In my last review I provided an over view of California’s wine
history, the revival of its wine culture, some of its current challenges and
the origin of California’s unofficial state grape - Zinfandel. After studying
California the Intensive Sommelier Training class had a much-needed two-week
break for the holidays. When they call this class “intensive” they are not
kidding! There are so many wines to
remember and so much information from the text books and lectures to retain it
was nice to take a breather and let it sink in. So, during the vacation I spent
most of my time studying.
In this review I’ll discuss the three other top wine producing
areas in the United States (Washington, Oregon and New York) as well as Canada.
I’ll then cover the learning objectives and review the 9 wines we tasted in
class.
The Facts on
Washington Wine
Although grapes were first planted in Washington in the early
1800s it was not until the 1950s that the once barren landscape of eastern
Washington was transformed by irrigation from the Columbia River. Afterwards
two large wineries, Columbia Winery and Chateau Ste. Michelle, were founded and
they remain the dominate businesses in what is now the second largest wine producer
in the country. With the exception of a few small wineries in the Puget Sound
AVA, the vast majority of vineyard land is found east of the Cascade Mountains
around the 46th and 47th parallel of latitude which is
roughly equivalent to that of Bordeaux. The top white grape is Chardonnay, the
top red grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The top region is the Columbia Valley. In fact, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to more
than 90% of Washington’s vineyard acreage. Within the Columbia Valley AVA there
are 8 sub-AVAs including Columbia Gorge AVA, Horse Heaven AVA, Rattlesnake
Hills AVA, Red Mountain AVA, Wahluke
Slope AVA, Walla Walla Valley AVA,
and Yakima Valley AVA.
Washington is also the only state in the country where the
designation “Reserve” is regulated. To have this on a label the wine must be
the highest quality produced and it cannot exceed more than 10% of the wineries
total production.
The Facts on Oregon
Wine
Oregon has a temperate to cool climate and they receive 8-9
months of rain due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade
Mountains. The top white grape is Pinot Gris and the top red grape is Pinot
Noir. Winemaking laws are stricter in Oregon than what is required by the Federal
Government as wines listing the grape variety must contain at least 90% whereas
the rest of the country is only required to have 75%. The only exception is
Cabernet Sauvignon based wines which are only required to follow the 75% rule.
Northern Oregon is home to the state’s
top region, the Willamette Valley,
which stretches from Eugene to Portland. Within the valley there are 6 sub-AVAs
– Chehalem Mountain AVA, Dundee Hills AVA, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, McMinnville
AVA, Ribbon Ridge AVA and Yahill-Carlton District AVA.
The Southern Oregon AVA
covers the remainder of the state and it includes 3 official sub-AVAs – Rogue Valley
AVA, Umpqua Valley AVA, Applegate Valley AVA and one yet to be officially sanctioned, the Illinois AVA.
In the eastern portion of the state there are 4 AVAs that cross
over into Oregon from other states. Areas of Washington’s Columbia Valley,
Columbia Gorge and Walla Walla Valley AVAs as does the Snake River AVA of Idaho
but production is very limited on the Oregon side of these AVAs.
The Facts on New
York Wine
New York ranks third among the wine-producing states although 83% of New York's grape area is Vitis labrusca varieties
(mostly Concord).
Premium production areas are based in 3 major wine-growing regions, including Lake Erie AVA on the western end of the state, the Finger Lakes AVA in the west-central
area, the Hudson River Region AVA in
eastern New York, and the eastern end of the Long Island AVA. German style
winemaking is the norm in the Finger Lakes and Riesling is the most important
grape variety. Long Island is focusing on Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot.
The Facts on
Canadian Wine
The Canadian wine industry is regulated by the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) which
began as a voluntary organization in the 1980s. It is made up of winemakers,
wine writers and government officials and their original goal was to establish
a system of official winemaking appellations. In the 1990s the VQA spread
throughout most of Canada.
The two best-known provinces for wine production are Ontario and British Columbia. There are several wine regions in Ontario including
the country’s most important and largest viticultural area: the Niagara
Peninsula. While there are several styles of wine being produced the most
significant is Ice Wine which is
Canada’s most prominent wine. British Columbia is Canada’s most western
province and most of it is, like the rest of the country, too cold for wine
production. However, the province is home to the oldest and most important wine
region in the province of the Okanagan
Valley. At roughly the same latitude as Champagne or central Germany, this
region experiences a temperate climate due to the lack of precipitation caused
by its high-desert conditions. Wine production centers on the international
grape varieties including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
and Pinot Noir.
The Facts on
Mexican Wine
Mexico was home to the first vineyards in the Americas, as
Spanish missionaries arrived in the wake of the conquest of the Aztecs bringing
with them grape seeds to grow vines for sacramental wines. Upon assuming the
governance of Mexico in the late 1500s, the first Spanish ruler, Hernando
Cortez, decreed that all new arriving Spaniards be given wine holdings of land.
Wine production quickly followed and eventually the quality was so high that
the Spanish crown outlawed its production in order to protect Spanish
winemakers. Through independence and revolution wine production continued but
much of it was distilled to make brandy.
Today most of the production is of lesser quality intended
for bulk consumption but there are some premium wineries that are making more
quality wine. The country’s top quality wineries are located in the Valle de Guadalupe. It has a
Mediterranean-type climate due to the cooling winds from the Pacific Ocean. The
top white wines are Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and the best red wines are
Bordeaux blends and single varietal wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
and Zinfandel.
Learning Objectives
of
Unit 3 – Day 3: North American Wines
At the beginning of class lectures a list of learning objectives
is provided to the students. By the end of the class, the students should have
a certain degree of understanding from their own reading and the lectures and
be able to provide the answers to list of questions. The Learning Objectives
for Unit 3 - Day 3 along with the answers are as follows.
By the end of class, students should be able to:
(1) Discuss the background and basic details of the AVA system
Answer: Whereas AOCs and
other designations determine wine production the AVA only concerns geographic
location.
(2) Identify 3 AVAs in Washington state
Answer: Columbia Gorge
AVA, Horse Heaven AVA, Rattlesnake Hills AVA
(3)
Identify 3 AVAs of Oregon
Answer: Willamette Valley
AVA, Southern Oregon AVA, Umpqua Valley AVA
(4) State the Oregon requirement for varietal & AVA labeling,
and how it differs from the rest
of the USA
Answer: The USA requires
75% for a grape varietal, Oregon requires 90% except for Cabernet Sauvignon.
(5) Name 1 AVA of New York
Answer: Lake Erie AVA on the western end of the state.
(6) Note the state where winemaking started in the USA
Answer: Paris Island in
South Carolina is favored as the likely first place wine was made on the
Continent in the East Coast in 1640 by Spanish colonists, but it wasn’t a
commercial success.
(7) Name the first AVA approved in the United States
Answer: The first AVA in the United States was accorded to Augusta, Missouri on June 20,
1980.
(8) List 2 important wine regions of Canada
Answer: Ontario and
British Columbia
(9) Name the country where winemaking began on the American
continent
Answer: Mexico
(10) Describe the attributes of any
wines tasted today
Answer: See below
The Wines
On the third day of Unit 3 we tasted the following wines:
1. 2011 St.
Innocent, Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon
This is a clear white wine, low concentration straw, day-bright,
with medium viscosity. On the nose it is clean with low intensity aromas of
under ripe oranges, fresh apples, canned fruit salad, white flowers, and a hint
of yeast. On the palate it has flavors of ripe oranges followed by tart and
bitter dried apricots, and a hint of chalk. It has medium+ acidity, medium+
alcohol, medium body, and a medium length finish. This wine was less than
impressive as it seemed overly simplistic and too bitter. This wine sells for $20.
2. 2013 Chateau St.
Michelle & Dr. Loosen, Erocia,
Riesling, Columbia Valley, WA
This is a clear white wine, straw in color, star bright, low
concentration, with medium+ viscosity. On the nose it is clean with medium
intense aromas of lemon-lime, ripe apples, ginger-ale, jasmine, and wet stone. On
the palate it has flavors of oranges, melon, and lemon-lime with a salty minerality.
It is dry with a hint of residual sugar; it has medium+ acidity, medium body, medium
alcohol (only 12%), and a medium+ to long finish. This wine is well balanced
and a great wine to add to your cellar if you are looking for some Rieslings. This
wine sells for $22.
3. 2011 Cristom,
Pinot Noir, “Mt. Jefferson Cuvée”, Willamette Valley, Oregon
This wine is clear ruby red at the core, medium concentration
with a touch of garnet at the rim and medium viscosity. On the nose it is clean
with medium intense aromas of cherries, strawberries, cranberries and a touch
of rhubarb followed by dried roses, black tea, a hint of smoke, mushrooms and
forest floor. On the palate it has flavors of black cherry, cinnamon, cloves,
graphite and a touch of pepper. It is dry with medium+ acidity, medium body,
medium tannins, medium+ alcohol and a medium+ length finish. This wine clearly
distinguishes itself from a California Pinot Noir and yet it isn’t quite
Burgundian either. If you don’t like Burgundies because they are too earthy or
have too much barnyard and yet you don’t want a fruit bomb this is the perfect
Pinot for you. The next time I am in Oregon I’ll have to visit this winery.
This wine sells about $26 – a steal!
4. 2011 Adelsheim,
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
This wine is clear ruby red at the core, medium concentration
with a touch of pink at the rim and medium viscosity. On the nose it is clean
with medium intense aromas of fresh ripe cherries, very ripe strawberries, and
cranberries with a touch of cloves, black pepper and anise with a touch of
chalky minerality. It has medium tannins, medium+ acidity, medium body, medium+
alcohol and a medium length finish. In comparison to the previous wine, the
fruit is more Californian and it doesn’t have earthy/mushroom characteristics
and yet the chalkiness lends itself to being more Burgundian. This wine sells
about $32.
5. 2011 Domaine
Drouhin, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
This wine is clear day-bright ruby red at the core, medium
concentration with a touch of pink at the rim and medium viscosity. On the nose
it is clean with medium intense aromas of cherries, strawberries, smoke, forest
floor and a hint of black tea and cedar. On the palate it has flavors of fresh
cherries, tea, a hint of tomato leaves and black pepper. It has medium chewy
tannins, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol, medium body and a medium+ length finish. An
excellent wine, well balanced, that could easily be mistaken for a Burgundy if
it were not the alcohol. This wine sells about $37. I visited this winery in July
2012. You can check out the pictures, video and review on my Oregon Winery Review blog.
6. 2009 Domaine
Drouhin-Laroze Gevrey Chambertin, Clos Prieur, 1st Cru Burgundy
This wine is obviously not from North America but it was poured
in order to compare a New World and Old World wine produced by Domaine Drouhin.
You can have a similar experience at the
winery which is a unique opportunity to compare two different wines made by the
same winemaker and yet they express different terroir.
This wine is clear, day-bright ruby red of medium concentration
with minimal garnet rim variation with medium viscosity. On the nose it is
clean but with a touch of funkiness (Brettanomyces), it has moderate intense
aromas of dried cherries, dried roses, black pepper, earth, mushroom, black tea
and dried cinnamon stick. On the palate it has flavors of dried cherries, black
pepper and dried cinnamon stick. It is dry with medium + acidity, medium body
and a medium+ length finish. In comparison to the previous wine, this one is
unmistakably Burgundian. This wine sells for about $60 - $65.
7. 2009 Nine Hats
Syrah, Columbia Valley, Washington
Nine Hats is a second label of Washington State’s Long Shadows
Collection, a group of nine internationally famous winemakers, each creating
one Washington wine in their own, iconic style. Nine Hats wines are made from
the fruit that doesn't fit into the Long Shadows Collection. The winemaker is
Giles Nicault, who supervises the Long Shadows facility in Walla Walla and
makes their Chester Kidder wines.
This wine is a blend
of 94%
Syrah and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were sourced from Horse Heaven
Hills (Alder Ridge), Red Mountain vineyards (Klipsun & Candy Mountain), and
Yakima Valley (Lonesome Springs and Boushey vineyard) The wine was aged for 19
months in French Oak barrels prior to bottling.[1]
It is opaque, black at the
core to violet with minimal rim variation and medium+ viscosity. On the nose it
is clear with pronounced aromas of blackberry pie, blueberries, black licorice
and a hint of black pepper, vanilla, smoke and dried herbs. On the palate the
alcohol has a major attack on your senses, it has medium+ tannin, medium to
medium+ acidity, high alcohol and a medium length finish. This is unmistakably
a New World Syrah as it has no meaty or earthy notes and no minerality. The
alcohol is not well integrated so it comes across as out of balance. This wine sells for
about $22.
8. 2010 L’Ecole No. 41, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Columbia Valley, Washington
This wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon made with sourced fruit from 9 vineyards
- Bacchus & Dionysus, Stone Tree, Klipsun, Weinbau, Alder Ridge, Cold
Creek, Candy Mountain, Estate Ferguson Ridge.
This is a clear red wine, dark purple at the core to violet at
the rim with minimal rim variation and medium+ viscosity. On the nose it is
clean with subtle aromas of black currants, dark chocolate, vanilla and a hint
of mint. On the palate it is fruit driven with medium+ tannins, medium acidity,
medium body, medium+ alcohol and a medium length finish. It is well balanced but
only moderately complex. This wine sells for about $30.
9. 2007
Inniskillin, Vidal, Icewine, Niagara Peninsula, Canada
This wine is made from the Vidal grape, a hybrid of Ugni Blanc
and Seibel that has a thick skin suitable for harvesting late in the season. It
is the grape grown most for Icewine in Ontario, Canada. The grapes are
harvested during the coldest point Canada’s crisp winter, the grapes are
naturally frozen on the vine and picked when the temperature drops below -9
degree Celsius (15.8°F). The removal of ice crystals, separated from the frozen
grapes during pressing, concentrates the juice into sweet nectar that is then
vinified.
This wine is clear, dark gold, day-bright with minimal rim
variation and high viscosity. On the nose it has moderate intense aromas of
quince, apricots, marmalade, honey, peach cobbler and graham crackers. On the
palate it is luscious, heavy and thick and it coasts the palate. It is
extremely sweet with medium+ to high acidity, low alcohol (9.5%), moderately
complex, full bodied with an extremely long syrupy finish. This wine sells for about
$30 for a 200 ml bottle.
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