I'm Still Dreaming of Bluefin Tuna Bon Bon's and Calera Mills Pinot...Calera Celebrates 50th Anniversary in Style

With Mike Waller, Calera winemaker, with some very old (emptied Saturday last) bottles including the very first wine, a 1975 Zinfandel, that Josh Jenson made while he was waiting for his Pinot vines to grow)

What a treat to spend a Saturday afternoon at Calera, celebrating the winery's 50th anniversary. 

I have become more and more entranced by this "remote" farming region–from Paiscines Ranch to the San Benito Health Clinic (started by farmworkers–I wrote a story about its pioneering solar powered everything for The Guardian). 

There is something wild and free about the area...a throwback that is also modern at the same time (just look at the traffic and road construction projects) with retiring urban refugees flocking to its gated retirement communities. 

Now owned by Duckhorn–Jensen sold it to them a few years before his death, seeking someone to carry it forward–the hospitality team put on a grand sushi menu with other lovely Japanese dishes (sweet potatoes, for instance) and, best of all Bluefin Tuna bonbons. Bluefish Tuna bonbons? I have never heard of them before but now I dream of them at night, paired with Calera's classic estate wines. 

Before I arrived, I listened to a few podcasts that mentioned Jensen's name. But I already wanted to know more about Jensen...why did everyone think he was a pioneer, when Chalone was on limestone just over the hill and making Pinot? How did he get the money to start the winery in the first place? How does a guy from Orinda, son of a dentist, get to Yale? and then to Burgundy? 

Years ago a fabulous writer wrote a book about this place and about Jensen and the other leading talents who created this place and this wine. That book is The Heartbreak Grape, written by Canadian writer Marq de Villiers, It isn't so much about the grape as it is about Jensen and Calera. People don't write - or get to write - books of this caliber much any more, and more's the pity because this book is a masterpiece, not only about Calera, but also as an explanation of how wine is grown and made–the triumphs and the tribulations. I had read it years ago, but forgot most of it, until Mike Waller graciously gifted me a new copy at the winery which I spent the next day reading from cover to cover. 

It's not only a great story, it's also a diplomatic critique about the weird anomalies of the wine industry. And its wine writers. (I refer you to page 168 in the book where de Villiers reviews many different reviewers' impressions of the same vintages of Calera wines, for a start.)

But that is not really what I want to talk about. 

The 50th anniversary event itself was lovely. 

At these gatherings, I am as interested in the fans who come (and sit next to me on the outdoor picnic tables). Where do they come from? What attracts them to wine and these wines specifically?

The assembled multitude ran the gamut from confirmed wine club members to newbies to Waller family members and other locals for whom this was home turf. (Yeah, home turf with spectacular views of the nearby cosmic bluffs.)

Across from me were a local Hollister couple (not related to the Wallers) who had never visited the winery before. The woman grew up here; the guy was originally from Holland. They'd met at their place of work. It was his birthday and this was the special birthday outing. Later on the way out, I ran into them again. He had scored an empty magnum of his birth year wine.

After they left, another couple joined the table–gay vacationers from the East Coast on a five day trip to the Bay Area. One guy's last name was Jensen so they figured they just HAD to come here. They were captured by the views and the wines. Definitely a California dream. 

The winery paid homage to its large base of Japanese Calera fans, who first made the brand popular there from a manga character. Twenty percent of its wines are sold to Japan. Still.

Another couple from Santa Clara (who work in tech) were the best foragers at my table, continually collecting plate after small plate of the various Japanese inspired goodies offered up. 

Sweet potatoes, sushi tacos, spicy tuna rolls, the infamous bluefin tuna bon bons (damn, I did not get a good picture of them) and more. I could always gauge when something new hit the buffet tables by their endless haul. (After all, it cost $175 to be here and that was the discount for wine club members). They were a great culinary alert system. 

The Wine

As for the wine, the winery did its job of bringing forth old magnums that caused fans to swarm those carrying big bottles–magnums being a sign that old vintages were contained within. 

I met one diehard old fan who recalled wilder parties back in the day, associated with Jensen and Grateful Dead concerts and New Year's Eves. Party hounds. He scooped up the last little dregs of the near empty 1975 Zinfandel bottle I clutched in my arms, a gift from Waller (it was almost empty by the time I got to it). It was the first wine Jensen made at Calera, while he was waiting for the Pinot vines to grow.

Of course the current releases were also poured and were in top form. 

I started thinking about California's Pinot pioneers a lot on the way home in the car (a two hour drive). 

After all, I've just been visiting a number of them in my Slow Wine USA circumambulations of late. (Every summer we [12+ writers] of SWG make site visits to about 300-450 wineries). 

The previous week I had just visited at DuMOL, a fave, and Porter Bass and Porter Creek. Faves all in fact. In past years, Hanzell and others. 

The initial terroir search motivations were varied. Pioneers like Hanzell in Sonoma Valley/Moon Mountain and Porter Creek in Russian River had no limestone. They went by temperature.

As did Richard Sanford (later of Alma Rosa)...him hanging his thermometer out the window of a car (or a VW bus if you prefer the mythic story). He was looking at temperatures more than limestone, he told me in an unpublished 2016 interview. Like Jensen, he had to buck local naysayers. Farmers told him you could never grow grapes there. 

The Davis family bought their Russian River estate in 1978. "Pinot Noir was so underappreciated at that time that George Davis [Alex's father and the founder] was actually forced to plant more Chardonnay and less Pinot Noir than he wanted to by his banker and farm advisor, who saw no future in Pinot Noir is the Russian River Valley!" writes Alex Davis. "Apples were the proven cash crop at that time."

The Heartbreak Grape tells a similar story about Jensen and the history of Calera. 

In the Here and Now

At the 50th, winemaker Mike Waller, who worked for more than a decade with Jensen, gave a tribute to the enduring vision and wines, praising Duckhorn for keeping the Calera culture and spirit alive. 

The vineyards were first certified organic in 2008.

Additional events celebrating the 50th anniversary are planned for this fall for trade.

What I Saw at the Bulk Wine Show This Week: Organically Grown Wine from Mendo, Cannabis Drinks, Hungarian AI Startup, New Bulk Wine AI Program to Match Buyers and Sellers

While one might have expected the tariffs to be the main topic of concern at this year's annual bulk wine show, the news was not about tariffs at all. Rather, it was about the general decline in the industry as it faced what are–cliche warning–"headwinds," which sounds much better than death spiral. 

Nonetheless, there was an excellent panel with top bulk wine buyers in U.S. (Constellation, Delicato, Trinchero and Firstleaf). (You can read more about it when my article for Grape and Wine comes out in the fall. To be notified via email, sign up for the free newsletter at pamstrayer.substack.com) And buyers are still buying, just not as much.

But the real news was in the expo area and the parking lot. 

In previous years, you could not park in the South SF Convention Center parking lot, but had to look for a space on adjoining parking lots. Not so this year. Attendance was down. The organizers were even able to fit the sandwich line in the same room as the expo, which was a lot more convenient. That is where I happened to sit with some Hungarians. Hungarians? Yes Hungarians. 

One of the best things about the International Bulk Wine and Spirits show is, of course, the attendees, They come from all over the world. Not just Italy, France and Spain and Lodi. And Chile. In past years, I've come across a virtual United Nations of wine sellers. This year that was the same, but more of a mini UN. 

The Hungarians were not bringing wine to the event. They were on a research mission for their new AI wine recommendation project WineXClub.com, which uses a sommelier's recommendations to get the party started in the app. The consumer is then able to provide feedback on the sommelier's recommended wine. It debuts at a big Hungarian wine fair in August. (I was invited to attend but my calendar does not permit.)

On their six day trip, they had already visited Napa and toured Chateau Montelena and Grgich Hills Estate, two of the 1976 Paris Tasting winners. 

In the Dept. of You Never Know What Clever Wine Marketing Will Debut Next 

Here comes the Jaws wine.

CUTE. 

I tell winemaker people who get hung up on varietal preferences that they don't need to get so focused on this. Because many (most?) wine consumers in a store are not. Market research tells us over and over… wine is too complicated. "I just want to drink something." 

Exhibit A:

Are Psychedelics Us? A Drink for "No Cannabis Allowed" States

Another exciting booth was decked out in a crazy colors to match the psychedelic busses now serving commuters in SF. 

What would Ken Kesey say to that, eh? Alas, for him, no psychedelic drugs provided. But the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead is coming soon. With many accoutrements, to be sure. 

However, this hemp based drink comes in two versions–a 5 mg (legal in many places) and a 100 mg version (offered only where legal). 

The company, HabitCBD, is finding uptake in the Southeast, Texas, and other states where cannabis is not legal. 

Why those regions?

"Because the majority of the Northwest has moved directly to cannabis," said sales manager Natalie Boos at HabitCBD.com. "A lot of those states are changing their laws to allow it to become more part of the alcohol market." (At least that is what I think she said.)

"The cannabis market in California is pounded down by taxes and regulations," she continued, "and it's really hard for brands to supply. Everybody, a lot of people, will start formulating for the hemp market in California. But you can sell to Florida, North Carolina..." They don't have regulations, she said.

The 5 mg comes in four, fruit flavored soda varieties and seemed pretty tasty, even in the no-THC samples on offer. 

MENDO 

The most exciting thing to me this year was the Mendocino growers booth–their first time exhibiting at the event. And they had a big sign out front: Organic. CCOF. 

Are some bulk wine buyers going to get with the certified organic side of the industry? Market research says organically grown wine is the only wine category that is growing amidst a sea of decline. Let's hope organic can lift some of these boats. 

Mendocino grower and vintner Martha Barra pours for a potential buyer tastes at the Mendocino wine growers' first booth at the bulk wine expo. 

Last But Not Least: A I Comes to Bulk Wine

Ankita Okate, Chief Growth Officer of Beverage Trade Network, said in a brief interview with me at the show that BTN will be debuting three new A I apps to help buyers and sellers accelerate deals. The apps, now in beta, should debut in early 2026, she said.

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NEW: More Bulk Wine insights:...https://www.linkedin.com/posts/american-association-of-wine-economists-aawe_the-worlds-largest-bulk-wine-exporters-activity-7356950508135161858-wC49?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAEm00B4V65jWtUIJf27feJSAFvu459KKA

Two - Count 'Em - TWO New Organically Grown, Artisanal Boxed Wines from U.S. Producers

I am currently making the rounds on my annual trek to visit Slow Wine USA producers in preparation for the next edition of Slow Wine Guide (2026). It's always fun to check in with the wineries and the wonderful people who host me for tastings for the guide. It's a chance to catchup on the events of the year with the wines and the wineries.

A year ago, I was writing a big piece for Wine Business Monthly about a new, emerging category–bag in box wines that were artisanal (or at least way above Franzia). 

Retailers were having a hard time embracing the category, but hopefully that is fading away. Because consumers were ripe for it, as the producers and their early adopter retailers told me. Going to the Caribbean on vacation? Easy to pack some of your favorite rosé in your suitcase. Headed for the beach near home? Take the box off and sling the bag over your shoulder. From DC to San Diego, consumers were raring to go. 

New companies were forming focused solely on bag in box. Companies like Juliet (which will even recycle the plastic for you if you don't have a local recycler) and Really Good Boxed wine. But none were organic.

CARBON and FRESHNESS 

Why is bag in box so important? The darn wine bottle is responsible for the vast percentage of a wine's carbon emissions and buying wine in a bag in box reduces emissions by 83%. 83%!

So I've been watching and waiting for wineries to hit the mark with organically grown wine in a box. I like boxed wine to come from domestic producers–to encourage organic growers here, and increase their number–which is better for our ecosystems than conventional growers. 

Tablas Creek did one, but only one last year - it was one-off when they had a surplus of Grenache. (They also make Patelin wines in bag in box format but those are not organically grown, in contrast to the label's estate wines). 

I have to also say that being a single person, I far prefer drinking boxed wines–rosé especially. It's just so easy to have a half glass of wine with lunch or a snack and then more in the evening. Boxed wine is so easy to chill and who doesn't stand in front of their refrigerator wondering what to eat/drink. The power of visuals. 

So I was so delighted this past week to meet not one, but TWO organic producers offering bag in box wines–both Folk Machine and a new label from the Phil Coturri family, Enrico Valentine (EVwines.com). 

Both are Sonoma producers–Go Sonoma. 

In Napa Matthiasson also made a boxed rose but it sells out super fast and is gone until next year. Bonterra used to make boxed wine, but I have not seen it on their website for several years now. Field Recordings makes boxed wine, but I do not know if it is organic or not. (As memory serves me, I think not).

So here are two I am excited about. 

FOLK MACHINE WHITE LIGHT | $45 | 3L Box

It's always exciting to see a local, bootstrappy winery getting reviewed in the New York Times, especially on price, where the imports dominate in such articles. So here it is - White Light. (And this is not the first time they've gotten praise from Eric Asimov). 

It's a wild white blend - and it comes together beautifully. 

My notes: "From certified organic vineyards in Mendocino and Lodi. A unique blend of Tocai Friulano (30%), Albariño (23%), Verdelho (21%), Vermentino (21%) and Sauvignon Blanc (5%). Beautifully textured, with notes of peach and melon. Refreshing. Also available in 3L box ($45). Labeled "Made with Organic Grapes."

(It's also available in bottles). 

Here's what the boxed wine looks like. 

Lynn Wheeler of Folk Machine (aka Hobo Wine Co.) holds up the brand new boxed wine packaging. Fun graphics!

It launched today!

ENRICO VALENTINE WINES | $95 | 3L

A new label from the family of Phil Coturri and Arden Kremer...from their sons Sam and Max. 

Typically the family's regular wines are high priced (and worth every penny) – single vineyard designates from outstanding vineyards ($45-115). 

EV Wines is the family's "second label" more or less, which is to say it's more than what you would expect from most second labels. 

The Story Behind the EV Wines Brand

The brand name comes from Sam and Max's middle names. 

Said Sam, "The concept of these is in honor of these two men who we wouldn't be here without (Enrico and Val) is to make farmer's wines–to make wine with what you have that you can drink. The wines are not vineyard designates, but they are wine that we had available. And again, the idea is to make them accessible. So we try and do everything we can to keep the price really reasonable and prove that you can get really well made, really well farmed wines out to the world in a way that's a little less exclusive than what we normally do."

Sam is the proprietor/winemaker of the family's winery–Winery Sixteen 600. (The brand is named for the street number of Phil's home address.) They make top tier wines from grapes Phil farms with a variety of winemakers.

Sam's middle name is Enrico, after his grandfather who arrived on Ellis Island from a town near Lucca in the early 1900's. 

Max works for his dad's company Enterprise Vineyards, a leading organic vineyard management company in Sonoma with its "world headquarters"–i.e. Phil and Arden's house–on a mountainside in the Moon Mountain District his father helped to develop. 

Max's middle name is Valentine, an homage to Val Rossi, whose vineyard is where Phil and Arden first connected (with a little assist from Val). When former Intel CEO Paul Ottelini bought the vineyard, which had fallen into neglect in 2010, he hired Phil to revive it. Today it is one of the celebrated historic vineyards that vintners clamor to buy grapes from. 

So - EV Wines. 

The roster of winemakers is world class (as are the grapes). Basically it comes down to some amazing blending of certified organic fruit Enterprise farms in Sonoma coupled with Cannard grown grapes. 

The wines are available in box from the winery or in bottle ($25 a bottle or $300 a case) from the winery or retailers. 

The white blend is mostly Semillon farmed by Ross Cannard organically grown (but not certified). 

He is the son of the famed Bob Cannard, who grew vegetables for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse for many years. It's blended with Grenache Blanc and Roussanne and sees some skin contact. 

The rosé is Primitivo (60%) in a blend with Grenache (30%) and Mourvedre (10%).

The red blend is all Enterprise grown Zin - a combo of two vintages. The 2023 was a traditional ferment (60% of the wine) while the 2024 vintage (40% of the wine) is partially carbonic. 

The ace winemaking team includes Alejandro Zimman, Erich Bradley, Jack Sporer of Magnolia Wine Services, Sam and Rhone based, Cambie protege Isabel Gassier.

The wines are also sold as a 3 box set, with the clever name The Neapolitan (like the ice cream, get it?)

https://www.evwines.com/

PS Matthiasson also had an organically grown boxed rose but it is currently sold out.

Organic O. G. Mark Neal To Offer Organic Winegrowing Masterclass Oct. 4th

I recently visited Mark Neal up at his Howell Mountain winery and vineyard to taste through the current releases. Neal showed his three Mediterrean origin whites and his perennially popular Cabernets.

One thing to know: he is starting to teach locally, holding a masterclass and dinner October 4th.

Where's what his website says: 

Join us at Neal Vineyards this October for an intimate, full-day experience and dinner at the winery in the heart of Napa Valley with our founder, Mark Neal.

A second-generation wine grower, vintner, and one of the region’s leading voices in organic and regenerative agriculture. You will see and hear Mark really farms soil. You will taste amazing organic wines, some not available to the public. This master class is more than a look behind the scenes—it’s an invitation to walk the land, taste the legacy, and understand the philosophy that shapes every bottle we make.

Neal's vineyards are certified organic, regenerative organic and biodynamic. 

$175.00

Book online here. 

Congrats to Monte Rosso | Now Certified Organic

Four Organic Rockstar Wineries Join Newly Formed "Wine Atlas Collective", Enabling Free Visitation at Member Wineries

Eight US wineries have banded together to offer an extra benefit to their wine club members–the ability to enjoy free or discounted wine tastings at any of the other wineries in their member collective. Four have organically grown estate vines.

Do not get overexcited, because the wineries are only one in each region, so you would have to do quite a bit of driving to capitalize on these offers, but they do set a precedent and are a benefit if you visit a lot of wine regions.

The eight members are all listed on the group's website here at WineAtlasCollective.com. 

These are the members with organically grown wines: 

California

• Frog's Leap (100% organic grapes)

• Ridge Vineyards (only the estate wines are organic)

• Tablas Creek  (only the estate wines are organic)

Oregon

• Brooks Wine (20% organic/biodynamic - only the estate wines)

VARIETAL DIVERSITY

Promoters pointed out that the 8 wineries collectively have 43,000 wine club members and grow 43 varieties. Of course, Tablas Creek has a remarkably high number of them, since it grows many obscure Rhone varieties. 

Here are the 43: 

Albarino

Blaufrankisch

Bourboulenc

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Sauvignon

Chardonnay

Chenin Blanc

Cinsaut

Coumoise

Dornfelder

Gamay Noir

Gewurztraminer

Grenache

Grenache Blanc

Gruner Veltliner

Lagrein

Malbec

Merlot

Mourvedre

Muscat

Petit Verdot

Petite Sirah

Picardan

Picpoul Blanc

Pinot Blanc

Pinot Gris

Pinot Noir

Riesling

Rousanne

Sangiovese

Sauvignon Blanc

Semillon

Syrah

Tannat

Tempranillo

Teroldego

Vaccarese

Vermentino

Viognier

Zinfandel

Zweigelt

Rhone Rangers Summer Celebration This Sunday in Sonoma - Get $15 Off Your Ticket with this Code

This weekend taste, taste, taste–and eat–in a convenient Sonoma location with lovely green gardens and enjoy wines from what are CLIMATE SMART grape varieties. Rhone varieties grow well in hot, dry places–a huge plus as the climate continues to warm.

From the organizers: 

"Enjoy an afternoon wine tasting in the cabana garden at Cline Family Cellars in Sonoma, with 30 Rhone Rangers from throughout the USA!  

Discover new favorites from Clairette Blanche, Picpoul Blanc, Cinsault, and Vaccarèse to the more well-known Rhone varietals Viognier, Grenache, and Syrah, PLUS white and red-Rhone blends."

Menu



Includes light bites from Delicious Dish and Live Music with Highway One

Herby Castelfranco Olive Tartlets

Pickled Watmaugh Strawberry 

Iberico Ham Caprese Skewer

Lemon Fried Chicken with Corn & Tomato Salad

Charcuterie

Who's Organic at the Rhone Rangers Event This Sunday

Featured wineries come from Sonoma, Napa, El Dorado, Lodi, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara County, Ojai, Oregon, and Texas.

Among the 30 wineries participating in this Sunday's event, these seven have wines from organically grown grapes:

• Alta Collina

• Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah!

• Lasseter Family Winery (100%)

• Ridge Vineyards 

• Tablas Creek Vineyard 

• Troon Vineyard (100%)

• Winery Sixteen 600 (100%)

Several also have organically grown wines in boxed formats – how eco can you get! 

Discounts

Enter Promo Code SUMMER and save $15 on your wine tasting ticket.

Tickets are regularly $87.00. Order here.

Tis the Season for New Whites–Assyrtiko from Napa? Or how about Fiano?

For organic, biodynamic and regenerative wine grape veteran Mark Neal, white wines are what’s new.

Neal, a major organic expert who’s converted close to 1,000 acres in Napa to organic viticulture, has been making Sauvignon Blanc, like many in Napa, and added a Mediterranean grape–Vermentino–which originated in Sardinia but is now popular in the Languedoc-Rhone region. 

His Cabernets, grown his Howell Mountain site and his family’s Rutherford site, have been one of Napa’s better kept secrets for years. But now his whites could achieve notoriety, too. 

He’s doggedly refined a technique he started trying out in 1997 of stacking vines–growing two different grape varieties in the same row–a red on top and a white underneath–giving him a bigger sandbox to play in. These climate-resilient whites are the result.

Now he’s releasing the new fruits of his unique trellising system with two new whites.

If you‘ve visited southern Italy, you may have tried the medium bodied Fiano, a popular grape there where it’s often paired with fish. 

If you’ve been to Santorini, the racy white, Assyrtiko, may have graced your table. 

Now you can try Neal Family’s first vintages of each. 

I’ll let his email fill you in on the details. 

“Our 2024 Rutherford Dust Fiano has ancient roots in Italy’s Campania region and thrives in our cool, coastal-influenced Napa Valley microclimate. The 2023 vintage opens with honeysuckle, jasmine, white peach, and sandalwood aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and broad, with notes of ripe white peach, honeyed pear, lemon, and orange peel, a vibrant, complex white that shines solo or with seafood and poultry.

Harvested: 9/17/24

Fermentation: 100% barrel in French & European 500L puncheons

Maturation: 7 months, 20% new oak

Alcohol: 13.7%

Production: 264 cases

$42/bottle

Mark’s passion for Assyrtiko was sparked on a trip to Santorini in the summer of 1980. Years later, this vision took root in Napa Valley. Our 2024 Rutherford Dust Assyrtikobursts with lemon, mandarin, grapefruit, orange blossom, yellow peach, apricot, and honeydew. The palate is powerful yet refined, finishing with a distinct saline, wet stone minerality—a nod to its Greek origins.

Harvested: 9/26/24

Fermentation: Stainless steel to barrel

Maturation: 7 months in 225L barrels & 500L puncheons (20% new)

It’s worth noting that Neal’s not alone in seeking out these Mediterranean varieties to grow. Long time organic growers and vintners at Napa Wine Co.’s Ghost Block are also planting some Assyrtiko. 

Climate is not waiting, so these seem like smart moves.

New! Private Vineyard and Winery Tour with Alex Davis at Porter Creek (Biodynamic) - Best Summer Plan to Make

There are a few Pinots and Chardonnays from top producers in the USA that I have not tasted, but so far, Porter Creek Vineyards is my top pick, year in and year out.  

The wines, the people, the site, the farming – are all tops in my book. I shared this wine with a Pinot expert at a recent group tasting and his reaction was, "Top Burgundy." 

So I am so excited to share the news with you that this family run (totally) winery in Healdsburg is, for the first time, offering vineyard and winery tours with proprietor Alex Davis himself. Trained in Burgundy under the famed Georges Roumier and yet as down home as can be, Alex is a true vigneron. 

The estate, on a hillside on the perfect West Side Road location, looks and feels (and tastes) Burgundian. The farming and winemaking has been biodynamic for decades (and organic as well). I've bought cases and cases. In fact, there is more from Porter Creek in my cellar than anything else. 

Here's what a recent email from the winery says:

"Join Alex for an epic 4-wheel drive truck tour of our steep hillside vineyards. Enjoy the spectacular views from the hilltop. View first hand all of the individual vineyards sites on the property and the winery where everything is made. Learn about our ecological farming practices, minimal intervention winemaking, what Alex integrates from his time in Burgundy and old Westside Road winemaking lore. Alex grew up on this property in the late 1970’s and 1980’s as “the boy next door” to all of the OG’s of the local Pinot Noir movement, such as Davis Bynum, Gary Farrell, Burt Williams, Ed Selyem, Joe & Tom Rochioli and of course his father, Porter Creek founder, George Davis.

This part of the experience should last about 45 minutes, and then included in the price is our "Grand Wine Tasting" at our tasting room, now with a much deeper understanding of how and where our wines are produced.

*Upon request the tour can been done on foot provided the weather is conducive and everyone is in the group is up for a brisk hike.

The tour can be between 2-5 guests, $125 per person or $100/person for our wine club members. If you would like to make a reservation, please click here to visit our website to reserve through Tock. It is also possible to email us at info@portercreekvineyards.com or call us at 707-433-6321 to request a reservation for a time not listed.

You can also book a wine tasting reservation without a tour, for our "Grand Wine Tasting", which includes one Chardonnay and 4 Pinot Noirs...all grown, made, bottled and labelled on our property. Of course, there is always a "surprise"  bonus wine of our choice, for a total of 6 wines presented, for $50 per person.

A 2-bottle purchase per person waives the $50 "Grand Wine Tasting".

For your tasting experience, you are welcome to join us at our famous wine bar in the [rustic, picturesque] tasting room, or sit at one of our 20 outside tables, all offering beautiful views of our property. There is a $25, non-refundable, outside table-service fee if you choose our outdoor experience.

Thank you for taking the time to read through our newsletter.

We look forward to hosting you!

Sincerely,

Alex & Ann, Fiona & Hayley

Jonathan & Scott

Crystal, Paul, Ali & Karly

Porter Creek Vineyards

707-433-6321

www.portercreekvineyards.com"

If you haven't been to Porter Creek, you owe it to yourself to visit. If you have guests visiting this summer, this experience will be one they will remember. Nothing like the big corporate wineries who just want you to join their wine club. Porter Creek would be my favorite wine club to recommend (and I used to be a member until I filled up my cellar with a LOT of their wine. I think I still have about 10 cases down in the basement). 

And if you're looking for rosé, this is also the place to find it, along with Carignane and Zin (lower priced than the Pinot and Chard) if you need some 'pizza wine" or reds that aren't Pinot. 

New Organically Grown Boxed Wine! From Winery Sixteen 600 - And a New Term: "ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE"

Very excited to see more NEW options in organically grown, artisanal boxed wines, especially from producers I know and love. 

The gang at Winery Sixteen 600 has a new look and feel in their boxed wine, grown by Phil Coturri (he's Enterprise Vineyards). Three new wines - a white, a red and a rose.

The kind of summer house wines you need and love. $95 for the equivalent of 4 bottles. It's all Sonoma fruit (so I bet you some is from Rossi Ranch). 

I haven't tasted them yet but am looking forward to it!

First Sunday of the Month | Jug Sundays are BACK! At Preston Farm & Winery in Sebastopol - Such a Deal

For years, Preston Farm and Winery was legendary for carrying on the old Dry Creek Valley tradition of jug wines. And then it stopped. 

BUT NOW...their instagram feeds says this:

"The Jug is back again!!! As promised, the first Sunday of the month means it's Sunday Jug Day! 

Sunday June 1 from 10-3

Fill your Jug with amazing wine, and your soul with heartwarming stories from Lou Preston himself.

4 bottles of wine for only $65 

Don't have a Jug? NO PROBLEM! We will provide your new jug for only $10!

Old school Jugger? Bring them on out and relive the glory days of the jug days past! 

Book a picnic table or tasting for what is sure to be a fun filled Sunday Jug Day!

Napa Green's RISE Event Showcases Climate Smart Practices

It wasn't about organics per se, but Napa Green's sustainability conference was a gang buster...filled with so many incredible experts it makes my head spin.

I got to share lunch with Jay Famiglietti, one of the world experts on groundwater monitoring via satellite, which he pioneered in California. He's now a professor at Arizona State, where is the Director of Science for the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative...a much needed institute in a drought stricken state. 

Another day, I was lucky enough to snag a bit of time with Olga Barbosa, a global leader in biodiversity initiatives. 

And there were so many friends and acquaintances to run into.

I won't go into all the content the conference delivered–that would be several books–but will point you to the videos on Napa Green's website when they are uploaded. Which hopefully will be sometime soon. 

In the meantime, enjoy this article I wrote for WineBusiness.com that ran today. It's but a tiny smidgie of the conference, but it's a start.

Hella Chenin Event A Rip Roaring Success in Berkeley's Natural Wine District

There was an enthusiastic turnout for the Hella Chenin wine fest Saturday as hundreds gathered to frolic in the Hammerling Wines courtyard on Fifth Street in Berkeley, aka the "Natural Wine District," a province of what is sometimes called the People's Republic of Berkeley. The event was a sellout. 

Naturally, natural wine has found a home here in Berkeley (with Donkey and Goat, Broc Cellars and more as anchor tenants) but so now has Chenin, and, at this event, the South African and California wineries who make it. 

The event was sponsored in part by the South African importer Culture Wine Co (which may account for why, ahem, no Loire wines were featured). Culture is making the rounds, touring with its South African producers at other California locations (May 5, 6 and 7 in SF, Napa and SF respectively). 

Chenin Blanc wines are also very affordable, as well as rare, so this may be two big factors in its widespread appeal within a cult following. Plus it makes excellent wines.

The only problem for me in covering this for this blog is that there are a. very few sources for U.S. winemakers to buy Chenin grapes (most of the vineyards to date have been in Clarksburg, where Delta moisture makes organic farming a challenge), and b. even fewer who are certified organic. In fact, I found only about five at this event. 

The variety's rarity alone could account for the variety's je ne sais crois hipster savoir faire. 

Farming on the uncertified grower sites ranges from ideal (Littorai in Sebastopol, Rorick Heritage, and Four Diamonds in Applegate Valley, Dashe Cellars' blocks in Clarksburg) to sustainable to dreadful. (Jurassic, a popular spot for Chenin, has great limestone, but industrial vineyard management using, yes, Roundup.)

ESTATES (2)

Two estate wineries grow and make Chenin–DuMOL's MacIntyre Vineyard in the Green Valley AVA and Chappellet in Napa's Pritchard Hill, which had some of the older Chenin vines in the state until it replanted in 2004. Formerly the Chappellet wine was only available to its wine club, but distribution has eased up a little bit these days, I've been told.

WINERIES BUYING CERTIFIED ORGANIC GRAPES (3)

Grape sellers include Massa Vineyard (vinified by Ian Brand, who has farmed it; its grapes are also purchased by Hammerling and Broc Cellars) and Chalone and Rodnick (grapes purchased by Hammerling) in Monterey County's Chalone AVA. 

(Note: I personally do not just write about certified organically grown wines overall, but that is the criteria for this blog. At Slow Wine USA, I write about almost 200 wines each year, and not all are organic).

MASTERCLASS PANEL

The wine fest opened with an illustrious panel that included Chenin devotee and evangelist Tegan Passalaqua (of Sandlands),  

The wine fest opened with an illustrious panel that included Chenin devotee and evangelist Tegan Passalaqua (of Sandlands), Bryan Bredell of Scions of Sinai (South Africa) and Alder Yarrow (of Vinography.)

Herewith a few excerpts from the panel conversation: 

Alder: 

"I think we've obviously seen a lot of negative news in the wine industry the last couple years, and personally, I'm quite sick of that. I think the wine industry is full of really amazing people and an amazing product that's completely irreplaceable. And I think today is about celebrating Chenin. It's about celebrating wine, and it's about bringing more people into this beautiful space."  

About the name of Bredell's family winery, Scions of Sinai:

"The name...has nothing to do with the Middle East. There's a hill where his family has had a farm called Sinai Hill, lots of granite, lots of Chenin, hence the name...he is a seventh generation wine grower in South Africa."

"Through a twist of fate, his family lost all of their vineyards, had to sell them, but remarkably, he is now making wine under the family name in the original Family Wine Cellar from from so many generations ago, which is super cool, and wines are brilliant."  

"I'm really excited that the grape seems to be going through a tiny little Renaissance here in California. At the moment, we still have very few acres. It's something like 3,780 acres [4265 according to Capstone) in California, down from 35,000 back in the heyday of Chenin Blanc, when it was going into all the generic white blends in California."

"But despite the acreage of Chenin not having changed much in the last 20 years, what has happened is, all of a sudden, all sorts of little projects, like many of the ones that you're gonna see out there in the courtyard today, have started really taking the grape seriously and making some truly exceptional wines."

"And of course, you're also gonna get to taste the South African examples, which are just fantastic. But Chenin, of course, is one of the most versatile grapes on the planet. Like perhaps only Riesling, it can make everything from a bone dry, deeply mineral wine to a skin contact orange wine to sparkling wine to absolutely incredible sweet wines that are the best dessert wines on the planet, and everything in between. There aren't hardly any other grapes in the world that can do that. And so Chenin has proved long over that it is one of the great noble grapes of the world."

On California's under the radar visibility for Chenin:  

"I looked up this morning the entry for Chenin Blanc in the Oxford Companion of Wine, which I contribute to but sadly, did not have an opportunity to edit this particular entry, and the way it describes Chenin Blanc in California is quote, 'In contrast to South Africa and the Loire, California has very few champions of the variety, and most of it is used as usually anonymous base for everyday commercial blends of reasonably crisp white wine.'"

"So this is our mission, right? It is our mission as a group, as a community, as people who love Chenin and want to make sure that when the next edition of the Oxford Companion of Wine comes out, that that has been changed, and it says amazing things about the incredible boutique versions of the grape that are being made here in California."

 Bredell told the story of how Chenin arrived in South Africa.

"370 years ago, there was a ship passing from Europe on its way to South Africa. It was a three month voyage...on the Atlantic Ocean, with a few cuttings of Chenin. These cuttings were kept with a little bit of soil...They arrived in July of 1655, so it was only planted in that August, as the first vines at the Cape, with Palomino and Semillon– the first three wine varieties."

"It was only about four years later that the first wine was made, at the Cape...It basically started with that, and it wasn't very good..."

Made as a durable sweet wine, it was used to help the sailors stop getting sick from bad water on long sea voyages. 

Fast forward to California...where Tegan begins his story of Chenin.

"We don't know exactly when it first came to California–most likely the 1860s to the 80s. We do know that it was Napa Valley. The first variety labeled Chenin Blanc in America was in 1955...by the Mondavi family, Charles Krug, and it won the International State Fair in California, which was the big wine fair of the world."

"It was a big thing to win, and no one had ever really heard of it, but it came out and won the best white wine for the whole International Wine Competition, in Sacramento. So that really got everyone's attention." 

"And then Charles Krug really had its payday with it. They made about 300,000 cases a year of Chenin in the 60s and 70s....Parallel that to South Africa, where they had a wine that was the number one selling wine...does anyone know that the number one selling wine in the world in the 60s was South African white wine?" [It was Chenin.] 

"They were selling up to 3 million cases a year of the wine."

Tegan credited Philip Togni with keeping it in the ground in Napa. 

"Philip Togni was the original winemaker at Chappellet. And the story I had heard when he arrived there, if anyone knows where he came from, it's part of the story, because he arrived there and (who ever he was working for) said, 'Oh, we've got to rip out all this Chenin block.'"

"And he goes, 'No, no.'...He had just left Chalone, and he's like, 'I know how to make it.' And they're like, 'Okay, we'll keep it.' ...So that was kind of this rebirth of a serious Chenin–the first kind of cult Chenin Blanc." 

"The reality of the demand that Chenin Blanc had in the Napa Valley, in our parents lifetime–everyone wanted it. 

"In the 70s, it was the most planted white grape in Napa Valley."

Nonetheless, the grape is rarely grown even in areas of the state where it could perform beautifully, the speakers said. Amador County is the source for one of Tegan's Chenins. 

Tegan made a plea for more people to plant the variety and to hold on to the vines (so winemakers of the future could get grapes from old Chenin vines). 

"If you're young, try to plan a vineyard...All of us in this room who make wine, we're takers, we're not givers. We've been able to be very successful on the backs of what the people from past generations have done. And we're not doing that for the further generations to come." 

"Everyone says, well, it's really hard to find a vineyard. But do you think in 1919 that it was easy for people in Russian River to plant...when they worked at the quarry? No, it's always been hard, but that's the big issue. 

"Why we don't have this is because people aren't doing the work that the future generations are going to be able to make great wines from. 

"South Africa...had great work done, and then thank God for the distilling and brandy that saved all these [Chenin] vineyards for them for 50 years. 

"We don't have that right now, so people in 50 years are gonna be like, 'where's all the old Chenin and vineyards that we get to make wine from? And it's like, 'Grandpa, why didn't you plant them?"

MASTERCLASS TASTING

1. Scions of Sinai

In the masterclass, Bredell presented his 2023 Granietsteen Chenin Blanc, a spectacular example, full of glorious acidity. (More info here). I agree with Randy when he writes: "I have to say that the one wine that impressed me the most was Bredell’s 2024 Scions of Sinai Granietsteen Vineyard Chenin Blanc: An absolute stunner of a wine, oozing with mineral, lime-like and honeyed qualities, a rapier-tart and high tension edginess offset by silken textures and the barest touch of green leafiness." It was a tough act to follow.

Description: From Sinai Hill, southern Stellenbosch. An old Chenin blanc single vineyard from 1978. Planted on South-East facing contours as dry-farmed bushvines rooted on weathered in-situ granite soils. Overlooking the shores of False Bay a mere 3.5km away.

2. Sandlands 

This Amador County wine, from head trained vines planted in 1979, was subtler with more subdued acidity but with a beautiful grapefruit juice streak. 

By the end of the day, Tegan had poured a lot of wine....(Photo from his instagram post)

AN ENTHUSIASTIC, VIBRANT WINE CULTURE

Chenin fervor abounded, expressed in the exuberant display of Chenin hats, abundance of expensive oysters ($38 a dozen), lamb sausage hot dogs, basil 

A few years ago, one Chenin fan made an underground and unauthorized T-shirt homage to Chenin evangelist Tegan Passalaqua

CALIFORNIA'S CHENIN O. G.'s 

KINDRED SPIRITS | ALL FROM MASSA

NEWER PLANTINGS (2016)

Jenna Davis, winemaker at DuMOL with the 2023 vintage

Happy (Organic Winegrowing) Mother's Day: Enjoy This Conversation with Cathy Corison and Daughter Grace on The Wine Makers Podcast

You may think you know and love Cathy Corison, defender of the True Terroir Holy Grail of Napa Cabernet, beloved by thousands. During the reign of the Big Reds (that Robert Parker promoted) her wines were actually unfashionable, she says in this conversant. (Hard to believe these days). 

There's probably a lot more you don't know that is revealed in this wonderful episode of The Wine Makers podcast. 

Like many, Corison farmed organically but it wasn't until her daughter Grace entered the business that there was bandwidth for them to fill out the paperwork. (Thank you to Grace.)

They also certified Napa Green in the vineyard and the winery. 

I had not known until I heard this podcast, that Corison uses no outside workers in the vines (except at harvest)–much closer to the vigneron model, a super rarity in Napa. 

They and vineyard workers also bike around Napa!

Here are a few little moments from the transcript, but don't stop here. Check out the full podcast.

Cathy: 

“...when I got here, there were 30 wineries in June of 1975, 12 of which had been founded three years prior. 

"Napa Valley was very poor. It the first half of the 20th century was very difficult for wine anywhere. In the US, it was even worse because of Prohibition, but there were still two world wars and a depression.” 

“Was there still mixed agriculture in the mid-70s?

Way more than there is now. There were prune trees everywhere. There was a prune dryer in St. Alina that was, it may have not been active anymore, but it was still there.”

How did she come to embrace organic?

“My first big interaction with organic farming was with Ted Hall. I made his wine at Long Meadow Ranch for 10 years, and he was a really early adopter of certified organics. And so by the time we had our property, I knew, especially in our climate, there's no excuse not to be farming organically.

So it wasn't even a second thought when we, it was 1995 that we closed on the Cronos property, and it's been organic every second.”

Making 3,000 cases of wine a year...

“I think that we have stayed this small for so long and kept so focused because that has been what we can do and continue to do ourselves. If we were to get much bigger and experiment with a lot more things, I think we'd have to hire out more. And for us, that's not worth it. 

We want to be the ones that can do everything ourselves. [Cathy] hasn't missed a single harvest pick day in her entire career... That is so unusual for a winemaker to be there for every single thing.

Grace: 

"She [Cathy] built this label saying that a label has to stand for something. And ours stands for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.”

Cathy: 

“We spent a lot of time out there managing the canopy to within an inch of its life...we're growing way better grapes than we were even ten years ago, because we've just gotten better at that.”

“For the last seven years, we do all our own work. Pruning all the way through canopy management....Our crew is completely hybrid...everyone who works in the cellar are the same people who prune. So it's really cool because people get a really holistic sense of what exactly they're doing out in the vineyard and how that affects the wine itself.

"We have four full-time year-round. And then we have an additional five to six that start with us at pruning. And they're with us till the end of harvest... it's a very European model...

"When I was at Davis 47 years ago, there were an enology department and a viticulture department, separate departments in separate buildings. And that's follows through to this very day. There's still a little bit of the them versus us thing, which is really too bad. There's only a fermentation in between one and the other."

For more, check out the whole podcast.

The Corisons will be keynote speakers at Napa Rise's Rise Green event on Wednesday. More info is available here. 

Grgich Hills Estate Wins Napa Green Rise Green Award for Soil Health and Biodiversity

Grgich Hill Estate president Violet Grgich accepting the award

The first round of Napa Green's Rise Green conference - six days of sustainability programs and world class speakers - kicked off last week with an amazing array of speakers and topics.  Appropriately on May 1, May Day, the topic was soil health and biodiversity. 

Grgich Hills is the poster child for practices that promote carbon cycling on all five of its estate vineyards. (It grows all of its own grapes). Its vineyard workers are paid $23 an hour plus benefits and yet it still manages to grow grapes and make certified organically grown wines for $4,000 less per acre than the Napa average.  

As a role model, it would be hard to find a more eco-ecological vineyard and winery champion in the entire state. 

Thus, it was a pleasure to see Violet Grgich receive this accolade from Napa Green at the Rise Green event last week. 

When I drive by their Yountville vines, on Highway 29, I breathe a sigh of relief. So much green on the vineyard floor and under the vines. Carbon yoga! The soil is breathing in and breathing out.

Who's Organic at the 61st Annual Napa Valley Library Tasting? Top Producers to Target

It's a massive tasting with 50 top wineries in Napa showcasing current releases, library wines and exceptional snacks. 

Sunday, May 18, 2025, 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Hosted in Martini Park at Louis M Martini Winery, Saint Helena

NOTE: I've added * for wineries with at least one wine from certified organic vines and ** if all of the wineries' wines are from certified organic grapes.

Chaix Winery **

Ghost Block **

Grgich Hills Estate **

Hagafen *

Snowden *

Spottswoode *

Turley Wine Cellars *

White Rock Vineyard **

Who's Organic at the Moon Mountain Seminar and Grand Tasting May 3-4 in Downtown Sonoma

Moon Mountain District is an utterly unique part of Sonoma County and not the first that comes to mind when you say "Sonoma." It's special - part of the Mayacamas mountains. 

And yet, while Cabernet here is king, Moon Mountain District has plantings of diverse grape varieties, thanks to its varied microclimates. Its Syrah, Grenache and other Rhones are outstanding. Its different exposures also grow–surprisingly–Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Malbec and refined Zinfandels are also found here, thanks to its growers and vintners.

Many came here for mountain grown Cab, grown organically, who were attracted by working with pioneering organic vineyard manager Phil Coturri, who started his farming career on the historic Monte Rosso (the site of last year's extravanaganza event, featuring both current and ten year old wines, led by Antonio Galloni). 

This year the district's annual Reach for the Moon tasting will be held in a much more accessible location–MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa–in downtown Sonoma. 

Headliners leading the masterclass include organic and biodynamic pioneer Rodrigo Soto, formerly of Quintessa, now of his own label, Far Mountain, and Brenna Quigley, mapmaker and geologist extraordinaire.

SUNDAY MORNING | SEATED MASTERCLASS | $400 per person*

*15% Early Bird Savings with code EARLYBIRD15 makes it $340 per person

Wines from more than 20 vintners will be tasted.

Fee includes the Grand Tasting, too.

Click here for the Sunday event tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reach-for-the-moon-tickets-1091301565359

SUNDAY AFTERNOON | GRAND TASTING | $250 per person*

12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

*15% Early Bird Savings with code EARLYBIRD15 makes it $212.50 per person

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WEEKEND STAY DISCOUNTED

Coming for the weekend? Consider a two night stay at the swanky MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa.

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THE PREQUEL | SATURDAY EVENTS | MAY 3

Special Tasting at Lasseter Family Winery

Special Estate Tasting Experience

Saturday, May 3

12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Repris Wines & Pangloss Cellars

Reception with Wines & Seasonal Bites

Saturday, May 3

6:30 p.m.

Click here for reservations for Sat. events: https://moonmountaindistrict.org/reach-for-the-moon-2025

Participating Wineries with Certified Organic Vines

• Hanzell Vineyards

• Kamen Estate

• Lasseter Family

• Moon Hollow

• Repris

• Stone Edge Farm

• Winery Sixteen 600

**************JUNE 4 TRADE AND MEDIA TASTING IN NEW YORK*****************

A separate event scheduled for New York will include these brands with organic estates (and other wineries) from Moon Mountain.

MASTER CLASS & WALK-AROUND TASTING

https://moonmountaindistrict.org/reach-for-the-moon-2025-trade

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2025

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Robert Kamen

Kamen Estate

Korbin Ming

Korbin Kameron

Christophe Tassan

Moon Hollow

Erich Bradley

Repris Wines

Sherrie Perkovich

Sojourn Cellars

Philipe Thibault

Stone Edge Farm Vineyards & Estate Winery

Phil Coturri

Enterprise Vineyards

Winery Sixteen 600

Women in Wine | Davis Event Saturday April 26

It's starting to be a busy season as many wine events kick off this month and next.

Here's one I meant to give a headsup about earlier, but it slipped by me...until NOW.

I attended the first one of these which was held last year and it was exciting and engaging to have space to talk about things women do not always bring up in regular wine industry events. Last year I was lucky enough to write about the event for WineBusiness.com and you can read the article here.

The event page for this year can be found here.

I am also excited to see that two of the six speakers have certified organic vineyards. 

Check it out. I hope to post about the event later, here on this blog. 

Natural Coast Wine Festival | Saturday April 26 in Santa Barbara

The 3rd annual Natural Coast Wine Festival takes place this weekend from 12pm-5pm on Saturday, April 26th, 2025. 

Superstars at the event include Amevive (Los Olives District AVA) and Lady of the Sunshine (SLO Coast AVA) as well as Paso Robles wineries Ambyth Estate, and Villa Creek and others. 

(All four are certified organic or biodynamic and listed in Slow Wine USA 2025 guide). 

The fest will be held at the new Satellite "The Factory" Event Space at 616 E Haley Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103.

THE WINES

"All wine must be farmed organically as a minimum. Whether certified or not, vineyards must be farmed without synthetic pesticides. Certification from CCOF, Demeter Biodynamic, etc. welcome and appreciated. Just farming *sustainable* is not enough."

"All wines must be fermented natively - whether spontaneously or using a pied-de-cuve. Sparkling wines may be accepted when fermented with non-native yeast if noted in technical information."

"No sterile filtration, no fining"

"Absolutely no additives except for SO2 with a maximum total SO2 below 70 ppm, regardless of wine style."(Note: Raw Wine allows up to 80 ppm BTW.)

"No magic techno-wizard winemaking tricks. This includes reverse-osmosis, cryo-extraction, spinning cone filtration, etc."

"None of these rules are negotiable. Breaking of any rules will result in a 3-year minimum ban from presenting at Natural Coast Festival events... and v. bad vibes!"

As only Californians would put it.

Go and enjoy!