© 1997 JDM Enterprises MONTEREY GROWS UPby Jerry D. MeadIn just about 30 days, I will begin my 30th year of writing this column. Most of the wine writers around 30 years ago (and there weren't many) have passed from the scene, either gone on to other endeavors, retired, or gone to that great vineyard in the sky. I guess I envied most the late Leon Adams, co-founder of Wine Institute at Repeal of Prohibition in 1933 and author of four editions of the definitive history of the American wine industry, The Wines of America (the last edition was finished when Adams was well into his 80s and is still available in paperback). Adams was a friend and mentor and there were two things I envied most about him. His ability tell a lot in a very few words went back to his background as a newspaper and wire service reporter. But what I envied the most were his memories. He had been there to witness the beginnings of the post-Prohibition American wine industry. He had seen it all. This week's column is not about Leon Adams, or even about me. But the above thoughts occurred to me as I started to write a review of a group of recently tasted Monterey County wines. You see, there was no Monterey wine industry when I started writing this column 30 years ago. Now I'm the old guy with all the memories, and I can tell old war stories about remembering when no vineyards to speak of existed south of Santa Clara and San Benito. That means no Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara or Temecula area wines. There was still a thriving industry around Cucamonga, just east of Los Angeles, though, and that's an area going through some revival. That's a rather lengthy introduction to a collection of Monterey tasting notes, and I should mention that Monterey isn't through growing. Both Kendall-Jackson and Robert Mondavi are building large wineries in the area and have invested extensively in vineyards there. Gallo has also increased its vineyard holdings in the area, and numerous independent growers are adding lots of acreage. Paraiso Springs 1996 "Reserve" Pinot Blanc ($22.50) A very pleasant wine, but overpriced. Forward melon and ripe apple fruit. Some oak, but it's not a major statement, and oak tends to be the name of the game for wines dubbed "Reserve." Tons of fruit, delicious flavors, and lingering aftertaste with spicy vanilla notes. Rating: 88/81 Chalone 1994 Pinot Blanc ($18) This is the big barrel-fermented style for which one doesn't mind pulling out a $20 bill. Lots of smoky-toasty French oak dominates the apple fruit to the point that some will suggest it is too woody. I think it's just fine and love the way the barrel flavors linger on the palate long after you've swallowed. Rating: 94/86 Wente 1995 "Riva Ranch Reserve" Chardonnay ($14) Wente's winery is in Livermore, but the family has extensive plantings in Monterey, and was in fact one of the pioneers in the region. Soft, appealing melon and tropical fruit, and fruit is the major statement, with enough wood to make it interesting. Rating: 89/86 Cloninger 1996 Chardonnay ($16) Ripe, earthy, minerally style with some not unpleasant herbaceous notes. This very stylistic wine will be loved or hated, with few lining up in between...which is where I'm at. But I find it sufficiently interesting to try it again to go for a decision. Rating: 88/84 Monterey Peninsula 1996 "Sleepy Hollow Reserve" Chardonnay ($17) I fell in love with this very stylistic wine and like the price as well. Very smoky from obviously heavy toast barrels. Ripe tropical flavors. This is a wine that is more about technique than fruit, but it's such lovely technique. Another love-hate wine. Rating: 97/88 Ventana 1996 "Gold Stripe" Chardonnay ($12) Straightforward melon and pear fruit. The fruit is so intense that it makes one wonder if a little Riesling or Gewurz, or some other grape, might not have been added to yield that very intense aroma. Apologies to winegrower Doug Meador if it's simply the intensity of his fruit. Very pleasant, but not very complex. Rating: 85/85 Morgan 1995 "Reserve" Chardonnay ($25) Another personal favorite. Toasty, barrel-fermented style, but with good underlying fruit preserved. Very smoky and complex flavors and after-flavors. Rating: 96/85 Pavona 1996 Pinot Noir ($18) Smoky tea leaf complexity on dark cherry and plum flavors. Some faded rose in the aftertaste. Very enjoyable now, but will be even better with a few years bottle age. Rating: 93/88 Jekel 1994 Merlot ($22) Really big, chewy Merlot. Big, ripe black cherry fruit with slightly herbaceous undertones. Very long finish. Mouthfilling. Very satisfying red wine experience. Rating: 93/83 Scheid 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) Pleasant and seriously made red wine, but a somewhat weedy, herbaceous quality spoils the overall impression of blackberry fruit. Rating: 84/81 Galante 1994 "Red Rose Hill" Cabernet Sauvignon ($25) Blackberry fruit with a bacon-rind smoky quality and earthy complexity. Medium to full bodied. Will improve for a decade. Like the wine very much. Don't like the dull, very busy label. Rating: 91/84
BEST BUY WINE OF THE WEEKSome of the wines reviewed above have reasonably good national distribution. Others are from smaller producers and will be more difficult to find. To track down a specific wine call (800) 845-9463 and someone in my office will help you. Wines are scored using a unique 100 point system. First number rates quality; second number rates value.
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