© 1997 JDM Enterprises All Rights Reserved Vol. I No. 22 ALDERBROOK UPDATE by Jerry D. Mead This premium Sonoma County winery has been around for awhile, making decent white and red wines but not getting a great deal of attention. Then several things happened all at once a couple of years ago and since then Alderbrook has been hot, hot, hot! Among the changes was former partner George Gillemot (a Lake Tahoe resident who also owns a piece of Schramsberg Champagne) buying a controlling interest in the winery, appointing John McClelland general manager (McClelland had been top dog at both Geyser Peak and Almaden in previous lives) and hiring Bob Cabral as winemaker. Just about the time I flipped over an Alderbrook Zinfandel (gave it 100 points), the winery started winning gold medals for everything in sight, including Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and, of course, Zinfandel. The winery has become so well known for Zin that it now produces several versions, all of which sell out immediately upon release. Four relatively new releases are all worthy of review and have, in fact, already won multiple gold medals. Alderbrook 1996 "Dry Creek-Sonoma" Sauvignon Blanc ($11) A blend of 88 percent Sauvignon Blanc with 12 percent of its traditional companion Semillon, the wine picked up a double-gold at the 1997 Tasters Guild International. Very appealing grapefruit and lemongrass aroma. Fruity, almost sweet grapefruit and pear flavors. It is finished just at threshold for most folks to detect sweetness, which makes it a super cocktail wine. I'd prefer it a bit drier, but it is delicious. Rating: 86/84 Alderbrook 1996 "Russian River-Saralee's Vineyard" Gewurztraminer ($11) Spicy lichee and grapefruit aromas and flavor. Deliciously juicy and fruity. Plenty of typical Gewurz spiciness. A great refreshment wine, or match it with spicy Asian or Cajun cuisines. Rating: 94/87 Alderbrook 1995 "Sonoma" Cabernet Sauvignon ($16) A gold medal winner at the Riverside Farmers Fair, it is blended to 24 percent its cousin Cabernet Franc which contributes to both complexity and aromatics. Ripe berry and cassis flavors. Lush and seductively round and silky in its youth. Earthy, cedary complexity. Rating: 89/86 WINE OF THE WEEK Alderbrook 1995 "Sonoma-Kunde Vineyard" Merlot ($18) Five gold medals already, with many of this seasons competitions yet to come. Concentrated, very intensely flavored dark cherry fruit. A serious mouthful of red wine, but at the same time round, soft, approachable and very user-friendly. French oak (40 percent brand new barrels) makes a significant statement with smoky, toasty, earthy complexity. Case purchases highly recommended. Rating: 96/86 Alderbrook has broad, but limited, distribution. That means you can find them in a few stores and restaurants in most major markets and states. To track down specific wines contact the winery directly: Alderbrook, 2306 Magnolia Dr., Healdsburg, CA 95448 (800) 655-3838 or e-mail: office@alderbrook.com MORE GOOD WINE NEWS According to a study published by the Virginia Academy of Science last month, wine may act to prevent breast cancer due to one of its components, trans-resveratol, acting as an anti-estrogenic compound, according to lead researcher Dr. Roy L. Williams. And yet another study showed red wine measured significantly higher than virtually all other beverages in total antioxidant content. This study was conducted by Dr. David Martin at Randox Laboratories, a company that developed a simple test for measuring antioxidant activity in foods and beverages. I'm not qualified to go into the technical details of these studies, but you can receive in-depth summaries of both by writing to: Wine Institute Health Issues, Vol 2, #12 & 13, 425 Market St. #1000, San Francisco, CA 94105. ISN'T IT STRANGE? I'm just back from three weeks traveling throughout Europe (9 countries) with my 16 year old granddaughter. It was her "Sweet 16" birthday present and my answer to the need for someone to help carry the bags. She was served wine and beer with meals everywhere we went, without question, something that would be quite impossible in our paranoid, "alcohol is a drug" society. I hasten to add that she never became intoxicated, but was able to enjoy the full pleasures of the table in a grown-up, serious atmosphere of family-supervised moderation. I have been traveling in Europe quite extensively for a quarter of a century and cannot recall a single occasion where I observed drunken teenagers misbehaving in public. I have seen many of them enjoying adult beverages in the company of their families in restaurants grand and ordinary (just as my granddaughter did). The difference is that Europe treats wine and all beverages containing alcohol as they were intended, as parts or extensions of the meal. Children are taught proper drinking etiquette in the home and that overindulgence is something shameful. Too bad we can't educate our children in such a manner...but of course it would not only be illegal, it would probably get us locked up and/or sued for child abuse. Not surprisingly, our Puritan ways will guarantee us at least one more generation of drink-to-get-drunk alcohol abusers. Wines are scored using a unique 100 point system. First number rates quality; second number rates value. HOME © 1997 JDM Enterprises. All Rights Reserved The Mead On Wine WebSite is designed, maintained and hosted by Wines on the Internet. Latest Update: June 28, 1997