At the very heart, most of us are followers. Very few of us are leaders. I know it’s hard for you to imagine, but true leaders are rare. So don’t get mad. I think we all like to listen to the noise and get caught up in someone else’s opinion. In all due respect to my friend Matt, we don’t always agree. But that’s a good thing. I make wines for myself first and can only hope that others agree. It’s good to listen to some of the writers, wine merchants and wine directors at your local establishment. After all, they do it for a living and cut through the noise. Remember, I said it before, trust your palate first! Is there the next great region untapped and ready to be world famous? Sure, why not. Is it the Central Coast of California? A region that only started planting the right clones and root stocks with the proper spacing 15 years ago, and some only 5 to 10 years old. Sure, why not? Matt is right in his piece. We can’t be classic until we have time measured in decades to prove such a theory. So, it will be long after I’m gone, but we have the potential.

Let’s draw some comparisons, if I may. Our three finest Pinot and Chardonnay growing areas on the Central Coast are: Santa Maria, Santa Rita, and Arroyo Grande. All three regions have the influence of the ocean’s cooling effects and it’s off shore that the warm waters of Mexico crash into the cold waters of Alaska. I am reminded of this sitting in a local restaurant looking over the Ocean and about two o’clock on some days watch the fog rise all around us. The average temperature in Santa Rita and Santa Maria as well as parts of Arroyo Grande are 74 degrees in the mid summer for the past one hundred years. That is 10 degrees cooler then the Russian River and Sonoma Coast and 20 to 25 degrees cooler than Carneros in the summer. Why is that important? Because we have a three to four week longer growing season and that makes for better grape development, especially the Pinot Noir grape that dislikes heat! Our natural Acids are higher, Ph lower which adds to our complexity. It can be argued that in many places our soils are sandy, too sandy. I would argue they drain much better and will not hold unwanted moisture. But we’ve also planted many of the new vineyards in the hill sides where the soils are much thinner and range from Volcanic, to Diatomaceous to Clay. Remember, wine grapes produce better wines when they struggle. The soils of the greatest vineyards are usually very poor. No better example can be made than that of Burgundy. I believe that with the advent of many of the younger winemakers that believe in lower yields and lower sugars with the raw materials we now have, there is an awaking upon us. More to the point, the best is yet to come!

The detractors will say, as a community, we have fallen short, always the underling to the North. Maybe so. I say look out, because 2007 was and is the start of something special. And if more of us take advantage then even our detractors will have to open their eyes or be nothing more than a foot note in history. Change never comes easy for the vineyard, the winery, the press. But the future is promised to the bold who will take us to the pinnacle, the precipice and yes maybe the classic!

Drink well, or stop drinking,

Greg Linn

www.greglinnwines.com
www.ambullneovineyards.com

Many years ago wine from the old world and  wine from California was much lower in alcohol, much lower! I hear about ripeness, that I mentioned in another blog, about how we have to get to 24, 25, hell 30 brix before the wine tastes right. Have you ever tasted a 41, 53, 58, 68, 70 B.V. Private Reserve Cabernet? Maybe a 41 Inglenook, 55 or 58 Martini? I bet no one who reads this would turn down the chance at a bottle in perfect condition. How about a 29 first growth, a 47, 49, 50, 55, 61, even 59 and 62, although a little riper then the others. What do they have in common? For the most part they’re all under 14% ALC. and they taste great! This is also true for old Burgundy and holds true today. These wines are fantastic and have aged magnificently. They are great wines but they’re not high in ALC. because they were picked at lower brix. So what changed? (Click Continued to Read More)

In my opinion, the rating wars are the single biggest influence on the wine industry. For better or worse, depending on where you stand, they have in many cases forced the winery or winemaker into judgment calls he or she may not have made. I am not holding court over any one, on many levels I understand why they made the choices they did. Imagine owning a medium size winery making decent to stellar wine. It’s a hell of an investment. I can speak of this first hand owning a small one. You negotiate with your distributors around the country and you’re off to the races. This is all sped up for blog’s sake, but in the end you don’t sell a lot of wine not because it’s bad or not worth price paid, but because you did not receive 90 plus ratings. You have one vintage pile up on top of another and in the end your distributors starts to discount your product and tell you they might have to drop you. That you need scores! You look at the competition and find out why, even with what you believe to be inferior wines, they’re getting better scores. It’s very easy to figure, like the basic math class long ago, they’re picking later and their wines are riper. So you do the same, moving away from what you believe in, but closer to survival. But why will this fundamental change in thinking turn a critic’s score from say 80 to a 90?

It’s called instant gratification. The wines taste better and sometimes are yummy when they’re consumed young. They’re more forward and round with less complexity.  The misconception is sweetness comes from only one sources that’s inaccurate. Sweetness or roundness in your mouth can come from sugar as in dessert wine or it has RS (residual sugar) not being totally dry. But it can also come from high Ph, low acid, barrel tannin, and yes, are you ready? Alcohol! Higher Alc. can show as a sweetness in the wine that makes it attractive to the human palate. Europe has accused us on more than one occasion of being a coke drinking society. In some ways they are correct since we get used to such things and a riper wine may be more familiar to us. Let me be clear, I am not saying riper wines are better just more friendly at first. But the dirty little secret is many of these wines don’t age gracefully. You need balance, and when the baby fat of the wine ages away you’re left with an unattractive, very high alc. brut better used for cooking. So my advice, drink those wines early in their life and don’t get behind the wheel of a car.

There is a small revolution out there started long ago by pioneers in the business that never changed their thinking. Guys like Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climant that have been preaching the virtues of lower alc. wines for 30 plus years! There are others, but now there is a smaller group of new players that are just starting to rise up. They are making age worthy wine that I believe have more to offer in their youth and much more after a few years in the bottle. It will always be a struggle, that’s for sure. But there has been some sightings of winemakers wearing bell bottoms, flip flops, and tie dye shirts. They have also been seen in the vineyard picking early, imagine that? Sometimes there’s even some funny smelling smoke in the vineyard. And that’s alright with me as long as they harvest sooner rather than later!

Maybe we need a low alc. Czar or at least a wine critic that agrees with me. Maybe one of you can start writing and talk of the virtues of the people out there taking the risk for all our benefit. This is kind of a continuation  from my “More from less” blog but I guess I wasn’t finished. Imagine me wordless.

Here’s to history,

Greg Linn

www.ambullneovineyards.com
www.greglinnwines.com
www.unfilteredwinereport.com

The first and most important is this: There will always be another great vintage and there will always be another great wine. So when you hear the merchant say, “This is a once in a lifetime experience, or we only have three cases, remember there’s another wine on the market to take its place. Believe me.

The second is trust your own palate. Repeat. Trust your own palate! No one can tell you what to like.

The third is buy a bottle before you buy a case. If you love the wine then buy more, if you don’t then you saved the expense of eleven bottles. (Click Continued to Read More)

The fourth is stay with what you know for larger purchases until you complete step three.

The fifth is get with a group of interested people who are also learning. This way you can taste together and enjoy more bottles over a shorter period of time. Having tasting groups allows all to bring a different bottle and you experience a lot more things than you would on your own.

The sixth is find a wine server in a local restaurant and a well informed wine merchant that you trust and while dining out or visiting the shop try different things he or she may suggest. Again in small quantities!

The seventh is find one or two critics you agree with most of the time, say 70%. Then from his or her suggestions you can try some of the bottles.

The eighth is go to one or two wine functions a year. Maybe a dinner of a producer you’re unfamiliar or wanted to try. Maybe a celebration of many producers at one function. Many distributors have these type tasting’s open to the public.

The ninth is try some of the wine you bought long ago. Some of those bottles may not have aged as gracefully as you may have thought, and could be sold to recoup some of your money. But even if the wine is stellar always remember continue to taste through the life of a bottle because it’s better to catch the wine on its way up then on its way down.

The tenth and final step is Storage, Storage, Storage! Wine is a perishable item, and heat is its largest enemy. Also sun, too dry, motion, too cold. All these things play havoc with wine so have a decent cellar, or storage facility for your better wines!  

Hope this helps because I certainly would like you to avoid the degree in wisdom I received the hard way. Also remember after a long time of tasting there will be certain givens. Some wines you can just trust year in and out, but getting there takes time. Until then stay with the 10 steps.

May you achieve inner peace and tranquility with your purchases.

Greg! 
www.ambullneovineyards.com
www.greglinnwines.com
www.unfilteredwinereport.com

I was knocked off my feet last week by an unexpected tragedy in our family. My Brother in Law was found on his living room floor, gone at the age of 45! Now I’m missing something that I loved and should have payed more attention to. Let me tell you a little about my Brother in Law, “BIL” for the purposes of this blog.

Mark was a bigger than life person, always the center of attention at any occasion. You know the type, have fun will carry. You had a party, invite Mark and you were sure to have notices the next day. Of course the first time we met things weren’t so cozy. I was dating his only sister, his only sibling. The one person in life that he loved beyond all others and the only person in life he was afraid of disappointing. So we hit it off 21 years ago much like Israel and Palestine. But that was as it should be I suppose. It was not so long that we came to understand one another and because his Sister’s happiness was paramount he accepted the fact I was going to be around a while. So 21 years of holidays later he is gone. Funny it doesn’t sound right when I say it, but that’s the point, it never will. (Click Continued to Read More)

We had his service and although I hate the saying, it was nice, it was in keeping with all needed to say goodbye. Mark was blessed with hundreds of friends, many from childhood, that attended the service. A testament to his abilities as a leader and great communicator. As one of his best friends, Scotty put it while giving the eulogy, “Mark was my best friend, the best man at my wedding. But he was many others best man and others considered him their best friend, he was not exclusive so to speak”. Since this is a wine blog I will just say Mark liked wine, a lot, and enjoyed our times together. One of his other good friends who I met 15 years earlier Vince Medina and Toby his wife were just as close and have started their own wine label. It is the inter action of things that always get my brain working. How the random contacts we all experience can have such a profound effect on one’s life.

 At the party after the service, held at Vince and Toby’s home, we drank Irish whiskey and beer. We toasted the life of my BIL and talked our way through five bottles of the stuff, ’til we were talked out or too drunk to care. We all cried, especially his sister, Mother and Father. So in the end we will remember, always having a place setting at the holidays where we were together for the past 21 years. We will toast him at the annual Mark Bailey Golf Tournament. And we will tell stories to the all who will listen because it’s important to do so.

I leave you with this thought! No one is immune or insulated from death. It can come slow or it can slam into you like a freight train. My advice is something you already know always keep those you love as close as possible, friends and family both. There is no excuse with today’s electronic gadgetry to lose contact. Cell phones, text messaging, Facebook, E-mail, U.S. Mail and an invitation to dinner come to mind. You’ll always feel the loss but you will be in a better position to accept it when it comes.

Thanks for allowing me to share, I’ll get back to the fun stuff soon,

In memorandum,

Greg!

Too many of us are told, “That’s nut’s. You’re way out of your league.” The greatest teachers in your life encouraged you to set goals, to reach for your dream. They are the ones that encourage you, “work hard”, they say, to achieve what you want. I have seen too many friends stuck in relationships that are debilitating. Talented men and women never using their God given talents to live those thoughts instead of talking about them. It would be akin to Bruce Springsteen without a guitar, or Rembrandt without a brush because someone else stopped you from trying. Remember life is that series of choices and can be tough enough without trying to blame others for your decisions. If you’re stuck in a funk, then make a change before it’s really too late. 

My father was a talented person. I loved him more than anything. He provided for us and was always proud of what we accomplished. He encouraged us to do more! Dad died, retired from a factory job that he hated, not knowing how to get out, especially with five mouths to feed. But I have seen how great he was with his hands, the things he could build and the enjoyment that came with it! It just never occurred to him he might have had another path to follow.  (Click Continued to Read More)

How does that relate to wine? It doesn’t, or at least no more then any other life endeavor. But it was my aspiration, that came later in life. I overcame, and I am living it while I’m awake. I have said before we can always use more talented people in our industry, creativity in the winemaking and vineyard side of things. But there is also room for that person or people to move us and our industry forward. To overcome the stereotypes associated with alcohol. A person to spearhead efforts to break through to the college crowd of beer bonging, jello shooting automatons, bringing a small part of them into the fold. Giving them a little culture and guidance in their consumption choices! The enjoyment of the meal, the poetry of the glass. And in doing so saving ourselves from ourselves. Sharing freely the gift of knowledge we in this industry possess and not holding it tightly in a death grip, thinking it ours to safe guard. Thinking we have earned it and having the attitude, of divine right or elitism, Yuck! If our industry is to survive we need more wine drinkers…simple! We are a distant third in the consumption of alcoholic beverages dept., behind Beer and Spirits. Heck we’re probably behind vanilla extract. 

What does that have to do with dreams? I hope those that dream of wine making do so, and those that dream of marketing join us and help advance our cause.
For the rest, whatever it is, don’t give up on it! Make your dreams a reality and if a few dollars appear from your efforts, spend them on a bottle of wine to celebrate!

May all yours come true,

Greg!

T

I remember the rise of Zinfandel in the capable hands of people like Paul Drapper and Burt William. These wines were full bodied fruit bombs with beautiful acids and long finishes. They lingered on the palate and were much more enjoyable to drink early on than a Cabernet. But they were made with much less alcohol than they are today. Like many wines, they are made so over ripe it’s hard to recognize what I recall from the purity of this varietal.

I was sitting with one of the best known winemakers from one of the best known labels of Zinfandel at dinner several years ago. This was during the Zin rush and after the “picking late” crowd came into power. I noticed the alcohol on the bottle as 17.2% and mentioned it was really high. He looked over at me and said without missing a beat, “Greg, that wine is really over 19% Alc..” I have said it time and again. When we get too ripe and out of balance we lose what the grape is supposed to taste like. This is true for all varieties, not just Zinfandel.  (Click Continued to Read More)

It was not always so and not that long ago that people like Mr. Drapper (who is one of the pioneers), Raffanelli and others made and still make some very good wines. But even these great producers get pushed at times, maybe from larger productions or maybe from scores. I can tell you from experience that drinking a 13% Zinfandel with no other grape varietal intermixed and great natural acid is pure pleasure! Just finding one is tough these days! Zinfandel has been rumored to be brought in to our country from Italian Immigrants long ago. But did it come from Italy, some say Primitivo? Or did it come from Spain, Greece, the Middle East? Hell, I’ve heard it all. But the fact is no one really knows and so since you can’t prove it’s not ours then it’s ours! We make Zinfandel. Where else do they? No where as far as I know! So, with that I am now a producer of this grape. We picked it at low sugar, which means low alcohol and high acid. The end result is a very good example of what this wine is all about! Made in the U.S.A….has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

For the skeptics out there, I will tell you upon the release of this wine, you need only try a bottle. If you don’t like it then I’ll be surprised and give you a healthy discount off your next purchase of one of our Pinot’s, Chardonnay’s or Syrah’s. But I’m betting honesty prevails I will be discounting very few bottles and instead receiving orders! But stay sharp, because like all other wines under our production, there is very little!

Your Fellow Zin Lover,

Greg!

Today I am diving into one of the more controversial subjects in the business. You’ve seen labels promoting and claiming the art of bio dynamic farming or bio dynamic vineyards. Let me start by saying I believe what some farmers a thousand years ago believed, that planting and harvesting around the bio rhythms of the earth and moon work. I believe we should add as little to the soil in the way of chemicals as we can. But I also believe a farmer has the right to save his crop and his vineyard if spraying is all that’s left. Bio dynamic farming is all about being in touch with the Earth and its different stages…to only use organic sprays, to plant at the right phase of the moon, to bury a horn in the ground. I admire those who go through this painfully hard method of farming. It’s not only financially exhausting but physically difficult as well. But there’s a big difference between bio farming and bio vineyards and the latter is claimed way too often, even by some certified producers. (Click Continued to Read More)

If you bio farm, and the focus should be on the “if” because many who claim this are just not being truthful. But let’s deal with those brave soles that are adhering to the age old process. Just because you bio farm does not mean you are a bio vineyard. What? Yes, that’s right. Let me explain further. As an example, we go back to Burgundy which seems to be making my blogs more often than most. For those that have not been there, the vineyards are very close to one another. Say Vosne Romanee Les Boumont or a Grand Cru Vineyard Romanee St Vivant, it matters little because all of these great vineyards are in the same proximity to one another and by U.S. standards you might think they are all one in the same, one big vineyard. But that’s the point. Within each individual vineyard there are many owners. Some have one hector (approx. 2.6 acres) and some have more. Some prominent, well known and great producers only own a few rows and yet maintain a bio vineyard.

This can only be true if certain criteria are achieved:

1-The vineyard was a monopoly (all owned by one person) farmed bio, or every owner in the vineyard farmed the same way.
2-The vineyard would have to be isolated far away from others, measured in miles.
3-The vineyard would have to have a natural filter surrounding itself, like a forest.

 If these three things are not met then it is nearly impossible to be considered a bio dynamic vineyard. That’s because chemicals from others will most certainly find their way into your soil or on your plants. We have all heard the stories of contamination that spread through air, and water. Sometimes for long distances measured not in feet and yards but in miles. Even if all in the same vineyard were bio dynamic or it was a monopoly, it’s out amongst the rest of the vineyards. Meaning it has to be influenced by what they’re doing. This does not mean they should stop what they believe. They can certainly claim to be bio dynamic in their farming practices they just can’t be a bio dynamic vineyard. I say can’t because that’s my opinion but they can according to law and prevailing wisdom. You judge who’s right. In the end it matters only to geeks like me who strive to be accurate about such things. For the record, we have made wine from organic and non organic sources. Our experience is that if the farming is of high quality and we are willing to make due with what’s left of the fruit after sacrificing in these vineyards, both make great wine. One, however, is better for the environment.

So, does it matter? I believe if you’re a grower and do things naturally then your end result is a vineyard that struggled earlier and if it survives will produce longer because it’s healthier. I also believe many of the people claiming such things are disingenuous and if audited would be embarrassed. There are those who purchase an existing vineyard and just start farming bio after the fact. The horses are already out of the barn and it may take centuries to get the chemicals out of the soil. I believe, if possible, this is a worthwhile endeavor but doing so has become increasingly complicated and in most cases, by my definition, nearly impossible.

Till we cross paths again,

Greg

www.unfilteredwinereport.com
www.ambullneovineyards.com
www.greglinnwines.com

Why? Because they work, that’s why. I have tried most major producers of glasses and believe the stemware of Riedel works as good or better then any others. George Riedel is a very interesting man and he and his son Max run Riedel as their grandfathers had before them. With focus on quality and detail, all of their upper line are hand blown to perfection. I know both men, have been to Max’s pad in New York and have had George over to my home. I can attest to their dedication but this is not an article about them. It’s about maximizing your enjoyment. Riedel, from time to time, puts on a tasting of stemware. That’s to say they match their glasses against others and show you why they work. I  went through this tasting and was somewhat skeptical at first. I left the tasting convinced that a glass is as important as the wine it holds.

Have you ever been to a great restaurant and the food is great, the company’s great, the atmosphere’s great. You order what you know to be a great bottle of wine and then they serve it in a clunker of a glass or a glass so small that as soon as you try to move the wine around to release it’s bouquet it flies over the side. What a bummer!  I have also found that you really don’t need a Chardonnay Glass, a Cabernet Glass and a Burgundy glass. I know this because I bought them all. But my glass of choice almost 100% of the time is the Sommelier Series Burgundy Glass from Riedel. This glass, designed by George’s father, has been the Grand Cru of tasting glasses for more then half a century. You can go to our web site, punch reviews or store and see a picture of this glass. But you will have to endure my mug also! Now I do use a champagne glass from time to time because I like the bubbles. But when I don’t care about the bubbles then I use the Burgundy glass. (Click Continued to Read More)

Riedel makes some less expensive Burgundy glasses and they also work great. But the sommelier series glass is the best and it matters not what wine you pour in it. You will be rewarded by this king of glasses maximizing all aspects that particular wine has to offer. This is no small investment. They run between $75.00 and $125.00 a stem. The difference between Nieman Marcus or better put (Needless Mark Up) and your discount wine shop. But even the latter is not cheap.  Another thing to be concerned about, the stems break very easily if precautions are not taken. Normally this occurs when you drink too much and knock it over but it can easily happen during cleaning as well. Holding the glass by the stem and spinning it around while drying can snap it at it’s weakest point. But if you take the proper precautions you will be rewarded for years to come. Yes, I’m hooked and if you try one I believe you will be also!

So, remember, this holiday season if your husband tries to buy you a new toaster or your wife decides you need to change your look and buys you a new shirt, stop them before these zealots get carried away and demand a new glass for the true wine experience.

All the best, and don’t tell your spouse or significant other I was the cause of your uprising.

Good luck,

Greg!
www.unfilteredwinereport.com
www.ambullneovineyards.com
www.greglinnwines.com

What happens to a wine from the first sip you take to the last you swallow?  Better asked is why is the last sip so much different and usually so much better then the first? Air, that’s what. Good old oxygen creating that terrible after effect, oxidation.

 Too much of anything is bad. But just enough of something can be good. Example: we need plenty of clean water to survive, and so does every other living thing. But water, as important as it is, can turn stagnate, rancid and become the most destructive force known to man. It can spread disease at an alarming rate, turn from life giving to a pure heartless killer. A breeder of death from itself and the creatures that nest within. We also need oxygen to survive and to grow, to become a mature person and so does wine. But if oxygen were pure, would it be good over a long period of time? (Click Continued to Read More)

Wine being made up of mostly water needs oxygen to develop. We are very careful to keep a blanket of protection on the fruit whether it be off gassing from primary fermentation or from malo conversion. Once the wine is through this process, we protect it in other ways by keeping our barrels topped at all times and adding sulfur if necessary to help prevent the very accelerated aging process. But properly managed, the micro oxidation is important in a wine. While a barrel is tight enough not to leak, it is filled with pores so tiny only  air can seep through. Liquid is too heavy to leak out! Yes, the interaction takes place even if the barrel is full with no head space. This process starts the aging and allows the wine to develop to a point of drinkability. Next stop, the bottle!

Years in a bottle if enclosed with a cork, there is also an interaction ever so slight of air reaching the wine to help it breath and help it’s further development. Micro oxidation is important and over a time if the wine was made to age, it will do so gracefully. You will be rewarded with secondary flavors not found in a young wine. Are they better? I prefer to think of them as different, not better, but certainly something to look forward too! I will deal with other enclosures at another time but there is little data for or against the screw cap theory. That is whether the wine will age properly or not and whether it out weighs the risk of T.C.A. or cork taint!  Anyway…for another day.

So now you have that wine ready to drink and pour it into a glass.  You move it around releasing the bouquet because the oxygen is attacking the wine and the wine locked up for all that time is assaulted with this new environment. As the evening goes on the wine becomes more and more seductive, drinking better and better, until the last glass then seems the best of all. Why? Because it is!

The oxidation rewarded you with just enough development and it liberated the wine to reveal itself in a unembarrassed, naked, less encumbered stage of it’s former self. But the other side of this is the evil outcome. Yes an older wine can do exactly the same thing, but too many open, do a sprint and a dance with the oxygen but fade into oblivion way too quickly. Ah, the risks we are willing to take to reach the pinnacle of drinking pleasure. To prove why we move wine in a glass here’s a little experiment. Take two identical glasses and pour the same amount of wine in each. Swirl one and leave the other alone. Smell and taste the swirled wine and then the other. The noise of the swirled wine will be much more reveling and the finish should be a little more smooth.

So what happens really? This magical transformation, the wine opens, that’s what. All this talk of liberated, naked, unencumbered, seductive, is making me, well, “Thirsty”!

Talk again soon,

-Greg Linn
www.unfilteredwinereport.com
www.ambullneovineyards.com
www.greglinnwines.com

Why are our wines priced the way they are?  Here’s a short list of reasons for those that need further clarification. (Click Continued to Read More)

All wines are made in the vineyard and we strive to do whatever is necessary to bring in great fruit. Our yields are consistently lower or equal to the lowest in the state. We do this for quality. What does that do to the price of fruit? It can be 2 to 10 times higher than some of our competitors. We hand pick every cluster. In fact, we hand maintain all of our blocks. If I spend three times more for fruit then a competitor, that would mean my bottle price might be triple the price. But that’s just the beginning. We sort aggressively meaning even less fruit the majority of producers never sort anything. We do not use the entire amount of must that goes into the press electing to leave 15-20% behind. Why? Because the spent yeast and seeds in the bottom of the fermenter will leave bitterness that greatly impacts the wine. Most winemakers would never sacrifice any liquid. We press very lightly and in the end we have an intimate relationship with each barrel. All are tasted separately and if not up to our tough standards, bulked out and never to be seen again. Then a second cut of very good barrels end up in restaurant labels. We use the best cork, expensive labels and bottles. Trust me, this doesn’t pencil out, however in the end we have a wine that is world class. We make very little but what we do make is at the top of the food chain. I can go further as to the labor cost from the greatest staff in the business who work long hours to ensure that quality. Then a blending regime that takes months. The new oak from three year or 30 month air dried extra tight grain French barrels. Many exceed $1100.00 to $1200.00 in price.

We have made a huge investment in the best equipment possible. Fermenters that are temperature controlled with glycol, ensuring cool, steady long fermentations. All designed by myself with the help of Rieger. I won’t bore you with the capital investment but its eye opening, that’s for sure. So before you go off half cocked and say something that is “ignorant”, think first! You can buy machine picked over cropped, water added, oak chipped infused, spun off alcohol, acid induced specials with cultivated yeast and inoculated malo’s if you wish. But that type of winemaking doesn’t interest me. And for those loyal customers who have visited us and know what were about, we thank you and will continue to earn your trust. For those that don’t know us and write without thinking, your anger might be better suited to the real culprits in the high price arena. We sell a lot of our wines to distributors around the country so we can be at the great dinning destination you have booked. That three tier system brought about long ago is protected in every state by lobbyist that would never let the revenue go. The plain truth is they make more on my bottles than I do! We end up mixing retail, wholesale and F.O.B. pricing and the net weighted average is 70% less than we receive. Here’s another example: a bottle of Domain Leroy Romanee St. Vivant 2005s average price in U.S. dollars is $2600.00. Unbelievable, but not near as much a Domaine de la Romanee Conti Romanee Conti 2005 at over $5000.00 per bottle. But this is not the Domaine only! Yes,they are asking some crazy prizes to begin with but the U.S. Importer is at least doubling down on the price. If compared to those giants were a fly on a Nats tail pipe.

We all have a pain tolerance when it comes to buying luxury items like wine. I was brought up by a Mother and Father who did not have much but they loved the heck out of me. I know what it’s like to stretch a dollar. Were not for everyone. But please understand that were not making a dime right now and if I could give the stuff away, I would. I can tell you we make less than many of those 15 to 20 dollar bottles when it comes to our bottom line. And since we make very little wine and sell every bottle year in and year out, I guess were doing something right. All the best to all these coming Holidays. We wish all of you a safe and healthy season. Remember, this is the time to eat and while youre at it, drink a little wine, no matter what it costs.

My promise is a simple one; we will always strive to be worth the price!

Thanks for the look,
 
Greg!

Now as it pertains to winemaking and alcohol levels, let’s throw in some facts! I believe, as many do, that you get more from less when it pertains to sugar levels in grapes: more fruit flavors, much more expressive and expansive on the palate, a full spectrum of flavors from the lighter red fruits to the darker purple, more in the way of earth, floral aspects, minerality, colas, soy, anise and so on. When you pick at higher brix (the measurement of sugar) and higher Ph levels, you will produce wine with higher alcohol. Remember the basic chemistry here, yeast eats sugar and produces alcohol. The more sugar then obviously the more alc… With riper fruit you get into riper flavors and eliminate many of the subtle more delicate ones from the mix. Yes you can rehydrate (the adding of water to lower the sugar) this most certainly will work in reducing the finished alc. However, it will not retrieve what was lost in the phenolic. You can’t wash away the ripe flavor; it’s already too late. This is at the very core of what’s going wrong out there. (Click Continued to Read More)

Some, because of scores or because that’s how they’ve always done it, can’t see clear of another way. I freely admit that there was a time when we planted to the wrong root stock and more importantly the wrong clones. But today we have corrected many of those errors and have the raw material to make World Class Wines, if one has the will and is unafraid to do the work and has the passion. Lower alcohols allow you to use native yeast because they finish. Cultivated yeast are not indigenous to the area or the varietal in some cases. It changes the flavor dramatically. The reason they’re used is convenience, and more to the point they require little risk. They will finish meaning the wine will go dry, plus they go quickly lowering the risk of other problems.  But without risk in winemaking there is little reward in my opinion. Lower alcohols will not burn out the fuse? Meaning that the higher the alcohol the better chance of killing the yeast before finishing it’s fermentation. With the addition of some of these so called super yeast little in the way of worry remains. Sounds like a factory to me!  Tell me what the heck’s wrong with better wine with lower alcohols in a society that is scrutinizing our every move. If you go to a restaurant with your date, it would be nice to finish the bottle you paid for and not worry about driving. Not to mention with a heck of lot more enjoyment!

Another sure fire way to screw up or as I see it, miss your mark, is fermentation temperatures. It’s convenient to use T-bins in the winemaking process for many small producers. A T-bin consists of a square container constructed of ply wood mounted on wants akin to a palate as a stand and then you drop in a plastic liner. We have used these T-bins in the past and they work if proper precautions are taken. Now we use them very sparingly only when necessary, which is rarely, if at all. Instead, we use fermenters made from stainless steel that have glycol jackets surrounding the tank. This allows instant cooling when needed. The problem with T-bins is you must watch over them meaning a twenty four seven approach. If they get too hot then you need to add something to cool them such as dry ice. Sadly most winemakers only use dry ice in the beginning, if at all, and the fermentations always go hot. Some exceeding 110 degrees. Our tanks are designed with a temperature gauge that allows the monitoring of each fermentation. Normally they start between 55 and 60 degrees and never exceed 75 degrees.

Why all the fuss? Simple. The hotter the temperatures the more likely you are to burn off flavors you want and give you what you don’t want. All the work for that entire year in the vineyard. Dropping of fruit, the day to day struggle with Mother Nature and then you reap the the reward by over heating the wine and your left with burnt and cooked flavors. You loose the freshness along with all the great flavors already discussed. You also pull out harsh tannins and not the sweet complex ones you crave. Yes, temperature is important and yes, it takes an effort but it shows up. So back to the beginning.  If you’re making wine in your garage, on a small basis at a custom crush facility or you go for it all and produce enough to make a living then do it right. Be passionate and you will get much more in return.

That’s my take, but you may have your own?

Drink more, drink better, from less,

Greg!

www.ambullneovineyards.com

I

I found myself in Napa Valley a few years back (yes, I know people in Cabernet land) with some friends at a table in St Helena. There were six of us total as I remember it and knew most everyone. I will not mention all who were there because this article is focused on just a single encounter. The interesting part of this is, I was there to hire a new Distributor in another state, while a dear friend who was with me works for the same company I was, well…firing. It’s easy to misunderstand or misread a room when you don’t have all the facts but the person I am writing about did not like me very much after our first meeting, and that’s somewhat putting it mildly. He thought me to be too harsh letting my distributor go and at the same time hiring the other. It was not until some time later that he realized all was well in the world and I was not that big of a jerk. The great power of wine won the day and it’s influence prevailed to give me, without me knowing, a second chance. Got to love a liquid that acts at times like an ambassador. This gentleman (which I will reveal soon) loved our wines and figured the hell with me because the wine was much more important. So he accepted an invitation to our humble little winery and the rest is history. (Click Continued to Read More)

I met Greg Gorman that day, one of the most talented men in the world and a true artist. Who is he? Those that don’t dabble in photography are asking. Greg Gorman is the quintessential and most influential Hollywood photographer of our generation. He has taken photos of many of the greatest Stars of our time and there are many who wait in line to have his talents bestowed upon them. Greg’s a Master of his trade making his camera take such art that it defies one’s senses when you receive the electric input from your visionary impulses to your brain. I have been known to kid Greg and accuse him of being more magician than artist. That’s because the end results are sometimes out of the spectrum of reality, or more simply put just too damn great to be real. But his work is real. He even took a few shots while he was enjoying a glass of wine of me. I don’t really look that good but throw in the right light, take the right angle and have a master at the wheel and presto! Even a toad can be turned into a prince.

Greg’s body of work is immense – so much so that long after he leaves this world and starts shooting in another dimension people will be left with a piece of his brilliance to enjoy. That may be the single most important thing to be measured by. Your so called legacy whether it’s your body of work or the imprint on others psyche leaving them something to talk about. In this, Greg is fully covered for he has left us all a lifetime of enjoyment. There are those that stare and wonder why. Other’s stare and say why not? Greg has always been the latter with a vision and drive not often found in his world. He grabbed the ring and made it count. How many of us can say the same?

But as Greg would not want me to go on and on about his brilliance, instead electing his other passion, wine. Yes, this giant of his industry has the wine bug so much so he was just featured in the Wine Spectator talking of his second life and his future. You see Greg has also become a producer. Greg collects wine, shoots labels and now is making the stuff. Greg Gorman Wines was launched and he makes some damn fine Cabernet blends for those lucky enough to get a bottle. I’m still waiting for my allocation? Being what we call “Type A”, he is very serious about the project and personally gets involved from start to finish on all aspects of the operation, especially the blending process. His harsh evaluation of every barrel is the same approach he would take if he were critically assessing one of his prints.

I have had more than my share of opportunity to meet some of the world’s most interesting people. I am not, and never will be, star struck. Instead I prefer to judge people by the measure of their heart. If that were a true barometer, then Greg would win another award. For his chest cavity is not large enough to hold that blood pumping organ…it has to be folded over to fit. He is, by nature, shy until he gets to know you. As with many artists, once that confidence is earned he’s one of the most vibrant people you would ever want to be with. A sense of humor like my own and over the top fun to be around. If you were with Greg for an evening and did not get to see him again for several months it would be like you never left. Just a slight catch up of his fascinating life and back to the comfort zone.

There’s not many places this man has not visited and finding him home is increasingly more difficult. But when the chance arises I try not to miss my turn for the regret to not do so would be agonizing. So the next time you see a picture of a hollywood stud, or a magnificent babe or maybe a billboard for the next big movie or maybe your favorite sunglasses campaign, look closely. It may be Greg.

Go to Greg Gorman Photography on Google for a look. Also Greg has many books in print which if interested, you can contact him through the website to purchase. And who knows? You might even get a chance to taste his wine. Lord knows I’m still waiting.

Till next we meet,
Greg!

www.ambullneovineyards.com

What am I talking about? Well, my beloved Burgundy. What else? There are few people on this planet that have consumed more Red and White Burgundy then yours truly. Partly because I was lucky and partly because of my drinking habits. All roads lead to Burgundy is how the old saying goes.  It certainly did in my case. It’s the wine that inspires me even today and it was the inspiration for launching my own label. I hope you all remember this first paragraph but if it’s only a sentence you absorb then it should be the next one. The greatest wine experiences I have ever had and the greatest wines I have ever tasted come from the Cote d’ Or, that magical place more commonly known as Burgundy.

Now that you know my true feelings, why not consider a few not talked about facts and answer this question before we explore them together: Is Burgundy the greatest place on earth to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay? I have pondered this question over and over and I come to the same conclusion: NO!  Why, then, after my comments on how great the wines can be, would I have the gall to make such a statement? Because it’s true. (Click Continued to Read More)

 
First and foremost, Burgundy rarely achieves what we consider ripeness, phenolic or any other such type you would care to expound. We hear a lot about phenolic ripening so I’ll stay there for a minute or two. This term, set forth first I believe in Bordeaux (can’t even find a decent meal in Bordeaux), is hog wash. I have made wines from green seeds, half green seeds and fully brown seeds. I have made wine when the stems were green, half brown and fully brown. The point is one size doesn’t fit all and that approach has led us down a dark path to some terrible wines. I may be getting off the subject some but it’s because of this attitude we have winemakers producing wines that are overly acidified or adding tremendous amounts of water for what they call “re-hydration”, spinning off alcohol, adding super yeasts, and taking whatever grape varietal you’re trying to make out of its flavor zone. How does this all equate to Burgundy, that magical place I talked about in that first paragraph? Burgundy never has to spin off alcohol because it rarely achieves enough ripeness. Once in a blue moon does it acidify because it has plenty of acid. They would never consider adding water…to re-hydrate what? Burgundy has what I call “Sun Envy”. We, on the other hand, have an over abundance of Sun. They do not have irrigation (not needed) and it’s against some stupid law (for another day)! They get over 15 inches of average rain fall and therein lies the problem. In most vintages, they just don’t get enough sun to ripen or achieve adequate finished alcohols. So what is one to do? Add sugar, that’s what. This age old process is called chapalization and it’s against California wine making laws (also ridiculous). Not that we need to do it. But sometimes I wonder what politicians are thinking.  So, Burgundy, in order to achieve balance of fruit vs. acid vs. tannins vs. alcohol, adds sugar to achieve harmony and a finished product that is well…drinkable!

Now, I will shock you. Thank goodness for chapalization! Because of this process, Burgundy has achieved some of the greatest wines ever made. But without it, is it the best place to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay? I have tasted more bad Burgundy in my day than good. The same can be said for every wine making region in the world. But when you add price into the equation then it becomes magnified. The expectations are rightfully higher and when not delivered the disappointments are glaring.

We talked about “Terroir” (place). The difference in quality is just meters apart from one another in vineyard terms. There is a universal acceptance that one vineyard is Grand Cru and one is not, just paces away from one another. Is it always so? No!  Is the addition of sugar bolstering the mystique of Place? Without the ability to do so, because of existing law, I can’t say.  But it is a legitimate question unless you’re in Burgundy or around an overzealous bunch of collectors who feel they know all and the question should not be asked labeling you a nefarious person, so damn the facts! Lively discussion about such things is healthy and the downplaying of this subject is only harmful. Perception is reality and when you have bought in to one way of thinking and have invested so much time and credibility to that subject, it’s hard to admit a mistake. All I’m saying is this place, known as Burgundy, left on its own without the use of sugar would be, well, mediocrity. The California cool climate regions can make wine without sugar, acid, cultivated yeast and induced malo conversions. The only thing we need is water, which during the growing season is not overly abundant I’m afraid. But it comes from our own aquifers and is indigenous to the land. So it is not artificial and is still in “place”. It’s one man’s opinion, but, I stand by the facts.

In closing I want all to know…I LOVE BURGUNDY…and always will. I am grateful to the many friends I have there and their great abilities and their willingness to make world class wines. I hope they never change the rules because in the end it’s what’s in the glass that’s important!
Cheers to all,
Greg!

If there’s one place on the planet that would be the last I would visit, it would be Italy! The people, the landscape, the food and the wine… Yes, this is my favorite place on Earth outside of home. I can talk of most areas of Italy since I have been there so many times. But, I want to narrow this to a special place in my heart called, Barbaresco, a small A.V.A. in the great region of the Piemonte – always in the shadow of Barolo which is much better known. It may not be for everyone, unless you want great wine, people, and a quiet peaceful, almost surreal, view of the world, food that will make you drool and a town as old as you can imagine. I won’t give you a history lesson or talk about the Romans and such things. Instead I want to move forward to 1859 when a great family called Gaja started making wine in the area.

I will again fast forward because, although the history is fascinating, my life’s experiences are what I choose to put in to words. And as there were many Gaja’s the one I know and the one I am proud to call a friend is the Greatest Gaja of all, Angelo! To understand this man from a small town of say 600 or so people is to love him. He has been credited with many firsts in a region that was slow to change over the centuries. Understanding tradition in the old world is half the battle to appreciate what he has accomplished. In a place some would say was lost in time, Angelo refused to be locked into a box. He knew there was a better way and single handedly put this small town on the wine world map. Imagine a town of 600 or so on the world stage! I could stop here but I won’t. (Click Continued to Read More)

Let’s mention a few things he has done; and I will only mention a few because the list is too long for a blog. He introduced controlled temperatures in his fermentations, allowing for a much better balance in his wines that made them less susceptible to infections. They also showed more purity in fruit, expressing the grape, especially Nebbiolo. As we are doing in our wines, controlling temperatures, it’s not by chance. The hotter a fermenter gets, the more you lose. Many flavors just burn off and you’re left with cooked flavors. Angelo was the first to use smaller French Oak Barrels. Until then, there were huge casks only. But Angelo knew he could offset the huge harsh tannin in the Nebbiolo grape with the sweet slowly integrated French Oak tannins…the smaller the barrel more the impact. Also, the wine would mature more quickly in the smaller barrels. This may not have been new to France, but it certainly was a revolution to Barbaresco. Many wines up until then were gone after reaching the 15 to 20 year mark – oxidized. Angelo said, “No more!” Angelo shortened maturations and fermentations to stabilize color. He started his Cru program, meaning his vineyard designated wines. He planted Cabernet where none had ever been, he made world class Chardonnay, Sav. Blanc and the list goes on. It is safe to say, by the world’s standards, this man is a visionary. Now he has moved his vision to Brunello where he makes the finest wine that can be made from the Sangiovese Grosso grape and to the coast of Tuscany where there is Cabernet and Merlot to rival the great French and California Producers. Everything this man touches turns to gold not because he’s lucky but because he is truly a genius.

This is my first posting on my website where someone is called out by name. That’s a little different than usual, I realize. But we’re talking of a world treasure in the wine community. If you get a chance to taste his wines or meet the man I would encourage you to do so. Your life will be better for it as mine has. I can’t mention Angelo without mentioning his beautiful and gracious family. Lucia, his wife, who Angelo could never function properly without. Long after all have gone home from the winery in Barbaresco you can still find her at her desk cleaning up the mess others have left. His children Gaia, Rossana and Giovanni. The two women are now actively involved in the company paving their own trails and soon after University is over Giovanni will join the fold.
In closing, I would like you to know something else that people rarely see in Angelo. He carries himself with more class and dignity in his little finger then I have in my entire body. But he also has a great sense of humor, something I have seen firsthand. For this I am most grateful because we rarely get a chance to be close to greatness. And come to find out, he is as generous and approachable as anyone could be. If you get to Italy, you must make an appointment at one of his wineries. If that’s not in the cards, you must purchase one of his great wines. They are world class so you will pay a little more but the end result will be, “WOW, am I glad I did that!” In the end, however, being at top of your game in anything brings out the jealousy or envy in people. My Father once told me the further up the flag pole you rise, the bigger the target you become. Many people cannot stand the success of another and out of hand have something to say negatively. I’m sure Angelo has experienced such things but being who he is you would never hear him say it…always looking forward never behind. Yes, Angelo has no rearview mirror. That’s why he’s who he is – a true inspiration to the rest of us who seek a small measure of success.

If you’ve never tasted a great Barbaresco, I beg you to right that mistake. It is one of the greatest joys you will ever encounter.

Until next we meet,

Greg!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from drinking great wine, then moving to making it is: you have to know what great wine is before you can pretend you’re one. Let’s put it another way. How can you make a great wine if all you’ve ever tasted in your life is mediocrity? If there was only one wine on the planet then that would be what wine was supposed to be! But thank goodness there’s not. It’s easy to say out of hand, “I don’t like stems” without realizing you might have a glass of wine in your hand that has been made that way and you’re enjoying the heck out of it. For those who have children: remember your child saying I don’t like that before he or she ever lifted up the fork? I rest my case. (Click Continued to Read More)

Whole cluster fermentation is as old as wine itself. There was no destemer when the first person allowed some fruit in a bowl too long and it accidently started fermenting. In the 1800′s there were no destemers unless you did it by hand. There are great wines from the 19th Century, such as 1870 Lafite and Latour or 1898 Romanee Conti. These wines are still alive and well! I have heard all the arguments against such things, “Your stems have to be ripe and we don’t achieve the ripeness that Burgundy does!” That’s the biggest crock of – well, you know! I have worked harvest in Burgundy; I have seen with my own eyes what the fruit looks like. The stems from some prominent producers are as neon green as any thing I have ever seen…so green that I would not care to use them. I asked the winemaker if they’re too green and he said, “The stem is fine; they ripen from the inside. So, we will use them.” Who am I to argue with one of the greats? Ripeness is a state of mind, however, as I have written about in the past. Throw a great Burgundy on the table with 50 parts free sulfur and green stems screaming from the glass, next to a domestic wine that has less of both and you’ll see the critic blast the domestic wine for having too much of both. It’s the label reader syndrome and it will never go away!  One more thing… when did Burgundy start achieving ripeness? Without sugar there would be no Burgundy because they add it to almost every fermenter. But that’s another subject.

What do stems add? For me there is a greater dimension, a lifting of the nose, bouquet from the glass. Floral characters not found in destemed wine and the addition of stem tannins which will, in the opinion of many, help the wine survive for a much longer time.

Do we always add stems? No, we don’t. But we do every chance we get. And what of the so called green flavors that are different than stem flavors? We ferment at very low temps allowing us to manage the amount of green flavors that would otherwise be pulled out of the rackus. Starting at 58 degrees and never achieving more then 75 degrees, we lower the chances of green tannins being sucked out by the heat.

At lunch the other day I was with an Australian Pinot producer that said the same thing to me over and over. “Your wines, Greg, have a purity and freshness that is very rewarding for me to taste.” After three hours of him picking what I like to call my brain, he found out we did a lot of whole cluster fermentation. “Why?” he asked. “Your wines are so fresh, so clean, so pure. Why?” My answer was, “Exactly!” When a box is built, whether it is painted, constructed of brick and mortar or fabricated in one’s imagination, it’s hard to get out.

My last story is my favorite. (As you see through any article, I do not include names!) I was sitting with one of the world’s great wine writers/critics and drinking some wine. We got onto the subject of stems. His response was, “I don’t believe anything but the fruit of the vine should be used for making wine. I’m not a big fan of stem included wines.”  When I reminded him the Pinot Noir he was drinking at that very moment (not mine) was indeed 100% whole cluster and he gave it a very high score, he turned and said, “Yea, I know. That’s the hell of it.”

Well, I’m on the record as they say and I can’t put the words back in my mouth. I suspect I have little in the way of regret however.

Salute,

Greg!