I was a young wine writer and David Stare was a young winemaker when we met over lunch at Zoe Houk’s first restaurant in Lafayette Square. Yes, it was a long time ago, but Stare, who established Dry Creek Vineyards in 1972, was talking of his dreams. He had bought land in the Dry Creek Valley area of Sonoma County and was enthusiastic about the potential of his vineyards, his grapes and, eventually, his wines. A civil engineer by training and trade, he was leaving that career behind to start a new one. His vineyard, founded in 1972, was the first new vineyard and winery in the Dry Creek Valley since Prohibition ended in 1933.
He’s an emeritus owner now, with his daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, and her husband, Don, in charge. Dry Creek has been a success, with additional vineyards purchased, lots of good wines made and sold, lots of medals and awards won.
Through the years, I’ve drunk a lot of Dry Creek wines, beginning with the Fume Blancs (dry Sauvignon Blanc) and Chenin Blancs with which he made his reputation. But in the last few weeks, I’ve tasted some amazing Zinfandels from the winery, and as a long-time fan of Zins, I was just blown away.
There are single-vineyard Zins from the Beeson Ranch and Somers Ranch, both from 2006 and both from Dry Creek Valley. Each is 100 per cent Zinfandel grapes and priced at about $34. There’s an ‘06 Old Vines Zin (84 percent Zinfandel, 16 percent Petite Sirah), with vines at least 80 years old, from Sonoma, at $28. My favorite, an amazing value at $18, is a 2007 Heritage Zin from Sonoma County, an 87-13 blend with Petite Sirah.
All are special. All are big, rich and luxurious. The Heritage is glorious, mingling fruit from the Russian River and Dry Creek Valleys. Almost black in color, it shows a rich, plummy aroma softening into chocolate and a flavor of blueberries mingling with a touch of oak. It’s a spectacular wine, and the blend of Petite Sirah adds to the dark richness. It’s surprisingly ready considering its youth, and it might be marked as a Mozart of wines
The "old vines" designation marks vines at least 80 years old, some from the Beeson Ranch, which dates to 1882. The wine has some of the same tendencies in the nose and on the palate as the Heritage because of the fine addition of Petite Sirah, with blueberries predominant.
Both Beeson and Somers Ranch wines show cardamom in the aroma, a warm touch of oak on the palate, hints of various kinds of berries here and there. Splendid.
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A PAIR OF PINOTS, ALL IN THE TERROIR: Winemakers take extra pains with Pinot Noir because they know that making the wine can be tricky. Besides, the best ones always are compared with the great French Burgundies, which come from the same grapes.
We’ve enjoyed a couple of California entries recently, an interesting tasting because although they’re a year apart in vintage, the grapes all come from the Carneros region of Napa and the wines have similarities in flavor, mouth feel and body. I guess it’s natural, given the terroir. Both wineries are in Napa County, though in the northern part, the opposite end from Carneros, which borders San Pablo Bay and includes acreage in both Napa and Sonoma Counties.
The 2007 from Truchard (about $35) and the 2006 from ZD (about $40) are both delicious, with dark cherry notes on the palate. The French always consider terroir the most important factor in wine, and perhaps they’re right. And wasn’t there a long-ago song about 40 million Frenchmen not being wrong?
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AND A FEW WHITES FOR THE SUMMER: On a warm summer day, chilled white wines serve a vital purpose, and we’ve tasted some delightful, relatively inexpensive Australian entries recently, along with a California offering that’s a little more expensive, but brings elegance to the table. It’s from Truchard, mentioned above, an ‘07 Carneros Chardonnay ($30) that shows excellent body and balance, a light, deft hand with oak for a lovely finish. A fine companion to a trout or a chunk of halibut fresh from the grill.
Wines from Australia offer many good values, and many good wines, too, and most Aussie winemakers don’t take themselves very seriously, always a pleasant trait. Old Bridge Cellars, which brings a number of wines across the Pacific, offers a quartet of inexpensive values, including a pair of contrasting Chardonnays, a lightly sparkling rose from Muscat grapes and a Verdelho, a white grape that has been the primary ingredient in many Portuguese wines.
The sparkler, a 2009 under the label of Innocent Bystander Moscato, is only 5.5 percent alcohol (similar to a beer). It seals with a crown cap, is a very light pink in color and has a charming light fizz, the style called "frizzante" by Italian winemakers. It’s a blend of Muscat Gordo (65) and Black Muscat, is refreshing and bright, and is $12 for a quarter of a liter (about 12 ounces). Goes down fast and easy.
An unoaked Chardonnay arrived with the Omrah label of Plantagenet wines, an ‘07 ($15) from Western Australia, fermented in steel tanks with a lot of time on the lees. Citrus and minerals in the aroma, more citrus and a fine level of acid on the palate. Fine for quaffing, or with raw shellfish. The 2008 lightly wooded Stump Jump ($11), named to honor a 19th-century Australian plow that was designed to literally climb stumps that then did not have to cleared, an endeavor that took up a lot of time. The grapes are from the famed McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills of South Australia, and about a quarter of the fermenting wine spent some time in older French and American oak. Melon in the aroma, peach and citrus on the tongue, none of the butteriness that over-oaked American Chardonnays possess but a hint of firmness and some backbone that are pleasant.
And the Verdelho, a 2008 ($11) also with Stump Jump on the label, is crisp and light, closer to a Sauvignon Blanc than to the Chard, but still with some tannin in the flavor from the fact that half of the wine matured in oak casks for six months. There’s a floral aroma, with a hint of figs, and the palate shows good acidity, with mineral notes and some citrus. A nice change from the other whites we drink in the summer.
And before we leave Australia, we have a couple of 2007 entries, $12 apiece, from McWilliam’s, a Southeast Australia winery that’s part of the Gallo group. A Riesling was the perfect complement to spicy Asian meals, its hint of sweetness crossing perfectly with a fiery curry, and the Chardonnay showed a little oak for backbone and balance, but was mostly light and crisp.
Lots of good wine to enjoy with summer meals.
–Joe