Organic Wines Uncorked: Decanter's Tasting Panel's High Scoring Napa Cabs: The Organic Among Them

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Decanter's Tasting Panel's High Scoring Napa Cabs: The Organic Among Them

Decanter, the international wine magazine based in the UK, published its list of top 2009 Napa and Sonoma cabs today, including among its 18 top picks three from producers with certified organic vineyards. It's nice to see Oakville Ranch getting some acclaim alongside established superstars.

Here are their organic selections:

Oakville Ranch, Cabernet Sauvignon, 95 pts., $82, SOLD OUT
This hidden gem up on the eastern hills of Oakville (I visited recently and it's featured in my forthcoming Napa app)...limited production. The 2008 is still available. Take a trip there - the vineyard is among the most beautiful I have seen in Napa. Shelia Gentry is the marketing person and leads vineyard tours and tastings. Incredible views! Be prepared to buy - it's pretty much the only place you can get their wines.

Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon, 90+ pts., $165
A perennial favorite with critics.

Staglin Family Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, 92 pts., $185
Also a perennial critics pick.

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Wines We Cover

We publish information about wines grown from certified organic or Biodynamic vineyards that are generally made with sulfites (which are usually added in small amounts to preserve the wine).

That includes these certification types:

ORGANIC WINE CERTIFICATIONS

• Made with Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites (i.e. a normal range)

Winery: certified organic facility

Labeling: front or back label

• Ingredients: Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: up to 350 ppm of sulfites (same as for any non organic wine)

Labeling: back label only

BIODYNAMIC® CERTIFICATIONS

• Biodynamic Wine

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; no additives of any kind

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back label; Demeter logo may appear

• Made with Biodynamic Grapes

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native or organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; limited number of additives permitted

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back

Note: unlike organically grown wines, for which there is a category called "Ingredients: Organic Grapes," wines sourced from biodynamic grapes may not make any biodynamic claim on the bottle label. Bottle labeling is reserved for Demeter certified wines only.

SULFITES IN CONTEXT

According to U.C. Davis, the average among all wines in the U.S. (as well as globally) is 80 ppm.

WHAT THE USDA CALLS ORGANIC WINES

Unlike any other nation, the U.S. oddly imposes a no sulfite restriction on wines in order for them to be called Organic Wine. These wines are also called NSA or NAS wines (which stands for "No Sulfites Added" or "No Added Sulfites.")

From the above description, one can see that there are in fact three types of organically grown wines:

1. Organic Wine (less than 15% of all organically grown wine)

2. Made with Organic Grapes

3. Ingredients: Organic Grapes

The vast majority of wines from organic grapes are labeled Made with Organic Grapes, Ingredients: Organic Grapes or are blended with nonorganic grapes and unlabeled.

Fine winemakers do not generally make wine without sulfites and a number of large wine retailers like BevMo do not sell wine in the category of "USDA Organic Wine."

With rare exceptions, this blog does not cover what the USDA calls "Organic Wine."

We are hopeful that the USDA will revise the categorization of organically grown wines and make NSA or NAS wines a category of their own.

This would put the U.S. in accord with the rest of the world, where "Organic Wine" means a wine from certified grapes made within limits on sulfites (generally under 100-150 ppm).

Organic Wines Uncorked

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Decanter's Tasting Panel's High Scoring Napa Cabs: The Organic Among Them

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