Download - The Independent

6 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2012
WINE COUNTRY
Winging it: Where I went, what I saw, what I tried
By Harry Stoll
On the antithesis of a
dark and stormy night, I
packed up my troubles in
my old kit bag, loaded some
CDs, and headed down the
Wine Trail. At the Page Mill
entrance I sang three cheers
for the red, white, and blue
balloons. Patsy Cline sighed
about our faded love with
that catch of breath from
deep beneath her solar plexus
and I fell to pieces. It was
June 10 and along with the
release of a 2011 Pinot Gris,
Page Mill gave a farewell
potty, and inaugurated a new
necessary facility. It could
have a view of a neighboring
Concannon Vineyard,
but there is no window;
ventilation is from a highscreened
opening.
2008 Page Mill Winery
Syrah Santa Cruz Mountains
Littlehale Vineyard
($36). An olfactory opulent
opening of cherry with a
mere hint of a whiff of a
fine Havana cigar while
hiding in the junipers. Marlene
Dietrich sang in my
ear, “Mmm, Mmm, kisses
sweeter than wine.” This
sweetheart is not sticky
sweet but full of sweetness
nevertheless. Velvet caresses
the oral membranes and a
floral arrangement decorates
the mid-palate. And plenty
of white pepper. Ate up Fuji
apples stuffed with a mashup
of ground pork and morning
glory blossoms.
I doglegged to Tesla. In
front of Crooked Vine, I
pointed at the poignant aged
Chevy pickup parked there.
Its wing windows let you
fly as you get ventilation
without a blast of road air.
That feature should make a
comeback.
2009 Crooked Vine Petit
Verdot Livermore Valley
Del Arroyo Vineyard
($28). Often, winemakers
add a little Petit Verdot to
other Bordeaux wines for
its hearty tannins, color,
and flavor. This one’s good
all by itself with a gentlemanly
mien while being
a heavy hitter right on the
nose with crushed blossoms
of plumbago, gorgeous
plum, home-made organic
cranberry sauce, and strong
currants in the mouth and
we’ll have these moments
to remember. It’s perfect
with a Porterhouse steak on
the porch.
Next on Tesla, The Steven
Kent Winery was abuzz
with tasters standing at upended
barrels topped with
round polished wood table
tops. At the counter Jessica
gently poured me some
samples. Here’s one I toted
home to try:
2011 Steven Kent Winery
“Lola” White Blend
Livermore Valley Ghielmetti
Vineyard ($24). This
65% Sauvignon Blanc and
35% Semillon blend was
aged in stainless steel for
seven months. She’s sweet
and sharp with her citrus
and stone fruit flavors. I
removed her practical yet
chic cloche of a screwcap
and laid it on the table.
The trumpets flared up. She
wanted something exotic,
“Persian Chicken, I think.”
Whatever Lola wants.
North on Vasco, Eric
Burdon in both his 1968 and
2008 vintage sang words
that some say are, “Spill
the wine, “dig that girl.” At
Longevity, I was treated to a
greeting by that fine Colleen
Eileen Sauer. What is she,
a wise gal? Yes, and wineknowledgeable,
and a nice
addition to the hospitality
of owners Debra and Phil
Long.
2011 Longevity Wines
Pinot Blanc Livermore Valley
Buttner Family Sunol
Vineyards ($24). The grapes
sat on the skins overnight
then were hand-bucketed
into a pneumatic bucket.
Fermented clean and cool
in stainless steel. No oak,
no malo-lactic fermentation.
It sings of a taste of honey,
white peach, and other wonders.
It’s long on flavor,
light yet full, just generally
a sublime wine for a light
uncomplicated repast.
Before walking my wingtips
into neighboring Occasio
Winery, I checked
my winged vintage pocket
watch, from the classy Occasio
label, to catch the fleeting
nature of opportunity.
From behind the counter,
Kathy Sorensen asked me
to mention her son who is
the associate winemaker,
Chris Sorensen. Another
winemaker there is owner
John Kinney. Here’s one
they made:
2011 Occasio Winery
Sauvignon Blanc Livermore
Valley Del Arroyo
Vineyard ($20). With citrus
and tropical flavors, it rocks
as its gravelly voice sings
of the crisp minerality of
the Livermore Valley terroir.
Harvested two days
after the Autumn Equinox
with a Brix of 23.3 and a
pH of 3.4. 125 cases were
produced. This classy Sauvignon
Blanc is a splendor
in the glass. Good any place
with anyone. Partnered with
apple-stuffed pork chops it
was a dance of Ke$ha and
Fred Astaire.
Next door at Nottingham
Cellars, the debonair Paoli
wore what appears to be a
beret, but, mon deux, is a
golf hat turned backwards.
Fooled me once. He knew
all about wines and food
and flung around talk of
bouillabaisse. He poured me
this one:
2010 Nottingham Cellars
“Awakening,” Red Wine
Livermore Valley ($36).
57% Syrah, 28%, Mourvedre,
and 15% Grenache.
Aromatics and flavors of
graham cracker s’mores
dipped in Farmstead strawberry
preserves. With Fuji
apples stuffed with ground
pork it’s Ginger Rogers
and Cab Calloway doing a
precursor of moondancing.
On Lupin Way all the
pretty horses ran in plenty of
pastures. At el Sol Winery,
owner/winemaker Hal Liske
was doin’ a lot of splainin’
and Jack White sang, You
Know That I Know from
the long lost but now found
Hank Williams’ notebooks.
Three Orbinesque women
on the patio, celebrating
their birthdays, invited me to
sit. One had a dreamy combination
of nappy hair and
Irish freckles. She shaded
her eyes looking west into
el Sol. I sipped some:
2007 el Sol Merlot Rosé
San Francisco Bay ($18).
It’s nearly orange, about the
color of Jack Daniels. Hal
said it spends very little time
on the skins and the color
is from being barrel aged.
It’s a robust rosé, tasty and
refreshing. It was swell and
celestial with well-peppered
barbecued chicken and for
toasting farewell to the girl
with the sun in her eyes.
Tickets Available for Annual 'Taste of Terroir' Food and Wine Pairing
Wine experts Deborah
Parker Wong of The Tasting
Panel, Lynne Char Bennett
of the San Francisco
Chronicle’s Food & Wine
department and Chef Jeffrey
Anderson of Safeway, Inc.
will judge gourmet pairings
at “Taste of Terroir,” Livermore
Valley’s Wine & Food
Experience on July 19.
The panel will sample
food and wine pairings presented
by 16 of the region’s
wineries and their restaurant
partners before awarding
Most Innovative Pairing,
Judges’ Best and Best Classic
Pairing. Guests at this
popular public event will
have opportunity to taste all
of the pairings, bid on luxurious
silent auction items
and cast a vote in the People’s
Choice competition.
Silent auction items include
several wine country
gift baskets containing
award-winning wine paired
with restaurant, limousine
and spa gift certificates.
Guests also will have the
opportunity to bid on a
limited edition giclee print
of the painting “Sarafina”
by local artist Jill Denton
that is featured on the 31st
Livermore Valley Harvest
Wine Celebration poster and
program cover.
Taste of Terroir 2012 will
take place at Palm Event
Center in Pleasanton, 6-9
p.m. on Thursday, July 19.
Tickets are $75 per person
if purchased before July 1,
when the price increases to
$85. Ticket price include
a tasting of each of the 16
food and wine pairings,
live music by Motel Sheets
and a decadent dessert and
cheese spread sponsored by
US Foodservice and paired
with Livermore Valley ports.
Funds raised at this event
benefit the Livermore Valley
Winegrowers Association.
For tickets and more information,
please visit www.
LVwine.org.
Teams for the Taste of
Terroir 2012 competition
include:
Cedar Mountain Winery
+ Porter’s Restaurant at
Poppy Ridge Golf Course,
Concannon Vineyard + Underdog
Wine Bar, Crooked
Vine Winery + El Sacromonte
Restaurant and Bar,
Cuda Ridge Wines + Sanctuary
Ultra Lounge & Restaurant,
Darcie Kent Vineyards
+ Nieman Marcus Café,
Eagle Ridge Vineyard +
Terra Mia, Garré Vineyard
& Winery + Garré Café,
Las Positas Vineyards +
Scott’s Seafood Grill &
Bar, Longevity Wines +
The Winemaker’s Pour
House, McGrail Vineyards
& Winery + Double Barrel
Wine Bar, Mitchell Katz
Winery + Beets Catering at
Casa Real, Nottingham Cellars
+ Handles Gastropub,
Page Mill Winery + First
Street Alehouse, Rodrigue
Molyneaux + Castlewood
Country Club, The Steven
Kent Winery + Neil Marquis
Catering, Wente Vineyards
+ The Restaurant at Wente
Vineyards