Amador Winery Damas Vineyards HARVEST REPORT: Quality excellent, but light yields

Mara Feeney, harvest coordinator at Damas Vineyards in Fiddletown, Amador County, sends this report on their harvest:

In a big year, we can harvest 9 tons of Zinfandel from our hand-tended 2-acre vineyard in Fiddletown, so we were expecting about 6 tons this year. We got 4.   

The rain did soften up the grapes, forcing us to let them hang longer for our latest harvest ever, but in the end the quality seemed excellent. We typically produce big, bold Zinfandels, but think this year will bring a more elegant, smoother Zin more in the style of European wines. It will be a nice change of pace, and a year to remember.


About Damas Vineyards, from their website:

DAMAS Vineyard was planted in 1998 at approximately 2000 foot elevation, in Amador County, in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. The vineyard has 1,250 Zinfandel vines and occupies an area of about two acres. The vineyard slope is shaped like an amphitheater, facing southwest, in the relatively tiny Fiddletown appellation.

Our grapes are head-pruned (the historic Amador way). We practice integrated pest management, which means pesticide use is minimal. We have a big composting operation and mulch our pruned canes each year to replenish the soil in the vineyard.

A famous winemaker once told us that, in his experience, the best wine grapes come from the vineyards that have the most footprints of the owners in them. Our vineyard is full of our footprints, as well as those of our city friends who love to break away from their professional jobs to get their hands dirty and get intimate with these beautiful vines. We prune, sucker, tie, cane-thin, canopy thin, cluster thin and harvest all by hand--striving for high quality, happy and healthy wine grapes. No wonder our wine has won a medals in competitions ranging from the Amador County Fair to the San Francisco International Wine Competition, an annual blind tasting of thousands of wines from all over the world. Our Zinfandel has also been selected for several prestigious wine clubs, including the NapaStyle and KQED Wine Clubs

"It may be the best Zinfandel year in recent memory!!!" Leon Sobon exults in his Amador County HARVEST REPORT

Leon Sobon sends this harvest report for Shenandoah Vineyards and Sobon Estate.  Both are located near Plymouth, CA, in Amador County.  Leon founded the business in 1977 and is widely recognized as a leader in the Sierra Foothills wine industry.

"The grapes are ripening well, and we should finish Nov. 3 or 4th.  Sugars are not high, but balance and flavors are excellent.

It may be the best Zinfandel year in recent memory!!!

Alcohols will be under or near 14%. The Zin crop is averaging ~40% of normal, with some of our best vineyards 25% of normal.  Because of the small crop and loose bunches, bunch rot did not develop after the rains. 

We just picked Barbera with a normal crop and excellent numbers.  Sangiovese was harvested on the weekend, and is in good condition, and that crop was about 25% above normal.

The weather at bloom time this spring seemed to be the determining factor. 

Cabernet is the only grape still hanging right now, and we are not sure what day we will pick.


More about Shenandoah Vineyards & Sobon Estate Wines (from the website):

Shenandoah Vineyards and Sobon Estate are family-owned wineries with a 32-year reputation for producing the best possible wines using low-yield viticulture and minimum intervention wine making techniques.

Sobon Family Wines emphasize high fruit and low tannins, and are made with our own sustainably-grown grapes. They reflect the unique Shenandoah Valley terroir, resulting in a richness and intensity rarely seen elsewhere. Award-winning Sobon wines are distributed nationally. Both wineries are open daily for wine tasting in the picturesque Amador County near Plymouth, CA.

Shenandoah Vineyards

---

Leon and Shirley Sobon founded Shenandoah Vineyards in 1977. They were one of the first four wineries in Amador County's now well known Shenandoah Valley appellation.

From the first offering of 1,200 cases, the winery has continued to thrive, adjusting the portfolio of wines over the years. It is now producing about 25,000 cases per year. Demand continues to grow as a result of skilled winemaking, marketing, financial planning, and strong family commitments to quality and service. Today, we continue to use estate grown grapes from our sustainably-farmed vineyards.Sobon Estate

---

The Sobon Estate winery started in 1989 when Leon and Shirley Sobon bought each other a second winery for their 30th wedding anniversary present. They purchased the historic D'Agostini Winery, one of the oldest in the state. This winery has been designataed as California State Historic Landmark #762.

This site was chosen not only for its historical winery, but also for its vineyards and vineyard land. The old vine Zinfandel was retained, and the other vineyards replanted with the best varieties and clones. The Sobon Estate label launched the estate line of wines for the Sobon Family -- the best wines from their own grapes. These include Rhone varietals, vineyard designated Zinfandels, and tasting room-only dessert wines.

Visit them at 14430 Shenandoah Road, Plymouth, CA  95669.

Amador County Harvest Report from Vino Noceto

This HARVEST UPDATE Q&A with the Winemaker, Cellarmaster, and Vineyard Manager at Vino Noceto, on  Shenandoah Road in Plymouth (Amador County) is courtesy of Anna King, PR & Marketing Director at Vino Noceto:

Last week Anna interviewed Winemaker Rusty Folena,  Cellarmaster Kevin O'Neil, and Vineyard Manager Dave Brown about this harvest.  “Despite all the negative press the weather has gotten this growing season, it looks like they have a pretty good feeling about the 2011 vintage for Vino Noceto,” said Anna.

Q  Anna: So everyone is talking about the weather throughout California this growing season. How did Vino Noceto do? How are our grapes?   


Rusty: This growing season started off wet and cool with snow falling on the vineyard as late as the end of June. The vineyard saw 35"-40" of rain in some spots this growing season. Last year we had 22". We spent a lot of extra money farming this year because of the rain.

Q Anna: That's a lot more rain? How does that affect the grapes?  

 Rusty: Everyone has rot this year. Sangiovese holds up to rain okay, but even it is starting to get some botrytis. I would say we had about 1% rot this harvest. We have to pick it out at the grape bins or at the sorting table or even in the hopper. Our leafers in the field do a good job of pulling it out. Some always gets through but it gives it character. 

 Q Anna: I still see some grapes on the vines. How is picking going?  

 Dave: Right now we probably have 80% of the vineyard picked. It basically happened in two days. We went from 10% harvested to 80% in three days. Dos Oakies will be the last block to be picked this year.   

Q  Anna: How do you decide when to pick? How did we manage to steer clear of the yield issues everyone has been worried about? 

Rusty: My job is to decide when to pick, what to do with it, and how we are going to do it. There is no canned recipe. It's about knowing the vineyard and analyzing it. We can be prepared a little but sometimes there's a curveball.   

Dave: Yield for us is normal this year. A few blocks were a little off but nothing bad.

Rusty: The yield will all average out. However, our yield is good probably because of the sole fact that we allowed the vines to be a mess. The proper canes were not producing fruit, and we allowed a lot of other shoots to grow and produce the grapes for that spur. Pruning this coming year will be a nightmare.

Dave: If we had pulled off all the suckers this year during pruning we would have had 2/3 less crop. 

Q Anna: So what do you three do during this time of year? We are always hearing loud noises from down at the winery...

Kevin: Harvest starts three to four weeks before picking with sampling, measuring the brix, sugar content, acid, and PH levels. We spend a lot of time recording. If everything goes right the sugar and PH go up and acid drops; at that point it's time to pick. If you have sugar flat-lining, acid dropping and pH going up, that's a sign of vineyard rot. In theory we are trying to pick before that happens. 

Dave: I hire the crews, supervise the picking and make sure all the equipment is working. I am another set of eyes. If I see a problem in the vineyard I let Rusty know. My job is basically providing a quality fruit for the winery. If I don't do my job the place rots.  

 Q Anna: Frivolo is released soon! What's the story with that?   

Kevin: Right now most of our daily work routine is dealing with the Muscat.

Rusty: The sweet white wine is the hardest. It takes a long time to get samples out of the pressurized tanks, and we have to run samples constantly. We establish a pattern of how the brix and alcohol are changing by measuring every day. We also have to be physically there to stop fermentation when it needs it, even if it is in the middle of the night. There are no do-overs.

Kevin: It ferments slow and cold to preserve the fruit. It's just more labor intensive. We have one more tank of that to go then we are done with this year's Frivolo.

Q  Anna: People love that Frivolo though! It's worth the work. What are some of the big decisions you make during harvest?  

 Rusty: The biggest decision is when to start harvest and picking because you can't put them back. There are different signs of ripening. Levels and measurements but there is also the colors of the seeds and way the grapes taste. If they don't taste good they are probably not going to make very good wine.

More about Vino Noceto from their website: 

California Sangiovese Specialist !

Vino Noceto is a family-run vineyard and winery founded in 1987 by Suzy and Jim Gullett in Shenandoah Valley, Plymouth, California. They are Sangiovese specialists, currently producing over 9,000 cases annually of Sangiovese from estate and nearby small vineyards. They additionally produce a wonderful floral Moscato called "Frivolo", as well as Barbera, and Zinfandel, and have twenty-four acres of producing Sangiovese and one acre of Syrah.
A pioneer in the renaissance of this noble Tuscan varietal, they now produce eight different Sangiovese wines (Chianti, Brunello, and Super Tuscan styles).

Beginning with their first, 1990 vintage, Noceto wines have been 100% Sangiovese, targeted at a Chianti Classico style. This style emphasizes the delicate and complex fruitiness of the Sangiovese grape. More recently, the Riserva Sangiovese has sometimes been blended with a small amount of Barbera or Syrah.
The Sierra Foothill soil and climate has enabled Vino Noceto to display these unique attributes while achieving a medium or slightly fuller wine. Neutral and large format oak aging allows a slow, gentle maturing of the young wine and adds a little spice to an already intriguing wine.
The last key step is bottle aging – at Vino Noceto, we endeavor to bottle the wine at least six months before release. At this point its various flavor components are coming together, leading to a distinctive red wine which complements a wide range of foods and represents good value for the consumer.

Vino Noceto has grown steadily from its first vintage of 110 cases to over 9,000 cases production, including 3,500 cases of Normale Sangiovese, 1,700 cases of Riserva Sangiovese and block-designated wines, 1,000 cases of Sangiovese table wine, 1,600 cases of a frizzante Moscato Bianco (Frivolo), 400 cases of Rosato, and three grappas made for us by St. George Spirits (Sangiovese, OGP Zinfandel and Moscato). With the 2002 vintage, they added a Linsteadt Barbera and Zinfandel from the Original Grandpere Vineyard. Renwood/Santino made the first five vintages, Amador Foothill Winery the next two, Folie à Deux Winery the next two, and the winemaking operation moved in-house with the 1999 harvest. Vino Noceto's winemaker is Rusty Folena, formerly of Renwood/Santino Winery, assisted by Stacey Gregersen, consulting winemaker.

Vino Noceto Winery, 11011 Shenandoah Road, Plymouth, CA 95669
877-4NOCETO, www.noceto.com, info@noceto.com

Bill Easton, Amador Winegrower, is Positive about Harvest – Refutes Recent Publicity

Bill Easton is winemaker and  winegrower at DOMAINE DE LA TERRE ROUGE, and TERRE ROUGE and EASTON Wines, Fiddletown/Amador County.  Bill is an experienced and acknowledged expert in high elevation grapegrowing,  and he took exception to the information posted on KTXL/Fox 40 News in a story headlined “Wet Weather Hurts Wine” with a simple “It is best not to generalize” comment.  He then provided this updated Harvest Report, which is very positive for Sierra Foothill/Amador County wineries:

The rain has been bad and crop size, mainly with Zinfandel, have been down. Overall other crops have been very good looking. There has been little, if any, bunch rot or sour rot, in the Zinfandel we have harvested this year.

Certain varieties like Roussanne, that do not like moisture at all are struggling against all kinds of disease pressure.

If you were "on" your sprays,  the grapes with high acid and low pH seem to be holding up well. We have some vineyards that have been showing botrytis pressure and we are spraying them with Seranade (organic). Powdery mildew can be controlled with oils (organic) and Kaligreen (organic).

Wines could have beautiful balance this year and not be "over-the-top". Syrah has been stunning. Sauvignon Blanc is perfect.

We need no more wet weather and warmer days and nights. Indian summer please.

It is best not to generalize.

More About  DOMAINE DE LA TERRE ROUGE, and TERRE ROUGE and EASTON Wines, from their website:

Syrah at over
3000 feet elevation

"TERRE ROUGE and EASTON Wines is located in California on the West Slope of the Sierra Nevada in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley. Our wines are made from vineyards in four Sierra Foothill counties: Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, and the Clements Hills appellation. We farm our vineyards sustainably and our winery derives most of its electrical power from solar panels located on the roof of the main winery building.

TERRE ROUGE means "Red Earth". This vermillion-colored soil is one of the hallmarks of our region. Our vineyards are in soils that are largely granite and volcanic-based. The TERRE ROUGE portfolio is composed of wines made from Rhône varietals grown in the rugged and varying terroirs of this region: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne. High elevation sites up to 3200’ contribute to the complexity of our wines.

Our winemaker, Bill Easton puts his family name, EASTON, on our non-Rhône varietals wines. The wines are crafted from varietals that have traditionally worked the best in Amador County and the Sierra Foothills: ancient and old-vine Zinfandel, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc. Under the Easton label we also bottle small selections of varietals new to the Sierra Foothills: Grenache Blanc, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.

The style of our red wines emphasizes deep color, balanced flavors, full middle palate, and a long finish, with power and finesse. They gain complexity with age. Our whites are aromatic, flavorful with nice texture, and balanced with good acidity. They also show an amazing mineral sense that is derived from our stony mountain soils.

We make over twenty different wines, many of which are very small production (300-500 cases). Each is unique and site-specific with a sense of place (terroir) all of their own. Our goal for the last 20 years has always been to make the finest wines possible that can be placed on a table with the best wines of the world."

Amador Harvest Notes: "After the rain, better chance for great wines"

Scott Harvey sends along this note:

"Went through all the remaining vineyards I work with in the Sierra Foothills on October 9 to assess picking times and the effect of the rain.  Saw no mold growth.  Luckily we had a drying wind after the rain that dried everything out. 

Dick Cooper in
his vineyard

Dick Cooper (Cooper Vineyards, Plymouth) was dealing with some splitting berry problems with Petit Syrah. 

The sugars have dropped and the skins are softer giving the grapes more flavor at lower sugar levels which will lead to more balanced wines with lower alcohols and more flavors. 

All in all I feel the wines after this rain have a better chance to be great than those harvested before the rain."

Sierra Foothills Harvest Reports- Calaveras, Placer, Amador

CALAVERAS COUNTY

Ironstone Winery, Murphys, has this update:



Steve Millier, Ironstone's winemaker

 Last week, Steve Millier, Ironstone's winemaker, was photographed checking the Chardonnay that will go into our Ironstone Reserve Chardonnay program.  

On Monday October 3rd, Ironstone brought in our Sierra Foothills Estate Grown Viognier.  The Viognier came in at 25 brix will go into our Reserve program.  The flavors were wonderful and we are very pleased with the grapes. 

Tuesday, Oct 4th, we picked our Sierra Foothills Estate Grown Chardonnay.  Going into press the Chardonnay was at 24.2 brix and was showing intense flavors.  This was a relief to get these grapes in before the midweek rain, which caused us a delay in harvest.  We had possibly an inch of rain, but the soils in Murphys tend to dry quickly.

We picked our Muscat Canelli on October 7 & 8.

PLACER COUNTY

Charlie Green of Green Family Winery, Auburn (Placer County), informed me that on September 20th, he picked 45 tons of Pinot at brix of 23.7 & TA of .67 average.

NOTE:  Green Family Winery is the oldest producing winery in Placer County, with vineyards averaging 18 years old. 

AMADOR COUNTY

Scott Harvey sent this note:

We finished the Bowman vineyard on September 28th.  We were expecting 40 tons and ended up with only 24 tons.  So, it seems that the Zinfandel in Amador county was also greatly affected, like the Napa Valley floor, by the poor set due to the cold spring.  Quality is way above average, great zinfandel flavors. 

I think this will be a vintage where the wines definitely talk to you.  Much like the great 1991 vintage in Amador County.

October 5, we harvested Zinfandel from both the Manby and Norton vineyards in the Shenandoah Valley of Amador county.

Kautz Family Vineyards (Calaveras County) & Bowman Zinfandel Vineyard & Sobon (Amador County) - Harvest Reports

CALAVERAS UPDATE

Steve Millier, Director of Winemaking at Kautz Family Vineyards, which includes Ironstone Vineyards and Leaping Horse Vineyards (Murphys/Calaveras County) sends this report:

We picked Verdelho last Monday (September 19) from Hay Station Ranch.  The grapes looked fantastic with outstanding sugar + acid balance. 

Friday, September 23, we picked the 85+ year old Zinfandel from Larry Nies.  This is an old vine Zinfandel vineyard that backs up to the Mokelumne River along Hwy 12 (across the street from the Rous Estate vineyards) in Lodi.  This vineyard is noted for its intense cherry focused fruit.

TWO AMADOR UPDATES:

Leon Sobon sends us this report from Sobon Estate Winery, Plymouth/Amador County:

We picked our first grapes Thursday September 22- the Sauvignon blanc and the Viognier.  Three weeks later than normal!!!   The quality seems to be excellent, partly because of the small crop, 40 % of normal, and partly because of the long hang time.  The cool, wet spring during bloom has affected most of our varieties.  The reds are a week or two away.

Scott Harvey sends this report: 

Scott at Riesling Harvest

We’ll start with the Amador harvest  on Tuesday with the Bowman Zinfandel Vineyard.  It is the first Zin vineyard we bring in every year.  Will be bringing in approx.. 40 tons.  We produce both wines from Amador County and Napa Valley for Scott Harvey Wines .  
Amador and the 2,000 foot mountain areas around Napa such as Atlas Peak both bud out three weeks later than the Napa Valley Floor.

Seems like the valley floor of Napa has been much more affected by the late cold spring.  The earlier bud break really hit the Napa Valley floor while the later bud break in Amador and the hills around Napa were not as affected.  A Sauvignon Blanc vineyard we get grapes from in Napa that normally produces 40 tons, this year only produced 15 tons.  We harvested Riesling from the Rutherford Bench last Monday and it came in at normal tonnages, although a month later than normal. 

Amador County - Brief Harvest Report from Grower's Association Member

Brian Miller, director of the Amador County Wine Grape Growers Association, sent a brief overall report:

"I've spoken with people and have a general feel for the Amador harvest this year.

Generally: Late and light. 2-3 weeks late, 20%+ light (with many saying 30%-40%).
 
Spoke to one Barbera grower that will get 3 tons off of a vineyard that usually yields around 27."
 
Brian has encouraged Association members to send more detailed harvest reports, so watch this space...
 

About Amador County Wine Grape Growers Association
Amador County Wine Grape Growers Association represents almost 20  growers among its 95 members.  Notes the website:  http://www.amadorwinegrapes.com/,  "More than 60% of Amador's production is delivered to wineries outside the county.  Amador County’s wine grape industry is flourishing with a substantial amount of new acreage planted each year.   The premium wines that are produced from Amador County grapes are consistent medal winners, and are gaining major recognition throughout the wine industry.   Members grow more than 30 different varieties of grapes. Amador County vineyards are now also producing world-class Rhone, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese varieties"    For a list of grower members, click here.
 
Also from the website:  Appellation and Terrain


"As diverse as the wine grape varieties planted, so are the conditions in which they are grown. Amador's vineyards range from an elevation of 250 feet in the western foothills to 2900 feet in the east. Summer daytime temperatures range from the eighties to more than one hundred degrees, while nighttime temperatures dip into the fifties and sixties due to breezes from the Sacramento Delta and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Such a diurnal temperature shift is good for the grapes because the sunshine produces high acids and high sugar content while the temperature drop stabilizes the acid balance in the fruit.

Another factor that differentiates the grapes in Amador County is the jumble of the soils, from alluvial to decomposed granites, fertile to not-so-fertile, level to steep, and fine to coarse-textured. Amador County's diverse growing conditions have been acknowledged by the designation of one appellation of origin - Amador County, and two American Viticultural Areas (AVA's) - the Shenandoah Valley of California AVA and the Fiddletown AVA."

Helwig Winery hosts benefit for Amador Arts: Music by Sons of the San Joaquin

  EVENT DATE: Saturday, September 24, 2011  5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

The Sons of the San Joaquin are
Lon, Jack and Joe Hannah,
performing September 24 at
Helwig Winery in Amador County

LOCATION:  Helwig Winery, Plymouth, in Shenandoah Valley, Amador County
The concert by Sons of the San Joaquin is a benefit for the non-profit AmadorArts and its Arts in Education Program which serves students with arts classes and scholarships and awards mini-grants to other non-profits who provide arts-related services to schools.

AmadorArts is proud to be presenting a concert at Helwig Winery by musicians known around the world as the undisputed standard bearers of the Western Music genre, the Sons of the San Joaquin. 


On Saturday, September 24, starting at 5:00 pm, Jack, Joe and Lon Hannah will perform powerful, lush three-part harmonies that tell the stories of a unique character in global history: The American Cowboy.  Not only will they be singing your traditional Western favorites, but those penned by Jack Hannah, who has written more top-quality cowboy songs than he’ll ever be able to record. 

The Sons’ distinctive sound has carried them from local church gatherings in the central valley, to which the Hannah family migrated from Missouri during the Depression, to such far-flung locales as Switzerland, the Arab peninsula, and to Japan. In the latter, traditional cowboy music is esteemed above contemporary country music.  Here in the U.S., they headlined in New York’s Carnegie Hall.  They also have professional baseball and teaching careers in their backgrounds.  But it’s their uncanny vocal blend and true love of cowboy heritage that have made the Sons of the San Joaquin the barometer for all Western harmony groups.

You’ll be able to enjoy their laid-back, “get-along-little doggies” charm in the intimate setting of the beautiful outdoor amphitheatre of the new Helwig Winery located in the heart of Amador wine country at  11555 Shenandoah Road outside of Plymouth . Bring your own low-back lawn chairs –must be no more than 12” off the ground -- or blankets to the grass-tiered setting that offers spectacular vistas of the color-changing foothill vineyards on one view and the peaks of the Sierra on the other.  No outside food or beverage will be permitted, but tasty personal trays of hors d’oeuvres, water, and the fine wines of Helwig will be available.  Gates to the amphitheatre open at 4:00 pm.  Helwig Winery is open for complimentary tastings on this day from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Tickets are $30 each, festival seating, and are sold on-line at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/188795. 

Seating is limited to 450, so it is advised to make reservations early, as Sons of the San Joaquin concerts frequently sell-out.  If you have questions, call AmadorArts at 209-223-9038 or visit http://www.amadorarts.org/.

Press release info per Penny West

Barbera: Food-Friendly Wine from the Sierra Foothills



Dick Cooper, "The Godfather of Barbera", who hosted
the Festival at his vineyard in Amador, shares a glass
of wine with Barbara Keck


 I’m fond of Barbera, and it’s not simply because it’s one wine varietal that I can pronounce easily. The Tahoe Weekly newspaper editor Katherine Hill and I went to the first-ever Barbera Festival in June in Plymouth, CA, on the grounds of Cooper Vineyards. Along with the fun music and food tents, the event was truly festive: more than 80 California wineries and a few Italian ones poured for an enthusiastic crowd of 1500.


Barbera originated in the Piemonte region of northern Italy. It was first imported into California in 1884 and the Italian Swiss Colony Winery used Barbera for several of its table wines. After prohibition, a wine labeled as Barbera was produced by Louis Martini in 1954. Today about 7000 acres are planted in California and Barbera is produced by nearly 200 California wineries.

The wineries of the Sierra Foothills are producing great Barbera, and it is a food-friendly wine that you will enjoy. It is characterized by structured acidity, smooth tannins, dark pigments, bright fruit flavor (spice and chocolate too), and it ages nicely – if only you don’t drink all of this scrumptious wine right away!

To my palate, here are some of the best and most interesting Barberas and Barbera-blends sampled at the festival:

Andis Wines

Andis Wines (Plymouth, Amador County, CA) poured its 2009 Andis Barbera. I found it rich and deep, aroma of plum predominating and taste of raspberry, black cherry, and cranberry with a lingering finishing of black cherry and a bit of spiciness. Grapes were sourced from the upper reaches of a hillside vineyard in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley region. 15.5 percent alcohol. $24 the bottle. http://www.andiswines.com/

Pilot Peak at Barbera Festival

The 2008 Barbera from Pilot Peak Winery (Penn Valley, Nevada County, CA) is a medium-bodied wine with a smoothness in the mouth. It has the classic Barbera crisp fruit flavor of cherry and raspberry. Nice and balanced, it has a lingering finish. Fruit for this wine came from Placer County’s Duarte Vineyards. 13.7 percent alcohol. $25 the bottle. http://www.pilotpeak.com/

Avio Vineyards (Sutter Creek, Amador County, CA) offered its yummy 2008 Barbera for tasting. Aroma of black fruit such as blueberry and blackberry, maybe a hint of mint. On the palate, a delightful juiciness. Stefano and Lisa Watson, owners, say that this wine is “our favorite anytime, any meal, going to the neighbors after a long workday wine It’s rich without being aggressive, our Barbera is simply delicious with your favorite comfort (or take out) foods."  14.7 percent alcohol. $28 the bottle. http://www.aviowine.com/

The 2008 Estate Barbera from Lava Cap (Placerville, El Dorado County) is a classic, and, I confess, the Barbera that I tasted last summer that made me a Barbera convert. Winemaker Tom Jones offers these notes: “Lava Cap Barbera Reserve has a complex aroma of dark red cherry fruit, spicy with foresty herbs and a dash of licorice. The velvety taste of strawberry and plum are complimented by the white pepper finish.”. Grapes are sourced from their steep, west facing vineyard and to augment the depth and complexity of flavors, Tom added 8% Petite Sirah, 10% Sangiovese and 6% Zinfandel Reserve. 14.7 percent alcohol. $20 the bottle. They also offered samples of the 2009 Barbera, a very-berry yummy wine that is being bottled soon. http://www.lavacap.com/

Other tasty Barberas we tried:

• Boitano Family Wines (Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County) - a wonderful 2006 Barbera that won a “Best of Show” at the 2008 Amador County Fair.

• Borjon Winery (Plymouth, Amador County) - a 2007 Barbera with 5% Zin blended in

• Easton Wines (Plymouth, Amador County) – a delightful Barbera with grapes sourced from the Cooper Ranch

• Latcham Vineyards & Granite Spring Winery (Somerset, El Dorado County) the 2008 Special Reserve Barbera

I look forward to the next festival!  Many thanks to Cooper Vineyards for hosting!
 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in July 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

WINES MADE FROM AMADOR COUNTY GRAPES SHINE AT 2011 STATE FAIR

A recent press release lauds wines from Amador County grapes:
Wines made from Amador County grapes brought home 25 Gold Medals, including 8 Double Golds and 5 Best of California awards, from the 2011 California State Fair Wine Competition.

 “This year’s 2011 competition should go down as a proud moment for all the wineries in the Sierra Foothills Appellation,” said G.M. “Pooch” Pucilowski, Head Judge of the California State Fair Wine Competition.

 Eight wines from the Amador appellations (including Amador County, Shenandoah Valley, and Fiddletown) brought home Double Gold medals, while another 17 took Gold medals.

 Of 27 Best of California varietal wines, 5 were made from Amador grapes. Amador County grew the best Barbera, Primitivo, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and Other Red (Touriga).

 Here is another interesting observation.  While Napa earned 23 Gold Medaled red wines, Sonoma earned 19, and South Central Coast (Paso Robles and Santa Barbara) earned 12.  Amador County brought home 25 Gold Medals!

 Less than 1% of the state’s wine grape acreage lies in Amador County. Why the disproportionately strong showing by Amador wines? “Footprints in the vineyard” said Dick Martella, president of the Amador County Wine Grape Growers Association, referring to the fact that Amador County vineyards are mostly small fields tended by their owners.

 Comments from judges reflect the quality of this year’s wine competition entries.  Peter Gamble, Wine Maker and Wine Consultant from Ontario, Canada stated firmly, “In over 25 years of my judging wines from around the world, the greatest single flight of wines I've ever had was at this year's California State Fair; over thirty of fifty wines presented in the regional finals were at the 'spectacular' level. Amazing!”

 The California State Fair Wine Competition has been judging California wines since 1854. This year 2,646 wines were tasted in the traditional blind wine judging method in which wines are sorted by varietal and divided up among the 72 judges. The judges know the type of wine, but they are not told the prices of the wines, the appellation, or the winery.

 Amador County is one of California’s historic grape growing regions and is home to the oldest still-producing Zinfandel vineyards. More recently, Amador County has become known for producing some of the state’s best Italian and Rhone varietals and in June, 2011 nearly 2000 Barbera aficionados converged in Amador for California’s first ever Barbera Festival.

 Fittingly, an Amador County (Fiddletown AVA) wine won Best Zinfandel and an Amador County wine won Best Barbera at the huge 2011 San Francisco International Wine Competition.

 For further information go to amadorwinegrapes.com or call 209-231-4318.

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(Barbara Keck is currently writing a book, Mountain High Wines: The Sierra and Its Foothills, which will include stories of pioneering winemakers in Amador County, historical anecdotes, and pairing recipes. Email her at mountainhighwines@gmail.com if you wish to be notified when the book publishes.  It will publish in both e-book and print formats. Barbara is the wine columnist for The Tahoe Weekly newspaper.)

Terre d Oro (Amador) 2007 Zinfandel- Great Review by Mike Dunne in SacBee

Mike Dunne could not be more complimentary about Terre D Oro's 2007 Amador County Zinfandel, part of his May 25 review on SacBee.com

The link to the full review is
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3650959/zinfandels-the-foundation.html#ixzz1Nr6BZ1hU

but just in case you do not subscribe to SacBee's online edition (which is easy to do, and I recommend it!) , here are a few salient quotes:

"When we stopped by the winery not long ago, the Terra d'Oro 2007 Home Vineyard Zinfandel was especially likable for its earthiness, smokiness and length. Terra d'Oro's 2006 SHR Field Blend Zinfandel was a meatier and sweeter take on the varietal. And the Terra d'Oro Deaver Vineyard Zinfandel was the most voluminous and ripest representative of the varietal in the place, seizing the fully ripe flavors for which Amador County zinfandel is recognized without crossing into prune and raisin territory.

Our favorite of the four this day was the Terra d'Oro Winery 2007 Amador County Zinfandel. It was the first of the four in the lineup, acknowledgment that it also was the gentlest. Still, it's a zinfandel packed with the fresh blackberry and raspberry fruit and the clove spiciness for which the varietal is recognized in Amador. Of the four, it was the liveliest and longest on the palate. It's rich and solid, more medium-bodied than heavy, and while accessible now could benefit by three to five years of aging.


It fully captures the warmth and sunshine of Amador County, but in a manner that, well, is more mannerly than more brash and intimidating interpretations. And at $18, it offers the best value of Terra d'Oro's zinfandels.


Terra d'Oro winemaker Chris Leamy credits the wine's clarity and complexity to the winery's rolling 400-acre vineyard, in particular how it gives him grapes from varied elevations ranging from 1,000 feet to almost 2,000 feet, and stretching north and south across the valley.
"This geographic range helps to bring a bit more complexity and to really showcase what zin from this area can produce," he said. "I think this wine's most pronounced character is the classic spice/fruit nose that you don't find as much in other regions. The dominance of the clove/allspice character really speaks to the area."


Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3650959/zinfandels-the-foundation.html#ixzz1Nr8Vs0O4

FLAGSHIP WINE: Terre Rouge's Ascent Syrah

IN HIS OWN WORDS:
"Ascent Syrah is our flagship wine because is offers great complexity and long term aging capacity. It represents the apex of of wine production from the Sierra Foothills region. First bottled in the 1999 vintage, it has consistently received stellar reviews from all major wine publications. It has fared well in world Syrah competitions, and was chosen as the top North American Red Wine in 2005 by Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine."
       Bill Easton, Winemaker & Winegrower
       DOMAINE DE LA TERRE ROUGE, Ltd.
       TERRE ROUGE and EASTON Wines
       Fiddletown, California  (Amador County)

WINEMAKER NOTES:

Ascent Syrah represents the pinnacle of Syrah production at TERRE ROUGE. Twelve of our very best barrels of Syrah are selected from our cellar each vintage to make a meager 600/6 packs of this luxury cuvée. All of the grapes are grown in selected Syrah sites scattered throughout the Sierra Nevada in granite and volcanic-based soils. This is a deeply concentrated wine with dense layers of aromatic complexity. Loads of deeply concentrated and incredibly spicy fruit aromas fill your glass. In the mouth you’ll find thick concentrated and riotous meaty Syrah flavors, smoky wood tones, exotic spices, mineral tones, and fine tannins. Great structure and aging potential. The grapes macerated for two weeks in an open-top fermenter with punch-downs two to three times a day. The wine was aged for 23 months in French oak barrels (100% new François Frères - from four different forests) and lightly egg-white fined prior to being bottled unfiltered. A sublime treat!

2006 was a special year. It was a cool early season, with a heat spike in late July, and a cooler August. Harvest was about normal time for our Syrah vineyards and the finished wines have a plush, elegant, and silky texture. It will still benefit from several years in the bottle.

14.5 % alcohol by vol.; 3.85 pH; 6.3 gm./liter total acidity - 600/6 packs bottled

Release date: November 2010

Suggested Retail: $85 a bottle

Buy it at http://terrerougewines.com/store.html
Three Vintages Available:   2004: $95.   2005: $85   2006: $85

Ascent Syrah Reviews 

“You could look on both sides of the Atlantic and in Australia as well and not find a deeper, richer,more complete Syrah for the money. Sure, you could pay $300 for the top wines from those places,but, if $80 is more in line with your interests, this dramatic, age worthy wine should go to the top of your list.”

   -Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wines - Charles E. Olken

2007 ascent syrah sierra foothills:

·         “92 points” - the Wine Spectator, January 31 - February 28, 2010   Firm and spicy, with a mix of white pepper, sage, mineral, and beefy berry fruit that’s taut, full-bodied, savory and layered, ending with a long, complex finish. Drink now through 2016. - James Laube

·         "92+ points" - Parker's Wine Advocate, August 2010

·         "95 points" - the Wine Enthusiast, May 2010

·         “93 points” - the Rhône Report, November 2010

2006 ascent syrah sierra foothills:

·         “92 points” - the Wine Spectator, February 28, 2009

·      "92 points" - First Place - the California Grapevine, Sept./Oct. 2009, "Very Highly Recommended"

·         "94 points" - CELLAR SELECTION - Top- Rated - the Wine Enthusiast, July 2009

·         Top 100 Cellar Selections for 2009 - Number 57 - the Wine Enthusiast, December 2009

·         “89 points” - One Star in Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, July 2009

·         “88 points”- Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2009

2005 ascent syrah sierra foothills:

·         “92 points” - the Wine Spectator, March 31, 2008

·         “90 points”- Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, June/July 2008

·         "92 points" - First Place - the California Grapevine, June/July 2008, "Very Highly Recommended"

·         “91 points” - Two Stars in Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, July 2008

·         "90 points" - Parker's Wine Advocate, June 30, 2008

·         "93 points" - the Wine Enthusiast, May 2008

2004 ascent syrah sierra foothills:

·         “91 points” - the Wine Spectator, January 31, 2008-February 29, 2008

·         “89 points”- Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2007

·         "91 points" - First Place - the California Grapevine, June/July 2007, "Very Highly Recommended"

·         “92 points” - Two Stars in Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, July 2007

·         "90 points" - Parker's Wine Advocate, August 28, 2007

·         "92 points" - the Wine Enthusiast, June 2007