February 2008 Newsletter
More Random Thoughts and Rambles... (Reminiscing Part 2)
In 1979 a few friends; Bob Goyette,
Rick Burmetster, John Bessey, Rich
Gibbons, Linda Strickland, and I, took
the plunge. We formed a partnership and
founded Bonded Winery CA-4916, La
Crema Viñera, in Petaluma, California. It
wasn't easy but we did it. I had spent the
preceding months carefully doing projections
until I could, upon command, tell
you how many bottles of wine you got
from a ton, how much space it took to
ferment white juice and red must, how
many barrels were needed for x amount
of fruit and what it cost, down to the cent,
to bottle a case of wine. I knew the numbers
inside and out. I had priced out every
piece of equipment needed and found
cheaper alternatives. In short, we had the
beginnings of a business plan. But more
importantly I had decided on the type
of wine we should make and where we
should look for fruit. So, with most of the
nuts and bolts in place, we decided to take
the plunge.
It was a good year to start a winery.
Just over a decade earlier American wine
production and consumption had moved
from a majority of dessert wines (fortified
for the most part) to a majority of
table wine. With that came a re-birth of
the American wine industry. During the
1970's a large number of wineries popped
up. While many have taken their place in
the dust bin of history, many others are
still with us today, although most in a form
very different than those early years. It
was a heady time. Airline pilots, dentists,
dermatologists, car salesmen, and printers
took their place alongside university
trained professionals. What they lacked in
formal training was, in many cases, more
than compensated for by their passion,
love of fine wine, determination, sense of
wonder, and willingness to experiment
and explore. By the time we came along,
the path had been paved, but there was
still room, as they said in Star Trek, to go
where no one had gone before.
At the time we started, American wine
drinkers' beverage of choice was generally
white, with chenin blanc and riesling,
among others, arguably as popular as
chardonnay. Red wine drinkers were all
over the board but pinot noir wasn't even
on the radar. It was therefore a little odd
that three wineries in the class of '79, as
it was called back then, were founded to
produce Burgundy varietals. While Kistler
was to be a chardonnay house, Acacia
and La Crema Viñera were focused on
the possibilities of that bad boy of wine
grapes, pinot noir. Indeed our motto at La
Crema Viñera was, "The tradition that is
Burgundy, the heritage that is California,
pinot noir and chardonnay in the classic
manner." By that we meant that while embracing
the traditional winemaking techniques
and respect for terroir that were the
hallmarks of Burgundy, would also honor
our California heritage.
Two of the first vineyards that we used
were very well known in wine circles. One
was not. We seemed to do everything right
with those grapes that year. While almost
everyone picked by numbers, including
the wild cowboy winemakers who wanted
to make wine bigger and bolder than
everyone else, we picked by a little different
criterion. Doug Meader of Ventana
Vineyard in Monterey County had taken
me out into his chardonnay block to taste
the fruit. He plucked a grape, put it in his
mouth, spit the pulp out and chewed on
the skin. He had me do the same. Mystified,
I asked him what he was doing. He
told me that everything that would be
in the wine was in the skin of the grape
and that is what I should be tasting. I told
him that it was fine for a veteran such as
himself but for a rookie like me it was impossible.
He laughed and said he had told
André Tchelistcheff the same thing when
André had told him this. Before long, I
was tasting grapes with confidence. I can
still remember how that fruit tasted and
how the wine made from it did indeed reflect
those characteristics.
Our winemaking that year was also a
little out of the ordinary. The two chardonnays
we made were both pressed rather
quickly after crushing. Soaking of the
crushed grapes was starting to come into
vogue but we played it conservatively
and kept the skin contact to a bare minimum.
Fermentation was in French Oak
Burgundy barrels, a technique not widely
practiced at the time. The reason for the
barrel fermentation was simpleÑit was
what they did in Burgundy, France! And, it
was also what Joseph Swan did. The pinot
noir techniques were also a little different.
Although there were a few wineries practicing
these techniques, they were still far
from the norm. I believe that we included
a small percentage of whole clusters,
although we may have just added back
some stems. All of the pinot noirs were
fermented in small open top fermenters
and punched down by hand. The fermentation/
maceration was fairly long and the
temperature was allowed to reach the low
90's (ºF). We used a small basket press
(all we could afford at the time), which
was very gentle. Aging was in barrels imported
from a tiny cooperage in Burgundy.
Bottling was when I decided the wine was
ready.
Over the next few years, I embraced
experimentation, not for the sake of
experimentation itself but because I
needed to learn as much as possible in
as short of time as possible. We joined
the winemaking crowd that believed skin
contact on chardonnay prior to fermentation
was a good thing. We even made a
wine called GonzoÑa chardonnay made
just like the pinot noir. With pinot noir we
tried whole cluster fermentation because a
new producer in Burgundy had been doing
it with great success. We made lots with
no whole clusters to lots with 100%. We
tried lengthening the maceration time with
pinot noir, both pre-fermentation and post.
We tried various yeasts including wild. We
basically embraced the new age of California:
no holds barred winemaking with
a vengeance. Much of the time I bounced
my ideas off of my friend and mentor
Joe Swan, who seemed amused if not intrigued.
Many of the things we tried were
things that he had heard about in France.
Some were techniques mentioned in various
publications or new techniques discussed
at seminars and trade events. Some
were culled from very old wine books that
talked about the way things "used to be
done". And, as you would suspect, some
things worked well, some did not. But we
learned an awful lot in the process.
While we were doing all of this the rest
of the local wine scene was not sitting idly
by. A host of new techniques came into
vogue. Skin contact of white grapes prior
to pressing came and largely went (not
actually a new technique, as this was quite
common in Europe in the pre-modern era).
Small lot fermentation of red grapes in
open top fermenters, particularly of pinot
noir, became more widely practiced. Prefermentation
maceration of red must became
commonplace. Warmer fermentation
temperatures, sur lies aging of whites (and
some reds), roto-fermenters, micro oxygenation,
picking of fruit at "physiological
maturity" (sometimes a code name for
late harvest), de-alcoholization, specialized
enzymes, designer yeast and wild
yeast, toasted barrels, barrels with toasted
heads and barrels made from three year air
dried oak, de-stemming and crushing with
stems sometimes added back (with pinot
noir in particular), to de-stemmers without
crusher rollers in order to keep the berries
whole, and no stems, but sometimes
whole clusters, added to the fermentation
(and no longer just with pinot noir).
Membrane presses that were very gentle
replaced horizontal basket presses that
sometimes ground the grapes a bit. Fining
and filtration were heavily utilized and
then sometimes abandoned altogether.
Long macerations, and short macerations
with macerating enzymes to mimic long
maceration were used. New varietals and
blends of varietals, both based on European
wines and wines unique to the New
World became commonplace. Bottles went
from a few standards, to specialized ones
that mimicked early hand made ones, to
those that were simply bigger, heavier
and more unique. (Who says size doesn't
matter?!). Vineyard designates, once the
exception, became commonplace. The list
goes on and on. While a few things were
truly new, many had been used before
and were simply being re-tried. What was
once old was new again. A more thorough
understanding of microbiology and sanitation,
along with better storage and transportation
of wine has led to cleaner and
better wines. It is difficult to find bad wine
these days. That is not to say that all wines
are equally pleasing. We all appreciate different
things.
And yet, for all of the changes in
winemaking, the one thing that, in my
opinion, that was truly revolutionary
was simply a return to the traditions of
oldÑwe evolved from grape growers and
winemakers to winegrowers. The realization
that wine is not produced in a kitchen
or a lab but that it is truly grown has taken
hold. Growers are no longer content to
simply deliver fruit that meets the minimum
standards for sugar and lack of MOG
(material other than grapes), the two criteria
used to determine penalties and bonuses
paid on their contracts. They want feedback
from the winemakers. They want to
taste wine made from their fruit and they
want the name of their vineyard on the label.
The have discovered that what they do
in the vineyard has a huge impact not only
on the finished wine but the bottom line as
well. Everything they do, from the choice
of rootstock and scion, spacing, training,
trellising, canopy management and crop
loads has an impact. They have learned
to farm for flavor and not for sugar. And
winemakers are no longer content to sit
in the winery writing work orders for the
cellar crew. They are out in the fields and
not just at harvest. They have learned that
no matter how much talent they have, no
matter how good the equipment and how
many technological tricks they employ, the
ultimate potential of the wine they produce
has already been determined by the time
the fruit arrives. All one needs to do to see
evidence of this is to spend a little time in
Saralee's Vineyard during harvest. They
sell to a boatload of wineries and there are
times during harvest the winemakers in
the field outnumber the vineyard crew!
But there is one other big change I
have seen over the years. It is how serious
wine consumers get information about
wine. In the "old days, if you spent time
with a good merchant you were often introduced
to wines from new and exciting
wineries (that is if the winery could get
the merchant to carry the wine in the first
place). At the same time a gold medal at
the Los Angeles County Fair (or even a
silver or bronze) or a mention from one of
the early wine writers in a major newspaper
was enough to sell a wine. Then, with
the growth of The Wine Spectator and
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, it became
about points. For a while, a 90 score was
like winning the lottery. Now it usually
takes a 95+ to have the same effect. In the
interim the phenomenon of the Internet
has entered all of our lives. If you want to
know something about the wine you just
tasted at a party all you have to do is to
google it. You can find more than you ever
wanted to know. Much of the information
comes from the wine chat rooms where
anyone can post just about anything. Wineries'
grape sources and techniques are often
put under the microscope. Arguments
can and often do rage about things that
most consumers had never even thought
of! If you want to make wine and have
questions about techniques, the internet is
full of information, some good and some
dubious, that can make you an instant "expert"
without having to get a degree, go
to seminars, or visit countless winegrowers
asking questions. And in addition to
the technical stuff, newly released wines
are tasted and reported on minutes after
release. For those who have chosen not to
provide wine to professional wine journalists,
this can be a bit unnerving! It is a
real democratization of wine tasting and
opinion. And, while it has both its good
and bad points, it is with us to stay. We
can't put the genie back in the bottle. Consumers,
not a handful of journalists and
important retailers, now have the power. It
is not only the biggest change I have seen
in my nearly 30 years of winemaking, it is
arguably the best.
- Rod Berglund
New Releases
2006 Pinot Gris Trenton Station
I have always been a fan of pinot gris but
the more I drink, the bigger fan I become.
Genetically identical to pinot noir, it is
differentiated by the pigmentation in the
skin (noir means black, gris means grey.
By grey the French mean halfway between
black and white grapes). With a few oddball
rosé exceptions, it is almost always
made using traditional white winemaking
cluster pressing with the juice fermented
in older, neutral French oak barrels. However,
making pinot noir in the same way,
despite the identical genetics, yields a
completely different wine. I have never
seen an answer for why. In fact I wonder
if the question has come up? In any event,
viva la difference!
The aromatics of the '06 are quite similar
to those of the '05: ripe white peach,
quince and honeysuckle with a hint of
stone and petrol. The flavors are of bright
citrus and minerals. In the mouth it is
leaner and crisper than the '05 but still
gives the impression of very slight sweetness
(both are dry). A very versatile food
wine that is also delicious by itself. 98
cases bottled.
2006 Pinot Noir Cuvée de Trois
When we first bottled this wine, from the
1999 vintage, I never expected it to be
much more than very tiny part of our production.
With the 2006 vintage it became
20%. Part of it is the price. It is hard to
find really good pinot noir at this price.
However, a lot has to do with the fact that
it is a very good wine. Although it is a
blend, we put every bit as much care and
effort into making this wine as we do with
our other pinot noirs. In fact it includes
all of our vineyard designated pinot noirs,
including our Estate. Each year, in early
August, I taste through all of our pinot
noir barrels and rate them on a five point
scale (++, +, 0, -, --). Anything less than 0
(which is not bad, simply not a wowser) is
kicked out. I then put together trial blends
of each of the vineyard lots. Just because a
barrel gets 2+'s doesn't mean it automatically
goes into the vineyard blend. Often
times some 0's, which are often subtle and
nuanced, are needed to produce a wine of
distinction that also exhibits the terroir of
the vineyard. Once I have come up with
the proposed vineyard lots, I then try a
trial blend of what is left. Usually I need to
do some horse-trading with the potential
vineyard lots to make the Cuvée de Trois
work. Does it have a little too much oak?
Does it need a little more spice (from the
Estate), could it use a little more structure
and tannin (from the Great Oak)? It is not
easy but it is important as it is meant to
represent the terroir of the Russian River
Valley as a whole. And each year when I
finally put the blend together I lose a lot
of sleep wondering if I did the right thing.
Fortunately, we have yet to produce a
loser! Hopefully the string will continue!
This year's version is definitely a reflection
of the vintage. The wine is a little
lighter in color but has wonderful, pretty
aromatics of red berries, cherries, and
spice with a very slight hint of mint and
cinnamon. In the mouth it is quite bright
but the acidity plays a supporting role to
the freshness of the fruit. Quite delightful
now, it should drink well over the next 3-4
years. 2004 cases bottled
2005 Pinot Noir Trenton Estate
The Estate is always our flagship wine.
It is not because we own the vineyard. It
simply is the vineyard.
As I have mentioned before, I love the
2005 vintage for pinot noir. While most of
them offer a lot on release, it is clear that
the best will handsomely reward aging.
This one certainly will. It is fairly dark,
very dense, with a powerful nose of deep
cherry, forest floor, wild violets, black
walnut, and raw stone (I am not just making
this up! Really!) In the mouth the first
impression is of dark fruit, earthy spice,
and fresh wild cherry pie. Both the tannin
and acidity are in perfect balance, framing
the lush fruit and giving it weight and
length. If you intend to drink it within the
next few years we suggest decanting, or, at
least drinking it over several hours, or perhaps
even a day or two. 235 cases bottled
2005 Pinot Noir Great Oak
Our friends Jim Jordan and Sandra Poysa
really embarked on a labor of love when
they planted this vineyard, which is fortunate
for us. When you grow grapes is this
beautifully rugged location you have to do
it for love because the economics of doing
it are abysmal. Production has hovered
around 1 ton per acre and the cost to farm
it are far and above what it costs in many
valley floor vineyards. We have been
working with them to try to ratchet up
production to at least the break-even point
but progress has been slow. However, the
quality of the wines is pretty amazing!
The pinot noir grapes are planted in five
different blocks that are all harvested and
vinified separately. Putting together the
blend each year is a challenge because the
largest block typically produces a wine of
such deep color with so much tannin and
richness it is very syrah like. A couple of
amazingly aromatic, complex, and exotic.
Too much of the one block and all of the
character of the others is lost. For this reason
we have only bottled a few barrels for
the vineyard blend and the rest has given
strength and character to the Cuvée de
Trois. The '05 is all about dark fruit. Black
raspberry, black cherry, dark plum, licorice
and maybe even a hint of cassis. There is
also something very wild there; even so it
is quite elegant. I have a very difficult time
describing this wine as it is rich and powerful
yet has a grace to it as well. It should
cellar well for quite a few years. 140 cases
bottled.
2004 Syrah Great Oak Vineyard
Like the pinot noir from this vineyard, the
syrah vines yield very little fruit but it is
amazingly concentrated.
Our California broker, Paul Bullard, described
it as "tremendous syrah. Bowling
ball in the mouth with deep black fruits,
cedar shavings, and earth. Very powerful
and dense on the back palate. An ager
again." I would add that it has a lot of
the classic syrah deep violet and English
saddle leather aromas. 53 cases bottled.
2005 Tannat Mathew's Station
From another of Rich and Saralee's
Kunde's amazing properties. Tannat is a
relatively obscure varietal responsible for
Madiran, a red wine from France's southwest
corner, near the Pyrenees. Described
by English wine writer Jancis Robinson as
possessing aromas of fresh crushed black
raspberries and being fiercely tannic, it is
also supposed to benefit from very long
bottle aging. Ours is not fiercely tannic
and I am not sure why. In the fermenter it
was nearly undrinkable (sort of like biting
into a quince). However much of the tannin
dissipated early on and we ended up
with a very surprising, spicy, berry fruited
(yes, black raspberry) wine of unique
character and distinction. Unfortunately
we made very little of this first effort and
don't expect it to hang around long. 22.5
cases bottled.
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