Between The Wines
GREAT LAKES WINE & SPIRITS
There is now a litany of well-known, highly sought out vineyard sites for Pinot Noir in Sonoma County, but not too long ago such was not the case When Davis Bynum started his winery on Westside Road (now the Cote de Nuits of Northern California) in 1973 his neighbor Joe Rochioli was selling his Pinot Noir for $150 a ton to be used in jug wines. So that same year, he bought all of Rochioli’s Pinot Noir for $350 a ton and a legend was born;
October 2024
producing the first-ever vineyard-designated wine from the Russian River Valley (which wouldn’t be an AVA for another 10 years). A few years later, Mr. Bynum hired Gary Farrell to be his winemaker, which lasted for many years even after Mr. Farrell started his own wine brand As word of the wine quality from the area spread largely due to Davis Bynum’s wines--an explosion of new wineries and vineyards commenced, and it continues to this day.
In this newsletter you can expect:
Hidden Treasures
What’s New Thoughts & Observations
Hidden Treasures continued..
Davis Bynum
Little known is that before Mr Bynum moved to So his winery, he was a winemaker in Berke sold a bit of wine to under the name ‘Ba He continued to pro at his new winery fo (cash flow!), until he focus on his single v then sold the brand eventually became likely the largest w the world.
In 2007, with Father over his shoulder, M his brand to Tom Kl Strong another ico had purchased in th now oversees this g its legacy
What’s New?
Sea Smoke
Few places in California (or planet earth) are a more benign place to grow Pinot Noir than Santa Barbara’s Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Among the conditions that make this area so special for grape growing is its proximity to the Pacific. Warm daytime temperatures are moderated each evening by a marine fog layer, known locally as ‘sea smoke’.
Lauded since their very first release, there is still a very long wait to get onto their mailing list…23 years later. They are of course, a Pinot Noir specialist, but do not discount their very fun sparkler ‘Sea Spray’ (also 100% Pinot Noir) or their wonderful Chardonnay. As is increasingly the case with cult wineries such as Sea Smoke, owner Bob Davids sold the company to Constellation Brands for an ‘undisclosed sum’. Be assured however that the wines will not change since the winemaker, vineyard manage1r and general manager are all staying on.
The wines are of limited availability of course, and they are not cheap. But quality doesn’t cost…it pays.
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, & Merlot in all of their incarnations probably account for 90% of most restaurant’s wines sales However, motivated perhaps by consumers’ search for lower price points, or global warming, or perhaps by boredom, we are seeing a big increase in bottlings of ‘other’ varietals coming our way
On our most recent visit to California, we saw offered on wine lists the likes of California: Albarino, Arneis, Assyrtiko, Greco, Gruner, Picpoul, Tempranillo, Verdejo, Nero d’Avola, Blaufrankisch, Marsanne, Pinotage…to name just a few! Of course, a subset of our customers focus on ‘the weird stuff’ (mostly from Europe) but those wines are becoming less weird and California is jumping in with both feet
for someone else), Massican focuses on only white ‘Mediterranean’ varietals This includes: Tocai, Ribolla, Greco, Fiano, Falanghina, Cortese, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon…and a bit of Chardonnay. All are bright, fresh, correct and wonderful; and very fairly priced. You too should jump in with both feet!
