Ed Gretton, long-standing London branch member and Californian wine enthusiast, explored with us some vibrant and diverse wines from California’s premier regions. From coastal vineyards to sun-drenched valley estates, this tasting showcased the elegance, power and expressive character of the Golden State’s finest offerings in the vicinity of San Francisco, where Ed has spent much time working in recent years.
Ed had curated exceptional wines: eight different varietals from eight different wineries, spanning both lesser-known treasures and celebrated classics. Only hundreds of cases were produced for several of these wines.
The line-up:
2016 Birichino ‘Bechthold Vineyard’ Old Vines Cinsault
A superb wine to start the tasting: 100% Cinsault, which meant that least some of us found the aromas and palate pleasurably unfamiliar. The grapes are organically farmed and hand harvested from very old ungrafted vines. The historic Bechthold Vineyard, with deep sandy loam soil, was planted in 1886, its soils rich in granite minerals. believed to be the oldest Cinsault anywhere. The Birichino winery is in Santa Cruz, in the Lodi region, south of San Francisco.
The wine was light-bodied, delicate and balanced. The aromas included rose petals, hibiscus and other floral notes, with red berries on the palate, savoury notes and a subtle hint of spice.
2017 Aston Estate Pinot Noir, Calistoga
An outstanding 100% Pinot Noir, aged in 100% French oak (33% new) from the Sonoma Coast. It is a deep colour for this grape, which was first planted in Sonoma County in the late 1960s. Today 20% of Sonoma’s vineyards are planted with Pinot Noir. Sonoma is north of San Francisco, and Aston Estate is only a few miles from the Pacific coast.
Aston Estate’s website itself describes this vintage as “complex aromas of bramble fruit, baking spices and purple lilac … the palate expresses … flavours suggesting kirsch, spearmint oil, vanilla bean and loam”. There is a concentration of cherries and other fruit.
2017 Gallica ‘Suzuri Series’ Grenache, Rossi Ranch
100% Grenache. The Gallica winery is based in the Napa Valley, but the vineyard where these grapes are sourced is in Sonoma, and farmed organically. The wine is a see-through ruby colour. There is a wet stone and mineral nose; aromas and flavours are of wild strawberries, also thyme and herbal notes. With a peppery grip, it is elegant yet restrained.
2015 Robert Sinskey Vineyards ‘Vandal Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley
This particular Cabernet Franc wine would be very hard to find anywhere now, and was tasting beautifully. The organically farmed vineyard lies in the foothills of the Mayacamas mountains, where a band of red volcanic soil runs through. The wine was deep in colour compared with many Cabernet Francs from France.
The tasting notes from the website for this vintage refer to “inviting aromas of fresh dark fruit like black cherry, blackberry and ripe, tart plum …. Violet, rosemary, bay leaf and a touch of white pepper ….. palate that marries generous red and black fruit with kalamata olive and mocha.”
2017 Staglin Family Vineyard ‘Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford
The wine comprised Cabernet Sauvignon (88%), Cabernet Franc (7%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Rutherford district is in the heart of Napa Valley, and world renowned for Cabernet Sauvignon, with typical flavours of black cherry, other dark fruits, tobacco and mint, as exemplified here. At 14.9%, the wine is full bodied, intense, powerful, concentrated and complex.
2019 Ridge ‘Lytton Estate’ Petite Sirah, Healdsburg
100% Petite Sirah: the grape is a cross between syrah and peloursin developed by François Durif in France in the 19th century. It is known as “Durif” in some parts of the world. It is very successful in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County areas, and this estate’s wine is acknowledged as one of the top Petite Sirahs.
The grape has great depth and concentration. The resulting wines are robust and full-bodied with rich and intense concentrated fruit flavours. The website’s winemaker’s notes state: “Rich plum, fig, and dark chocolate on the nose …. Full-bodied on the palate with well-coated tannins, ripe bramble fruit, and hints of baking spices and fresh tarragon. Long mineral finish with well-balanced acidity.”
Decanter in 2022 said: “This not-at-all-petite Petite Sirah is a powerhouse with a steel door of tannin that will require some years to soften.”
2019 Peterson ‘Bradford Mountain Vineyard’ Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
Zinfandel 84%, Carignan 8%, Petite Sirah 8%. 15.4%, but with a balancing freshness. Like the previous wine, the vineyard is in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County. The Zinfandel is mountain-grown, which is said to give more intense pepperiness and rich black fruit character.
2019 Cline Late Harvest Mourvèdre, Contra Costa County
The concluding wine was a luscious red dessert wine made from 100-year old Mourvèdre vines grown in Contra Costa County, directly east of San Francisco Bay.
15%. Layers of prune, coffee, chocolate and black cherry, with a hint of spice, were balanced with plenty of tannins which were not aggressive.
With a light supper, this was a convivial journey through some of California’s most celebrated terroirs. We had the rare opportunity to compare the subtlety of coastal Pinot Noir with the depth and structure of Napa Cabernet, alongside distinctive expressions of bold varietals from across California.
Many thanks to Ed!
Rachel Burnett