The Wines of Veramar, Virginia, US

Pictures: Map of Virginia and Christian G.E.Schiller with Jim Bogaty

The Wines of Veramar, Virginia, US

Veramar, Social Media and Wine

Taking social media a notch further, Veramar Vineyard of Berryville, Virginia, extended an invitation to wine bloggers to come to their winery for a tasting and a tour of the winery. Veramar Vineyard runs two wine blogs and connects with wine and Web 2.0 enthusiasts, like me, on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. I was a bit disappointed that only 3 wine blogs were represented: Virginia Wine Dogs, Northern Virginia Magazine, Gut Check and me.

We had a wonderful tasting and an exciting tour of the winery, the latter with Jim Bogaty, one of the owners; if nothing else, he is a fantastic story teller. Jim’s son and winemaker Justin Bogaty lead the tasting of excellent wines, providing a wealth of information, including Virginia labeling regulations and distinctions between Veramar and other vineyards during the tasting.

Virginia

Picture: Thomas Jefferson

Virginia is the fifth largest wine industry in the US, following California, Oregon, Washington State on the west coast and New York State on the east coast, with nearly 200 wineries and 2,500 acres of vineyards. Over the past 50 years, Virginia wines have experienced a tremendous development - to elegant and balanced, mostly European vinifera-based wines.

One thing that is not well known in Europe is the struggle in America in the past centuries to find the appropriate grapes for winemaking. In the original charter of the thirteen colonies was a royal commission to pursue three luxury items that England was unable to provide for itself: wine, silk, and olive oil. Every colony made attempts to satisfy the requirements of its charter. Despite many years of failure, the early Americans persisted in their efforts. A big step forward was made in 1740 when a natural cross pollination occurred between a native American grape and a European vitis vinifera. Other successful crossings followed. Today, European vinifera grapes dominate wine production.

Picture: Jim Bogaty

As far as white wines are concerned, the European vinifera grapes Chardonnay and Viognier are the leading varieties today. Increasingly they are made “naked” or with little oak only, with the objective of retaining natural acidity and freshness. For hybrid varieties, Seyval Blanc is still popular, but resembles now the fresh and crisp wines from France’s South West. Vidal has become the backbone of the artificially frozen ice wine, which I am not a great fan of. This is an approach, which kind of simulates the frost in the vineyard in the wine cellar. It was developed by the French. Instead of waiting for mother nature to produce frosty temperatures in the vineyard, the winemaker subjects the grapes to frosty temperatures in the cellar and presses them while frozen.

As far as red wines are concerned, there was a shift from straight varietal wines to blends. And blends have gone from being dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with a significant amount of Petit Verdot. The latter grape may well be Virginia’s future signature style in this category. There is an increasing focus on neutral oak and clean, vibrant fruit, mirroring the evolution of Virginia white wines. Tannat, Uruguay’ signature grape from the South West of France, is showing up in more Virginia wines, usually as a blend.

Finally, Virginia is increasingly impressing with its sparkling wines; the one from Claude Thibault was served at President Obama’s first state dinner a few months ago.

Shenandoah Valley

Veramar Vineyards is located in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, about an hour's drive west of Washington, D.C, tucked between the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east and the Allegheny Mountains to the west, from the West Virginia line in the north to the James River in the south. Some of Virginia’s best wineries are there. On the trip from Washington D.C., one can also divert to an historic plantation or Civil War battlefield.

The Virginia Shenandoah AVA is geologically different from other Virginia wine growing regions. Limestone is plentiful in Shenandoah’s west-side hills, where dense clay-based soils combine with relatively plentiful spring rainfall to make it possible for some vines to be dry-farmed without supplemental irrigation. September, October and the first half of November are typically rain-free and warm, giving Virginia Shenandoah AVA vines the advantage of time to produce fully mature fruit, while the overnight cooling keeps the grapes’ acid chemistry in balance.

Veramar Vineyards

Picture: Jim Bogaty in the wine cellar

Veramar is a family run winery, founded by Della and husband James Bogaty; their son, Justin Bogaty, is the winemaker. It was established in 1999. The estate is comprised of 100 acres, with 12 acres currently planted with grape vines. Seyval Blanc is the most widely planted varietals, with 5 acres under cultivation. Norton is the next largest planting, with 3 acres, followed by Cabernet Franc (2 acres), Chardonnay (2 acres). The primary soil type consists of loamy clay overlying limestone shale. All wines are aged in American, French or European oak barrels. Production is on average three tons of fruit per acre, which is equivalent to 5000 cases; with this output, Veramar is a mid-size winery in Virginia.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Justin Bogaty

What we Tasted

2008 Seyval Blanc $32

A French hybrid grape well known both for its resistance to cold weather.
Tasting notes: Green hues hint at cool climate, a nose that is markedly fruity with melon and green apple, a full-bodied wine, a delicate and pleasant palate, good acidity, long finish.

2008 Estate Club Chardonnay Shenandoah Valley $35

The grapes are whole clustered pressed, which, justin explained, produces a superior juice. The juice is then settled and racked to Virginia French oak barrels for fermentation. The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and monthly batonage (hand-stirring of the lees). After fermentation, the wine ages in the oak barrels for about 10 to 11 months before bottling.

Tasting notes: An attractive, light straw-yellow color, complex and woody nose, with hints of pineapple, on the palate honey and toasty notes, combines an elegant mouth feel with richness, showing deep layers of ripe fig, honeydew melon and light oak.

NV, Tres Blanc $30

Tasting notes: A lovely blend of Viognier, Riesling, and Vidal Blanc, this fruity wine displays floral and subtle citrus notes on the nose, on the palate rich and mouth-filling, with notes of white peach, the fruit runs in an unbroken line through to the finish.

2008 Estate Club Cabernet Franc Free Run $39

Justin explained that free-run means that the grape juice runs feely with no pressing; the grapes press on their own and by their own weight.

Tasting notes: Deep ruby color; clean, attractive, ripe, subdued blackberry, cherry fruit, with cocoa, some toasty, smoky hints; good flavors, similar to nose, woody; fairly well-balanced; medium body; gripping tannins; long, pleasant finish.

2008 Veramar Estate Club Ameritage $38

Tasting notes: The Ameritage is elegant and stylish, cherry and blackberry notes on the nose that continue on the palate with a touch of toasty oak and vanilla, finishing with fine grain tannins that linger. The blend is extremely complex and bold, much like a French Bordeaux.

2006 Cabernet Franc $32

Unfiltered. There was no process to remove sediments.

Tasting notes: Dark-red in the glass, the nose opens with sweet, dark fruit aromas and rounds out with a hint of vanilla and oak, black cherry, blackberry and touch of cinnamon aromas carry through to the flavors, a full-bodied wine, the palate is full of dark fruit supported by supple tannins that are long and fine.


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Dinner in McLean, Virginia - What We Ate and Drank

Picture: The Morning After

We had a dinner at our house in McLean, Virginia. We were 8 people. Here is what we ate and drank. Benjamin and Annette Schiller did the cooking; in addition Fuad Issa cooked the Syrian dish.

Aperitif

Food: German Knaeckebrot with Avocado Salsa

Wine: NV Taittinger, Brut Reserve, Champagne, France, US$ 35

Wine: NV Veuve Cliquot-Ponsardin, Brut, Champagne, France, US$ 35

Tasting Notes: These are classic, fine Champagnes, but the Taittinger came out slightly ahead, with layers of pears and white peaches on the nose, lots of fine bubbles, earthiness and wet stone notes on the palate, and a creamy finish, true masterpiece in each sip.

First Course

Food: Green Leaf Salad with Salmon, Roasted Fennel, Olives, Grapefruit and Tamarind Dressing

Wine: 2006, Albermarle, Rose, Kluge, Virginia

Picture: President Thomas Jefferson

Virginia is the fifth largest wine industry in the US, following California, Oregon, Washington State on the west coast and New York State on the east coast, with nearly 200 wineries and 2,500 acres of vineyards. Over the past 50 years, Virginia wines have experienced a tremendous development - to elegant and balanced mostly European vinifera-based wines.

One thing that is not well known in Europe is the struggle in America in the past centuries to find the appropriate grapes for winemaking. In the original charter of the thirteen colonies was a royal commission to pursue three luxury items that England was unable to provide for itself: wine, silk, and olive oil. Every colony made attempts to satisfy the requirements of its charter, but made only limited progress. The problem was that on the one hand there were the native American grapes. All these native American grapes were cold tolerant and disease and pest resistant, but not well suited for wine making, due to their coarseness, high tannins, and "foxy" flavors. On the other hand, the vitis vinifera which settlers brought from Europe, were well suited for wine making, but uniformly did not survive long enough to produce a crop.

Despite many years of failure, the early Americans persisted in their efforts. And they had some success. First, they planted several different native varietals in the same vineyard and over time some natural mutations occurred; the results from some of these hybrids were far better than any of the unadulterated natives. A big step forward was made in 1740 when a natural cross pollination occurred between a native American grape and a European vitis vinifera. Other successful crossings followed.

Only native American grapes and hybrids were grown in Virginia half a century ago. Today, the picture is quite different. European vinifera grapes dominate wine production.

Tasting Notes: Albemarle is the county in Virginia where wine connoisseur and American President Thomas Jefferson grew up. A fresh, crisp rose from one of Virginia’s premier wine producers; a French winemaker in the Provence could not have made it better. US $ 15.

Second Course

Food: Sea Scallops with Green Vegetables and Pomegranate Seeds

Wine: 2001 Riesling Gold-Quadrat, Sybille Kuntz, Mosel, Germany

Sybille Kuntz is an astonishing winemaker who has been present in the American market with dry Rieslings for a number of years now. She is on the wine list of many top Restaurants like Keller’s Per Se and Nobu in New York City.

Tasting Notes: This is an ultra-premium quality wine. Pale yellow, greenish in the glass; hint of honey, suggesting that some of the grapes were botrytised, wet stone and slate on the nose; elegant, generously textured and full bodied wine with marked acidity on the palate, lasting finish.

Here is what Sybille Kuntz says about the Gold-Quadrat: Grapes are selected from the most mature and oldest vineyard sites of the Estate and these old vines, planted in the 1920s, have low yields and small berries with intense flavor profiles. We take great care to pre-pick the steep Riesling vineyards several times. Only the healthy and most mature grapes remain on the vines. The grapes continue to ripen until they reach a natural potential alcohol level of 11-11,5 % by vol . From these very ripe and golden yellow grapes we make the much celebrated: Gold-Quadrat.

I bought 2 cases of this wine at a steeply discounted price in Washington DC about half a year ago. Why was the wine on the market at a steep discount? I guess part of the explanation is that the retailer found it difficult to sell the wine to the American customers, as it is a wine from the vintage 2001 already. In my view, the wine has nicely settled down in the bottle during the past years. It has not yet started to age, but has become a ripe, mature, great wine. To compare the wine with women, I would say, the wine is like the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones, who just turned forty, well established in her life, married to Michael Douglas, mother, very attractive and sexy. But American customers appear to prefer Sienna Miller (who I saw in a Show on Broadway in New York--an outstanding performance in "After Miss Julie", a Strindberg classic), she is in her early 20s, stunning look, very sexy, but still searching for her place in life, with great prospects.

Wine: 1990 Bacheracher Posten, Riesling , Spaetlese trocken, Bastian, Mittelrhein, Germany

Tasting Notes: A bone dry 20 years old Spaetlese trocken from 2 grapes Gault and Millau producer Fritz Bastion, which I bought many years ago at his wine tavern in Bacharach in the Rhine valley. His wines have a high acidity level and we had a hard time drinking them when they were younger. The wine has aged very well and presents itself with amazing freshness; can easily be put away for another 5 to 10 years.

Third Course

Food: Seared Fois Gras with Fig Sauce and Fresh Dates

Wine: 1998 Nightingale, Botrytised, Napa Valley, Beringer, USA

2/3 Semillion and 1/3 Sauvignon Blanc; the juice for this wine was fermented and aged in small French Nevers oak barrels for 19 months; sugar prior to fermentation was 35 Brix and residual sugar in the finished wine is 125 grams per liter; 14,2 % alcohol

Jacob Beringer, the founder of Beringer, left his home in Mainz, Germany, in 1868 to start a new life in the U.S., enticed by his brother, Frederick, who had sailed to New York five years earlier and wrote home constantly of the grand opportunities to be found in the vast new world. New York did not appeal to Jacob, however. He had enjoyed working in wine cellars in Germany when he was younger and had heard that the warm, sunny climate of California was ideal for growing wine grapes. So in 1870 he traveled by train from the East Coast, first to San Francisco and then on to Napa Valley . To his delight, he discovered rocky, well-drained soils similar to those in his native Rhine Valley. The volcanic soil was ideal for growing the same grapes found in Europe 's great winemaking regions. Best of all, the hills could be dug out to provide storage and aging tunnels that would maintain the constant temperature needed to produce fine wines. Jacob and Frederick together bought land in 1875 and set about making wines that compared to the best in Europe . In 1876, they founded the Beringer Winery.

Tasting Notes: This very special wine, in a small bottle, offers a golden hue and features aromas of apricot nectar, crème brulee, vanilla and honey. Rich flavors of butterscotch, stone fruit and spice, with just a slight hint of cigar box, coat the mouth and linger for a long, luxurious finish. We drank 2 bottles of this delicious wine. US$ 40

Fourth Course, prepared by Fuad Issa

Food: Walnut Chicken with Aleppo Peppers (Aleppo is a large city in the North of Syria, where Fuad Issa was borne)

Wine: 1996 Barbera d’Alba, Alba, Piedmont, Pio Cesare, Italy


This is the wine bottle which was at the origin of the wine dinner. Bob, Lynette, my wife and I met the owner of Pio Cesare, Pio Boffa, a few weeks ago and I remembered that I still had a Barbera from the mid 1990s in my cellar somewhere.

The province of Piedmont is in the northwestern corner of Italy, located in the foothills of the Alps forming its border with France and Switzerland. The most well known wines from the region are Barolo and Barbaresco. They are made from the Nebbiolo grape. While Turin is the capital of the Piedmont, Alba and Asti are at the heart of the region's wine industry.

For five generations, the Pio Cesare family has now been producing Piemontese wines in its ancient cellars, located in the center of the town of Alba. The cellars walls date back to the Roman Empire period. Pio Cesare ownes more than 50 hectares of vineyards. In addition, Pio Cesare has fostered long term relationships with growers and manages all aspects of viticultures in these vineyards. The name of this estate is derived from the name of its founder, Cesare Pio, who set up this now long established family business in 1881. It remains in the family, with Pio Boffa, the great grandson of the founder, at the helm.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Pio Boffa at Teatro Goldoni in Washington DC

Tasting Notes: Ruby-red in the glass, cherry and red currant on the nose, a full-bodied and complete wine with notes of chocolate mint and mushrooms on the palate, a herbal-fruity finish of some length.

Main Course

Food: Lamb Chops with Red Beet Mousse and Celery Mousse

Wine: 2005 Clos Apalta, Limited Release, Casa Lapostolle, Chile

Wine Spectator Wine of the Year 2008 with 96 points; 6000 cases made; a blend of Chile’s distinctive Carmenere variety with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon; rich and velvet; U$75


Casa Lapostolle, established in 1994, was originally a joint French and Chilean operation, until the French side bought out the Chilenian partners. The Marnier-Lapostolle family, the French half of the original partnership, are best known for their Grand Marnier Liqueur, although they also own the Chateau de Sancerre in the Loire Valley. Casa Lapostolle is now a sizable operation with an amazing 300 hectares, about the size of the smaller German wine regions, planted up with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenere. Michel Rolland consults exclusively for Casa Lapostolle in Chile. Clos Apalta is Casa Lapostolle’s premium cuvee.

Tasting Notes: A blend of 80% Merlot and Carmenere, with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark ruby red in the glass with thick legs, a bit restrained on the nose, a full-bodied wine, with a creamy mouthfeel, long lasting finish.

Wine: 1995 Chateau Hourtin-Ducasse, Haut Medoc, Cru Bourgeois, France

Chateau Hourtin-Ducasse is located in Saint-Sauveur at the edge of the Pauillac commune. Its name undoubtedly comes from the juxtaposition of those of two of its former owners, Mr. Hourtin (18th century) and Mr. Fleury-Ducasse (19thcentury). The Chateau was acquired in 1976 by Mr. Marengo.The property includes approximately 30 hectares, including 25 devoted to the vine.

Tasting Notes: Dark red in the glass, notes of dark plum and cassis on the nose, a 15 years old wine that displays an amazing freshness on the palate, with blackcurrant, cedar, and dark fruits, drying finish.


Cheese

Humbold fog, California
Cowgirl Red Hawk, California
Aged Capot Cheddar, Vermont
Hirtenkaese, Bavaria, Germany
Blue Cheese, cow milk, Wisconsin

When you talk in Paris with a Frenchman about cheese made in the US and tell him that there are now excellent such cheeses made by very devoted and knowledgeable cheese makers, he will not believe you. But there is a rapidly expanding production of great artisanal cheeses in the US, though starting from a very low level. Cheese will probably never play the role in an American household it plays in a French household. The typical French grew up in a household where in the evening his or her mother would serve a four courses meal---crudites as starter, main plate, cheese and dessert, with a glass of wine of course, or two. The French have it in the Jeans. He or she knows so much about good food, including cheese. In the US, it is very different. Cheese is eaten as topping for Pizza or for the cheeseburger or similar food. But America is changing. Some Americans have started to show serious interest for high-quality cheese and artisanal cheese makers are springing up across the country.

Wine: 2004 Barolo, Alba, Piedmont, Pio Cesare, Italy

In the past, Barolos used to be very tannic, and they needed a lot of time to soften up. This was so because fermenting wine sat on the grape skins for at least three weeks, extracting huge amounts of tannins; then it was aged in large, wooden casks for years. In order to meet the international taste, which preferred fruitier, more accessible styles, the "modernist" winemakers cut fermentation times to a maximum of ten days and put the wine in new French barriques. The results, said “traditionalists", were wines that weren't even recognizable as Barolo and tasted more of new oak than of wine.

Tasting notes: Dark red in the glass, notes of black tea, strawberry, cassis and tobacco on the nose, full-bodied powerful Italian red wine, that will not soon be forgotten, lush and juicy on the palate, leaning more to the new style. In the Wine Spectator 2008 list, where the Casa Lapostollo was the Number One wine, this one was among the top 10 wines, 94 points, US$62

Dessert

German Quark with Cassis
Mousse au Chocolat

Wine: 1999 John Hancock, Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Stanley Brothers, Australia

Tasting Notes: A juicy and jammy New World Shiraz wine from Barossa Valley, which has already aged a little bit.

Digestive: Asbach Uralt, Germany

In Europe, for generations, Asbach Uralt Brandy has been savored and appreciated by connoisseurs of fine brandies. But it is in no way any way near the great Cognacs or Armagnacs from France. A German day to day Brandy

Picture: The bottles




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Terry Theise’s Top German Wines of the 2009 Vintage

Picture: Terry Theise, Terry Theise Facebook Fan Page

Terry Theise

Terry Theise just returned from Germany and has put his “back-to-office” report on his Facebook Fan Page, including a listing of his top wines in various categories. Of course, it is not a comprehensive review of German wine, but focuses on Terry Theise’s portfolio of winemakers, which is large and exceptional.

Terry Theise is one of the leading experts of German Wine in the US. Among the vast number of his followers, he has gained something like a cult status. He publishes a thick catalogue once a year with extensive comments. In addition to the compendium of exciting wine reviews, the Terry Theise’s annual catalogue is a very good introduction to German wine, both to the basics and to the current trends and issues. Terry also has a forthcoming book to be published this fall by UC Press.

If you want to learn more about Terry, the Washington Post carried an excellent article about him some time ago. See here.

2008 James Beard Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional
2005 Food & Wine Magazine Importer of the Year

His wines are imported by Michael Skurnik , an importer and distributor of fine wines based in Syosset, New York. Terry also imports Austrian wine and Champagnes, including excellent grower Champagnes.

I am looking forward to a wine dinner with Terry Theise in a few weeks, organized by the Washington DC Chapter of the German Wine Society. If you are interested, please drop me a line at cgeschiller@gmail.com

Terry Theise's Top Wines

Before moving to his list of the 2009 top wines, here are a few comments.

First, his selection is heavily tilted to the Mosel region. The wine of the vintage and the 3 runners up, for example, come all from the Mosel.

Second, I did not see any red wines, although they now account for 1/3 of the German wine output. Terry is clearly focusing on Germany’s white wines. Nor have I seen a category for sparkling wines; for sparklers, you have to go to his excellent portfolio of Champagnes, including many grower Champagnes. His list does not include any noble-sweet wines, although he talks about them in his report.

Third, a Spaetlese from Armin Diehl, Nahe won the Scheurebe of the Vintage award; Scheurebe is an exciting, but hard to find grape variety. I like it that he has a separate category for the grape created by Dr. Scheu.

You can find the whole report on his Facebook Fan Page. See here.

THE WINE OF THE VINTAGE IS:

Selbach-Oster Schmitt

RUNNERS-UP INCLUDE:

Von Othegraven Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Spätlese, Alte Reben
Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #5

Clüsserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett

THE AUSLESE OF THE VINTAGE IS:

Meulenhof/Justen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese #13

RUNNERS-UP INCLUDE:

Carl Loewen Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese
Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Pittersberg Riesling Auslese
Eugen Müller Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Auslese

THE SCHEUREBE OF THE VINTAGE IS

Diel Spätlese

THE KABINETTS OF THE VINTAGE ARE:

(In order of greatness)
Diel Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Kabinett
Von Othegraven Wiltinger Kupp Riesling Kabinett
Adam Hofberg Riesling Kabinett
Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Kabinett

THE BIGGEST SURPRISES OF THE VINTAGE ARE:

Eugen Müller Gewürztraminer Spätlese
Hexamer Sauvignon Blanc
Leitz Berg Rottland Riesling Alte Reben

THE GREATEST DRY WINES ARE:
(in order of greatness)

Leitz Berg Kaisersteinfels Riesling Alte Reben
Dr Deinhard Kieselberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs
Müller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Riesling Trocken
Wagner-Stempel Heerkretz Riesling Grosses Gewächs

THE ABSOLUTE TOP VALUES:

Selbach Saar Riesling!!

Leitz 1-2-3 Riesling
Eugen Müller Forster Mariengarten Riesling Kabinett
Theo Minges Riesling Halbtrocken LITER

THE BEST IMAGINEABLE FOOD-WINES:

Eugen Müller Forster Pechstein Riesling Spätlese Halbtrocken
Darting Ungsteiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese Halbtrocken
Diel Burg-Layen Riesling Kabinett

SHORT-LIST FOR ROCK-HEADS:

Diel Dorsheimer Pittermännchen Riesling Spätlese
Selbach-Oster Anrecht Riesling
Spreitzer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Erstes Gewächs

SHORT-LIST FOR FRUIT AND CHARM HOUNDS:

Geil Bechtheimer Rosengarten Riesling Kabinett
Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett

SHORT-LIST FOR GOOFY PLEASURE:

Darting Dürkheimer Hochbenn Muskateller Kabinett Trocken
Minges Riesling LITER
Weingart Bopparder Hamm Feuerlay Riesling Kabinett
Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Kabinett #8



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Germany's Top Winemakers - The 2010 Wein-Plus.de Awards

Wein-plus.de

This year’s Wein-Plus.de awards were announced a few days ago; the awards ceremony took place at the ProWein trade fair in Duesseldorf, Germany on March 21.

Wein-Plus.de is the leading German online Wine Guide. Its data base contains 50.000 wine reviews of 2500 winemakers. Since 1999, Marcus Hofschuster and his team have been tasting wines, describing them and grading them. Wein-Plus.de has 200.000 subscribers who pay Euro 20 (US$ 25) per year to use the data base of the Wein-Plus.de online wine guide.

The Wein-Plus.de Awards

There are three different categories of awards. First, regional awards for the top producer of each of the major wine regions. The winemaker with the highest average ranking of his or her wine portfolio wins the award. Germany’s wine regions differ markedly in terms of size. Then, there is a Rising Star Award. This is the winemaker with the largest improvement in the average score this year. Finally, an award is given to the best wine co-operative of the year.

Awards by Region

Before moving to the winners, here is a list of the regions in terms of their size (in hectares).

Five large regions: Rheinhessen 26000 hectares, Pfalz 23000 hectares, Baden 16000 hectares, Wuerttemberg 12000 hectares, Mosel 10000 hectares.

Three medium-size regions: Franken 6000 hectares, Nahe 4000 hectares, Rheingau 3000 hectares.

Five small regions: Saale Unstrut 700 hectares, Sachsen 500 hectares, Hessische Bergstrasse 500 hectares, Mittelrhein 500 hectares, Ahr 300 hectares.

Picture: The 13 German Wine Regions

Ahr: Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg

The estate is located in the village of Dernau in the Ahr valley. It was founded in 1953 by Hermann-Josef Kreuzberg, who at that stage was the general manager of the co-operative in Dernau. His son Hans-Josef „Jupp” Kreuzberg expanded the property, and in 1994 handed the running of the business to his sons Ludwig (sales, despatch) and Hermann-Josef (cellar, vineyards).

The winery is relatively small with 8.6 hectars cultivated.

Integrated viticultural practices are implemented, with organic soil preparation (organic fertiliser, straw covering, tree bark mulching and cover crops).

Almost exclusively red varieties are planted: Pinot Noir (65%), Pinot Madeleine (10%), Portugieser (7%), Dornfelder (6%), Regent (3%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (2%).

The red wines are matured practically exclusively in barriques. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines, spirits and red wine vinegars are also produced.

The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) association.

Gault Millau 3 Grapes.

Owner: Ludwig Kreuzberg, Cellar master: Franz-Josef Stodden, David Kreuzberg
www.weingut-kreuzberg.de

Baden: Weingut Dr. Heger

The estate is located in the town of Ihringen (Kaiserstuhl area). It was founded in 1935 by Dr. Max Heger, who ran it part-time as medical doctor.. In the 1960’s, his son Wolfgang Heger took the estate right up to the top of the best wine estates in Germany. The grandson of the founder, Joachim Heger and his wife Silvia, took over in 1992.

It is a good size winemaker with 15 hectares. To meet the great demand, Joachim Heger founded a small merchant house in 1996, with 16 contract growers supplying the grapes. These wines are marketed under the „Weinhaus Joachim Heger” label Grape varieties planted are Riesling (20%), Pinot Noir (20%), Pinot Gris (19%), Pinot Blanc (14%), Silvaner (11%), Chardonnay, Muskateller, Auxerrois, Scheurebe, Gewürztraminer, Kerner and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The red wines are fermented on the skins for 10 to 25 days. They are then matured in barrique for 12 to 18 months. The white wines, too, are matured in barrique.

The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) as well as of the Deutsches Barrique-Forum associations.

Gault and Millau 4 Grapes.

Owner: Joachim Heger, Manager: Jürgen Kühnle (Aussenbetrieb), Cellar master: Joachim Heger & Jürgen Jehle

www.heger-weine.de

Franken: Juliusspital

The estate is located in the city of Würzburg in Franken. It was founded in 1576 by prince bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn (1545-1617), along the lines of the Hospices de Beaune. For this purpose, he acquired the „Judengarten” (Jews garden) site outside the old city precincts. Even while the prince bishop was still alive, he transferred adequate income and extensive property holdings to the foundation, this included agricultural and forestry land as well as vineyards, including holdings in the world-famous Würzburger Stein site. A hospital as well as other charitable institutions are maintained to this day. The vaulted cellar is 250 meters long, and was built by Antonio Petrini in 1699.

The vineyards total 168 hectares, which is very large by German standards and are spread all over Franken.

Grape varieties planted are Silvaner (48 ha), Müller-Thurgau (21 ha), Riesling (20 ha), Pinot Noir (8 ha), Bacchus (6 ha), Scheurebe (3 ha), Rieslaner (2 ha), Domina, Traminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Muskateller and others.

The wines are fermented slowly, and are then matured on the lees. Maturation is in a combination of stainless steel tanks and in oak vats, some of which are more than 100 years old.

The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) association.

Gault and Millau 3 Grapes.

Owner: Stiftung Juliusspital, Manager: Dipl. Ing. Horst Kolesch, Cellar master:
Benedikt Then

www.juliusspital.de

Mittelrhein: Weingut Ratzenberger

The estate is located in the small town of Bacharach (Loreley district). It is run by Jochen Ratzenberger junior, the third generation to do so.

The vineyard area totals 12 hectares.

More than three-quarters of the area is planted with Riesling (8,5 ha), as well as with Pinot Noir (1,5 ha), Pinot Gris and Rivaner.

Sustainable, integrated vineyard practices are implemented. The estate specializes in high-quality sweet and botrytis dessert wines. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines are also produced.

The wines are exported to Belgium, Switzerland and the USA. The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) association.

Gault and Millau 3 Grapes.

Owner: Fam. Ratzenberger, Cellar master: Jochen Ratzenberger

www.weingut-ratzenberger.de

Mosel: Weingut Knebel

The estate is located in the village of Winningen (Burg Cochem area).

The wine-growing tradition of the Knebel family dates back to 1642. The property was run as the ”Brothers Knebel” after the Second World War, and was split among several family members in 1989. Reinhard Knebel, together with his wife Beate, took over a section with 1,7 hectares of vineyards. In a combination of purchases, exchanges and leases, the newly founded property grew to a vineyard area of more than five hectares over the next few years. In addition, grapes are bought in from neighboring producers with a total vineyard area of 1,5 hectares. Since the death of her husband in 2004, the business has been run by Beate Knebel.

By far the largest section of vineyards owned by the estate is located in the Röttgen site. This is planted with Riesling vines on traditional single-pole trellises, with an average age of 40 years, with a portion of ungrafted vines. The vineyard slopes are extremely steep, making it almost impossible to use machines of any kind, and spraying against pests has to be done by helicopter. The remaining vineyard parcels are in the Bruckstück, Hamm and Uhlen sites. Yields are reduced, and hand-picking is strictly selective, if necessary grapes are sorted and selected once more before pressing. The musts are then fermented in stainless steel tanks at a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, using natural yeasts wherever possible. Further maturation takes place either in the stainless steel tanks, or in several 1000-litre oak vats, or in a single barrel of acacia wood. Great attention is paid to keeping the wines as natural as possible.

Gault and Millau 3 Grapes.

Owner: Beate Knebel, Cellar master: Beate Knebel (mit Unterstützung und Beratung v.Gernot Kollmann)

www.weingut-knebel.de

Nahe: Weingut Emrich-Schönleber

The estate is located in the village of Monzingen. Famous German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) in his wine notes mentioned an excellent wine from Monzingen. The Emrich family has been involved in wine production in the Nahe region since the middle of the 18th century. Wilhelm Schönleber, the father of the current owner, came to the wine estate by marriage. In the 1960’s, then, the estate developed from its original 2 hectares to its current size, and is today run by Werner Schönleber.

The vineyard area totals 14,5 hectares. Around 75% of the area is planted with Riesling, the balance with Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.

Selective picking takes place as late as possible, the grapes are then gently pressed and cool-fermented. Minimum intervention is the keyword for maturation, with wines being allowed to develop on their own.

The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) association.

Gault and Millau 5 Grapes.

Owner: Werner Schönleber, Cellar master: Werner + Frank Schönleber

www.emrich-schoenleber.com

Pfalz: Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz

The estate is located in the commune of Siebeldingen (Südliche Weinstraße district). Eduard Rebholz and his son Hans were counted among the pioneers in the Pgalz for concentrating on high-quality dry wines. Since 1978 the third generation of the family, Hansjörg Rebholz and his wife Birgit have been in charge here.

The vineyard area totals 14 hectares. The area is planted with Riesling (35%), Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay (50% in total), as well as Gewürztraminer, Muskateller, Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau and Sauvignon Blanc.

Since 1989 the best white and red Pinot wines have been matured in barriques, they are marketed under the „R” designation, without mention of the vineyard site. The premium wines include the first growths (Großes Gewächs) Riesling, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) from the „Im Sonnenschein” site. Bottle-fermented sparkling wine and grappa-style spirits are also produced. The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) association.
Gault and Millau 5 Grapes.

Owner: Hansjörg Rebholz, Cellar master: Rainer Keßler, Hansjörg Rebholz

www.oekonomierat-rebholz.de

Rheingau: Weingut Robert Weil

The estate is located in the commune of Mühlberg-Kiedrich. It was founded in 1875 by Dr. Robert Weil. The property was significantly expanded by the purchase of the Nilkens and Buschmann wine estates, of the manor house of the late Sir John Sutton as well as of vineyards previously owned by the Count von Fürstenberg. A Riesling wine of the 1893 vintage, grown on the Gräfenberg site, made the estate famous. The Auslese from the „Kiedricher Berg” was very popular with royal and imperial houses in the past. The Habsburg Court in Vienna purchased 800 bottles of this wine at a price of 16 gold Marks per bottle in 1900. The 1920 vintage of the Kiedricher Gräfenberg Trockenbeerenauslese is called the Zeppelin wine, as it was served on board the LZ 127 „Graf Zeppelin” on its journay around the world in 1929. In 1988, the estate was sold by Robert Weil to the Japanese beverage group Suntory, and his son Wilhelm appointed as estate director. The vineyard area was doubled, and an ultra-modern cellar built.

The vineyard area totals 65 hectares. 97% of the area is planted with Riesling. Particular attention is paid to work in the vineyard. Measures include cover crops, use of organic fertilisers, no use of herbicides, and combating pests with ecologically sound, natural biological measures. Another quality factor is the low yield, achieved by restrictive pruning, thinning out the grapes twice, carrying out a negative selection at an early stage, and an extremely selective hand-picking process ,with grapes being harvested as late as possible, usually only in early November. The harvest can often be spread over a period of eight to ten weeks. Each row of vines can be picked over up to 17 times. When botrytised grapes are being picked, these are selected in the vineyard and immediately sorted into three different containers, depending on the degree of botrytis. The grapes are again selected berry for berry in the cellar. This means that a single helper can manage an amount per day that is equivalent to four bottles of Auslese, one bottle of Beerenauslese, or half a bottle of Trockenbeerenauslese. Natural sedimentation in stainless steel tanks is used for preliminary clarification of the musts, processing is reductive. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and lasts for six to twelve weeks. Further treatment remains reductive, and the wines are kept on the lees for as long as possible while maturing in stainless steel. Red wines are matured in barriques. The top botrytised wines in particular are sold at extremely high prices, they are among the most expensive in the world. The current world record (in 2006) is held by a 1999 Weil Trockenbeerenauslese, at DM 5.000 (EUR 2500).

The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) association.

Gault and Millau 5 Grapes.

Owner: Wilhelm Weil (Gutsdirektor), Suntory, Manager: Clemens Schmitt, Weinbergsverwalter, Managing director: Wilhelm Weil, Cellar master: Michael Thrien & Christian Engel & Stefan Bieber

www.weingut-robert-weil.com

Rheinhessen: Kühling-Gillot

The estate is located in the town of Bodenheim (Nierstein area). In its present form, it came about by marriage in 1970. Both the Kühling and Gillot wineries could look back on a winemaking tradition of two centuries. It is owned by Roland and Carolin (it is she who is the trained oenologist) Gilot. Carolin, who has been responsible for winemaking since 2002, is the only female member of the „Message in a bottle” wine producer’s association in Rheinhessen. She has been married to Hans-Oliver Spanier of the Battenfeld-Spanier estate since 2006.

The vineyard area totals ten hectares. Grape varieties planted are Riesling (4,3 ha), Pinot Noir (0,9 ha), Pinot Gris (0,8 ha), Portugieser (0,8 ha), Chardonnay (0,5 ha) and Scheurebe (0,4 ha).

Particular attention is paid to maintaining the fruit aromas, by treating the wine with great care from fermentation right through to bottling. The premium wines include the Grosses Gewächs/Grand Cru wines from the abovementioned top vineyard sites.

The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter – German quality estate producers association).

Gault and Millau 3 Grapes.

Owner: Carolin Spanier - Gillot, Gabi und Roland Gillot, Managing director: Roland Gillot, Carolin Spanier-Gillot, Cellar master: Roland Gillot , Carolin Spanier-Gillot und H.O. Spanier

www.kuehling-gillot.de

Sachsen: Weingut Schloss Proschwitz

The „Schloss Proschwitz Prinz zur Lippe” estate is located in the commune of Dorfanger. It is the largest privately-owned wine estate in the former East Germany, and the oldest estate still in existence in Saxony. The family is one of the oldest aristocratic families in Germany. Until 1918, it was one of the ruling ducal houses, and was one of the most important entrepreneurial families in Saxony. The vineyards in Proschwitz were owned by the bishop of Meissen from the mid-12th century up to the period of Reformation. A large part of the communion wine required in Saxony was supplied by this estate. During the period of the German Democratic Republic, the vineyards were tended by the local agricultural co-operative. The wines, under the name of ”Proschwitzer Katzensprung”, were available to consumers only in very limited quantities, and if one had connections. In 1991, Dr. Georg Prinz zur Lippe purchased large portions of the wine estate, as well as the castle, which is located directly bext to the vineyards. In 2000 the estate moved into the beautifully restored 300-year-old four-sided courtyard in Zadel, high above Meissen. Since then, the ultra-modern cellar, a small guest house and the estate’s vinotheque have been located here. So far, seven million Euros have been invested in restoring the estate.

The vineyard area totals 55 hectares, and the vineyards are stretched out along the banks of the Elbe river, with a view of the town of Meissen, world-famous for its china and porcelain. The vineyards are on red granite soil typical of the region, with layers of loess up to six metres deep. Controlled sustainable, integrated practices are implemented in the vineyards, this includes the use of cover crops, limited fertilising and restricted use of plant sprays. The area is planted with the white varieties Pinot Gris (9 ha), Elbling (9 ha), Pinot Blanc (6 ha), Riesling (5 ha), Traminer, Scheurebe and Goldriesling, as well as with the red varieties Dornfelder (4 ha) and Pinot Noir (5 ha). The estate was the first one in Saxony to join the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) association in 1996. Liqueurs and spirits have been produced since 1998.

Owner: Dr. Georg Prinz zur Lippe, Managing director: Leiter Marketing / Vertrieb Peter Bohn

Cellar master: Martin Schwarz

Gault Millau 4 Grapes.

www.schloss-proschwitz.de

Württemberg: Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Öhringen

The estate is located in the commune of Öhringen im Schloß (Württembergisch Unterland district). The princes and counts of Hohenlohe have owned vineyards here since 1360. The castle and estate are currently in the hands of Count Kraft zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen.

Currently, bottling and storage are still located in the castle cellar nine meters below the surface, built in the early 17th century. A new cellar is being planned, The vineyard area totals 19 hectares, all in the monopole site Verrenberg. The area is planted with the following white varieties: Riesling, Pinot blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Balnc, Müller-Thurgau, Kerner and Traminer, as well as with the following red varieties: Lemberger, Pinot noir, Pinot Meunier and Samtrot. The musts are rigorously clarified, then generally fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Red grapes are always destemmed, and fermented in various tanks on the skins. The skins are pressed even before fermentation is completed, in order to obtain fewer hard tannins in the wines. The red wines are matured in either large old oak barrels or in barriques. The best wines are named after the best parcel of the Verrenberg site, the “Butzen“. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines, wine vinegar and spirits are also produced.

The estate is a member of the Deutsches Barrique-Forum, HADES, Quadriga and of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) association.

Gault and Millau 2 Grapes.

Owner: Fürst Kraft zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen, Manager: Siegfried Röll, Cellar master: Siegfried Röll & Joachim Brand

www.verrenberg.de

The "Aufsteiger des Jahres" (Rising Star) Award: Weingut Bernhart /Schweigen

The estate is located in the commune of Schweigen (Südliche Weinstrasse district) in the Pfalz, on the border with Alsace. The foundation was laid around 1900, with the purchase of some vineyards in Wissembourg in France. This is the reason why two thirds of the vineyards are on French soil in Alsace. The family has been involved in a mixed farming operation for more than 100 years, but bottled wine under an own label has only been marketed since 1971. The estate is run by Willi Bernhart, his son Gerd is responsible for the cellar.

The vineyard area totals 15 hectares in the Sonnenberg (Schweigen) site, including the core site Rädling. The varieties planted are Pinot Noir (3,2 ha), Riesling (2,8 ha), Pinot Blanc (2,3 ha), Pinot Gris (1,5 ha), Portugieser (0,8 ha), Chardonnay (0,8 ha), Dornfelder (0,7 ha), Silvaner, Auxerrois, St. Laurent, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Müller-Thurgau. Great attention is paid to picking the grapes as late as possible, and processing them as gently as possible. White wines are cool-fermented. Red wines are fermented on the skins, then matured in oak barrels for up to 24 months. Grappa-style spirits as well as bottle-fermented sparkling wines are also produced.

The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitäts-Weingüter) association.

Gault and Millau 3 Grapes.

Owner: Willi & Gerd Bernhart, Cellar master: Gerd Bernhart

www.weingut-bernhart.de

The Best Co-operative Award: Divino Nordheim eG

The wine co-operative is located in the town of Nordheim (Maindreieck district) in Franken. Following numerous experiments, a new philosophy has been in place here since 1997, and production has been completely re-organised. The new concept is based clearly on quality, not quantity. This could only be implemented following a complete change in the vineyard work, and production guidelines are strictly enforced. Correct pruning leads to lower yields of better quality fruit. Under the new system, growers are not paid exclusively in accordance with must weight, instead a whole questionnaire, in which the exact adherence with the guidelines is also assessed, is also used when determining the payment for member growers. A new building was completed in 2003, in which the „Divino Nordheim” vinotheque is also housed. The general manager is Oskar Georg Noppenberger, the cellar master is Ernst Braun.

There are 224 members with a total vineyard holding of around 270 hectares. This area is planted with the following white varieties: Müller-Thurgau (41%), Silvaner (23%), Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Rieslaner, Bacchus, Scheurebe, Kerner, Fontanara and Traminer (total of 21%), the remaining 15% is planted with the red varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Madeleine, Domina, Pinot Meunier, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. 2,8 million bottles of wine were produced in 2005. These are almost exclusively quality wines, with a high percentage of Kabinett and Spätlese wines. The wines are marketed in three principal ranges: Divino (Chardonnay, red and white Pinot varieties, specific and individual use of barriques), Juventa (fresh and fruity wines) and Franconia (wines from classical varieties). In addition, perlé wines, bottle-fermented sparkling wines, liqueurs and spirits (brandy, grappa-style) are also produced.

Gault and Millau 0 Grapes (There is no wine co-operative that has a Gault and Millau Grape)

Owner: Mitglieder der Genossenschaft,Managing director: Markus Schoebel, Cellar master: Ernst Braun

www.divino-nordheim.de

Wein-Plus.de
Erlangen, Germany




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Wine Tasting: The Pinot Noirs of Patricia Green Cellars, Oregon, US

Picture: Patricia Green and Christian G.E. Schiller at Pearson's in Washington DC

Wine Tasting: The Pinot Noirs of Patricia Green Cellars, Oregon, US

Patricia Green from Oregon came to Washington DC to show us her wines. I attended a tasting at Pearson’s. Patricia Green founded Patricia Green Cellars in 2000, with Jim Anderson. Since then, the winery has established itself as a producer of outstanding Oregon Pinot Noirs.

Oregon

Patricia Green Cellars is in the Willamette Valley, were about two-thirds of Oregon’s wineries and vineyards are. Buffered from Pacific storms on the west by the Coast Range, the valley follows the Willamette River north to south for more than a hundred miles from the Columbia River near Portland to just south of Eugene. But Oregon is not only about Willamette Valley. Oregon’s vineyards span the whole State, rising up and falling over the rolling hills and gentle valleys of more than 12,000 acres (4,858 hectares) of wine grapes. Oregon’s major wine regions are the Willamette Valley, Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, and the Columbia Gorge. Some regions straddle the border between Oregon and the States of Washington and Idaho.

Wine was made in Oregon in the 19th century already, when Italian and Swiss immigrants planted wine grapes and started bottling wine. Oregon's wine industry was suppressed during Prohibition. It wasn’t until1961, when Richard Sommer set up shop in southern Oregon and planted Riesling, that the modern Oregon wine industry was borne. Other pioneers include David Adelsheim, Dick Ponzi and Bill Sokol-Blosser. Then the French also came with Domaine Drouhin bringing European sophistication to Oregon. In the past 40 years, Oregon has become one of the country’s top three wine States, with 350 wineries producing an average of 5,000 cases each a year. Most of it is Pinot Noir, but there’s also Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and modest amounts of Riesling and Merlot.

Picture: Wine country Oregon

Oregon produces wine on a much smaller scale than its southern neighbor California. Oregon's biggest producer ships only 125,000 cases per year and most produce under 35,000 cases. The State features many small wineries which produce less than 5,000 cases per year. In contrast, E & J Gallo Winery, the US’ largest winery, produces about 70 million cases annually. The majority of wineries in Oregon operate their own vineyards, although some purchase grapes on the market.

Like New Zealand, Oregon rode the Sideways Pinot Noir boom for several years, expanding vineyard plantings repeatedly. Now the financial crisis has hit the wine industry. Malbec from Argentina and Camenere from Chile are hot and prices are tumbling. As if weak demand and strong competitors weren't enough, the 2009 crop was a big one -- up 23% from 2008. Combined with the unsold inventory from 2008, the State faces its first significant surplus of wine in many years.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir in the US has become synonymous with the relative cool climate grape growing regions of Oregon. The reputation that gets Pinot Noir so much attention, however, is owed to the wines of the Bourgogne in France, where it has probably been cultivated since at least the 4th century. It's responsible for the great red wines from the Bourgogne, which includes Chambertin, Pommard, and Romanee-Conti, to name a few. In the Champagne region, Pinot Noir is one of the three grape varieties (along with Chardonnay and Meunier) allowed in the sparkling wine. Pinot Noir is also an important red grape in Germany. In northern Italy, Pinot Noir is known as Blauburgunder in some areas and Pinot Nero in others. Some of California's better Pinot Noir wines come from the State's cooler regions such as Carneros, the Russian River Valley and Santa Barbara.

Regardless of where it’s grown, Pinot Noir is not typically a value wine. That is so because Pinot Noir is such a delicate grape that it is difficult and expensive to grow. It is a fickle grape that demands optimum growing conditions with warm days supported by cool evenings. As the German name – Spaetburgunder - implies, it ripens late (spät). Compared with those from California, in general, the Oregon Pinot Noirs are lighter in color, fruitier in the nose and cleaner on the palate.

Patty Green

The 48-year-old winemaker’s career in the wine industry began by leaving the re-forestation business to pick grapes at Hillcrest Vineyard outside of Roseburg. There, she quickly was given the reins. She then worked and consulted for various wineries, including Ashland Vineyards, Girardet Winery, Adelsheim Winery and La Garza Vineyards. When she left Torii Mor Winery with the 1999 vintage in barrel, there were a slew of 90+ point scores on wines from the 93- 97 vintages, widespread recognition within Oregon s wine community as a talent to watch and near cult-like status from Pinot Noir drinkers. In 2000, together with Jim Anderson, who worked at Torii Mor with Green as well as with a silent partner, she acquired the winery of Tom and Wendy Kreutner and the Patty Green Vineyards was borne.

Patricia Green Cellars

The estate has 26 acres, although Green and Anderson farm 60 acres of property for grapes. Patty explained that all of the vineyards they either maintain or purchase fruit from, are extremely well-tended sites that seek to grow the best fruit possible through rigorous attention to detail on every single vine. To ensure that the sites truly show the characteristics of the soil, micro-climate and clonal material none of them use irrigation. In the winery, the philosophy of attention to the smallest details is further extended all the way from the fermenting must to the final bottling process.

Green uses only native yeast in making their wines; she does not add commercial yeast to get grapes to ferment. She also puts certain types of lees back into the barrels while the wines are aging. Lees are the seeds, skins and related solids that fall to the bottom of fermenting grape juice. They can add a layering quality to the wine and a berry-like texture.

Patty makes wine from a variety of Willamette Valley sources, encompassing the two primary soil types in the region: sedimentary and volcanic. The vineyards are broken up into 17 different blocks based upon age of vine, clonal material, elevation, and other factors. The blocks have been given a name for various reasons (Pheasant, Lakeview, etc.).

Prices are in US$. The current exchange rates are 0.90 BP = 1 EURO = 1.34 US$ = 124 JPY.

Wines we tasted:

PATRICIA GREEN CHARDONNAY 2008

Winery Notes: Not to be left out of the discussion of wines from this vineyard would be the Chardonnay. We have developed more of an appreciation for this vineyard s ability to give us the kind of fruit we wanted as we figured out more and more what kind of wine we wanted to make from this site. All the new barrels are long gone and at this point the newest barrel in the Chardonnay has been used five times. We are also starting to pick at a point where we still have some greener berries mixed into some of the bunches. That gives us a hint more acidity than we have had in the past pushing the wine further and further into the lemon candy/lemon curd flavor profile that we love and are trying to coax out of our wine. In 2003 and 2004 we felt as though we were looking to the wines of the Macon or village level Meursaults for our inspiration. With the 2005 we definitely stare into Chablis with a wine that is full of lemony goodness, a dollop of crushed oyster shell and some spice on the finish. This is a lean, mean fighting machine. Not for everyone but you will love it if this in your genre of Chardonnays. 330 cases bottled. $24.99

PATRICIA GREEN FOUR WINDS PINOT NOIR 2008

Winery Notes: This is not only the best bottling of Four Winds we have ever done (by a long shot) it is one of the best wines of the vintage. It is simply incredible in every way. From the electric black/purple pigmentation to the wild berry/smoke/earth/licorice aromatics to the sheer intensity and concentration of flavors to the massive texture supported by firm tannins this wine is a rock star. This bottling has not always been everyone s cup of tea. Those who have liked this have loved it and those not so attracted to it tended to find it distastefully earthy and odd. This wine will not be nearly as polarizing. There is a lot to love about this wine because there is a lot of stuffing packed into this wine. This is a dynamo. We waited patiently for these vines to show the benefit of some vine age and we think we are beginning to see the fruition of that patience. Didn t hurt that this came in at slightly over 1 ton to the acre either. Stock up if you have been a fan in the past or jump on the bandwagon if you haven t been a disciple in the past. 320 cases bottled. $36.99

PATRICIA GREEN BALCOMBE PINOT NOIR 2008

Winery Notes : This bottling has the sweetness of red fruit, high-toned acidity, and super-silky tannins that make Balcombe Vineyard such a terrific and sought-after site. There is a great deal of intensity in this particular wine and while its nature tends toward femininity and elegance there is an underlying darkness and strength to it that provide a whole different dimension. Fans of this bottling will love this vintage as it is mouth-watering, smooth, and rich, and it possesses so much substance that it will be terrific for many years down the road. $44.99

PATRICIA GREEN ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2008

Winery Notes: This bottling is designed to show off the inherent power that younger vines display in the Ribbon Ridge Appellation. There is a darkness that runs through this wine from its color, to its aromatic profile, into the flavors and down into the tannins that finish it off. While other qualities resonate in flashes such as violets and bing cherries in the nose and rose petal and loam in the mid-palate the background of power and darkness is always there. While this wine is not truly a powerful wine as it is quite graceful it has a brooding character that gives it quite a bit of depth. This is a terrific expression of the type of subtle power wines from the Ribbon Ridge Appellation contain. Sort of like Baryshnikov doing Swan Lake in a leather jacket while carrying brass knuckles. $44.99

PATRICIA GREEN NOTORIOUS PINOT NOIR 2008

Winery Notes: This blend changes each vintage based on what we think are the most exotic barrels the cellar has to offer...We chose based on the superbly rich, dense, creamy, and full-bodied natures of these barrels. This wine is a marvel in 2008. What is truly recognizable even at this young age is the length of this wine. There is so much substance that is so well-balanced that it carries on and on. Buy it for its concentration, depth, and exotic fruit but cellar and savor it for its length and complexity. This is a beautiful, beautiful, wine. 135 cases bottled. $79.99

Patricia Green Cellars
Oregon, US

Pearson's
Washington DC, US


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Tokaji: Depressing and Encouraging News From Hungary

Picture: Budapest, Hungary

Is the Tokaji region in a crisis?

The authors of the Polish Wine Blog recently went to Hungary and came back with a depressing and at the same time encouraging report. First, the Tokaji region is in crisis; winemakers are unable to sell their noble-sweet wines. Second, the winemakers are adjusting to the difficult circumstances by moving away from the noble-sweet wines to bone-dry grand cru wines.

Noble-sweet Wines

Mother Nature, under non-special circumstances, produces dry wines in the vineyard. All the sugar in the grapes at harvest disappears during fermentation and no sweetness remains in the wine. There are, however, plenty of sweet wines made around the world. There are different techniques to make a wine sweet. One of them is to let the noble rot suck the water out of the grape, so that the degree of sugar in the grapes is extra-ordinary high.

Another technique is used in Portugal to make Port wine. Port wine is made sweet by adding alcohol to the fermenting must so the fermentation stops and the sugar of the grapes remains in the wine. What you get is a wine with lots of alcohol and remaining sweetness in the wine.

Botrytized noble-sweet wines

Botrytis cinerea is the key to the success of many of the world’s most famous noble sweet wines. Also known as noble rot, Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that under the right conditions attacks already-ripe grapes, shrivelling them, concentrating the sweetness and acidity. The grapes end up looking disgusting but they make profound sweet white wines.

Picture: 3 Noble-Sweet Wines from my Cellar

Noble sweet wines made on the basis of noble rot are produced in a number of countries. The most famous ones are the Sauternes in France, the Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese in Germany and in Austria, the Austria Ausbruch and the Tokaji from Hungary. No doubt, the first noble rot wines were created by accident - both the Hungarians and the Germans have similar stories of how the harvest was delayed for some reason, but the over-ripe grapes were vinified anyway and then the resulting wine found to be delicious.

The Tokaji

The Tokaji has been Hungary’s crowning glory for hundreds of years. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Tokaji was a cherished wine enjoyed by the European Courts, including Louis XIV of France, Peter the Great, Elizabeth of Russia, and Frederick the Great; it graced the wine glasses of Beethoven, Schubert, and Hungary’s native son Franz Liszt.

The vineyards of the Tokaji region were classified long before Bordeaux, already in the 1700s, with vineyards grouped into 3 categories depending on the soil, sun exposure and potential to develop noble rot. A royal decree in 1757 established a closed production district in Tokaji and the classification system was completed in 1772.

The noble-sweet Tokaji wines nearly disappeared after World War II, as Hungary became a communist country. Family vineyards became collective farms. The Soviets forced everyone into making low-grade jug wine. Since the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet empire desintegrated, Tokaji is starting to see a rebirth, which however is fragile.

A Tokaji is typically a blend of botrytised (aszu) and non-botrytised grapes. There are different levels of sweetness in the noble-sweet Tokaji wine. The more aszu grapes are blended into base (not- botrytised) grapes, and the sweeter the aszu grapes are, the sweeter the final wine will be.

To indicate the sweetness of the Tokaji wine on the label, the Hungarians have developed the puttonyos classification system. A puttony is a traditional wooden hottes. Generally, noble-sweet Tokaji wines range from three to six puttonyos. Since joining the EU, wine with one or two puttonyo(s) is no longer allowed to be bottled.

3 puttonyos = 60 grams of remaining sugar per liter
4 puttonyos = 90 grams of remaining sugar per liter
5 puttonyos = 120 grams of remaining sugar per liter
6 puttonyos = 150 grams of remaining sugar per liter

In addition the rare Aszú Eszencia wines contain more than 180 grams of remaining sugar per liter and the Eszencia wines more than 400 grams of remaining sugar per liter.

What is interesting is that Hungarian Tokaji wines are classified according to the level of remaining sweetness in the wine, while German and Austrian noble-sweet Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein are classified according to the sugar level in the grape at harvest.

Once mixed, the Tokaji must undergoes a slow and cool fermentation which can take several months or even years to complete. A practice unique to Tokaji wines is to allow a degree of oxidation to occur during fermentation. In fact, the amount of oxidation often becomes the hallmark of the producer’s unique style. When I was in Budapest last year, I was surprised by the extent of oxidation experienced in many Hungarian wines; I did not like it. In fact, when I spent a week in Budapest earlier last year, I came across several times a dry Tokaji wines, with a distinctive note of oxidation. Initially, I thought the wine was faulty. But then I learned that some wine makers in the Tokaji region still use a vinification method whereby the wine is exposed to air during fermentation , as the Sherry from Spain, and adopts a distinctive style. This style is clearly not appreciated on the international market, but I found it interesting to experience this taste in Budapest.

Depressing and Encouraging News from the Tokaji Region

The authors of the Polish Wine Blog went to Hungary recently and came back with reports that were depressing and encouraging at the same time.

Thousands of bottles of noble-sweet Tokaji wines going back as far as 1998 remain unsold. Apparently, the vineyard buying and planting over enthusiasm of the late 1990s has now become a serious hiccup. A mixture of unwise business decisions from the late 1990s and Hungary's suicidal governmental policy of the last few years has resulted in a complete standstill of noble-sweet wine sales. Large companies are reporting large losses, and many small estates are struggling to survive.

Tokaji is in crisis. Read more about the wounded heros here.

In the second posting, the authors of the Polish Wine Blog report that in response to the crisis, wine makers are moving away from noble-sweet Tokaji wine and turning to bone dry Tokaji wines. The Polish Wine Blog has tasted many of them and was impressed by the dry wines. They tasted the wines and reported about it here.

The Wine bar by Bazilika

While the Tokaji region Hungary’s is best known wine, there are a total of 14 wine regions in Hungary. A good place to get an overview of Hungarian wines in Budapest is "The Wine bar by Bazilika”. Here, they sell a wide range of Hungarian wines by the bottle to go and to consume at the premise as well as many wines by the glass. The staff speaks English and they serve cheese and charcutterie snacks. The cheese, to my disappointment, was all French cheese. See my posting here.


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