DrinkTheEarth.com Blog

Our Tour Guide, Johnny, lines up a generous tasting of Sauvignon Blanc

If you’ve spent any time at all in the Napa Valley, it’s pretty easy to become jaded by the many mega “trophy” wineries that have sprung up in the last 10 years.  So, even though we knew when we made the tour appointment that Frog’s Leap Winery was supposed to be different, we still weren’t sure what to expect (although, based on the Frog’s Leap’s website, we really should have known better).

Arriving for our tour at the Rutherford, California winery on a cool day with moody, low-lying clouds threatening overhead, we pulled into the gravel parking lot, where the newly-certified LEED Silver hospitality center and administrative office stands just off to the side.  Surrounded by olive trees and gardens, the building, as modern and eco-friendly as it is, still appears to have been built to complement the land, rather than dominate it.  Besides being LEED certified, the center also uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling, and the entire winery is run on photovoltaic energy, a type of solar power.  In fact, according to the Frog’s Leap website, the winery produces so much energy from solar that they are actually able to sell the excess energy produced back to the power company for credit.  In other words, Frog’s Leap is actually an energy provider!

Inside of the hospitality center, visitors are greeted by the aptly-named winery cat, Terra, who has the complicated and surely exhausting job of being petted and cooed over approximately eight hours a day.  The tour then begins in a window-filled room off to the side of the house, at what is really a long dinner table that’s able to seat everyone scheduled on the tour, in this case, a full house of approximately 16. 

Our host for the next hour was Johnny, and we didn’t know it at the time, but we were in for the most fun and least formal tour of any we’d had in Napa.  And, unlike most tours, it’s completely free. 

And have I mentioned the tour also includes tasting?

We started out with generous pours of the 2007 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc, which was lovely, crisp, and seemingly very food-friendly, and fermented in 100% stainless steel.  After a few minutes of discussion about the wine and the history and philosophy of Frog’s Leap, Johnny grabbed another bottle, we grabbed our glasses, and headed out for the tour. 

Walking out to the wrap-around porch, we headed down into the vineyards.  Pouring us all another tasting, this time a pretty, tart, 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay loaded with minerality and only the slightest bit of oak for balance (not your typical Napa Chard, for sure),  it was explained to us that Frog’s Leap uses a process called “dry farming” on their 200 acres of certified organic vines.  In their opinion, the benefits to this are two-fold.  The first is that it is believed that deep rooted vines produce grapes, and therefore wines, of greater and more distinct character.  Basically, the vines have to work harder to stay alive.  The second is that it conserves water and promotes healthy soil.  Yet another way that Frog’s Leap is, pardon the pun, greener than the average winery.

With a third pour, the 2006 Napa Valley Zinfandel, in hand, a field blend that doesn’t overpower, we continued our tour, passing the chicken coops and gardens (with Head Gardener, Degge Hays, digging away in the dirt), and headed into the Red Barn, which houses the wine-making facility (and a basketball net-the purpose of which will be explained to us in a few minutes).  We toured the barrel room and the fermentation area, at which time Johnny pulled out yet another bottle (he keeps them “hidden” around the path of the tour, so as to not have to try and carry 4 bottles of wine around for an hour or more).  We were treated to a tasting of the 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a fragrant, intensely flavored wine, as we made our way upstairs to the “party room,” which is often used for staff gatherings, and has a beautiful view of the grounds.  At this point, the official tour was finished, and it was time to mingle with our “tourmates,” ask any questions that we may have about the wines and tour, or just enjoy the atmosphere.

Corralling us back together, we were eventually lead back down the stairs, all of us thinking that the tour was done.  But we were sorely mistaken.  The basketball net and small make-shift cement court lay between us and the door.  Johnny pulled out the ball, and we came to the true end of the tour: a free-throw contest! 

Needless to say, my husband and I did not win (or even make our baskets).  And I now know that wine and basketball do not mix.  Like the saying goes, you learn something new every day, and at Frog’s Leap, I can honestly say, we learned a lot.

As promised, we’ll be publishing the next article in our series from last month’s Sonoma/Napa visit shortly (a review of the Frog’s Leap Winery tour is coming soon).   In the meantime, we wanted to share some news from a wine region we’ll be covering in a bit more detail early next year.  Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Southbrook Vineyards announced yesterday that their hospitality pavilion was recently granted LEED Gold certification.  Located in Ontario, Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake is an up and coming wine region probably best known for producing world-class icewine from producers such as Inniskillin and Hillebrand Estates.  At last visit several years ago, my wife and I discovered some very good Canadian whites, in particular many wineries who were doing quite well with German-style varietals such as Gewurztraminer and Riesling.

Southbrook just officially opened in June of this year, and more recently received their biodynamic certification from Demeter.  They appear to be the only winery in Canada at present to receive this distinction.  Achieving LEED Gold and Demeter certification just months apart is a double-feat you don’t see very often in the industry, so we pass along to them our congratulations.  We’ll be featuring more Canadian organic and biodynamic winemaking efforts in the first-half of 2009, so stay tuned.  Incidentally, Southbrook informed us that they hope to offer U.S. distribution for their wines early in 2009 as well.

LEED Gold-certified Southbrook Vineyards Hospitality Center (copyright Southbrook Vineyards; used with permission).

For More About Organic and Biodynamic Wines, Visit DrinkTheEarth.com

The other night, my wife & I enjoyed a great organic Sauvignon Blanc from McFadden Vineyard of Mendocino County, California.  They’re a small producer known more for selling their fruit to other wineries including Robert Mondavi, Chateau Montelena, Navarro, Fetzer, Piper Sonoma and several others.  We bought a bottle of their 2005 Sauvignon Blanc (the first year they made one) on a wine trip a couple of years ago without knowing much about them.  Mendocino is quickly becoming another hub of small organic producers, similar to the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County.  A couple of months ago MSNBC.com published an article reporting the rise of organic winemaking in Mendocino, giving recognition to both McFadden Farms and Sterling Vineyards, the latter being another large wine label that buys some of its grapes from McFadden.

We definitely plan to replace our ‘05 as soon as possible, which at $16, is only slightly more expensive than similar large-production wines you can get in your local grocery store.  We enjoyed our bottle with a variety of cheeses, including brie, goat, sharp cheddar, and beemster, as well as some roasted garlic.  The wine seemed to hold its own relatively well with all of them, but was an especially good pairing with the brie and roasted garlic together.

As I type this, I am winding down from Day 3 of my Sonoma/Napa Valley wine trip.  Many more stories to come, but some great insights to share from visits to organic and biodynamic producers such as Truett-Hurst (a Dry Creek newcomer), Michel-Schlumberger, Quivira, Frog’s Leap, and Grgich Hills.

Some of the highlights thus far would have to include seeing all of the new, biodynamically farmed vines at Truett-Hurst, some fantastic local cheese pairings at Michel-Schlumsberger, a great overall lineup of wines at Quivira supplemented with some great organic products (ranging from fig jellies, to organic shirts), a Mike Grgich sighting in his tasting room, and lastly, an impromptu free throw shooting contest to cap off a tour of the grounds at Frog’s Leap (we’ll explain later).

One thing that has struck me during this visit – having been to this area just 13 months ago, there clearly seems to be more ‘buzz’ about organic winemaking than there was even a year ago.  And having visited some wineries for the second time (like Quivira), the wines we tasted this time around seemed even more impressive.  More to follow.

Friday’s San Francisco Chronicle has a great article on the state of organic and biodynamic winemaking.  They cover most of the current issues of the day in the industry, including reasons for and against promoting ‘green’ practices on the wine label, the differences between true organic & biodynamic wine and those that are simply made following sustainable guidelines, and the aging perceptions about wine made without sulfites. 

The article also focuses on Bonny Doon Vineyard, which has downsized to about 1/12th of its size by selling off larger labels, focusing instead on eventually being a 100% biodynamic wine producer.  Now that’s a commitment to the environment!

Definitely worth a read.

Newberg, Oregon-based Beaux Freres has announced its 2007 pre-release Pinot Noir offerings to active buyers.  While not currently certified organic or biodynamic, this Willamette Valley winery began experimenting with nonconventional farming methods about six years ago, and today their entire property is farmed using biodynamic principles.

2007 pre-releases include three wines; 2007 Beaux Freres Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2007 Beaux Freres Upper Terrace Pinot Noir, and the 2007 Beaux Freres Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.  For those that love a good Oregon pinot (and who doesn’t), Beaux Freres reports that their 2007 vintages were harvested under similar conditions to 1995 and 1996, which were also very rainy around harvest time.  The result is a collection of dark ruby red wines that could age gracefully for as long as 15 years (the Willamette Valley Pinot may be closer to a maximum of 7 years, ideally).  Sounds like any of the trio might make a great match for a tasty Salmon steak in a few years.