Do you know the way to Vezelay? Well, it leads to a great wine discovery in France and I, pumped up like a new WSET level 4 “expert,” was about to invite you to come along in the journey, only to be brought back to reality. As I learned from a little research. My discovery road trip was 40 years too late. I found that out when I opened a favorite book from my wine library.
In 1988 in his Adventures of the Wine Route Kermit Lynch described Vezelay as a then “freshly minted AOC capable of producing distinct, world-class Chardonnay.” Just to rub it in a little further, my discovery was a 2022 wine made by Domaine Montanet-Thoden. Kermit’s reference was to Vezelay wine “especially in the hands of a vigneron as talented as Valentin Montanet.” Same family of winemakers, just different generations.
Well, better late than never, or whatever cliche AI might use. Another point brought home to me when browsing through the Kermit Lynch book is how mechanical, predictable and boring a lot of wine reviews have become these days. Here’s how Lynch described the Vezelay Chardonnay: “This climate, a clay-and-limestone soil, and stainless-steel vinification are the pillars of Valentin’s Galerne Blanc, a divine rendition of pure, chiseled Chardonnay, bearing notes of orchard fruit, citrus, and oyster shells.”
a divine rendition of pure, chiseled Chardonnay.
Yep, he described the wine as “a divine rendition of pure, chiseled Chardonnay.” If this has caught your attention, you should try to get hold of the latest edition of Adventures of the Wine Route which is available from Amazon.
The writing style is so different from today’s wine ramblings. It was not only written in a different era in which Lynch was not shackled by the 100 point rating system but it is also written from the point of a view of a wine retailer, a wine merchant. A self-taught wine merchant who approaches visiting wine regions as an “adventure” no less. Not a SOMM, not a WSET holder, not an influencer.
Returning to Vezelay
And now back to Vezelay and what I learned. It is located south of Chablis and its winemaking goes back for centuries. The medieval village was an important resting place in pilgrimages. And of course, good pilgrims likely enjoyed the local wine. But the vineyards were pretty much wiped out by phylloxera, and it was not until the late 1970s that replanting was underway.
By 1985, the vineyards were still growing and they were merged into the Burgundy AOC. A few years later they were upgraded to the regional AOC of “Bourgogne-Vezelay.”
Montanet-Thoden, the producer that I “discovered,” was founded in 2000 by Catherine Montanet of Domaine de La Cadette in collaboration with Tom Thoden. Around that time they planted 6 hectares of Chardonnay and farmed them organically in Vezelay. Largely due to their efforts, Vezelay was granted AOC status in 2017.
The soils are said to have more clay than Chablis, but they still have a good amount of limestone for their minerality. Most of the Vezelay vineyards are planted along the higher elevations of the region. Montanet-Thoden Bourgogne Vézelay Blanc Le Galerne is the wine’s full identity, and “Le Galerne” refers to the wind that also helps define this appellation.
In a review posted in winereviewonline.com I gave Domaine Montanet-Thoden Bourgogne Vézelay Blanc Le Galerne 2022 which sells for $39 with a rating of 93.
Now I realize how impersonal any score is. But I did describe the wine as having oyster shell minerality, and wish I could have come up with “divine, pure chiseled Chardonnay.”
“The Best Wines of 2024” lists keep coming our way in December as each day another one pops up. The major publications like The Wine Spectator and the Wine Enthusiast magazines have been offering these Best of the Year lists for decades. Both recently announced their 2024 100 best wines. Though they try to make the announcements dramatic, both The Wine Spectator and the Wine Enthusiasts annual lists have lost whatever drama and sizzle they may once have had.
No surprise since by now most readers have figured out these lists are either payback for an advertiser or fodder for a PR campaign from the producer. Many of the wines are off the market by year’s end, so the lists are often not useful as buying guides.
What criteria are used to come up with the typical Best of lists is an interesting subplot. It seems that the major publications ask each reviewer for his or her candidates for best of the year. Scores on the 100 point system are a major consideration, but every so often a wine touted for great value makes the list. But it has to also be rated in the 90-94 point range, of course. I applaud the fact that the Enthusiast also publishes an annual list of great values.
Listicles
Lists have emerged as a popular format that has taken over the internet over the last decade. “Listicles” have replaced articles in a way. Probably because the number appears in the title or subject line and it sounds newsworthy. More likely, search engines love them.
Or most likely because a list is easy to compile, while articles need a thesis and require some command of the language to present the argument or position. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn some of these Top 100 lists of wines or of other subjects are done by AI.
But since listicles, whether compiled by humans or non-humans, have now become a mainstream communications format, I still look them over. One that caught my eye was an end of the year “The Best Argentinian Wines of 2024.” It appeared at Wine-Searcher, a highly respected and popular website. Like many of my colleagues, I find Argentina to be one of the most dynamic wine countries to follow. The list was based on the 100 point scoring system used by the major reviewers.
As I made my way through the top ten, things got weird. After noting how wonderful Argentina is I read that “prices remain as attractive as ever.” All good. Then the stuff hit the fan. The #1 wine was priced at $245 a bottle, #2 at $226, and, well, the least expensive wine was $128. Only one white wine made the list, it was a Catena Chardonnay, and the list maker noted, “the White Bones Chardonnay back in 2015 sat at $105, today it comes in at an average of $137. ” For a Chardonnay from Argentina?
Excuse me, but none of those are attractive prices nor are wines priced at triple digits what Argentina is best known for. Back to Argentina wine #1 in this wine-searcher list I read, “It’s also extremely attractive pricewise, having gone from $153 in 2020 to today’s price of $246.”
So that’s what happens when the selection is based on wine ratings from the prime time reviewers. You end up with a list of wines that normal people, non-snobs will never find even if they were fool enough to pay these exorbitant prices.
The Better “Best of Wine” Lists
But for the rest of us, a few “Best of” lists are well worth reading. James Suckling is much better with the top wines of Argentina. As you go through the list of top 100 wines, you hear about trends and are alerted to new wines to look for. Here’s the method behind the choices: “In curating this year’s Top 100 Wines of Argentina list, we prioritized quality, value for money, each wine’s “wow” factor and general market availability.”
And as for trend-spotting, Suckling adds this: “Chardonnay may dominate the 14 white wines featured on this list, but rising interest in old-vine semillons and chenin blanc highlights the growing diversity of Argentine whites.” Suckling’s list also mentions Cabernet Franc, a rising star, and also a Torrontes, the often overlooked wine, made by Susana Balbo.
The “wow factor” is also part of another fascinating list offered by the New York Times list of “Most Memorable” wines of 2024. Compiled by Eric Asimov, the wines are chosen for their quality but also for their impact on the taster and for the reactions they spark. You know, human reactions. And the pleasure wine brings to people.
Forbes offered several Best of lists. One is “The World’s Best Wine Values of 2024.” Fascinating selections that show a lot of thought went into them.
Better yet, Forbes asked writer Katie Bell for her “Best Wines of 2024” and she came up with a fabulous list. Her premise, which I thoroughly support is this:
“Every year I take note of the wines that moved me, rocked my universe or dazzled me with their quality at an unbelievable price. Long ago I started sharing this list because the best things in life are shared and wine is the ultimate shared experience.” Looking for values and believing that wines are for sharing, now that’s the basis of a great list.
Among the wines she lists are an under the radar Oregon Pinot Noir from Maysara, a white wine from Greece and a Viura from Spain. Oh, and a wine from Argentina: a Malbec from Catena that sells for $20.
And one other list really caught my attention a few days ago. It was posted on Jeb Dunnick’s website. He, of course, offered his top 100 wines, but the list that everyone should read is the Top 50 Best wines of 2024 by R. Drexel. It begins with a Chenin Blanc from Nalley, a winery new to me and moves along with all kinds of thought-provoking choices and ends up with the #1 wine of the year being a Grenache. A Napa Valley Grenache…totally unexpected but makes me want to get my hands on a bottle.
Discovering a new wine. Now that’s a great way to end a year or celebrate the New Year.
Chablis may well be one of the most recognizable wine names and also among the most misunderstood by wine consumers. Some old-timers associate the Chablis name with cheap jug white wine. Then the French don’t help by their obsessive categorization of wine regions. So there are 4 types of Chablis which is a major wine region located in the northeast of France, all made 100% from Chardonnay.
The four types which are really appellations are: Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Chablis, and Petit Chablis. And the most understood is “Petit Chablis.” And the most likely of the four to offer super bang for your bucks is…Petit Chablis. So do I have your attention now?
Petit Chablis has nothing to do with being little, but everything to do with place and soils. That’s what most French wine is all about, in case you forgot. While the other categories of Chablis share a type of ancient limestone soil known as Kimmeridgian, Petit Chablis is grown on a more recent type of limestone categorized as Portlandian.
As vineyards were expanded in Chablis, all of the vineyards on this type of soil were most often on the higher slopes or the beginning of the plateau. In other words, on the outskirts. A relative newcomer in French wine history, Petit Chablis became official in 1944.
By today’s standards, the vineyards of Petit Chablis which now represent 20% of all Chablis are not inferior so much as they are not located on that precious ancient limestone soil. And, no surprise, Somms and influencers thrive on babbling about how much they know about the 180 million year old soils. And that rant might lead to terroir, another soil-related subject SOMMS will beat to death.
So back to plain talk and the wine that ignited this conversation.
The wine is: Prieuré Saint-Come Petit Chablis (France) 2021 $25 and I’ve seen it selling for $20.
It is bright and lively from the get-go with an aroma of fresh cut apple, and a little hint of lemongrass and citrus. The taste is again vibrant with tart apple and a chalky, crisp aftertaste that is a hallmark of Chablis. ALL Chablis. This Petit has all the right stuff without oak and is moderate in alcohol, so it invites a second glass and is ever so food-friendly.
Fresh, lively, and with no ponderous oak or alcohol, Petit Chablis is worth exploring as a white wine that happens to be made from Chardonnay. In addition to the wine mentioned earlier, here are my 5 suggestions of the leading producers of Petit Chablis.
If you are looking for a gift for the special wine drinker in your life, here’s a suggestion that is a sure bet to please, and it is NOT a wine.
The Mad Crush, a new edition written by Sean Weir is highly recommended for those who are into wine or remotely curious but also for anyone out there dreaming about starting a winery. Available on Amazon ($14.95) this new edition is beautifully written by someone who knows his wine but more importantly, knows how to engage and entertain the reader.
It is an easy read, but also hard to put down.
On one level, it is the story of Bill Greenough, who “left a successful business world in favor of moving to a remote canyon, digging out an abandoned old vineyard, and making wine off the grid.” The vineyard was established in 1880, abandoned after Prohibition, and Greenough began the process of restoring that vineyard in 1974. Today, the original 3-acre block of head pruned Zinfandel is still producing. Located in what’s known as the Edna Valley today, It is the oldest in San Luis Obispo County. Greenough added 6 acres of Zin in the 1970s and 80s.
The winery is now in the hands of the second generation and still focusing on Zinfandel.
On another level, the book is also the story of this old vineyard established about 150 years ago which was tended to by several generations who like Greenough become full time stewards of the vines and the land. Along the way the book gives life to many of the cliches tossed around in the wine world. Among them are winemakers being caretakers of the land or stewards as many now like to say, along with communicating with the vines. Stuff like this is made believable through Weir’s first hand experiences and poignant observations.
What held my attention from the first page is the feeling the book is also about the author as he comes to understand the commitment needed to succeed in tending vines and making wines. And as the process unfolds, it may all sound romantic but you sense he comes to realize that pursuing the dream of becoming a winemaker, a dream so many people have shared, is not for everybody.
Weir grew up in the wine country. He worked in the cellars of Kenwood Vineyard and saw first hand how the partners worked hard to make a go of it. In 1992 as a student at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, he worked one summer as a cellar rat with Greenough as he revived the old vineyard.
In 1995, out of the blue, Greenough contacts him to work the harvest. That included monitoring the vines as they matured, cleaning the winery, and preparing for the harvest, crush, and fermentations. That experience, he explains, “is what ultimately drove him to write the book.” As the story unfolds, readers learn a lot about vines, making wines, cleaning, and dealing with the weather, equipment, and the workers during the harvest and crush. It is an inside look at the nitty-gritty, the dusty, dirty boots side of winemaking, not to forget the long hours.
When you go to Amazon for the book, there’s a plot summary. This is a revised edition and includes an afterword and a section called “Prunings,” consisting of some tidbits and stories that didn’t fit the main story.
As for the author, when asked about his winemaking experience after 1995, Sean notes: “That was my third and final crush. That was enough for me. I caught the winemaking bug, but it wasn’t terminal.”
Sauvignon Blanc has been increasing in popularity and some experts are calling it the next hot wine. While I do believe Sauvignon Blanc deserves to become better known, what fascinates me is the way many of today’s most talented and daring winemakers are working toward a new interpretation. In this new style, it is sort of a marriage between the best of New Zealand Sauvignon and the best features of Lore Valley’s versions such as Sancerre and Pouilly–Fume.
But first, thanks to the boatloads of Sauvignon Blanc coming our way from New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc is now familiar to most wine drinkers. Some may not like the assertive style of New Zealand with its sharp green, herbal aroma and piercing acidity. But led by the ubiquitous Kim Crawford, Sauvignon Blanc is at least back in the game. So it is not surprising to see more and more Sauvignon Blancs from Chile joined by a few from Argentina, Australia and South Africa being positioned as less expensive and more appealing than under $20 Chardonnays and more flavorful than most supermarket Pinot Grigio.
While I do prefer widely available Sauvignon Blancs over the mass produced Chardonnays and sweet tinged supermarket Pinot Grigios, the most exciting trend is based upon a new style that emphasizes cool climate, site specific Sauvignon Blanc with some degree of what’s called “minerality.”
“Minerality” is now widely used and of course overdone, but it is definitely behind the new style of Sauvignon Blanc. Maybe it is just a cool word to use instead of smokey and flinty. That reminds me that Sauvignon Blanc was revived in California decades ago by going with the alternate name of Fume Blanc. But whatever is behind it, this new move toward a distinctive style, neither Kiwi nor Sancerre, is exciting. And the winemakers involved here on the West Coast are creative, risk takers willing to explore.
The following reviews which have been posted at winereviewonline.com best convey what I see as happening:
Cadre Wines Edna Valley, San Luis Obispo, “Stone Blossom” Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $22
With most of the fruit harvested from a Paragon Vineyard block planted in 1973, the wine was stainless fermented and aged on the lees. Once poured, this wine changes dramatically in the glass. It changes from flinty and green pea aroma and opens us to reveal secondary aromas of melon and white peach along with a wet stone kind of minerality. It offers plenty of vibrant flavors with mouth-coating texture, and it picks up lovely herbal and chalky nuances before finishing on a long, long crisp aftertaste.
Iterum Wines ‘Old Friend’ Oak Grove Vineyard, Willamette Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $50
Veteran winemaker Joe Dobbes is focusing on small lot wines from special vineyards under the new Iterum label. This inaugural Sauvignon Blanc is from an old vineyard Dobbes has worked with since 1989. The wine is effusively aromatic and very much in line with top quality Sancerre. It combines chalky, wet stone aromas with lime, grapefruit and fresh cut green apple. But then it performs amazingly on the palate with a rich smooth texture and multi-layered flavors. In the finish it turns on the crisp acidity, lime and lemon peel notes that linger. Beautiful, long aftertaste. Technical details explain it did not undergo M-L, and was fermented 50% in stainless and 50% in Acacia barrels. It was then aged 7 months before bottling.
Padigan, Rogue Valley (Oregon) Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($27)
Sauvignon Blanc from Oregon has been getting lots of media attention recently. Several wineries in Southern Oregon are key players, including Padigan. This 2023 is its 8th vintage and the 2023 growing season enabled Sauvignon to achieve full ripeness at a relatively low 22.5 brix. After the wild yeast fermentation, half of the wine was aged “sur lies” for 6 months in neutral oak. Bright, yellow-green in the glass, the wine quickly showcases lime, melon and flinty aromatics and the flavors add a layer of juicy ripe mango for added depth. The texture is rich and supple and the finish emphasizes ripe fruit and that flinty nuance. Probably best to enjoy within the next couple of years. From the winery estate vineyard. 227 cases produced.
Matzinger Davies Winery, Columbia Gorge (Oregon) Sauvignon Blanc “Gorgeous-Savvy” 2021 ($25): Once commonplace, “flinty” is rarely used these days to describe Sauvignon Blanc, but this wine reminded me that flinty can be an accurate descriptor for distinct versions. This version is made by veteran winemakers who seek out special vineyards. Anna Matzinger, now a consultant, served as winemaker and general manager for Archery Summit for 14 vintages. Michael Davies made wines for Rex Hill and A to Z wineries. This Sauvignon is from the Garnier Vineyard on the southern bank of the Columbia River. Winemaking notes include fermenting and aging in a combination of concrete egg, stainless steel, and cigar-shaped oak barrels. After primary fermentation, the wine was aged 6 months on light lees. Light in color, the nose of this wine is seriously flinty and herbaceous. Medium bodied, it offers flavors of mostly grassy fruit with a leesy texture. Brisk in the finish with hints of flint and minerality.
Verdad Wines, Ballard Canyon (Santa Barbara County, California) Sauvignon Blanc Rusack Vineyard 2023 ($35): This is the inaugural Sauvignon Blanc from Louisa Sawyer who sourced the fruit from the Rusack Vineyard which meets her requirements for being certified organic and for an ability to retain good natural acidity. The Sauvignon vines are also 20 years old. She fermented the juice entirely in stainless steel to allow the site to shine through. The aroma is vibrant, with lots of melon fruit along with figs and flinty-chalky hints. Medium bodied with similar melon flavors, it has a pleasant roundness in the middle palate before the acidity kicks in to bring it to a crisp finish.
Never heard of Cadre, Iterum, Matzinger Davies, Verdad or Padigan? Well hold on, the parade of new names is just forming.
Many of these new faces are making these daringly different Sauvignon Blancs from lesser known places such as Edna Valley and Rogue Valley. Add to that regions best known for other wines, specifically Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Santa Barbara and there’s much more awaiting us.
In my next post, we’ll look deeper at this new style of Sauvignon Blanc coming from Oregon.
From there we will move to the Central Coast and focus on the key players and the special vineyards they are working with.
Why would any normal person start a winery these days? Well, let’s go rogue and find out.
Oregon just nudged ahead of Washington State and is now home to over 1,000 wineries, second only to California. The last I heard California had over 4000 wineries. New wineries are opening up each week and the Rogue Valley is attracting more than its fair share of newbies.
But why now?
The oft quoted reason is “the pursuit of a dream and the lifestyle.” That was voiced during the boom decades of the 70s and 80s in California and still reverberates in this decade along the entire West Coast.
Who are these wine dreamers? In the US, unlike in traditional wine countries, most winery start-up founders are career changers (doctors, lawyers, high-tech) but a few are from a farming background and a few are out and out science nerds. Yes, there are wineries started by celebrities of some kind with too much money and too big of an ego. And then there’s the epiphany story.
When you peek behind the label to see who the owners are among the rising stars, you once again encounter the Rogue Valley’s diversity.
Goldback Wines: Watch out for Lightning
Speaking of an epiphany, Goldback is a good place to start our second tour of the Rogue Valley. Named after a fern indigenous to Southern Oregon, this authentic, small lot artisan winery was launched in 2016 by winemaker/owner Andy Meyer. He caught the wine bug as a college student looking for a summer job. “I answered a craigslist ad for a tasting room job for the summer, which just happened to be for Cristom Vineyards. Within 15 minutes of driving up the driveway for the interview, a lightning bolt struck. I knew that working in wine was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
After the lightning strike his resume expanded to include working harvests at William Selyem and Hirsch Vineyards in Sonoma, Felton Road in New Zealand, Mark Ryan in Washington, and Cape Mentelle in South Africa. From these experiences as well as his time as a restaurant wine director, he favors a minimalist approach to winemaking and aims to preserve natural acidity in whites and tannin integration in his reds.
As for his own wines, the red Cuvee is the winery’s version of a Cotes du Rhone, drink now red. A blend of 58% Syrah and 42% Grenache, it offers plenty of bright raspberry fruit in its aroma and has a pleasing soft entry to deliver berry and cherry flavors.
Goldback’s Syrah is a blockbuster that showcases Syrah’s full throttle concentration and purity and is all about the grape and the site. In recent vintages, Meyer sought out the nearby Meadowlark Vineyard with its granite soils and sustainable farming. But the site is also very windy which forces the vines to shut down frequently and contribute to a long growing season. Similar, says Meyer, to the effect of the Mistral in the Rhone. The resulting wine is dark purple and loaded with ripe plum and a floral, wild thyme character. Medium full, it is concentrated with dense, ripe black fruit flavors and some black pepper. Plush and seamless, it will benefit from a couple of years of bottle aging. But could age for a decade or more.
From the oldest block of Grenache from the neighboring Jaxon Vineyard,Goldback’s Grenache is a selection of the winemaker’s favorites. Those selected stood out for being “Pinot Noir-ish”and the wine is indeed not your typical Grenache. A long cold soak and a 22 day fermentation with some whole clusters, the wine was aged 18 months in neutral French oak. The nose offers up loads of vibrant, cherry, strawberry fruit that carry over into the smooth flavors. There’s a touch of earthiness in the nicely textured finish. In 2020, Goldback continued experimenting and bottled one barrel of Grenache that was 100% whole cluster, carbonic maceration.
A beautiful hillside vineyard overlooking the Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon was planted by Dr. Peter William Adesman. Along with being a full-time practicing physician, he has been an avid wine collector and educator since the 1970s, and long dreamed of producing his own wines. He notes: ”In 2007, my wife, Dr. Robin Miller, and I moved to a property in the Rogue Valley where we could plant a 10-acre vineyard. That is how Peter William Vineyard was born. Our first commercial vintage was 2016.”
Peter, only call him “Doctor” if you are his patient, is dynamic, enthusiastic and has an encyclopedic wine knowledge based on tasting and traveling. For his winery, Syrah is offered in several styles. Of the 4 Syrahs made by this winery in 2018, one labeled Candives is 100% Syrah made from the estate vineyard and aged entirely in French oak, 50% new. To distinguish it from the others, the winery went with the “Candives” name, said to be an alternate name for Syrah used in the tiny village of Chavanay in the Northern Rhone Valley. As fine as the other 2018s are, this is so dark, dense, and dramatic that the special name is certainly merited. Ultra smooth and seamless, it is beautiful now but will also bring rewards with cellaring. 94 points.
Another small batch Peter William Syrah is made from estate grown grapes which are vinified by winemaker Eric Weisinger who is the “W” referenced on the label. The end result is a compact, powerful expression of Syrah that may be one of the best values around these days. It is pure ripe Syrah beginning with its dark color and earthy, leathery, black pepper aromatics.
Then there’s an exciting blend from Peter William aptly named “Extravagance.” It may be going on elsewhere, but Southern Oregon sure seems to be a hotbed of creative winemaking energy leading to fascinating blends and unusual wines. A 50-50 blend of Tempranillo and Syrah, Extravagance is aged for 21 months in French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered. This intriguing blend turns out to be delicious red wine with both depth and charm. It comes across as ripe, plush Syrah built on a Tempranillo framework.
In 2023, the 2-Hawk Winery was rebranded Padigan, the name taken from a soil type. This 24 acre vineyard is owned by Ross Allen, a third generation farmer from the San Joaquin Valley.
Both before and after the name change, Malbec was a major success along with the winery’s Syrah and Viognier. With the release of its 2019 wines, the winery began hitting full stride. 2019 was an exceptionally long, coolish growing season, and the winery’s estate grown Malbec was not harvested until mid to late October. The juice was wild yeast fermented, blended with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for 28 months in oak. 21% new, 61% neutral. Intensely dark, this Malbec is concentrated and needs some aeration to strut its stuff Overall, an exciting, multi-layered Malbec.
Then there’s Padigan’s Viognier. It takes a grower who knows every vine on the estate to know the best time to harvest Viognier. Ross works closely with winemaker Kiley Evans who explains:
“The trick with Viognier is getting it ripe beyond the bitter almond finish that can be a nuisance in the wine, but not so ripe that it is overly alcoholic/hot and I’ve seen that progression happen in as little as 2-3 days.”
Padigan’s 2021 is a lovely expression of Viognier. Big and round on the palate, it remains lively with good citrus fruit along with crunchy melon flavors. The texture is heavenly and the wine brings it home with a long lasting finish with a subtle zing to it. This could serve as a benchmark Viognier that’s neither over the top in ripeness and alcohol nor one that relies on oak. Native yeast fermented, It was aged sur lies for 11 months in 35% new French oak and later rested on the lees in stainless for 6 months. It seems likely to become even more complex with aging for 3 to 5 years
DAN and CINdy Marka met while studying viticulture at UC Davis. To them, wine is all about sites, clones, soils and aspect. Both must have been super students because their vineyard is beautiful and impeccably maintained.
Dancin is also one of a handful of Rogue Valley wineries making a Pinot Noir, but Dan Marka explains,
“ Our site was created for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with its north, northeast facing aspect, 1800 foot average elevation and shade occurring beginning at 5:45pm (depending on the Block) throughout the growing season. We are finding that we can produce delicious Pinot Noir with great flavors and balance at alcohol levels in the mid to upper 12’s to the very low 13’s. Our wide diurnal swings allow for flavors and ripeness to occur during the day with acids retained during the overnight hours. We can see daytime highs to overnight lows vary by 40 degrees!”
And he adds that the same Pinot Noir clones ripen later at his site than they do in McMinnville or Dundee.
As a specialist, Dancin is an exception where it is more common to grow a dozen or more varieties within an estate. But, digging a little deeper, you discover the winery’s roster offers lots of exciting choices. Dancin makes 4 distinct Chardonnays, 4 Pinots from different blocks or different clones. It also makes Syrah, Sangiovese and Barbera. If you enjoy Barbera, Dancin’s won’t disappoint.
Weisinger Family Winery: 2nd generation wine grower
Tempranillo Estate, Rogue Valley
The Weisinger Family, on the eastern edge in Ashland is said to specialize in Tempranillo along with, Rhone and Bordeaux varietals.. Quite diverse for a 3,000 case annual output.
Acreage planted to Tempranillo has steadily increased in Southern Oregon over the last decade. Located just outside of Ashland, Weisinger was founded in 1988, making it one of the oldest in Southern Oregon. After assuming the winemaker’s role, Eric Weisinger began grafting over the original Gewurztraminer vines to Tempranillo. Adjacent to the winery, the Tempranillo occupies a steep, high elevation (2235 feet) northeast facing site. The Weisinger Family, on the eastern edge in Ashland is said to specialize in Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Rhone and Bordeaux varietals, as well as proprietary blends. Quite diverse for a 3,000 case annual output.
My first experience with Weisinger was with the wines from 2018. 2018 was an ideal long, slow growing season with the Tempranillo picked in the first week of October. After being cold soaked and fermented for 20 days by native yeasts, the wine was barrel aged for 17 months in 30% new American oak. It offers lovely bright cherry fruit with hints of black tea and spice in a solid, medium weight package. The black cherry and spice theme continues in the deep flavors with subtle oak toast and firm, integrated tannins coming into play. Beautifully structured and focused throughout, it should drink well over the next 5-7 years. Not surprisingly, Weisinger’s Tempranillos have won many awards. I’ve scored them 93 and 94 in two recent vintages.
Weisinger Family Winery Roussanne, Fortmiller Vineyard, Rogue Valley, Oregon, 2019
Normally part of a Rhone blend, Roussanne as a stand alone varietal is one that seems to challenge winemakers. After experimenting earlier with Roussanne, in 2018 Weisinger resumed its efforts after discovering the north-facing Fortmiller Vineyard in 2018. In 2019, Weisinger harvested the Roussanne at a low 22.4 Brix to preserve acidity and after whole cluster pressing the winery barrel fermented the wine using native and commercial yeasts. The lees were stirred throughout the long fermentation. The result is a wine that showcases floral and lemony aromas, and the flavors are bright with citrus and honeysuckle notes. The leesy texture adds complexity and length to this delicate, lively and pretty wine.
Belle Fiore is the closest thing to a Napa-ish winery with its rather elaborate tasting room and chateau-like facility. It has a busy restaurant and is even a mini art gallery. But it is also serious about its wines made from its 31 acre estate vineyard surrounding the winery. The roster consists of the usual varieties such as Merlot and Syrah but then you get to the “others,” especially the Italians. Here you’ll find a Montepulciano (my fav), a Barbera, Teroldego, Fiano, and a rare Caprettone grape. These are all possible because the owners have identified what they call “16 micro-blocks” based upon soil types and elevation. Owner Edward Kerwin is a clinical research scientist and his wife Karen has an M.A in genetic counseling. Together they launched Belle Fiore in 2007.
Long Walk Vineyard: A Dream Retreat from Silicon Valley
Located in the hills above Ashland, Long Walk is a newly developed vineyard and historic 35 acre orchard owned by Kathy and Tom O’Leary, Silicon Valley techies. After a prolonged search, they settled on this cool, south facing site to pursue their dream to make Rhone inspired wines. The 11-acre vineyard is planted primarily to Rhone varieties. But they also like Zinfandel so there’s a smattering of Zin. “Field Notes” is their version of a GSM Rhone blend. Made from 40% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and a splash of Carignane, it is medium dark in color and unfolds quickly in the glass. The nose starts out with pretty plum fruit along with a hint of leather and game but the bright black fruit character prevails. The flavors add some herbs and cherry and are presented in a round body with gentle, dusty tannins poking through. Pleasantly subtle and charming overall, it is one to enjoy over the next several years. Kudos for the light touch.
With Rose wines being so trendy and Roses now being made from just about every red grape available, it was an eye opener to encounter Long Walk’s rose from a red grape that’s ideal for a Rose: Cinsault. Popular in Southern France, Cinsault is light in color and low in tannin and remains the backbone for many Provence Roses. From vines planted in 2002, this winery’s Rose is an attractive pink-copper color and offers an aromatic mix of just picked strawberries, rose petals and summer flowers. Medium bodied and vibrant, it is balanced and has just enough acidity to bring it to a delicate finish.
As for the Long Walk Zinfandel, it too is impressive.
This new family run winery is based in the small town of Talent, near Medford. The label is a replica used by the family when the land was a pear orchard. Winemaker Matt Newbry and his wife Janéa, attribute the Inspiration Behind Talent Cellars to the very soil their family has been farming In Talent, Oregon since the 1920’s.
Sourced from two nearby vineyards, the 2017 Nuf Said is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% Petit Verdot and 12% Grenache. It was aged 22 months in French and American oak (50% new). It is medium bodied and vibrant with bright berry fruit and graphite and cedar in the aroma, yet it sweeps across the palate with juicy, ripe fruit and a hint of vanilla from the oak. Beautifully balanced, it finishes with light, ultra smooth tannins. Production was 250 cases.
This is the inaugural Sauvignon Blanc from Louisa Sawyer who sourced the fruit from the Rusack Vineyard which meets her requirements for being certified organic and for an ability to retain good natural acidity. The Sauvignon vines are also 20 years old. She fermented the juice entirely in stainless steel to allow the site to shine through. The aroma is vibrant, with lots of melon fruit along with figs and flinty-chalky hints. Medium bodied with similar melon flavors, it has a pleasant roundness in the middle palate before the acidity kicks in to bring it to a crisp finish. 
Norm Roby's Unfiltered Guide to Savvy Wine Shopping 