Chateau Montelena Revisited!

The highlight of Spring break was my much-anticipated 2nd visit to Chateau Montelena with brother Nick and friends Pat, Daniella and Ryan for the "Bottle Shock and Chardonnay Experience" tour on March 20. It was outstanding, due in no small part to our host David Devan (center in 1st photo w/Pat and Nick) - their Retail Sales and Hospitality Supervisor. David was engaging, entertaining, and thoroughly knowledgeable. He told us the fascinating history of the Chateau - a story that spans 129 years: in 1882 Alfred Tubbs bought 254 acres of prime grape-growing land at the base of Mount Saint Helena. He planted his vineyards first, then built the Chateau; for the next 76 years (interrupted only by Prohibition), he and his family harvested the vineyard, made wine, and sold grapes to other winemakers. In 1958 the property was purchased by Yort and Jeanie Frank, who left their mark by excavating a Chinese-inspired lake and gardens - "Jade Lake" is today one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in Napa Valley. Jim Barrett, Chateau Montelena's third owner, is responsible for clearing and replanting the vineyard and outfitting the Chateau with modern wine-making equipment. He and his son Bo have been making award-winning wines since 1976 - their story (winning the historic 1976 Paris Wine Tasting) was the inspiration for the movie Bottle Shock.

Following our history "lesson" we watched a special feature on the movie, and then David poured the 2007 and 2008 Chardonnay wines for all to taste. Both were excellent - beautiful, straw-colored, fruit-forward (pear, apple) wines of good density. VERY drinkable! On a nice weather day, our tour would have continued with a walk outside around the lake and gardens, but I think we all agreed that the rainy day turned out to be a lucky break for us, as David decided to finish our tour with a private tasting of Chateau Montelena's red wines! What a treat. My current favorite, their 2008 Zinfandel, was poured, as well as their two Cabernet Sauvignons.

The 2007 Estate Cab is described by Robert Parker as "full-bodied and dense, with Montelena's typical power...this is a big, rich, formidably endowed red." I describe it as "to die for!" (Tasting notes: intense, deep crimson color; huge powerful nose; spice, cedar, earth - all over a rich base of ripe black cherry, black currant, cassis and blueberry jam; rich, round, juicy with a clean, crisp, spicy finish.) Nick was so taken with this wine that he joined the "Futures" wine club - "for those ready for a higher level of commitment"....he purchased wines that have yet to be released. Not a wealthy man, and not one to spend his hard-earned money foolishly, I would say

this is quite a testament to the quality of Chateau Montelena's wines, and I for one can't wait to taste these treasures in two years!

The tour ended with gifts (choice of a signed Bottle Shock DVD or split of their 2008 Chardonnay) and we hated to go home! Two hours of pure pleasure, and well worth our time and money. If you are a fan of Bottle Shock and/or REALLY GOOD wine, a visit to Chateau Montelena is a MUST. This particular tour is currently given only on Thursdays and Sundays ($25 per person) - and you need to make reservations. Make sure you ask for David Devan!!

More Spring Break Fun

Spring Break!

Having my brother Nick and his friend Pat here during my Spring break was a real treat - they were the perfect wine-tasting partners! We made it to Korbel, Battaglini, Martin Ray, Gary Farrell, Thomas George, Rocchioli, Harvest Moon, and De Loach wineries - and of course Chateau Montelena (which I'll report on separately). We also did a fair amount of "tasting" at my place (where I tapped into my personal 'wine cellar' - i.e. kitchen closet - selections!) and in San Francisco. We all noted how GOOD the local wines are here. All of the wineries we visisted had at least one selection that really appealed to us, but I think we agreed that our favorites were Chateau Montelena and Martin Ray - we didn't have one wine we didn't like at either place. I'm looking forward to their return.....in the meantime, I'll be checking out other wineries and compiling a list of the best ones for next time! So much wine to taste, so little time....

Champagnization

I've been on Spring break. during which time my brother Nick and his friend Pat were here - their first visit to Sonoma County and northern CA. Both were so impressed with this beautiful place and, despite the mostly rainy weather, managed to have a great time. Wine tasting was the major activity (!) but on their third day, I took them to my Wine Operations class (last one before the break) - it was "Sparkling Wine Made Easy" day. After our regular lecture that covered production methods (Charmat, or bulk; Transfer; and Method Champenoise) and terminology (cuvee, tirage, riddling, disgorging, dosage), instructor Chris Wills proceeded to demonstrate in real time the disgorging process on some experimental sparkling wines, and we were able to taste before and after the dosage (sugar addition). As usual, it was a fun class, as the photos attest...

Chateau Montelena - Visited!

So I FINALLY got out to Chateau Montelena Winery in Calistoga this week. After seeing the movie "Bottle Shock" last Fall (true story about the Paris Wine Tasting in 1976 that virtually put California wines on the world map), Chateau Montelena has been on my "to do/to see" list. I wanted my visit to be 'educational' as well as fun, so I determined I would try to get an interview with either Jim or Bo Barrett (owners/winemakers) to ask some serious questions for a term paper and/or my blog. Not surprisingly, they don't give interviews to the likes of people like me (!).....I was very fortunate, however, to snag a couple of hours with their Vineyard Manager, Dave Vella (that's us in the photo outside their tasting room) and I am being completely sincere when I say I could not have asked for a better visit, or hoped to spend time with a better representative of the winery. Dave generously gave me an hour in his office, then drove me around the vineyards, and we ended up at their tasting room where I enjoyed a tasting of some of the best wines I've had here. I tasted one Chardonnay, a Zinfandel, and two Cabs. I thought all were excellent......the estate Cabs were really outstanding, in my humble opinion, and it was only because they were a bit out of my price range ($135-40) that I purchased a bottle of their 2008 Estate Zinfandel, which is delightful - spicy, ripe berries, rhubarb flavors - with a gorgeous color and very affordable at $30. Brother Nick will be out from the east coast next week with his friend Pat, and we have a "Bottle Shock & Chardonnay Experience" tour/tasting scheduled - the night before I think we will watch the movie again and enjoy this wonderful Zin!

Dave grew up near Modesto farming grapes, almonds and row crops - his Italian ancestors, grape growers and winemakers, came to California in the late 1800's. Dave attended Fresno State University and graduated with a degree in Viticulture and Enology. While there, he was awarded the American Society of Enologists Scholarship - becoming the first Fresno State student to be awarded the prestigious honor. It was also at Fresno State that Dave met Bo Barrett; the two became good friends and, years later (since 1985 to be exact), Dave now manages all of Chateau Montelena's vineyard operations (that's the very short version of it!).

Suffice it to say, Dave has a priceless wealth of winemaking and vineyard experiences to share - and I was certainly hanging on his every word. One of the topics I wanted to ask him about was terroir - the French term that means "taste of place." It is used to describe the special characteristics of wine that are derived from the soils, topography and climate of the site where the grapes are grown. Also the decisions made by the viticulturist (grower) during the vine's life. This is a concept that has been around for hundreds of years - the French believe it is the dominant influence - but with modern winemaking techniques and the ability of winemakers to "alter" flavors & colors, there is now debate on whether or not terroir still means anything or is simply a "romantic" idea used in marketing to the public. This is going to be the subject of my term paper this semester, so I was very interested to get Dave's take on it. HE certainly believes the special and unique qualities of Chateau Montelena's location give their wines their incredible quality.

Chateau Montelena is blessed to have "great soils" - alluvial, volcanic, and well-drained. Add to this the fact they are situated right at the base of Mount Saint Helena, where the cold air comes down the mountainside and their vineyards enjoy a temperature variability (90 during the day in the summer with 50-degree evenings) in the growing season that maintains the acidity and structure of their wines. Their goal is "to bring the vineyard and the vintage to your table" - in other words, they strive for the flavors of their wines to be representative of the fruit in the vineyards. Unlike huge wineries that "manufacture" and mass-produce popular wines (a heavily-oaked Chardonnay from California can taste just like the same style wine from Australia or Chile, for example), they don't attempt to make "cookie cutter" wines that taste the same every year - they actually let their wines express the differences caused by weather variability from vintage to vintage. To me, this absolutely reinforces that even though a winemaker can influence the taste of wine, the concept of terroir is a valid one, and appears to be alive and well at Chateau Montelena. Dave says that they are growing "better fruit than ever" - which means we can expect even better wines (if that's possible) to be forthcoming!

Bluebirds are our Friends!

In last week's IPM (Integrated Pest Management) class, it was a treat to do a walkabout in the Shone Farm garden to inspect and clean out the bluebird boxes to get them ready for Spring. Bluebirds travel south for the winter and return in March and early April, so their houses need to be cleaned and repaired if necessary by then.

Bluebirds are insectivores and eat a lot of garden and vineyard pests, so they are a vital and integral part of any pest management plan. (Berries are a less preferred food, and grapevine netting helps to deter many types of birds.) They are "cavity nesters" but not capable of creating their own, so they look for already-established places to live. Sadly, urbanization has destroyed a lot of the natural nesting environments that were once available. Bird houses give them perfect alternatives, but have to be constructed correctly: because starlings and sparrows are aggressive and will attack and destroy bluebirds and their eggs and young in order to claim nesting space, the openings in bluebird houses have to be the exact size to prevent larger birds from entering. The holes also need to be jagged and rough so that the baby bluebirds can grip onto the hole for stability as they are learning to take their first steps out of the house. The wood used should be light in color for hot climates (cedar is ideal) and a 5" roof overhang will provide shade and prevent predators like cats and racoons from being able to reach inside. Houses also have to have ventilation and a drainage hole, and be placed facing away from direct sunlight and prevailing winds. The hole should also face a tree or shrub so that young bluebirds can practice their flying!

The houses we checked all opened on one side, so it was easy to remove the nesting from last season - it was quite amazing, 6-8" thick, and made from all sorts of twigs and soft materials like animal hair and fur. In addition to the cows, horses and lambs, we also have a llama at Shone farm, so the lucky bluebirds that come here have a lot of good nest-building resources. It was interesting to learn that bluebirds nest in pairs - the males locate the house and place the nesting materials close to the opening, and the females complete the nests and lay the eggs. The incubation period is only 2 weeks, and the little nestlings are ready to leave the nest within just 18-20 days from hatching.

Viticulture Spring Practices - Guest Speaker

March 3, 2011 Speaker Summary


Terry Wright, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Sonoma State University, and a specialist in vineyard soils, spoke on terroirs of Sonoma County AVAs - the geology, the soils, and their wine “profiles” - how they relate to vigor and vineyard suitability.

We already know that “great soils and the right climate” are essential to growing quality winegrapes, and we also know that Sonoma County has the perfect combination of soils and climate and enjoys a long, slow growing season for optimally ripe fruit and small berries (Dr. Wright emphasized, more than once, that low vigor vines and small berries result in concentrated flavors.) But it was very helpful to understand, from a geologic standpoint, how these soils were created, the variety that exists, and where they are located.

The “Franciscan Complex” lies under most of Sonoma County and is 120 million years old. It consists of oceanic rocks that have been faulted and mixed; the soils here are largely sandstone and mudstone – sandy clay loam soils that have a good chemical and textural balance. The Wilson Grove Formation lies along low, rolling hills; it consists of shallow, fine-grained sea sandstone along with layers of volcanic ash (well-drained and balanced) and some fossil layers that contain high calcium. The famed Goldridge Soils in the Sebastopol/Forestville area are prime for growing Pinot noir. Sonoma Volcanic rock, which stretches further east to Napa, boasts volcanic, alluvial soils which are well- drained and balanced. Dr. Wright passed around samples of these various rocks and soils, which were very helpful to look at. One of the most interesting things Dr. Wright said was that the Russian River existed before the mountains, having established its path 3 million years ago.

The topics presented were definitely related to year-round viticultural practices and the information presented would be important to incorporate into a vineyard plan (i.e. soil mapping by experts). As Dr. Wright emphasized, the makeup of soil on any given site affects balance (the key to wine quality) – having a slow water supply (both sand and some clay); a good chemical balance (lots of calcium, less potassium and even less magnesium); and a moderate climate with an ocean influence. He also suggested the book Soils for Fine Wines as a good resource for more information.

One comment I particularly liked because it’s easy to remember: “vines are like cats – they don’t like wet feet!”