Our last pinot pick for 2011

The pick started at 2AM and by 6:30 we had our fruit. Clone 23 pinot from a Sonoma Coast vineyard in Occidental.

Slow Food Austin considers Rockroom wines

Rockroom and Greenling teamed up to present wines to the Slow Food Austin group as we discussed the various aspects of sustainably produced wines. From Rockroom we sipped an "experimental" chardonnay that was 100% natural processed (nothing added to the fresh-pressed juice as it fermented all on its own with no added sulfites and it was bottled unfined and unfiltered), then we sampled the 2007 La Encantada pinot noir made from organically grown grapes, and finally we tried another experimental wine: a 2005 cabernet sauvignon produced from grapes grown just west of Austin near Hamilton Pool. Greenling supplied some wines produced from organically grown grapes and there was some great discussion by the 30 or so foodies in attendance. I wonder though, did we resolve in any way the questions of what wines can we as a Slow Food community consume in Texas? Is it really time to start mead production in earnest?

A Giant Falls

This 2001 Siduri Rosella's pinot was a big wine (pun intended). Fun to tap this Jeroboam and find the 9 year old beauty within! Those rumors about how large format bottles better preserve a wine for aging seem to be true.

Hand made from start to finish

How's this for hand made wine? A few Rockroom wines get a dot of wax instead of the usual tin capsule right before we put them into bottle aging. We pull out the deep-fryer, melt a batch of wax and drip it on one bottle at a time. Is all this fuss necessary? Probably not but it seems to make sense to add this little hand-crafted reminder now and then. Like on this La Encantada pinot noir that was so carefully grown in an organically farmed vineyard in Santa Barbara's Santa Rita Hills. Hand crafted from start to finish.

Last pinot pick of 09

Yesterday we sorted our pinot noir from this vineyard - Bohemian in Freestone. Here we are walking the rows with Tom the vineyard owner and Chris our consulting winemaker. This chilly site had a challenging season this year with all the Asian typhoon rain swirling around, but thanks to some quick pruning action and warmer dryer weather it looks like we got some nice fruit.

Santa Rita harvest

A 5 hour drive south of the winery we get our most distant fruit from Sanford's La Encantada vineyard. This beautiful hilltop vineyard is organically farmed and even went to the trouble to become the first certified organic vineyard in Santa Barbara County. We will pick pinot noir this week for the 2009 wine. Three different Dijon clones for those of you keeping score.

Takes a lot of beer to make wine?

Today we finished bottling 2008 pinot noirs and to keep the machinery humming we cracked open a few Texas brews. And it struck me that every step along the winemaking path seems to involve beer. Which begs the question, what do they drink at the brewery? Beer I guess.
Anyway, with bottling out of the way we are ready for harvest. First grapes should be in two or three weeks!

Tasting in good company

The wine of the week this week is one you will not find on the store shelf and probably not on the wine list of your favorite steakhouse. It is the Lail Bluebrint 2005 cabernet. A luscious big "cult" cab with demand far exceeding supply, this magnum was consumed as part of a tasting that Rockroom participated in about an hour west of Austin overlooking beautiful Lake LBJ. A hundred or so folks turned out to try this wine, along with our own 07 chardonnay and 07 Bohemian pinot and a few other treats. We also discussed the idea of a restaurant on the site to take advantage of the great views. I like the idea and saw a lot of enthusiasm among the folks attending. Could it really happen that we could get a taste of the Tuscan experience this close to home?

Bottling the first of the 08 vintage

We lined up some barrel samples to get down to the serious work of coming up with our 2008 Rockroom pinot noir lineup. For such serious work it sure was fun as 08 gave us some really nice stuff to work with! The first went to bottle today: Bohemian Vineyard from Russian River Valley.

WOW some good old Hangtime

Waiting 5 years to pop this 2002 Carneros Hangtime pinot was well worth the wait. It made for good Mothers' Day wine with coconut curried chicken and red rice. More evidence that putting aside a few bottles now and then for special dinners is usually rewarded. Dark ruby red with cherry fruit and just a kiss of oak with only six months in barrel.

WOW club pinot

Known as a producer of terrific single vineyard zinfandels, Seghesio has for several years now been turning out Russian River pinots. And each year they seem to steadily improve - the newly released 2007 Costieri may be the best yet. The way we have come to realize this is by being in the Seghesio wine club for years. While we would not normally seek out their pinots, it has been fun to see the evolution and enjoy the ever improving wines. And that is exactly why wine clubs are so fun - unexpected arrivals of unexpected wines that keep wine drinking interesting and spontaneous. Hmmm, maybe Rockroom should start a wine club...to be continued

Wine Spectator checks out Rockroom

Exciting news for Rockroom as we just received our first reviews from the trade. Here is what Wine Spectator's pinot noir critic James Laube had to say about the 2 current release pinots:

Tasting Highlights: California Pinot Noir
10 exciting new California Pinot Noirs...

ROCKROOM Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Hein Vineyard 2006 Score: 90 $44 Flinty minerality joins snappy wild berry and black cherry fruit that's fresh and zesty. Medium-bodied, complex and focused, gaining depth on the pebble-laced finish. Drink now through 2013. 50 cases made. —J.L.

ROCKROOM Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Bohemian Vineyard 2007 Score: 89 $44 Complex and distinctive, if a tad earthy, with touches of herb in the dark fruit mix. Full-bodied and persistent, with lots of spice and sage. Drink now through 2012. 100 cases made. —J.L.

WOW - a little age is a good thing

I know I just posted a pinot with a little age on it a couple weeks back but this week the wine is older and the staying power even more impressive. This 2002 Siduri pinot from Van Der Kamp Vineyard was stunning with bold fruit and a silky texture that was perfect with mushroom and tomato saute on pasta. So just a reminder to pick up an extra bottle or two when you buy the good stuff. Then leave at least one bottle alone and pop it for a special occasion at least a year later. You will almost certainly be rewarded for your patience. Oh and yes, Saturday night qualifies as a special occasion. Or even Friday. And sometimes Monday...

wine for your valentine

We just did a bit of a news flash about a couple specials on rockroom wine for Valentine's Day wine buyers. Wine is such a no-brainer for Val Day and our super sexy food friendly pinot noirs and chardonnay should be on more tables for dinner. Fun thing about niche wines like ours is that gift recipients won't see them on store shelves everywhere so it feels like a unique gift instead of just checkin' off the box with chocolates or roses. Anyway, enough of a ramble and I know I'm mostly preaching to the choir on this one!

WOW Burgundy by any other name

A wine factoid that many of us learn early on is that a red French wine from Burgundy is always made from pinot noir. Great rule of thumb for us varietal-focused Americanos, right? Only it's wrong. Wine of the week this week is Beaujolais. Named for a region that sits inside the Burgundy appellation, these red wines are 100% gamay, not pinot noir. And it often says right there on the label "Red Burgundy Wine" as well as "Red Beaujolais Wine". Confusing, no? Now maybe you sip Noveau Beaujolais each November when it is released but this is different stuff - same grape but built for aging, these wines are beautiful. All fruit, no oak with soft tannins and aromas of fresh flowers, cherries and subtle spices. Simple wines that don't persist on the finish or keep up with bold foods, but for $12-25 these are a great deal. Especially look for the Francois Labet 2006 (the off-the-bottle label in this photo). Terrific wine. The other two pictured here are very good as well. Avoid the cheapest that just carry the "Beaujolais" name and spend an extra buck or two for "Beaujolais Villages" or one of the subregions like Julienas, Morgan, Brouilly or Fleurie (especially a hit on Valentines Day - which is coming soon!)

wow - great American pinot still showing great

Loring pinot noirs are generally made in a style to be big, bold and fresh immediately upon release with less emphasis on how the wines will age. That is not just my experience over the couple dozen Loring wines I have had - it is the stated goal of winemaker Brian Loring. So when I ran across this 2004 Keefer Ranch pinot I thought it might be past its prime. So did I snub it? Sorry, no - curiosity got the better of me. Well not to worry! The wine was fabulous starting off with smoky, earthy aromas and finishing strong with bold fruit and soft oak nuances. Maybe the screwtop (an unusual feature on a $50 wine) held in all that goodness, but probably just good winemaking from a great vineyard. So don't hesitate to pop some American pinots that are a year or two or three past release - most hold up pretty well.

WOW - pinot vertical

Some terrific pinots are coming from Zepaltas and they made a great Christmas Eve pairing with truffled mac n' cheese. Zepaltas holds back a tad on the oak with the vineyard driving the wine's profile. This makes for especially good vertical tasting [that's different years from the same winery and vineyard source]. 05, 06, and 07 from Suacci vineyard were all good with the 07 showing well what a great vintage that is. Get some soon!

W.O.W. - It's Bohemian

I hope you got to enjoy a great pinot noir with your roast turkey - I know I did. If there is more roasted turkey, duck, lamb or even a juicy, lean filet mignon in your remaining holiday plans, then you really should consider popping a bottle of our very own 2007 Bohemian Vineyard pinot from Russian River California. Just released, this wine is already showing beautiful lush fruit and great acid balance, and is the ideal partner for food with some heft. Turkey leg anyone?

wine with gravitas

Here we go draining free run wine by gravity from a bin of Anderson Valley pinot noir. By separating free run from press wine we can later bring together the mix that makes the best wine after seeing how the flavors, acidity and tannin levels settle out.

it was a dark and chilly morning...

Starting at 6am (and 40 degrees - brrr) we are picking Russian River pinot noir today. Well, the pros are picking it and I am taking pictures and driving the truck. Dijon clones 115 and 667 today, more next week. More pictures later of the truck assuming I survive the Friday rush hour ride to the custom crush through downtown San Francisco in a 13+ ton 24' diesel rig. Gulp!