nopa: wine & spirits blog

Love Children Caleb Taft • Jan 12, 2010 • Post A Comment

From the Ampelography Reminder Department: You may have missed it, but a study published Mid-December in the online Biology Letters, revisited an earlier paper examining the varied offspring of Gouais Blanc and Pinot (usually and probably Noir, but sometimes the genetically equivalent Blanc and Gris). The 1999 study, published in Science and authored by researchers in France and at UC Davis (including grape DNA superstar Carole Meredith), listed 16 varieties sired by this cross - most conspicuously the noble Chardonnay. Others include the Burgundian grapes Gamay Noir, Aligoté and Auxerrois, and from the Loire, Melon and Romarantin. The new study is significant in that it establishes Gouais as the "Mother" for many of the crosses examined, and all of the best-regarded varieties. The parentage was traced through the DNA of chloroplasts (the organelles that drive photosynthesis) and mitochondria (which generate the chemical energy to power cells), both of which are inherited in grapes, like the majority of the genetic material, maternally.

In the Middle Ages, Gouais Blanc was one of the most widely planted white varieties in Northeast France (Burgundy, Champagne, Alsace and the Jura) and in central Europe. Pinot too was also widely planted, although it was laid into the favored sites (usually hillside, owned by the aristocracy and the church), whereas Gouais was planted on the less-desirable flatland, where it made serviceable wine at best. Its main feature as a wine grape is a high yield, and is generally characterized as a "rustic" or "peasant" varietal; indeed, the roots of the grape's name in both French and German (where it is known as Weißer Henuisch), are probably pejorative. Attempts were made to ban the grape outright several times, though it would be hard to say whether this is due to its unsuitability as a wine grape, a privileged class land grab, or merely to put arable land to more food production. Still, save for a few vineyard sites around the world and samples in research facilities, Gouais Blanc has almost completely disappeared.

But not before it also sired Riesling.

Selected tasting notes from our wine list of Gouais Blanc x Pinot crosses

François Cazin Cour-Cheverny 2007 (Romarantin)
Bright white floral nose, with notes of green vetch, talc and lemon oil. Crisp and acidic attack to the palate, rounds out slightly with salty, limey notes and a raw honey finish.

Chasseloir Muscadet "Cuvée Ceps Centenaires" 2003 (Melon)
From 100+ year old vines planted in Nantes, at the mouth of the Loire River. Shows the heat of the vintage, with leesy, brioche notes over the minerally, greengage plums in the nose. Ripe and round on the palate, but with good cut and salinity framing the granitic core.

Groffier Bourgogne Passetoutgrains 2007 (Pinot Noir-Gamay)
Groffier is a stellar estate, with holdings in 2 Grand Crus (Bonnes Mares and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze) and several 1er Cru Chambolles. This AOC allow for a blend of Pinot and Gamay, a rarity in Burgundy. A soft, open nose of bright cherries and raspberries balance against darker fruits, spice and a little bit of funk. Tart cherry entry, with mouthwatering acidity and some fine tannins on the long finish. We are currently pouring this by the glass.

Posted by Caleb Taft on January 12, 2010 • Filed under Wine • Discuss • Share: del.icio.us / StumbleUpon / Digg

The Improbable Vineyard Chris Deegan • Dec 12, 2009 • Post A Comment

There are many impressive things about the Calera Wine Company. The quality and longevity of the wines is probably the most noted. But driving around the vineyards perched atop Mt. Harlan, its very existence - the unlikely birth of the vision now come fruition, is the most impressive thing. How did Josh Jensen come to the top of these hills and have the gall, vision and courage to plant vines up here?

The limestone soils are the short answer; they are the buried treasure. They brought Josh to Mt. Harlan and they contribute heavily to the quality and longevity of the wines. But there is more to the terroir of this site. There is altitude (an average of 2200 feet above sea level), which is crucial to tempering the intense heat found in this part of California. There is the clonal selection, or lack thereof, which adds to the Calera mystique. The clone is now called the Calera Clone, but it originated not as a clone, per se, but rather as cuttings brought over from Burgundy. Most of the vineyards have been planted from material pulled from the original plantings. This process, called Massale Selection, can bring greater diversity to the vineyard by allowing the vines to adapt to their site and then propagating them into new vineyards. (It is my understanding that vines are highly adaptive and can mutate slightly rather quickly.) It is a more organic form of diversity than planting selected clones. The rustic way in which this plant material was brought here left room for imperfections. Many of the vines show signs of virus. This is not exactly a good thing but not exactly a bad thing either. It falls in the realm of imperfection that may lead to something interesting. There is rootstock - or lack thereof. Some of the vines up here are planted on their own roots, including the Mills Vineyard. This is something that is rare in the wine world, although not as rare as I once thought. It leaves the vines susceptible to Phylloxera, but allows them to show their true colors. Some people liken it to tasting heirloom vegetables as compared to commercially bred and influenced varieties. There is the ecosystem. Being this high up and completely surrounded by forests is something very special. So many vineyards of the world are just one plot among many others. This is a closed system, and the isolation and purity of the site are palpable. There is the varied terrain and aspects. The vines are planted on every aspect imaginable. The mountain rolls and turns and rises steeply and then falls gradually, and everywhere there are vines. This site has personality to spare. Trying to translate all of the possibilities of these vineyards is like doing high-level math in your head. And upon reflection, it is perfect that Josh Jensen is the man who created it.

There is the winery to consider as well. Ideally and romantically every great wine is made in the vineyard. And a winery is a winery is a winery, but even this part of Calera is unique. It is an old limestone processing plant built into the side of the mountain. It takes gravity flow to a new level with 7 different tiers for receiving, fermenting, crushing, and storing plus two barrel levels and a bottling and storage level. The wines are generally whole cluster fermented with indigenous yeast. The building viewed from the parking lot has a sort of Mad Max utility to it. It is perfect.

I wanted to visit the vineyards on Mt. Harlan to get a visual and visceral idea of the Mills vineyard. I had just tasted through the vertical that we are offering at Nopa and the flavors and nuances were still fresh in my mind. I hoped to see the Mills Vineyard and have everything I was seeing click cleanly into place with everything that I had tasted. This did not occur exactly as planned. The Mills Vineyard does make more sense to me now. The gently south facing slope, the hills to the west, the creek bed at the bottom and the open aspect to the east - all of these things can be worked into the equation that is the Mills Pinot Noir. But the real epiphany was of a broader scope. It involved the personality of the Calera Wine Company as a whole and of the wines in general. The entire lineup makes more sense now - not just the individual personality of the different vineyards, but also of the company and the people behind it. No matter how many times I visit a winery or vineyards and feel this understanding blossom, it never ceases to amaze and enthrall me. It is proof to me over and over again that the most valuable and lasting thing a wine can offer is sense of place.

Chris Deegan is Wine Director at nopa
Posted December 12, 2009 • Filed under Wine • Discuss • Share: del.icio.us / StumbleUpon / Digg

Scotland and Jerez Neyah White • Oct 15, 2009 • Post A Comment

The short story:

Scotch Whisky shelves are full of labels touting the used barrels that previously bore the whisky. 'Finished,' 'ACE'd,' 'Matured' - these words all used to imply luxury and added value. The story runs a quite a bit deeper than these talking points though, and is best couched in a little history lesson.

Great Britain's relationship with Sherry began in the early 15th century when Henry I started trading English wool for wine at great profit. The hot summers of Jerez allowed for very ripe grapes, which in turn, allowed for sweeter wines. These appealed to the English sweet tooth and the Sherry producers grew steadily and scaled up more quickly than the British Empire's distilleries, which remained essentially a cottage industry - at least until Sherry's first big downturn in late 1800s.

In Spain, estate bottling of wines didn't get going until the 19th century, so wine - and pretty much everything else for that matter - was moved around in barrels. Interestingly, Spanish barrels tended to made of American oak, the staves stacked and used as ballast in ships returning from the colonies, which were required to enter the Spanish realm through the Royal Ports in the Sherry region. These barrels, built of American oak, coopered and filled in Spain, began to stack up in Great Britain, which really didn't export much until the 1860s when the vine louse Phylloxera began to strike down the continental European wine industry. The producers in Jerez had a little bit of a buffer insofar as they were ravaged later than the more northerly regions and, by the very nature of their Solera aging systems, had stocks aplenty. In turn, these too were depleted.

Where does western culture turn when grape-based libations are next to impossible to come by? We turn to whisky. When one takes a survey of the founding dates of Scotch distilleries, one finds a striking pattern - between 1879 and 1899 (when Phylloxera is nearing its peak of destruction) over 35 distilleries opened in Scotland. All this new production needed to be put into something and Sherry barrels were the perfect thing.

Today in Jerez, we don't see a lot of extra empty barrels lying around (actually they pride themselves on how long they are able to keep their barrels in use), but we do see the plenty of barrels being conditioned with wine for the express purpose of holding whisky. This wine is not bottled, but sent to the stills to be made into fortifier. So, while maybe a little contrived but certainly not outside of the normal flows of commerce, the tradition of sherry-influenced whisky continues.

In celebration of this, we are featuring 10 special bottlings where the wine speaks through the malt. Try one and taste a little history.

Glenkinchie 1991 Distiller's Edition Amontillado Cask 43%

This is a Lowland, close to England, which means it is triple distilled. Not too peaty, no maritime influence and 3X in the still means light, gentle spirit without too many edges. Closer to Irish Whisky than most other Scotch. The sherry cask gives it some weight that is not present in the original.

Macallan 1991 Murray McDavid Bottling 46%

Think of this one as a barrel saved from fate. Standard Macallan (Speyside) is chill-filtered and caramel-colored. M McD simply pulled a barrel from that program and bottled it whole.

Glenmorangie "La Santa" Oloroso Cask 46%

Glenmo is the most progressive of the big brands. This Highland is the best selling Malt in Scotland because it is clean, sweet and balanced. Not overly anything, also not super-distinctive. A very easy, entry-level Scotch.

Oban 1993 Distiller's Edition Montilla Fino Cask 43%

The slightest whiff of sea air, but not briny. Oban is described as being caught between the sea (salt) and the mountains (sweet) which is apt, because that happens to be where it is situated on the west side of Scotland. The inherent sweetness of the Malt pairs well with the dry acid of the Fino barrel, very complex, lots to think about.

Talisker 1996 Distiller's Edition Amoroso Cask 46%

Talisker is from the isle of Skye, but the sea influence tends to be clouded by peat. The sherry that was in the barrel was sweetened with PX and that fruit shows up here (figs and raisins) along with a touch of bitter chocolate. Seriously cool whisky.

Bruichladdich 1998 Manzanilla Cask 46%

Laddie's are all pears and cloves when they are born, hardly any peat at all. This makes them perfect for barrel-play. The butteriness of Manzanilla shows, not much of the acid.

Bruichladdich 1998 Oloroso Cask 46%

So different from the sister-barrel, sturdier, bigger, and full of walnuts and hazelnuts.

Bunnahabhain 18 yr. Manzanilla Cask 43%

Kettle corn...in all the right ways. Very salty, sweet maltiness that is the base. Bunnahabhain is buttered up by the Manzanilla.

Port Charlotte 7 yr. Bourbon and Sherry Casks 61%

Super peaty, super clean. Very young and flashy.

Lagavulin 1991 Distiller's Edition Pedro Ximenez 46%

The heaviest hitter here. Lagavulin is heavily peated then tempered with good age and sweet PX, dessert for sure.

Update: A number of these Scotches remain available, please check with your server.

Neyah White is Bar Manager at nopa
Posted October 15, 2009 • Filed under Sherry, Spirits • Discuss • Share: del.icio.us / StumbleUpon / Digg
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