Spring Releases, 2010
March 2010The thing I think about most regarding the 2008 season is that it marked the return of Chardonnay to my winemaking life. Actually that’s a bit of an exaggeration since I make Chardonnay for several of my clients, but for my own brand I had not included a Chardonnay among my offerings. There are a couple of reasons I have softened my red-wine-only stance. One, I found that people expected it. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay go together, after all. Two, I rediscovered the joys of white wine the last couple of years. Those of us on the production side of the business tend to get this red wine bias—sort of a combination of jaded palates and a bit of a machismo thing too. As I get older, the machismo thing becomes less important I guess. I have always loved aromatic whites, and in my youth considered them a guilty pleasure (weird, I know) but now I am proud of it. Here are the Spring 2010 releases:2008 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay: I kind of stumbled upon the grapes that comprise this wine. I had been on the lookout for a good source of Chardonnay (see above) and heard from a friend that Keller Estate Vineyard had some fruit available. When I went to taste the wines they had made for the Keller Estate brand I was impressed. The wines showed balance, minerality, cut and purity—they were definitely not full blown heavy handed Chardonnay. In my experience with the grape that kind of fruit is hard to find, so I signed up for the grapes on the spot. This wine comes from two different blocks in the vineyard, one planted to Wente clone and the other to clone 4. Both of these clones have been in California for many years, and while they may not be as “sexy” as the newer, so called “Dijon Clones,” some of the greatest California Chardonnays ever made (not that I am making that claim for my wine) were made from these clones. I employed the same methods in making this wine that I have used for years—no added yeast, fermentation in barrels (about a third of which were new), aging on the primary lees, full malolactic, minimal fining. Let the flavors from the vineyard show through, and they do. 240 cases. $33/bottle.
2008 “The Habitat” Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: I have long believed that a vineyard is more than just a field of grapevines. It is an entire ecosystem, and needs to be treated as such. Of course everyone knows about the importance of the soil, climate, exposition and so on, but there are other things that I think make a big difference—other plants growing nearby, insects (good ones and bad ones), microlife in the soil, and all the other organisms that live in and around the vineyard. When we talk about organic and sustainable farming we’re really talking about the habitat from whence the wine comes. Which is why the wine is named “The Habitat.” In 2008, the grapes are from Shaun and Gerald Bybee’s vineyard, which is farmed organically. In addition to the vineyard there is a large pond which serves both as an irrigation source and a wildlife sanctuary. As the fruit came across the sorting table I was struck by how perfect the clusters looked. Healthy. Pure flavors. All the things you would expect from carefully tended healthy plants. The wine is fairly restrained by California standards—13.2% alcohol, with flavors squarely in the classic Pinot Noir spectrum—red fruits, floral notes, lively acidity. No jamminess, no heaviness. 75 cases. $45/bottle.
2008 “1313” Oregon Pinot Noir: I have long had a soft spot in my heart for Oregon, and it started long before I became a winemaker. My family spent many summer holidays in various parts of Oregon, partly because I had an aunt living there and partly because my parents just liked it up there. My mother was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest so I am sure there was personal history involved as well. Whatever the reason, I too fell in love with the unspoiled beauty of the central Oregon mountains and rivers (my dad was an avid fisherman) and the somewhat more urban but still verdant charms of Portland, where my aunt lived. When I started making Pinot Noir, I began making wine related visits both to wineries and to conferences, all in the name of getting better at making Pinot. About 15 years ago some Oregon wine types took me to a swimming hole on a small creek off the North Umpqua River. It was the best swimming hole I had ever seen, and I still go there every time I am in the area. I was told that the locals refer to it as “1313,” after an old mile marker that once stood near the start of the trail that leads to the spot. This wine is named in honor of that place. 2008 was an exceptional vintage in Oregon. This wine comes from a vineyard called Roserock, in the Eola-Amity Hills, on a hillside overlooking the town of Salem. This wine, like all Oregon Pinot Noir (when it’s good) combines the sometimes contradictory elements of ripeness and vibrancy, freshness and earthiness. 75 cases. $45/bottle.
When I started this brand one of the first things I decided I wanted to do was offer value and honesty. I have beaten this drum fairly hard over the years, I’ll admit, because it’s so important to me. It’s probably even more important now, with our economic woes, than it was when I started out in 2004. I have always priced my wines so that regular wine lovers like me could actually afford them. Good wine should not be reserved for the wealthy. Byron
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