feb 2015

Landmark
Vineyards
Bringing FRENCH WINES
and grapes to CALIFORNIA
WINE WATCH
By Sheila and Bennet Bodenstein
We are always on the lookout for new or interesting wines to tell our
readers about. We believe that part of the joy of wine is all of the
choices available to wine enthusiasts. One winery recently came
into our view that we had never encountered before, and proved not only to be
new, but novel as well: Landmark Vineyards.
What makes this winery different, or interesting or just plain strange, is their
concentration on a specific style. In France, either by law or tradition, certain
varieties have been designated to be grown in specific regions of the country.
Landmark Vineyards has opted to specialize in the grapes and wines of Burgundy,
Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay.
We are not intimating that Landmark is making French Burgundy knock-offs;
quite the contrary. The Landmark Vintners went on a detailed search for Pinot
Noir and Chardonnay grapes that are grown at vineyards located in the cooler
regions of northern California, an area that closely resembled the climate of
Burgundy. When this chore was accomplished, the grapes from selected vineyards
were collected and pressed, and the winemaking began.
LANDMARK DAMARIS
2012 CHARDONNAY ($35)
Chardonnays come and Chardonnays go, and to
tell the truth, many of them have become boring
and uninteresting. There is however, nothing
boring about Landmark Damaris Chardonnay.
This wine is as California as they come, big,
wide open, and very enjoyable. Here is a wine
that displays all of the character and elegance of
the fabled Chardonnay wines of days gone by.
To start, the wine is fermented by the yeast that
grows naturally on red grapes, giving the wine its
own specific character. Apples and soft oak mark
the aroma, with just the faintest hint of citrus.
There is oak to be found in this wine, but in
delectate and very pleasing amounts. The flavor
is rich and features a buttery smooth sensation
on the palate. This is a good Chardonnay - a very
good Chardonnay.
LANDMARK OVERLOOK
2012 PINOT NOIR ($25)
Not a lesser wine or a poor cousin to the
Landmark Grand Detour Pinot Noir, but a different
melody on the same theme. It is a wine
with a medium body and a bright, clear, inviting
ruby color. The aroma is a mélange of strawberries,
red raspberries, and black cherries mingled
with oak. In the flavor department, black cherry
abounds, with hints of vanilla, soft oak and
chocolate in the background, which trail off to
a long, lingering fruity finish. This is an excellent
wine of fine proportions that deserves your
interest - it definitely garnered ours. We can
recommend that you try it, but we are sure you
will love it.
LANDMARK GRAND
2012 DETOUR PINOT NOIR ($35)
The Landmark Grand Detour Pinot Noir is a
rare find among Pinot Noir wines made in the
United States. The wine that was made from this
compendium of grapes is, to say the least, huge.
Fermentation was accomplished with naturally
occurring yeast indigenous to the vineyards
from where the grapes were sourced. The wine
displays the aromas of sweet, ripe, red berries,
green tea and oak. On the palate, the flavors
of cherry, pomegranate, plum, and raisins are
the most prominent, backed up by oak and an
earthy mushroom sensation. These flavors trail
off to a soft, almost jammy, fruit-filled finish
that is longer than long. The wine is drinkable
now or can be laid down for as long as five years.
Needless to say, this wine impressed us, and we
can assure you that we will have several bottles
in our library.
LANDMARK OVERLOOK
2012 CHARDONNAY ($22)
The same attention to detail and methods of
production that are used for the Landmark
Damaris Chardonnay are used for the Landmark
Overlook 2012 Chardonnay: hand picking of
the grapes, natural yeast, and long aging in oak
barrels. What results is a Chardonnay of regal
proportions. A big fruit aroma heralds the flavor
which runs the entire gamut of the aromas to
be found in a Chardonnay: peach, apple, vanilla,
honey, pear and, of course, oak. None of these
flavors is overpowering and none dominates. This
is a really grand chardonnay and most definitely
should be tried; we love it. P
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FEBRUARY 2015