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it’s the weekend and just by way of a change…
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Etrangers
California Icon Gary Farrell Debuts New Alysian Label
Gary Farrell could easily be given the title of Father of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. After making his first wines for Davis Bynum, Farrell launched his own label in 1982. That year, he crafted the first Pinot Noir for the newly launched Rochioli Vineyard and Winery label, and released his first Gary Farrell Pinot Noir consisted of 50 cases of a blend of Rochioli West Block and the North Hill of Allen Vineyard. It sold for $80 a case. His Pinot Noirs offered elegance, yet intense and nuanced flavors, reasonably low alcohol levels, and generous acidity, and became among the most popular from California. By 1999, Farrell had outgrown the Davis Bynum winery where he had been making his wines, partnered with Bill Hambrecht, and built a hilltop winery on Westside Road.
Farrell was to sell his eponymous label and Westside Road winery to Allied Domecq in 2004. The winery and label were subsequently sold to Beam Wine Estates and then acquired by Ascentia Wine Estates. Farrell, now 57 years old, had difficulty working under corporate ownership of his winery and was unable to remain connected to all phases of winemaking. He left the winery in 2006 to return to his roots as a micro-producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. His new label, in partnership with Hambrecht once again, Alysian Wines (“ah-liss-ee-uhn”), will be housed in a new winery being built at the Floodgate Vineyard along Trenton-Healdsburg Road in Forestville.
The first three 2007 wines were released in September 2009 including a Russian River Valley and a Floodgate Vineyard Pinot Noir. Releases to follow in early 2010 are vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs from Rochioli Vineyard, Starr Ridge Vineyard East Terrace, and Hallberg Vineyard Crossroads. Total production in 2007 is 3,000 cases. The wines will be highly allocated through a mailing list at www.alysianwine.com.
Farrell is media-shy and not much is known about him personally. Despite that, he has a faithful following, and the Alysian label is sure to attain cult stardom in California.
2007 Alysian Floodgate Vineyard West Block Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
14.3% alc., 444 cases, $55. Very heavy bottle incorporating a large punt and sporting a classy label. Perfumed with violets, Bing cherries and sandalwood. Opulent and layered, ephemeral yet gutsy. Flavors of cherries jubilee with touches of raspberries, vanilla and citrus. Impeccably balance t n’ a for age ability. An endless echo of scent and fruit on the finish. This wine is a heart throb.
drinking outside the box
a heavy weekend… (2)
2001 Truffière (Vincent Girardin), Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Caillerets
Medium gold. The nose majors on a residue of toasty oak and fainter gun-flint aromas. The bottle lasted under an hour, but was actually becoming less interesting with time. After the younger wines of the previous day, this is significantly more mineral and wiry framed. Good acidity and density, yet the flavours do reflect the aromas. Complex for sure but I never really warmed to it – that’s a pure style judgement, so whilst I wouldn’t buy it again for me, I certainly wouldn’t tell you not to.
Rebuy – Maybe
2006 Nicolas Potel, Criots Bâtard-Montrachet
The best young white I tasted last year, indeed in the last couple of years – expecations were positioned! Pale yellow. The aromas are very tight – the wine was too ambitiously cooled given the 30° temperatures. Some fat, but balanced and with a width on the mid-palate and finishing length that was on another level to the Caillerets – yet disappointing. Okay, if it’s too cold, I’ll encourage it to warm and open by decanting. As it warmed it put on weight, but no sign of the palate staining flavours of last year. Eventually a faint but unmistakable note appeared on the nose – cork. We actually drank it all, as it was still a better wine than the Caillerets, but what should have been a resounding bottle was merely a sombre one – bugger!
2000 Mont du Toit, Le Sommet
Coastal (Wellington) region of South Africa – from a wax-topped magnum – a blend of cabernets, merlot and shiraz. A winery we visited in 2002. Heavy dark colour, equally deep but far from heavy fruit – liqueur-esque. Smooth but still with a lick of tannin. Drained to the last drop by the crew…
Rebuy – Yes
a heavy weekend…
I shouldn’t really call a weekend with dear friends ‘heavy’ I suppose, that said, I (the four of us actually) managed to empty the equivalent of 9 bottles in 2 evenings. I think there was some beer too, but I expect that that doesn’t count! Generally the wines were pretty good, but one fell to the curse of the cork and as elaborated by Murphy, it was the most anticipated bottle.
1997 Raymond Boulard, Champagne Millesime
Hand-carried from the domaine from (sadly) my only visit in early 2002, also the last of these 97s. Full but balanced with a very nice (to me) baked apple flavour.
Rebuy – Yes
2006 Mischief and Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet
Seems a little fatter and less crisp than last time out – countered by being served a little too cool. Beautiful Puligny aromas and plenty of flavour – good length too. Very tasty, and devoured in about 20-25 minutes by the thirsty four!
Rebuy – Yes
2005 Mischief and Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Gains
The forward oaky notes of its youth are now more considered and savoury. A little better balanced and more mineral than the 06 villages. Way more dimension in the mid-palate and a great finish
Rebuy – Yes
2006 Lignier-Michelot, Clos de la Roche
2006 L et A Lignier, Clos de la Roche
A side-by-side comparison – neither holds all the aces. The L et A Lignier, though offering slightly less colour, is a clear winner in the aroma department – just a gorgeous expression of complex fruit – the Lignier-Michelot is good, but really can’t compete. Over the tongue, mirroring the extra colour, the Lignier-Michelot is a little more extracted and offers more ‘up-front’ oomph, from there-on it’s a long slow diminuendo. The L et A offers a different recipe; narrower on entry, bursting with mid-plate dimension and shows more length. No bad wines here, each offers a balanced performance and I’d certainly buy both again, but the relative proportions today would clearly be in favour of Lucie and Auguste’s bottle.
Rebuy – Yes
More bottles tomorrow…
California’s Newest Cult Pinot Noir
Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife and business partner Genevieve Marie Walsh have quietly developed one of California’s most honored Pinot Noir labels: Rivers-Marie. Although Brown crafts wine for at least twelve other wineries where the focus is Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, Rivers-Marie produces small lots of Pinot Noir from three vineyard sources in the true Sonoma Coast, specifically the Occidental-Freestone area. Summa Vineyard is a 6-acre site owned by Scott and Joan Zeller, Occidental Ridge Vineyard is owned by Richard and Darla Radcliffe, and the Willow Creek Vineyard is owned by Raleigh and Patricia Wilson-Juckett. Total production for Rivers-Marie was 650 cases in 2007 and 1,200 cases in 2008. There are 4,000 people on the waiting list hopelessly biding their time for a spot on the mailing list. Managing allocations is more difficult for Brown than crafting than wines! The secondary market is the only source for most mortals.
Unlike many cult wine producers in California, Rivers-Marie keeps prices sensible, ranging from $25 to $60 for the five 2007 Pinot Noir bottlings (Sonoma Coast, Willow Creek Vineyard, Occidental Ridge Vineyard, Summa Vineyard, and Summa Vineyard Old Vines). No one is California is making more striking, more perfectly balanced and age worthy Pinot Noirs than Rivers Marie. The wines represent the culmination of the long-touted tantalizing potential for Pinot Noir in the true Sonoma Coast.
Yields on the Sonoma Coast in many vintages are marginal and barely financially viable. Summa Vineyard yields about three-quarters of a ton per acre and some of the old vines yield significantly less. At Rivers-Marie, the grapes are hand picked and sorted, 100% de-stemmed and given an extended cold soak of up to 10 days. Aging is carried out on full lees for 10 months and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration.
2007 Rivers-Marie Occidental Ridge Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 14.4% alc., 180 cases, $45. Dijon clones 115 and 777. Aged in 40% new French oak. Complex aromatic profile of dark stone fruits, crushed berries, sage, green garden and smoke. Rich and perfectly ripe black raspberry fruit with an underpinning of earth, oak and orange peel. Thick and robust, yet perfectly balanced with complimentary tannins and acidity. The aromatic and fruity finish is haunting. A thoroughbred that challenges the Summa Old Vines for superiority.
2007 Rivers-Marie Summa Old Vines Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 13.4% alc., 100 cases, $60. Aged in 100% new French oak. Flaboyant aromas of cherries and berries with a magical and penetrating Asian spice scent that smells like the most erotic pheromone in the world. Unbelievably delicious sappy cherry and berry fruit with wisps of sassafras, cola and exotic spices. The velvety texture is enough to bring you to your knees. An incredible wine that defies adequate description. Suffice it to say that this is a winegasm – one of those Pinot Noirs with such powerful charisma, that it drives men to do practically anything to get another bottle.
a few foreign whites
Okay – I know that this is is the ‘big red diary’ and that these are whites, but nothing in this page’s title says where the wines have to come from…
We’ve had a few sweltering days – really the first of the summer – and given that my last bottle of Deiss 97 Riesling St.Hyppolite was so good, for sipping under the sun umbrella I decided to pull out a few of these whites from (mainly) a little closer to home; Seppi Landmann 06 Pinot Gris, Bott-Geyl 02 GC Riesling Schönenberg, Bott-Geyl 02 GC Riesling Mandelberg and Josmeyer 00 GC Riesling Brand. The first was lovely, soft easy drinking, the second bigger and fatter, the third had more acidity and the last was rounder. Good stuff.
I should also mention one (half) bottle of great stuff that I opened at the weekend, and what do you know, it’s an Americano! Elsewhere, and quite some time ago, I wrote this:
So now that we’re well into 2004 I can announce my wine of the year – so far anyway – better than the 1983 Yquem I had in October (what a heathen!), superb depth on the nose, long and lingering. Ladies and Gentlemen; I give you Robert Mondavi’s 1999 Napa Valley, Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc. A wine with a finish even longer than its name!! – 28.feb.04, bill.n
All I can say is that it is just ‘humming’ now – nothing prepares you for the perfect, clear as a bell, raspberry note on the palate – ultra-yum. Such a shame that only one of the orginal 6 now survive.
So, sorry for the diversion, but I expect ‘normal’ service should be resumed over the weekend – particularly as rain is forecast…!
Mendocino Ridge: California’s Newest Home for Pinot Noir
Mendocino Ridge in California is a relatively young American Viticultural Area (AVA), winning approval in 1997, yet it has some of the oldest producing vineyards in Mendocino County. The first plantings, primarily Zinfandel, were established by Italian immigrants and date to the late 1800s. Today, Zinfandel is still the pride of this AVA, but the region holds promise as a viticultural paradise for Pinot Noir.
The Mendocino Ridge AVA is a non contiguous trio of ridges that is defined by vineyards at least 1,200 feet or more in elevation and within 10 miles of the Pacific Ocean. It is California’s first and only non contiguous AVA. Because of the hilly terrain of the AVA, some lower elevations are not included, fostering the name, “Islands in the Sky.”
The climate in Mendocino Ridge is distinctly different from the neighboring Anderson Valley below. Perched above the fog and frost threat, the vineyards in the Mendocino Ridge bask in the early morning sun, and early afternoon breezes cool down the fruit, never allowing the temperatures to rise as high as the valley below. There is enough rainfall and ground water to dry farm vineyards.
The first winery in the Mendocino Ridge AVA was Greenwood Ridge Vineyards, founded in 1980. Pinot Noir plantings here are the oldest on the Mendocino Ridge. Other Pinot Noir vineyards include Perli Vineyard, Sky High Vineyard, and Manchester Ridge Vineyard (see photo). Wineries producing Pinot Noir from the Mendocino Ridge appellation include Arista, Auteur, B. Kosugi, Baxter Winery, Drew, Ferrari-Carano, J. Jacaman, Marguerite Ryan Cellars, Phillips Hill Estates and Tandem. I have had spectacular Pinot Noirs from several vineyards and producers in this AVA.
2006 B. Kosuge Wines Manchester Ridge Mendocino Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., 300 cases, $40. Byron Kosuge is a Pinot Noir and Syrah specialist who was the former winemaker at Saintsbury.
A potpourri of scents including brambly cherries, candied apples, exotic woods, vanillin and winter spices. Mouth-filling dusty red cherries that are nicely spiced with a subtle complement of oak. The wine is velvety in texture with integrated tannins and a good acid cut. A complete wine with excellence balance and length. Is there an App for this?
hot pinots from chile
A couple of contrasting examples of Chilean Pinot Noir for you this time. The first is one of Decanter’s “Top 50 New World Pinot Noirs”, the second didn’t gain that honour. And, true to my title, both are ‘hot’, one with alcohol, the other – punished by my writing – in the sense of American sexual slang.
Secano Estate Pinot Noir 2006, Leyda Valley
Leyda is one of the most promising sites for Pinot Noir in Chile, supposedly (I’ve never been there) cooled by sea breezes. I’ve had several good Pinot’s from this region, but this, Decanter **** rated or not, is not one of them:
Very deep pure ruby, narrow paler rim shows almost clear. Dark and dirty nose – there is dark cherry, chocolate and well-rotted horse manure here. Really very good – apart from a slight, spicy, hot, alcoholic overtone. Mouth entry is sweet and round – really jammy and alcoholic. There is good black cherry and dark plum fruit, with earthy, dark chocolate flavours too, but then the heat gets too much for me to keep it in my mouth. The finish is hot and sweet, with just a touch of acidity, and reminds me of flavoured vodka. Making allowances for my aversion to excessive alcohol, I just manage to give this 2/5.
Viña Cono Sur Pinot Noir ‘Ocio’ 2006, Casablanca Valley
Deep limpid ruby, touched with purple; barely any paler rim. Fresh, lively and refined nose. Lovely fresh cherry and plum fruit, and the merest hint of sousbois. Barely detectable oak. Super stuff. Mouth entry is amzingly supple, with lush fruit and a nice earthiness to it. Mid-palate shows really good sappy density and great balance – just detectable tannins and acidity. Very composed and nicely cool fruit. Great poise. On the finish there is dark fruit, more earthiness and just the merest hint of heat. This is a very, very good example. A super, well-made wine, and better than many a Burgundy, but it just doesn’t speak to me of a place – of its ‘terroir’. Oh – I almost forgot – this is a 4/5.
The 2005 – reviewed here is, for me, a better wine – quite a bit fresher and without even that trace of excessive alcohol.
And finally, in case you are wondering, an editorial note: I do not write on here about any wine we are selling or intend to sell.