People who write about wine are among the most fortunate of writers, and I’m quite grateful that the late Joseph Pulitzer sent word one day more than 35 years ago. "Since you’re spending my money on food and wine, and you write about the food, you might as well start writing about the wine, too," was the gist of his instruction, and he didn’t have to repeat it.
The first thing that I discovered is how nice wine people are – grape growers, winemakers, cellar rats, chemists, owners of wineries, distributors, salesmen and women, sommeliers or servers or bartenders who pour the wine. Of course, drinkers are good people, too, and people who love wine, or collect wine, are mostly generous and happy to show off and share the gems of their cellars.
Several times a year, distributors have tastings of their wines. Winemakers or others from the winery often show up to pour samples and to talk about them. Potential buyers — shop owners or restaurateurs or good customers — are invited to the tasting, and I’m sometimes on the list, which always makes for a fine afternoon or evening.
My most recent big tasting involved A. Bommarito Wines, a second, if related career for Anthony (Tony) Bommarito, who made a successful move from Tony’s restaurant, where he and his brother Vince built a classic. Bommarito displayed wine from more than 30 producers, most from California but with some Missouri, Illinois and Oregon makers, along with imports from Spain, France, Australia and Italy.
I was intrigued, for example, by the offerings of the Clear Creek Distillery of Portland, Ore., which makes dozens of different distilled spirits, grappas, liqueurs, eau de vie and brandy from a wide variety of fruits and wines. Grappa, for example, is distilled from the must — seeds, stems and last drops of juice — remaining after the grapes are crushed and most of the liquid has gone off to become Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Nebbiolo and Gewurztraminer. I admit I’ve never been a fan of grappa, from the days when I first tasted it on a hilltop in Italy. It tastes too strong, too alcoholic for me, though I like the fruit aroma, and a small hit on a chilly night does wonders for the circulation. I much prefer the eau-de-vie, a clear liqueur made from pears or apples, where the fruit comes through more strongly, with a better balance between alcohol and fruit.
Clear Creek also grows pears and apples in bottles, then adds the eau-de-vie (literally "water of life"). The trick is to start with the fruit at a very early stage of growth, when it and the branch it lives on will fit inside the bottle. The bottle, with the infant fruit already inside, then is tied to the tree to hold it during the growth process. The branch is cut, liqueur added and – voila, a pear and pear liqueur, in a bottle.
Liqueurs, extremely fruity and sweet, fine for after-dinner drinking, are made from loganberries, raspberries, pears, cherries and currants, the latter called cassis. These were delicious, as was the eau-de-vie. I guess I’ll just have to practice some more on the grappa.
Missouri and Illinois brought some delicious bottles to the party. My favorite was a 2004 Norton from Adam Puchta Winery (Hermann), properly aged, approaching its peak with delicious flavor, superior balance and a long, smooth finish. Winemaker Tim Puchta also had a 2000 Norton Port on hand, a beautiful after-dinner drink with a fine Stilton, Roquefort or Blue cheese. I’m always pleased to see Puchta’s wines in such good shape. His winery is the oldest, single-family owned winery in the state, but more important, his father, Randy, worked alongside me at the soda fountain in the student union at Mizzou in 1947 and 1948. He was pre-law, I was pre-journalism. He went on to be a successful attorney and judge; I went into journalism, a very different profession.
Other Missouri wines that stood out were a 2004 Norton and 2006 Chardonel from Bethlehem Valley (Marthasville), ‘05 Norton and Chambourcin from Augusta (Augusta), ‘05 Norton, ‘07 Vignole and Vidal Blanc from Stone Hill (Hermann). On the Illinois side, Lucian Dressel’s Mary Michelle Winery (Carrollton) demonstrated a few fine examples, like the ‘06 Mad Squirrel, a Chardonel made solely in stainless steel, giving it a crisp, delightful lightness, and an ‘07 Norton, surprisingly drinkable from a grape that usually demands more aging.
Even tasting for most of an afternoon, it was impossible for me to drink and assess as many wines as Bommarito and his suppliers offered, but these struck me as
excellent examples for a table or a cellar.
Dierberg (Santa Barbara, Calif.) – Jim and Mary Dierberg have Missouri roots and experience at Hermannhof in Augusta, but their California wines are brilliant, thanks to the skill of winemaker Nick de Luca and items like terroir and climate that will always make California wines better than those from Missouri. Dierberg wines come from Santa Maria and Santa Rita Hills in the Central Coast appellation (near Santa Barbara), with delightful versions of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. A second label, Three Saints, offers Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir, plus a Pinot Noir rose.
Star Lane Vineyard, at the eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley, is another Dierberg property that gave its name to a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot and a Sauvignon Blanc, plus Astral Cabernet, a top-of-the-line wine in pedigree and price. The ‘05 Star Lane Cab, which includes 15 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Petit Verdotl, is a rich, deep, long-lasting wine that stands out among all wines from the classic grape.
Joullian (Carmel Valley, Calif.) – Carmel Valley ‘06 Zinfandel, a delightful, full-bodied Zin to accompany barbecue or even Thai food, this appears to be a field blend (all the grapes that grow in the vineyard) of 85 percent Zinfandel and the remainder a mix of Petite Sirah (6), Cabernet Sauvignon (4) and such as Aleatico, Alicante Bouchet, Carignane, Grenache, Viognier and Muscat Hamburg which go to make up the remaining 5 percent. The wine is in oak for 16 months before bottling.
MacRostie (Sonoma, Calif.) – Using grapes from the Carneros region, which covers both Napa and Sonoma Counties, Steve MacRostie displayed a marvelous ‘06 Pinot Noir from Wildcat Mountain and a rich, deep, complex ‘05 Merlot.
Rombauer Vineyards (St. Helena, Calif.) — Another winery with a St. Louis connection, owner Koerner Rombauer is a great-nephew to Irma, who wrote the classic "Joy of Cooking" while living in St. Louis. His children, Koerner III and Sheana, also are involved in the winery. Winemaker Gregory Graham turns out excellent versions of the California standards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Chardonnay.
Pellegrini Family Vineyards (Santa Rosa, Calif.) – Bob Pellegrini is a veteran Sonoma County winemaker, using the family name, Olivet Lane and Cloverdale Ranch labels. My favorite at the tasting was a delicious, unoaked, Russian River Valley Chardonnay under the Pellegrini label. The’06 version highlighted the acidity and green apple notes. A fine wine with oysters. The ‘06 Zinfandel, from the Eight Cousins Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, was complex and rich, with a mouth-filling feel and good finish.
Gerard Bertrand (France) – A busy producer on the Mediterranean coast, Bertrand makes wine in all price ranges, from vineyards that stretch from Limoux on the west to Nimes on the east, including Minervois, the Cotes du Languedoc, Montpellier and St. Chinian, among others. His prices range from $12 for simple varietals like Merlot and Syrah to $75 for three Icon wines, estate bottled as La Forge (Carignan and Syrah), Le Viala (adding Grenache to the previous two) and l’Hospitalitas (Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache). Bertrand’s wines have a hint of French elegance to go with the earthy qualities of the grapes from the far south of France.
Tenuta Vitanza (Italy) – Rosalba Vitanza and her husband, Guido Andretta, make some delicious wine from a hillside estate in the southern Tuscan town of Montalcino, where Sangiovese grapes are the main crop. They create several different Chiantis and Brunellos, plus a super Tuscan with the proprietary name of Quadrimendo. I sampled several Chiantis and a Brunello and all were highly polished, deeply flavored wines that simply glowed with the power of Sangiovese grapes.
As usual with this type of tasting, it was a long afternoon, but a very pleasant advance look at some of the wines that will be on St. Louis wine lists this year.
–Joe
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Great post!