| |
  Lots of Sparkle Each year, attendance at the annual meeting of the Wine Library Associates of Sonoma County grows. Part of the attraction is the site. For the past several years, the Associates have held their meeting at the spectacular Paradise Ridge Winery high above the Santa Rosa Plain. Another draw is the exploration of a special wine through a panel discussion and a tasting. This year, the choice was "Spirits of Sparkling Wine." After the formalities of year-end reports and election of officers for the new term concluded, moderator Tom Simoneau, "The Wine Guy" on KSRO, introduced the panel members. Participants were Ted Stier from Gloria Ferrer Champagne Cellars; winemaker David Munksgard, Iron Horse Ranch & Vineyard; "J" Winery's associate winemaker, Darrin Low; Paul Ahvenainen, winemaker, Korbel Champagne Cellars, and sparkling wine consultant Brian Davison of Paradise Ridge Winery. Ted led off the discussion quickly establishing his credentials as a tour guide, not a winemaker. He did state, however, that he knew a lot about champagne having started at Gloria Ferrer, owned by Frexinet S.A., in 1986 when the first champagne was produced under the Ferrer label. "The Ferrer family picked the area just south of Sonoma on Highway 121 because the soil and climate were well-suited for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for making champagne," he explained. "In 1984 the family planted 200 acres of grapes and although the first wines were made from purchased grapes, now almost all of the production is estate grown. The largest portion of production is Sonoma Brut, originally called Emerald Cuvee." Gloria Ferrer makes four different sparkling wines: Sonoma Brut, which spends two to three years on the yeast; Blanc de Noir, which is 92% Pinot Noir and 8% Chardonnay; the Royal Cuvee, which spends five years on the yeast, and the Late Disgorged Carneros Cuvee. Recently a Brut Rosé was added to the line, and for the last seven years, Gloria Ferrer has also been offering two still wines: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Ted concluded by quoting an old adage, "When you serve champagne, you are serving a smile," and invited the audience to enjoy some smiles at the tasting which would follow the talks. David Munksgard said he had been making sparkling wines since his college days, and began his professional career at Chateau St. Jean in 1980 arriving to take the post of winemaker at Iron Horse in 1996. The first Iron Horse wines were made by Forrest Tancer, who was vineyard manager of the ranch when Barry and Audrey Sterling bought the property in 1976. Three years later, Forest and the Sterling family formed a partnership to build the winery at Iron Horse. "Six sparkling wines make up about half of the production," says David. " The other half consists of estate-grown Chardonnay, Fumé Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. We also produce some special cuvees. One of the most recent is the White House Cuvee, which gets its name from the simple fact that it is served at the White House." "The first 'J' sparkling wine," commented Darrin Low, "was made as an experiment by Judy Jordan and her father, Tom, in the back end of the Jordan Winery in Alexander Valley. Early vintages were made from grapes purchased from other Sonoma County Appellations, as well as Monterey County and Oregon, but Judy soon discovered that grapes grown in the Russian River Valley made the best wine. Now 'J' has 250 acres of vineyards in the Russian River Valley, planted on seven sites, with 14 clones of Pinot Noir and four clones of Chardonnay on seven different rootstocks." Like all the others 'J' also produces still wines: a Pinot Noir and a Pinot Gris, in addition to the crisp and fruity 'J' Brut. The big news is that the 'J' visitors center is now open, daily, from 11:00 a m to 5:00 p m at 11447 Old Redwood Highway, where Eastside Road comes in. Tasting fees range from $3.00 to $8.00, depending on which wines are tasted. All the wines are accompanied by food creations designed to complement the flavors in the wines.
| |
|
