02/03/2011 - The Independent

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4 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011 Wine CountryFirst 'Taste of Livermore Valley Winemaker’s Dinner'Highlights The Growing GenerationsBy Laura NessIt was a family affair at theWente Vineyards Restaurant onThursday, January 27, for the firstof what will hopefully be a seriesof similar dinners throughoutthe region. It was a family affair,celebrating the growing family ofwineries in the Valley, and payinghonor to the first families, the Wentesand the Concannons, whosewines were among those featuredat the well-executed 6-course dinnerdivined by Executive ChefEric Berg and his highly efficientculinary cavalry.Carolyn Wente acknowledgedthe honor of being the first restaurantto host what she hoped wouldbe a series of such collaborativewinemaker dinners. That wishwas seconded by John Concannon,who told the story of his father’ssiblings walking to school with theWente children, the 17 of made uphalf the entire school roster. His2006 Captain John’s Petite Sirahwas amazing with the cured duckdish with porcini and chestnutpuree. Pershing and Patton, withwhom Captain Joe Concannonserved in the military, would havesaluted this dish with fervor.Sergio Traverso of Murietta’sWell told the story of his 30 yearhistory in the Livermore Valley,beginning in 1981, highlightedby the birth of his two children in1982 and 1984, which he said coincidedwith his favorite vintages.To celebrate the 20 th anniversaryof Murietta’s well, they departedfrom the bondage of “Meritage”restrictions, branching out to usevarieties beyond Bordeaux. “Youdon’t have to be more Catholicthan the Pope!” he said, in explainingthe shift to include varietieslike Gewurztraminer, Rieslingand Muscat, along with traditionalBordeaux grapes, to make “TheWhip.” This is their new whiteprogram: “The Spur” is their newred.New generations are joiningthe ranks, with Dane Stark of PageMill and his wife, who are expectingtheir third daughter, joined byhis parents, who started Page MillWinery in the hills above Palo Altoback in 1976. Dane told the storyof his father’s first wine, madein carboys, which was dubbed“Urinus Bianca,” a wine never tobe forgotten or repeated. His Dad,Dick Stark, did go on to makelovely Chardonnay, as well asmany memorable Cabs from theChiles Valley, and some beautifulPinots from Bien Nacido.Dane impressed the crowd withhis lovely 2009 Page Mill Chardonnayfrom the Chandler Vineyard atKalthoff Commons on the coolerwestside of the valley, a wine thatgraced the miniature home-madegnocchi with dried apricots andchanterelles, swimming happily intheir creamy dreamy sauce. WhenDane arrived on the Livermorescene in 2002, he sourced nograpes from the region, preferringto work with his long-establishedsuppliers. Soon, he discovered thelocal Sauvignon Blanc to be superiorto those from a Paso source hehad been using since 1983. SaidDane, “I am proud to say that in2010, 95% of what I crushed wasLivermore fruit. I’m a convert. I’vediscovered Livermore. There is nolooking back.”Mark Clarin also acknowledgedthe presence of his parents at theevent, noting that without them,he wouldn’t be there to share thisvery proud moment. A partnerin the Picazo winery, as well aswinemaker for the McGrail brand,Mark came from Bonny Doon towork at Wente, before launchingon his present ventures. He presentedthe 2006 Picazo Merlot,a lithe, seamless trotting horse ofa wine, that worked nicely withthe lamb sugo (a type of ragout,or simple meat-based stew), atopsilky ribbons of home-made pastaand sweet roasted heirloom “peanut”pumpkin, mated with arugulaand dry Jack cheese. Savory andamazing.Next up was Aunt CarolynWente to speak on behalf of 5 thgeneration winemaker nephewKarl’s already phenomenal 2008nth Degree Cabernet, a boldlyexpressive statement of LivermoreCabness. Sourced from three rowsChef Eric Berg discusses the menu he created for the evening.Dane Stark signs a wine bottle.of the best Cab, Merlot and Malbecat each vineyard site, this Cabshines a beacon on what this regioncan do when properly croppingthis variety to preserve its intensepersonality, along with its occasionallyjovial demeanor. Thereare plenty of other varieties thatcan be friendly or provocativelyintense: Cab rides the line nicely.This one does it in exemplaryfashion, like a Mercedes limo withseat warmers.The 2008 nth Degree Cabernetwas solid with the slow roastbeef prime sirloin cap with citrusbraised endive (a brilliant foil tothe blue-cheese potato croquette,which was almost like invitingyour mother-in-law for breakfastafter you’ve been watching herdrink your best scotch all nightlong).But wait there’s more!A decadent meal like this cannotskate away on beef and potatoes.No, it must end on a note oftropical indulgence, especially inCalifornia. By golly, pastry chefLeena Hung was going to get herfruits into the menu. Did she ever,in a most delicious way, with apineapple crostata, filled with limecream and topped with mangosorbet. It was the essence of a hottropical day, with a faint umbrellaruffling breeze and the promise ofa refreshing dip in the ocean. Likea bikini with an ornate coverup,it was paired with the Ruby Hill2009 Amabile Chardonnay port.Sometimes one thing is enough.The wait staff never misseda beat during this entire performance,and made the evening acontinual delight.This was a most generousrepast, from stem to stern, withnothing that threw the vessel offkeel. Let’s hope this fine ship ofcamaraderie will soon set sailagain.
Wine CountryTHE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011 5By Laura NessLast September, twenty winerieschose to enter a new All Livermorewine competition sponsored by theTri-Valley Conservancy. Winerieswere invited to submit entries infour categories for the first annual“Livermore Uncorked.” There wasno cost to enter and all you hadto do was send in a Chardonnay,Cabernet, Zin or Petite Sirah thatwas currently released and availablein the market. Here’s a recapof the results:ChardonnayGold ~ Concannon - Reserve2009Silver ~ Stony Ridge - Estate2009Bronze ~ Darcie Kent Vineyards– De Mayo Vineyard 2008Petite SirahGold ~ Fenestra – GhielmettiVineyard 2007Silver ~ Wente – Small Lot2007Bronze ~ Bent Creek – 2007Cabernet SauvignonGold ~ Bent Creek - 2007Silver ~ Wood Family Vineyards– Thomson Ranch Vineyard2008Bronze ~ McGrail Vineyards– Reserve 2007ZinfandelGold ~ Fenestra - 2008Silver ~ Darcie Kent Vineyards– De Mayo Vineyard 2007Bronze ~ Ruby Hill Winery– Peacock Patch Reserve 2008Secrets in the CellarWhat did these winemakers doto craft wines that got the nod fromthe judges panel? We decided toask around. Here are some of theanswers. We’ll go with the “LadiesFirst” policy here.From Darcie Kent, who hadtwo winners in the lineup, weheard this: “These two wines aremy most award wining wines. The2007 De Mayo Zin also won bestof class best red wine in the $30and above price point at the OrangeCounty Fair. De Mayo is a gem ofa vineyard and probably one of thehighest award-wining vineyards inThe Livermore Valley. I love theChardonnay for its tropical notes.We work hard to let those notesshine through by not overpoweringwith ml (malolactic) or oak. Weuse all French oak, 1/3 new, and1/3 ml.” Chemistry on the 2008De Mayo Chardonnay is 3.60pH,14.5% and .70TA.About the DeMayo Zin (3.72pH,Behind the TVC Medalists, Part 114.9%, .66TA), Darcie holds backno praise. “The Zin is very special.There is just one acre of this. It’s76% Zin, 24% Petite Sirah whichare harvested together and co-fermented.Which is a challenge tomake them ripen together and veryrare to co-ferment. The spicy Zinis balanced by the round tanninsof the Petite. “Both of these wines were madein 10-barrel lots (yielding about240 cases) and are featured at theUnderdog Winebar.From Jaime Dowell of CrookedVine/Stony Ridge, we got thisinside scoop on the 2009 EstateStony Ridge Chardonnay.“The grapes were harvested inSeptember at about 24 brix anddestemmed/pressed right away.Last harvest, we didn’t have away to accomplish whole clusterpressing, but we did this year, so Ithink the wines will be even betterin 2010!The wine was barrel-fermentedwith a yeast called CY3079 (fairlycommon,) after a slight acid addition,for 12 days at a cool temperature,in 50% new French oak. Afterprimary fermentation finished, themust was inoculated to start ML,which adds a rich, creamy mouthfeel.But she didn’t want it to gettoo heavy.Dowell commented, “I find thiswine is a fairly light/crisp versionof Chardonnay. To accomplishthis, I only let the wine sit on thelees for about 5 months (withminimal stirring), and stopped theML from reaching saturation, soit didn’t get too buttery and loseits acidity. With any white winethough, to me the easiest trick inthe book to making great wine isto be sure the barrels are topped!!!The slightest amount of oxygenon white wines is death...so don’tlet that “to-do” fall to the bottomof the list.”The Gold Medal winning 2009Concannon Reserve Chardonnay(3.27pH, 15%, .59TA) was madeby the Concannon winemakingteam from fruit off the De MayoVineyard, where the gently slopinghillside soil produces rich, fullbodiedChardonnay. According toConcannon, “Our Reserve winesare made completely by hand inthe tradition of artisanal winemaking.The 2009 Chardonnay,Reserve is an extremely powerful,yet balanced wine with intensetropical fruit flavors of pineappleand guava and ripe green apple.Honeysuckle aromas are balancedby elegant oak notes on both thepalate and smooth finish.” Thewine was aged for 8 months onboth French and American oak.It’s quite a bargain at $20.Winemaker Mark Clarin createdhis usual magic in the cellarwith the 2007 McGrail CabernetSauvignon Estate (3.63pH, 14.4%..56TA). He shared, “This winefrom the estate McGrail Vineyardwas aged in oak for 30 months.We tasted each of 90 barrels andassigned them to their destiny.The Reserve blend is a blend ofvarious barrel types, primarily newoak, from three different countries.American Oak brings a sweetness(vanilla) to the wine.The Hungarian Oak offers atoasty marshmallow finish to thewine and the French Oak bringsa spicy clove. All of those flavorsinteract beautifully with the BlackCherry fruit and earthy tobaccocomponents that the vineyard offers.We produced 900 cases ofReserve Cabernet Sauvignon andit was awarded a gold medal and‘Best Cabernet Sauvignon’ in a recentChicago area competition.”Chris Graves’ notes on thewinemaking of the 2008 RubyHill Peacock Patch Estate ReserveZinfandel, which is actually 80%Zin, 10% Petite Sirah and 10%Merlot (3.58pH, 15.5%, .55TA),include the following: “This 2008Zinfandel Estate Reserve “PeacockPatch” is our ode to the classicjammy Californian varietal. The‘Peacock Patch’ vineyard is ourWestern block of our 200 acres ofvineyards. It is first to receive thecooling fogbank from the GoldenGate Gap in the morning, andthe cooling breezes in the laterafternoon. This allows the vinesto reach warm temperatures inthe afternoon with cooling temperaturesin the evening, resultingin optimum fruit maturation. Thesoil is very stony, and not particularlyfertile, resulting in slightlystressed vines, which producefruit with great concentration andflavor. This wine was aged in 70%new Hungarian and American oakcooperage for 18 months.”Karl Wente’s 2007 Small LotPetite Sirah (3.49pH, 13.8%,.67TA), is composed of 90%Petite Sirah, 8% Barbera and 2%Syrah. The Petite Sirah grapeswere harvested from the Ruby Hill,Herman and Marina blocks andthe Barbera grapes were harvestedfrom the Smith block. After beinghandpicked, the grapes were handsortedat the winery, then gentlypressed, leaving any possible bittertannins behind. The Petite Sirahwas fermented in small one-tonfermentors and punched down byhand twice daily. The Barbera wasfermented in stainless steel. Afterfermentation, the Petite Sirah wasaged for 18 months in American,Eastern European, and neutral oak.The Barbera was aged in stainlesssteel. This really is a beautiful balancedand powerful wine.More insights from the winemakerson the rest of the awardwinners in a subsequent installment.Keep up the great winemakingwork, Livermore!The Tri-Valley Conservancy’smission is to protect the fertilesoils, rangelands, open space andbiological resources, and to supporta viable agricultural economy,in the Tri Valley area. Landownersare offered a voluntary alternativeto subdividing or developing theirproperty through the legal arrangementof a conservation easement,which ensures protection fromfuture development. The TVCcurrently holds the following ineasements: Vineyards 3160 acres;Olive Groves 344 acres; Nut/FruitGroves 137 acres; Open Space/Parkland 444 acres.
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