In February the Club’s Judgement of Oxford event enabled members to taste three of California’s most renowned and expensive wines. On May 21st David Massarella, of Fine & Rare, led us through our first wholly Californian tasting for six years when we tasted wines across a wide price spectrum from affordable wines to a Cabernet Sauvignon from the iconic Napa Valley vineyard of Stag’s Leap, which produced the wine that won the original Judgement of Paris tasting. We tasted wines from Anderson Valley in the north to Santa Barbara in the south.
California’s lack of a long heritage of wine-making means that there is no proven record of which grape varieties do well in which locations and so no rules about which grape varieties, viticultural and vinification techniques are to be used in given locations. This means that winemakers are free to experiment in all these areas which chimes well with the free-thinking, alternative culture for which the state is renowned. In this thoroughly enjoyable tasting David led us through a wonderful variety of excellent wines and introduced us to some of the eccentric winemakers driving change in the State.
These were the wines tasted:
- Louis Roederer Quartet NV, Anderson Valley £19.50
A gold medal winner in the best NV category at 2013 Decanter World Wine Awards, this sparkling wine from the famous Champagne house is made by the traditional method in the damp, cold climate of northern California. The grape blend is 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir. Yeast notes on the nose, fine bubbles, lovely crisp acidity and apple flavour on the palate.
- Hillside White NV, Conrad Viano Winery, Martinez £12.95
An eccentric blend of Muscat, Colombard and Chenin Blanc of different vintages from the urban San Francisco Bay area.A lemon-green wine with intense grapey, smoky nose and palate of grapefruit and apple. A crisp acidic wine with medium length, this would go well with food, particularly Thai.
- 2012 Monterey Chardonnay Moobuzz, Monterey County £16.95
This is a powerful, concentrated wine of 100% Chardonnay. It is aged for six months in a combination of tank and 30% French new oak. The wacky name is to indicate that the vines grow in a fertile soil – “a land of milk and honey.” A creamy, buttery nose is followed by a palate of citrus and honey with a long finish.
- 2011 Au Bon Climat Wildboy Chardonnay, Santa Barbara £22.95
This rich, powerful, unfiltered, 100% Chardonnay is made in the best area for California Chardonnay, according to the award-winning winemaker, Jim Clendenen. Grapes are bought in from the renowned Los Alamos and Bien Nacido vineyards. The grapes are harvested in whole clusters and undergo 9 months fermentation in old French oak. A full-bodied, viscous wine with tropical fruit on the nose and an opulent palate of honey and pineapple, which lingers in the mouth.
- 2012 Meeresboden Gruner Veltliner, Santa Barbara £24.95
The name means ocean soil which is, in fact, sand. An unoaked, deep golden wine with floral and grapefruits notes on the nose and peach and apricot on the palate.A rich and long finish and the potential to age.
- 2009 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara £19.27
Another wine from this iconic winery, though the grapes are sourced from all over California, including the Bien Nacido vineyard. Classic strawberry notes on the nose lead through to a rich, complex, spicy palate of great structure and finesse.
- Sean Thackrey Pleadis XXII NV, Bolinas £33.95
This is made by an eccentric winemaker who uses a wide variety of grape varieties, but refuses to disclose which ones are in a particular blend! However, the varieties are believed to be Sangiovese, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Mourvedre and they are sorted by hand. He blends across vintages but uses roman numerals to number each “version” of his wine. A spicy, perfumed nose leads to a stunning complex, rich palate of jammy black cherries. A cult wine from an iconic winemaker.
- 2012 Ravenswood Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel, Central Valley £9.99
This wine comes from the northern part of Central Valley where the old vines make this area the best for Zinfandel in California. It is a deep purple colour due to the addition of mega-purple and lying on its skins for eight weeks. Wild yeasts are used to ferment it. It is a powerful wine with an alcohol level probably higher than that shown on the label! The palate is rich and has pronounced spicy, black fruit and vanilla flavours. It also has a hint of sweetness which may be due to the addition of sucrose!
- 2010 Stag’s Leap Winery Artemis, Napa Valley £45.00
Stag’s Leap is the iconic Napa Valley vineyard which produced the wine that won the original “Judgement of Paris” tasting in 1976. It has its own AVA, the equivalent of AOC in France.
This cult wine is a blend of 90% Cabernet-Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. It spends 12 months in 70% old, and 30% new, oak.A complex, wonderful bouquet of soft fruit leads through to a concentrated, rich palate of cherries, spice and plums There are soft tannins and a long finish. A stunning wine.
PC May 2014