Mr. Robert Mondavi

Robert Mondavi died at the age of 94. In the course of his long and eventful life he was one of a tiny handful of people who created the modern American wine industry. From his time as a novice to his time as an international business man with oenological interests all over the globe, his name was synonymous with quality, generosity and creativity.

When I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1979 his wine brand was a leader in California wines in stores and restaurants. In a very real way, he made our wines known throughout the world.

There will be many lengthy pieces written on Mr. Mondavi. This is simply a thank you to a great man who had and continues to have a profound impact on me and the entire wine world.

Here's a toast to your life Mr. Mondavi.

Thank you.

Northwest Wine Symposium

What a great experience. I recently was a judge at the above named event held on Mt. Hood, at the Timberline Lodge. There were twenty judges from around the country broken into panels of four each. Members rotated panels and we had some time to discuss wines after personal evaluations.

Wines were from Or, WA, ID, MT, Alberta and BC. What was cool was there were so many unusual wines: lembergers, ehrenfelsers, tempranillos, kerners. And Italian varietals were coming on strong; I had not thought of the Northwest as a good area for these red grapes. But was I wrong!

The overall quality of the wines was good and we had over 1200 hundred to sample in five tasting sessions. Judges were educators, winemakers, academics, retailers and restaurant professionals. We had a vibrant cross section of people and the rotation system all but guaranteed a fresh perspective for everyone when judging.

Surprises for me wre the quality levels of the Italian and Spanish grapes. There were some delightful muscat frizzantes (just in time for summer), excellent sparkling wines, well made fortifieds (although when will New World wineries stop using the European name Port for their fortified wines?), coomplex ice wines and some well made Rhone blends, both white and red.

Some problems arose with excessive brettanomyces aromas and flavors as well as some high levels of volatile acidity. But for the most part, the wines displayed a growing sense of quality, professionalism and well tended vineyards. This event highlighted what a world class region the Northwest is.

See the following link for continuing reports and updates on these wines.

Red Hills AVA

Just to the northeast of Calistoga in Napa Valley lies Lake County. Within lake County is a sub-appellation called Red Hills. Lake County was the first major wine grape growing area in California with a history dating back to the end of the 19th century. As with so many other promising places and wineries, the growers and wineries were wiped out during the black hole of Prohibition. Folks planted mostly pear and walnut trees to get by.

Fast forward to the 1960s and we see some grapes growing again in Lake County. There are now about four dozen wineries and over 100 growers of grapes who sell on contract to other wineries out of the area.

Red Hills is a sub-appellation within the Lake County AVA. It lies on the southwestern shore of Clear Lake, the largest natural lake in California and the oldest lake in the United States. The local volcano, Mt. Konocti, is responsible for most of the soil types in Red Hills. Obsidian, pumice, clay/gravel, all combine to provide a unique sense of place for this area.

Add to that the altitude of vineyards starting at around 1300 feet and rising to almost 4,000 feet, and there are many factors that go to creating wonderful grapes and wines.

The elevation creates diurnal temperature swings of often 40 to 50 degrees. The steep slopes create breezes which help keep fungus and rot to a minimum. Many of the vine problems found at lower altitudes are not an issue in Red Hills.

Vineyard soils often have high levels of calcium which helps grapes retain acidity to create balance in the finished wines.

The area's altitude places most vineyards above the fog layer coming in off the Pacific so early morning sunlight gives extra hours for slow ripening at cool temperatures.

Wines of Red Hills tend toward great purity of fruit, exquisite balance, moderate alcohol levels and reasonable prices. What more do you need?

Vines are young, with most showing under ten years of age. As these vines mature we will see greater intensity of fruit and complexity on the palette.

While reds do well here, Sauvignon Blanc is a real winnner, showing citrus and tropical fruits with good acidity and elegant balance. New Zealand watch out-someone's gaining on you!

We'll have some more on Red Hills and Lake County later. But for now, go buy some wines from the area and see what I am talking about.