Unfiltered, Unfined

The Beauty of North Cali Wine Country

A few columns back (see Pinot Envy on the CA Coast) I promised the rest of the story of my recent trip to North California, specifically the portion that occurred after my media tour had ended. I realize that most of the bottles recommended here are expensive, but they’re all great examples of why I will always love wine from the north coast of California.

Tasting is always more fun with friends, and so for this two-day trek across Napa and Sonoma I had coordinated with Asbjoern, a young Danish sommelier I met in Austria (see Tales from the Austrian Wine Summit) and Amos, brother of the much-mentioned Jerry, who lives in nearby Santa Rosa. The overall idea was to give Asbjoern, who was visiting U.S. wine country for the first time, an overall view of North Cali wine. I had therefore organized three winery tours in Napa on Day One; Day Two included the same number of visits but in Sonoma.

While both regions are important parts of U.S. wine country, they couldn’t be more different in most vino-relevant ways. Napa is laid out like a football field, with two long, reasonably straight roads (Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail) bracketing various cross streets up and down the valley. This extreme regularity of terrain is a factor in the local terroir and lends itself to Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon that thrive on the hillsides that line the edges of the oblong valley floor.

It’s almost impossible to get truly lost in the Napa Valley itself, although the spiderweb of roads leading to lesser-known peaks and troughs are another story. This rigidity, combined with major restrictions on the number and locations of any new vineyards, makes wine tourism a pretty much by-the-numbers march, usually up one road and down the other. I had made our Napa tour even easier by focusing on wineries near the Silverado Trail.

Some of the crew at Robert Foley's winery

First on our Day One list was Switchback Ridge, owned by the Peterson family and vinified by Napa legend Bob Foley at his winery on Howell Mountain. Although sold almost entirely through their mailing list, Switchback Ridge has managed to command high scores from much of the mainstream wine media. I’ve been on the list for several years now, and I have to say that this is my favorite Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah producer.

The Cabernet was deep and lush, full of the trademark spices and dark berry fruits of Napa. But it was the even more broodingly powerful Petite Sirah, with its accents of darkly roasted coffee and pepper surrounding a core of tar and blackberry syrup, that really spun my pin. Kelly Peterson, who worked with Bob on the wines, let us sample some 2008 barrels along with the recently bottled 2007s. Both years tasted like tremendous vintages for this cultish wine, and if you can get your hands on any you should do so immediately.

Out the back door at Clos du Val

Fortunately, the juice at our next two stops is much more widely available. Clos du Val, a long-time denizen of the Napa Valley, is a place I had long heard of but never before visited. Winemaker John Clews tasted us through the winery’s current releases, and one that caught my eye was the steely, nutty Chardonnay. Green pea and yellow squash wafted from my glass, followed by grapefruit and green pear. Greenish gold in color, this is a restrained Chardonnay, something that Napa frankly could use more of.

The lineup at Shafer Family Vineyards

Our final visit that first day was with Doug Shafer at Shafer Family Vineyards in Stag’s Leap. Doug’s been a friend for years, one of the few still unspoiled characters in the valley who can remember when most everyone else was humble, too. But while Doug and his family remain modest in outlook, there’s nothing “aw-shucks” about the wines. They shout their New World origins with Napa-style exuberance, none more than the drop-dead gorgeous One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon, so named because Doug and his dad started working together early enough that neither of them consider the son to be completely second generation. This complex yet also somehow elegant wine was mind-bogglingly rich, mixing ripe currant and dried cherries with strawberry licorice and sage on the mineral-laden finish.

Crazy terrain at Bugay

After dinner (Willi’s Wine Bar in Santa Rosa), Amos went home. Asbjoern and I spent that night at nearby Bugay Vineyards, owned by John and Rita Bugay. There I sampled the tightly wound Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Les Rocheuses. Intensely tannic and reserved at first, over time bits of raspberry coulis and dried currant showed their wares. Then mint and tobacco cautiously appeared in the glass, leading me to think that this needs years in the cellar to be at its peak.

We met again the next day with Amos for our Sonoma sojourn. Sonoma is much looser in appearance and attitude than rigidly bound Napa. Comprised of several different valleys, it’s also a lot bigger and more diverse. Perhaps this is why Sonoma retains some of that sleepy, farm-town ambiance that exited its much more cosmopolitan brother many years ago.

At Small Vine Wines

Small Vine Wines, a 3,000-case winery in the heart of Sonoma Pinot Noir country, was our first stop on a brilliant North Cali morning. Here Paul and Kathryn Sloan farm their vineyards organically and biodynamically, with closely spaced vines of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (upwards of 3,300 vines per acre as is often done in Burgundy) leading to wines of uncommon purity and verve.

My favorite was the Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, a blend of fruit from several vineyards including Baranoff Family and Occidental, bursting with red cherries and raspberries. The finish was all cola and graphite, with a hint of cedar and butterscotch at the very end. A blockbuster effort that will age gracefully for many years.

Halloween in the Hartford Court tasting room

Next came Hartford Court, which is known to me for its high-quality wines (primarily Pinot Noir) as well as a focus on directly marketing to the consumer, a topic that I’ve been interested in for some time. Because of this direct-to-consumer business model, many of Hartford Court’s wines are not readily available in wine stores. However, their website sells all that are currently available, and they have a strong wine club that is open to new members.

Many of the bottles were delicious (last week I recommended their Pinot Noir Arrendel Vineyard), and while I often prefer Pinots one of the most memorable was actually the Chardonnay Laura’s Vineyard, full of lemon and lime, then orange blossom and nutmeg followed by a garrigue-laced grapefruit pith bitterness that balanced all of that exuberant fruit.

The soil types at Verite

On our final stop of the two-day tour we hit Vérité, an outpost of French Bordeaux-style blends in the wilds of Sonoma. Here winemaker Perre Seillan crafted the beautifully precise, white pepper and blackberry drenched La Joie red blend. After the pepper and black fruit came waves of cream soda, blueberry, caramel and dust on a long, big-tannin finish. Just a joy to drink, which of course is why it has its given name.

The next morning, as my bus left wine country, I thought about the trip and what I had learned. Media trips are fun but exhausting, the frenetic pace a result of being on someone else’s nickel in wine country. I completely understand the rationale behind loading up such jaunts with an excess of tastings and winery visits. But one of the true joys of my job is when, as during this trip to Northern California, I can help others grow their own passions for the grape.

Recommended:

White

Clos du Val Chardonnay 2007 (Napa, California) $19

Hartford Court Chardonnay Laura’s Vineyard 2007 (Sonoma, California) $65

Red

Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah Napa Valley 2007 (Napa, California) $60

Shafer Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five 2006 (Napa, California) $70

Bugay Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Les Rocheuses 2006 (Santa Rosa, California) $90

Small Vine Wines Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2007 (Sonoma, California) $50

Vérité La Joie 2006 (Sonoma, California) $200