Quick Take
Laurie Love recounts her recent tasting of 12 vintages of Mount Eden Vineyards chardonnays going back to 1986, has a dispatch from a "Cru Night" in Seabright and celebrates Wells Shoemaker as he closes down Aptos' Salamandre Wine Cellars. She also notes the passing of Napa pioneer Warren Winiarski and previews upcoming local wine events in her biweekly column.
Welcome to Laurie Love on Wine! I am Laurie Love, a professional wine writer and educator based in Santa Cruz. In this column, I share my wine passion, knowledge and experience with Lookout readers. Follow me on my wine blog, Laurie Loves Wine, and on Instagram at LaurieLoveOnWine. I love email from readers! Stay in touch: Email me at laurie@lookoutlocal.com. Join me as we journey together through the wonderful world of wine.
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WINE NEWS
Tasting 50 decades of “existential” Mount Eden chardonnay
I recently had the great fortune to attend a tasting of 12 vintages of Mount Eden Vineyards chardonnay spanning 50 decades. The wines were from an East Coast private collector who recently passed away, brought back to the Santa Cruz Mountains by one of his close friends, and arranged for tasting by a local wine enthusiast. Jeffrey Patterson, owner/winemaker at Saratoga’s Mount Eden Vineyards going back to 1981, was on hand to present the wines and discuss each vintage. “A wine needs to grow and improve in bottle until it becomes existential in old age,” Patterson explained.
Vintages poured at the tasting were 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2011 and 2021. All these wines have aged beautifully! I was amazed at the freshness in the wines, especially the older vintages, and none of them showed any signs of “off” flavors or that they were too old. On the contrary, it was clear to me that, with proper storage, Mount Eden chardonnays are built to age a very long time.
Although difficult to choose a favorite, I loved the 1986, the oldest in the flight. With a deep gold color and notes of butterscotch, crème brûlée, white mushroom and lemon oil on the nose and palate, the wine had good acidity and body, and a long, luxurious finish. It also kept evolving and opening throughout the tasting while still showing freshness.
Older-vintage Mount Eden wines are hard to come by (although some are available from the winery’s web store). But I encourage you to purchase some of the current release, 2019 Mount Eden Chardonnay, and hold on to them if you can. Store bottles you intend to age on their sides in a cool, dark place with consistent temperatures (ideal is in the 55 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit range). This wine will be worth the wait!
La Posta “Cru Night”
Speaking of old bottles, La Posta Restaurant (538 Seabright Ave. in Santa Cruz) held its second “Cru Night” on June 19. Affectionately promoted as “big old bottles” night, La Posta opened three large-format (1.5-liter magnum) bottles of nebbiolo from Northern Italian producer Ar Pe Pe.
Ar Pe Pe is a family-owned winery located in the Valtellina region in Lombardy, a narrow valley in the foothills of the Italian Alps where the nebbiolo grape is called chiavennasca. Ar Pe Pe makes organic wines with native yeasts from its very steep, terraced vineyards on granite soils. This translates to very fresh, clean, mineral wines that hold a good amount of acidity, making them perfect for pairing with food.
My husband, Ray, and I shared a flight of Ar Pe Pe wines poured from magnum: 2005 Sassella Riserva “Rocce Rosse,” 2005 Grumello Riserva “Buon Consiglio” and 2009 Inferno Riserva “Sesto Canto.” Each of the wines expressed a complex balance between fruit (cherry, plum) and more savory qualities (earth, tea, rosehips, minerals).
And the wines were excellent with La Posta’s seasonal-focused, farm-to-table Northern Italian cuisine. Several Lombardy-inspired food specials were available in addition to its regular full menu. Burrata with grilled peaches and aged prosciutto antipasti, ravioli with ricotta and morel mushrooms, and pan-seared scallops all sang with the wines.
La Posta owner Patrice Boyle explained the decision not to offer a prix-fixe menu for Cru Night: “The idea is to have a casual, fun evening without the stress of a fixed-price menu. This way, more people can participate.” The approach seemed quite successful, as the place was busy and buzzy with lots of locals coming in to enjoy a fun evening. Sommeliers Jim Kennedy and Alexis Carr had their hands full pouring wines from the big bottles for the full house.
La Posta Restaurant will be doing a Cru Night once a quarter. Watch this space to hear when the next one is coming up, or you can sign up for La Posta Restaurant emails to stay in the loop.
Salamandre Wine Cellars winemaker Wells Shoemaker retiring
After 39 years of making hand-crafted, small-lot commercial wines out of his small residential-based winery in Aptos, Dr. Wells Shoemaker (a retired physician) is retiring again, this time from the wine business. Wells and his wife, Sandie, along with fellow business partners Dave and Mary South, are closing the cellar door at Salamandre Wine Cellars.
Shoemaker is a true Renaissance man. In addition to making his mark as a successful winemaker, Wells is a retired pediatrician, founded the first intensive-care nursery in the Monterey Bay area at Watsonville Community Hospital, launched a health care clinic for San Joaquin Valley farmworkers and is co-author of the groundbreaking “The French Paradox and Beyond” (Renaissance Press, 1992). That book brought scientific research showing that red wine in moderation is part of a healthy diet. He is a skilled woodworker and sells his beautifully handcrafted wooden bowls at the winery and at select makers markets in Santa Cruz County. He’s a poet and a writer who has contributed to Sports Illustrated and wine- and medicine-related publications, an outdoor enthusiast and a wonderful photographer. Wells started as an amateur winemaker in 1978 and for seven years made wines by hand for friends and family. Eventually in 1985, Salamandre Wine Cellars was bonded as a commercial winery.
Salamandre has never had a tasting room, opting instead to host occasional “invitational tastings” under the towering redwoods at the Shoemakers’ winery/home property. There they offer flights of their outstanding wines made from often eclectic varietals grown in local vineyards. They started with chardonnay as their beacon wine, but over time, shifted their focus to red wines. Malbec, petit verdot, petite sirah and primitivo are some of the bottlings, plus a wonderfully smooth, balanced Bordeaux-style red blend called Coyote Cuvée. The wines are released after they’ve been perfectly aged.
Salamandre will host its “Last Sirah” tasting this Saturday, June 29, which is now fully booked. Wines will be available at the cellar door for a limited time. Contact newt@cruzio.com. You can also purchase Salamandre wines at Corralitos Market. For more information on Salamandre Wine Cellars, visit its website here.
Watch for my interview with Wells Shoemaker in my next column.
Warren Winiarski memorial streaming Wednesday
The global world of wine lost an icon, a beacon of fine winemaking, a national treasure, an environmentalist and a true philanthropist on June 7. Warren Winiarski, widely credited for putting Napa Valley and California wine on the world map, died at the age of 95.
Warren Winiarski and his wife, Barbara, purchased and planted the property in Napa Valley known to the world as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in 1970. As winegrower and winemaker, Winiarski toiled carefully over his vineyards and in the cellar to produce the best Napa Valley cabernet possible. In 1976, that hard work paid off: Winiarski’s Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won first prize for red wine at the famous “Judgment of Paris” blind tasting, which pitted emerging California wines against well-known French wines in celebration of America’s bicentennial. This pivotal moment brought the world’s attention to Napa Valley and the region’s wines. A bottle of this wine is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
Throughout his life, Winiarski continued to grow grapes and make wines, and to promote fine winemaking across the industry. This year would have been his 60th harvest in Napa Valley. In addition, he was an avid preservationist and philanthropist. He helped create an agricultural preserve in Napa County, which became law in 1968 and protects 32,000 acres of agricultural land and open space from development to this day. Since 1990, the Winiarskis have donated about 200 acres to the Land Trust of Napa County, including the vineyard sourced for the Paris Tasting-winning wine and their current vineyard, Arcadia Vineyards, preserving this land in perpetuity. Find out much more about this incredible man and his life on his website.
The Winiarski family will be livestreaming a private memorial service to be held in Napa for Warren on Wednesday (today if you’re reading this column on its June 27 publication day) from 11 a.m. To join the memorial service virtually, follow this link.
UPCOMING WINE EVENTS
This Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Beauregard Vineyards is teaming up with Colectivo Felix for a Tapas & Wine event under the redwoods at Beauregard’s winery in Bonny Doon. Sample four tapas created especially to pair with Beauregard’s chardonnay, rosé and red blend. Tickets and info here.
Another event happening Saturday: Days of Wine & Lavender at Roberts Ranch Vineyards in Felton from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., featuring a culinary lavender workshop. Following the workshop is a concert on the crush pad. Check here for more info.
Also this Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. is the annual Forks, Corks & Kegs event at Kaiser Permanente Arena in downtown Santa Cruz. Get details here.
On July 6, Destined for Grapeness is hosting its first winemaker dinner at Home restaurant, featuring the wines of Samuel Louis Smith and a five-course meal prepared by chef Brad Briske. Click here for more information and tickets.
The next Wines of Santa Cruz Mountains’ Taste of Terroir summer wine event will be on July 25 from 5 p.m. at Ridge Vineyards on Montebello Road in Cupertino. Take in the spectacular view while you enjoy a walk-around tasting featuring many historic wineries and appetizers from Oak & Rye. Tickets and info here.
Looking ahead, the popular annual Grazing on the Green event at Aptos Village Park will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5, this year, and tickets are now on sale. This event always sells out, so it’s smart to get your tickets well in advance.
Until next time!
Cheers,
Laurie
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