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'08 Pinot Noir pretty but a bit pricey
Jon Bonn�
Sunday, April 18, 2010
2008 Castle Rock Reserve Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2007 Athair Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2008 C. Donatiello Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2008 DeLoach Russian River Valley Pinot Noir More...
We get it on the high-dollar Pinot proposition. Really.
You want standout fruit from a vineyard you'd name on the bottle. Well, that designated fruit costs extra, mister. And all that new French oak hasn't exactly gone on discount. Ambitious winemaking costs money.
But for all of Pinot's hotness, it's still a tough prospect to put a $50 bottle on the shelf. So as we moved into tasting the 2008s, plus a handful of late-released 2007s, from Russian River Valley, my price radar was set to high sensitivity.
Typically this is our most prominent Pinot tasting of the year, and the current temptation in Pinot World is to vineyard designate everything - the grape theoretically exists to telegraph a sense of place.
That certainly explains the ambitious pricing in more than 40 bottles we tasted. But afterward we weren't convinced these bonus rounds of ambition served the wines terribly well.
Helping me sort through was Jeff Anderson, wine director of Gary Danko; and Paul Einbund, beverage director of Frances in the Castro district. Both make a point of populating their lists with rare, engaging California Pinots.
Often we found more charm in less complex, less expensive bottles. They show off the quality of very good fruit without veering into the excesses of ripeness, extract and oak that appeared in too many designate bottles. This isn't a question of vintage or quality, but style. Those excesses have brought success in the past.
As for vintage, 2008 will be one of those complicated ones, not showing the opulence of 2007 - which actually seemed to push ripeness a bit - but dialing back to more clean, bright fruit. And Russian River is a solid bet; it escaped the fire-borne perils of its neighbors, many of whom are struggling with smoky flavors caused by massive wildfires in remote Sonoma and Mendocino.
When the 2008 fruit gets to show itself, the wines are beautiful, including in the designate bottles that made our list. I just wish we had more to recommend under $40.
It might seem like I'm harping on prices, but it's a legitimate concern. The Pinot market has become crowded; costs are still high and interest in $75 bottles is flat.
Pinot isn't going to become cheap to farm - nor should it be - but by tasting's end, we did have some humble thoughts about how to make more of these wines user-friendly: Dump some of the new oak, let the grapes come in just a little less ripe ('08 continued the welcome trend of dialing back) and let the fruit come forward.
The restraint plea is hardly a new one, but there are better reasons than ever to reconsider the swaggery style of Pinot. The grape's beauty is its ability to do its Audrey Hepburn thing without much makeup, especially in a Pinot haven like Russian River Valley.
If you can cut costs and let that fruit shine? Seems like a win-win for everyone but the coopers.
Thirst will return
2008 Castle Rock Reserve Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($17): Another fruit-sourcing score from this solid bargain brand. Solid, basic cherry and brown spice flavors, with a tart core of fruit that sits in counterpoint to the softer texture.
2007 Athair Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($36): Savory, with musk, burnt-orange and loam accents atop subtle, delicate berry fruit. A lot of bright mineral and fine tannin on the palate. It's not entirely open now, but the transparency and clarity of fruit sell it.
2008 C. Donatiello Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($38): A weighty style with clear oak overlay to the fruit, but also a bit of spicy kick, with roasted orange and cherry highlights and a mineral twang. Quite energetic for its rich style.
2008 DeLoach Russian River Valley Pinot Noir California ($24): DeLoach finds a softer, more traditional expression at a price rarely seen in these parts. There's a subtle damp-forest note to the nose, plus soft, ripe strawberry and cranberry flavors. A narrower expression, but with pretty, earthy aromas.
2007 Lynmar Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($40): Once this effort from the Sebastopol estate finally opened up, it offered clean, juicy raspberry-driven flavors. Higher notes of dried lemon and subtle, floral earth notes below. As it unwinds, you get scents of jasmine, white tea, strawberry blossom. A subtle take but a lovely one.
2007 Donum Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($65): An ambitious effort from Anne Moller-Racke that delivers, though perhaps not quite as dramatically as its Carneros estate counterpart. If there's one to cellar this is it: It's sultry, oak-driven and packed with musk, mushroom and roasted spices. And yet the deep cherry and bright wild-strawberry flavors tie it all together with some savory wood accents. Big, layered and powerful, a heady take on Russian River fruit.
2008 Siduri Amber Ridge Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($42): Our standout in the lineup from the Lee family's popular Santa Rosa label. More musk amid the rich oak notes, deep and dark cherry, leather and loam. A darker profile but with some tension on the palate and fine, well-robed tannins. Nicely done for the style.
2008 Roessler Ceremonial Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($45): Roessler's Russian River wines seemed a bit weighty in style for 2008, and this single-site bottling showed off stewed cherry and cola flavors and a rooty bite. Quite good for that rich dark-fruited approach; some alcohol showing but lots of density without getting heavy.
2007 Connor Brennan Bohemian Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($39): Matthew Reidy's tiny San Francisco-based label yielded an intriguingly savory expression from this Freestone vineyard owned by Tom and Sue Cleary. Savory burnt orange and damp soil aromas lead to ripe dark cherry fruit, but pretty citrus-peel highlights and forward, chalky tannins. A nuanced approach.
2008 Sequana Dutton Ranch Green Valley of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($40): This label devised by the Hess Collection and made by Pinot talent James MacPhail delivers again from a familiar Russian River site. Dried flowers, edgy mineral and a leathery tone to the subtle cherry fruit. A bit of alcohol lingers but it's lifted by an energy and integrity to the flavors. Give it a year.
2008 Freeman Keefer Ranch Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($48): Ed Kurtzman brings no shortage of richness to the Freeman wines, and this bottling from the ever-popular Sebastopol site in Green Valley is no different. Yet there's loamy depth amid the big roasted cherry and candied strawberry fruit. Nicely retains its integrity of site amid that hefty fruit.
2008 Dutcher Crossing Maboroshi Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($42): Some intriguing high tones amid the big oak and ripe fruit: toasted nori, fenugreek, balsam. For the style, it actually brings some density and complexity to the table.
2007 J Vineyards & Winery Nicole's Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($50): The Nicole's bottling from J should be one of those classic dark-fruited Russian River expressions, and after some wobbly results the 2007 is in gorgeous form. There's masterful subtlety to the loam and brown-spice accents, with lots of black fruit coming forward but in a nuanced, juicy way.
2008 Suacci Carciere Suacci Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($48): Ryan Zepaltas crafts this for the Suacci family in a spicy, seductive style. Savory burnt orange, cardamom, cola, a darker leather hint and delicate berry fruit. It's supple but not soft, with great clear flavors and a quiet energy. Delicious, and best of the tasting.
Jon Bonn� is The Chronicle's wine editor. Find him at jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com and twitter.com/jbonne.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/18/FDIS1CUP37.DTL
This article appeared on page K - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
FYI
April 14, 2010
WINES OF THE TIMES
A German Riesling That Embodies Spring
By ERIC ASIMOV
WITH so many grapes grown in so many places around the world, even experts may be forgiven for mistaking, say, a South African sauvignon blanc for a Chilean sauvignon blanc. But a good German riesling from the Mosel region is like no other riesling in the world. It is simply one of wine.s singular glories.
In my ideal world, the wine in the glass I raise each year to the coming of spring is a Mosel kabinett riesling. It is a wine of gorgeous delicacy, as fragile as the petals on those first tentative blossoms yet possessing a tensile strength that comes of perfect balance. It is a captured moment, evocative more than impressive, fleeting rather than penetrating, whispered nuance, not high volume.
For those like me who love kabinett rieslings, the 2008 vintage is exceptional, as the wine panel learned in a recent tasting. And yet you might find some people who ask what all the fuss is about.
That.s because, for all its joys, kabinett riesling is also one of the least understood, least respected of wine designations. Why? First, let.s understand what the term means. Kabinett, sp�tlese and auslese are all designations for the ripeness of the grapes when they are harvested. Kabinett grapes are picked at an early point of ripeness, sp�tlese grapes at a later point, and auslese grapes even riper than that.
The misunderstanding arises from a tendency to regard these ripeness levels in an ascending order of hierarchy, as if sp�tlese were always better than kabinett, and auslese better than both.
It.s easy to see why this happens. The longer grapes are left out on the vine, the riskier the proposition. Rather than chancing bad weather . especially in the old days, when forecasting was more like guesswork . timid growers would harvest earlier, and prices would be higher for the more difficult late-harvest wines. Prices still rise in proportion to ripeness levels.
This notion of a hierarchy of quality has been reinforced for years by the wine trade. Often when I.ve sought a kabinett riesling in a restaurant or shop, the sommelier or merchant would recommend a bottle because .it.s actually declassified sp�tlese,. meaning a desirable combination of sp�tlese quality and kabinett price.
No! Leaving aside the issue of .declassified,. such a response indicates a complete lack of appreciation for the worthiness of kabinett and the importance of context in selecting wines. The modest sweetness, lightness and refreshment offered by a kabinett riesling deserve to be valued, not thoughtlessly denigrated. Complicating matters is that true kabinetts have been in short supply in recent years because of warmer temperatures. Increased warmth speeds the production of sugar in the grape. By the time the other elements of the grape have developed, the sugar content is already at the sp�tlese level, if not higher.
.Nobody.s really making them anymore,. the importer Terry Theise told me a couple of years ago. .It.s impossible. The grapes would have to be harvested before they were physiologically ripe..
So, most kabinetts nowadays are in fact sp�tlese weight, or more. The cool 2008 vintage, however, allowed producers to come closer to classic kabinett-style wines than they have in a while, perhaps since 2001.
Excited at the opportunity to try some real kabinett rieslings, the wine panel assembled a tasting of 20 bottles of 2008 kabinett from the Mosel. Florence Fabricant and I were joined by a couple of riesling lovers, Paul Grieco, an owner of Hearth and Terroir in Manhattan, and Juliette Pope, wine director at Gramercy Tavern.
Let.s just say that this tasting was, as Paul put it, .smokin.!. On the whole, these were beautiful wines, with a lovely tension between sweetness and acidity that made them taste as if they were dry. What.s more, the best wines were full of the slatelike mineral aromas and flavors that are so characteristic of Mosel rieslings.
.This is a vintage that can lead a sweet-wine skeptic down the path,. Juliette said.
And yet, were they classic kabinett wines? This was a source of some disagreement. Paul was convinced that they were. .They were true to form, and some of the better kabinetts I.ve ever tried,. he said.
But I was not certain. I loved the wines; don.t get me wrong. But judging strictly by their weight and texture, they felt a little more like sp�tlese. Not that good Mosel rieslings are ever heavy, but true kabinetts, I felt, should offer a little more fragility.
I did find some wines that fit my definition, none more so, perhaps, than our No. 2 bottle, the Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr from Fritz Haag, one of my favorite Mosel producers, which showed gorgeous precision and balance, and our No. 3 bottle, the Eitelsbacher Karth�userhofberg from Karth�userhof, which likewise was precise and focused. I would also mention the Kanzemer Altenberg from Von Othegraven, which showed an almost textbook delicacy.
So, why was our No. 1 wine the Dhron Hofberg from A. J. Adam? Look, when a wine is this beautiful, with complexity, wonderful minerality and lingering flavors, so completely evocative of the Mosel, we couldn.t resist it, even though it seemed to me more like sp�tlese than kabinett. But, hey, I didn.t come to the tasting with laboratory tools, so I decided not to get hung up on a possible technicality.
I haven.t even mentioned the great value of these wines. Thirteen of the 20 bottles were $25 or less, and none cost more than $34. When you factor in the difficulty of farming these vineyards, on precipitous hillsides rising from the Mosel River, or its tributaries, the Saar and the Ruwer, they are not expensive at all. Our best value was the �rziger W�rzgarten from M�nchhof, which showed great balance between fruit, minerality and acidity.
Strangely enough, we rejected two kabinetts from my favorite Mosel producer of all, Joh. Jos. Pr�m. Honestly, though, I was not surprised. In almost every blind tasting we.ve done, the young Pr�m wines are rejected because of their aroma of just-struck matches. Does this come from an overuse of sulfur dioxide, as some suggest, or because of the peculiar chemistry of the ambient Pr�m yeasts, cool fermentation temperatures and other cellar practices, as the Pr�ms themselves have maintained? I don.t know, other than to say that whatever the reason, this aromatic characteristic has always interfered with the wine panel.s evaluation of the Pr�m wines.
I make this point only because no kabinett rieslings have given me more pleasure over the years than Joh. Jos. Pr�m.s. But they generally need aging first. At five years or so of age, the unwanted aromas disappear, and these wines then offer a sublime experience for many years more.
Until then, these other wonderful wines will do fine.
Tasting Report: Mosel Kabinett Rieslings That Speak in a Delicate Whisper
A. J. Adam Riesling Kabinett
$26
... �
Dhron Hofberg 2008
Gorgeous balance of delicacy and intensity with complex, lingering fruit and mineral flavors. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.)
Fritz Haag Riesling Kabinett $28 ...
Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2008
Tense, fragile, teetering on a lovely edge of mineral and fruit flavors. (Rudi Wiest Selections/Cellars International, San Marcos, Calif.)
Karth�userhof Riesling Kabinett $31
... Eitelsbacher Karth�userhofberg 2008
Focused and precise with lively floral and mineral aromas and flavors. (Rudi Wiest Selections/Cellars International)
BEST VALUE
M�nchhof Riesling Kabinett $19 ...
�rziger W�rzgarten 2008
Intense flavors of apricot and slate, beautifully balanced. (Rudi Wiest Selections/Cellars International)
Kerpen Riesling Kabinett $18 .. �
Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2008
Light and delicate with pleasant floral, mineral and fruit aromas and flavors. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines)
Willi Schaefer Riesling Kabinett $20 .. �
Graacher Domprobst 2008
Racy and tense with classic Mosel slate aromas and flavors. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines)
Von Othegraven Riesling $24 .. �
Kabinett Kanzemer Altenberg 2008
Light, fragile, delicate and delicious. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines)
Philipps-Eckstein Riesling Kabinett $20 .. �
Graacher Himmelreich 2008
Delicate texture with flavors of citrus, dried apricots and minerals. (Sch�fer-Reichart Selections, Concord, Calif.)
Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett $22 .. �
Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 2008
Fragile, dancing flavors of fruit and minerals. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines)
Zilliken Riesling Kabinett $23 ..
Saarburger Rausch 2008
Well balanced with gentle fruit and mineral flavors. (Rudi Wiest Selections/Cellars International)
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Hey wine lovers and friends -
The new location of Kallsen Studio and Gallery will be christened this Saturday night April 10th with another fantastic wine party.
These events always turn out great, with many of the local wine crowd sharing beautiful selections. Bring a bottle or two to share (note: white wines are usually in poor attendance, due to people grabbing selections on their way out of the house. If you're a white wine lover like me I suggest bringing one chilled). I'll set up a full spread of cheeses and meats, good stemware, some tasty 'flow freely' wines, and my wonderful Angela will keep good music in the air.
The new location in on the fourth floor, east wing, of the Northrup King Building. It's one hell of a great space, and we are very excited to be able to call it ours. Directions here: http://kallsenstudio.wordpress.com/directions-to-kallsen-studio/
Hope to see you Saturday! We'll be starting around 6pm and going until 11 or so.
Jason Kallsen
Greetings,
After a bit of research, it appears we have a quorum.
We'll be meeting to sample Italian wine on Thursday at 6:30. No foolin'.
My first choice is Risoto, so I will call there.
called. We're in, reservation for ten people.
(2nd and 3rd options would be Al Vento and Arezzo.)
I've updated the list - from memory.
Cheers,
Jim
http://www.theonion.com/articles/study-finds-link-between-red-wine-letting-…
Risotto
610 W Lake St.
Minneapolis MN, 55408
612.823.4338
----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> -----
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:08:31 -0500
From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu>
To: wine(a)thebarn.com
Cc: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu>
Subject: The 411 on 4/1/10
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Greetings,
Is anyone interested in meeting for dinner next week?
Is Thursday the best night? I'm on break all week.
Styles?
Destinations?
I'm open - will toss out Italian at Risoto for a discussion starter - plus
I can count on Dave.
Who:
Jim/Louise
Russ/Sue
Dave T. (I left a message)
Janet S.
Lori A.
Fred P. is a maybe.
Bob will be out of town.
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
