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WINERY FEATURE | WINE COUNTRY THIS WEEKChateau St. JeanCheck Out the Tasting Seminarsby Richard Paul HinkleRemembering the opening day operators’quandary at Chateau St. Jean’s unveiling stillbrings a hearty chortle to my countenance (asopposed to one of those awful timid chortles).Though the winery was named for thewife of one of the owners – an honest Anglo-American name, Jean – those who answeredthe phones were charged with employing thesuave and subtle French pronunciation at theoutset: “Sha-toe sahnt szhawn.” And peoplewould hang up, saying, “Oh, we were calling‘saint jean.’”That was quickly corrected. What neededno correction, fortunately was the winemaking,then handled by Dick Arrowood,who created an almost mythic identity atChateau St. Jean before moving on to createhis own namesake winery nearby. (ChateauSt. Jean is now owned by Beringer Blass WineEstates, an Australian-based company oncecalled Fosters. Yep, the beer people.)Winemaking today is handledmarvelously by Margo Van Staaveren, who’sbeen with the winery since 1980 (and whosehusband Don was once winemaker). She hasthe experience and wisdom to know thatmost of what happens to create a wine ofdistinction has happened by the time thegrapes hit the crush pad each fall. “It takesgreat vineyards to make great wines,” she sayswith emphasis and authority. “Thirty yearsago, you could find Chardonnay planted nextto Cabernet Sauvignon, despite the fact thatthose varieties have entirely different growingseasons.“We have learned, for example, not togrow Chardonnay in Knights Valley, which isa great place for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.We have learned that Carneros andRussian River Valley are ideal places for PinotNoir and, curiously, a little Merlot in the rightspots. But you don’t learn those thingswithout testing out your hypotheses. Weespecially know that many of SonomaCounty’s viticultural areas are perfect for theBordeaux varieties, those that go into ourCinq Cépages [the blend that contains thefive primary red Bordeaux varieties andshows off a seamless mélange of cassis,currant, coffee and chocolate].”Pinot Blanc 2008 Alexander Valley,Robert Young Vineyard ($22): This is a winethat often gets overlooked because of itsinherent subtlety. It is not big, it is not bold;it reeks of neither alcohol nor of oak. Butthose are its strengths, really. The elegance ofthe lime, pear and nectarine fruit is nothingshort of exquisite, all the more so for being sodelicate and so refined. Think of this withscallops or scampi or the like. Delicious.Chardonnay 2007 Alexander Valley,Robert Young Vineyard ($25): As usual, thecreamy, thick texture of this wine is evidentfrom the opening sip, along with well-definedlemon fruit at the core of it all. There is thathazelnut and vanillin quality that comes fromthe oak, but it is so artfully interwoven that itall seems of a piece. I like this wine with a filetof sole in a cream sauce, but a grilled vealsteak would do just as nicely.Cinq Cépages 2007 Sonoma County($75): This wine really shows why blendingoffers the best of what a wine can be. You getthe cassis of Cabernet Sauvignon, the violetsfrom Cabernet Franc, the black currant ofMerlot, with subtle hints of mocha and cassis(Malbec) and blackberry-blueberry (PetitVerdot). In concert, well, that is the point –the wine is wholly in concert, in harmony. Ina word, seamless, so much so that you can20 www.WineCountryThisWeek.com