Ever notice that Christmas seems to come upon us earlier every year?  Used to be, it started the day after Thanksgiving, but now, some of hear jingle bells as early as October (and others of us hear them all the time).

 Well, the Southwest Florida Wine and Food Fest is a lot like that.  Two years ago, we started planning in October.  Last year, it was August.  But today, June 10, we had our first wine committee meeting of the year.  Already.

 Fortunately, a lot of great people have offered to help with the task this year:  Dan Creighton, Elaine Hawkins, Kristen Palazzo, and Nikki Sidebottom are with us, and my wine buddy Marshall Hanno came to the meeting already having put a great deal of thought into our plans.  He even printed up handouts.

 The main topic of conversation was how can we make the experience of the wines and the cuisine even better in February 2011.  Kristen and Nikki, who are sales representatives with major distributors in the area, had some ideas about which vintners may be interested in participating, and which might return from last year.  Of course, many of those decisions are related to the Friday night dinner plans, and the invited chefs.  So today’s meeting was very Big Picture.

 However (and this is one of my favorite parts), we are already beginning to select wines for the Grand Tasting, and are receiving attractive offers from the distributors.  So we’re making progress in several areas.

 Through the summers, we’ll probably meet with the chef/dinner committee and the wine committee at least once a month, so watch for updates right here.

 Cheers.

Back around the early 1960s there was a standup comic named Shelley Berman.  He used to do these telephone conversation monologues, a comedy format that was later furthered by Bob Newhart before his television days.

Anyway, Berman did a routine called “The morning after the night before,” in which a seriously hung over man calls up a friend whose party he had attended the previous evening, and discovers all the hilarious things he did while in a painless state of mind.

This isn’t like that.  Yes, it’s sort of the “morning after” the Wine Fest, and it’s pretty hilarious, but our memories are perfect, and very gratifying.  I’ve just been through some of the event photos, and all I could do was smile…at the fun everyone had, their generosity, and the overall high spirits which weren’t dampened in the least by the unfortunate rainfall. Fortunately, we had a tent, and I suppose we can overlook the fact that we all wound up with squishy footwear.

During the revelry, it’s easy to forget all the work that goes in to putting on an event of this caliber.  Dozens of people, dozens of meetings, and literally thousands of emails and phone calls.  We really did start preparing for it in April of 2009, and I’m sure that in April of 2010, we’ll start figuring out how to top it next year.  In fact, we already have a debriefing meeting set up for mid-March.  We’re pretty sure we avoided many of the mistakes we made last year.  We just made some new ones.

Although I try to avoid clichés, all I can say is that it was “all good.”  The auction lots attracted considerable attention (and many raised paddles), the vintners put out the good stuff, the guest chefs brought in a lot of awesome eats.  And the dessert spread Norman Love and Keegan Gearhard set up….well, over the top is hardly a sufficient description.

My cousins David and Caroline came down from New York especially for the event, and were more impressed than I could have hoped for.  They’re already planning to come back next year and bring friends.

So as of now, all the heavy boxes of wine are out of my office, out of my cellar, fading into dim and distant memory.  I’m glad to be rid of them, and even gladder that all of you were able to enjoy them.

Chris Tilley (L, Pauline Tilley, Caroline Levy, Debi Greenfield (standing)

This year was amazing.  The level of generosity and support was amazing.  But, in the immortal words of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

You might call this post “Crazy Time in the Cellar Part 2,” because we’re at the place in the Wine Fest Preparations where the ceilings come down, and the walls start closing in.  Fortunately (for me, anyway) I can look at all the cases of wine and have a pretty good idea what to do.  The big crunch now is making sure all the reservations (and payments) have been received for the dinners.

You have no idea how glad I am that it isn’t my job.  The task is in the extremely capable hands of Ester Lee Machiz, who has turned out to be something of a poster girl for our event.  That’s her fabulous blonde excitement you see in all the ads for the SWFLWFF, arms upraised, fists clenched, smile dazzling.  It seems to be the photo that all the news media throw in when they do a writeup about us, and Ester is kind of sick of seeing it.  But around here the shot is more famous than the iconic photo of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima.

Ester sits at a desk (the way I imagine it) with her glasses at the tip of her nose, leafing through hundreds of RSVP cards and (hopefully) checks, poking the keys on her calculator, sorting out who is going to which dinner, which homes are filled, and which will have room for guests coming in from far away, such as my cousins David and Caroline, who need to eat, too.

Then she has the less than enviable task of coordinating all this with the generous dinner hosts, who update her regularly about the guest counts, which are as variable from day to day as the tides or the inconstant moon.  I’m glad I handle the wine.  She doesn’t get to drink the invitations.

It all works out in the end.  Over the next few days she’ll have all the paperwork filed in individual folders, if she doesn’t already, and she’ll know who has paid and who goes hungry.  I’ll be sorting the wines into boxes, labeling some that are destined for the Friday night dinners, others for the Grand Tasting, and still others that will be won at auction by fortunate bidders.

I’m thinking of giving up my gym membership.  Hauling around these boxes is enough of a workout.  As I was writing this, Nikki Sidebottom from Republic National showed up with Piper Heidsieck’s very generous donation of nine cases of bubbly, which will be served as the reception wine at all the Friday night dinners.  She did not, however, bring a handtruck.  We got a workout.

Here’s another story of a family that followed a dream, went to California, crushed some grapes, and made good.  Ray Duncan wasn’t exactly tired of his gas and oil exploration business in Denver, but he let himself fall in love with the beauty of Napa Valley.  (Then again, who doesn’t?)  He didn’t know it, but he picked the perfect time to start making wine in the area, and you’ll see why in a second.  After looking around the valley for several years in the late 1960s, he offered Justin Meyer the opportunity to plant and manage his vineyards.  At the time, Justin was winemaker at the Christian Brothers.  Remember them?

Ray Duncan & Justin Meyer

Unlike many California wineries, the two men decided not to produce a full selection of varietals, but rather to concentrate on making only Cabernet Sauvignon.  The name of the winery doesn’t have a thing to do with trees or precious metals.  They called it Silver Oak because it was located halfway between Oakville and the Silverado Trail.

Silver Oak winery & characteristic water tower

The first wine, the Alexander Valley Cabernet, debuted in 1972.  It took the pair over seven years to plant and harvest the fruit for their hallmark Napa Valley Cabernet.

As we all know, the Judgment of Paris in 1976 put California wines front and center on the international stage.  Wines such as Stags Leap, Clos du Val, Heitz Martha’s Vineyard and several others more than held their own when blind tasted against the First Growth Bordeaux.  (If you haven’t seen the movie Bottle Shock, rent it….the story is a bit romanticized, but the basic facts are correct.  The book, by George Taber, is a highly entertaining and completely accurate account of the whole affair).  The results of the competition created a worldwide sensation, and, since a rising tide lifts all boats, the Duncans benefited from the new international interest in high quality Cabernets from northern California, and from Napa in particular.

My favorite thing...9000+ gallons of Silver Oak cabernet

Everything went well for quite a while.  Ray Duncan, who originally committed himself to producing only Cabernet, caught a quite understandable itch to expand his wine horizon, and managed to do so a bit by accident.  He bought a vineyard in southeastern Napa intending to grow grapes for his Silver Oak labels, but discovered that the land was producing killer Merlot.  Not one to defy destiny, Ray established the Twomey winery (Twomey is his middle name), expanded it with acquisitions in Russian River and elsewhere, and now offers Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir.

David, Kevin, Sally, Ray, Tim & Mike Duncan

Now for the sad news.  Disaster struck in 2006, when a garbage bin behind the Oakville winery caught fire in the middle of the night.  Long story short, just about the whole place was lost.  It took them over a year to rebuild a brand new facility, and the good news is it’s incredible.

Debi wanders around the winery

We’re grateful to Silver Oak for taking on the role of our Signature Vintner last year, and participating again in 2010.  Our representative at the dinner and Grand Tasting is Tom Johnson, who can best be described as Ambassador Emeritus for the winery.  I’ve spent some time with him, chatting here in Southwest Florida and at last year’s Wine Experience in New York.  He definitely has the personality for the job.  Be sure to introduce yourself at the Grand Tasting on February 27.  You’ll like Tom, and you’ll love what he pours.

I’m sure I’ve written in past ravings about how weird it is that the Wine Fest is so much upon us so quickly.  I really do remember last February’s weekend as if it were yesterday.  (Now, if I could only remember what happened yesterday…)

But gadzooks.  Egad.  And several other Elizabethan words of amazement.  It’s baaaaaaaack, and your Wine Fest committees are starting to experience a quickening of pace, a pounding of heart, a trembling of hands.  Suddenly, there’s a lot to do.

Carolyn Rogers, faithfully supported by the auction committee, has put the finishing touches on the Grand Tasting and Auction program and catalog…after having 12 different people suggest/recommend/demand changes over the last few weeks.  I hope Carolyn is sleeping better now, but I doubt it.

We’ve had a recent trustee gathering, where everyone gets updated on how far behind the eight ball we really are (not very), and another one is in the works for early February.  After that…it’s showtime, folks.  Our aspiration, as most of you know, is to raise at least $1,000,000 for the Children’s Hospital and other children’s charities in Southwest Florida. 

We also have one more sit-down with Jerry Shmoyer, Glyn Williamson, and their incredible staff at Miromar Lakes.  Discuss the layout of the tables, where’s all the ice coming from, how many of this will we need, and how much of that.  Fortunately, we’ve done this before, been stung by and learned from our mistakes.  In theory, we should do better this year.  In practice, there is simply no question about it.  The auction lots are awesome, up at least a notch or three over last year.  (Would you like a few nights in a luxury castle in Tuscany?  Bid early and bid often).  The wine selection…well, let’s just say it’s a panorama of locations, styles, and varietals, and nobody will go thirsty.

 Speaking of the wine, it’s crazy time in the cellar.  Now that the auction lots are finalized, Marshall Hanno is supervising me in sorting through the hundreds (and hundreds) of bottles we’ve acquired through purchase and donation, figure out which ones belong to which distributors, which ones are part of auction lots, and which ones we’ll actually get to drink.  He’s the detail guy.  Fortunately, I have some other assistance in this task.  The assistance of an excellent bottle of Beringer Private Reserve 1997.

Then, of course, there are the cases and cases that have to find their way to the individual host homes for the Friday night dinners.  That part is fun, too.  It’s why they invented hand trucks, dollies, and other things with wheels.  Finer wines come in heavier bottles, and we drag them all over Southwest Florida just before the dinners.  If you want to volunteer to help, now’s the time.  Strong backs and weak minds welcome. 

Oh, yes…I almost forgot.  There are all the dinners to arrange…keeping up with the host couples, putting out last minute fires, accounting for the reservations at each home.  The dinner invitations have been mailed out, and very soon about 350-400 responses will come pouring in.  It’s why they invented Ester Lee Machiz.  One of the reasons, anyway.

I’m sure there’s a bunch of other stuff, too, but I’m too wired to think of it right now.  Further updates to come.  The closer we get to Feb. 27, the less coherent they will be.

Even though they’ve been making wine in Argentina for a very long time, the history of the vine in that country has been a troubled one.  When I teach my class on Argentina and Chile, I tell attendees that the topic is more about politics and economics than winemaking.

We’ve all seen Evita, and even though the show takes some liberties with historical reality, there’s no questioning that Argentina has had its share of political upheaval during most of the 20^th century.  Governmental instability means no foreign investment, which means no French or American winemakers coming to the country to develop and promote its obvious viticultural advantages.  But next door in comparatively-less-turbulent Chile?  Big difference.  They were miles ahead.  Not any more.

Here’s a surprise.  Argentina is the 5^th largest grower of wine grapes in the world.  There are more vines down there than in all of Australia and New Zealand combined.  And they’ve been planting them since the mid 1800s, when French growers brought in cuttings from Bordeaux and mostly from Cahors.  As it happens Cahors is the home of the Malbec grape, and what Cabernet is to Napa, Malbec is to most of Argentina.

Before its rise to international regard over the past 20 years, most of the wine produced in Argentina was for local consumption.  Since there’s an abundance of irrigation water flowing down from the Andes, the growers went for quantity over quality, pulling 9-10 tons an acre off the vines, making watery, weak bulk wine, and selling it in cardboard cartons.

That was then.  This is now, and we can thank people like the Catena family for that.

Nicolas and Laura Catena

Nicola Catena came ashore in Argentina from Italy in 1898 and planted his first vineyard in the Mendoza region in 1902.  Time went on.  Nicola’s son Domingo took over, and became one of the largest vineyard holders in the area.

Then came the problems.  Inflation.  Revolution.  Economic collapse.  Meanwhile, Domingo’s son Nicolás had earned his PhD in economics and taken over the vineyards in the mid 1960s.  Nobody who has a doctorate in economics wants to live in a society that suffers from 1000% inflation, or under a government that does wacky things like declare war on England.  He left the family business and went to teach in a calmer, more level-headed place.  The University of California at Berkeley.  In the late 1960s.

Catena vineyards. Nice background

Good move, because California wine country was just up the road, and Nicolás and his wife Elena took advantage of the opportunity (to say the least) and pretty much sampled their way through the whole area.  This, incidentally, was just at the time when California wine was beginning to make a serious (and well-deserved) impact on the international wine world.  Inspired, the Catenas returned home.

Fast forward.  Today, Nicolás’ vineyards in Mendoza, some of them at elevations of almost 5,000 feet, are producing wines that routinely receive classic scores from critics like Robert Parker.  I’ve mentioned before in these writings that people come to winemaking from all sorts of weird directions, and Nicolás’ daughter Laura is a poster child for that observation.  She studied to be an emergency room physician, and earned degrees from Harvard and Stanford, but today she does what we all want to do.  She makes killer Malbec, and other wines as well.

There’s a lot to it.  Precise vineyard management, hand pruning, resisting the urge to use all the runoff from the Andes for irrigation, leaf thinning, hand harvesting, and all the rest.  Hey, if it were easy, we’d all be doing it.

Watering the grapes...but not much

The work of Nicolás and Laura earned him recognition as Man of the Year in 2009 from Decanter magazine, and their 2007 Malbec was recognized as one of the Top 100 Wines of the Year by Wine Spectator.  Speaking of which, the magazine’s critic James Molesworth, in a December 15, 2009 article on Argentine Malbecs, rated six of Catena Zapata’s wines in the top eleven….all 93-plus points out of 100.

In the tasting room -- the fun part

Obviously, they’re doing something right.

Sometimes, wine people find themselves in a strange new part of the world.  They look around.  They regard the ground at their feet.  They sense the air and temperature.  And they say to themselves (or to whoever happens to be close by), “Wouldn’t this be a great place to grow (insert grape name here).”

The Tablas Creek Winery

That’s exactly what happened to Francois and Jean-Pierre Perrin, best known for their landmark Château de Beaucastel winery in the southern Rhône.  Along with Robert Haas, the founder of Vineyard Brands, they stood on some ground in west Paso Robles and regarded the limestone in the soil.  They studied the temperature variations and rainfall numbers in that place about 11 miles from the Pacific and concluded that it would be a jolly dandy place to plant Rhône varietals and produce Châteauneuf du Pape style wines.  So they set about doing just that.  It took years.

The Vineyard

First, they named the place Tablas Creek, for the small stream that runs through the property.  They imported vines from their French estate, and, after waiting through a three-year agricultural quarantine, they planted a wide selection of the varietals used in their heritage red and white Rhône blends.  It so happens that in Châteauneuf du Pape, winemakers can legally use up to 13 different grapes in the traditional blend.  (I memorized them once, but then I got a life).  So the Perrins showed up in Paso Robles and started to plant their 120 acres with Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvedre, Picpoul, Counoise, Roussanne, Marsanne, and the other obscure varietals so important to the historic CNDP recipes.  Since 1997, they’ve been fermenting with native yeasts, blending their brains out, producing truly traditional red and white blends under the name of Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel.  By 2010, almost all the land will be under vine, and it’s all certified organic.

Wine Spectator #50 Wine of the Year

Aside from perhaps Champagne, Châteauneuf du Pape is one of the most complex wines to produce.  While 13 varietals are legally permitted, most winemakers don’t use them all.  But even so, you’re growing at least five or six kinds of red grapes, and another 5 or 6 whites, harvesting them and vinifying them separately, then blending and aging them for a year or more.  It’s work.

This whole blending thing sort of divides the wine world into two camps:  those who do it and those who don’t.  Many winemakers are justifiably proud of their “100% Cabernet Sauvignon” or 100% this or that, and many of them are fabulous…authentic expressions of a classic grape.  But we all know the kind of miracles blending can produce when the people down there in Margaux or Pauillac throw together some Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, and maybe a little Malbec.  Châteauneuf du Pape is like that.

Hand harvesting

In fact, I had a kind of blending epiphany a few years back at a seminar with Ed Sbragia of Beringer.  We tasted through the five single-vineyard wines he uses in making Beringer Private Reserve, then tasted the final product.  Boing!  There were flavors in the blend that did not appear in any of the individual wines.  Some kind of synergy happens in the blending process, and the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.

That’s what Tablas Creek does.  For them, blending creates balance, complexity, richness, and a whole bunch of other very desirable characteristics.  It also produces wines that pair well with a wide variety of foods.

So, at the Grand Tasting, you’ll have the opportunity to sample a bit of French tradition (and winemaking expertise) in some uniquely American red and white wines.  Just come to the Tablas Creek table and hold out your glass.

I took on the Wine Director job to become involved in a very worthwhile charitable endeavor.  When it comes to sick kids, we should all do as much as we can.  That goes for helpless animals, too.  But I have a confession to make.

As Spiderman never said, with great responsibility comes great opportunity.  One of my favorite things, and it happens right around now, is to join our participating chefs in tasting through the wines that will be served with the Friday night dinners.  A few days ago, I enjoyed doing just that with Chef Jeffrey Lucas of Ruth’s Chris Steak House.  Lucky for us, the wines we were tasting came from Honig Vineyards.

Mike & Stephanie Honig

Mike Honig was kind enough to send us, among other things, his Bartolucci Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  Jeffrey and I were already four bottles into the sampling and dinner discussion when we opened this particular bottle, and it stopped us cold.  Our eyes widened.  We stared at each other, at our glasses, at the bottle.  We giggled.

Bartolucci Vineyard Cabernet

Many of the vintners I’ve written about in these blogs are environmentally involved and go about their grapegrowing in sustainable ways.  Well, you can put the Honigs on the list.  In fact, they’ve devoted valuable vineyard space to an array of solar panels, so the sunpower gets into the grapes and into the electrical system all at the same time.

Honig uses this type of solar panel

The processes involved in organic and biodynamic farming are pretty clearly defined and detailed.  You don’t use pesticides or herbicides.  You meet certain criteria and get officially certified.  Sustainability…well, that’s a bit more slippery.  According to Mike Honig, it means “running the winery in a way that promotes the health and wellbeing of the planet, the employees, and the business.”  Each decision they make is based on the potential impact in all these areas.

The problem lies in trying to do a couple of things at once:  become economically prosperous while preserving the environment.  We all know how mutually exclusive those goals can be.  It’s why the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland back in 1969.

The grapes of Honig. Well, some of them.

Still, winemakers such as the Honigs work hard to resolve the conflict.  And in doing so, make wines that embody their skill, their concern, and their heart.

Mike started at age 22, when he took over management of his family’s winery, selling his wines around San Francisco from the back of his Subaru.  The rest, as they say, is history.

He’s now aided and abetted by his winemaker sister Kristen, whose own wine career began when she rode around Napa watching her parents taste wines at the (very) few wineries that were open at the time.  Later at UC Davis, she wandered away from her biochemistry studies due to the irresistible allure of the wine program.  The rest is….well, you know.

Kristen Honig Belair

We’re delighted to welcome the Honigs at the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest.  You’re gonna love ‘em.

Considering the fact that the winegrowing regions of the world are major tourist attractions, it seems kind of strange that any area would not want to officially encourage it.  After all, nobody grows wine grapes in ugly places, and there are tons of relatively affluent, extremely thirsty travelers who flock to Bordeaux, Napa, Tuscany, and similar alluring locales.

Well, the people up in Oregon don’t think like that.  At least they didn’t, until fairly recently.

Pioneers like David Lett and Dick and Nancy Ponzi spearheaded the growing of Pinot Noir in the state, but at the time, the lawmakers in Salem considered agricultural land to be just that, and commercial property to be a whole ‘nother thing.  The twain never met, zoningwise.  If you had farmland, you couldn’t put commercials buildings on it.  No wineries, no tasting rooms, no gift shops.

Dick and Nancy Ponzi

Fortunately, the Ponzis, among a few other courageous souls, lobbied the legislature to revise the laws, and while they were at it, also pushed through strict labeling requirements to protect product quality and consumer confidence.  It took a while, but they succeeded.

That was in the early 1970s.  Flash forward to the present, when the Willamette Valley (along with the Rogue, Umpqua and other regions) are turning out some of the finest Pinots anywhere, and welcoming hordes of parched patrons like you and me into their hospitality centers.  Thank you, David and Nancy.

The Ponzi Winery

As I’ve mentioned previously in these articles, people who run off to make wine come from surprisingly diverse backgrounds.  Fortunately, Dick Ponzi had been a mechanical engineer before attempting to make a small fortune in the wine business by starting with a large one.  His abilities led him to develop techniques and equipment that have become standard in the overall industry.

Now led by the next generation, the Ponzi Family winery is, like many other friends of the earth, practicing strictly sustainable farming practices, and working to preserve the charm and the products of Willamette Valley.  In fact, the estate vineyards are LIVE Certified Sustainable, the world’s highest standard for sustainable viticulture.

About that next generation.  Winemaker Luisa Ponzi enjoyed a graduate education that anyone would envy:  an apprentice gig in Beaune, followed by another with the famed Vietti vineyards in Piedmont.  It’s that Burgundian soul that gives Ponzi’s Pinot Noirs the elegance we all enjoy.

Luisa Ponzi

With a college major in Italian and a degree in music, Michael Ponzi isn’t the first person you’d think of when hiring a vineyard manager, but guess what.  Studying in France and Italy gave him the foundation he needed to direct the operations of the company, which he does, along with composing, making music, and being a general Renaissance man.

Luisa, Michael, and Maria

Maria Ponzi Fogelstrom is the family member you’ll meet at the Grand Tasting and Auction.  She’s the adventurous one, having pulled stunts like going backpacking in Borneo and who knows what else.  As the well-traveled ambassador for the family’s wines, she joined us last year and charmed the socks off of everyone.  She’ll do it again.

The Ponzis have met the challenge of growing Pinot Noir, also know as the “heartbreak grape,” in an area where everyone said it couldn’t be done.  That would be enough of an accomplishment for most of us, but they persist in expanding their ampellographic horizons (and ours) by cultivating not only Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc, but a bit of Riesling as well, and rare Italian varietals like Arneis and Dolcetto.  And let’s not forget their Muscat-based dessert wine, Vino Gelato.  (How can you resist something called “ice cream wine?”).

Ponzi winery

Out of all that, what will Maria be pouring?  At this writing, that’s still TBD, but, if she brings anything like she did this past February, you won’t be disappointed.

If there’s one thing fine winemakers understand, it’s the relationship between humans, the grapes, and the land.  After all, fine wine starts with the fruit, and if you don’t respect where and how it’s grown, you might as well seek alternative employment.

This respect for the land, the soil, the entire ecological structure, runs throughout the winemaking world, and is well exemplified by Peter Heitz and the rest of the crew at Turnbull.  (Yes, Peter will be pouring at the Grand Tasting).

Some of the Turnbull estate vineyards

First of all, Peter has himself several great slices of land, some right in the middle of Oakville, which is right in the middle of Napa Valley, and others a bit up the road in Calistoga.  All Turnbull wines are produced from their 200 acres of estate fruit.  And everything is about as ecological and sustainable as you can get.

In caring for the soil and the earth in general, farmers and winemakers can be forgiven if they don’t pay as much attention to what’s going on above their vineyards, and to the sides.  Turnbull takes the panoramic view.

More Turnbull grapes

In addition to composting all the pomace (the grape skins and seeds left after fermentation) and putting it back on the ground, they don’t fence off their vineyards, so that native wildlife can move freely around the valley.  This is a great idea, except for the coyotes, who, characteristically, are not quite with the program.

Coyotes don’t care much for grapes, but they do like to refresh themselves by munching on the drip irrigation lines that run along the bottom of the vine trellises.  Turnbull solves this problem by building watering stations and hand filling them so that coyotes and other native wildlife are encouraged to be fruitful and multiply.

The people who do the work

And in these days of raging healthcare debate, Turnbull gives their vineyard crew permanent employment, providing full medical coverage for them and their families.

They do a lot more, but we’d be here all day.  On to the wines.

Turnbull farms five ranches in Oakville and Calistoga and takes utmost advantage of the unique characteristics provided by the fruit grown on each of them.  They’re into a bunch of varietals, too, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as a few exotics such as Malbec, Barbera, Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, and Viognier.

Turnbull photo art gallery

The trick, according to Peter Heitz, is to capture the nuances of flavor, acidity, tannin, and aroma that each of the sites provides, and not “overpower them with heavy-handed winemaking techniques.”  You can find out how well he succeeds by joining us at the Grand Tasting and Auction in February.

“Above all,” he says, “it’s the land.”

And all those who inhabit it, large and small.