Travels on the northcoast

[Florida Jim]

Some thoughts on a recent trip to Sonoma and Mendocino counties:

Eaglepoint Ranch, under the viticultural stewardship of Casey Hartlip, is not only a beautiful setting but the source of many fine wines from makers such as Copain, Thackery and others. However, one should not overlook the wines Casey is making under the name of the ranch; I bought the 2003 grenache and I am usually no fan of the variety. This wine is supple, full of strawberry (not cherry), elegantly structured and weighted despite 14.1% alcohol and does not lack for grip. A nice wine by itself, it comes alive with food.

Oh by the way, if you’re in Ukiah, do not miss lunch or dinner at Patrona on W. Standley Street; a gem to be sure.

Soon to be released is Bevan Cellars, Port; a cabernet fruit driven but not raisined version of this wine just made for an after-dinner cheese plate. All mailing list, I suspect, as the production is miniscule.

Bennett Valley is now an AVA and looks like it has good potential to grow cooler climate varieties, especially at elevation. I tasted the 2001 Loxton, Rubiyat Vnyd. syrah, and although this bottle showed very low levels of TCA, it was remarkable for its complexity and textures; more European styled than I would have expected from an Aussie winemaker. Likewise, a small private label producer, although his first vintage was heavy on the brett, showed some nice promise with his fruit.

Obviously, production is in its infancy here and the soils I saw looked to contain lots of clay – still, careful rootstock and clonal selection and a few years of experimentation could make this designation a player in the market, especially with syrah.

As Steve Kistler with his cuvee Elizabeth and Pete Marsh at Marsh Vineyard have demonstrated, the Occidental area also looks good for cool weather grapes. A trip I made to Forrestville and Graton revealed similar potential. Mostly pinot noir is what I saw (although some Rhone varieties, too) and some red soils that looked extremely attractive for such plantings. And someone out there is doing some excellent vineyard managing.

A conversation with an owner of a hillside vineyard in the Healdsburg area was instructive; he was growing fruit just to sell but wanted to sell to a winemaker that would style wines consistent with the manner the owner had chosen to grow his grapes. He eschewed the heavy leaf-picking, maximum alcohol, longest possible hang-time method and would not alter his methods, even if failing to do so lost him a client.

Moreover, my read on this fellow was not that he was simply being stubborn but that he had the integrity of his convictions and sufficient knowledge of his land to be clear-headed about such decisions. No square pegs in a round hole for this guy.

Of course, being prosperous in other endeavors probably leant perspective, too. In any event, it was heartening to see that kind of decision making.

The 2002 Vaillons from Louis Michel is delicious Chablis that can be found around at reasonable prices (well, reasonable for this hyped vintage). Full of fruit but backed by powerful minerality and structure, this should be good for many years.

Greg LaFollette is coming on as the new winemaker at Deloach and I tasted their new sauvignon blanc; its a fine, crisp, citrus driven rendition of the variety. Also, I tasted the dry gewürztraminer that showed nicely, although short of the density of, for example, a Zind-Humbrecht (which, as far as I’m concerned, can be a good thing depending of the food it’s served with). Look for Greg to bring this label back to prominence - quickly.

Land prices in Sonoma County are still pushing the outer edge of the market envelope. When three acres (two planted) brings a million dollars, you know that demand outstrips supply. And here I thought all the dot-commers had already sold out and bought land.

For those visiting the area, I suggest a stop for dinner at the Fig Café in Glen Ellen. Corkage is always waived, the room is both informal and inviting, the service friendly and efficient, and the food as delicious as it is down to earth. And the prices are small – and I mean small – by comparison to any other quality restaurant in the area.

Bottle Barn, in Santa Rosa, rocks!

It was a good trip.

It’s also good to be home.

Best, Jim