Wine Club Newsletter - November 2020
2020 Vintage for California & Oregon: Smoke Taint?
(Plus Thanksgiving Take-Out)
I think many of you are wondering how it’s going out there with Harvest 2020. Clutching a glass of wine while anxiously Googling vineyards you love next to a fire map. Closely following winemakers and brands on social media, trying to understand where they are in their process, and what will be the sum of their experience this year.
How much smoke taint? How little? Did they win the lottery and get away clean? What are they harvesting? What small growers are getting hung out to dry?
For us, we had the surreal realization that checking in on our peeps potentially affected by the wildfires meant talking to literally every single California and Oregon producer in our book. Come on 2020, just leave it already.
So first, I would like to acknowledge the winemakers, growers and their crews who are all currently earning their paychecks like the San Francisco Giants circa 2010. They are scrambling, balancing, learning, and probably remembering how to pray.
Next some wise words from our people across the state:
The quick and dirty on the 2020 vintage is …. It is too early to tell. Seriously! Smoke taint and its chemical analysis and sensory analysis are a 2-4 week process. Currently the labs are overwhelmed with samples and micro or regular ferments are a good way to analyze your wine, but even then you can get a false positive as guaiacol is a volatile aroma and builds (like volatile acidity) over time; so it can actually rear it’s head 3-4 or more years from now in bottle!...This year, we are all in this together and are all working to try to understand best practices to mitigate off aromas in our wines….
- Dan Petroski, Winemaker, Larkmead Vineyards and Owner/Winemaker at Massican Wines
I can say we've just seen a series of unprecedented challenges and given the fact that the vintage is meant to reflect the climate from which it emerges, this one is right on target: crazy and challenging. But maybe when it settles into wine it will bring peace, perspective, and joy…
- John Alban, Alban Vineyard
This will be a vintage that tests relationships, not to mention, between losses to COVID restrictions and reduced inventory, the integrity of ones business. With a few good breaks, we should be in reasonable shape, but I'm very aware there's a long way between now and barrels put to bed.
- Ian Brand, I Brand/La Marea/Le P’tit Paysan
Working outside has been super fun. - Mike Hendry, Hendry Ranch
In summation, we don’t know yet.
What we do know:
First, many white wines and potentially roses are coming in squeaky clean.
Second, production and yields were already going down in general (due to both the environmental and economic climate of this year), so it will certainly be a low volume vintage. Likely super duper low, to be technical about it.
Third, and probably most important; NOW is the time to SUPPORT DOMESTIC WINE! Let’s all make a push and help these guys out, please. Please please. I want their daily sales reports to reach out through the sweat and ash of this difficult time, and lift their spirits, just a bit. While they are still out there, trying to (literally?) make it rain.
Thanksgiving Take-Out
Yes, that’s right!
It’s a different year, to be sure. While we may be uncertain as to exactly how we will be entertaining one of our favorite holidays this year, The WineSellar & Brasserie can lend a hand.
If you are keeping your company to yourselves, a 10-13 pound turkey can be a lot for two people. Lori and I have done it, and made turkey stock, turkey sandwiches, turkey omelets, turkey soup, and eventually turkey projectiles.
For you, and no matter what the size of your holiday party is going to be, you can make your life much easier and perhaps even tastier if you let us prepare your holiday fixings. Yes, that’s right!
We will have available for you, already cooked, and in an easy-to-prepare/plate format. Choose from:
Whole Turkey
Half Turkey
Turkey Breast
Pheasant (Whole)
Stuffing
Dressing
Cranberry Sauce
Whipped Potatoes
Pumpkin Pie (Slices or whole)
Pecan Pie (Slices or whole)
And more!
Be on the lookout for further information coming you way via our email notifications.
Best wishes to you!
2017 Saint-Bris, William Fevre
Growing Region Saint-Bris, Burgundy, France
Varietal Composition 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Fermentation 8-10 Months Stainless Steel
Alcohol Content 12%
Suggested Retail $35.00
WineSellar Club Price $29.69
Special! Case Price $300
Broad Strokes: 90 Points WW.
Founded in 1959, Domaine William Fèvre is at the very heart of the Chablis vineyards. Since its founding, Domaine William Fèvre has been taken up with the desire to produce indisputable genuine and fine wines, bringing along a very personal experience in white wines. All the efforts have but one goal – to finely express the most subtle variations in the greatest Chablis crus. Today, Domaine William Fèvre is one of the most established and renowned estates in Chablis. Saint-Bris is a tiny, solitary white producing appellation west of Chablis but east of the Loire Valley. St. Bris is a bit of a peculiarity as it is technically a part of Burgundy but produces non-Burgundian grapes
Appearance:
Classic looking Chablis bottle and label, with some words on the back label requiring a magnifying glass for me. The wine is clear, with tinges of white corn and a greenish/edgy hue.
Nose:
Nice aromas of grapefruit, Sauvignon Blanc, hint of herbs, lemon zest, tropical fruit and stony slate. It is kind of linear at first take, but let it warm and open up . . . green apple, nectarine, and passion fruit.
Texture:
Brilliant and crisp acidity meets a medium bodied, wanting to break out kind of rounded fruit. This very much reminds me of a Chablis (made from Chardonnay), as it is well structured, and bound to age another 5-10 years. Long, complex finish.
Flavors:
Complex and well nuanced from the very beginning, you will notice a wonderful mouthful of slate like mineral, nectarine, dose of lemon/citrus, some spice, kumquat, tropical fruits (guava), lychee, and a note of salinity. You may notice touches of yellow melon, white pepper, and grapefruit.
Serving Suggestions:
The wine will age for a decade, and drinks like a toned down Sancerre. Great with oysters and all shellfish, as well as cheese plates.
2018 Perazzeta, Sangiovese, Sara
Growing Region Montecucco. Tuscany, Italy
Varietal Composition 90% Sangiovese, 10% Ciliegiolo
Fermentation Concrete Vats
Alcohol Content 13.5%
Suggested Retail $19.00
WineSellar Club Price $16.19
Broad Strokes:
Alessandro Bocci, owner and winemaker at Perazzeta, is, in our opinion, making some of the best everyday wines in all of Toscana right now. Located in the D.O.C. region of Montecucco, just south of Montalcino, his wines have tremendous power, tension, and assertive terroir. Bright, stinging cherry, crisp acidity, and tantalizing earth tones make this pretty, yet interesting wine hard to resist. The everyday wine of the estate, “Sara,” is named after Alessandro’s daughter, and is a tremendous follow-up to his wildly popular Rita, first released in 2005. The Cantina Perazzeta is located in the small village of Montenero d'Orcia, halfway between the Morellino di Scansano production area and that of Brunello di Montalcino, in the upper part of the Maremma Toscana.
Appearance:
An interesting, very European looking label, maybe more Spanish in character than it is Italian. Nice little back label story, and even a photo, nice touch. The wine is dark red, not opaque, bleeding out to nearly clear on the edges.
Nose:
Attractive bouquet, with cherry jam, blackberry and strawberry fruit. It has kind of an old world style, lightly rustic, with earth, spice, mushrooms and even some floral aromatic touches of rose petals and violets.
Texture:
Medium in body, with balanced tannins. It has plenty of jam-like fruit, coming to you in a juicy, mouth-watering, luscious fashion. The acid is firm, making this great with food, especially with its dry, lingering finish.
Flavors:
Ripe fruit flavors of raspberries, strawberries, as well as blackberries. These are framed by tones of mushrooms, herbs, earth and influences of dark, volcanic soil. I also got notes of black tea and black pepper.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a GREAT wine for your hearty, perhaps simplistic Italian foods, like pizza, pasta, and eggplant parmigiana.
2010 J. Schram Sparkling Wine
Growing Region Central Coast, California
Varietal Composition 84% Chardonnay, 16% Pinot Noir
Fermentation 33% Barrel Fermented
Alcohol Content 12.4%
Suggested Retail $130.00
WineSellar Club Price $98.99
Broad Strokes: 97 Points Wine Enthusiast, Top 100 Wine in the World 2019
Focused on Schramsberg's top Chardonnay barrel and tank lots, and aged for seven years prior to release, J. Schram is the winery's signature Brut sparkling wine. Jack and Jamie Davies revived the historic vineyards and cellars in 1965, with a mission to produce California's first world-class sparkling wines. Today, led by their son Hugh, Schramsberg's team continues with this commitment to quality and innovation. Schramsberg also produces the J. Schram Rose, Reserve, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Brut Rose, Cremant Demi-Sec and J. Davies Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Representing only 3% of the winery’s annual production, the Chardonnay-focused J. Schram blend is assembled from the very best base wine lots of the approximately 300 produced each year. This special bottling is dedicated to Schramsberg’s founder, Jacob Schram, and has been a great success since its premier 1987 vintage was released in 1992.
Appearance:
Slick, rich, elegant, powerful looking, French Grand Cru looking package. Love the color palette and the direct message of the label. The wine has a rich golden color as well, with a lovely stream of medium small sized bubbles streaming to the top.
Nose:
Jimmy Durante sized nose of brioche, toasted almonds, apple, citrus, crème brûlée and apple crisp. Lovely scents of pie dough and yeast, a touch of butterscotch, vanilla and Graham Cracker.
Texture:
The smooth texture has a robust feel to it, with a crispy tug of fine lemony style acid. It is amazing how fresh this wine feels for being ten years old. The all-star acid to fruit balance symphonic, great mousse, as the baby bubbles present a star filled thrill.
Flavors:
Excellent depth and complexity from the 10 years it has been waiting for you. Still fresh, some apple, baked apple, and pear fruit, brioche notes, cinnamon, with toasted almonds (and some marzipan). The crème brûlée is a solid player, as it finishes with good grip.
Serving Suggestions:
What can I say? Probably the finest sparkling wine made in California today? Just in time for the holidays! With only 300 cases produced, we will run out of this before the end of the month. Will age another 10 years easily!
2018 Barbera, Palmina, Walker Vineyard
Growing Region Los Olivos District, California
Varietal Composition 100% Barbera
Fermentation Large French Oak Casks
Alcohol Content 14%
Suggested Retail $30.00
WineSellar Club Price $25.19
Broad Strokes:
Palmina is a California celebration of the rich, wonderful lifestyle and attitude toward food, wine, friends and family that exists in Italy. Although craving wine is Palmina’s primary focus, the wines are one part of the equation that is Palmina. Palmina is a passion project of husband and wife team, Chrystal and Steve Clifton. Keeping their production small allows them to continue their strong commitment and zeal for creating high quality Italian varietals from Santa Barbara County, California.
Just as in Italy, Palmina’s focus is to craft wines expressly made to complement and enhance food. Their belief parallels that of their colleagues in Italy in that the regional foods of the area should always complement the flavors found in their regional wines, and vice versa. Both Steve and Chrystal believe that their wines should simply be an extension of the plate; a glass of wine to be enjoyed with food and friends.
Appearance:
Nice looking package overall. I like the colored wax treatment over the cork. Looks cool and contemporary. I also like the center label image depicting the joys of food and wine. The label reads clear. The wine is nearly black and brilliant.
Nose:
Dark red and black plum fruit, with some black cherries, fresh herbs (oregano especially) and a bit of orange peel. The fragrance is solid, exhibiting a touch of earth, leather and tobacco.
Texture:
What I like to call “chunky” meaning it has a somewhat hefty entry, without being abrasive, too sweet or overly tannic. It just feels right. Right and juicy, and features a nice balance of smooth fruits and well conceived acids.
Flavors:
The black cherries from the nose go straight to the palate, as do the plum fruit, oregano, earth and leather. I also got a lovely black olive component, smoke, ripe figs, and even a bit of a dusty sense.
Serving Suggestions:
This makes a great food wine, as our producers intended. Enjoy the value!!!
2019 Sangiovese, Palmina, Sogno del Fiore
Growing Region Los Olivos District, California
Varietal Composition 100% Sangiovese
Fermentation 22 Months Neutral French Oak
Alcohol Content 13.5%
Suggested Retail $36.00
WineSellar Club Price $26.99
Broad Strokes:
Palmina is a California celebration of the rich, wonderful lifestyle and attitude toward food, wine, friends and family that exists in Italy. Although craving wine is Palmina’s primary focus, the wines are one part of the equation that is Palmina. Palmina is a passion project of husband and wife team, Chrystal and Steve Clifton. Keeping their production small allows them to continue their strong commitment and zeal for creating high quality Italian varietals from Santa Barbara County, California.
Just as in Italy, Palmina’s focus is to craft wines expressly made to complement and enhance food. Their belief parallels that of their colleagues in Italy in that the regional foods of the area should always complement the flavors found in their regional wines, and vice versa. Both Steve and Chrystal believe that their wines should simply be an extension of the plate; a glass of wine to be enjoyed with food and friends.
Appearance:
Nice looking package overall. I like the colored wax treatment over the cork. Looks cool and contemporary. I also like the center label image depicting the joys of food and wine. The label reads clear. The wine has a kind of black tea look, and reflects light well.
Nose:
Deep and dark flavors of fruit, especially red and black cherry. Notes of red plum, strawberry and black fig also pop up, as well as a nice wood/oak nuance. Toasted nuts, brick, smoke and clay.
Texture:
Medium-bodied wine has a supple, slightly velvety feel to it, but still holds a somewhat edgy harmony to it. This is a great combination for food pairing. The finish is long and lovely.
Flavors:
Excellent black and red cherry fruit, with the strawberry and red plum trailing right behind them. I like the smoke, tobacco, brick and leather-like tastes this offers, along with the oregano and a hint of anise. LOVELY!
Also makes a great food wine, as our producers intended. Enjoy the value!!!
Skillet-Roasted Chicken & Potatoes
Well, here we go with another chicken recipe. I guess it goes with all things 2020. This was posted by our good friends and club members Rick & Susan Greenstein. It is easy to prepare!
Serves four people. Recipe by Barefoot Contessa. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2½ to 3 pounds total)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2½ cups buttermilk, shaken
- Good olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine, such as Chablis
- 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- ¹⁄₈ teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 pound medium Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Method:
-
At least 4 hours (but not more than 12 hours) before you plan to serve, sprinkle the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place in a 1-gallon sealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. Seal the bag and massage it lightly to be sure the chicken is coated with the buttermilk. Place in the refrigerator to marinate.
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in an unheated 12-inch cast-iron skillet and tilt the pan so the oil covers the bottom. Lift the thighs out of the buttermilk, letting any excess buttermilk drip off, and place them in the skillet, skin side up, in one layer. Discard the marinade. In a small bowl, combine the mustard and wine and brush it on the top of the chicken. Sprinkle with the thyme, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place the skillet in the oven and roast the chicken for 30 minutes.
-
Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate and put the potatoes, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper into the skillet. Toss to coat with the pan juices then spread the potatoes out. Return the chicken to the skillet, placing it on the potatoes. Roast 30 minutes longer, until the chicken registers 155 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer just the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Return the skillet to the oven, raise the temperature to 425 degrees, and roast the potatoes for 15 minutes, until they’re tender and starting to brown. Return the chicken to the pan and sprinkle with the parsley, chives, and extra salt. Serve hot from the skillet.