I arrived in Northern California in late November and began getting ready for Thanksgiving and family get-togethers (my oldest daughter has a birthday in mid-December and my son celebrates his birthday two days before Christmas !) as well as the coming holidays. Thanksgiving this year was my first with family since 2006. The turkey and dressing dinner was delicious and" traditional" except for one special feature on the table. It was a gift from a special friend in France of a unique and excellent red wine. It was a 2009, Dom de la Gabilliere, Touraine Primeur. It is wine produced by the students in the winemaking school in Ambois. It was absolutley perfect with the herby, spicy dressing (dried bread, diced onion,celery,sausage and a bottle of Chardonay) and "gravey".
I have kept a "cellar" of wines in a closet at my daughters house and one of the first things I did was to unpack the stored--away wines to see what was left to drink and and enjoy. I had two classified Bordeaux Estates of very good vintage (read my tasting notes on the Bordeaux page) a1999 Gevrey Chambertin,(read my tasting notes on the Bourgogne page) two bottles of Barolo from different producers and vintages and one bottle of Antinori's 1995 Tignanello. And a very nice collection of Zinfandels from a number of regions in California. Zinfandel is a wine somewhat unique to California. As many of you know, Count Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian nobleman was assigned the project (by the thriving State of California) of bringing back cuttings of wine grape vines from all over Europe. As the story goes, in one lot, a bundle of cuttings had lost identification tags (actually there were two). However, these particular cuttings were planted anyway and flourished. Somehow these cuttings and the grapes they produced were named "Zinfandel" as was the wine these grapes produced. An interesting chapter in the history of Zinfandel is the "discovery" of a remarkable California pocket where the Zinfandel vines really stand out. This pocket is the Amador county region. I suspect that the first Zinfandel to come out of the region that attracted a great deal of attention was the Sutter Home, "Deaver Vineyard". It was a 1968 vintage and a bold and daring move on the part of Bob Trinchero. It entered the market and for the first time consumers realized something special could come out of Amador. It helped Bob Trinchero establish Sutter Home as a significant wine maker in California.
I will mention the Zinfandels I tried while in California. I pulled the lot from my "cellar" in California...they will be right here on this page. ...Alan
Hi...!I am back in France and trying to come up with notes on my tasting experiences while in California. When I got the chance I opened a bottle of "Zin" to have with lunch. Here are some wines I had tucked away. A 2000 vintage Simi, Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Alc. 14.5% Medium to full-bodied but it did not have the forceful presence of young Zinfandel. Without a doubt, the years tucked away in the "cave" helped it to mature into a distinguished wine. A 1999 vintage Rabbit Ridge Zinfandel, Sonoma. Meduim body with significant "Zin" character. This is a wine that was made from vineyards in the Dry Creek area of Sonoma County, as well as other Sonoma areas. It was a wine made in the last years before the proprietor re-located into the Central Coast region. From Amador county I had two different bottlings ofShanendoah Vineyards Zins, 2000Alc. 14%.
I remember very clearly one of the first impressive Zins I ever drank. It was on a bright summer day. I had brought a Sutter Home from the shop where I worked and planned to drink it in the backyard with casual summertime burgers. I opened the bottle and tasted it. It was certainly "big". A few minutes went by while I was cooking the burgers, my second taste instantly impressed me. "What a wine!" a 1968 Amador, "Deaver Vineyard". Super!
There is no doubt that one on my favorite California producers is Dave Stare. He initiated Dry Creek Vineyards in the Dry Creek area and proceded to produce outstanding wines, right from the very first. On my recent visit to Sonoma I simply had to visit his facility. He was not there but I did taste a number of the Dry Creek wines. He has not lost his touch! The Zins I tasted were a standard by which other producers could measure themselves and not be embarassed! In addition I tried his "Meritage", a pure Bordeaux blend of the five principal grapes of Bordeaux. He certainly "hit the mark" on this wine! Quite obvious was it's Bordeaux heritage, yet it it had the "up-front" presence of a wine from California. If you cellar this wine it will easily live for many, many years.
Three flags over NAPA.
The American flag, the California flag and the French flag. In the early days of California viticulture, most of the developement of the vineyards was established by immigrants from western Europe. Especially Italians and Frenchmen. To this day there are many winerys still owned by Italian families. In time the French pioneers migrated to the cities to take advantage of commercial opportunities, yet there is still the powerful influence of California's French heritage. Especially the preponderance of French wine grapes. These are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache.
An oaken barrique on display near St. Helena in the Napa Valley.
The French barrel-makers of France brought the art of barrel-making to Napa Valley in the late 1960's and 1970's. Additionally, French trained winemakers taught California wine makers how to "marry" the art of fermentation and oak-aging of young wines to create balance and complexity. Very importantly was the choice of the "correct" oak that could be used. Because of the tight grain Limosin and Nevers (and others) from France were far superior for this purpose than American oak. French oak "containers" range in size from the well-known 55 gal oaken aging barrel to sizes much, much larger, up to hundreds of gallons.
Seguin Moreau The French facility for barrel production in the Napa Valley.
Seguin Moreau came to California in the late "60's at the request of Robert Mondavi. The French barrel maker sent two of their best craftsment to Napa, to Robert Mondavi's new (yet unfinished) winery. These gentlemen evaluated Robert Mondavi's facilities, his new winery, his vineyards as well as the wines he was producing. Soon, an order of Limousin and Never oak arrived from France and they began to build barrels for Mr. Mondavi. These new barrels gave the Mondavi wines a style unique to Napa's red wine ! In time, craftsmen with Seguin Moreau began to supply a number of Napa wine producers with barrels, now produced from a small shop they built for themselves and the business they anticipated. The barrel business grew and became an integral part of the style of the wines coming out of California's Northern growing regions. These wines now hold a very highly repected place in world of wine...everywhere !
Domaine Chandon
Another influential French company in the Napa Valley was (and is) Domaine Chandon, a "sparkling wine" producer established by Moet et Chandon, the very famous Champagne House in the Champagne region of France. The use of the word "Champagne" can ONLY apply to the bubbley bright white wines from the Champagne region of France. The French insist on this...and rightfully so. So, even though Domaine Chandon is a French company, its bubbley, bright white wines may only be labeled as "Sparkiling" because it is totally a product of California. This California "Sparkler" is made in the approved and traditional "Methode Champenoise". Domaine Chandon was an original effort and since it's success other European producers have moved into the California sparkling wine industry and have also found success. One that followed Domaine Chandon rather quickly was Piper-Sonoma. Established by Piper-Heidseick Champagne house. Of course Piper-Sonoma labels it's product "Sparkling Wine" as well. Others are, Mumm of Napa, Domaine Carneros by Tattinger, and Roederer Estate.
Welcome to Napa Valley
This prominent sign has been welcoming visitors to the Napa Valley vineyards for over 40 years. It is surrounded by vineyards just in front of, and a bit south of the Robert Mondavi winery. At almost any time one can see visitors posing in front of the sign to have a photo taken. No doubt to prove they had visited the famous vineyard region of California.
Saint Francis of Assisi in front of the Robert Mondavi Winery.
Saint Francis of Assisi was a famous and respected lover of animals and birds. The statue was created by Benjamin (Benny) Bufano of San Francisco who was a an artist who created many scuptures of animals. These creations are placed all over the city of San Francisco.
Saint Francis of Assisi was the founder of the Franciscan brotherhood. It was these Franciscans who first brought French wine grapes to California over two-hundred years ago.
Sign welcoming visitors to the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County.
The Dry Creek Valley is one of the modest sized vineyard areas in Sonoma County. It is a neightbor to the Russian River vineyard area. Both of these vineyard regions produce wines of superb quality. My particular favorite is Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir from this pocket of Sonoma is not as lean or restained as those from Napa yet they are not as fat as the Pinots from the Central Coast area. They have excellent varietal character and balance. Another varietal that reflects it's French heritage is the Chardonnay. These Chardonnnays remind me greatly of Chardonnay wines from Meursault. They are supple and mouth-filling with the generous fruit that Chardonnays can present.
Roadside sign, Sonoma
This roadside sign points to the directions one must follow to seek out producers (and their vineyards) in the Dry Creek and Russian River areas. Most of these producers are family-owned operations and many have been there for many, many years. The parents teach their children everything they need to know to make the best wine and carry on the family traditions.
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