Tag: Chardonnay

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Bonterra Vineyards

Bonterra VineyardsBonterra Vineyards has been a pioneer in organic farming in California. The vines were planted in 1987, and the first wines were released in 1992, long before organic products were widely available in America. Bonterra believes that organic grapes produce the purest expressions of the varietals and land on which they are farmed.

Bonterra’s three estates (Blue Heron, McNab, and Butler) are certified Biodynamic® by Demeter, a not-for-profit with the mission of enabling successful farming in accordance with Biodynamic practices and principles.  These are simply to create and oversee a living organism which is self-contained, self-sustaining, and follows the cycles of nature. Biodynamic farming harkens back to how farms functioned centuries ago. It is a holistic view of agriculture with a high awareness of the interconnectivity among earth, plants, animals, humans, and even the moon.

There are nine Demeter-certified preparations made from herbs, minerals, and manures. These are applied to the soil and vineyards in very small doses to enhance soil fertility with increased micro-organism development and photosynthetic activity.

Yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark, dandelion, and valerian each play a role in strengthening, and in some cases remedying, weaknesses in the vineyards. Teas and tinctures are made from fresh or dried plants, and are sprayed to increase active regeneration on the farm.

In addition, animal “partners” play an essential role in the ecosystem. The vineyards provide chemical-free sanctuaries for bees, supported by native plants which bloom throughout the seasons. Chickens roam the rows, eating weeds and insects that can harm the vines. Their scratching and pecking aerate the soil and provide additional nutrients to the vines. December through March, around 2,000 sheep snack on the cover crops and weeds as they “landscape” the vineyards, adding beneficial fertilizer to the soil as they graze.

Bonterra  Mendocino Chardonnay 2014

This wine opens with a hint of crème brulee, followed by aromas of pineapple and citrusy lemon. The palate features flavors of green apples, pears, and citrus, supported by a clean minerality. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in previously-used or neutral oak in order for its fresh fruit characteristics to shine through. New oak was used for just 16% of the wine to provide a vanilla note.

Enjoy this best-buy wine with seared swordfish with avocado relish and roasted broccoli, or crunchy pecan chicken with lemon ginger sauce.

Bonterra  Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

This red is very much in the European style, with relatively subtle flavors of cherries and currants. Those are present on the nose as, well, with the addition of a bit of toasted oak. The wine finishes with astringent tannins and a lingering finish.

Serve this up with grilled chicken on rosemary skewers, lamb chops with juniper berry marinade, or sirloin tips Quasimodo.

www.bonterra.com/

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La Merika Wines

La Merika Wines
La Merika Cabernet Sauvignon and La Merika Chardonnay. Click here for tasting notes.

La Merika Wines

There is a theory among some historians that America was discovered by Europeans decades, or even centuries, before Christopher Columbus by a little-known explorer named Henry Sinclair, who may have been a member of the Knights Templar. In Templar symbology ‘Merika’ is a western star toward which their ships would sail, or mounted knights would ride. It is suggested that the name La Merika (The Star) is what led to the naming of the continent America, rather than after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer who is credited with describing the New World.

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Lockwood Vineyard

Lockwood Monterey Chardonnay 2004 and Lockwood Monterey Merlot 2002,
Lockwood Monterey Chardonnay 2004 and Lockwood Monterey Merlot 2002, Click here for tasting notes.

Lockwood Vineyard

Lockwood was founded in 1989 by Paul Toeppen, Phil Johnson, and Butch Lindley as a single, contiguous, 1,850-acre vineyard (one of the largest premium estate vineyards in the world) located in southern Monterey County, not far from Monterey Bay. Lockwood exclusively produces “estate” wines. This means that all of their wines come from grapes grown in their own vineyards, and are then fermented, matured, and bottled at the winery on-site.

Nestled at the base of the Santa Lucia mountains, the vineyard soil consists of “shaly loam,” a well-drained, calcareous “chalk-rock” found in only two small areas of Central California. Because the soil has a low nutrient and mineral content, the vines must work hard for survival. In the hands of a skilled winemaker, this struggle of the vines can result in some of the best and most interesting wines.

Such a winemaker is Thane Knutson, who was born and raised on the plains of Oklahoma. He took a degree in International Business from the University of Oklahoma, while he made wine in his dorm room closet and worked in the cellar of a local winery in Slaughterville, Oklahoma.

Thane Knutson
Thane Knutson

After college, Knutson moved out to Napa Valley and interned at Cakebread Cellars.  He then spent two years at Hess Collection Winery as the laboratory technician before joining Raymond Vineyards just two weeks before current Lockwood Vineyard owner Jean-Charles Boisset made his entrance.  At Boisset Collection, Knutson was promoted from Laboratory Technician, to Enologist, and finally to Lockwood Winemaker.

Knutson’s experience with Hess and Raymond inspired his passion for cool weather varietals and innovative winemaking.

Lockwood Monterey Merlot 2002

Sideways notwithstanding, this wine shows that a well-made Merlot can be flavorful and satisfying. This one opens with aromas of strawberry, raspberry and cherry.  It features plenty of concentrated fruit supported by touches of  mint, spice, pepper, and soft tannins.  It is deep purple in color and has a moderately long finish.

Pair with not-too-spicy pork or poultry dishes.

Lockwood Monterey Chardonnay 2004

Looks can be deceiving; although very pale in the glass, this wine greets you with aromas of green apple, citrus, and mineral notes.  It is extremely well balanced on the palate, with flavors of honeysuckle and passion fruit. That hint of initial sweetness quickly yields to a firm acidity and a restrained French oak backbone.

lockwoodvineyard.com/

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Amapola Creek Winery

Click here for tasting notes.

Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay

After a legendary career of over 45 years toiling in the vineyards of Sonoma County, Richard Arrowood opened his final winery, Amapola Creek, in 2005. Amapola is Spanish for “poppy,” and the creek that bears the name runs through the estate. When in bloom, the golden poppies line the creek and offer a lovely sight with the vineyards and mountains in the background.

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Chateau Montelena

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 and Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2008. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes.</a>
Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay. Click here for tasting notes.

Chateau Montelena

Steven Spurrier was an Englishman who once owned a wine shop in Paris that catered to the English-speaking expatriate community. In 1976, in order to drum up interest in his business, he hit upon the idea of holding a blind tasting pitting ten of France’s and California’s best producers against one another. He was able to enlist nine esteemed French wine experts as judges, among them Odette Kahn, editor of the influential Revue du Vin de France; and Christian Vannequé, sommelier of the three-star Parisian restaurant La Tour d’Argent. The French wines included the 1970 Haut-Brion, the 1970 Mouton Rothschild, and the 1973 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles.

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Hook and Ladder Winery

Hook & Ladder The Tillerman 2005 and Hook &amp; Ladder Chardonnay 2006
Hook & Ladder The Tillerman 2005 and Hook & Ladder Chardonnay 2006. Click here for tasting notes.

Hook and Ladder Winery

Looking toward his eventual retirement, in 1970 San Francisco firefighter Cecil De Loach bought 24 acres of old-vine Zinfandel in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. For six years De Loach worked the acreage part time, selling grapes to other producers, as neophyte winemakers often do. In 1976 De Loach released his first wine, 1,000 cases of a vintage 1975 Zinfandel, and in so doing became one of the first Russian River wineries.

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Craggy Range Winery

Craggy Range Winery
Craggy Range Winery. Click here for tasting notes.

Craggy Range Winery

Although wine production started in New Zealand as early as 1819, that nation of beer drinkers didn’t really start to get serious about it until the mid 1960s, time-wise much like California. Real success didn’t come until the early ‘80s, however, with the varietal New Zealand has become famous for, sauvignon blanc. The first release to get wide attention was the 1979 from Montana Wines (New Zealand’s biggest wine maker) and an even more compelling product followed from Cloudy Bay Vineyards in 1985, finally putting “the land of the long white cloud” on the world’s wine-making map.

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Migration Wines

Migration Wines
Click here for tasting notes.

Migration Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

Duckhorn Portfolio is the umbrella corporation of an expanding wine mini-empire. First came the flagship Duckhorn Vineyards, established in 1976 by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn to pioneer and feature premium Napa Merlot. (Duckhorn has a “second growth” label named Decoy, as well.) Next came Paraduxx in 1994, specializing in Zinfandel-based blends. This was followed by Goldeneye, which began making Pinot Noir in 1996.  Migration was established in 2001 to focus first on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

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Clos du Bois Wine

Clos du Bois Marlstone 2005 and Clos du Bois Calcaire 2007
Clos du Bois Marlstone 2005 and Clos du Bois Calcaire 2007. Click here for tasting notes.

Clos du Bois Wine

Although it sounds French, the Clos du Bois [klow doo bwa] winery is definitely American. Clos du Bois was founded in 1974 by Frank Woods, who planned on simply naming his new winery “Woods Vineyard.” His children, who were studying French at the time, suggested “Clos du Bois” instead, which loosely translates to “enclosure in the woods.”

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Mossback Winery

Mossback Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Mossback Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Click here for tasting notes.

Mossback Winery

The Russian River AVA sits in the center of northern California’s Sonoma County, and is characterized by a generally cool climate, with sunny days bracketed by fog early and late. This encourages the slow-ripening of fruit, particularly suitable for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc, like these selections from Mossback Winery.

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