Monday, May 25, 2015

05/25 GARY PISONI, PISONI VINEYARDS, MIKE SILACCI, OPUS ONE

GARY PISONI – PISONI VINEYARDS                                                  

A special place, Pisoni Vineyards expresses the land and climate of the Santa Lucia Highlands and the spirit of the Pisoni Family. The site is a source of exceptional Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah.

First planted by Gary Pisoni in 1982, Pisoni Vineyards consists of small vineyard blocks arranged on and around the ridges of the mountainous landscape. Ranging in size from one-half to seventeen acres, the vineyard blocks perch at an altitude of 1,300 feet in the granite-laced mountains of the coastal Santa Lucia Range.

Inspired by the Burgundy tradition of having several wineries source fruit from the same vineyard, Gary Pisoni has formed relationships with some of the most prestigious Pinot Noir producers in California. With agreements based on handshake alone, these wineries are guaranteed specific rows and blocks each year. They purchase grapes at a per-acre price rather than a per-ton price, which maintains the focus on quality and not yields.

In addition to supplying fruit to artisan producers of vineyard-designated wines, the Pisoni Family retains a portion of the vineyard for the production of Pisoni Estate wine.

THE PRACTICE
Vineyard management is meticulous. Under Mark Pisoni's leadership, a long-time permanent crew of 18 skilled individuals perform all the work by hand. Every decision implements sustainable farming practices and long-term considerations. This commitment, combined with the rocky soils and cold Monterey Bay weather, produce serious and compelling wines.

THE FAMILY
In 1952 Jane and Eddie Pisoni began farming vegetables in the fertile Salinas Valley. A celery-crop profit in 1979 provided the down payment for the Santa Lucia Highlands property that became Pisoni Vineyards. Their love for the land provided the place where their son Gary could realize his dreams. Gary developed a love of wine while attending college. He started collecting fine French and German wines, and he made his first wine in his garage in 1978 at the age of twenty-five. In 1982, Gary broke ground and planted the first vines at Pisoni Vineyards. He was up against many obstacles, including not having a water source at the time.

Mark Pisoni, the vineyard manager, completed a B.S. in Agricultural Economics at the University of California, Davis, and an M.S. in Farm Business Management at Cornell University. He oversees the meticulous care of both Pisoni Vineyards and Pisoni Farms.  Jeff Pisoni is the winemaker. He earned a B.S. in Enology at California State University, Fresno, and got hands-on experience at premium wineries before becoming the Pisoni Estate and Lucia winemaker in 2002.

THE WINE
The Pisoni Family produces one wine each year under the label bearing its name: Pisoni Estate Pinot Noir. Although actual quantities vary with fruit yields, typical production is a mere 500 cases annually. Often noted for their deep color and intensity, wines from Pisoni Vineyards offer complex flavors and layers of undulating texture. The rocky mountain soil and the long, cool growing season provide the fundamental character of the wine, and the tannin and acid structure contribute to the age-worthiness.

LUCIA
Lucia vineyard designated Santa Lucia Highlands AVA wines. Lucia is the sister label of the Pisoni Estate wines. Whereas Pisoni Estate is committed to a single expression of the Pisoni Vineyards, Lucia represents the collection of vineyards that the Pisoni Family farms: Pisoni Vineyards, Soberanes Vineyard and Garys' Vineyard (the latter two farmed in partnership with Gary Franscioni).

The wines of Lucia are vineyard designated Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah from these vineyards and eponymous Santa Lucia Highlands AVA cuvées with varying percentages of each vineyard blended together. Lucia wines are made alongside the Pisoni Estate wines using the same exacting standards for quality. They are sold via mailing list and high-end restaurants and retailers. If you are on the mailing list for Pisoni Estate wines, you will automatically have the opportunity to purchase the Lucia offerings.

WWW.PISONIVINEYARDS.COM

MICHAEL SILACCI – WINEMAKER, OPUS ONE

THE STORY
Château Mouton Rothschild winemaker Lucien Sionneau and Robert Mondavi’s son Timothy made the partnership’s first vintage at the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1979. The following year the partners officially announced their joint venture.

In 1981 a single case of the joint venture wine sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley Wine Auction – the highest price ever paid for a California wine. In 1982 Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild began label design. The partners agreed to choose a name of Latin origin for the joint venture, allowing for easy recognition in both English and French. Baron Philippe announced his choice, “Opus,” a musical expression denoting the first masterwork of a composer. Two days later he proposed an additional word: “Opus One”.

The 1979 and 1980 vintages were simultaneously unveiled in 1984 as Opus One’s first release. Opus One then became known as America’s first ultra-premium wine, establishing a category of wine priced by the bottle at $50 and above.

Following Lucien Sionneau’s retirement in 1985, Patrick Léon joined Château Mouton Rothschild as winemaker and Timothy Mondavi as co-winemaker of Opus One.

Three years later, Baron Philippe de Rothschild died in France at the age of 85; and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild took the reins of the family wine business. This same year Opus One exported a share of its 1985 vintage – and became the first ultra-premium California wine to be sold in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. International demand for the wine continued, and in 1999 Opus One celebrated its 20th anniversary by holding vertical tastings and gala dinners in Oakville, New York, Paris and London. In 2001 the release of its 20th vintage – the 1998 – was met with gala events in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

The winery’s board of directors appointed David Pearson CEO in 2004, the first person singly responsible for Opus One. Michael Silacci was thereafter named winemaker, the first to assume full responsibility for viticulture and winemaking.

Constellation Brands, Inc. purchased Robert Mondavi Corporation and assumed 50% ownership of Opus One in 2005. Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and then Constellation Brands President and COO Robert Sands announced the Opus One Accord between Baron Philippe de Rothschild, S.A. and Constellation Brands, Inc. Opus One assumed operating independence in three key areas: vineyard management, domestic and international sales, and administration.

THE FOUNDERS
Of the great European wine families, the Rothschilds are perhaps the best known. And Baron Philippe de Rothschild is perhaps the best known of this great family. At the age of 20, Baron Philippe took on the management of Château Mouton Rothschild from his father Baron Henri. Philippe’s vision changed the world of wine: he invented Château bottling, commissioned great artists to illustrate his wine labels – and, in partnership with Robert Mondavi in 1979, created Opus One.

In the 1980s, after her father’s death, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild left a stage career that included the Comédie Française and the Renault-Barrault Theatre Company, bringing her own exquisite style and creativity to the design, construction, and operation of Opus One.

Among great New World wine pioneers, Robert Mondavi is an international icon. Bringing a passion for excellence to everything he did, Robert Mondavi led a renaissance in California fine wine for over six decades. Among other accomplishments, he introduced temperature-controlled fermentation, French oak barrel aging, and high-density viticulture to a fledgling American wine industry. But life was not only wine for Robert Mondavi: he broadened the American cultural palate by marrying fine wine to food, music, and the arts. One of few Americans to have received the French medal of the Legion of Honor, Robert Mondavi showed extraordinary vision as co-founder of Opus One.

WINEMAKING
Winemaking at Opus One resolves to a single goal: to produce an extraordinary wine. No compromises are made. Guided by the vision of our founders, our winemaker Michael Silacci combines intuition and technical acumen with the dual perspective of viticulturist and winemaker.

Every cluster of Opus One grapes is hand-harvested, and just as much care is taken when transporting them from the vineyard to the winery. The integrity of the grapes is assured by placing the clusters in small picking boxes that hold no more than thirty-five pounds (sixteen kilograms).

The grapes are hand-sorted: any leaves or imperfect grapes are discarded. Only gravity is used to move the berries from the destemmer into the stainless steel fermenting tanks below. Stainless steel is the perfect material – it provides a cool and gentle beginning to the fermentation process.

Because Opus One makes only one wine, each tank can be dedicated to a single lot of grapes; each tank is used only once during harvest, so fermentation and maceration need never be rushed. The long, warm maceration in temperature-controlled tanks draws out myriad rich flavors and colors from the skins, seeds, and pulp. The tanks are raised so the free-run wine can flow into new French oak barrels; the remaining skins tumble easily into basket presses.
In another gentle, unhurried step, the skins, seeds, and pulp are pressed. Like the free-run wine, the pressed wine is put into barrels to be aged. To provide backbone to the wine, a portion of the press is often added to the final blend.

Once the wine is safely in barrel, the topping, racking, and fining processes begin. During the first year, Michael continually tastes from each French oak barrel, evaluating the effect of the wood on the wine.

Fining, which occurs after the final racking in tank, also illustrates the hand-crafted nature of Opus One. Carefully added in more turbid vintages, fresh egg whites attract the very small particles that would otherwise remain in suspension. Fining clarifies and polishes the wine. After about a year and a half in barrel, the wine is bottled. Opus One receives an additional year and a half of bottle age before the wine is released— some three years after harvest.

WWW.OPUSONEWINERY.COM 

Monday, May 18, 2015

05/18 JOHN MONNICH, SILKWOOD WINES, LINDA SANPEI, THE CHARDONNAY SYMPOSIUM

JOHN MONNICH – OWNER/WINEMAKER, SILKWOOD WINES

Silkwood Wines, in Modesto, California, produces World Class fine wines from Syrah, Petite Sirah, Chardonnay, Alicante Bouschet, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  All bottles feature a unique velvet label that represents the smooth and rich profile of the wines.

OUR HISTORY
Silkwood Wines began life in 1979 with a Chardonnay produced at Spring Mountain Winery in St. Helena.  This Chardonnay won great reviews and was served frequently in the Reagan White House. President Reagan, Ed Meiss, Michael Dever and George Bush also served it and transported it aboard Air Force One to French, Canadian, and Mexico Summits.  My grandfather produced Alicante Bouschet until phyloxera wiped out the vines.  He planted rice, which controlled the pest and made eight barrels a year from a few vines of AB and Muscat.  My family continues to produce rice in Northern California.

We lost our winemaker in 1982 and the “prominent” replacement did not compare.  Ultimately, we closed down the company.  Along the way, we farmed 540 acres in Modesto for the Jesuits of Novitiate Winery in Los Gatos, plus perennial crops of our own.

We restarted Silkwood in 1988 with small lots of Petite Sirah.  This production continued at St. Helena in Rombauers Winery for a number of years until a catastrophic fire wiped out our complete inventory including the ’98 Petite Sirah bottled the previous day.  Our 99’ Petite Sirah was awarded the Best Wine from the Napa Valley in 2002 by the California State Fair.  We restarted Silkwood for the third time with a business partner in the Modesto area.  We encouraged him to plant Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Cabernet.  Current production is approximately 10,000 cases per year.  We ship to 21 states, Japan, and Hong Kong.

OUR WINEMAKING
The Central Valley micro climate is outstanding, allowing time for the grapes to mature naturally without concern for rain, unlike coastal growers. We custom crush our grapes in Lodi after harvesting vineyards on Toulumne and Dry Creek area.

We take time to produce and age our wines and allow for maximum "hang time" needed by seeds and stems to mature from green to a nice toasty brown, ensuring optimum flavors and firm, smooth tannins.  All these factors contribute to the outstanding final product.

Our grapes have consistently received numerous double gold and gold medals including Best in California for our Petite Sirah and two 98 points/Best in Region for our 04’ Syrah.   Japan Airlines recognized our Syrah, and we were the only US red wine to fly JAL First Class for 5 years!
The wine consultant to the White House said to me, “John - I have only one thing to say:  Your wines are mature, your wines are mature, your wines are mature.”  Our wines are made with attention, care, and passion.  Again, we take the time required to naturally produce fine wine.  If we didn't, maybe we couldn’t sell it, and we'd have to drink it all ourselves!

71% of all California grapes are grown in the Central Valley, and as a board member of the San Joaquin Valley Wine Grape Growers Association, we fully recognize and support our area as one of the finest grape producing areas in the world proven by the fact that a number of valley wineries are recognized for their World Class Wine status as is Silkwood Wines.

As the Past-President of PS I Love You (a Petite Sirah advocacy group), I am pleased to report we received 94 and 96 point scores in competition with our Petite Sirah from our peers. Silkwood Wines is an enthusiastic supporter of the Petite Sirah varietal. We hope you enjoy Silkwood as much as Judie and I do!

SILKWOODWINES.COM


LINDA SANPEI - THE DIRECTOR, THE CHARDONNAY SYMPOSIUM

MAY 28–30, 2015
The Chardonnay Symposium brings top Chardonnay producers from around the world to the classic Californian beach towns of Pismo Beach and Avila Beach for an in-depth exploration of the world’s favorite grape and its impact on viticulture, tastemakers and the market. Our 2015 event line-up will include 2 grand wine tastings, educational seminars & panel sessions, winemaker dinners and plenty of opportunities to talk Chardonnay with industry leaders, tastemakers and fellow enthusiasts. In conjunction with The Symposium, many Central Coast wineries and businesses will offer special promotions and events to complete the experience.

Unlike a typical food and wine festival, The Chardonnay Symposium’s primary purpose is to educate and inform top industry professionals, as well as devoted consumers, about current events and trends in Chardonnay production and culture around the world. But when the discussion ends, there’s plenty of time for exploring nearby Central Coast wineries as well as the hosting seaside resort towns of Pismo Beach and Avila Beach that offer downtown winetasting rooms, pristine beaches, surfing and kayaking, hiking and biking trails, farm-to-table and seaport-inspired cuisine, boutique shopping, and more.

THECHARDONNAYSYMPOSIUM.COM

Monday, May 11, 2015

05/11 CRAIG HASEROT, SOJOURN CELLARS, MICHAEL JORDAN, LA INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION

CRAIG HASEROT – CO-FOUNDER & PROPRIETOR, SOJOURN CELLARS

Based in the town of Sonoma, Sojourn Cellars is a highly acclaimed winery specializing in the production of artisan Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

We source fruit from celebrated vineyards in both Sonoma and Napa Counties, and we help direct farming operations to assure that our grapes are produced using world-class growing techniques. We consistently produce remarkable wines with a hands-off natural winemaking style that showcases the character and personality of the individual vineyards.

Sojourn feels passionate about creating high-quality wines and always being accessible to the people who buy and enjoy our wines. Sojourn offers seated tastings in a casual, yet sophisticated environment and prides itself on always putting the customer first.

WINEMAKING
Above all, Sojourn undertakes to express vineyard and vintage in the bottle. We source fruit from properties that we believe have the capacity to produce wines of distinction, thanks in large part to unique and specific combinations of soil, climate, and exposure.

Farmed by Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon growers who share our commitment to low crop yields and high quality, our fruit is sorted extensively in the field throughout the growing season as well as in the winery post-Harvest to ensure that only the most sound, perfectly ripe fruit makes its way into our fermentation tanks.

In the cellar, we are zealous proponents of minimalist winemaking. All Sojourn wines are fermented and barrel-aged in small lots and attended to when necessary by hand from the vineyard to the bottle to best manage tannins and mouthfeel and to preserve the maximum amount of personality and soul.

ABOUT CRAIG:
Craig Haserot is co-founder and proprietor of Sojourn Cellars. He oversees sales, marketing, and operations, and he also plays important roles in the finance and winemaking functions of the winery. And while he enjoys his work in all of these different facets of the winery, his favorite part of his job is spending time with customers at release parties, wine events, and Tasting Salon gatherings.
During his nearly ten years in the wine business, Craig has immersed himself in all the aspects of the winery business. On the winemaking front, he has served as unofficial assistant winemaker, planted our estate vineyard (Home Ranch Vineyard), and managed grower relationships at a total of 14 vineyards in 2009. Craig’s main responsibility, however, has been to lead Sojourn’s sales and operations, and his success in these areas has enabled Sojourn’s production to grow to 5000 cases.
After growing up in San Marino, California, Craig attended Humboldt State University and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. He began his 16-year sales and sales management career in computer software with Ashton-Tate and left it in 2001 after working at Micromuse. Sojourn produced its first Cabernet Sauvignon in 2001 and Craig planted the Home Ranch Vineyard in 2002. Craig lives in Sonoma with his wife Ellen and their two daughters, Natalie and Julia.

www.sojourncellars.com


MICHAEL JORDAN - LA INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION      

Los Angeles International Wine Competition Celebrates 76 Years! Setting the Gold Standard
2015 COMPETITION DATES: MAY 13-14, 2015

For 76 years, the Los Angeles International Wine Competition has showcased the finest domestic and international vintages through a wine-tasting event that is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious in the United States. An esteemed panel of judges use a blind-tasting method, maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism that has remained the competition’s foundation for 76 years.

Additionally, the competition is the platform for an extensive wine education program available to the nearly 1.4 million visitors at the annual Los AngelesCounty Fair. The Fair’s wine education center features consumer-driven classes, tastings and displays of the award-winning wines. With the Los Angeles International Wine Competition committed to educating the public about wine, the Fair’s wine education program features industry experts with extensive knowledge about wine growing and selection, wine tasting as well as wine and food pairings.

ABOUT MICHAEL:
Veteran Restaurateur and “Sommelier for the People” Michael Jordan is Director of Global Key Accounts for Jackson Family Fine Wines. Previously Jordan served three years as vice president of food & beverage for Anaheim’s award winning restaurant and live music venue, THE RANCH Restaurant & Saloon (Zagat 28-29-28). Prior to opening THE RANCH, Jordan was president of The Beachcomber Restaurant Group. Before that he served as global manager of wine sales & standards and wine education for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts® Worldwide - and also nine years as general manager of the world famous Napa Rose restaurant at Disneyland Resort® in Anaheim. In his career Jordan has been involved with the opening of seventeen restaurants including Pinot Provence in Costa Mesa and was general manager/sommelier of Pavilion at Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach when it received AAA’s Five Diamond Award.

Jordan holds a Master Sommelier diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers as well as a Certified Wine Educator diploma from the Society of Wine Educators and is one of only 15 people in the world to hold both these diplomas. Jordan has taught comprehensive wine and beverage courses to well over a thousand students. Jordan also hosts a weekly radio show, What’s Cookin’ with Wine on CRN Digital Talk Radio and many AM radio markets across the country since 2002.

“Michael Jordan is one of just 15 people in the world awarded both Master Sommelier and CWE (Certified Wine Educator) Diplomas. Michael now works for Jackson Family Wines crisscrossing the world as the Director of Global Key Accounts.”