Rob
Wecker
Vince Culotta
Nate Hynson
Kevin Jones
Home
|
|
I
have a Ficus tree at home that someone gave me as a gift when I
graduated from high school 15 years ago.
I have a relatively green thumb, but I’m always impressed that
I’ve been able to keep the tree around this long (knock on wood).
I water it regularly, talk nice to it, make sure it has a
comfortable pot to grow in, and keep it near a sunny window. It lives a pretty good life.
A
15-year-old grapevine? Barely
a toddler. Watered,
fertilized, soil amendments, sweet talk?
Never happen. Most
vintners feel if the vine doesn’t struggle, it won’t make good wine.
If it doesn’t have some years on it, it won’t speak the
terroir. As a vine ages,
its roots continue to stretch deeper and deeper in the soil.
It searches for water and picks up minerals and trace elements
along the way as well. That
water and extract makes its way to the grapes and eventually to the
wine. So, the older the
vine, the more extract, depth and complexity it gives to the wine.
Add to that the fact that older vines produce a smaller crop,
tinier berries, but with more concentration.
An
“old vine” designation on a bottle doesn’t have a solid
definition. It is up to the
discretion of the vintner at this point, so be sure and know what
you’re buying. A vine is
considered mature at age 7. It
becomes uneconomically yielding at age 20.
Most agree that “old vine” doesn’t start at least until 25.
Sean Thackrey “Orion”, 2004, Napa Valley, California $150
Part philosopher, part winemaker, Sean Thackrey is one of the most interesting personalities in the wine world. All of his tiny production wines are named for constellations. The wine is sourced from grapes grown on the Rossi vineyard in St Helena. Planted in 1905, Sean believes the grapes are Syrah. Dr Carol Meredith, an expert on vine identity from UC Davis, says Petite Sirah. In either case, the wine is amazing and certainly plays the part of “the hunter”. Amazingly intense, the nose has an interesting herbal/menthol note to the nose along with concentrated aromas of crushed flowers and black fruits. The palate is unbelievably broad shouldered but with an element of refinement that keeps it from seeming heavy. The wine is so beautiful on its own; I hesitate to recommend a food pairing. So, try it with a plain baked potato and enjoy this little slice of the heavens.
Jean-Luc Colombo “Les Ruchets” Cornas, 2004,
Rhone Valley, France $75
100% Syrah from a 90 year old vineyard. Scary, steep, granite-laden hillsides make up most of the tiny Cornas region. With only about 220 acres under vine, it is one of the smallest appellations in France. Because of the treacherous slope of the vineyards, most are farmed without tractors or other modern farming equipment. Jean-Luc Colombo tends his 9-acre plot with a very old world approach to farming, but a new world approach to the wines. Historically, Cornas wines were big, thick, rustic and hearty. While the teeth staining power still exists, Jean-Luc has brought more fruit to the palate, giving the wines some added finesse amidst the muscle. The shy nose of black fruits and cocoa gives way to a rich, complex palate of blackberry, spice and that tell-tale Syrah aroma of bacon fat. The finish is long and extracted with amazing acidity keeping the wine clean on the palate.
Neyers “Pato Vineyard” Zinfandel, 2004,
Contra Costa County, California $ 42
Zinfandel made its way to the West Coast from Boston around 1840. Originally, Zinfandel was primarily grown in hothouses as a table grape. It wasn’t until 20 or 30 years after its arrival in the “Golden state” that it was discovered that it also made good wine. Lots of new Zinfandel vineyards were being planted in the late 1800s, as it was the second favorite libation of the 49ers (the first being whiskey). Because of phylloxera (a root louse), prohibition, changing wine trends, and uneconomic yields, very few of those vineyards still exist. Thank God the Pato vineyard grapevines in Contra Costa still provide us with amazing Zinfandel fruit. This vineyard, planted in 1894 on sandy, loamy hillsides, produces a modest 1-ton of fruit per acre. Winemaker Ehren Jordan is a master at handling these little purple gems. Notes of sweet crushed berries and cocoa soar from the nose. The mouth feel is rich and seductively textured with seamless flavors of sweet ripe fruits, pepper and spice. The glycerin and chewy fruit on the finish seem to last forever. A perfect wine for anything on the barbecue grill.
The Noble Old Vine 3-pack
$267 $240.30
|