Left Coast Cowboys

Our Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault have been happily sitting in steel tanks for their second fermentation (with a few rackings to clarify out dead yeasts). This weekend, it was their time for the destination of all good wines: oak barrels. We had the further ambitious plan to develop a few Southern Rhone style blends from our separate varietals. Or at least get as close as we could to a Southern Rhone style blend, given that we haven’t yet planted that key Rhone varietal, Syrah. And we don’t have half the dozen or so other grapes that go into a true Rhone wine. But, baby steps.

The first step was to pull samples of all our varietals from the steel tanks.

Then set up a blending station.

Yup. There’s no fancy blending at Two Terrier Vineyards. We just think of a possible mix and adjust and take notes until we think we have a combination we like. We started with a couple of classic Southern Rhone blends like Chateauneuf du Pape. Well, we got as close to Chateauneuf as we could given that we don’t have the thirteen or so grapes they use. But hey, their blends are mostly dominated by Grenache and Mourvedre with half a dozen other varietals at 1% of this and that, so we thought we could get close enough for amateurs. So we developed a Grenache dominant blend and a Mourvedre dominant blend.

Once you have the formula for your blend, it all becomes a matter of, not shutes and ladders, but hoses and pumps.

You need really long hoses. And lots of them.

See you have to pump the wine in the tanks...

into oak barrels in the wine cave. With a short stop in a carboy for measurement purposes.

This is a complicated and time-consuming process. So note to self: start early. Which we didn’t.

Instead we hot rodded down to Sonoma for lattes in the morning.

And took a hike around the property.

And activated Mole Patrol.

So by the time we were at the messy, wet clean-up stage, it was dark and cold.

But we did get to see this wonderful sunset.

Which was still amazing even while viewed cold and wet.

Don’t look now, but here at Two Terrier Vineyards, we may be leading a trend. (If so, it’s going to be the first time we’ve been ahead of the curve.) Seems the San Francisco Chronicle is declaring this The Year Mourvedre Breaks Through. (Okay, the San Francisco Chronicle stopped producing anything close to real news decades ago, but they’re always one of the go-to sources for the latest in the wine world.) A Mourvedre Breakthrough? We’re ready with enough planted to give us more than a ton of Mourvedre grapes. And that’s in a year when we’re dropping 50% of the fruit just to give our young vines a chance to bulk up.

We scrubbed down the whole wine cellar in preparation for the upcoming harvest.

You might not know Mourvedre by name, but if you’ve ever enjoyed a great Rhone wine, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or a blend such as one from Bonnie Doon or Tablas Creek, you’ve had it as a Rhone style blend. Some vineyards, such as one of my favorites, Unti, are serving up Mourvedre as a single varietal. In taste, think of the heartiness of a Zinfandel with more depth and complexity, less “slap you in the face” fruitiness. The Chronicle talks about “brighter berry notes at times, darker hues at others. Trademark leathery, animal nuances.” As our Spokes Terriers will tell you, we love those “animal nuances” in our wines around here. Mourvedre also has a special affinity for Grenache and that’s one of the classic blends we’ll be going for. Around here, we refer to it as a Châteauneuf-du-Pup.

Find out more about Mourvedre here from the vintners at Tablas Creek. Incedentally, we got our grape cuttings and rootstock from Tablas Creek, which in turn got theirs from the famous Chateau de Beaucastel, one  of the premier Rhone producers. Guess that makes us second cousins once removed!

We're expecting big things from this year's harvest. And last year wasn't bad.

So put down that tired glass of Merlot and try something different and, I think, more sophisticated.

My American Mourvedre favorites, which you should be able to find easily in a well-stocked grocery store or wine shop are:

Unti Dry Creek Valley Mourvedre (single varietal). By the way, here’s my account of our recent visit with Unti pere et fils.

Cline Cellars Ancient Vines Mourvedre (single varietal)

Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel (a Rhone style blend)

Bonnie Doon’s Le Cigare Volant (another Rhone style blend)

That will have to hold you until Two Terrier Vineyards gets up to speed producing our Mourvedre single varietals and blends. And don’t even get me started on Mourvedre Rose. That’s a whole other taste treat.

We're just buzzing with the idea that we might be on the crest of a Mourvedre trend.

Two years ago, as I planned a cross-country roadtrip with my niece, she said: “We have to swing by Graceland to see The King.” I had to tell her, “Don’t look to Graceland, if you seek the King”. On the trip, we drove right by the boyhood home of the REAL King as we headed into the Smoky Mountains. We didn’t plan a stop. There was no need to. Because the King isn’t in Tennessee anymore. Oh, Tennessee claims him. They’ve even preserved his boyhood cabin. But The King of the Wild Frontier is alive and well in California, making wine, building luxury inns and making himself a mint.

I’m talking about none other than Fess Parker — television’s first superstar and the man who sold millions of coonskin caps. I was actually shocked to learn that the Davy Crockett phenomenon started years before I was born when Disney first aired the four part TV show, The Legend of Davy Crockett. Believe me, the fad was still going strong a decade later when I distinctly remember hitting my younger brother over the head with my Davy Crockett Flintlock Rifle. Caps and replicas of “Old Betsy” were the least of it. At one point, everything that could be stamped with “Davy Crockett” was. (To get a handle on the magnitude of the phenomenon, see this interview with Fess Parker. And remember, when the TV show aired, four separate versions of the theme song hit the Billboard Top Ten!)

Open yourself a bottle of Frontier Red. It's a pleasant Rhone-style blend. That leaves just a hint of the Wild Frontier at the back of the palette.

Now, in the ultimate, example of following your market, Fess Parker’s making wine. And his low-priced Rhone style wine even has his face on it. It’s the ultimate Baby Boomer gift. You had the cap. Your parents bought you the lunchbox. Now get the wine.

Not that Fess Parker is a dilettante. His wines are winning awards and getting great notices, even from that ultimate wine arbiter, Robert Parker (who is not related, but probably secretly wishes he was cool enough to be!) Fess Parker’s son, Eli, the chief winemaker, was named 2006’s Andre Tchelistcheff Winemaker of the Year at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

One of the next roadtrips I’m planning? Down to Los Olivos to visit the Fess Parker Winery. Of course, I’ll be staying at Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn and Spa.

And I’ll be wearing my coonskin cap.

*********

Got fond memories of Fess Parker? Then as Jimmy Buffet says: “Jump right up and show your age.” Sing along with me. You know you know the words!

Dig out those old pictures of you with your Davy Crockett gear on. You can submit them to the Fess Parker Winery website for prizes.

“Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee
Greenest state in the Land of the Free
Lived in the woods so’s he knowed every tree
Kilt him a b’ar when he was only three.

Da-a-a-avy, Davy Crockett
King of the Wild Frontier”

Davy Crockett Trivia: When the real Davy Crockett announced to his fellow Congressmen that he was resigning to try his luck out West, he said: “You may go to Hell. I will go to Texas.” Now THAT’S an American Hero.

I told you in this post how we are at a place of delicate balance in our wine-making efforts. It generally takes at least three years for young vines to start producing usable grapes. But a late rainy season when we planted meant our grapes, which we harvested in what was technically their third year, were really only two and a half years old. So we can bravely offer up our resulting wine to the scrutiny of the experts, knowing that we win either way. If it’s good, well, it’s a testament to our skill. If it’s below par, hmmm, what do you expect from immature grapes? This grace period won’t last long, so we’re putting glasses in front of as many wine connoisseurs as we know. And luckily, we know quite a few.

The latest celebrity palate belongs to Andy’s old friend from University days. Keith is quite a bigwig in what he modestly calls “The Drinks Business”. To explain it in a way that is not understated and British, that means, chances are, most premium Scotches, Vodkas, Tequilas, Rums, liqueurs, etc. that you might have tried, well, he probably was the guiding force behind getting them to market. To explain it another way, you might say Keith is a Professional Drinker.

But, again, we’re in “the Safe Zone” here. So we had no fears in bringing a wide selection our our Rhone varietals for his discriminating judgement. We also had the security of knowing that our wines, which are currently in oak, are far from ready. As a last ditch defense, we could also claim the wines had “bottle shock”. See, we’ve hedged our bets all the way around.

So we lined up a bottle each of Two Terrier Vineyards Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Cabernet and a Rhone-style blend that Andy whipped up in the wine cave. And challenged Keith to give us his unvarnished opinion.

So no pressure. But here Andy emphatically makes the point to Keith that TTV Rhone blend is or will be as good as any Chateauneuf du Pape. Yeah, right.

As the jury was splitting on what wines will age well and which ones will not, Christine was brought in. Mostly because she will politely say that all our wines are wonderful.

The amazing thing is that, the more you taste and swirl and ponder and drink, hey, the better and better the wine tastes! Even our wine.

You can also reach that tasting point where spillage becomes a factor.

That’s the stage where someone needs to provide a large hunk of animal flesh to cushion the stomach.

WIth the arrival of the Chateaubriand, we decided we could probably move to the comparison stage of the evening.

At which point, we cracked open a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola’s Rubicon, just to see how TTV compares. Sadly, Francis’s wine was a bit of a disappointment, despite the elegant decanter it was presented in. Seems it didn’t age quite as well as it was expected to.

Francis, you might not want to give up your day job just yet.

On an interesting side note, I think we inadvertently discovered a cure for teen binge drinking. If you have a group of adults around pontificating about wine in excruciating detail, any sixth graders in the vicinity will be so bored they will have to escape to YouTube.

Teach your kids about the danger of alcohol. By boring them to death with wine talk. They'll never touch a drop!

However, no child should be deprived of the pleasures of classic Rock and Roll. Here Andy demonstrates the licks to David Bowie’s Suffragette City.

Do Sixth Graders even know who David Bowie is?

Oh, and the professional opinion on those Two Terrier wines? Hmmm, the Cabernet continues to get surprisingly good marks. That’s the varietal that we left on the vines longest and fermented on the skins for the most time. The jury has been divided since Day One on the Cinsault. We’ve been warned by a local winemaker that Cinsault doesn’t perform that well in Sonoma soil. But one of our last wine experts thought it had promise. Andy has now decided it has too much of a “candy” flavor. But, as it is predominently a blending grape, it may have its uses. Generally, our blends are getting better marks. Which is what Rhone-style wines are all about.

The final consensus? I think most of our friends are relieved that nothing is as bad as it might have been.

Last week, Two Terrier Vineyards hosted a prestigious group: The McNabb Family of England. Old friends from way back, the McNabbs are also very knowledgeable about wine. Knowledgeable as in lifelong oenophiles with two members (Paul and John) being graduates of a prestigious and difficult wine course in France which I understand is aimed at training top level sommeliers.

You may ask if we were nervous having such distinguished palates at Two Terrier Vineyards. That is given that it was just a few seasons ago we created our first wines (with somewhat disastrous results.) In reality, this year is probably the last one for awhile where we can confidently expose our efforts to such a knowledgeable audience. You see, grapes don’t even come to the first hint of maturity for at least three years. Due to a late rainy season when we planted, our grapes are only two-and-a-half years old. The result, the wine we made this year, if good, can be attributed to our skill and innate winemaking ability. If bad, well, the grapes aren’t ready yet. That excuse will fade with the coming seasons, so this is the time to have experts expound with minimal damage to the ego.

So last Wednesday, with McNabbs in tow, we headed to Two Terrier Vineyards for a professional barrel tasting and analysis of this year’s vintages.

The tour got off to a slow start as John became enamored of my father's old Winchester rifle. As a former British Army man, John might be a valuable ally in my war against the foxes and gophers that are sabotaging my fava beans.

Then a brief detour of the architectural delights of the ranch — given that we haven’t yet gotten around to building traditional human dwelling places.

Here Andy (center) explains to Paul (left) and John about the amphitheater which is built with stones from the property.

Then a foray into the vineyards themselves to inspect how the vines were tied and trained.

Paul and John pronounced the vineyards "First Rate".

Finally, the moment of truth: the tasting. Reverently, samples were drawn from the oak barrels where most of our wines are currently resting.

This is what a serious tasting looks like. Can you sense the hushed tones and concentration?

Again, no trepidation on our part to expose our wine to these distinguished palates. If it’s bad, we can just blame it on those immature grapes.

The verdicts were:  the Cinsault was appley and too young, but John thought it may develop very nicely. The Grenache was ” just okay”, but the Mouvedre was deemed better. and the Cabernet was thought to have potential although too much woodiness. Unfortunately, that was our lowest yield grape, without enough to fill an oak barrel so it rested in stainless steel with the inferior method of adding oak chips.

Then in an interesting twist, John and Paul decided to take two of our Rhone varietals and make a Rhone style blend. They mixed two-thirds of the “just okay” Grenache with one-third of the better Mouvedre. The result: added structure to a wine that we will have to call “McNabb Blend”.

In our book, as completely self-taught novices, this was a major thumbs up.

But the best was yet to come. At lunch at Sonoma’s Girl and the Fig restaurant, Paul uncorked two gems from his extensive wine collection: a 1994 Chateauneuf du Pape white and a 1994 Pommerol. Some would say, these are two of the best wines in the last two decades.

As we oohed and ahed over this special treat, Ruth, John’s wife, finally spoke up: “Actually, these wines are fine, but I prefer Andy’s.”

Thanks Ruth. You’ll be writing the tasting notes on the label!

Paul shoots Ruth the kind of look you would expect from a wine expert who has just heard someone declare that Two Terrier wine is better than some of the best the French have to offer.