NOVEMBER 2020
Event Report AN EVENING AT V. MERTZ SEPTEMBER STAG
ALSO INSIDE • Winery Profile: Daou Vineyards and Winery • Winery Profile: Mayacamas Vineyards and Winery • Blast from the Past: Judging the Jugs, a 1981 story • Upcoming Omaha Branch Events Page 1 · 2020 ·
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
CORNER
EDITOR’S
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rom the looks of things, V. Mertz seems to have survived the worst part of the COVID 19 restrictions and is back in business. While the Flatiron Cafe decided to just hang it up, since they could not operate the same way they had always performed, with careful individual service, V. Mertz just had everyone go on unemployment. The expert crew of Matt Brown, and most of his servers, as well as Chef Jacob Newton were back, serving an imaginative dinner. Read Tad Singer’s event report within. One of the wines on the list at V. Mertz was Daou Vineyard and Winery. I toured Daou last September when I returned to the Paso Robles area. It is quite an impressive place, situated at a 2,200 foot elevation, and is definitely a high end winery. Production includes quality Bordeaux blends, Rhône styled wines, and a large selection of other grape varietals. The Daou story is also quite interesting as well. Founded by two brothers whose family fled the civil war in Lebanon, they lived for awhile in France before coming to the USA, where they made their fortune. Check it out.
Our other Winery Profile is for Mayacamas Vineyards and Winery. Making sturdy mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, the original winery began in 1889 and had a succession of owners. But it’s big break came when it was deemed good enough to spar with the big boys in the 1976 Judgment of Paris, where French Bordeaux and American Cabs were tasted blind by French judges. Today it is one of the great mountain grown Cabernet houses in California.
I submitted Erwin Siegler’s obituary to Wine Food & Friends, but they no longer put obituaries in the paper magazine. However, they will put the story on the IWFS website. Here is the link: www.iwfs.org/americas/news/obituaries. Some members have had trouble reading the Gazette on issuu.com, Or, they don’t want to sign in, which means you can’t even read the Gazette at all. They prefer a PDF since all you have to do is click it open. We have decided to offer it in both formats. In your email, a PDF will be sent along with the issuu.com link. The advantage of issuu.com is that you can see both right and left pages, like a paper magazine. Our PDF only lets you view one page at a time. Cheers!
Tom Murnan Cover photo: Daou Vineyards Cabernet. Photo by Tom Murnan
“Romance is like a game of chess— one false move and you’re mated.” From The Best of the Cockle Bur compiled and edited by Harry B Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974
November 2020 · Page 3
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
Event Report AN EVENING AT V. MERTZ SEPTEMBER STAG Story by Tad Singer // Photos by Tom Murnan & Ron Policky
V.
Mertz is the quintessential fine dining establishment and a perfect match for our group. I appreciate the excitement that they share in and with our group. They take risks with meal prep and are always willing to extend a helping hand with the menu. I made them take extra risk on prep and wine pairing but that is what our group appreciates about these dinners. Our appetizers were a nice selection of Charcuterie and Artisan Cheeses. The Second course was a Foie Gras Crème Caramel served with a NV Blanc De Blanc Champagne from Pierre Peters (WS 90). If you are in the market for just a great Champagne look no further than Pierre Peters, and it is budget friendly for a French Champagne. The Third course was a Pork and Scallop Manicotti. Now this was served with a 2018 Lewis “Reserve” Chardonnay (WS 92) and 2015 Daou Cabernet Sauvignon (WS 93). The risk taken here was on My part. I served this course with a White and Red, just to see which presented better. I really like both wines myself as they both have the gumption to stand on their own. I bet the group had their favorites just like our table. The fourth course was quite frankly the best piece of meat I have ever eaten. The Morgan Ranch Tenderloin au Poivre was cooked perfectly and the sauce was just absolutely amazing. Yukon Potatoes with Smoked Butter accompanied the steak. We served two different wines with this course as well. The first wine was the 2010 Château Lynch Bages (RP 96) and the second was the 2014 Mayacamas (WS 96). Now both wines were terrific, but the Lynch Bages, was just out of this world and was ready to drink. Our final course of the night was a Single Origin Chocolate Mousse Tartlet, this was served with a 1997 Warres Vintage Port (WS 94). What a way to finish a great evening with friends. Cheers.
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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
WINERY PROFILE: BY TO M M U R NAN
O
ne of the wines served at the V. Mertz September Stag was Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. I went to Daou for the first time in September of 2019. Daou was also featured at the closing night for the IWFS Charleston Great Weekend. Daou Vineyards and Winery sports one of the most breathtaking views of the Paso Robles area. Located in the AVA Adelaida District, atop Daou Mountain at an elevation of 2200 feet, the view of the valley below is stunning, called “One of the 10 most beautiful vineyard vistas in the world” by a wine critic.
Joseph and Marie Daou married in 1956 in Beruit, Lebanon, when it was considered the Paris of the Midle East. They had 4 children, Georges, Daniel, Mary Jo and Michelle. He transformed his father’s small carpentry business into Daou and Sons, the largest furniture finishing company in the Middle East. But by 1973, civil war arrived in Beruit. The opening shot of the war was a missile which exploded just outside the Daou home, shrapnel seriously injuring Marie and Daniel. By 1975 the Page 14 · 2020 ·
situation had deteriorated, and the parents decided to leave everything behind and emigrate to France. They arrived in Paris, but later moved to Cannes, in southern France, when Joseph developed a passion
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
for wine. Georges and Daniel grew up surrounded by vineyards, the beginning of their passion for wine. Brothers Georges and Daniel Daou eventually came to the United States in 1980 and attended the University of California San Diego, studying electrical and computer engineering. Following the American dream, they made their fortune in software. The entrepreneurs created Daou Systems, which specialized in networking technology that would revolutionize hospital software. In the meantime, Daniel acquired a one acre vineyard near San Diego and began reading every book he could about wine. By 1998, Daou Systems went public and was sold. Daniel knew if he had brother Georges helping him, they would be an unstoppable force. He had spotted a property in Paso Robles, CA and told his father his business plan to purchase the land, saying he felt he could make the best wine in the world there. Joseph told him to “Go and don’t look back. Go full throttle.” The brothers invested in a winery at the top of a 2,200 foot mountain, not far away from Tablas Creek. Their ambition was to make an American First Growth. Their challenge was to find the right terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blanc. Daniel found it in the calcareous clay soils of the Adelaida District, which are comparable to Saint Emilion in Bordeaux. Temperature is similar with St. Helena in Napa Valley. The great wine consultant André Tchelistcheff had years earlier spotted the property as being one of California’s great terroirs. >
Joseph Daou (center) with his two sons
Daniel Daou, winemaker
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Georges Daou, visionary
< By 2007, the brothers had invested heavily in Daou Vineyards, building an ultra modern and attractive tasting room and winery specializing in Bordeaux. Georges would become the creative visionary whose mission was to unlock the secrets of Daou mountain’s terroir. Daniel became the winemaker, combining his engineering training with an artist’s touch. Daou’s top of the line wine is called Soul of a Lion. It is a Bordeaux blend of ripe grapes and soft tannins with no other additives than yeast. Even though it has silky tannins, it can age for 30 years. It was named after Joseph, the father, who, despite all of this setbacks in life, having to move from Lebanon, to France, to the USA, famously said “We always came roaring back like the soul of a lion.” The winery has a large list of labels that promote Bordeaux blends, Malbec, Rhone styled wines, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel blend, and rosé. The Bordeaux blended wines are huge, with long finishes. Very impressive. They were given the highest marks by
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author William A. Ausmus in Wines and Wineries of California’s Central Coast. Both the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator give Daou consistently high scores. I would consider Daou a must visit, along with Tablas Creek and Turley if you ever visit the exciting area of Paso Robles. I loved this quote of Georges from the Daou website. It encapsulates their whole approach to wine and life itself. “Someone said it, and it was so true. ‘I have a feeling that the way your parents loved you is the way you are loving the world.’ And that was the most profound thing I’ve heard, which summarizes, basically, everything, everything that we are and everything that we do.” Sources: Wines and Wineries of California’s Central Coast by William A. Ausmus; https://pasowine.com/ member/daou-vineyards/; https:// daouvineyards.com/stories/the-brothers; https://daouvineyards.com/stories/ soul-of-a-lion
WINERY PROFILE: MAYACAMAS VINEYARDS AND WINERY
BY TOM MURNAN
O
ne of the wines we had at our 9/17/2020 V. Mertz Stag was the Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. Mayacamas Vineyards and Winery is situated on Mount Veeder, which is part of the Mayacamas Mountain range that separates Napa Valley from Sonoma. There has been a vineyard, which sits at 2400 foot above the valley floor, since 1889, when John Henry Fischer, a German immigrant who made his money as a pickle merchant in San Francisco, constructed a vineyard and winery on Mount Veeder and planted Zinfandel. He named it the J.H. Fischer Winery. By 1900, he was bankrupt and the property was abandoned. It is said that during Prohibition, bootlegers made wine there. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was owned by the Brandlin family. Jack and Mary Taylor purchased the property in 1941 and gave it the name Mayacama. The word Mayacama comes from the Wappo Indian tribe and means “howl of the mountain lion.” An alternative meaning may be “source of the water, “referring to the springs and headwaters of creeks that feed Napa and Sonoma Rivers.
The winery really came of age when it was purchased again in 1968 by Robert and Elinore Travers in 1968. They revitalized the winery, replanted the vineyard, and focused on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Their 1971 Cabernet Sauvignon was included in “The Judgment of Paris” which was held in 1976, giving the winery tremendous publicity. Organized by Stephen Spurrier, a British importer of French wines, this contest pitted the best of California Cabs and Chardonnay against Bordeaux and Burgundy. Spurrier felt that French wines were superior and could not be beaten by American upstart wines. After a tasting where the wines were judged blind by French judges, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars came out first, besting the likes of Château Mouton Rothschild and Haut November 2020 · Page 17
Tank 9, circa 1940s is still used to supply neutral oak. Brion. The French press was incredulous, but the American wine press was ecstatic. Mayacamas came in 9th (they did not beat the two afore mentioned First Growths, however). The Judgment of Paris was conducted a decade later, in 1986, where Mayacamas placed second, beating out all French competitors. >
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< A third contest took place in 2006, where Mayacamas took 3rd place, tying with Heitz Martha’s Vineyard. Here it had the advantage of its longevity. Being mountain grown fruit, and tannic in its youth, it was in the game for the long run. Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is much different than the same fruit from the valley floor. It has tough tannins, high acidity, is intense and has a bit of rustic character to it. Mt. Veeder is a volcanic peak, and its unique terroir of ash, tufa and sediment contributed to the wine’s complexity. About 1500 cases of Cab are made yearly, aged for two years in old, oak neutral large American foudres or vats, then aged another year in 60 gallon barrels made of French oak. The winemaking philosophy embraces the acidity and tannins Page 18 · 2020 ·
the mountain gives, it is not hidden by new oak. The Cabernet vineyards were replanted in the early 1960s. But in the 1980s, Travers slightly lightened up the heavily tannic style of his Cabernet as many people were eschewing the old style in its youth, preferring softer Cabs. Made by the Travers, their Cabernet was classic and well balanced for the four decades they owned Mayacamas. But in 2013, they sold the winery to Charles and Ali Banks, who also partnered with Jay Schottenstein and his son Joey. Charles Banks was the former president of CSI Capital Management. He became a managing partner at Screaming Eagle and Jonata wineries before leaving these enterprises to start Terroir Capital in 2009. Terroir focused on hotels, restaurants and wineries. But the partnership dissolved when Banks was convicted of defrauding Tim Duncan, a retired NBA star and customer. He was also in a legal battle with the Schottensteins, who sued Banks for breach of fiduciary duty. He was forced to relinquish activities in Mayacamas, sell his share, and reported for a four year prison sentence in 2013 for defrauding Duncan as well as paying him $7.5 million in restitution. The Schottensteins are carrying on, preserving the traditional mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that gave Mayacamas initial fame. They also produce Chardonnay from vineyards planted between 1950 and 1952. Some Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir is also offered. In the late 1980s, more Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards were planted as well. Their Cabernet Sauvignon Golden Hill is their premier wine. Scores from professional wine critics are in the mid to upper 90s for the Cabernets. In the fire of 2017, the winery was preserved except for some burning at the edges, and an old house that was destroyed. Sources: https://www.mayacamas.com/ photos-stories/; https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Mayacamas_Vineyards; https://kazzit. com/winery/mayacamas-vineyards.html; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_ Paris_(wine); https://www.winespectator. com/articles/charles-banks-sells-stake-inmayacamas-enters-prison-55559; https:// www.winespectator.com/articles/mayacamas-vineyards-california-cabernet-rises-again; https://www.winespectator.com/ articles/things-will-change-at-mayacamas-and-some-will-stay-the-same-48396; https://www.winespectator.com/articles/ napa-s-mayacamas-vineyards-sold-48556
Here is another gem from the Les Zanotti archives. In 1981, IWFS Omaha Branch member Fred Hauss, second President (19721973) of the newly formed Branch, and owner of Cheese World, held a jug wine tasting. Wine/Spirits Magazine captured the story in its August 1981 issue.
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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS
Mark Your Calendars! NOV.
8
STAG
801 Chophouse at the Paxton Sit down tasting: Mouton Rothschild vs. California 100 point Cab Producer: Dave Thrasher
DEC.
COUPLES
JAN.
Steve Hipple
FEB.
Todd Lemke
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Happy Hollow Club Holiday Wine Dinner Producer: Duke Matz
HOSTING AN EVENT? Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: murnantom@gmail.com
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
November 2020 Purpose: To meet communication and service needs, to broaden participation and understand and to be an information exchange for the membership of The International Wine & Food Society in the Americas. Publisher: Todd Lemke Editor: Tom Murnan Graphic Designer: Omaha Magazine, LTD.
THE INTERNATIONAL WINE & FOOD SOCIETY OF LONDON, ENGLAND OM A H A, NEBR A SK A BR A NCH - E X ECU T I V E COM MIT TEE This Quick Response Code (QR-Code) can be scanned with a scanner app on your smart phone to take the reader directly to the Omaha Branch web site.
PR E SI DENT: Mark Stokes............................................................... mark_stokes@aig.com
V ICE PR E SI DENT / SECR ETA RY: Dave Thrasher.................... dave@supportworks.com
TR EASU R ER: Les Zanotti................................................................ zanol@cox.net
W I N E CELLA R M ASTER: Duke Matz....................................... dmatz@darland.com M EM BERSH I P CH A I R M A N: Joe Goldstein.............................. goldie2@cox.net
B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S : Derek Burdeny Joe Goldstein Steve Hipple
Todd Lemke
John Matthews Duke Matz
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Lowell Wilhite
KEEP IN TOUCH! Please notify Club President, Mark Stokes, 402-679-7317 or via email at mark_stokes@aig.com to let him know if you are interested in hosting an IWFS event.
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