The great wine making history of the Russian River Valley all started with immigrants in the 19^th century planting “home gardens” to produce wine for personal consumption. The valley has certainly come a long way since then. Today the region accounts for about 15% of all Sonoma Country acreage. Russian River Valley is a subregion of the Sonoma Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area). It sits on the current and former valley floor of the Russian River (the river changed course at some point, for unknown reasons) close to the Napa Valley. Russian River was granted it’s own AVA in 1983

The Russian River as it lies today spills into the Pacific Ocean after taking a hard dogleg west at around the area of the Russian River AVA. The rivers direct access to the sea brings in a daily deluge of cool night air and morning fog that blanket the vineyards of the Russian River Valley. This cool air acts as a conditioning to the warm daytime temperatures to ensure that the grapes don’t get too hot—which can result in “baked” flavors in the wines. The cool ocean air also means there exists a large diurnal temperature fluctuation in the vineyards. This large fluctuation of temperatures from day to night is thought to give grapes and wines made from them more acid and structure.

Russian River is known for two grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It shouldn’t be too surprising that these grapes were chosen for the area—the cool climate is much like the grapes homeland of Burgundy. Chardonnay accounts for almost half of the acreage in Russian River and Pinot Noir more than a quarter of the acreage. Chardonnay made in the region tends to be lean, high in acid and more balanced than the oaky, buttery style of Chardonnay from other areas of California. The Pinot Noir from Russian River is also noted for its bright acidity, also for its strong berry and cherry flavors. Some producers emphasize a restrained structure in an old world style while others favor bigger sugar and alcohol levels and more significant oak aging.

Russian River appellation has two sub areas within its boundaries, the Chalk Hill AVA and the Green Valley of Russian River AVA. The Chalk Hill region is located in the northeast of Russian River and gets its name from the chalky soils of the area. Chalk Hill is relatively warmer than the rest of Russian River and has success with warmer-climate grapes Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Green Valley AVA is in the southwest corner of Russian River and is even cooler than the rest of Russian River. This decidedly cool climate AVA grows Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as well as some Gewürztraminer.

There are many excellent wineries in the Russian River producing exceptional bottles. In the Russian River AVA look for Williams Selyem, Rochioli, Foppiano, and Gary Farrell. In the Green Valley Kistler and Dutton Ranch make excellent Chardonnay. Mega producer Kendall Jackson has a stake in Russian River with its La Crema label as does E&J Gallo with their Laguna Ranch vineyard.

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Petite Sirah is not Petite Syrah.

Durif is Petite Sirah and Syrah is Petite Syrah. Confused? Well let’s clear up what the heck are Petite Sirah and Petite Syrah.

Let’s start with the old world. Petite Syrah was the name given to some Syrah plants in the Rhone that produced smaller berries. Pretty simple there, petite = small.

Now, the first immigrants to bring Syrah to California in the 1870’s noticed that the grapes were smaller than they were used to—probably owing to differences in climate, exposure and soils—so they called these Syrah grapes Petite Syrah. Petite = small. Then, no one thought about it much for 100 years.

Okay, so petite means small, that’s fine. Does Sirah = Syrah? Nope. Petite Sirah is actually Durif. (Aren’t French words supposed to be lyrical and pretty?) Anyways, Durif is an accidental cross of Syrah and Peloursin that occurred in a field in France somewhere and was discovered by a guy named Durif. He named the new grape after himself and released it to the world.

The resulting grape was noted to be vigorous and resistant to mildew. So they planted some more. Then some immigrants brought it to California. Durif grew well in California and around the turn of the century was widely planted. From there on out Petite Sirah ebbed and flowed in popularity, hitting a peak in 1976 and a low in 1990.

Currently, Petite Sirah is enjoying some popularity. There are a lot of old plantings, which mean that the vines are older and producing great juice. Also, that means the plantings are paid off and the wine can be sold for a pretty nice value. Petite Sirah is some great wine for the price. It’s got some big tannins, a very lively acidic backbone which has blueberry, plum and black pepper on the nose. The wine has a firm structure, but generally only a medium finish.

The French more or less abandoned Petite Sirah, which means that most of the planting are here in America. If you think about it, it’s kind of a great American wine: it’s tough, it’s strong, it’s unpretentious and it has an ambiguous cultural heritage. Oh, it’s pretty inexpensive. So, it’s not Syrah, it’s just good wine and you can get a great bottle of it for under $15.

Now just memorize these fun facts and recite it at a wine party, you’ll sound really smart.

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No other name evokes American wine in the way that Napa does. The consistently excellent quality of the wines coming out of the Napa Valley in California has earned the region an amazing brand. In most instances, a famous wine region is known for producing a single grape or style of wine; think Cabernet blends from Bordeaux or Pinot Noir from Willamette. While Napa certainly has cemented its reputation with Cabernet Sauvignon, the region is also known for excellent Merlot, Chardonnay and Zinfandel, amongst others. Basically anything that has Napa on the label will be able to sell for a higher price than if it was produced elsewhere. This is truly a triumph of wine making skill and excellent geographic site selection

Vineyards popped up in the Napa Valley almost as soon as settlers reached the area in the 1800’s with the first established in 1858. The wine industry in Napa moved along slowly from there, garnering a little attention here and there. Then came the double-whammy of Phylloxera and Prohibition. Phylloxera knocked out the vines and Prohibition denigrated wine production to sacramental purposes only. After Prohibition wine production picked up again and fine wine became the focus of some producers. The seminal moment came at the Judgment of Paris in 1976 when a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa beat the best of Bordeaux. This led to renewed interest in Napa and California in general and began the landslide of activity that has culminated in the industry we know today.

Napa is further broken down into 15 sub AVAs, which are defined by unique microclimate and geographic differences. The geography of Napa leads to several climatic differences within the valley. The southern end of the valley abuts the San Pablo Bay, which brings cooler air in. The northern half of the valley is usually much warmer. Two of the best known are: Rutherford and St. Helena.

Rutherford lies just north of Oakville and is home to the famous Rutherford Bench a stretch of low-vigor soil composed of well-drained volcanic and maritime sediments. The star of the Rutherford Bench is Cabernet Sauvignon. This small appellation is home to some of the best producers in Napa, and some of the most famous wines in California, a sample list: Caymus, ZD, Livingston, Beaulieu, Quintessa, Frogs Leap and Cakebread.

St. Helena is home to some of the most sought after Cabernet produced in Napa. The AVA is the warmest in the entire valley and the vines are able to climb the steep valley walls and soak in the rays. The Grace Family and Colgin Herb Lamb wineries, based in St. Helena, have developed a near cult-like following for their mailing list only Cabernet Sauvignon. The bottles sell for hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Others in the AVA are Revana, Nickel and Nickel and Chase Family; and while Cabernet is big here, excellent Zinfandel is also produced.

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The Central Valley of California has a bad rep among wine consumers. The Central Valley is monstrous in size and has the dubious distinction of being home to the huge producers of inexpensive box and jug wines that make up a sizeable chunk of the output of California. And while there is no denying the bulk nature of wine in the Central Valley, there are some pockets of fine wine production in this goliath of wine regions. Most notable are two areas in the northeast of the Valley: Lodi and the Sierra Foothills.

The Sierra Foothills must have been named by a seriously un-creative bureaucrat, but don’t let the obvious nature of it’s name fool you; this region is capable of producing some very complex wines. The eponymous mountains of the Sierra Foothills area provide this large AVA (American Viticultural Area) with a necessary cooling effect, which tempers the heat of central California. The vines were introduced to the area with the flood of humanity that ensued during the gold rush of the 1850’s. The Sierra Foothills is compromised of several sub AVAs including: Fiddletown, Shenedoah Valley and El Dorado.

Zinfandel has found a foothold here and produces wines that have become a style unto their own. The Zin production in the area is centered around Amador County and the style is generally called Amador Zin. The wines are unmistakable, huge alcohol content—16% isn’t abnormal—with a rich body and deep tannins. The best examples have the acidity and fruit to balance out the monstrous body and alcohol of these wines. Amador Zin is certainly an acquired taste, you have to be ready for these wines, but they can be quite enjoyable and reasonably priced for the quality.

Outside of Zin, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape in the Sierra Foothills region. Cab is grown all around the region, but El Dorado is home to a good portion of the vines. The acidic magma soils and cooling mountain breezes bring out a strong, but balanced Cab. Some Syrah is also planted and the grape generally does well in the region.

The Lodi area is located between the Sierra Foothills to the east and the rest of the Central Valley to the west. The area has a Mediterranean climate regulated by the mountains and the northern location in the valley. Zinfandel is the main product of Lodi and the area benefits from huge swaths of old Zin vines that have been producing for decades. The Lodi style of Zin isn’t quite as big as Amador Zin and could be though of as halfway between the more restrained Dry Creek Zin and the over-the-top style of Amador Zin.

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Wine Club Insider back with you.

You’ve got to “love” the Inland Northwest Weather…

Yesterday, we had beautiful sunshine, 48 degrees, and Spring looked like it had sprung. Today, it is 26, the snow is literally blowing horizontally, and there are new drifts across our driveway. Perfect. If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes…

In a recent trip to California, I was struck by how much large parts of the Golden State resemble Spain. Actually – gasp – more than it resembles Bordeaux. (I know, I know… heresy)

But seriously, they’re both dry, hot, and somewhat windy, and that’s where Tempranillo rules!

I’ve had a couple of good ones lately, and I’ve got to say that off the cuff, the big ”T” produces balanced, complex wines that are, dare I say, an all around better value than many other, more famous varieties.

Hold on, hold on… before you send me mean comments, give a couple of these a try and see for yourself.

Remember that even though it’s not one of the Big 3 here (yet!) Rioja is a pretty respectable name in wine, world wide… Now, I’m not saying that California Tempranillo is to the level of Spain’s greatest wines (yet…), and some, to be frank, are trying too hard to become instant “classics.”

Here are a couple I recently tried and really enjoyed. Again, I’m not saying these are equivalent to their Spanish cousins – they’re actually quite different, but they both harken to the mystery of an under-appreciated (at least here!) grape that is going nowhere but up!

These choices were recommended by SNOOTH, and I have to say I agree. (BTW, Greg Del Piaz at SNOOTH does a great job… check him out at http://www.snooth.com/talk/. He’s great at answering questions as well. If you get a chance to try some Temp from your wine club, get it right away, and get ready to order more!

2004 Truchard Carneros Napa Valley – Big, deep, plush, really. This is one you can cellar for a few years. Very well balanced.

2006 Garsa Calaveros County – Lighter, fruity, almost like a Beaujolais in depth, I thought.

Okay, here are a couple of Spanish versions as well…

2000 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia – A real Rioja in the grand style! I have a bottle of their 94 which I’m dying to open!

2006 Dehesa Gago Toro – More rustic, but almost jammy it was so rich.

Until next time,

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out

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