Wellington 2008 Roussanne, Sonoma County

  Glen Ellen, CA - Wellington Vineyards is owned by the father and son team of John and Peter Wellington. John purchased the winery site in 1986. At the time, it consisted of 20 acres of old vines and a few decrepit old fruit and nut trees. Replanting of part of the old vineyard and orchard started in 1988. The winery was completed in time for the 1989 crush. We grow approximately half the grapes we use and purchase the remainder, primarily from small, unique vineyards.

Composition:  86.5% Roussanne, 13.5% Marsanne

Vineyard: 19% Estate, 81% Saralee’s Vineyard

Alcohol: 13.9%

pH: 3.6

Production: 341 cases

Release Date: October, 2009

The Roussanne grapes from the very cool Saralee’s Vineyard provide wonderful aromas reminiscent of apricot and tropical fruit.  Our estate Roussanne produced a big, fat wine with an almost honeyed character which nicely complements the complex floral and tropical fruit aromas and flavors of the Saralee’s portion. The texture is a bit leaner than the 2006 & 2007 vintages.  The balance is exquisite, neither watery nor cloying, neither sweet nor tart.  The flavors echo the aromas and lead to a long, fruity finish.

Roussanne is a variety that has been grown for centuries, in Northern Rhone locations like Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St. Joseph and St. Peray. These specific grapes carried the aroma of apricot and tropical fruit, ending in a big, fat wine, like honey, which goes well with the floral fruity flavors and the texture.

The Wellington Estate vineyards consist of 21 acres, 8 of which are 85 to 117 years old. There are 24 different varieties in the old vineyard, with the most common being Zinfandel, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet, Grenache and Syrah. In addition, there are 10 acres of eleven to sixteen year old vines that consist of Merlot, Chardonnay, Marsanne, and Syrah. Three more acres were replanted in 2001, predominantly to Syrah, Zinfandel and Grenache.

Saralee's Vineyard - Russian River Valley

Two white varietals of France's northern Rhône, Marsanne and Roussanne have found surging popularity in California. Given the high demand for Rhône whites, it's extremely difficult to find top-quality fruit.  The vineyard is situated within two miles of the Russian River, with a soil composition of sandy-clay-loam that matches particularly well with these Pinot Noir vines. The vineyard has a Northern/Southern exposure and is at 150 ft. above sea level making for fog engulfed summer morning allowing for a slow maturation of the grapes.

The moderate temperatures and precision farming at this Russian River site make for a perfect match for these varietals. Planted in 2002 in well draining sandy-loam soils, Saralee's is a high density site, with vines spread just 4 feet apart. They're cropped to a single cluster per shoot, the same aggressive viticulture practices we use for the Russian River Viognier.  Detailed vine identification maps for each vine in the entire operation indicate all varietals, clones, and rootstocks, linking them to specific individual mother vines at UC Davis Foundation Blocks, thus helping vintners to make varietal selections and clonal blends. You will find no better source for grape industry needs than The Vineyards of Rich and Saralee.

 This is a plein air painting by Georgia Simons painted at Saralee Vineyards.

Shane, 2009 Ma Fille, Sonoma Valley

Shane winery produces Rhône varietals exclusively, which plays right into the hand of the girl & the fig’s “Rhône alone” wine list.  This particular Rosé exhibits striking neon pink and ruby accented color.  Ma Fille means “my daughter” in French.

From the website:  “Our mission is to produce hand-crafted, small lot, terrior-specific Rhône varietal wines infused with the passion of their winemaker and the purity of their vineyards.  We work exclusively with growers committed to the highest expressions of their vineyards.  With such partnerships, we seek to create wines of nuance, balance and originality.”

SHANE FINLEY, in the summer of 2001, left New York City and his job with an insurance company to begin his winemaking career as a harvest intern. Without any formal training in wine, he started at the bottom and began to work his way up. Shane's first harvest was in Santa Rosa, CA at Copain Wines. He was given the opportunity to participate in all facets of winemaking and the experience galvanized his desire to continue his winemaking career. 

In 2002, Shane worked for Torbreck Vintners in South Australia's Barossa Valley as a harvest intern. After completing the vintage at Torbreck, Shane moved to the Northern Rhône to take a year internship at Domaine Pierre Gaillard. Unlike his previous posts, Shane worked in the vineyards as well as the cellar. Living in the small town of Malleval, Shane spent much of his time with Pierre and his family. It was at the Gaillard's dinner table where he built the foundation of his winemaking philosophy. Upon his return to California in July of 2003, Shane became the Cellar Master at Copain Custom Crush. He began working closely with clients such as Dumol, Carlisle, and Pisoni Estate as well as Copain Wines' winemaker Wells Guthrie. In 2005, Shane took the job as Assistant Winemaker at Paul Hobbs Winery. Here he began to cement his winemaking philosophy. 

In the spring of 2006, Shane accepted the position of Associate Winemaker at Kosta Browne Wines. Shane works closely with Michael Browne crafting their renowned pinot noirs.

In his spare time, Shane is the owner and winemaker of Shane Wine Cellars.

Varietal: Syrah

Aroma:  Watermelon, passion fruit, papaya, citrus, and pomegranate.        

Body:  “The acidity is focused and zippy. The Ma Fille packs impressive depth for a rosé – especially one with sub-fourteen percent alcohol. This is a wine of well-defined edges, refreshing flavors, and a juicy finish.” - Shane Finley

Cases produced: 250

Appellation: Sonoma County

2007 Novy Family Wines Viognier

Adam & Dianna Lee of Siduri, together with Dianna’s Texas-based family, the Novy’s, formed Novy Family Wines in 1998. Adam & Dianna wanted the challenge of working with varietals other than Pinot Noir and the Novy’s, who traveled each year to work harvest and bottling at Siduri, longed to expand their involvement in the wine business. While Novy Family Wines specializes in producing single vineyard Syrah from Napa, Sonoma and Santa Lucia Highlands, Adam and Dianna’s zeal for finding exceptional vineyard sites has resulted in small bottlings of other varietals as well, including Zinfandel, Grenache, Viognier, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. The name Novy means “new” in Czech and celebrates and embraces the families old heritage working with new world wines.

Aromas: ripe, crisp peach and pear, hints of fresh apricot and jasmine
Body: medium
Color: straw yellow

From their website: Quite frankly, we love Viognier. There is something so beguiling about the nose, the crisp acidity, and the pure fruit that it is difficult for us to refuse a glass (or two), especially when the weather warms up. We try to capture that lively spirit of the grape in our Viognier by picking fairly ripe fruit (but not over ripe), by fermenting the juice entirely in stainless steel, and by eschewing malolactic fermentation. All of these techniques seem to help preserve the wonderful fruit while retaining the crispness that keeps the wine fresh.

The 2007 Novy Viognier was picked on September 27 and immediately pressed to bins to settle for 24 hours, racked to two different tanks and fermented using a combination of yeasts. At dryness the wine was racked to stainless steel barrels where it was kept until bottling in May.

With crisp pear and peach aromas, wonderfully forward and sweet tasting fruit, and a long, crisp finish, this is the perfect wine to serve at the beginning of a meal.

Eat with: Atlantic diver scallops, fingerling potatoes, English peas & shoots, red pearl onions & pea vinaigrette.

http://www.novyfamilywines.com/index.html

2007 Bugay Long Stem Rosé

Long Stem Rosé is made by the Garrett-Watkins winemaking team for John and Reta Bugay of Bugay Wines & Vineyards in Sonoma County. This amazing Rose is a 99% Syrah and just the slightest bit of Mourvedre. The alcohol level is 13.7% and the production is extremely limited at 265 cases.

The vineyards rest in the Mayacama Mountains amongst the hillside meadows. Only 40 of the 200 acres of the wooded parcel were planted with grapes. The family intended for the rest of the acreage to remain with nature. The 1200 foot elevation and the south-facing slope contribute to the overall terroir of the vineyards. The soil composition is made up of volcanic - rocky ash. The well-drained hillsides require vigorous root-stock to penetrate deep into these complex, mineral rich soils.

The use of a Bandol yeast in the winemaking process imparts a delicious Provencal nuance to this wine. The nose is crisp, pure and aromatic, and the flavors are a balanced blend of berries, fresh-cut strawberry, ruby-red grapefruit and refreshing citrus with a long finish.

“We believe the potential to make great wine must originate in the vineyard. Our most important role is to be mindful custodians of our extraordinary vineyards and surrounding habitat while insuring notability in our wines.” John & Reta Bugay, Proprietors