Alan Boehmer's Blog
Posted by Alan Boehmer
Steve Ledson is a fifth generation California winemaker who is finding his unique place in the pantheon of specialty wineries. The United States and Canada are replete with small production wineries who find niche markets for their unusual wines. Most of these specialize in a single varietal or wine style—Zinfandel, Icewine and Pinot Noir come to mind. Ledson Winery is different. They have offered 77 different wines, all made in very small batches using intensive and careful winemaking procedures. Along with most of the popular varieties, Ledson offers Grenache, Primitivo, Barbera, Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, Madera Port and others. Their wines are offered for sale only at their stunning winery in Kenwood, California; at their elegant hotel on the historic Sonoma Plaza; and through their website.
Among their extensive offerings, we are pleased to recommend two standout wines:
2007 Ledson Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley; 13.5% alc., $26. A distinguished Sauvignon with a nose of fresh, ripe melon, Myer lemon peel, characteristic understated gooseberry and quince. Very aromatic wine with an inviting, round texture. Rich on the palate, with fresh but not overly bright flavors. Excellent balance, perfectly reflecting Sauvignon varietal character at its best, along with a clear expression of Russian River terroir. A classy Sauvignon with special appeal to lovers of Oregon Pinot Blanc.
2005 Ledson Zinfandel Russian River Valley Clapton Vineyard; 14.2% alc., $40. Deep ruby color and viscous texture in the glass. Arresting, rich, aromatic nose of spicy ripe plum, dried orange peel, white pepper and smoke. Very full-flavored on the palate, but not over the top in aggressive fruit flavor. Complex, layered flavors are reminiscent of a fine cigar. A distinctive Zinfandel that stands apart from the mainstream of voluptuous, high-end California Zinfandels.
Posted by Alan Boehmer
Muse NV Carnivale; 15.3% alc., $12.99
Soft, richly flavored sweet pary wine. Natural pineapple and orange add a festive note in the tradition of Sangria, but the principal flavor comes from its 100% Central Coast Syrah base. Sweet red wines fell into disregard after the Cold Duck debacle of the 1960s but have always been a part of the European wine spectrum, especially in Italy, Greece, and within the Jewish community.
We don't think Carnivale will be replacing dry red table wine any time soon, but it makes a great party wine. It's full-bodied enough (15.3% alcohol) to pour over ice and garnish with fresh fruit. Or use it as a base wine for your own fresh Sangria or party punch.
Muse is a new brand slated to hit the supermarket shelves in late 2008. The Muse lineup is devoted to inexpensive wine blends that are fun to drink. The label art and packaging absolutely screams "party!" and all the Muse wines are finished with hi-tech ZORK closures that allow you to "peel, pop, pour, and reseal" without resorting to a corkscrew. The ZORK closure can be re-used to re-seal any wine; it lasts indefinitely and is recyclable.
In addition to Carnivale, the Muse lineup includes a red blend named Mingle, made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah (14.3% alc.) and a white blend named Génie made from Chardonnay, Trebbiano, Muscat Canelli, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier (whew!). It's also no slouch, coming in at 14.2% alcohol. Both of these wines carry a California appellation and are vintage dated.
Posted by Alan Boehmer
The history of Sauvignon Blanc in California is so full of twists and turns it could easily be the subject of an entire book. It was relatively unpopular until the late 1960s when Robert Mondavi rechristened his Sauvignon Blanc as Fumé Blanc, suggesting a connection to Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley in France. Mondavi set a new style for California Sauvignon—fuller bodied and oak influenced. It became an overnight success and remains so to this day.
In the years following, wineries that produced Sauvignons in the Mondavi style began using the Fumé moniker; those sticking with a clean, fresh, crisp style staying with the Sauvignon Blanc label; or in increasing numbers, simply naming their wine Sauvignon.
Everything changed with the introduction of Sauvignons from New Zealand. Even the intractable French became influenced by the new agressive style that featured crisp acidity and strong gooseberry flavors. While some wine lovers applauded this new style Sauvignon, others preferred their wine to be softer, with balanced flavors.
Our tasting panel recently assessed Ferrari-Carano's 2007 Fumé Blanc from Sonoma County in a double blind tasting event that included nine other varieties. Some of our experienced tasters mistook it for Roussanne, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Gris—all soft and round varieties. If you are a fan of Oregon Pinot Gris you will love this wine. Its lovely and complex nose of sweet grapefruit, pineapple, green apple, melon and vanilla is a result of the skilful blending of vineyard lots from Russisn River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley. It's a triumph of winemaking expertise that blends stainless steel lots with neutral oak lots followed by careful ageing on the lees.
With superior Sauvignons gaining in recognition and price, the Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc is a bargain at $17.
Posted by Alan Boehmer
Robert Mondavi was, whatever else might be said, a visionary. He was the first to show early California wineries the path to excellence. The first to establish partnerships with the greatest winemasters of Europe and Chile. And the first to erect an $82million monument to the art of food and wine. That was COPIA, the American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts, named after the Roman goddess of abundance and occupying 80,000 square feet on the banks of the Napa River right downtown in the city of Napa, California.
The vision was to establish a center of instruction and seminars where the world's premier authorities on all matters of food and wine would hold court. A restaurant—Julia's Kitchen—was established to honor the amazing contribution of Julia Child, an honorary COPIA trustee.
COPIA was intended to be America's showplace of food and wine and in many ways it succeeded. But COPIA is on the rocks. Mondavi's vision was unrealistically visionary. The admission price of $12 discouraged those who would come to dine or see the exhibits. And the sometimes pricey seminar fees were paid in addition. The insurer of the COPIA bonds is awash in subprime mortgage debt and facing a looming deadline to come up with cash to back its guarantees—a deadline already extended six times since last December.
Nobody wants COPIA to fail, but since 2001 it's lost up to $12 million a year and faces a $14 million deficit today. The problem was that the project was just too visionary. The expected annual attendance at its various events was targeted at around 500,000. The reality was that the average attendance over its seven year history has been below 150,000.
COPIA is well worth restructuring and saving, but the State of California is not currently in a position to prop it up.
Posted by Alan Boehmer
The Oregonian announced that some industry analysts are predicting an oversupply "of biblical proportions" in the next few years. The 2008 harvest is expected to equal or surpass the huge harvest of 2007. Such a glut could impact the price of already pricey Oregon Pinot Noir and lead to bargain blends of astonishing quality.
Not everyone agrees with this assessment, pointing to the uniqueness of Oregon Pinot Noir in the national marketplace. Others point to the fact that most Oregon vineyards are winery owned in contrast to California's huge privately owned vineyards which must secure buyers for their fruit. Oregon vineyardists are unlikely to plant more grapes than they realistically believe they can use. And they are already pruning off excess grape clusters to concentrate the quality in lower yields, as is done routinely to keep the yield down to 1-3 tons per acre. Contrast that with the new trellising designs appearing in California's San Joaquin Valley that promise to double the current yields to 26 tons per acre.
One would expect that any looming oversupply of grapes would come from California. However, an oversupply of high quality Oregon Pinot Noir might not be all that bad for consumers.
