Top Scores for Organic Wines in Wine & Spirits Magazine

This month's issue of Wine & Spirits magazine's new releases section features these organically grown wines:

94 Points

Storybook Mountain, Zinfandel, Eastern Exposures ($48)

93 Points

Qupe, Syrah - Sawyer Lindquist ($35)

92 Points

Qupe, Grenache - Sawyer Lindquist 2011 ($35)

Marimar Estate, Pinot Noir, 2009, Sonoma Coast Chico's Run ($48)

91 Points

Frog's Leap, Zinfandel ($30) BEST BUY

90 Points

Flora Springs, Trilogy ($75)

Qupe, Syrah - Purisima Mountain ($35)

88 Points

Beckmen Vineyards, Cuvee le Bec ($18)

Enjoy.

Coming to Your Town: MUST SEE MOVIE Symphony of the Soil in Theatrical Release

You may recall my mentioning that my friends made the film Symphony of the Soil...which I have been enthusiastically telling people about since it first came out in 2012. Well, now it's about to hit the theaters - giving you a chance to see what all the fuss is about!



Here's the schedule of screenings (below).

For more info and to join the email list, go to www.symphonyofthesoil.com. There is a detailed and continuously updated calendar of screenings here.

The film will screen in Chicago and New York in addition to the local screenings below.

BAY AREA SCREENINGS

• San Rafael - Sept. 27-Oct. 2
• San Francisco - Roxie - one night only - Sept. 28
• Bioneers (for conference attendees only): Oct. 18
• Oakland; New Parkway, Oct. 22

NAPA SCREENING, OCT. 2

I will be going to the Oct. 2 show at the 400 seat Napa Opera House where Demeter will be co-hosting a Biodynamic® wine tasting at the show. Join us there! Filmaker Deborah Garcia, U.C. Berkeley microbial biologist Dr. Ignacio Chapel and winemaker John Williams of Frog's Leap will all be there.
 You can buy tickets online now.

Warning: seeing this film could endanger your ability to drink or eat food from poorly treated soils... i.e. anything not organic or Biodynamic...as it so makes the case for how well we need to treat our soils. It's a great and engaging upper of a movie as well.

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.

 

SALE: In Celebration of the Harvest: Qupe's Grenache and Rose on Sale

When Biodynamic® (and organically grown) wines go on sale, I take (and give) notice. Qupe is one of the top Rhone producers and their sales make buying their wine direct from the winery on par with dealing with retailers. Which means more of the profits go to the winemakers and less to the middle-people.

So support your eco-system heroes (they don't use pesticides, herbicides, and hydroponics to grow grapes) and give them your wine dollars. I can heartily recommend both of these wines - their Grenache and their sister label Verdad's Grenache Rose - as they are among my staple recommendations. They're each on sale for 25% off, making the $35 Grenache now $26.25 a bottle and the Rose $13.50 (down from $18).

Let's get ourselves out of being prisoners of the chemical-industrial-wine complex that surrounds us along our freeways and in the aisles of our supermarkets. Give the winemakers your money!

Order wine here: www.qupe.com.

Trendspotting: Chefs Becoming Vintners

In researching my new app on BD wines (made from Biodynamic® vineyards and/or wine processing standards), I've come across two stories of chefs moving to the countryside with their spouses to start vineyard/farms.

One is Big Farm Table in Oregon. The other is Shinn Estate on Long Island's north fork.

See more about life at Big Table Farm here:

Worth A Read: Randall Grahm At His Best

Randall Grahm - where would California be without him? - has yet another piercingly brilliant piece - his talk from July's Conference on Wine Quality at Asilomar on his favorite topic - the pursuit of vins de terroirs in America. It's definitely worth a read. See here.

A Tale of Two Vineyards: The Davis World View

Teaching vineyard at U.C. Davis

I had occasion last week to see the alpha and omega of California wine grape growing - touring the U.C. Davis teaching vineyard with Professor Andy Walker and touring a vineyard on Spring Mountain in Napa with renowned biodynamic consultant Phillipe Armenier.

DAVIS
I went to Davis for a two day class on wine grapes - ampelography - or the study of wine grape varieties. Mornings were spent in the teaching vineyard to see the grapes growing - whites one day and reds the next.

As we entered the vineyard, Walker apologized. "We'd be in our new vineyard," he said, "at the new Mondavi center, but someone put herbicide (Oust) at the edge of the property and it leached into the field, so we can't plant there for two years."

"Was there going to be an organic vineyard there, as well?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

So, Davis had killed its own vineyard before it was even planted. Oh my.

After our vineyard time in the morning, we would come back to the classroom for a quick lunch and then on to an hour and half of lecture. On Day 2, one of the topics was viruses, in particular the new scary one - Red Blotch - and the state of virus-infested new vines in California.

I'm not going to go into how the Davis-approved "clean" vines have been nothing but, causing a great deal of angst and economic loss to unsuspecting growers. And it's not for the first time that Davis has misrepresented the goods. We have Davis' rootstock advice to thank for the phylloxera epidemic of the 90s - and now the 20-year-later widespread replanting wave, as worn out vines have to be replaced, often accompanied by fumigation, likely one of the worst toxic side effects of chemical wine grape farming.

Red blotch wiped out the U.C. Davis' Oakville vineyard in Napa as well - necessitating taking out the whole vineyard and replanting it.

When will they learn? When will we have studies on viticulture ecology as the way to farm? We're not really studying the proper defense mechanisms. Unlike Oregon, Washington and Utah - where professors have been researching the effects of biodynamic farming and finding it's surprisingly helpful in boosting microbial activity and plant resilience.

One look at this "sanitary" Davis teaching vineyard - hard pan soils, no compost applied ("we did it for awhile but then it was too much work," Walker says), no other life forms besides grapes on trellises - sick vines, I might add. "Yes, we were seeing some mildew so we've turned on the fungicides last night." Walker says of the fertigated vines. (Fertigation is the process of adding fertilizers and other chemicals to the vines via the irrigation water.)

To the naked eye, this system of farming looks more like a marijuana growers' hydroponics setup. Soil isn't needed. Man controls the environment here with fertilizers and evil things to keep the predators at bay, as the vines are now totally defenseless and dependent on the "system."

Coming soon - pictures from another vineyard and another system.

Washington Pioneer: Wilridge Winery

I am researching the non-Oregon and non-California wines in my new Biodynamic® Wine Finder app (coming in September!) and amazed at the variety and pioneering spirit of so many of our next generation wine spots. The whole country has gone wild for local winemaking, it would seem.

A companion on my journey now is the wonderful book American Wine written by Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy. If you don't own a copy, run to your favorite online store (or local book shop) and get one. I think it's probably the finest book on wine that UC Press has published.

Jack Rabbit Hill Wines, Shinn Estate Winery and Wilridge Winery are among the wineries in the app I am currently writing about. I thought I'd post this video from Wilridge about their winery to give you a sense of what lies beyond our (California) borders - some pretty interesting wine experiments with terroir by bold settlers! See here:

Today Only: Wine Spies SALE on Hawk and Horse Cab

There's a 24 hour sale from The Wine Spies on Hawk and Horse's 2009 Block Three Cabernet Sauvignon.

The discounted price is available by typing in HAWKEYE on the site.

For more about the offer, click here.

Bi-Rite Wines: Martian Ranch Tasting Tonight

BiRite is hosting a tasting of Martian Ranch & Vineyard's biodynamic and organic wines tonight! Details here.

They will also be carrying several of these Rhone varietals, farmed in Los Alamos, in the Santa Ynez Valley (Santa Barbara County).

It's nice to see our local hipster grocery chain serving up local and organic/biodynamic!

If You Like Syrah...Two Items of Interest

I was just writing up all the wine descriptions for the sumptuous Syrahs from Qupe for my new Biodynamic Wine Finder app (coming Sept. 10, 2013) and at the very moment I thought I was done, a new email popped up in my inbox from K&L Wine Merchants. Usually I am not driven to open such emails, but...

When I opened it, what should appear but a notice of a brand new K&L Selections series, co-branded with various vintners. Number one in the series? A Qupe/K&L Sawyer Lindquist Syrah...for $19.99.

You usually can't touch Qupe's single vineyard wines in this price range...but you can now.

I'm looking forward to trying it.

For those who don't know their Syrah well, Bob Lindquist is known as the dean of California Syrah, planting the first Syrah in Santa Barbara County (now Syrah Central with Paso Robles) in 1982. He's been making stellar Syrah ever since. Qupe's been a Wine & Spirits Top 100 winery for 8 out of 9 years.

Lindquist and his wife Louisa (who has her own label - Verdad) grow the grapes on their 40 acre Edna Valley estate (certified Biodynamic in 2009, with Phillip Armenier as consultant), making the wine in Santa Maria at their Clendenen-Lindquist winery. The winery is located in one of the most beautiful spots in California - at the entrance to the fabled and justly famous Bien Nacido vineyard.

Phone orders: 877-559-4637.


But wait - that's not all. Qupe is having its own Syrah sale on all Sawyer Lindquist vineyard Syrahs - all are 25% off through August. That gets you their top drawer stuff - the regular Sawyer Lindquist ($35 - on sale for $26) or their Reserve - "Sonnie's" ($55 - on sale for $41).


Cheers.

IN PHOTOS: Napa Valley Wine Library Tasting

The Napa Valley Wine Library Association's annual tasting
 held on the grounds of Silverado Resort's golf course 

Organic wineries pouring included: CADE (Cab only), Grgich Hills, Heitz Wine Cellars, Long Meadow Ranch, Madonna Estate,  Robert Sinskey, Rocca Family, Storybook Mountain and ZD

Pouring at ZD Wines

The Wine Library's illustrious past on display 

Rex Hill Wine Tour: Let's Talk About Soil

I've been on a lot of winery tours, but only one (Tablas Creek) has shown me the soil...the terroir...the soil types...the minerality. This photo from Oregon's Rex Hill winery is inspiring! This is how they give wine tours. Wouldn't it be great to see other wineries follow suit?

At the Biomonitoring California Meeting: Toxics Are Us

At the Biomonitoring California meeting today in Oakland...this is the body charged with telling the citizenry what chemicals have made their way into our bodies. Some of these are wine grape pesticides. Just so you know.

If you were born during the DDT era, it's still there - because it doesn't go away. Others - like chlorpyrifos - are being applied today. More than 27,000 pounds were applied over 15,000 acres of vineyards in 2011.

You can listen to a livestream of the all day meeting online. See the Biomonitoring California home page for details.

While the CDC has a biomonitoring program, California is one of the few states to monitor pesticide use and chemical exposures and the only one with a state biomonitoring program.

For a basic introduction to Biomonitoring California watch the video below.



Biomonitoring California also has a YouTube feed you can subscribe to.

Ads I Like Seeing....

New Science: Plants Evolve Differently When Sprayed with Insecticides

I was driving to the Napa Valley Wine Library's annual tasting (my maiden voyage to this storied event) and listening to the latest podcast of Living on Earth, when I heard this rather jaw-breaking news.

Give it a listen and see what you think. Or you can read it here.


Basically, what researchers found is that by eliminating insecticides, plants rapidly stop producing the toxins that they naturally produce to keep insects at bay.

Says Cornell plant scientist Anurag Agrawal, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University: "I think that what it [the experiment] tells us is that when we take insects out of the picture – using things like insecticides – we are encouraging plants throughout the evolutionary process to relax their defenses.

And, in fact, this is a story that I think is unfortunately really a big part of worldwide agriculture, and that is that we tend to select varieties of plants to grow that are diminished in their natural defensive capacities. If you take a wild plant that has survived out there for millions of years, it typically has a remarkable array of toxins and defense tactics to ward off pests."

Meet Tucker

Two weeks ago I went to the Organic Conference in St. Helena where Napa's organic growers go for their annual knowledge fest...there were vendors, speakers, academics, and a lot of the top vineyard managers and winemakers.

One of the presentators, herdsman Kelly Mulville of Holistic Agriculture, focused on bringing back animals to agriculture, focusing on how to use sheep more frequently in the vineyard to reduce labor.

I happened to stand in the lunch line next to Kelly and said I'd only seen one winery that used draft horses in California - and that's Diane DiRicco's up in Lake County (where she keeps rescued Percherons).

Kelly said, "Pam, Spottswoode's got one right here. Turn around." And so it is. Meet Tucker.

What Goes Onto the Bottle

What happens when a screenwriter's wife and the screenwriter create a [newly biodynamic] vineyard and a winery together? Stuff like this.

 

Oh the power of music editing!

Biodynamic in Brooklyn

The New York Times today features a brief on the new biodynamic wine store, Passage de la Fleur, which has opened in Brooklyn. According to the Times, it features mainly French imports. Sigh.

Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

Still waiting for the day when someone will get hip to our American beauties! Local and biodynamic. Although perhaps NYC considers France local compared to California.

Here's a link to the Times story.

Medals in Mendocino: Organic Winners in the County's Annual Wine Competition

McFadden's sparkling Brut
took Gold - again

This year's annual Mendocino Wine Competition took place on Friday (Aug. 2) in Ukiah with what seemed to be a smaller crowd of participants.

Gold awards went to Paul Dolan's Zinfandel and to McFadden's sparkling Brut, which competed, again, against the likes of French-owned Roederer giving the Champagne-based giant a run for its money, tying for gold.

Medals went out to the following wines sourced from organic vineyards:

Cabernet Sauvignon
Bronze
Paul Dolan ($25)
Girasole ($13)

Chardonnay
Silver
Bonterra
Bronze
Barra ($18)
Paul Dolan ($18)

Dessert
Late Harvest Riesling
Bronze
McFadden ($18)
(Odd, since this wine took Double Gold in the SF Chronicle competition)

Merlot
Silver
Bonterra ($16)

Pinot Gris
Silver
McFadden ($16)
Bronze
Barra ($13)

Pinot Noir
Silver
Bonterra ($15)
Naughty Boy ($24)
Paul Dolan - Potter Valley ($30)
Bronze
Barra ($20)
Jeriko Estate ($39)

Riesling
Silver
McFadden ($18)

Rose
Silver
Naughty Boy ($16)

Sangiovese
Bronze 
Jeriko Estate

Sauvignon Blanc
Silver
McFadden ($16)
Paul Dolan ($18)

Zinfandel
Gold
Paul Dolan ($25)
Bronze
Bonterra ($15)

Red Blend
Silver
Bonterra - The Butler Single Vineyard ($55)
Bonterra - McNab ($55)

Brut
Gold
McFadden Brut ($25)

Notably absent was Terra Savia which usually has some great Chardonnay and bubbly.

Who's Organic at Wine Lands?

Wine Lands is coming up in San Francisco, part of the big music festival Outside Lands Aug. 9-11 in Golden Gate Park.

Pairing specific bands or songs with wines is just one of the games wine lovers are playing in advance of the festival.

A few of the wines served to our hipster and trendy crowd will be from organic vineyards - hurray!

Hopefully one day hipsters will "get" that organic vineyards, not just microlabels, are the real hipster heaven. Perhaps we'll have hipster microlabels who understand why [certified] organic vineyards matter. [Hint: it does not cost more for many folks out there.]

In the meantime, if you're attending, seek these out:

WINERIES WHERE ALL THEIR WINES ARE MADE FROM ORGANIC VINEYARDS

Long Meadow Ranch

All organic, all the time, all the way - from the veggies on the plate to the wine in the glass. And the wine's just fine - no Napa fruit bombs. Low alcohol, food friendly wines.

(Certification not bottle labeled.)

Robert Sinskey Vineyards

Tight, refined wines from 100% organic vineyards, mostly in the Carneros (which is still warmer than Bordeaux). They are best known for the Pinots, and their whites (Alsatian varieties) but the Bordeaux blend (POV) is also a big volume seller. Their Vin Gris (a rose) is their most popular coin of the realm with the wine cognoscenti.

Certification bottle labeled on the back ("ingredients").

WINERIES WITH SOME WINES MADE FROM ORGANIC VINEYARDS

AP Vin
This SF-based Pinot devotee has one organically sourced wine: its Turner Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County's Santa Rita Hills AVA.

Envolve
The next gen wine label from the Benziger clan and friends. They'll be pouring their organically grown Sauvignon Blanc and their biodynamic Rose.

Qupe
A Santa Barbara County winery that makes conventional, organic AND biodynamic wines. They'll be pouring their Albarino at their booth. Yowsa. It's biodynamically grown and a former winner of the LA Times wine pick of the week. (It's also recommended as a great wine to accompany salads with vinaigrette dressing.)

Turley Wine Cellars
The historic White Zin appears to be the must serve at this event.

Napa's Ag Preserve Celebrates 45th Anniversary and Eyes the Future: Farmland Preservation Conference This Friday

This Friday the Napa Valley Ag Preserve celebrates its 45th birthday with both a party (Sat., sold out) and a day long conference taking place Friday.

The first Ag Preserve in the country, Napa's foresighted land use planning preserved its land for agriculture and protected it from urban development despite being near major urban settlements.

The occasion also marks the 100th anniversary of the Napa County Farm Bureau.

See the full conference agenda for a look at what's planned for the Aug. 2 conference and enjoy the video below:

Update on the Napa Organic Conference

Wines and Vines' Paul Franson did a thorough report on the conference which you can read here.

And the presentations from the event are also now available online. The complete day's schedule is on the Napa Valley Grape Growers site. Here are the presentations:

Walt Mahafee, USDA

“Analyzing Spore Counts and How to Bring Spray Levels Down”

Seth Schwebs, Coastal Viticultural Consultants “Analyzing Spore Counts and How to Bring Down Spray Levels” Paul Jepson, Integrated Plant Protection Center, Oregon State University “Limiting Environmental and Health Impacts of Pest Management Inputs” Kelly Mulville, Holistic Viticulture “The Benefits and Practicality of Animals in the Vineyard”

Mendocino's Annual Wine Competition: Celebration BBQ This Friday

No wine region has more organic vineyards than Mendocino's Hopland/Ukiah/Sanel Valley/Potter Valley region. So Mendocino's annual wine competition is the most fertile competition for excellent wines from organic vineyards.

The 2013 competition, one of the oldest in the nation, takes place this Friday, August 2 and will be judged by an impressive list of wine experts including Adam Carmer, Ben Pearson, Dan Berger, Ellen Landis, Forrest Tancer, John Sverko, Laura Ness, Mark Bowery, Mike Dunne, Greg Richtarek, James Wasson, Rolf Thorson, Ziggy Eschliman, Tom Simoneau and Virginie Boone.

After the judging's completed, the public is invited to the Celebration BBQ which will be held at Scharffenberger Cellars in the town of Philo in Anderson Valley. Tickets are $45 per person and include wine and dinner.

The event will begin with a wine reception serving all of the wines submitted. Dinner will be prepared by The Zinful Chef, Sean Thomas. Tickets are available online - click here.

Coming Up: August 10th Dinner and Dance Performance at Tres Sabores

Up for something different in wine country? Skip the crowd scene at the Big Corporate Winery Music Concerts and head for an intimate gathering at one of Napa's most farm-to-table and vine-to-glass friendly wineries - Tres Sabores.

Pioneer of eclectic, artistic nights at the farm/vineyard/winery, Tres Sabores has partnered with the up and coming SF dance company Project B for a night of dining amid the vineyard coupled with a dance performances.

Chef Sean Baker of GATHER restaurant in Berkeley, voted top chef of the year by Esquire magazine in 2010, will be making what is sure to be an exquisitely prepared meal accompanied by Tres Sabores wine.

A special lighting installation will showcase the dance performance.

The cost is $195. For more see the video below or click here for details.


Sitelines from Cinestra on Vimeo.

U.S. Organic Vineyards Lag Behind Europe's

Napa's Organic Conference: (Re)Defining Organic Farming

Ted Hall spoke at Thursday's Organic Conference held at Spottswoode Winery in St. Helena by the Napa Valley Grape Growers, urging growers to reimagine the way they portray organic farming. 

"It’s not about the not," Hall said, speaking of organic growers tendency to define organics as no pesticides, herbicides or nitrogen fertilizers.

Hall suggests this definition instead: "Every organic system basically is populated by large numbers of participants, heterogenity of species, operating in an environment of competition that results in a desireable outcome."

For his complete remarks, see the transcript of his speech here.

IN PHOTOS: Napa's Organic Growers Annual Powwow

More than 150 people attended the annual Napa Valley Grapegrowers Organic Conference Thursday listening to a wide cross section of experts very much focused on the latest thinking and evolving knowledge in the organic viticulture industry.

In his keynote, Long Meadow Ranch CEO and organic entrepreneur Ted Hall, whose background is in corporate business consulting, stressed the need for organic viticulture to get away from being about what he called the no's - i.e. no pesticides, no herbicides, etc. - and toward the pro's of organic vineyards. "We produce better products at lower prices," he said, speaking of his sizable integrated organic operations, encompassing vineyards, olives, farming, cattle and restaurant businesses.

Professor Jepson spoke about IPM Prime, an online tool for pesticide risk assessment and mitigation that models a variety of options from low risk to high risk IPM choices to help users balance IPM needs and environmental impacts. The tool is currently in beta.

Part of Jepson's findings show that organically approved IPM products can have greater adverse effects on beneficial lacewings than more toxic (to humans) alternatives.

Professor Kate Scow from U.C. Davis, Deputy Director of Agricultural Sustainability Institute, presented the latest research on soil processes, in a presentation called "Soil Microbes, Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Agroecosystems," saying that new methods of observation have now created new models, supplanting older models that have been used for decades. The new models present a far more dynamic picture of soil formation and cycles.

Another fascinating presentation came from livestock expert Kelly Mulville of Holistic Viticulture, who says his work on using livestock in vineyards can dramatically reduce suckering costs and other variables by grazing animals in vineyards in the springtime, rather than just winter.

I audiotaped some of the sessions and hope to post transcripts from several of the talks online later.

Update/July 27, 2013: Ted Hall's opening remarks are now online here.

Ted Hall of Long Meadow Ranch

Professor Paul Jepson from Oregon State

Kelly Mulville of Holistic Viticulture

Vineyardists panel on organic hillside vineyards

In addition, there were two grower panels - one with three growers across three counties (Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino) and another on the unique aspects of hillside organic vineyards.

A Napa Favorite: Ehlers Estate

Bee/Bird Toxic Wine Grape Pesticide Short Lived? Not So, Says Top UK Expert

UK Biologist Dave Goulson, of the University of Sussex, has just published research in the Journal of Applied Ecology showing that neonicotinoids - commonly used in California vineyards (as well as across the U.S. and Europe) - kill earthworms and stay in the soil for one to four years.

Goulson is one of the UK's leading conservationists and founder of the 8,000-member Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Quoted in Nature, Goulson says. "If you apply these chemicals once a year on crops, they will accumulate. All of these studies suggest the half-life of these chemicals is between one and four years," Goulson.

While pesticide proponents often and confidently proclaim that the newer pesticides are much more targeted in their impacts, Goulson's summary states"...the current use of neonicotinoids is likely to be impacting on a broad range of non-target taxa including pollinators and soil and aquatic invertebrates and hence threatens a range of ecosystem services."

Wine grape growers used more than 47,000 pounds of neonicotinoids in California in 2011.

Just one more reason to seek out organically grown wine grapes in your wine - organic growers, unlike 90 percent of California's nonorganic growers, don't use neonicotinoids in their vineyards.

Goulson spoke at Berkeley in April of this year on the Ecology and Conservation of Bumblebees. 

He is the author of the newly published book A Sting in the Tale. You can read a review of the book from the UK's Guardian here.

The EU has imposed a two year ban on the use of neonicotinoids after initial research in Italy and other countries showed a positive impact on bee populations when the insecticides were banned. In the U.S. the EPA has decided against banning neonics.

Top California Whites from Wine Spectator: Organic Rhones Among Them

Wine Spectator's latest California Whites roundup (in the Aug. 31 issue - out now) features organically farmed wines among the winners - with all three organically grown wines are white Rhones.

TOP WINES

• 91 Points

Bonny Doon - 2010 Le Cigare Blanc $50
Blend: 56% Roussanne, 44% Grenache Blanc
Cases made: 494
Alcohol: 12.4%
From Bonny Doon's biodynamically farmed Beeswax Vineyard, an anomaly in Monterey County
For free shipping - enter SUMMER13 for discount.
The 2009 lists for $24.

• 90 Points

Tablas Creek - 2011 Cotes de Tablas Blanc $27

Blend: 27% Viognier, 26% Grenache Blanc, 25% Marsanne, 22% Roussanne
Cases made: 1,475
Alcohol: 13.1%
Organically farmed from a winery co-owned by a famous French Rhone producer in Paso Robles with choice vines imported from their Rhone vineyards

TOP VALUES

Bonterra - 2011 Viognier Mendocino County $14
Blend: Viognier with a little Muscat (percentage unspecified)
Alcohol: 13.9%
Organically farmed and widely distributed; grown in Mendocino County. Bonterra is a perennial pick in Wine Spectator's Top Values.

In Photos: McFadden Wine Club (and Public) Party

The 2013 McFadden Wine Club (and open to the public) Party was again a wonderful event at one of my favorite vineyards.  While the tasting room is open all the time, in Hopland, the vineyard is only open this one day of the year.

This was my second year attending - and this time I stuck around for the overnight camping followed by picnicking in the grass and swimming in the river (with a bunch of enthusiastic SF hipsters) on Sunday. 

What a great way to enjoy this beautiful spot - 200 acres of organic grapes. Many of McFadden's grapes go into famous fine wines - including Napa's. (For instance, the Chateau Montelena Riesling comes 100% from McFadden Vineyards.) But at such prices. If you want to find a way to indulge your organic hedonistic side while not breaking the bank, you can do no better than McFadden's:

Everyday White

• If you're looking for everyday wine, must trys include the 2011 Chardonnay (Double Gold winner in SF Chronicle Wine Competition) - currently $16 a bottle for wine club members. (The other Double Golds are way more than that.)

Dessert or Aperitif Wine

• For dessert or a sweet aperitif sipper, get your hands on their Late Harvest Riesling. (And be glad that there is still some left!)

Celebrate

• For bubbleheads, celebrate every day with Bruts - where else can you get local, organically grown top quality sparkling wine for $16-7 a bottle (wine club sale prices) or $25 list? (It ties with Roederer Estate in competitions). McFadden also now has a Reserve Brut, too.

Break your convenient-but-bad-voting-with-your-dollars addiction to TJ's and support great organic viticulture and vintners in California.

Join this wine club and consider it your "wine box" - like the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm box - only it's your wine farmer/maker.

And like McFadden on Facebook, Yelp and Trip Advisor to spread the news.

(And forgive the strange irregular white background in the photo display below - God only knows what Google's Blogger thinks it's doing.)

Tasting Room Manager and Wine Club Director John Cesano at the registration
table armed with a bunch of lottery goodies for the giveaway

The wine table...and when they say Welcome to the Farm, they mean it:
McFadden's really IS a farm complete with grass fed cattle, organic herbs, corn and other veggies.

A selection of McFadden's white wines
ranged from the original Pinot Gris to
their 2011 Chardonnay - which won
Double Gold at the SF Wine Competition

Fontaine McFadden, Guinnness' daughter, catered the
dinner. Fontaine runs StrongTableSF.com catering in SF,
a paleo food service serving 6 SF gyms.

Kelly McFarling and her band provided entertainment.

Proprietor (and New York native) Guinness McFadden celebrated his 75th birthday
in June; he's grown wine grapes organically here for 41 years,
settling in Potter Valley after returning from Vietnam.
To the crowd's delight, he blew his mess whistle to announce dinner.

Sipping the McFadden Brut before the main meal

Fontaine's spicy slaw

The 2011 Chardonnay

After dinner, dancing under the stars to the beat of DJ Hal Wagenet
(formerly in the band It's a Beautiful Day)
That's the Magruders (lady in the orange dress dancing with partner), who
raise grass fed beef and lamb, as well as a unique breed of pig
on their nearby 5,000 acre Potter Valley farm. You may see the Magruder
name on your next trip to Chez Panisse or Oliveto as they have long been a
staple supplier there and at Berkeley's Local Butcher Shop.

Here's what it's all about...

Free Shipping on White Rhone Blend at Bonny Doon and Flora Springs' Trilogy Magnums

Bonny Doon is having a free shipping sale on summer whites, which means you can get some of the 2011 Le Cigare Blanc (100% biodynamic grapes) at the usual price o $28, but with free shipping.

This is a blend of 62% Grenache Blanc and 38% Roussanne from Bonny Doon's Beeswax Vineyard in Monterey County - part of "California's Rhone Region."

Just enter the discount code: Summer13.

Flora Springs is having a one-day only sale on magnums of it 2008 Bordeaux blend Trilogy It's a blend of 79% Cabernet, 16% Merlot, 2.5% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Malbec. Today's special offer is free shipping on magnums ($170 for the wine; $0 for shipping).

The wine is rated 91 points by Robert Parker, who says the 2008, "exhibits a beautiful deep ruby/purple color along with sweet blueberry, black raspberry and black currant fruit intermixed with some floral notes, well-integrated oak and spice, medium to full body and silky tannins. Already complex and delicious, this blend should continue to drink well for 10-15 years."

North Coast Wine Awards: Organically Grown Winners

Judges: winemaker Paul Dolan and Virginia Boone of Press Democrat
the 2013 competition.

What's a newspaper in northern California without a winery competition?

The Press Democrat's was held last month with a public tasting held yesterday.

The organically grown winning wines were:

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

94 points
Naughty Boy Rose ($16)

Happy to see a small local mom and pop winery in Potter Valley rate this highly! This has been one of my go-to house roses ever since I visited and tasted their wines with them down by the river behind their house. That was back in 2011.

Today they have a tasting room in Hopland (next to McFaddens) on the main drag, across from the Bluebird Cafe.

The name Naughty Boy comes from their dog.

91 points
Hagafen Riesling, Devoto Ranch (Lake County) ($21)

90 points

Barra/Girasole Hybrid Red ($13)
From longtime organic growers, who produce a variety of organically grown wines from 200+ acres, this affordable everyday red did well in the competition.

Masut Pinot Noir, Block 7
Masut Pinot Noir, Block 1

Masut, run by third generation Fetzer brothers, is the biggest challenger to the notion that, in Mendocino, only Anderson Valley produces great Pinot. This unique site in the western side of the Sanel Valley is one of the most beautiful vineyards I've visited in all of California. Recently the winery has been experimenting with single block bottlings. (Not for sale on their web site - alas). You can find their estate Pinot online for $40 or available by the magnum for $88.

In Photos: Napa's Dutch Henry Winery - A Hideaway

I visited Dutch Henry Winery yesterday. I've driven past it how many times so I was glad to poke my head in quickly and get the nickel tour.

With the hot weather yesterday, one could find cool within the tasting room - and in the 4,500 sq. ft. wine caves, entered through a Hobbit-like set of doors set under the hill above.

While the winery makes 4,000 cases a year (and buys a lot of grapes from other growers), 40% of the grapes come from the winery's own estate vineyards which include the onsite Syrah vineyard and an estate Cab vineyard in St. Helena.

Founded by the Chafen Family in 1992, Dutch Henry's organically grown options include its Estate Cab (available) and its Syrah (sold out).

The vineyard management is done by Jack Neal & Sons, which takes care of many organic vineyards in Napa.

Dutch Henry also offers shaded picnicking at tables under the trees and a bocce court and additional picnicking (in the sun).

A dog-friendly winery, Dutch Henry's two lovely winery dogs will greet you in the parking lot upon arrival. The dogs are featured - of course - in the Winery Dogs book.

DUTCH HENRY IN PHOTOS

The greeting committee

Assistant Winemaker Will Mendoza with the estate Cab 

Plenty of room for a picnic in the shade

The tasting room

Entrance to the wine caves

The tasting room and fermentation facility

Come for the wine, stay for the bocce ball and picnic area

The airstream is here for its good looks