder | SRP: $17 | www.bonobowinery.com earthy first whiff draws you right into the glass. Deep red cherry, cola, mulberry, pomegranate juice, sandalwood and fresh herb highlights wrap lusciously around the St. Julian Winery | 2017 Braganini Reserve Mountain Road Riesling backbone of refined tannins. Nicely balanced with a bright level of acidity, and the Lake Michigan Shore, Michigan satisfying, prolonged finish leaves you wanting more. Oozing with ripe stone fruit on the nose, this delectable wine boasts a sunny personality Food pairing: Grilled pork tenderloin with Memphis dust rub | SRP: $65 all the way through. Ripe peaches, sweet nectarines and fresh lime juice interlace with a www.alexanawinery.com nice mineral backbone and noteworthy level of acidity. Fresh and full of energy, with juicy tropical notes peeking through on the colorful finish. Youngberg Hill | 2016 Aspen Chardonnay | McMinnville, Willamette Valley, Oregon Food pairing: Apricots stuffed with cream cheese and pistachios | SRP: $20 | www.stjulian.com The tempting citrus blossom aroma opens to a first sip that clearly broadcasts Chardonnay, and this beauty keeps on delivering. Irresistible flavors of creamy Comice pear, Cameo apple, 2 Lads Winery | 2016 Cabernet Franc | Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan honeysuckle, minerality, and a dash of herbs intermingle seamlessly on the palate. Aging in Scents of cassis and cocoa on the nose blossom with beautiful expression on the palate. You 50% one-year seasoned oak and 50% neutral oak barrels adds nicely integrated toasty oak can’t resist the rich mouthful of blackberry, bittersweet chocolate, roasted red pepper, dusty nuances. The wine is pristinely balanced, and the finish is bright and lifted. earth, coffee, and allspice reaching every nook and cranny in the mouth. Well-crafted and Food pairing: Herb braised chicken | SRP: $40 | www.youngberghill.com

30 | WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG Alloro Vineyard | 2015 Riservata Pinot Noir Palmer Vineyards 2016 | Aromatico | North Fork, Long Island, New York Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon A beautifully fresh, sweet jasmine scent floats from the glass. This electrifying white wine, a Fragrant violets and wild berries on the nose make way for a dazzling explosion of tantalizing blend of 60% Muscat and 40% Malvasia, shows off vibrant and delicious flavors. Crisp and flavors coating the palate. Complex and layered as concentrated black cherry, black raspberry, refreshing as Bartlett pears, flat leaf parsley, mandarin oranges, and a subtle touch of honey sandalwood, deep purple plum, pleasing oak spices, and a nice touch of earthiness entwine in roasted almonds create a tongue-tingling burst of flavors on the palate. A racy spine of acids harmony. Brisk acidity keeps it lively, complementing the sumptuous fruit and supple tannins, keeps it spirited, and the finish is crisp and mouthwatering. and the wine flows to an enduring finale. Food pairing: Mussels steamed with garlic and saffron | SRP: $34.99 |www.palmervineyards.com Food pairing: Soy glazed salmon | SRP: $50 | www.allorovineyard.com Castello di Borghese Vineyard & Winery | 2016 Bianco di Pinot Noir Lenné Estate | 2015 cinq élus Pinot Noir | Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley, Oregon North Fork, Long Island, New York Here is a blend of the best barrels of the five clones (Pommard, 114, 115, 667 and 777) planted Rosé is all the rage this year in the North Fork, and this example is a finely crafted one. at Lenné Estate. The engaging aroma is captivating. Deeply layered, savory, and bright on the Red fruits and citrus notes demand your attention at first sniff. Energizing, bright and palate with raspberry, black cherry, red currant, mocha, Asian spices, minerality, and a pinch of complex on the palate with layers of Rainier cherry, raspberry, fresh squeezed lemon, red dried herbs. French oak undertones are well placed, and the texture is velvety smooth. currant, and a smidgen of spice interlacing with berry infused tea notes. Blood orange Impressive now, and cellar worthy, if you can wait. accents invigorate the lingering finish. Food pairing: Angel hair pasta with black truffles | SRP: $72 | www.lenneestate.com Food pairing: Goat cheese stuffed figs | SRP: $50 | www.castellodiborghese.com

Bergström Wines | 2016 Silice Pinot Noir | Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon Wölffer Estate | 2015 Fatalis Fatum | South Fork, Long Island, New York A mesmeric, perfumed aroma wafts from the glass of this full bodied, mineral driven The perfumed fragrancFoe of this red blend, comprised of 39.5% Merlot, 38.5% Cab Sau- Pinot Noir. Distinctive layers of black raspberries, savory herbs, pomegranate seeds, Bing vignon, and 22% Cab Franc, is enticing. Rich, dense and classy as layers of black cherry, cherries, wild mushrooms, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and a thread of minerality weave blackberry, anise seed, bittersweet chocolate, blueberry cobbler, black currant, nicely a delicious pattern across the palate. Complex, ageworthy and balanced with polished managed oak spice, and a trace of roasted red bell pepper unfold with elegance. Chalky tannins, and a nice touch of licorice accenting the long, gratifying finish. tannins, fine balance and depth suggest years of aging ahead. Food pairing: Duck confit | SRP: $75 | www.bergstromwines.com Food pairing: Pappardelle Bolognese | SRP: $60 | www.wolffer.com

Archery Summit | 2015 Arcus Estate Pinot Noir Channing Daughters Winery | 2015 L’Enfant Sauvage Chardonnay Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon The Hamptons, Long Island, New York From deep rocky soils comes this rich and multi-layered Pinot Noir. Asian spices, red rasp- Tropical aromas are enchanting with this vivacious and well-balanced Chardonnay. berry, licorice, chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry preserves, and crushed herbs inter- Flavors of crisp Autumn Glory apples, grilled fresh pineapple, a touch of brown spice, and link, supported by firm tannins and ideal balancing acidity. The oak notes contribute honeysuckle nectar glide effortlessly across the palate, carried by a satin smooth texture. a spicy undercurrent, and the wine has good depth and tension through the forever Aging 16 months in French oak imparts a lovely toasted oak backdrop, and the buoyant finish; one for the cellar. finish is vivid and lively. Food pairing: Herb crusted lamb chops | SRP: $125 | www.archerysummit.com Food pairing: Lobster bisque | SRP: $38 |www.channingdaughters.com

Soter Vineyards | 2014 Mineral Springs Vineyard White Label Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton; Willamette Valley, Oregon The jeweled hue shimmers, and the entrancing bouquet arouses the senses as you swirl the wine. Well defined layers of wild mushrooms, Sweetheart cherries, red licorice, spice box, About The Author earthy elements, unobtrusive oak, and a seam of minerality form an inviting mosaic of flavors across the palate. Focused and complex with silky tannins, fine balance and good depth; an Ellen Landis, CS, CSW, is a published wine writer, certified age-worthy selection. sommelier, wine educator and professional wine judge. She spent four years as a sommelier at the Ritz Carlton and sixteen years as Food pairing: Chicken/prosciutto ravioli | SRP: $100 | www.sotervineyards.com Wine Director/Sommelier at the award winning boutique hotel she and her husband built and operated in Half Moon Bay, CA. Raphael Vineyard | 2013 Primo Reserve | North Fork, Long Island, New York They recently sold the hotel to devote more time to the world of This blend of 54% Merlot, 27% , 16% , 2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% wine. Ellen is a moderator for highly acclaimed wine events, judges Cabernet Franc greets the nose with deep, dark, forest berry fruits. Rich and full bodied with numerous regional, national and international wine competitions layers of blueberries, boysenberries, cassis, graphite, and savory olive tapenade broadening on each year, and creates and executes wine seminars for individuals the palate. Beautifully textured and structured with a solid core of tannins, and the finish is and corporations. She has traveled extensively to wine regions around the globe. spicy and persistent. Food pairing: Red wine marinated skirt steak | SRP: $72 | www.raphaelwine.com Contact Ellen at [email protected]

AMERICANWINESOCIETY.ORG WINE JOURNAL : WINTER : 2018 | 31 X newornoteworthy by Jim Rink

MICHIGAN WINERY WINS significant event of its type. A record RIESLING CHALLENGE number of rieslings, 567, from six countries—Australia, New Zealand, USA, – TO ENSURE CONSUMER CHOICE IN FINE WINE – According to MyNorth News Service, on Germany, France and the Czech Repub- October 19, 2018, the most prestigious lic—were judged at this year’s Challenge. Free the Grapes!, a national coalition award at the 19th Annual Canberra of wineries and wine lovers, is calling on International Riesling Challenge (CIRC)— Kerm Campbell, Black Star Farms grower/ consumers in the Hoosier state to write Best Wine of the 2018 Challenge—was owner says, “This medal is a compliment for their state legislators in support of improv- given to a Michigan wine: Black Star Farms our growers, our vine care managers and ing consumer choice in wine next year. 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling. This is only the our winemaking team, and on a broader second time in CIRC’s 19-year history that scale, a game changer for Northwest As compared with the 44 other states that an American wine has come out on top. Michigan in particular. allow winery-to-consumer shipments, only Indiana bans direct shipments from The Black Star Farms 2017 Arcturos Dry wineries with an existing relationship with Riesling was awarded Best Riesling in the an Indiana wholesaler middleman. U.S. World, scoring 98 points in addition to tak- wineries are forced to sell their wines in ing home Best Dry Riesling and Best Ameri- Indiana through wholesalers, or directly can Riesling. All six rieslings Black Star Farms to consumers, but not both. While Indiana submitted took home medals. has taken several important steps in the last two years in reforming beverage laws, Professional Wine Judge Jim Trezise, who the “winery lockout” continues to restrict is also the founder of the International consumer choice. Riesling Foundation and president of WineAmerica says, “This is a huge accom- plishment for them, for Michigan wines, and for American Rieslings. The fact that they also won medals for every wine en- tered is also amazing, showing consistent quality across styles and vintages. I have judged at the CIRC for four years, and it is It is not surprising that Indiana has the Hosted in Canberra, Australia, the CIRC was the most rigorous and competitive event fewest number of direct wine seller created to highlight the grape that defines I’ve experienced. This year there were more licenses of any state that permits direct white wine, Riesling. This challenge attracts than 500 rieslings from several countries, wine shipping (334 licenses). Other states wines from Riesling producing countries and Black Star Farms came out on top. with an adult population comparable with around the world and is the most Congratulations to the Black Star team, and Indiana’s have issued far more direct thanks for making America proud.”

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shipping licenses: Massachusetts, 1,087; but this is a significant accomplishment.” Missouri, 1,264; and Maryland, 938. newornoteworthy “The inclusion of the alcohol annex is also a by Jim Rink Every other direct shipping state provides very positive step in our long-standing their consumers with a greater selection of efforts to remove trade barriers and grow U.S. wines while simultaneously benefiting U.S. wine exports. We thank Ambassador from the additional tax and license fee Lighthizer and his entire team for their revenues from these shipments. tireless efforts to secure these gains.”

Founded in 1998, Free the Grapes! is a Wine Institute is the public policy advocacy national movement of consumers and association of nearly 1,000 California wineries seeking to expand consumer wineries and affiliated businesses working choice in wine with legal, regulated direct at the state, national and international shipments. For more information, visit: levels to support California wineries. www.freethegrapes.org Canada is the number one market for U.S. wine exports, 90% from California, which WINE INSTITUTE APPLAUDS reached $1.53 billion in winery revenues MARKET GAINS and 380 million liters (42.2 million cases) in volume in 2017. This year’s competition included 853 New Wine Institute CEO, Robert P. “Bobby” Koch, York wines and 71 Hard Ciders from recently issued a statement in response to DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK several regions across New York State the announcement that the United States, IS “WINERY OF THE YEAR” including Central New York, Finger Lakes, Canada and Mexico have completed Lake Champlain, Lake Erie, Long Island, negotiations on a new, modernized free Hudson Valley, Niagara Escarpment, trade agreement to succeed NAFTA. In the Thousand Islands, and Upper Hudson agreement, Canada has agreed to resolve Valley. The awards were based on blind the ongoing dispute regarding grocery tastings by 21 expert judges from across store access in British Columbia by the country. Judges included prominent ensuring the discriminatory policies are Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery was awarded wine writers, restaurateurs, retailers, removed by November 1st of next year. the title “Winery of the Year” as well as the and wine educators. Judging panels “Best Red Wine” for their 2016 Blaüfrankisch determined the initial awards, with “This agreement represents real progress in the 33rd Classic. This is top-scoring wines evaluated by all 21 towards improved market access for U.S. the third time Dr. Konstantin Frank Win- judges for Best of Category and Governor’s wines in Canada. In settling the U.S. WTO ery was awarded as “Winery of the Year.” In Cup awards. case, Canada has finally acknowledged that 2012, its 50th anniversary year, Dr. Konstan- . it must live up to its WTO obligations and tin Frank won both the Governor’s Cup and that blatantly discriminatory policies the Winery of the Year award. It also won cannot be tolerated. We still have much Winery of the Year in 2006 and the Gover- work to do in other areas of market access, nor’s Cup in 1997.

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