Dry Creek Vineyard -- The Foundation of the Dry Creek Valley

The success of wineries within Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley is completely intertwined with the vision and determination of a founding winery, Dry Creek Vineyard. This is shown in the foresight of founder David S. Stare who moved his family from New England to Sonoma County where in the early 1970s he purchased "a rundown 55-acre prune orchard across the street from the Dry Creek General Store". On this site he started planting the region's first vines since prohibition -- one of these against the advice of "experts" and the love of the Loire Valley -- Sauvignon Blanc. This lead to the first Sonoma County wine labelled Fume Blanc and soon afterwards their Chenin Blanc was highly respected and served at White House dinners. 

In the 1980s, Stare was instrumental in obtaining the American Viticulture Area (AVA) status for Dry Creek Valley and immediately was the first winery to label their wines from this AVA.  Thus their labels became somewhat iconic honoring the New England sailboat culture and Dry Creek Valley viticulture. 

In the late 1980s, daughter Kim Stare Wallace joined the winery as director of marketing together they drove more innovation. The winery was the founding member of the Meritage Foundation and was the first to use the phrase "old-vine" for Zinfandel vines planted before Prohibition.  After joining the team, husband Don Wallace pioneered the California Sustainable Winegrowers Program which eventually lead to the winery becoming 100% Certified Sustainable in 2014. Around the same time the couple changed the winery's philosophy by "dramatically reducing production while increasing quality and sharpening the focus on appellation-driven, terroir-focused wines that rival the best in California".  The wines we sampled at our visit as part of the BevFluence Sonoma Experience reflect this philosophy. 

2022 Clarksburg Dry Chenin Blanc ($17)
Dry Chenin Blanc has been a regular release from the winery since their inception in 1972. This is a classic Loire Valley-style wine with complex, mouth watering acidity and minerality with surprisingly abundant texture. 

2023 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($25)
This wine incorporates two Sauvignon Blanc clones - Sauvignon Musqué and Sauvignon Gris - that are farmed in several distinct vineyard sites. It's another complex wine and original 1972 offering with lemongrass and floral aromas transitioning to a more tropical profile.

2023 Dry Creek Valley Petite Zin Rosé ($32)
This rosé is predominately Zinfandel with a small addition of Petite Sirah with the grapes lightly pressed and cold fermented. Floral, lime, herbaceous with a refreshing finish. 

2021 Sonoma County Heritage Vines Zinfandel ($28)
The wine is labeled "Heritage Cines" as cuttings from pre-Prohibition era Zinfandel vines were grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock. These vines were then propagated to four vineyards to ensure a virus-free and healthy crop.   This was a group favorite and noticeable for its tremendous value. Loads of dark fruit, light pepper, some baking spices, and earthiness. Love the acidity. 

2020 Dry Creek Valley Beeson Ranch Zinfandel ($55)
The Beeson Ranch was planted in the late 1800s and is one of Dry Creek Valley’s oldest and most prized vineyards. Located along West Dry Creek Road, Beeson Ranch faces east and extends up several gentle hillsides to a forest of conifer trees. The old gnarled Zinfandel vines, first planted by Italian immigrants, produce a most interesting wine. Consumers are inundated with complex notes within a vast range of dark fruit, spices, and earthy qualities. Drink now or let the acids work for a few years.   

2019 Dry Creek Valley The Mariner ($55)
The Mariner showcases the winery's New England heritage and Meritage foundation. The grapes for are derived from several prized estate and hillside vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley. The wine explodes in the mouth, generating tides of complex flavors with dark cherries, mocha, and herbaceous notes standing out. Another to drink now, but better to be patient for later consumption.

2019 Dry Creek Valley Endeavour Cabernet Sauvignon ($100)
The Endeavour Vineyard is located in the Lytton Springs district of Dry Creek Valley and the vines take advantage of the diverse soil conditions on the property. This is a world-class wine, already sitting for a number of years in the bottle where additional aging will not destroy the structured tannins and complexity. 

Enjoy Beer, Wine, and Scenic Views from Hazy Mountain Vineyards & Brewery

 

We can all agree that every winery provides its own unique glorious view of the surrounding countryside and the views from Hazy Mountain Vineyards & Brewery are no exception. Except that it may provide the best mountain and valley views in Virginia, and arguably the entire East Coast.  The 35-acre estate vineyard off Afton Mountain is planted on south-facing slopes ranging in elevation from 800 feet to 1,140 feet within the Monticello AVA. And with amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Piedmont valleys.

In addition to the estate vineyard, Hazy Mountain farms 50 acres in the cooler Shenandoah AVA west of Staunton, on the southeast-facing slopes of the west side of the Shenandoah Valley. The Little North Mountain Vineyard also houses their production facility. Thus Hazy Mountain offers wines from two distinct Virginia AVAs - cool climate Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, and Pinot Noir from the Shenandoah Valley and Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot from Nelson County and the Monticello AVA.

We stuck to the white wines and were very impressed with these cool climate varietal wines. We learned that the 2020 Chenin Blanc was fermented and aged in large French oak puncheons and aged on lees in a barrel for 11 months, providing rich fruit texture and a larger mouthfeel. Great acidity too. As did the 2019 Dry Riesling and 2020 Gruner Veltliner with the Riesling very light in the Kabinett style and the Gruner providing layers of white grapefruit. As for beer, go no further than the German Pilsner. Excellent. Can't wait to visit for a Nelson County Dark Skies night.

La Forêt Blanche Winery in the Judean Foothills

The Judean Foothills is the largest of Israel's six major wine regions - part of the ancient Kingdom of Judah and lying between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  At the Tel Hebron archaeological dig, pottery shards from wine amphorae have been unearthed stamped with the royal seal of the Kingdom of Judah (700 BCE) stating “For the King of Hebron”.  For thousands of years, winemakers have taken advantage of this Mediterranean climate with abundant sunshine, chalky and clay loams, and a diurnal swing of 20°C.  Modern winemaking resurfaced in the 1950s and 1960s with the Livni family joining in 2003 by producing wine from the single varietal vineyard at Sde Kalev at La Forêt Blanche Winery. Ten years earlier Menachem Livni pioneered the planting of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in the Hebron Hill area and established this vineyard.

Several La Forêt Blanche wines were included in the summer Hopwine kit. The red wines were sourced from their Judean Hills vineyard whereas the white wine from the cooler and more mountainous Negev Highlands to the south. The Dvir Cabernet-Shiraz-Merlot 2017 is excellent - a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Shiraz from the Sde Kalev vineyard, rounded off with 22% Merlot. The wine was aged for 12 months in French and American oak barrels and bottled without filtration. Expect velvety cherries, mint, and earth.  The Dvir Pinot Noir 2017 is also derived from the Sde Kalev vineyard and is very juicy with black pepper sprinkled within the black cherry profile. The Dvir Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 was aged for 18 months in French and American oak barrels, then bottled without filtration. This is a rich creamy wine, blackberries, and some cocoa and mint.  The Talpiot Red Judean Hills 2017 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Petit Verdot (7%), Shiraz (7%), and Merlot (6%) that was aged for 6 months in French and American oak barrels and bottled without filtration.  Red raspberries and considerable acidity are reflected in this wine. Finally, the Talpiot White 2018 (Viognier grapes (80%) and Chenin Blanc (20%) showcases the Negev Highlands and impresses with its peach pit character and refreshing acidity. 

Andrea Freeborough Showcases South Africa's Nederburg Winery

The international wine market contains an overabundance of affordable value wines with Wines of South Africa (WOSA) strongly situated in that category. And one of the most awarded and innovative wineries within the WOSA is Nederburg, continuously operating since 1791.  Last week the current Cellar Master of Nederburg, Andrea Freeborough, visited the DC area to share the history of the winery as well as a few wines in their portfolio that honor this rich history of 200 years of winemaking.

Philippus Wolvaart, a German immigrant, purchased the beginnings of the estate in 1791, named it after his Commissioner-General, Sebastian Nederburgh, and soon planted wine grapes. The estate is located in the Paarl region that soon would become the heart of the South African wine industry until the focus shifted southwards to Stellenbosch in the later 20th century. According to Gavin Hubble, The Wine Guy, Paarl's "climate is very similar to the Rhône Valley in France, with moderate warm summers cooled by Atlantic breezes towards harvest season".

Over the years Nederburg changed owners but the real innovations started in 1937 when Johann Graue purchased the winery. He introduced cold soaking and other vineyard, cellar, and blending innovations which continued though legendary winemaker Gunter Brozel and continues to the present with Freeborough and her team of five winemakers.

During our lunch at Hank's Oyster Bar, Freeborough shared five wines that were not only delicious but excellent monetary values.  The grapes for these wines were sourced from the best vineyards in Paarl as well as throughout South Africa. Whereas Germany is the winery's largest export market, Andrea hopes this trip moves the United State's closer to that threshold. Cheers.

The Winemasters 2016 Chenin Blanc ($12, 13.5%). This is the latest wine in portfolio with the fruit sourced from cool climate vineyards. It provides very strong aromatics and acidity at the nose and the tail with a great mouthfeel in between. Thank 6 months on lees for that sensation. Great value.

The Young Air Hawk 2016 Wooded Sauvignon Blanc ($21, 14%). This wine pays tribute to Johann Graue’s son, Arnold who died tragically at 29 in a light aircraft crash but not before he had introduced many technical innovations at Nederburg. The grapes were sourced from selected cool climate vineyards in Elgin, Darling and Cape Agulhas, fermented in oak, and spent six months on their lees. The wine is very fresh, much fresher than you would think based on the winemaking techniques. Plenty of lemon aromas and flavors, mouthfeel, and finishing with abundant acids.

The Anchorman 2015 Wooded Chenin Blanc ($21, 13%). This wine celebrates Nederburg’s founder Philippus Wolvaart and is a blend of Chenin Blanc (85%) and Grenache Blanc (15%). The Chenin grapes were harvested from old, low yielding, dry land bush vines in Wellington and Darling, while the Grenache Blanc grapes were harvested from trellised vines in Franschhoek. Separate batches of the fruit were fermented in various vessels with a portion fermented using carbonic maceration -- where whole bunches are allowed to ferment spontaneously without being crushed or pressed. And after malolactic fermentation, the various components were kept on the lees for 9 months prior to final blending. What a complex process, but the result is well worth the effort. The wine starts with a strong floral and fruit aroma, layered depth, and a long length. Fantastic.

The Winemasters 2014 Pinotage ($12, 14.5%).  The grapes were harvested from the Western Cape and after fermentation aged 12 months in various oak vessels including French, American and Romanian oak barrels. I loved this wine with it's subdued smokiness, balanced cherry fruit, and subdued acids and tannins. $12, really? That's it. 

2014 The Brew Master ($22, 13.5%). This is a Bordeaux blend (Cabernet Sauvignon (51%), Petit Verdot (33%), Merlot (6%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Malbec (5%) named in honor of Johann Graue who was also the co-owner of a German brewery before moving to South Africa. The grapes were fermented and aged separately in various French oak casks for two years. The blended wine is velvety smooth with juicy dark fruit and noticeable acids and tannins suitable for aging. Savory....

#VirtualVines Featuring Old York Cellars What Exit White, Red, & Blush (Rosé)

Last week Old York Cellars featured their What Exit Wines brand through another #VirtualVines Twitter tasting. One aspect about this brand is that a percentage of sales go to various charities and once again this tasting focused on Hometown Heroes - a very worthy recipient. For the #VirtualVines tasting, I received three wines as samples, a White, Red, & Blush (Rosé) and Old York donated $1 per tweet to the charity.

We started with the Down the Shore Exit Only White ($16); a blend of Chenin Blanc and Cayuga. An old world-new world wine. This creates a soft wine, with loads of apple flavors (thanks to the Cayuga), and finishes with decent acids. The Hometown Heroes Rosé ($22) is a blend of  Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon and weighs in at only 1% residual sugar. The wine starts with a subtle strawberry raspberry aroma; with plenty of red fruit. It finishes with prevalent acids although not as high as the white. Winemaker Scott Gares tried a dozen different blends to get the color and flavor profile he preferred. The Cabernet was the winner in this endeavor with the grapes lightly pressed - no saignee. And remember, for every Honetown Heroe wine purchased, $5 is donated to that charity.  The final wine was the Greetings from New Jersy Red ($18), an interesting blend of 40% Barbera, 40% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a summer red, so serve slightly chilled. There's sour cherries throughout and with the acidity, it's quite refreshing. Cheers to New Jersey wine and Old York Cellars. theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App can help you plan a visit.

#SipWithKaren Unexpected #NapaValley Wines

This week Karen MacNeil, of the Wine Bible fame and Keynote Speaker at the upcoming 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference, hosted a twitter tasting (#SipWithKaren) featuring six "unexpected" Napa Valley wines. The event was sponsored by Napa Valley Vintners and included  Bottlenotes and The Daily Sip, in which MacNeil is the Editor-in-Chief. The tasting was heavy on whites with an Albariño, a Chenin Blanc, an unoaked Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc; and for the reds and Cabernet Sauvignon, and 100% Petit Verdot.  I know what you are thinking, what so unexpected about a Napa Cab. I had the same question. Besides tasting the wines, the most informative part of the program was the tweets regarding Napa Valley by our sponsored host. I was generally aware of some of these facts; others, not so much.

• #NapaValley was designated California’s first American Viticultural Area or AVA in 1981.
• #NapaValley has 16 sub- or nested AVAs demonstrating the incredible diversity of our region
• #Napa has a Mediterranean climate, which affects only 2% of the earth’s surface – characterized by sunny, dry summers
• Within #Napa can be found half the world’s soil orders..
• Did you know that only 9% of #NapaValley is planted to grapevines?
• In #Napa we grow more than 3 dozen wine grape varieties – from #albariño to #zinfandel
• #Napa’s warm, dry growing season and morning fog allows grapes to fully ripen & maintain acidity
• Did you know #Napa’s To Kalon Vineyard was planted in 1868 by HW Crabb? To Kalon is Greek for “highest beauty".
• Fun fact about Napa: over 60% of wineries produce less than 5k cases per year.
• Did you know #NapaValley has about 1/6th the planted grapevine acreage of #Bordeaux?
• Once widely planted, today only about 25 hectares/60 acres of Chenin remain
• #SauvBlanc is the fourth most widely-produced wine grape variety in #Napa.
• #Chardonnay is #Napa’s 2nd most widely planted wine grape (behind #cabernet) - 6,900 acres/30,500 tons in 2014.
• Mighty #Cabernet is the king of grapes in #Napa w/ 20,600 acres planted (40% of the total 45k acres planted)
• #Napa’s quality #Cabernet commands the highest average price per ton of all CA winegrapes – $5,500/ton in 2014
• Lots of #petitverdot grown in #Napa (2,900 tons/2014) but very little bottled as a stand-alone variety

The six unexpected Napa Valley wines

2014 Artesa Napa Valley Albariño ($28, 14.2%) - fermented and aged 5 months in stainless steel (85%) and new french oak barrels (15%).  Starts with peach, then pineapple-lemon, then honeysuckle, with a long acidic finis. Karen MacNeil: This #albariño from @Artesa is easy to love. It’s a perfect #apéritif & great way to start the flight.

2013 Cornerstone Cellars  Napa Valley (Oak Knoll District ) Chenin Blanc ($25, 15.5%) - white fruit aroma; citrus, velvety texture, and mineral palate; finishes with plenty of acid. Karen MacNeil: Not as full bodied as #chardonnay, but not as light bodied as #pinot grigio. This #chenin is right in the middle & I love the crisp finish on this @CornerstoneNapa #cheninblanc #EasyToDrink.

2013 Robert Mondavi Winery  Napa Valley Fumé Blanc ($17, 15.5%): Napa Valley – 89% (61% Wappo Hill Vineyard, 20% To Kalon Vineyard); Mendocino County - 11%. Starts with lemon grass, but palate is deeper with minerals and finishes strong & long in acids. Karen MacNeil: This @RobertMondavi Fumé Blanc has beautiful focus and a lovely salinity. Long flavors of spice and bitter citrus.

2013 Alpha Omega Unoaked  Napa Valley Chardonnay ($33) - sees no ML or oak, but spent 6 months “sur lie,” which contributes to it’s creamy texture and and allows apple-tangerine-citrus notes to shine through. Karen MacNeil: I like the @AOwinery “Unoaked” #Chardonnay a lot. It’s a wine that’s effortless to drink all day long.

2012 Robert Mondavi  Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($29, 15.5%): 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Blackberries prevalent throughout; herbaceous and textured, some chocolate, long soft finish. Karen MacNeil: This @RobertMondavi #cabernet offers a tremendous value. Each glass would only cost you the equivalent of a Starbucks latté.

2010 St. Supéry Estate Vineyard & Winery Dollarhide Ranch Napa Valley Petit Verdot ($50, 14.5%):
97% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; 100% French oak (50% new oak), 20 month.  Big dark fruit, spices, chocolate, lingering barnyard notes - envelop the mouth.  Karen MacNeil: This @StSupery #petitverdot is very focused and precise. There’s no static – it sings its song exactly.

#VirtualVines with Old York Cellars & Hometown Heroes

This past week Old York Cellars hosted another #VirtualVines online tasting featuring their What Exit Wine brand: a Jersey-centric line of wines that raised $5.000 for the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund. The winery has now turned their philanthropy support to Hometown Heroes, where $1 from each $18 What Exit White, Red, & Blush Wine where be donated to the charity. During the  #VirtualVines, Old York winemaker Scott Gares and Sommelier Laurin Dorman were joined by Hometown Heroes President & Founder, Mike Schwartz, to discuss wine and the charity's goals. The embedded video below describes the organization.

Photo courtesy of Old York Cellars

During the session Gares also answered questions on the current harvest and the affect of Sandy at the winery. During the hurricane, most of the grapes had already been harvested, but blocks of Malbec were sitting in the press when the winery lost power. The juice sat on it's skins for eight days - fortunately it was Malbec. Gares also had to use generators to operate punch downs for juice in fermenting tanks. As for this year, the cool, but dry summer will lead to an early harvest; the grapes are accumulating high concentrations of sugar already.

On to the wine, we started with the What Exit White, a 90-10 blend of Chenin Blanc and Cayuga White. It is completely dry, with a floral-apple nose with some decent depth on the palette. The finish is clean and acidic. The What Exit Red is a 6-40 blend of Barbara and Merlot. This is a fruit forward wine, with a slightly spicy nose, followed by dark berry flavors and finishing softly with nice acids. Our tasting finished with the What Exit Blush, basically the White with some Cabernet Sauvignon added for color. Thus, it's dark than most rosés, but don't let that full you to think this is a sweet blush. There is only 1% r.s. and it is closer to a Provence-style as it drinks dry with strawberry characters and a refreshing acidic finish.

These are very nice examples of local NJ wine. Remember, $1 from each bottle sold is donated to Hometown heroes and if you use the coupon code HEROES up until August 8th, you receive 20% off of any What Exit Wine. During our #VirtualVines tasting Old York Cellars donated $1 more to the charity for every #VirtualVines tweet that night. $300 was raised; good for them. Cheers.



Hometown Heroes is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to foster an environment of goodwill, generosity, and encouragement by supporting local communities in times of crisis. We provide assistance with meeting unexpected needs in our communities, and do not discriminate based on ethnicity, gender, or age. The organization provides an opportunity for all of us to give back to our neighbors through professional services, financial help, and advocacy. Hometown Heroes assists those in need to find solutions to problems that appear overwhelming. Our non profit has supported our neighbors through the Restore the Shore campaign, as well as providing assistance for individuals facing homelessness, domestic abuse, drug addiction, disability, and more.