Nevada City Winery (Nevada City/Nevada County) Harvest Report

Mark Foster, winemaker for Nevada City Winery, Nevada County in the Sierra Foothills, sends along this report:


Mark Foster looking
at the grapes


"Nevada City Winery has harvested only whites to this point: Viognier, Sauvignon blanc and Gewurztraminer.  

The Sauvignon blanc numbers were perfect, but the crop was down 40% due to the late Spring frost this year. 

The Gewurztraminer came in at about 50% of estimated crop. It too had beautiful numbers and color. 

We are expecting Sangiovese and Primitivo early next week along with Chardonnay from Clarksburg.  Our local Chardonnay supplier lost most of his crop to frost too. 

It is looking like there are some varieties that may not make it this year.  I am seeing some leaf loss on older vineyards.  It has been quite hot for the last few days and the sugars are climbing and the acids seem to be holding."

About the Nevada City Winery, from their website:

"Nevada City Winery was founded in 1980 in a small garage on the outskirts of town by Allan Haley, a Nevada County native with a European wine education and a dream of bringing winemaking back to the region.  They are extremely proud of their role in revitalizing the wine industry in Nevada County and have been recognized with numerous awards.

Winemaker Mark Foster joined the Winery team in time for the ’92 crush.  As a scientist with numerous advanced degrees, he found himself seduced by the science of wine after a trip to Napa.  He went to U.C. Davis and worked towards yet another Masters degree, this time Enology.  The result was three years at Chalone followed by seven years as a winemaker at Madrona Winery before coming to Nevada City.  “First of all, for the philosophical scientist, wine is the perfect blend of art and science. My goal as a winemaker is to be creative and make great wine. Nevada City is the perfect place to blend experimentation with wonderful viticultural environment. The result? Great wines!”

Sierra Foothill Wine Region- Hotbed of Wine Experimentation

Walking amongst the 14 El Dorado winery tasting stands in South Lake Tahoe, I hailed my friend and mentor, John MacCready of Sierra Vista Winery, Placerville. Under a canopy on Ski Run Way in the early September sun, he poured his fine wines, wife Barbara at his side. Yes, he admitted modestly, he had a role in encouraging this first-ever "Sample the Sierra" event. But of course, that is typical of John, who after all was one of the pioneers of winemaking in the Sierra foothills.

You can read about John on other of my blogposts, but he deserves accolades for another great vintage of fine wines. The 2010 Viognier has a medium straw color with lovely fragrances of honeysuckle, rose petals and citrus blossoms. Tastes of peaches and apricots are balanced with a rich texture and a bright level of acidity. 13.7 per cent alcohol, $18 the bottle.

The Sierra foothill wine region is a hotbed of wine experimentation. For example, Brian Bumgarner of Bumgarner Winery, Camino, poured wonderful Barbera sourced from Placerville’s Stone Vineyard from a tap in a wooden box. Normally I am an all-natural cork gal, but I was surprised at how fresh this wine tasted. Because of the packaging format, however, you can only taste the Barbera in his tasting room on his Silver Fork label and packaged in a refillable 750 ml wine bottle. “Bring your clean bottles back and get a credit on your next purchase. This is sustainable wine making in practice at your local winery! “ Brian noted. Brian poured other nice wines, and these you can buy by the bottle. The Bumgarner 2008 Pinot Noir has an aroma of strawberry and rose petal, s nose redolent of strawberry with subtle rose petal. You can also get a bit of smokiness from this wine; remember those forest fires that put some haze in the region in 2008? 14.1 per cent alcohol, $27 the bottle.

Always a pleasure to meet a female winemaker, and Debbie Knutzon of Synapse Wines, Placerville, is a molecular biologist by background. This accounts for the Synapse Wines logo: a junction of two nerve cells – a metaphor for family and friends coming together. Debbie learned winemaking by shadowing an experienced local winemaker, none other than John MacCready! She poured what she notes is their flagship wine, the 2006 Kspace Resonance Syrah, a deep rich syrah with mild blackberry and spice flavors. It’s won many Gold Medal awards! 14.5 per cent alcohol, $28 the bottle.

Lava Cap, Placerville, poured its 2007 Merlot Reserve, which recently won the Best of Class award in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. It’s a medium-tannin wine, with structured ripe cherry notes, green apple, chocolate, and a nice clean balance to it. 14.8 per cent alcohol, $20 the bottle.

Shadow Ranch Winery, Fair Play, poured its 2008 Zinfandel. With a deep ruby color, and aroma of raspberry and cherry, this wine has a medium-full body, a nice tangy acidity and good depth. The finish has a hint of spice and a nice tannic structure. 14.5 per cent alcohol, $20 the bottle.

Jodar Vineyards & Winery, Placerville, poured its 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. Aroma of black cherry and plum with toasty oak, vanilla and spice. Brown spice of clove, colarm, cedar on the finish. 13.7% alcohol, $22 the bottle.

Other El Dorado wineries pouring were Crystal Basin Cellars, Colibri Ridge Winery & Vineyard, Latcham Vineyards, Gold Hill Winery, DK Cellars, David Girard Vineyards, Madrona Vineyards, and Auriga Wine.

A great event, and I plan to go every year! Watch for it at www.samplethesierra.com or http://www.tahoechamber.org/.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
© 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 September 2011.

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

Roland Rosario Cellars (Copperopolis/Calaveras County) Harvest Report

Martha Rueca-Gustafsson, winemaker at Roland Rosario Cellars, Copperopolis/Calaveras County, sends us this report:

Roland Rosario vineyards,
Copperopolis-Calaveras County

"Our 3 1/2 acre vineyard in Copperopolis, CA yielded its first fruit of the season on Sept. 5th.  .38 tons of Roussanne and Viognier field blend came in at 23.9 brix, 3.55 PH, .73 TA

The remaining 3 acres divided in equal portions of Mazuelo clone Carignane and 2 clonal selections of Zinfandel will not be due for for harvest yet another 2- 3 weeks. Weekend brix readings on Sept 17, 2011 were in the 21s, just under 22s. We just pulled down our bird netting this past weekend.

After months of getting family and friends to help us with weekend green dropping, cluster thinning, and cane tucking, we see the light at the end of the tunnel!

p.s., I'm still fermenting in the cold room at Winterhawk Winery in Fairfield, where I work a "day job" as the Enologist/Assistant Winemaker. The best perk about working here is that I can personally oversee the Roland Rosario Cellars fermentations right here, everyday."

Baiocchi Wines (FairPlay/Eldorado County) - Harvest Report

Greg Baiocchi, owner and winemaker at Baiocchi Wines, sends his harvest report for his vineyards in Fair Play, El Dorado county:

HARVEST REPORT

"After the coolest spring and summer we have experienced since planting our 12 acre estate vineyard in FairPlay, I am excited about the potential wines of 2011. The vineyard, now in its 6^th leaf, looks tremendous as I walk through it taking samples this September.

Last September we started harvest on the 15^th and we were a little behind from a cool season then.  This year I am sampling fruit the 15^th of September, looking at harvest starting in our Upper Syrah blocks at the end of the month.

The fruit is exceptional this year, phenolic profiles are much riper at lower sugars than last year. Some of this could be age of the vines but more due to growing conditions this year. We did not have to drop as much fruit this year, 20% of our yield. Smaller berries, lighter clusters, the vineyard is telling me I can make some really concentrated, complex wines from the 2011 fruit.

I am tasting much riper flavors and nuttiness in the seeds at 20 Brix, still waiting for skins to soften a bit and the fruit to achieve total balance. I am very excited about harvesting some Syrah below 25 Brix something I was not able to do in our first two vintages.

Tempranillo should be next, in the first week of October. Grenache I would anticipate harvesting Mid October into November this year. From start to finish that would be two weeks later than last year as well. I believe the Mourvedre will be end of October/beginning of November as well, hopefully.

Mother Nature will have everything to do with our hang time. Looking for consistent heat and for Autumn to stay on the warm side in October with cool nights keeping our acids and sugars in balance, we have the potential for a truly great vintage that will enable great wines with complexity and balance."

About Baiocchi Wines, from his website:
"Situated among the rocky, granitic hillsides of the Sierra Nevada foothills, Baiocchi Wines is a family-run vineyard producing high quality, small lot wines from our estate-grown grapes. Our twelve acres of fruit, fed by a warm, dry growing season and cool evening breezes, are quite literally the foundation of the fruit of our labors: elegant wines crafted in the Southern Rhone and Rioja traditions."

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."

Ironstone Winery (Murphys/Calaveras County) - HARVEST REPORT

Ironstone Winery's Steve Millier, Director of Winemaking, reports from Murphys in Calaveras County: 

"We had our first day of crush on Tuesday, September 13th.  We crushed our “Rous Vineyard” Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel which came in at 25.5 brix and was absolutely beautiful.  This is a very special wine for us, as it is a single vineyard designate in our Reserve range.  The vineyard was planted in 1909, so as you can imagine it comes in intense with very low yields!


We anticipate picking our Murphys Verdelho early next week. 

Overall, the quality of all of our grapes look outstanding this year.  Unfortunately, the yields are either short or very short depending upon the variety!"

Fortezza Winery (Auburn/Placer County) - Harvest Report

Lisa Mann, owner of Fortezza Winery, Auburn (Placer County) sends this report.  Fortezza  is a small estate located in the beautiful rolling Sierra foothills of Auburn California, near California's Gold Country. 

“We are about 1,260 feet in elevation.  I have two vineyards.  We have 5 acres of wine grapes planted total at this time but have room to expand on our 18 acre estate. We planted our vineyards in 2006 with Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, Primitivo and Viognier wine grapes. 

We will be harvesting our Viognier (planted in 2006) on or around the 19th or 20th this month. 

I will harvest my Sangoivese next around the 26th or 27th (brix is about 22), then the Primitivo soon after. 

We will wait on the Petit Verdot (only 18 brix); it is hard to ripen, generally needing a long hot summer, so possibly we will harvest the last part of October. 

The past couple of years it has not been that hot for a long period of time.  We dropped some more fruit and did some shoot thinning.

Our first estate 2009 wines will be released in the next couple of months."