Diary of a Mad Winemaker in Southern California

I’m posting this, head spinning and jet-lagged in Athens with my family on spring break, just back from the Napa Valley Vintners Taste Southern California blitz. We poured wine for folks in the wine trade, consumers and journalists. We paired our wines with delicious food at wine dinners. We shared our passion, knowledge and enthusiasm at seminars. It was an opportunity to share a little bit of ourselves.

My trip started Sunday afternoon with a consumer tasting at Wally’s, a long-time Napa Valley supporter. I arrived a bit late and slightly frazzled after wading through snarled traffic dodging the Los Angeles Marathon. We were slammed with knowledgeable, engaged consumers eager to taste the amazing diversity that is Napa Valley wines. Up the street for a an early dinner of marvelous sushi at Sushi Masu, 1911 Westwood Blvd., whipped up by the chef/owner himself.

The trade tasting on Monday was held at the Napa Valley Grille in Westwood and I had the great fortune to be pouring outside on a perfect spring day; the sun came in and out of the clouds and there was a refreshing breeze. I connected with many old friends in the trade and made several new ones. It was also a chance to meet several of the reps for my new broker, Monterey Bay Wine Company. After the tasting I attended a press reception at the W Hotel where a few wineries had a chance to show their wines and chat with several journalists. Among them was a correspondent for Le Monde in Paris who is researching an article on women winemakers. She was surprised to learn that there are so many women involved in the wine business in Napa. Next a mad dash to Julie Brosterman’s house for dinner with an engaging group of women in the wine and food business, including retailers, sommeliers, journalists and bloggers. A testament to social media, I met Julie (Women and Wine, womenwine.com and Wine Valet, a wine shop) on twitter (!).

I had most of Tuesday free of Vintner events so I worked all day with reps from Monterey Bay Wine Company, calling on accounts that had not been able to make it to the trade tasting. Then down to El Segundo that evening to pour with several vintner friends at an event at Flemings for their Magnum Club.

Wednesday started with the long drive down the 405 to Orange County for another trade tasting, this time at the Fairmont in Newport Beach. The tasting was well attended and a great chance to see old friends and meet new potential accounts. Before the tasting I was on a seminar panel with Shari Staglin, Janet Viader and Gary Lipp of Coho. We presented an abridged version of Napa Valley Rocks, a very informative PowerPoint presentation covering climate, the geology of our soils and history, followed by a tasting of each winery's current wine paired with a library selection. It’s always edifying to do a vertical tasting as it gives us so much to talk about including style, terroir and the evolution of wine in the bottle. The trade tasting was followed by another tasting for the Fairmont Presidents Club. Luckily the Fairmont is virtually across the street from the airport as I had an evening flight home. Sad to miss the San Diego leg of the Vintner tour but excited to rendezvous with my family for a long-anticipated spring-break visit to Crete over orthodox Easter.

Phew! Just writing this makes me tired. Looking back, the most remarkable and rewarding thing about the trip was the genuine cooperation and camaraderie among vintners. We get so much more done together.

Cathy Corison

Corison Winery

Auction Napa Valley 2010 - Tickets go on sale March 31st!

Although it's only March, Auction Napa Valley (June 4-5) is right around the corner! Mark your calendar for March 31st, when tickets will go on sale at 8am at www.napavintners.com. In the meantime, check out this great video that captures the weekend's excitement!

A wine list for SoCal Napa wine lovers

We're headed to Southern California next week and on our quest down South, we've come across many Napa Valley wine lovers. Neale Aslett, Director of Wine at Nick and Stef's restaurant in Los Angeles, definitely fits the bill. The wine list at Nick and Stef's features some amazing Napa wines, from a 1998 Heitz Cellars "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon to a 2006 Araujo "Eisele Vineyard" Sauvignon Blanc. Read on to learn more about Nick's passion for vino - and visit Nick & Stef's for a glass of your favorite Napa Valley wine!

1. How did you first get interested in wine?

I Lived in Australia in '86 & was amazed at the quality of their Chard and Shiraz.

2. What do you love most about your job?

Walking the vineyard with winemakers and experiencing their passion.

3. What is your favorite food and Napa Valley wine combination?

It is usually something quite mundane-sitting on the patio of a winery, and eating a salad or sandwich with a selection of wines. One of my best experiences was a visit with Florencia Palmaz, her mother Amalia made empanadas and we sat for hours watching the sun set.

4. You just won an overnight trip to Napa Valley - all expenses paid. What does your itinerary look like?

My trips are always "all expenses paid!" Ha. Seriously though, it would involve watching the sun rise in Peju's Persephone Vineyard, lunch with Sterling's Alison Crary looking south into the Valley and a Fellini-like afternoon picnic with my Napa friends on the front lawn of St. Supery.

5. What do you think is the most under-rated or under-appreciated wine in Napa Valley?

That is a tricky one, maybe Juslyn Winery's "Perry's Blend" or Kapscandy 2004 Cab-Merlot blend.

SoCal or Bust!

Image credit: Legends of America Postcards

The Napa Valley Vintners are headed to Southern California! We'll be taking "SoCal" by storm starting this Sunday, March 21st (click here for the full "Taste Napa Valley - Southern California" itinerary). Consumer events, trade tastings, wine specials in restaurants - LA, the OC and San Diego are about to be immersed in all things Napa Valley!

In celebration of our friends down South, over the next two weeks our blog will feature SoCal lovers of Napa Valley wine. Today, we start our "5 Questions" series with Maurice DiMarino, the Wine Director/Manager of Island Prime Restaurant in San Diego - visit Maurice at Island Prime and enjoy a glass of Napa Valley wine!

1. How did you first get interested in wine?

When I was about 11 or 12 years old, I remember my mom drinking Stag’s Leap Chardonnay. So much later, when I was working in San Francisco as a waiter; I wanted to try the Chardonnay. I decided to take a girlfriend there and kind of show off what I knew about Stag’s Leap. Boy was I was baffled when I arrived at Stags’ Leap Winery. The bottle looked nothing like my mom’s. I was told by the tasting attendant that I was at the wrong winery; man, did I get mud on my face. I realized at that point, that I obviously needed to learn more about wine. To this day I still keep Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Chardonnay on my wine list in tribute to my mom.

2. What do you love most about your job?

I love the fact that wine is brought to me to be evaluated and in turn I share my new finds with our staff and guests. Wine is about sharing and coming together. When people come to celebrate special occasions and have an experience in dining, I get to take part in creating new memories and being part of their experience.

3. What is your favorite food and Napa Valley wine combination?

My favorite dish is simple. A center cut rib-eye with morel mushrooms cooked in cream and truffles, finished with a red wine demiglaze; paired with a Howell Mountain Cabernet, something with acidity and structure.

4. You just won an overnight trip to Napa Valley - all expenses paid. What does your itinerary look like?

Relax, take it easy, and take advantage of not having the kids around! It‘d be simple, no itinerary! May be a trip up Diamond Mountain getting lost and seeing what I’d stumble across. Of course, restaurant hopping; which would have to include foie gras trochon at Bouchon, pigs feet at Bistro Jeanty, and the rest it really doesn’t matter.

5. What do you think is the most under-rated or under-appreciated wine in Napa Valley?

I don’t know if there is a particular winery, but I think that the wines from “Wild Horse Valley” are wines to be on the look out for.

Here Comes the Sun...

After a hail storm yesterday and quite a chilly night, I'm looking forward to spending a few days in Southern California in a couple weeks for the NVV's "Taste Napa Valley" tour. With several events planned for both wine trade and consumers, we're really hitting all the marks and painting the town red!

Good-bye Howell Mountain!

Hello LA traffic!

I spent my morning making travel plans - reserving plane tickets and renting a car to scoot around LA, Orange County and San Diego. (Anyone need to carpool?) I sent out a dozen or so personal invites for the trade tasting to the restaurants and wine shops which best support VIADER & DARE by Viader wines. I've counted every bottle needed and the NVV is collecting it all tomorrow. Have I forgotten anything? Hotel, maybe?

You can come taste wines with me too! I'll be participating in a few consumer tastings, including a wine dinner at Spago's Beverly Hills on Monday March 22nd, and "Nightlife Napa Valley" in Orange County on Wednesday March 24th.

Here's a photo from a tasting event last year:

Janet Viader & Alison Burger

Besides tastings, I will also be "teaching" at a couple wine education seminars. In the LA area, I was invited by Master Sommelier Elizabeth Schweitzer of "Wine, Wisdom and Wit" to speak to her class of wine enthusiasts on "Napa Night" on Tuesday, March 23rd. I'll be pairing up with another vintner, Barry Wiss of Trinchero Family Estates, to discuss Napa Valley's geography and various appellations, and also the important people and historic developments in our local wine industry. I have to credit the NVV for putting the great presentation together. They even gave it a nice whimsical name: "Napa Valley Rocks." I'm also bringing wines to taste from our single-vineyard DARE by Viader wines: Tempranillo from Chiles Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Helena.

Cin cin!
Janet Viader, sales & marketing at VIADER

Wine Sales Soar at Premiere Napa Valley

Premiere Napa Valley barrel tasting and auction, the American wine industry's most prestigious gathering for the wine trade, concluded the day Saturday, February 20, raising nearly $2 million. Bidders from across the country and around the globe purchased the 200 unique, crafted-only-for-this-auction offerings. The 2010 tally was nearly 30% stronger than 2009 and bested only twice in its 14-year history.

"The story, however, is not about the funds raised as being the benchmark of the Napa Valley wine industry's price stabilization in the current economy. It's about the confidence buyers for resale have in Napa Valley wines today, and the optimism and viability they feel about Napa Valley wines in the months and years ahead when these wines will be released for sale to consumers," said noted wine industry analyst Barbara Insel, of Stonebridge Research, who was at Saturday's event.

Read more about this year's Premiere Napa Valley.

See the new packaging coming to market

See photos from the wine trade gathering

Preparing for Premiere - Switchback Ridge and Robert Foley Vineyards

Kelly Peterson of Switchback Ridge and Bob Foley of Robert Foley Vineyards offer some insight on how they came up with this year's joint blend for Premiere Napa Valley.

See full description of the Premiere Napa Valley video series below ("Preparing for Premiere - Judd's Hill, Salvestrin & Schweiger).

Preparing for Premiere - Peju & Sullivan Vineyards

Sara Fowler of Peju and Phillipe Langner and Sean Sullivan of Sullivan Vineyards discovered their wines' compatibility on 'winematch.com.' Watch and learn how Peju wines' feminine qualities and Sullivan Vineyards wines' masculinity make for the perfect Premiere Napa Valley 'marriage in a bottle.' Stay tuned to the end, where the groups' creative juices take center stage - literally!

See full description of the Premiere Napa Valley video series below ("Preparing for Premiere - Judd's Hill, Salvestrin & Schweiger).

Precise & Professional Pruning Prior to Premiere

Precise pruning is a job for professionals. On my recent travels, I learned a lot about the various pruning methods. In Rioja, 100 year-old Tempranillo vines are shaped into "Gobelet" training systems, in Burgundy they favor "Single Guyot" for their Pinot Noir, and Bordeaux is a mix of Guyot, and "Bilateral-Cordon" which you traditionally see in Napa Valley and on our estate.

Yesterday at VIADER, we finally took to the vineyards and started pruning with an army of about 15 men. Pruning is an essential part in the management of vines, and has very specific timing needs. I'm not a viticulturalist, but I'll do my best to explain it the way I understand it. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!)

Typically, once the cold weather settles in after harvest, the vines lose their leaves, cease photosynthesis and go dormant for about 2-3 months. Unused energy in the form of carbohydrates from within the canes is slowly pulled down for storage in the trunk. These carbohydrates are later needed for bud-break and early canopy development. Pruning the dried canes as the weather warms up gives the young buds the extra push to break through and pull that energy into life.

Each bud, like our estate Syrah vine pictured here, will produce a shoot that may have 1-2 grape clusters, so pruning is important for gauging and controlling future yields for that harvest year.

My brother Alan commented, "This is when you create and set the balance for the rest of the year." We'll have a better idea of yield as we get closer to bloom, usually in late March. There's still more fun to come beforehand, so stay tuned!

All the best,

Janet Viader

sales & marketing @ VIADER

Preparing for Premiere - Ghost Block & Markham Vineyards

Andy Hoxsey of Ghost Block and Bryan Del Bondio of Markham Vineyards discuss their wine blend for this year's Premiere Napa Valley and their shared family history.

See full description of this week's Premiere Napa Valley video series below ("Preparing for Premiere - Judd's Hill, Salvestrin & Schweiger).

Preparing for Premiere - Judd's Hill, Salvestrin & Schweiger

With Premiere Napa Valley right around the corner, vintners have been hard at work perfecting their blends for the wine industry's hottest ticket for wine retailers, wholesalers, restaurateurs and media.

Over the last month, we have followed the stories of the nine wineries that are developing this year's collaborative blends - these partnerships are crafting one-of-a-kind wines that will be available nowhere other than through those savvy wine retailers & restaurateurs who purchase Premiere Napa Valley wines for their discriminating customers.

This year's collaborations are:

Judd's Hill, Salvestrin Winery & Schweiger Vineyards
Ghost Block & Markham Vineyards
Peju Winery & Sullivan Vineyards
Robert Foley Vineyards & Switchback Ridge

(Click here to see all of the videos).

Follow their stories over the next week as we post videos that offer an 'insiders view' into the people, techniques and winemaking philosophies that help make Premiere Napa Valley wines some of the most sought-after in the world. Today's video features Lot 15 - the blend created by Andy Schweiger, Judd Finkelstein, Kenn Vigoda (winemaker at Judd's Hill) & Rich Salvestrin.

Napa Valley Vintners Christen New Home at Historic Winery

In true Napa Valley style, the Napa Valley Vintners christened its new home with sparkling wine, toasts and well-wishes hosting nearly two hundred winery members assembled for the momentous occasion on Wednesday, January 20th. A mass fountain of bursting wine bubbles was sprayed on the new building by past presidents of the board of directors, past chairs of Premiere Napa Valley and past chairs of the building search committee in a loosely choreographed ceremony.

The past presidents and chairs were wearing brightly colored ribbons with keys attached around their necks to honor their efforts in bringing the new building to fruition. Much-needed rain fell all day, but the weather did not dampen the spirits of so many who had worked for nearly fifteen years to see this day come when the renowned group would finally have a permanent home for its day-to-day operations, as well as headquarters for its annual fundraiser, Auction Napa Valley.

NVV Board President Paula Kornell welcomed the members to their new home toasting the pioneering spirit of the Jackse Winery founder, "as a man who knew that Napa Valley wine belonged on the table even during Prohibition--and that sprit lives on here today."

Dan Duckhorn of Duckhorn Vineyards and the first chair of Premiere Napa Valley (PNV) in 1997, the NVVs trade-only barrel futures fundraiser, said, "We have been saving for this day for thirteen years and we should all be proud to call this place home." PNV, known as the association's annual "bake sale" has been raising funds for not only the building's construction, but for promotion and protection efforts of the Napa Valley appellation and its wines.

To read the full story, click here.
For more event photos, visit our photo gallery.

All Staff Meeting!

Our first meeting of the year we decided to have a little fun. My brother Alan opened a bottle each of our estate blends -- 2006 VIADER, 2006 "V," 2007 VIADER and 2007 "V." Our VIADER wines are blended with about 60-70% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, while our "V" features Petit Verdot, usually about 65% blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. However, our 2007 "V" blend has 92% Petit Verdot. I repeat, 92%! It's a labor of love to work with the challenging varietal of Petit Verdot, but it's so deliciously worth it! As you can see!

FYI, I'm off tomorrow to explore the wine regions of France and Spain, so you won't be hearing from me for a couple weeks.

A bientot! Hasta luego!

Janet

sales & marketing for VIADER

Handle with Care

After the nice holiday break it seems like there is no time to waste in the cellar! We have at least 2,500 cases of 2007 vintage wines that need to be hand-labeled by our dedicated team, headed by Blanca Avina, our Quality Control & Shipping Manager since 1996.

These rare beauties were just finished yesterday. Only five cases - 60 bottles! - of 2007 Petit Verdot from the VIADER estate were privately bottled for Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas, CA which purchased the lot at Premiere Napa Valley last year. This winter wine auction is attended exclusively by members of the wine industry (wine retailers, distributors, restaurant owners, etc.) to raise funds in order sustain the various outreach programs of our non-profit trade organization, the Napa Valley Vintners. During the event, all wines specially selected for this auction are tasted directly from barrel. Recent years have included up to 200 rare barrel selections from different Napa wineries offering 5, 10 or 20-case lots (Note: there are roughly 25 cases of 12/750ml bottles per barrel).

With the 2010 Premiere Napa Valley around the corner, we're in the planning stages for our Open House on the evening of 2/19, which is attended by people both in and out of the wine industry. Last year, we had fun and displayed a pirate theme in our Tasting Room, and this year we're hoping to get people excited about the "Roaring Twenties!" My brother Alan chose his favorite barrel of 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon to pour at Premiere. The 2008 vintage represents our 20th harvest on the VIADER estate, and we've chosen to offer the full pledge of 20-cases. (Alan's also turning 30 this year!! But don't tell him I told you...)

Sincerely,

Janet Viader

sales & marketing at VIADER

Blogging on a wet winter’s day!

In the spring and summer months the winemaking staff often envies the vineyard staff, working in the beautiful sunshiny days in the Napa Valley, but come January when it’s cold and rainy outside the cellar staff is pretty happy staying dry and warm; well relatively warm at 61 degrees F in our barrel room.

All the hype of harvest is just a blurry recollection and the less glamorous reality of the day to day work in the cellar continues. January is the time at the winery that we start the first rackings of all those marvelous wines we barreled down at the end of harvest and get a more tangible feel for the quality of the vintage. There is a kind of excitement amongst the staff as the new wines are pumped into tanks and we pull samples for analysis and evaluation; the wines are vibrant in their youth and full of promise, and at this point we get to decide which program they’re destined, the Elivette or the Estate Cabernet, and make adjustments to their oak regime if needed. Then it’s back to the barrels and continue ageing for another few months while we start the blending trials to decided how best to marry all our lots to produce the best possible wines. So we stay busy in the cellar at this time of year, covered in a muted excitement about the new vintage with anticipation of their next step in the two year trek to the bottle.

If you’re in the area and have a chance, stop by and see how things are going in the cellar, but watch out for pumps and hoses and lots of new oak barrels being rolled around.

Jac Cole - winemaker

Spring Mountain Vineyard

It's official - our address has changed!

At long last, we have moved into our new home! The dust has settled, the computers are up and running, and the boxes are unpacked - well, almost all the boxes...

The space is simply stunning, from reclaimed wood walls to vaulted ceilings to the 30+ windows that light the space. And, in case you haven't already heard, the old Jackse Winery has been upgraded to an environmentally responsible building. Besides the beauty of the work space, which makes it a sheer joy to come to work, the building is outfitted with a geothermal HVAC system, solar panels, high efficiency windows and lighting, and countless other environmentally friendly upgrades.

So next time you come and visit us, make sure your have our new address. We look forward to seeing you at 1475 Library Lane, St. Helena, CA! (P.S. Our mailing address, P.O. Box 141, remains the same.)

The Monks Visit Montelena

One of the fun things about the holiday season is all the traditions that have sprung up along the way - some unique, some common, some just plain odd. These traditions bring us comfort as they are known, constant, and enduring - some just bring heartburn and make us question our better judgment.

Here at Chateau Montelena, one of the more entertaining holiday traditions is a pre-Christmas employee social gathering known as the Monk's Visit. Started some time ago, it is now an annual ritual were we all get together, snack on Dave Vella's (our vrd. mgr.) famous game sausage, pretzels, and other simple foods, exchange stories, chat about holiday plans, relax, and enjoy the presence of the monks. Never the same group of Monks, though there are always a few old favorites, some years there are few, other years many, but it is always a good time.

Hopefully your Holidays too are full of great traditions, and may Chateau Montelena or any Napa Valley wine be among them.

Cheers! Until next year,

Cameron Parry
Winemaker
Chateau Montelena


Oh - I almost forgot - the Monks in question are the Belgian Trappist variety, this years group is pictured above right.

Holiday Gifts Galore

Disclosure: I have no idea what's been going on in the cellar the past two weeks. :-S I saw some wine being pressed in the basket press last week, but I can only assume it was our Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon since it was the last of the fruit to come in during harvest. Our winemaker has been hard to track down lately!

What's he been up to? Let me introduce my new nephew, Matthew Alan, born on Saturday, 12/12. He's been keeping Alan & Mariela very busy lately! I overheard a friend saying to him today, "It's like harvest all over again," referring to the loss of sleep, long busy days, constant cleaning...

Matthew will be the only one not enjoying a glass of wine with my family's Christmas dinner this Thursday evening. His parents will definitely be toasting to 2010!

On other business, we have completed almost all of our holiday shipping. One part of our caves is dedicated to our shipping department, and our shipping manager is now on vacation. So my morning involved packing a few "DARE-ing Collections" for people who ordered over the phone and off our website. We'll probably get some calls tomorrow from people trying to find gifts for their friends and family -- to be sent before Christmas of course. We'll do it if they pay 2-Day Air! (Otherwise, the wine sits in a freezing warehouse all weekend, and it could possibly ruin the wine.)

Make sure you all stay warm out there!

Happy holidays,

Janet Viader

sales & marketing at VIADER

So what now?

OK, so the grapes are picked, the crush gear is clean and stored for the season, and the fermentations are finished (mostly), so what's going on in the winery now? Is everybody just sitting around staring at the barrels and biding their time until the holiday break?

Not a chance.

We're still very busy here in the winery getting the red wines through malolactic fermentation (the conversion of malic acid to lactic acid carried out by the bacterium Oenococcus oeni), waiting for a few Chardonnay and Riesling ferments to finish, and performing lots of rackings. Racking is the term we use for decanting (pumping) the clear wine off of any solids (lees) that have settled to the bottom of the tanks. These lees are largely comprised of dead yeast and bacterial cells along with some grape solids. Each of the red wines we make is normally racked 3-4 times before it goes to barrel for ageing, and each time we save those lees, so what happens to all the purple glop? Well, there is still wine mixed in with the lees, so we call in a filtration company and we have them use a Rotary Drum Vacuum filter to filter (see above pictures) out the solids and recover the wine from the lees. This recovered wine isn't of sufficient quality to be included in our products, so we sell it to other wineries or negociants that will blend it with other bulk lots to create other brands. Waste not want not, right?

Cheers!

Cameron Parry
Winemaker
Chateau Montelena Winery

Season's Greetings

Work in the cellar was cut short this morning because all the water is frozen! The holding tanks next to the winery were not drawing any water during the night when the temperatures fell to the low 20's. All we can do is wait...

I suppose our fountain could act as an indicator of when the temperature get's back above freezing. It's 9:15am, and sunny, yet still in the 30's.

This is typical weather this time of year. Since the vines are now dormant, they are able to endure the extreme weather with no issue. Not until February will we treat the vines to some "TLC" with our pruning team. For now, they can just relax and dream of all the wonderful grapes they will produce for us next year.

Sincerely,

Janet Viader of VIADER