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Perlises Pick: Grand Cru Custom Crush

May 28, 2022 by Michael Perlis

Custom crushes provide vital resources to boutique winemakers who don’t have their own winery facilities yet desire to have access to state of the art equipment and support. Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor, California takes this one step further by enabling their client wineries to offer their customers an opportunity for an amazing tasting experience.

Recently, we had the opportunity to visit with Nicole Yasinsac, Grand Cru’s Hospitality and Events Director. She gave us a tour of Grand Cru as well as providing tastes of a selection of their clients’ wines, all while sharing the story of the facility.

Robert Morris, former president of Punchdown Cellars in Santa Rosa (which was formerly Copain Custom Crush) and his wife Erin teamed up with Erin Brooks and Todd Gottula of Ernest Vineyards to open Grand Cru in 2017. The building design was inspired by the historic Boradorri Garage in Cayucos, with other touches paying homage to Robert being a reserve firefighter for the city of Healdsburg.

The production facility is 30,000 square feet with a capability of producing about 25,000 total cases annually. Winery clients are varied, which helps to ensure different picking and production schedules. Besides barrels, concrete eggs, sandstone amphorae and urns are also available, as are crush pads and bottling, as well as a lab.

We’ve been to custom crushes where tasting with the winemaker can be somewhat of an adventure, maybe just one step away from an OSHA report. The tasting salons at Grand Cru are stylish, with the bay doors available to be open to allow for as much fresh air as one would want. Gabriel Glas wine glasses help to maintain the elegance.

And the wines are no slouches either. Nicole guided us through a tasting of the following –

Edaphos by Ernest:  2021 Picpoul from Lodi’s Prie Vineyard.  Ernest Winery is owned by Todd and Erin Gottula, co-owners of Grand Cru and is named after Todd’s grandfather Ernest.  The Edaphos label focuses on small lots of lesser known grape varietals. The wine was subtle with an impression of a hint of sweetness and bright light citrus and a lengthy finish.

Ernest: 2019 Aligote from the Henry David Vineyard in Bennett Valley. The “other” white Burgundy, somewhat similar to Chardonnay.  Light with some grassy notes and hints of arugula.

Bucher: 2021 Sauvignon Blanc from the Bucher Estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The Buchers added vineyards to their 360 acre dairy farm starting in 1997. The wine was fresh and bright with tropical notes. Very classic Sauvignon Blanc.

Black Kite: 2018 Pinot Noir from the Gap’s Crown Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast.  The co-founders are Tom and Rebecca Birdsall along with Rebecca’s parents, Donald and Maureen Green. The label named after Rebecca’s father favorite bird.  Notes of dark cherry and a pleasing light finish, smooth and silky on palate.

Terminim: 2018 Syrah from the Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino. This is a collaboration between François Villard of France’s Northern Rhone Valley and Donald Patz of Patz and Hall Winery in Sonoma fame. Very dark and rich with black olive notes. Delicious wine. 

Saxon Brown: 2017 Zinfandel, Stonewall Block, Sonoma County. Owner/winemaker Jeff Gaffner was with Chateau St Jean and started Saxon Brown in 1997.  Dense style but not overpowering, lush ripe fruit with lavender notes.

We want to thank Nicole so much for spending time with us. Please visit Grand Cru Custom Crush on your next visit to the Santa Rosa/Windsor/Healdsburg area.  It is a great multi-brand experience of the outstanding wines made at the facility – private, personal, relaxed and intimate, showcasing many varietals and AVAs.

Grand Cru Custom Crush

www.grandcrucustomcrush.com

1200 American Way, Windsor, CA 95492Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Filed Under: Michael Perlis Tagged With: burgundy, California, cellar, crush, finish, France, grand cru, grape, Healdsburg, Lodi, mendocino, palate, picpoul, Pinot Noir, Rhone, Russian River Valley, santa rosa, Sauvignon Blanc, sweet, Syrah, tour, varietal, vineyards, wine glasses, winemaker, winery, Zinfandel

ADOBE ROAD WINERY WINS LA INVITATIONAL WINE AND SPIRITS CHALLENGE

April 25, 2022 by evebushman

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: aroma, award, best of show, cabernet sauvignon, California, chocolate, color, competition, crush, double gold, finish, French oak, fruit, grapes, judge, length, Napa, palate, petaluma gap, Pinot Noir, points, red wine, Sonoma, sonoma county, tannins, winemaker

Perlis Picks: Some Wine History Books

May 23, 2020 by Michael Perlis

Filed Under: Michael Perlis Tagged With: Angeles, bottle, California, crush, flavor, michael perlis, phylloxera, prohibition, red wine, restaurant, san francisco, tasting, united states

GOfermentor® wins innovation award for the Wine Industry

December 18, 2019 by evebushman

FAR HILLS, N.J. /PRNewswire/ — The GOfermentor is an example of an industry outsider bringing a new perspective and expertise to winemaking and challenging how things are being done. Vijay Singh is a biotech engineer, who revolutionized the way pharmaceutical fermentations are done by introducing a single use sterile bag to replace stainless steel. Now he’s bringing the same concept to winemaking and is harvesting medals for his winery as well as significant production advantages.

“The wine industry can be slow to change, so it is invigorating to have experts like Vijay Singh come into the industry and bring their fresh approach and knowledge from another industry to winemaking. It is not often that you see new solutions that are at once cost saving and quality enhancing. The GOfermentor has the potential to cause a paradigm shift for small lot winemaking.” – George Christie, President Wine Industry Network

When grapes are crushed, they are placed into a one ton GOfermentor single use bag and the unit is programmed to automatically perform punchdowns at regular intervals. The automation reduces labor, and the frequent mixing action also eliminates temperature gradients within the fermentation, with the result that sulfides from yeast retooling are not observed. The plastic bag protects the wine from unwanted exposures from yeast, oxygen, smoke, and bacteria from the outside environment.

At the end of fermentation, the GOfermentor presses the grapes, leaving behind the pomace in the biodegradable plastic bag for easy disposal. The disposal of the bag means savings on labor and time spend cleaning as well as a 90% reduction in water usage. The GOfermentor is a paradigm shift in winemaking that many winemakers will likely be hesitant to accept, but the low cost and barebones infrastructure required to use the GOfermentor makes it easy to try with a very low investment.

“Traditional wineries are 90% janitorial and 10% winemaking. With the GOfermentor and SmartBarrel racking system, we changed that to 90% winemaking and 10% cleaning.” – Dr Vijay Singh, Inventor

About GOfermentor

The GOfermentor is an advanced winemaking system for artisanal and small batch (< 1 ton) production. Many units are in use worldwide. Automated punch and built-in press reduces cost and labor. Single-use technology minimizes water usage. US patents 9260682, 9611452, 9802805, France 14 61410, Australia 2014268161. Others pending.

For more information, visit www.gofermentor.com

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: crush, fermentation, grapes, harvest, medal, smoke, stainless, water, winemaker, yeast

Visit Temecula Valley Celebrates Wine Month with Sips of Wine, Bites to Eat, and Chances to Win Big

August 17, 2017 by evebushman

Temecula Valley, CA (PRWEB) – Celebrate California Wine Month Temecula-style this September in a month-long toast to the region’s bounty. Exciting programs for wine-lovers include CRUSH Wine & Culinary Showcase; Crush on Temecula Valley Wines, in partnership with local restaurants throughout Temecula Valley; a Wine Country video contest; a Wine Country social media challenge; SIP Temecula Passports, good for five tasting flights at participating wineries; and live events and entertainment happening in September throughout Wine Country.

Wine_Month_2870c7ac-5273-49c9-bf14-8e9c2edf17c3Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country is home to more than 40 wineries boasting award-winning and 90+ point rated wines from Palumbo Family Vineyards, Lorenzi Estate, Callaway, Leoness Cellars, Hart Winery, Mount Palomar Winery, and more.

CRUSH Wine & Culinary Showcase
For the ultimate Southern California wine experience, visitors and locals are invited to celebrate Temecula Valley’s harvest at the CRUSH Wine & Culinary Showcase. Over 30+ member wineries will be featuring their latest and greatest varieties for tasting, while patrons mix and mingle with winemakers, vineyard owners, chefs, and new friends as they enjoy live entertainment and artisan food bites from over 15 local restaurants.

Crush on Temecula Valley Wines Restaurant Month for Wine
From September 1-30, local restaurants will offer unique Temecula Valley wine features to encourage locals and visitors to discover (or re-discover!) new favorites alongside Temecula Valley cuisine. These may include special Temecula Valley tasting flights, food and local wine pairings and zero corkage fees on local wines. To add to the fun, diners will be encouraged to share their wine new “crushes” via social media.

Wine Country Video Contest
This summer, Visit Temecula Valley and Temecula Valley Wine Growers Association invite amateur filmmakers to showcase their talents in the [insert name of video contest – stay tuned here]. Participants must submit 1-3-minute videos shot in Temecula Valley Wine Country, exploring the theme, “We take our wine seriously… but not ourselves.” The top three videos will be shared via social media during the month of September. The top vote-getter will receive two tickets to CRUSH two tickets to People’s Choice Blind Tasting & Wine Dinner, an overnight stay in Temecula, a SIP Passport, and an opportunity to participate in harvest (prize valued at approximately $1000).

SIP Temecula Wine Tasting Passports
To maximize your Temecula Valley Wine Month experience, consider staying at least two nights midweek, when your odds of meeting a winemaker or getting a peek behind the scenes run high.. Visitors to the region should consider purchasing a SIP Temecula Wine Tasting Passport, valid Monday-Friday for five standard tasting flights at 26 participating vineyards.

Live Entertainment & Winery Events
Throughout the month of September, local wineries will feature an extensive lineup of events, live entertainment, and special promotions to celebrate Temecula Valley Wine Month. For up to date information and details on specific winery offerings, visit https://www.visittemeculavalley.com/things-to-do/events/.

For details and more information about Temecula Valley Wine Month, visit https://www.visittemeculavalley.com/wine-month/.

About Visit Temecula Valley
With natural gifts of climate and geography Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country is recognized for scenic vineyards, award-winning wines, and 40+ wineries. The popular, boutique destination includes the Temecula Valley A.V.A. (American Viticulture Area) as well as Historic Downtown Old Town Temecula, Pechanga Resort & Casino, and Temecula Wine Country Golf Trail.

Visit Temecula Valley is the region’s official tourism marketing organization and an online resource for visitors at VisitTemeculaValley.com. Temecula Valley Visitors Center is located in Old Town Temecula (Third Street and Mercedes). For visitor information and assistance, call (888) 363-2852 or (951) 491-6085.

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: ava, blind tasting, California, chef, corkage, crush, cuisine, culinary, food pairing, harvest, restaurants, Temecula, vineyard, wine dinner, wine pairing, Wine tasting, winemaker, winery

CASA DE UCO LAUNCHES SALES OF FULLY MANAGED VINEYARD PARCELS IN MENDOZA

March 25, 2017 by evebushman

The boutique vineyard and resort in one of the top wine capitals of the world now offers wine enthusiasts the opportunity to become winemakers in Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza, Argentina—Casa de Uco, a family-owned vineyard and boutique resort spanning 800-acres in the Uco Valley, launched sales of its organic, fully managed vineyard parcels for wine enthusiasts from all over the world to fulfil their dreams of growing, producing and indulging in their own wine. In what is known as one of the world’s most prosperous terroir for growing Malbec grapes, Casa de Uco offers the opportunity to work side by side with its team of experts without the steep upfront costs of building a winery.

home-1At the vineyard estate, part of the unsung wine region of Uco Valley and typically referred to as Argentina’s Napa Valley of 30 years ago, inspiring vintners can purchase one or more of Casa de Uco’s 80 plots of land, from half an acre and up starting at $45,000.

Parcel owners have a flexible level of desired involvement and can choose to engage at any and/or every stage of the process, which involves selecting the type of soil, grape picking and crushing, ageing the wine in a customized oak barrel and creating tailored names and labels. Meanwhile, Casa de Uco’s team of world-class expert agronomists and enologists take care of the maintenance, harvest, fermentation process, bottling and labeling as well as logistics of exporting the final product. The expert team is led by world-renowned Alberto Antonini, head winemaker and consultant, well-known known for pioneering Argentine Malbec wines’ international recognition and appreciation.

“Based on my 16 years of experience winemaking in Uco Valley, I can say some of Mendoza’s best wines come from Uco Valley, which is celebrated for its exceptional terroir for organic, premium wine crafting,” said Alberto Antonini.

The experience grants vineyard owners the option to take the wine home, sell it for revenue and/or include their personalized wines in Casa de Uco’s restaurant wine list.

They also receive an annual vineyard planning consultation with Casa de Uco specialists, a complimentary resort membership, complimentary stays, discounted hotel and dining rates and access to the resort’s cultural and outdoor amenities and activities.

The property, tucked away in the foothills of the snow-capped Andes Mountains, receives 300 days of sun and is organically managed under near-perfect desert-like climate, which is ideal for grape growing. There are eight grape varieties vineyard owners can choose from, including four reds and four whites.

“Eight years ago, my father and I wanted to build private residences in what was then untouched land in the Uco Valley until we realized that, like for us, winemaking is a passion for many, so we created a setting where we could share the winemaking passion with wine lovers from all over the world without the hassles that managing a vineyard entail, “said Casa de Uco’s owner and founder, Juan Tonconogy.

The property also launched sales of its 10 virgin plots among the vineyard for owners to purchase their own two-to-three-bedroom residential villa. The sustainable, turnkey villas boast unparalleled seclusion and panoramic views of the mountains and surrounding vineyards with modern yet relaxed furnishings. The villas are designed by renowned architectural firm Alberto Tonconogy & Associates, owned and founded by Juan Tonconogy’s father.

The self-sufficient villas boast green rooftops, solar and photovoltaic panels, geothermal energy in floorings and walls for heating and air-conditioning, and self-contained water and heating systems. Each site is separated by natural flora that provides maximum intimacy and most importantly, preserves the biodiversity and natural environment of the estate.

Villa and vineyard owners can take advantage of an array of activities at the resort, including parcel wine paring tastings through the vineyards, vineyard bike and horseback rides, vinotherapy spa treatments, yoga, net fishing, water rafting, vineyard star gazing, cooking classes, blending sessions and vineyard and/or mountainside “asados”, which is an Argentine BBQ cooked over open flames.

Contact info:

http://www.casadeuco.com/

+54 261 476 9831

info@casadeuco.com

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: argentina, Barrel, crush, organic, restaurant, soil, terroir, vineyard, wine list, winemaker, winery

Wine and Livestock Make for a Perfect Pairing, by Barbara Barrielle

October 15, 2016 by evebushman

I first saw a video of how Shannon Ridge Wines raise sheep to sustainably manage their vineyards, rotating the sheep from vineyard to vineyard to control cover crop growth and naturally fertilize the land. I was intrigued.

Image from Facebook.

Image from Facebook.

Visiting the Lake County winery and meeting vintner/rancher Clay Shannon underscored the responsibility he feels to protect and maintain the historical vineyard hills of Shannon Ranch planted to Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel.

On the main Shannon Ranch, where Eastern European immigrants planted grapes over 100 years ago, Clay was prepping for harvest so the sheep grazed on a recently picked vineyard a few miles away. The sheep love grapes, you see, so they can’t graze near ripe fruit because they’d simply eat the crop. But, bring them in while grapes are ripening and they’ll happily eat grape leaves and thin the canopy for better sun exposure.

Clay Shannon has trademarked his approach as the Ovis Cycle, The Ultimate Sustainable Farming System. After harvest, the sheep clean up the fallen grapes and other MOG (material other than grapes) and fertilize away as they roam, all naturally. They leave the vineyards spotless and the sheep are fat and woolly.

In winter, vines may be dormant but the sheep are lambing and kept warm and protected by the vigilant sheep dogs. In Spring, the wines are budding, the sheep are sheared and the lambs are weaning. They continue weeding and fertilizing. These sheep graze well, live freely, enjoy life and, eventually are consumed as the cycle of life completes.

Shannon Ranch is known for its spectacular naturally-raised lamb, which pairs beautifully with many of the Shannon Ridge wines like the ever popular and well-priced High Elevation Wrangler Red. Grown at 1200-1400 feet it is a staple on many restaurant lists. Also in the High Elevation Brand family is a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Restaurants in the know serve the Shannon Ranch lamb right along with the wines for a perfect farm to table experience.

As Clay Shannon was discovering the ranch he now calls Shannon Ridge, he found a lot of history both in the winegrowing and in the ranch structures. He unearthed the old winery, complete with old crusher and press, an unknown and still-producing well, a skinning shack and a hand-built stone fence that runs for over a mile.

In the process of unveiling all the ranch’s secrets, Shannon’s greatest discovery was a century-old “Mother Vine” that is still strong today. The many offshoots of this old vine Carignane, probably brought from the old country, are the base of the oldest part of the dry-farmed ranch.

The old skinning shed is now preserved as the Buck Shack Bar for entertaining customers and trade. “Buck Shack” also happens to be the name of Shannon Ridge’s small batch red blend that reflects the finest fruit from Shannon Ranch.

Shannon Ridge farms over 991 planted acres Lake County AVA and the smaller Lake County AVAs of Red Hills, High Valley and Big Valley. Clay Shannon discovered early the beauty of Lake County wines and their potential quality and affordability and steadily acquired vineyards to become the prominent Lake County winery they are today.  Nationally distributed, all estate-grown and sustainably farmed by a true caretaker of the land, Shannon Ridge and its family of wines represent excellent value in the market today.

Filed Under: Eve Bushman Tagged With: ava, cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, crush, farming, fruit, grapes, harvest, lake county, Petite Sirah, pressing, restaurant, Sauvignon Blanc, sustainable, vines, vineyard, wine growing, winery, Zinfandel

Feb. 2010 Vintage Beacon: Explaining The NPA

January 13, 2015 by evebushman

Organized by Jennifer and Kevin Kelley, the Natural Process Alliance (NPA) is dedicated to responsible farming, minimalistic winemaking and transparency for consumers by using stainless steel refillable bottles to bring white wine to restaurants.

Which led to my three questions: Why stainless steel, why only local, and any reds on the horizon?

main NPA Logo w textHi Eve,

Thank you so much for your interest in the NPA wines. We decided to choose stainless steel as our packaging because it is more durable than other packaging materials like glass. Our concept behind the NPA is to make wines that reflect where they came from in their purest form. In doing so we wanted to leave the smallest footprint possible both in the vineyard and the surrounding areas. That is why we wanted to package the wine in a container that we could reuse over and over. Thus, all the wines are brought only to local restaurants in the reusable Klean Kanteens.

The restaurants pour through the wine and then we pick up the empty canisters while dropping off another round of full canisters. We bring the empty canisters back to the winery, clean them and prep them for the next delivery.

It is important to us that we avoid carting the wine over long distances to further reduce our burden on the environment which is why we only make the wine available to those restaurants within 100 mile of the winery.

Furthermore, the premise behind the NPA wines is to have the freshest wine possible delivered to our customers and making deliveries over a long distance can have an impact on the wine.

As far as reds go, we do have one red that is just now making its first appearance. It comes from the Sun Hawk vineyard. There is a great slide show of this vineyard on Facebook.com/the NPA. It is a biodynamic vineyard in Mendocino that also farms olives and lavender. We pull a red wine blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre, viognier, roussanne, marsanne, and a pinch of cabernet. The 2009 crush is our first using it and it is the first production year for this vineyard. We are really excited about it!

I hope that these answers have been helpful and really do appreciate your interest and support. If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Jennifer

Filed Under: Eve Bushman Tagged With: bottle, cabernet sauvignon, crush, Facebook, Grenache, marsanne, Mourvedre, restaurant, Roussanne, Syrah, vineyard, Viognier, winemaking

Perlis Picks: Wrath Wines

January 3, 2015 by evebushman

Wrath

http://www.wrathwines.com/

After a few days in Sonoma, my wife Karen and I were looking forward to a couple days off from this reporter’s wine writing job on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. However, I should have known that I’d be longing for some wine sooner rather than later. Limiting myself to one tasting room visit, I actually found the choice pretty easy to make…Wrath!

Contributing Editor Michael Perlis

Contributing Editor Michael Perlis

I’ve tasted and enjoyed the Wrath wines at a few events, most notably the Rhone Rangers Los Angeles tasting in 2013. Wrath didn’t participate in 2014, given the event’s date this year being during harvest [a problem a few of the smaller wineries faced], so I was looking forward to tasting their latest releases.

The Wrath winery is in Soledad, about 40 miles from the Monterey Peninsula. There is a tasting room at the winery, but fortunately, they also have a tasting room in Carmel – for those who know the area it is in the Carmel Plaza right next to the Cheese Shop that has been there seemingly forever.

We sat down with tasting room manager Christopher Whaley and learned a few things about the winery. Although I’ve only been hearing about this winery for a short period of time, it does have a longer history. Planted in the 1970s, it was originally called San Saba Vineyards.

When archaeologist Michael Thomas, son of the founders, took over the operation, he renamed it Wrath [from a line in the Led Zeppelin song “Going to California”]. In its latest vintage, Wrath produces 26 different bottlings totaling only 3500 cases annually of single vineyard designated wine.

Another 3,000 cases make up their Ex Anima series that feature minimal winemaking intervention and no new oak. [They also provide custom crush services for other wineries at their facility.] Under the direction of winemaker Sabrine Rodems, the winery produces Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Syrah. There are plans to release a small amount of Falanghina, an old Italian white grape varietal that I had never heard of. It will be fermented in above ground amphora known as dolia in two different styles – as a traditional white wine and also as an “orange” wine with extended skin contact.

[Note – in addition to being winemaker for Wrath, Sabrine consults for a couple other wineries, using that revenue to produce wine under her own label Scratch. She also created an organization called Wines of Danger, which is a group of very small wineries that has an annual tasting in San Francisco.]

Christopher tasted us through a few of the wines in the tasting room. We tried:

2013 Sauvignon Blanc, Ex Anima, Monterey [Nice fruit, not too much of the acidity that make some SBs hard to drink.]

2012 Chardonnay, Fermata, Monterey [Fermata means “halted” in Italian. Malolactic fermentation was halted at about the halfway point, giving the wine richness but still leaving it with structure.]

2012 Pinot Noir Swan/828, Monterey [20% whole cluster fermentation gave this wine great structure without overpowering the fruit. “Structure” seemed to be a recurring theme here.]

2012 Pinot Noir Tonore Grapefield [To me, this seemed the more old-world of the Pinots, with forest floor notes along with the fruit.]

2011 Grenache “Destruction Level” Arroyo Seco [Absolutely amazing Grenache. Sadly, there was none left to purchase.]

2011 KW Ranch Syrah [Brought me right back to why I loved their wines at Rhone Rangers.]

Next time you are strolling the streets Carmel, be sure to give this winery a try:

Carmel Tasting Room

Open Mon-Sat 11-6PM Sun 11-5PM. Located in Carmel Plaza, downtown Carmel at the corner of Ocean Ave. and Mission St., ground floor.  831.620.1909

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

Filed Under: Michael Perlis Tagged With: bottling, California, Carmel, Chardonnay, cheese, crush, Grenache, Italy, los angeles, Monterey, Oak, Pinot Noir, rhone rangers, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma, Syrah, tasting room, Wine tasting, winemaker, winemaking, winery

August 2008 Vintage Eve: Meeting Local Winemakers

August 22, 2014 by evebushman

My husband Eddie and I spending a day wine tasting in Santa Clarita (SCV) is not news. But wine tasting at two different vineyards within ten minutes of our house in SCV is.

Event planner Jeannie Carpenter with guests Betty and Luke Herme

Event planner Jeannie Carpenter with guests Betty and Luke Herme

Chris and Jeannie Carpenter of Newhall have a cellar I have long coveted. Free standing and temperature controlled, with an attached sitting room, it is normally filled with exceptional wine. But on this day it was also filled with oak barrels to sample from and a “wine thief” (think classy turkey baster) to sample with.

“We have what you call a collective co-op,” Chris began. “Three couples and a single winemaker. We had 500 pounds of Cabernet that we made into 30 gallons. Two 26 gallon half barrels – they’re easier to move and hold plenty of wine anyway -makes about 35 bottles per couple.”

“The grapes are all from a local grower in Bouquet Canyon. During the crush the grapes are ‘popped’, cleaned, covered, slosh around in a truck getting here and then we ferment it for a month with the skins on.”

“Our ‘Lost Pruners’ vintage was the last one we made. We will age the new one in American oak for about 4-5 more months. The wood softens the wine, but we have the remaining juice in glass containers. If it happens to be too ‘oaky’, we’ll blend them to taste. We are also making a Barolo style from 100% Nebbiolo grapes from Santa Ynez. It will be a little drier and needs one more year before taking home.”

At this point Chris checks his composition book to tell us that his “Cabernet Tempranillo was first bottled in July of 07.”

We asked how in the heck he learned how to do this and he said, “Reading a lot and learning by mistakes. I also tried to do everything my favorite winemaker from Saxum did; right down to picking his brain and planting the same grapes. The 200 vines we’re growing are Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre that we’ll use to make a Southern Rhone-style blend. I’ve learned a lot from collaborating with my friend, Roman Weiser (another Newhall grower) on the crafting of these wines.”

We reluctantly head away from the cellar and out to take a look at the vines. Jeannie took charge of our tour then. “I plan on having Assistance League fundraisers here,” Jeannie said. “To support our community.”

She then introduced us to her brother-in-law, Tim Carpenter, who had named the “Compa Vineyards” in memory of his dog, who was lovingly seen as a true “compadre”.

“You can come back for the grape stomp,” Chris added. “We may do that next time. Until then we let the grapes drop, to give structure to our 2009 harvest.” We’re there.

Then, back in the car, we drove ten minutes to Two Hearts Vineyard, this time into the hills above Hasley Canyon and to the beautiful home of Kerry and Susie (not Suzie Q.) Clark. And, even though they were in the midst of preparing for a wedding, it didn’t prevent them from being gracious hosts to an impromptu wine tasting.

Kerry and Susie Clark and 1/3 of the different varietals they had to share!

Kerry and Susie Clark and 1/3 of the different varietals they had to share!

With a 4 year old all organic vineyard they have just a bit over 200 vines. Growing Rhone reds, Primitivo, Cabernet and Barbera; whites include Colombard, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and White Malvasia.

“We are strictly amateur winemakers for now so we either drink our wine or give it away,” Susie reported. “We also buy grapes (Paso, Santa Barbara, and Lodi), and juice (Napa, Washington, Australia and Austria) and even use wine kits. We have won quite a few awards for our wine in the past few years. Last month we received 5 medals at the 2008 Wine Maker International Amateur Wine Competition.”

“There were over 4,300 entries from 6 different countries making it the largest wine competition of any kind – commercial or amateur – in North America. Our 2006 Cat Canyon Santa Barbara County Sangiovese won a gold medal and the 06 Sangio-Cab blend took a silver. The 2006 and 2007 Gruner-Veltliner both took gold medals and the 07 Viognier got a silver. Our wines have won awards at other competitions including the California State Fair and the L.A. Cellarmasters U.S. Winemaking Competition”.

“We enjoy the competitions as professional judges give us feedback on our wines”.

It was a hell of a tasting. I had a hard time pouring out any of the wines Kerry had us taste. But the warm weather, excellent learning experience along with the subtle cheeses, fruits and meats, all increased our pairing experience.

“It all happened by accident,” Kerry explained.

“We were invited to go to Napa and all I thought was that I didn’t need any auto parts.” There was a jokester in this winemaker. “Now we have a hard time taking a vacation at all because we can’t predict when the grapes are going to be ready for pick up, tasting and testing.”

“I enjoy writing the labels,” Kerry said. “I think every wine has a story to tell. My labels help tell the story of what’s in the bottle. Wine should be fun!” My husband read one of his quips, “Be a mellow fellow – drink Bordello Verdello” on the 2006 Mullaro Creek and “GRU-V” the 2006 Gruner Veltliner.

“Making wine isn’t hard,” Kerry continues, “But making good wine is. We started making small batches of beer before we lived in this house. And it was actually more complex with grinding grains and adding caramel. We had names like Brain Dead Red and Liver Killer Lager. Beer should be fun too!”

“We are also very green conscious: This is not a Rombauer Chardonnay, it’s my French Colombard, and we just reused the bottle.” Other wine making tips include oak cubes and stays and a cold fermentation process that “keeps the whites delicate.”  Kerry added, “In blending my own wines I can make my own decisions and make them consistent, I’m a slave to nature. But we don’t try to strong arm our grapes to taste a certain way, we go where the grapes take us.”

So do I.

Filed Under: Eve Bushman Tagged With: Australia, barbera, Barolo, Barrel, blend, cabernet sauvignon, cellar, crush, fermentation, grapes, Grenache, Gruner Veltliner, Lodi, marsanne, Mourvedre, nebbiolo, newhall, primitivo, Rhone, Sangiovese, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Santa Ynez, Syrah, Tempranillo, vineyard, Viognier, washington, Wine tasting, wine thief, winemaker

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Eve Bushman

Eve Bushman, owner Eve’s Wine 101 and Eve Bushman Consulting.

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