The Single Vineyard

This weekend, Kirsten and I helped her brother, Simon Inman pour his Inman Family Wines at the 'Pinot Days L.A.' event at the Barker Hanger in the Santa Monica Airport. Kathleen, the winemaker and Simon’s wife, was busy at their winery near Santa Rosa serving visitors to Winter Wine land, so in order to stay true to Inman “Family” wines, Kirsten and I were recruited to help out in L.A! The day started early with a 10:00 AM set up time for two sessions of tasting, the first for the wine trade and then the second for the public. I believe there were over 100 wineries pouring their wares and the crowds indeed showed up! Since there were three of us manning the table, I was able to take some time to roam the floor and visit and taste some very finely crafted wines. I loved listing to the conversation around the booths, some tasters were knowledgeable and taking notes and others were just curious and keenly interested in learning and let me tell you, this was a good place to learn as there were some award winning wines being poured!

Back at the Inman Family Wines table, there were three Pinot's being offered; the 2006 Russian River Valley, the 2007 Thorn Ridge Ranch and the 2007 OGV (Olivet Grange Vineyard). The latter two wines are 'single vineyard', which made me think of where it all starts...in the vineyard! I love being in a vineyard and walking through one makes me think about all of the elements, the terroire, the orientation of the vines, the style of trellis, and the many other factors that contribute to the end result. I think part of the specific importance of a single vineyard is that a wine made from grapes grown in a single place, rather than being sourced from several different vineyards as many are, shows the unique characteristics of that place. We grow Cabernet Sauvignon on a hillside that faces southwest at an elevation from 1200 to 1600 feet. This is a version of extreme farming on a hillside with its own set of challenges. The Inman Family Thorn Ridge Ranch Vineyard is located close to the ocean in the Sebastopol Hills at an elevation of around 900 feet. This area is at the southern most tip of the Russian River AVA (in fact it was only incorporated into the AVA in 2005.) The Olivet Grange Vineyard is on the floor of the Russian River valley appellation. Both of these vineyards have a distinctively different makeup and Kathleen has put a lot of work into crafting some fine Pinot's!

My personal top scoring wines tend to come from single vineyards. Maybe that is because winemakers and grape growers can achieve a greater focus on the vines to make sure that the grapes are more meticulously grown and harvested. 'Estate' or 'Estate Bottled' are terms that are controlled by the TTB (the Feds) and mean that 100% of the wine comes from grapes grown on land controlled or owned by the winery. I love the experimentation involved in wine...I love the discovery part of it. If you have never taken the time to familiarize yourself with single vineyard wines, I encourage you to do so and I think you will find a deeper respect for all that goes into the great wine you might be sipping!

Here are some of my favorite 'single vineyard' wines:

2007 Inman Family Olivet Grange Vineyard (OGV) Pinot Noir ($52.00)
The red fruit flavor dominates with layers of ripe cherry, rhubarb, clove and raspberry...an elegant wine!

Morgan Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands Double L. Vineyard 2008 ($48.00)
This vintage presents aromas of cherry, blackberry and cranberry with a touch of oak in the finish!

Talley Pinot Noir Arroyo Grande Valley Rincon Vineyard 2008 ($52)
This wine has a layered bouquet of cola, clove and baked figs with a silky texture!

Melville Chardonnay Estate Santa Rita Hills 2007 ($30)
Straw yellow in the glass with appealing aromas of honey and lemon/ Rich and bright on the palate!

Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley Ritchie Vineyard 2007 ($57)
A full bodied wine with an earthiness, rich minerality and expressing hints of peach and melon!

Talley Chardonnay Arroyo Grande Rincon Vineyard 2008 ($42)
This is a complex wine with hints of lemon peel and tropical fruit...creamy citrus and balanced acidity!