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Assessing the Aftermath of the Wine Country Wildfires

October 22, 2017November 20, 2017itswinebymeLeave a comment

Damage from Sonoma wildfires in Santa Rosa — Burned-out cars and charred homes in Santa Rosa, Calif., after wildfires spread across wine country. (Capt. Will Martin/ Army National Guard)

As if 2017 couldn’t be a crazier year, and right as Harvest was ending in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino, wildfires roared through the hills and mountains and down through some of the valleys. Thousands of homes were destroyed. Scores of people lost their lives. Many, many more were counted as missing. It took more than a week to contain some of the fires. But even now that blue skies are replacing the smoke, and the fires are no longer threatening the land, it’s still difficult to understand the extent of the damage or how this will impact California’s wine industry.

A lot of friends have recently asked me what this will all mean, and while I’m far from qualified to give a definitive answer, here’s what is known, and what we should be paying attention to:

* A vast majority of the wineries and vineyards were spared. The San Jose Mercury News has detailed nearly two dozen that were either damaged or destroyed, while Napa Valley Vintners, the trade association for more than 500 Napa wineries, says 47 of the 330 members who responded to their outreach reported damage; and a handful had significant damage. Fortunately, the majority of the fruit has already been harvested — in Napa, which accounts for only 4 percent of wines made in the state, 90 percent of the fruit was already picked.

* As Dave McIntyre reported early on, it’s the people, not the vines, that are suffering the most. In fact, as the LA Times wrote, the vines acted as a natural fire break, and perhaps protected the vineyards and wineries. (Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the other nascent industry in the region.)

* Like most of the agriculture community, the wineries — especially this time of year — rely on immigrant workers for harvest and other important winery jobs. So not only were these workers not able to earn their wages because evacuations forced wineries to close and harvest activities to stop, but many of these workers lived in Sonoma County, where their homes were either damaged or destroyed. Of particular concern is the large population of undocumented immigrants that make up this community. As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle:

The lack of assistance for undocumented immigrants troubles advocates and attorneys who worry about the futures of these residents, some of whom are agricultural workers central to the economy of Wine Country, as they navigate an already expensive, housing-strapped region.

* There are still a lot of questions swirling around how the 2017 vintage will fare (But there seems to be some optimism). Smoke taint — where the smoke penetrates the grape skins and causes the wine to taste overly smokey or ashy — is usually the biggest concern when wildfires approach the vines during the run-up to Harvest (see this Wines &Vines piece about the 2008 vintage). But because a majority of the fruit had already been brought in, it may not be as much of a concern as expected. I’ve also heard people explain that because of the ripeness of the fruit (and variety of vines) still hanging, the grape skins were thick enough to protect the juice inside.

* It’s bittersweet that as with many tragedies, these horrific kinds of events, often bring out the best in humanity. So it’s no surprise, considering the strength of the wine community and the inherent respect and love for its land that bonds them, that ways to help with recovery were swiftly organized. There are well-curated lists here and all across the Internet. But the biggest plea, is to continue drinking California wine. To continue with any plans to visit Napa an Sonoma. Or to plan a new trip to see the hard-working and kind souls of California wine country.

Recapping Napa/Sonoma in December

September 28, 2017October 8, 2017itswinebymeLeave a comment

There’s never a bad time of year to jet across the country to visit California wine country, but one of my favorites is right before the holidays. Most harvest activities are over. The holiday craziness has yet to commence. It’s super quiet and if you’re lucky, the winter rains bring bright green cover crops in the vineyards just as the leaves – in their vibrant yellows, oranges and reds – start to fall to the ground (yes, there are seasons here!).

Without a particular mission (except any and all effort to escape my D.C. life), I set up shop at the bottom edge of Napa Valley – allowing easy access to downtown Napa, the length of Napa Valley and the roads leading to Sonoma (city, county and coast). By the time I turned in the rental car at the end of the week, the odometer had 626 extra miles on it.

Rental Car in Napa — My trusty rental car was perfect for traversing highways and dirt roads. Here it is parked at Chateau Boswell

Here are just a few highlights:

My first stop after checking into the hotel, was a brief visit to Cadet Wine Bar where local winemaker Rory Williams of Calder Wines was pouring flights. (Read more about Rory and his wines here). The small label focuses on local Napa varieties that have been there for decades but tend to get lost among the dense plantings of Cabernet, Merlot and more popular grapes. I tasted his Dry Reisling, Chenin Blanc and Charbono. All three were a nice a diversion from what’s typically expected in Napa. The Charbono was especially interesting. A bit brooding with dirty anise and dark fruit chased with black olives.

Complete with a “celebrity” sighting of one of the stars of the documentary Somm, Cadet was the perfect start to this trip.

In Napa Valley, I had only one formal visit set up – and that was to see Chateau Boswell, just off the Silverado Trail in St. Helena. While this boutique winery has been making wine since 1979, in the past couple decades it’s seen the addition of a beautiful cave and facility to make and store its bottles. It also recently added a new winemaker – Phillipe Melka (Food & Wine has a nice profile of him here). The winery was stunning. Behind big iron gates and beautifully landscaped grounds, the cave was cut into the bottom of a hillside that featured its Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc plantings.

I sampled their Russian River Valley Chardonnay and 2014 Estate Cabernet out of bottle, and tasted a few 2015 Pinot Noirs out of the barrels. With a new winemaker now calling the shots, Chateau Boswell’s 2014 Estate Cabernet has pivoted a bit. Unlike previous years, the latest vintage blends in much more of the Cabernet Franc grown on the property (about 40 percent), giving it an elegant backbone. These wines work to strike a balance between having something that’s pleasurable now, yet can keep a structure to let it properly age.

My next set of visits, spanning a couple of days, were with winemakers I’ve come to adore during the past several years.

In Glen Ellen, a tiny town in Sonoma County, I visited Chris Cottrell of Bedrock Wine Co. He first took me into the famous 140-year-old Bedrock Vineyard. The old gnarly vines were absolutely stunning, and with the cover crops blooming on this fizzy gray day, the experience just standing there left me nearly speechless.

Bedrock Vineyard’s gnarly vines – some still with a bit of dried-up fruit on its vines – are especially stunning on this misty December day.

I’ve been buying wine from Bedrock for a few years now and always appreciated their approach to seeking out old vineyards to make their wine. But what I didn’t realize is that they’re not just seeking good fruit. It’s a mission to help change the farming culture so that these vineyards don’t disappear or get replanted with some other crop (recently going so far as to buy a vineyard). Using science as the basis for sustainable farming techniques, the Bedrock team is eager to help these old vineyards become prosperous again. Along the way, Bedrock creates 30 or 40 different wines. We tasted through a half a dozen – each one expressing beautiful California fruit with a balance of all those earthy morsels that transport you back to the vineyard.

Bedrock wine bottles — Inside Bedrock’s original tasting room next to Bedrock Vineyard. The team also recently purchased a historic building to build a new tasting room.

While being outside in the vineyards is wonderful, it’s just as invigorating to meet with winemakers in their other natural habitat: inside the winery. That’s why visiting with John Lockwood at Enfield Wine Co. is always a treat. (to learn more, read this profile or listen to this podcast). He makes his wine at Punchdown Cellars in Santa Rosa, a custom crush facility which leases out space and equipment to winemakers. This is my second visit to Punchdown and it’s always fun to see the racks of barrels, the fermenting tanks and to taste wine surrounded by people getting their hands dirty and doing the work.

Fermenting tanks at Punchdown Cellars, including some concrete eggs way at the end of the aisle.

John set up his wines for me in a quietish corner and we went through most of his line-up. Whether it’s his Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Syrah or Cabernet, his ability to translate each vineyard into elegant wines, made it difficult to not guzzle through each bottle right then and there.

Enfield wine bottles — Tasting through Enfield’s wines at Punchdown Cellars.

From Santa Rosa, I drove to Sebastapol – which also meant guzzling through Enfield was not a viable option. But the restraint was worth it so I could visit with Katy Wilson. And while she was named a winemaker to watch in 2013, four years later, I’d argue, she’s still important to pay attention to. I’ve met her a few times at tastings here on the east coast, where she often pours her own label with the help of her dad. We met inside Claypool Cellars’s tasting room – a renovated train car inside a business and shopping center.

She makes wine for several labels including Banshee and Claypool, but it’s her own label, that I’ve always found swoon-worthy. Named for her grandmother, LaRue’s Pinot Noirs are some of the most delicate I’ve had from the Sonoma Coast. Katie creates wines that can still retain their power, yet showcase layers of refined complexity.

Katy Wilson of LaRue wines mostly focus on Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

Its having these personalized tasting opportunities which make visiting wine country in December so special. The winemakers are generally relaxed and have the time to answer questions and discuss their passion. It doesn’t matter that the vines aren’t lush with leaves and bunches of grapes, or the sun isn’t shining, or if I’m standing in a tasting room with shoes still muddied from trampling through wet vineyards. That one-on-one attention creates the ultimate oasis.

Now that it’s nearly October, it’s time to book my next December trip! Cheers!

Pursuing Balance In New York

March 16, 2015itswinebymeLeave a comment

Comparing two Kutch wines at the IPOB conference in New York on Feb. 23

Today is the annual In Pursuit of Balance conference in San Francisco and here I am at my desk, fidgeting, stalking #IPOB on Twitter and Instagram, and wishing I was there – even though it was only a couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to attend the New York event.

I heard Ted Lemon give his Keynote on the history of California wine, followed by a seminar on how winemakers try to achieve their goals of “balance.” A few hours later, I took full advantage of the public tasting with 33 California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers.

As a non-industry participant, it was fascinating to hear winemakers talk about their decision-making processes, and then taste the wines that corresponded to their achievements and falters. It was as if I was eaves-dropping on their private club. Those who have followed IPOB know that the entire industry does not necessarily embrace this group, and as Food and Wine Magazine Wine Editor Ray Isle teased in his introduction to the panel discussion, he thought he was coming to the “IPOB Church” and it was “nice to know this was a discussion and not a cult,” which gained laughter from the audience.

The “Getting It Right” panel moderated by Food and Wine Magazine Wine Editor Ray Isle (left), winemakers Andy Peay, Bradley Brown and Jamie Kutch, and Sommelier Raj Vaidya (right).

Rajat Parr, the famed sommelier and winery owner who hosts the event with Jasmine Hirsch of Hirsch Vineyards, was clear to point out prior to the panel that the purpose of IPOB is to have a “discussion among friends” and it’s about “learning from each other… It’s not a fight against someone, not a ‘we’re better, they’re bad,’ it’s not that.”

As a first-timer here (these events began in 2011), I believe they were successful in that. Here are 33 winemakers who all have similar goals. This is not just an opportunity for them to have internal dialogues and market their wines to the industry, but a very approachable way for enthusiasts like myself to learn. Follow this up with the opportunity to taste and have individual conversations with the winemakers during the tasting portion of the event and you can’t deny it’s a fun experience for your mind and your taste buds!

The group has posted videos of their seminars on its website. If you’re a fan of these wines, it’s worth the watch.