Organic Wines Uncorked: Chronicle's Top 100 Wines of 2011: 6 Organically Grown Wines Make the List

Monday, February 20, 2012

Chronicle's Top 100 Wines of 2011: 6 Organically Grown Wines Make the List

The Chronicle's Top 100 Wines of the year is a mysterious list indeed. Missing are most of the wines ranked highest in Wine & Spirits Top 100 or Wine Spectator or the Wine Advocate.

Wine critic Jon Bonne's choices include 25% Pinot Noirs this year.

Three of the wines chosen are in my app (marked with a *) - and are priced under $20!

WHITE WINES

Fume Blanc
• Grgich Hills Estate, 2010, $30
Biodynamic
I've visited some of these vineyards which are open to the public on rare tours. Grgich is most famous for Chardonnay and makes some gorgeous Cabs. The Fume Blanc is widely available.

Marsanne*
• Qupe, 2010 Sta. Ynez Valley, $18
Qupe is always a winner with Rhone varietals and are masters of Syrah. It's nice to see their Rhone white getting decent attention. This organic vineyard has been closely connected to the winemaker for decades.

Albarino*
• Verdad, Sawyer-Lindsuqist, 2010, $22
Verdad specializes in Spanish varietals and their Albarino is consistently ranked high. (I also love their rose). Qupe and Verdad are his and her brands - the winemakers being married to each other. This wine comes from their own biodynamic vineyard.

ROSE WINE

• Horse and Plow, 2010, $15*

One of the most affordable wines on the list, this is sourced from longtime Testa near Ukiah. I've got a case of this in my cellar and probably should have a few more. Usually sells out quickly. Made from Carignane, Syrah and Grenache.

RED WINES

Pinot Noir
• Calera, Reed Vineyard, Mount Harlan, Pinot Noir, $50
Calera is the knockout master of Burgundian wines. Is there ever a year it isn't on the top 100 list? It deserves its near permanent seat.

IN TRANSITION

Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chappellet, Pritchard Hill, 2008, $135
This legendary Cab producer is in transition to organic.

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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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Monday, February 20, 2012

Chronicle's Top 100 Wines of 2011: 6 Organically Grown Wines Make the List

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