I attended this seminar for my birthday - a very thoughtful gift from my wife. Don't confuse this with the Passport to Pinot, as that is presented by the Wine Road. This is an event that is put on by the Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association. And it is strictly for wineries in RRV that produce Pinot Noirs.
For people familiar with the local AVAs, go ahead and skip down to the next paragraph. For someone who may not be familiar with AVAs, let me offer you a little primer on the Russian River Valley. Russian River Valley gets its name from the Russians that settled here in the 1830s. It became a viable viticultural area with plantings above 7000 acres around the 1870s, when the first wine company was started in Santa Rosa. What makes the Russian River Valley unique is the movement of fog in and out of the region, with a large diurnal shift in temperatures that allows for a longer growing season than neighboring regions. This is pretty much natures air conditioner. This allows the grapes to develop full fruit flavor while maintaining their natural acidity. Wines from RRV have a distinct character and is recognizable and sought after by wine enthusiasts. Many varietals are grown in RRV, not just world-class pinot noir. Some varietals are chardonnay, zinfandel, syrah, pinot grigio, merlot, gewurtztraminer and sauvignon blanc, along with a few other cool climate loving varietals (and a lesser desired cool climate cabernet sauvignon). This is literally my backyard. :)
This was a two day event, with the first day being a panel discussion/seminar and tasting and the second day being winery tours. The seminar was held at the Fountaingrove Inn banquet room. (Equus, the restaurant at the Fountaingrove Inn, has a really nice wine selection, BTW.) As you take your place there are 9 glasses of wine in front of you, cheese and fruit plates, soil samples and folder of information. The panel members came out and took their places, introducing themselves. Panel members were:
Mark McWilliams - Arista Winery - representing the Middle Reach neighborhood.
Michael Browne - Kosta Browne Winery - representing Green Valley neighborhood
Rod Berglund - Joseph Swan Winery - representing Laguna Ridge neighborhood
Steve Heimoff - Wine Enthusiast magazine
Mike Sullivan - Benovia Winery - Moderator
The focus of the discussion was on the differences between the micro terroirs within the Russian River Valley AVA and their affect on the flavor profile and characteristics of different Pinot Noirs. The three neighborhoods of the Russian River Valley that were mainly discussed were Green Valley, Laguna Ridge, and Middle Reach. The panel educated us on the differences between each terroir. Middle Reach has river bed clay soil and gets a little warmer. Laguna Ridge has a more sandy loam type soil, having once been a seabed, and slightly cooler than Middle Reach. Green Valley is the coolest of the micro terroirs, with the most fog, and is predominately Goldridge sandy loam, which is the most sought after soil in the RRV. Unlike the other two micro terroirs, Green Valley is also recognized as an AVA, within the Russian River Valley AVA.
The Middle Reach imparts a darker, broad fruit profile and stone fruits, cherry cola, with good texture and acid, although not over high in acids.
The Laguna Ridge produced red to dark color fruit, strawberry, plum, nectarine flavors, with moderate acidity and baking spices.
The Green Valley area produces fruit that is crisp and red, with bright flavors of rhubarb, pomegranate and tart cherry, with soft tannins.
For each area presented there were 3 pinot noirs to taste from. They were from the prominent wineries of each area.
In case you are curious, here are the wineries and wines presented:
Green Valley -
Emerald Ridge - Dutton Goldfield - 2012 Dutton Ranch-Emerald Ranch Pinot Noir
Keefer Ranch - Kosta Browne - 2011 Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir
Fog Dance - Hartford Court - 2011 Fog Dance Vineyard Pinot Noir
Laguna Ridge vineyards:
Trenton Estate - Joseph Swan - 2011 Trenton Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir
Goldridge - Dehlinger - 2011 Goldridge Pinot Noir
Soul Patch - Davis Family Vineyards - 2010 Soul Patch Pinot Noir
Middle Reach vineyards:
Allen Vineyard - Williams Selyem - 2012 Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir
Harper's Rest - Arista Winery - 2012 Harper's Rest Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir
Little Hill - Rochioli Vineyards - 2012 Estate Little Hill Pinot Noir
All in all the seminar was great. There was just one thing that irked me during the whole event. They focused on different micro terroirs and flavor profiles. I tried to raise my hand to ask questions, but somehow was missed by the panel while others were recognized. I wanted to ask about clones and how they play a role, as well. Finally, someone else posed the same question and put the panel on the spot. <insert cricket noises here> Someone did answer, but it didn't really pertain or explain the effect that the micro terroir would have on the clones or the clones would change from the micro terroir. But, within the wines, we could taste the differences. But clearly, not all were the same clone. I would have like to hear how they chose certain clones to work with their soils and climate. By not recognizing the clones at all is like saying all apple species make the same tasting apple juice, unless they are planted in different soil.
Clearly the panels focus was on the uniqueness of these three areas. There was even indication that some would like to have these areas become their own AVAs (Green Valley already is.). This may not be the smartest idea, in terms of smaller appellation recognition, as the Russian River Valley is a world-renowned AVA.
There were many wineries that participated with barrel samples or pours of their released Pinot Noirs. Some had small food samples to pair with, which was appreciated. Some of the participating wineries we visited were Sonoma-Cutrer, Benovia, Balletto, DRKN, Chateau Adore, DeLoach, Dutton Estate, Dutton Goldfield, Hartford, in addition to the ones presented during the Panel.
Yes, I was Pinotfied. (VinoBrotha made it a word!)
http://pinotclassic.com/
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