2008 La Diligence

2008 La Diligence

Vineyard: Stagecoach, Napa Ca.

Varietal: 100% Marsanne

Tasting Notes: Stone fruit, almond blossom, and citrus nose with honey, mineral, spiced pear notes on the palate. The wine is full bodied and complex.

Vineyard history: The 800 acre vineyard is located on the upper east hills of Napa Valley at about 1500 feet elevation. The vineyard is named after the famous 1800’s stagecoach trail which was used for travel between valleys before the invention of cars.

Winery Information: This wine is labeled under a brand that was created in partnership with Francois Villard and the Miner Family Vineyards, Gary Brookman - winemaker). 

Francois Villard is an up and coming famous vintner who primarily works in the Condrieu area of the Rhone Valley. His experience with the Rhone varietals has allowed this partnership with the Miner Family vineyards to make a wine of very high caliber. The wine showcases finesse and elegance the best of what the Marsanne varietal has to offer. 

Barrel Aging:  7 months in Burgundian Cooperage (40% new)

2008 DEWN Ca’del Solo Grenache Blanc

Bonny Doon is Demeter Certified Bio-dynamic. They aspire to produce wines in a more unaffected, hands-off style, with minimal wine-making intervention or manipulation. The intent is to restore life and vitality to the soil and respect the farm as a complex and self-sustaining organism, which makes it a perfect fit on the girl & the fig’s wine menu.  

From the website: A wondrous California poppy-like wine full of zesty pear and spice extraordinaire made from Biodynamic Grenache blanc from our Ca’ del Solo vineyard in Monterey.  Subtly ripe fruit notes of quince, citrus rind and green melon lead to a lush lightly spiced palate of nutmeg and cinnamon with a long creamy finish.  

Winemaker Notes: This small lot, single vineyard, wine was hand harvested and sorted in late Fall, fermented in stainless steel and aged for 3 months in French oak puncheons, 20% of which were new. Ready to drink but able to develop for another 18-24 months. 

From UC Santa Cruz Alumni Files:  Randall Grahm (early ’70s, German Literature). Internationally renowned in the wine and food world for the award-winning wines he produces as the owner of Bonny Doon Vineyards, and erudite, humorous and unorthodox wine labels and newsletters. Described by Sunset magazine as “one part Baron Philippe de Rothschild, one part Monty Python.” Grahm won the Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year award in 1994 (nominated by the James Beard Foundation) and the Bon Appétit magazine 1999 Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year award (though, he writes, “that distinction is still subject to a recount in New York State”). In 1992, the “Rhoneranger” asteroid was named in his honor. Grahm describes himself as “a vitizen of the world.”

from the Feedbag ...  Grahm, best known for being the man who introduced Rhone grapes to America, is especially adored by the more morally-minded wine people for his strongly principled stances and aphoristic pronouncements, like this one; “BY SOUL I MEAN SOIL, AND BY SOIL I MEAN TERROIR,” and “MINERALITY = LIFE FORCE.” 

Vintage: 2008

Varietal: 100% Grenache Blanc

Aromas: Wintergreen, hazelnut, pineapple salsa

Body: Full and lush

Vineyard: Ca’ del Solo, Monterey County

Alcohol by Volume: 14.5%

Serving Temperature: 45-55º F

Cellaring: 1-2 years

Production: 440 cases 

Lioco, 2008 Indica, Carignan, Mendocino

Matt Licklider and Kevin O’Connor’s 2008 Indica is an interesting blend of old-vine carignan (66%), mourvedre (25%), and petite sirah (9%).  At the girl & the fig it’s sold by the glass and goes nicely with our fromage tower.

From the website: “The fruit was hand harvested, sorted and then fermented in stainless steel tanks using a wild yeast. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally and finished completely. The wine remained in neutral French oak on fine-lees for 10-months and bottled without fining or filtration.” 

“A selection of benchland vineyards in Mendocino’s redwood valley compose this wine. The fruit comes from predominately old-vines which are dry-farmed and head-pruned. This cool, upland valley supports gradual (and often late) ripening. The soil is red clay strewn with fist sized rocks. The combination of vine age, an extended growing season, and tougher soil conspires to produce complex, intense wines.”

About the proprietors:

Matt

Matt Licklider-

A late bloomer, Matt had his wine epiphany during the winter of 1995 while waiting tables in Aspen, Colorado to support a ski habit. It was a blind taste of Chambolle Musigny and the eloquent comments of Master Sommelier Damon Ornowski that sent him reeling. In short order Matt went to work for Boulder-based, boutique wine distributor, The Maxwell Company where he soon became the leading sales person. In August of 2005, Matt co-founded LIOCO with friend and colleague, Kevin O'Connor. Matt lives in San Francisco with his wife, Anneka. Wine aside, his passions include yoga, surfing, skiing, and cooking dinner with friends.

Kevin

Kevin O’Connor- 

Kevin cut his teeth on the "Old World" white wines his parents use to put on the dinner table. They drank white Bordeaux and Alsatian Riesling, and in particular white Burgundies with revered village names like Chablis, Pouilly Fuisse and Rully.

After a series of high-profile sommelier positions, Kevin was hired as wine director at Spago-Beverly Hills in 2001. His experience as a sommelier and wine director inevitably drew him towards winemaking. In 2000, Kevin harvested four tons of Sauvignon Blanc grapes from Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Maria valley and under the tutelage of friendly wine-making veterans Seth Kunin (Kunin Wines) and Steve Clifton (Brewer-Clifton/Palmina) made his first cuvee of stainless- steel wine. The idea of making wine without the use of oak vessels was immediately intriguing to Kevin because it allowed the grape to express itself unmasked and unflavored. The non-reactive ability of stainless-steel seemed to suit this desire.

“Lioco is a fusion of our last names, Licklider and O'Connor. LI-cklider + OCO-nnor = LIOCO.”

Aroma: Cassis, graphite, kalamata olive Flavors of plum, baking spice, violet

Body: Medium

Cases produced: 2300

Black Sheep, 2008 Cinsault, Dusty Lane, California

At the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Calaveras county, the gold-seeking 49ers were responsible for introducing wine making techniques and bringing grape cuttings from the old country.  Steve and Liz Millier, who own Black Sheep winery in Calaveras county, have made an exclusive 2008 Cinsault that by all accounts is quite enjoyable to the palate.  

Review:

Ken Zinns, a wine aficionado and assistant winemaker for 2 bay area wineries, attended 2010’s Rhone Rangers and wrote the following:  

“Black Sheep 2008 Cinsualt, Dusty Lane, California. Medium-light color, wild berry on the nose, lighter-bodied, fruit-forward, and with lower acidity, this doesn’t aim for anything complex, but it’s a pleasantly smooth and tasty wine.”

Steve Miller

History from their website:

Black Sheep Winery arrived in Murphys with the 1984 harvest. 
Our founders Janis and David Olson crushed their first Zinfandel, with assistance from current owner and winemaker, Steve Millier. The wine was styled in a big, bold way like nobody else could do. That's what makes us Black Sheep; we're different from the rest of the flock.


In 2007 David and Janis decided to retire and ride their bicycles into the sunset, they decided to turn over the Black Sheep legacy to their good friends Steve and Liz Millier. We are very familiar with the Black Sheep style, and are excited to carry on the tradition.


Steve Millier has had a very distinguished career for over 30 years. He began his journey at the David Bruce Winery in 1975, and has continued to make award winning wines at Stevenot, Ironstone and Milliaire.

Over the years we have expanded our offerings to include Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz.

“Our Cinsault is similar to Merlot, but much more elegant,” said Liz Millier, owner of Black Sheep Winery. “It is incredibly smooth with deep, dark fruit and a whisper of spice in the finish.”

Awards:
Double Gold - San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Silver - Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Tasting


Appellation: Sierra Foothills
Varietal: Cinsault
Vintage: 2008
Aroma: Plum, wild berry, spicy zing, slight muskiness
Body: Light
Alcohol content: 14.5%
Cases produced: 200