Kelp Reviews

Gondwanaland Garbage?

What did we do before we could simply Google something? Directions, phone numbers, business profiles, and my personal favorite: those all-important customer reviews. They are lifesavers. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve avoided going to a restaurant after reading one of these professional, non-biased reviews. The best site I’ve come to rely on is a little known consumer review website called Kelp.

Kelp, or Kitschy Evaluations from Lame Patrons, specializes in winery reviews. Its phonetic similarity to seaweed refers to the collection of reviews accumulating within the Internet Sea, similar to the Pacific Trash Vortex. No matter how toxic the review, they just won’t ever decompose—even if you advertise with Kelp! Rumor has it that Kelp will come out with it’s IPO later this year. Can’t wait. Heyooooh!

MU

Check out a few (filtered) Kelp Reviews of Unti:

I had a bad feeling about this place from the get-go. When I asked the owner if he made Sauvignon Blanc, he said “No. Go to the Mall.” I hardly recognized any of the varietal wines offered. Monte-who? Is that the full Monty? Grenache, isn’t that chocolate? It’s a little intimidating when the owner corrects my pronunciation of all of those totally unknown Italian grape names. – E. Richards, San Francisco, Blogger, 2/29/12

We stopped by Unti because they came highly recommended by the other wineries we visited. When I asked about the aging potential of the Grenache, the owner was staring at my Boston Red Sox cap, and replied, “How did you like that last day of the 2011 regular baseball season?” Who goes to a winery to learn about baseball anyway? – J. Stratton, L.A., Live in Chef (Nanny), 3/11/11

2008 Benchland Syrah

Pedigree Prevails

Sometimes it’s actually better to be good rather than lucky. Such is the saga of our 2008 Benchland Syrah.
As I have mentioned in the past, the 2008 vintage was one of variable ripeness. A spring frost caused uneven ripening for most every grape variety we grow. Most of our wines were less fruity and showed more tannin because of variable ripening. This was particularly noticeable in our 2008 Barbera and Grenache. However, we were able to avoid the shortcomings of 2008 in our Benchland Syrah for two reasons: The vineyard pedigree and rigorous barrel selection.

Benchland Syrah comes from one of our oldest and most consistent vineyard blocks. We essentially cherry pick the lowest yielding section of this vineyard. In a vintage like 2008, we scrutinize our harvest even more knowing that the vintage is prone to uneven ripening. Then, we go through and select only the best tasting barrels within our 3 batches of Benchland Syrah. Only 9 barrels made the cut, which is why our production of Benchlnad Syrah is down from previous years. By best, we mean the most expressive flavors of the vineyard and better tannin balance. The result is a wine that transcends the limitations of the 2008 vintage, while showing our vineyard personality.

I’d say this 2008 Benchland is a richer version of our 2006 Benchland. While it certainly has the potential for aging, it is already showing well now. We just don’t have much of it.

Only 225 cases produced | $35/bottle      Link To Store

2009 Grenache

Wake of the Flood
I don’t know what it is about odd year vintages. For some reason they translate into excellent growing seasons for our Grenache. 2009 follows suit, but the road was a tad bumpy. The 2009 growing season was similar to 2007; we had a fairly light crop set, though it was a bit cooler. The longer growing season pushed harvest dates for most of our grapes a week or two behind normal, which is a good thing for color, flavor, and tannin structure. Earlier in the year we made a decision to reduce the already limited Grenache crop more than normal in an attempt to gain more concentration and tannin structure. By mid September, we were high-fiving ourselves when we walked through our Grenache blocks. This was going to be the best vintage EVER!

Well, Mother Nature, as she usually does, had a thing or two to say about our euphoria (or as my girlfriend likes to say, I spoke too soon per usual). By mid-October we heard rumblings of an impending rainstorm. In past years, we have dealt with rain by allowing our Grenache to hang in favor of obtaining flavor ripeness. But this rainstorm was predicted to be bigger than most, so we decided to harvest one block of Grenache before the rain to get one batch “in the barn.” Good thing, because we received over 5 inches of rain October 15th and 16th.

One would think we made a nice Grenache blend in 2009, just fewer cases of it—and that is by and large true. However, we actually used a portion of the Grenache that we harvested after the rain because it added more fruit both in aroma and flavor. This might be our fruitiest Grenache to date, which is quite a feat considering the circumstances. Shows you how good this vintage was prior to the deluge.

Most of our Syrah was harvested in perfect condition, so it really adds some depth and complexity. Consider this a worthy successor to one of my favorite Unti wines, the 2007 Grenache, without the long-term aging potential. That said, this wine will show much better than the 2007 did for the first 3 or 4 years in bottle.

Only 595 cases produced  | $28/bottle  Link To Store

2011 Rosé

Keep It Continue
The 2011 Rosé was bottled February 29th and it represents another leap forward for Unti (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself).  I know I sound like the boy who cried wolf, but our Rosé continues to show more Bandol-like qualities with each successive vintage.

Hanging with the Big Boys at Spring Training

The unusually cool 2011 growing season had us improvising in late September, knowing that an early October rain was going to jeopardize much of our Grenache and Mourvedre grapes slated for red wine. Let’s see… we can’t seem to make enough Rosé to keep y’all satisfied, and if we wait another 3 weeks for our Grenache and Mourvedre to further ripen we might lose all of the fruit to bunch rot. Voila! Let’s pick those vineyard blocks now at 22-23 degrees brix, which is ideal for making balanced Rosé. What a concept!

Once you try the 2011 Rosé, you’ll agree: it was a grand decision. Harvesting Grenache and Mourvdere at this sugar level means that we made all of our Rosé by crushing and immediately pressing the wine. It results in a more balanced Rosé, with brighter acidity and lower alcohol, and that means more Provençal in style.

For those ardent Unti Rosé fans, who love our dry, food–friendly style, this wine is a Barry Zito fastball centered in the middle of the plate, waiting for you to deposit it in McCovey Cove. Or at the very least to keep a few Rosé bottles chilled on your boat docked in the SF Bay.

Have at it. And while you’re at it, check out our new solely-dedicated-to-rosé-up-and-coming-website: www.UntiRose.com

1,470 cases produced | $22/bottle     Link To Store

2008 Port

LBV from UV
The 2008 vintage provided some challenges, and you know what that means: We made a dessert wine.  Spring frost in 2008 drastically reduced our Barbera and Zinfandel crop. Mid-to-late-August heat pre-maturely accelerated sugar levels and caused widespread shrivel…which is never good for anyone. In order to achieve mature flavors we allowed the grapes to hang, thereby paying the price of having even more dried bunches, making it a tedious exercise to sort prior to crush.

While this laborious process helped us minimize “pruny” flavors in both our Barbera and our Zin, it left us with several macro-bins of dried grapes. Just as we did with dried Grenache bunches in 2004, we decided to once again try our hand at making dessert wine.
For some reason, when Sebastien fortified our Barbera/Zin sweet concoction, the brandy dominated the wine for quite some time. Obviously making sweet wine is not exactly our forté, so we did what comes naturally to us: we procrastinated on bottling and waited to see if the wine improved in barrel. It did, but it took so long that the wine developed some nice mature aromas and flavors making this our version of a “Late Bottled Vintage Port.”

If you are like me, and like the taste of Vintage Port, but don’t like to wait 20-30 years, our 2008 Port is a great option. In fact, at 15.5% alcohol, you can afford to have more than one glass. Come to think of it, our 2008 Port is lower in alcohol than many Dry Creek Zins, but I digress.

Only 200 cases produced | $20/ 500 ml bottle

Link To Store

Album Credits at bottom of page

For some strange reason, I recently listened to Arlo Guthrie covering one of Bob Dylan’s greatest songs, Gates of Eden. Dylan originally recorded this song in 1965 on his legendary album Bringing It All Back Home. Like so many Dylan covers, Arlo’s Gates of Eden is much more musical than the original without losing the impact of the author’s powerful lyrics- thanks to the sweet guitars of Ry Cooder and Clarence White. It’s a beautiful multi-layered song, one that chokes me up every time I listen. It got me to thinking about the concept of covers in all shapes and sizes.

When I first started paying attention to music, it was important for popular music artists to write their own songs thanks in part to folks like Bob Dylan. I never took “cover bands” seriously because I thought an artist needed to have his own message.

In time I’ve learned to appreciate a good cover, because you just know that artist covering the song felt pressure to do it especially well. A cover sometimes offers great insight into what influenced that artist, maybe even more so than listening to one of his own pieces. Listening to one of R.E.M.’s early records, where they cover Femme Fatale (Velvet Underground) and King of the Road (Roger Miller), you see a playful side of the band that is more apparent in their later work, well after they became popular. Finally, covering a mentor’s song is an act of humility. He realizes he is only a small part of the musical continuum. (See a list of some of our favorite cover songs at teh end of this newsletter).

I think this holds true for winemaking, at least here at Unti. If you have been in the wine business as long as we have (sounds sooooooo painful doesn’t it?), you’ve acquired humility or at least you should. When we make wine, regardless of the variety, we are keenly aware of those outstanding winemakers who have done it before us. We know the winery’s vineyard site, farming practices, winemaking techniques, type of facility and track record of making compelling wine.  Most likely we have tried their wines, repeatedly!

Obviously we can’t make a mentor’s wine, but we can certainly study how he got there, or even try to figure out his intent. So, in that sense, we are covering the winemakers’ wines. And in wine, just as in song, there are plenty of pieces that shouldn’t be covered. Flabby and oaky Sauvignon Blanc, high alcohol Cabernet Sauvignon, low acid, sweet and alcoholic Zinfandel-to name but a few.  However, if you see a little Domane Tempier in our Rose, Siro Pacenti  Brunello in our Sangiovese, or Clos du Papes Chateauneuf du Papes in our Grenache we wouldn’t deny being influenced. To the contrary, we would be flattered.

In case you are wondering, we will not be sponsoring Wine Karaoke Night at Heladsburg’s new hot-spot wine bar, Bergamot Alley.  MU

2009 Sangiovese

I recently opened a bottle of our 1999 Sangiovese Riserva for a friend and outstanding winemaker, Alberto Taddei, owner of Selvagrossa in Le Marche. We were both blown away.

1999 was such a remarkable vintage for our Sangiovese that we aged two barrels in brand new Burgundy barrels for 14 months just to see if the fruit would hold. Well for the first few years in bottle it didn’t. But in time the wine absorbed the oak and become very Brunello di Montalcino like- which is why we were so pleasantly surprised.

This 2009 might be nature’s way of celebrating that wine’s ten-year anniversary.

2009 is the first of three cool summer growing seasons here in DCV. Often, such growing seasons can result in more European-style wines showing lifted aromas, bright acidity and moderate alcohols-our kind of stuff. We also had a light crop with small berries which provided concentrated fruit,  dark color, full body and balanced tannins. Sounds good, right?

As always, our Sangiovese is only from the West Hillside section of our vineyard and is not blended with any other varietal wine. You may notice that we have bumped up the amount of new oak this wine sees-now 40%-but then again the fruit and vineyard character is so intense, you might not. What I really like about this wine is the tension between cherry fruit and the earthy Brunello-like flavors.

Will it last ten years? Maybe. Do I really care? Not really.  This lovely Sangiovese will start drinking great in a year or two, and probably hold that pattern for several years hence. It is easily one of my favorite wines to come from Unti.

Only 300 cases were produced. $40/bottle.    Link to Store

2009 Segromigno

Segromigno gets serious

Ok, now that you know how I feel about the 2009 vintage for Sangiovese, it’s time to play Dry Creek Valley’s favorite game: Name That Wine Hyperbole.  Which of the following statements will Mick use to hype the Unti 2009 Segromigno?:

• A) This wine reminds me of the 2002 Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino.
• B) The 2009 Segromigno is by far the best blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano currently produced in the Dry Creek Valley.
• C) Like the great Carlo Rossi television ads of yesteryear “I like talking about the 2009 Segromigno, but I’d rather drink it.”
• D) Like every new release from Unti, this could be the best Segromigno to date from Unti.
• E) James Suckling will probably be 91 or 92 on the 2009 Segromigno

If you answered B and C, you are correct! (Hint: Nobody else makes Montepulciano in Dry Creek) If you answered D, you are too smart to be receiving this newsletter. Don’t even know what to say to those who selected E. A was a trick question; most Montalcini producers in 2002 did not make a Brunello as it was a terrible vintage.

We made our first Segromigno in 2000, and it was kind of out of desperation. Contrary to 2009, the 2000 vintage was not so kind to our Sangiovese. The Sangiovese needed color and structure from our Syrah to make a balanced wine. In subsequent years we noticed fruit from certain sections of our Sangiovese vineyard almost always benefitted from being blended with other varieties, such as Syrah and Barbera for similar reasons.

In 2007, when we began using Montepulciano as the primary blending component for Sangiovese, our Segromigno became a more serious wine, with more body and complexity. This 2009 is great example of this “grown up” style. It shows the cherry/chocolate of Sangiovese with the plum and earth of Montepulciano. Ordinarily I’d advise early drinking with our Segromigno, but this 2009 should really improve over the next 3 or 4 years.

515 cases produced. $26/bottle or $20.88 when part fo a case purchase.   Link to Store

2008 Syrah Normale

It seems like 2006 all over again….

Spring frost in 2008 made its imprint on several of our varieties, most notably Barbera, Zinfandel and Syrah. Much of our Syrah grown here on the winery parcel was fried right from the start.  As such, we had to opt for Plan B, sourcing the Syrah from our original 6 acre Benchland vineyard. It’s kind of like having Joe Montana filling in for Steve Young, or Paul Newman for Brad Pitt, or Bob Dylan for The Chieftains (now that Bob has taken up playing the bagpipes). Ouch.

In 2006 we had to eschew using most of the winery parcel Syrah due to some issues with bunch rot and unripe grapes. So, we simply used the lots made from our non-“Benchland” sections of the Benchland vineyard. The non-Benchalnd/Benchland is a little more lush and less tannic than our Benchland lot, yet it still has the blackberry and gamey character of the vineyard site. Contrary to our Benchland bottling this 2008 Syrah normale won’t make you wait so long for the tannins to soften. It is already drinkable.

Maybe using benchland fruit as a replacement for our new clones is like having my dad host you here instead of me. George is serious and deliberate, where I might appear to be a bit irreverent, mainly because I am.

400 cases produced. $26/bottle or $20.80 when part of a case purchase.   Link to Store

MU

Unti Vineyards’ Favorite Cover Songs

Click songs to view on You Tube

Mick’s List

Gates of Eden/Arlo Guthrie (Bob Dylan)

El Paso/Grateful Dead (Marty Robbins)

Witchita Lineman/R.E.M. (Jimmy Webb)

Sweet Jane/Cowboy Junkies (Velvet Underground)

Little Wing/Stevie Ray Vaughn (Jimmy Hendrix)

Statesboro Blues/Allman Brothers Band (Blind Willie McTell)

I’ll Keep It With Mine/Fairport Convention (Bob Dylan)

Do Re Mi/Ry Cooder (Woody Guthrie)

New Speedway Boogie/Jackie Green (Grateful Dead)

High Fashioned Queen/Chris Hillman and Steve Earle (Graham
 Parsons)

Mick’s Jazz Covers of Popular Tunes

So Far Away/ Crusaders (Carol King)

Things Behind the Sun/Brad Mehldau (Nice Drake)

Blackbird/Jaco Pastorious (Paul McCartney)

Masters of War/Jim Hall and Bill Frisell (Bob Dylan)

Crying Time/John Scofield (Ray Charles)

Someday My Prince Will Come/Miles Davis (Larry Morey andFrank Churchill)

God Bless The Child/Keith Jarrett (Billie Holiday)

Soul Power/T.J.Kirk (James Brown)

A Day In the Life/Jeff Beck (John Lennon)

Summertime/Jim Hall and Pat Metheney (George Gershwin andDuBose Hayward)

Just You, Just Me/ Gene Krupa and Lionel Hampton (Jesse Greer and Raymond Klerges)

Sebastien’s List

It’s All Over Now Baby Blue/Them+Van Morrison (Bob Dylan)

Personal Jesus/Johnny Cash (Depeche Mode)

Smile/Brad Mehldau (Charlie Chaplin)

Many Rivers to Cross/Bind boys of Alabama (Jimmy Cliff)

Hallelujah/Jeff Buckley (Leonard Cohen)

Summertime/Janis Joplin (George Gershwin/ Dubose Heyward)

All Along the Watchtower/Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan)

Too drunk to F… /Nouvelle Vague (The Dead Kennedy’s)

Libertango/Grace Jones (Astor Piazolla)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly theme/The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (Ennio Morricone)

Alex’s List

Mississippi Fred Mcdowell - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl – original by  Sonny Boy Williamson

The Black Keys – Meet Me in the City – original by Junior Kimbrough

Del McCoury – 1952 Vincent Black Lightning – original by Richard Thompson

Townes Van Zandt – Dead Flowers– original by Rolling Stones

Old Crow Medicine Show – CC Rider – original by Gertrude “Ma” Rainey

Odetta- Midnight Special – original by southern inmates, first recorded by Howard Odum, 1905

Johnny Cash – Rowboat – originally written by Beck

Jim James and Calexico – Goin’ to Acapulco – original by Bob Dylan

Neil Young – Oh Lonesome Me – original by Don Gibson

Solomon Burke – Diamond in Your Mind – originally written by Tom Waits

Esther Unti’s List

She Said, She Said/ Black Keys (Lennon and McCartney)

All Blues/Jimmy Bruno, Vic Juris and Corey Christiansen(Miles Davis)

Werewolves of London/David Lindley & El Rayo X (Warren Zevon)

Cuerpo y Alma (Body and Soul)/Esperanza Spalding (E. Hayman, R. Sour, F. Eyton and J. Green)

Pastures of Plenty/ Solas (Woody Guthrie)

Martha My Dear/Brad Mehldau (Paul McCartney)

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Live)/ Joni Mitchell (Charles Mingus)

The House of the Rising Sun/ John Scofield (Traditional NewOrleans Folk Song)

A Day In the Life (Live)/ Jeff Beck (John Lennon)

Silver Serenade/ Lorca Hart (Horace Silver)

We are very excited to release our 2009 Barbera. A great vintage, but the subject of Barbera is somewhat bittersweet for me.

The 2009 vintage was really a textbook growing season for almost all of the varieties we cultivate. A trouble-free spring during bud-break was followed by a moderate summer, featuring very few of the drastic heat spikes we often experience here in the Dry Creek Valley.

Our ‘09 Barbera really illustrates the attributes of such a vintage. It has very dark color, rich wild fruit, and a juicy palate. Both Sebastien and George think it is our best Barbera yet and I can’t really argue with their assessment. So, why the mixed emotions?

While we produced a moderate amount of Barbera in 2009 (620 cases), this is nowhere near your demand for the stuff. Over the past four years we’ve tried to address this issue (we aim to please here) by planting four more acres of Barbera, giving us a total of six. Normally six acres would yield approximately 1,100 cases. But it seems Mother Nature has had other ideas.

Unfortunately, we are starting to realize that Barbera might be a somewhat fragile vine, at least in our vineyards. In 2008, we lost two-thirds of our fruit to spring frost. Last year, the famed August heat spike fried almost 90% of our Barbera clusters. Despite our increased plantings, we only managed to make a measly six barrels (or 150 cases). I feel like a scrappy point guard who finally has a clear path to the basket for a lay-up, only to have my shot swatted away by a guy twice my size (let’s just say my empathy rings true here).

I guess all of this is a polite way of trying to avoid that age-old sales technique often repeated in the Tom Waits song Step Right Up (ACT NOW)! if you want to have our Barbera around for the next couple of years. We won’t really have a decent supply until the spring of 2013 — assuming Dwight Howard isn’t hanging around the vineyard.

100% Barbera; 640 cases produced.     Link to store

2010 Cuvée Blanc (Sebastien’s take)

To start, let me apologize for the name “Cuvée Blanc” which is grammatically incorrect (“cuvée”— which means “special blend”— is a feminine noun and the adjective should be its feminine form: “blanche”). Being French, I have absolutely no excuse for this blunder; it was just easier to say, and here at Unti we like easy. I will just have to cringe each time I say “Cuvée Blanc” for the rest of my life, no big deal, honey badger don’t care.

The idea of producing an Unti white wine was born after an eye-opening tasting of various Southern French varieties seven years ago at Novavine nursery in Kenwood. George, Mick, and myself were so impressed by Grenache Blanc, Vermentino, and Picpoul — in that order —  that we decided to plant all three grapes the following spring. Since then, the original one-third of an acre block has expanded to just over one acre, which should give us about 400 cases when it’s all said and done.

Like its darker sibling Grenache, Grenache Blanc is grown in the south of France, mainly in the Languedoc-Roussillon region and is often part of white Châteauneuf-du-Pape blends. Its rich fruit and full-bodied texture gives it solid ageing potential.

Vermentino, also known as “Rolle” in Provence can be found from the north-western coast of Italy (Liguria), all the way to the Spanish border in Roussillon. It is the flagship white grape of Corsica and Sardinia. Aromatic and lively, it maintains a crisp acidity in warm climates.

Picpoul (or Piquepoul) is rooted in the coastal area around the small town of Pinet in the Languedoc. Oysters are farmed in the pond of Thau, just a stone’s throw away. The zingy acidity and lemon flavor of Picpoul is the perfect match for a dozen on the half shell.

Seven years ago, we had a collective hunch that these three could play well together and guess what? We were right! I’m pointing this out because it doesn’t happen all that often.

There is definitely some neat interaction between these grapes and the wine shows complexity, richness, and vibrancy. Call it tri-winning.

2010 Cuvée Blanc (Mick’s take)

This is our third official vintage making Cuvée Blanc and I can say with utmost confidence, the wine is vastly superior to its name.

2010 was one of the coolest growing seasons we have ever had here. Those of you who live in the City are now painfully aware of Mark Twain’s over-used observation: “The coldest winter I ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco.” What was torturous for SF Marina-ites still hoping they live in Santa Monica was fortunate for our white wine

It seems our whites, particularly the Vermentino express more of a mineral flavor profile in 2010. I’m not sure if this is due to a cooler vintage or simply a reflection of harvesting the grapes at lower-than-normal sugar (because of the cool vintage). If you’ve ever had Vermentino from Sardinia, where the summer heat rivals that here in H-Town, you know the wine can be almost as perfume-like and fruity as Viognier. Sometimes Vermentino can be a bit too fruity for my taste. Not so with this 2010.

Our Vermentino has the bracing acidity and mineral character we expect from Picpoul — and that’s saying something.  It really compliments the richness of our Grenache Blanc. Good thing, because the August heat spell, that burned many Zinfandel grapes, also took its toll on our Picpoul, which is down to only 7% in this year’s model.

No barrel fermentation or oak aging for this guy. We didn’t want this pristine wine to taste like, well, buttah. It is clearly my favorite CB to date.

48% Grenache Blanc, 45% Vermentino, 7% Picpoul; 349 cases produced           Link to store

2008 MONTEPULCIANO

This also our third vintage making Montepulciano — a grape you may not be familiar with, but should be on your watch list. In baseball terms Montepulciano is definitely a “top prospect.”

As stated in earlier newsletters, we are kind of gung ho on Montepulciano. In fact, we now have 2.5 acres of it planted, which is likely 2.5 acres more than anyone else here in Dry Creek Valley. We thought it would be appropriate to give you a bit more information behind this grape from Central Italy. Ordinarily I relish the opportunity to bore you with such details. Instead, I commissioned our resident super-taster Alex Hill to provide a Montepulciano primer course.

The Grape: As a vigorous-growing plump grape with lots of juice, Montepulciano can make good quality low-priced wine if farmed for high yields, or, very intense and age worthy wine when yields are kept low. It contains extremely high levels of color pigment (anthocyanin) and high levels of tannin, but they are sweet tannins. It also offers generous levels of extract resulting in wines that are dark, rich, and fruity. Due to the late budding nature of Montepulciano it requires extra-long hang time and we generally pick it in late October

Landscape:  Montepulciano is prominently planted on the Adriatic side of central Italy, although it is often (understandably) confused with the town called Montepulciano in Southern Tuscany where Sangiovese is grown. In the coastal regions of Le Marche and Abruzzo, that culturally resemble Italy’s humble south, Montepulciano is the primary grape used for red wine.

Conero in Le Marche encompasses only about 1000 acres on and around the slopes of Mount Conero in Marche’s Ancona province between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennines. It offers a unique terroir comprised of intense heat, poor soils, low humidity, and cool evenings on well-ventilated steep slopes. Here, Montepulciano grapes develop more slowly than in points farther south so they retain more complexity and acidity.

Abruzzo is a flatter and hotter landscape, with the best wines coming from its northernmost reaches, specifically Colline Teramane (DOCG) and Controguerra (DOC). The most structured Montepulcianos come from the Teramo hills, while the wines from inland Abruzzo near Ofena, Capestrano and Popoli tend toward the elegant side of the variety. Southern Abruzzo is a larger growing area with more industrial-sized wineries that pump out serviceable Montepulciano in the $6 to $10 price range. Usually labeled “Montepulciano d’Abruzzo” (DOC), they tend to be plummy, jammy, and lower in acid.

Dry Creek Valley has an ideal hot and dry climate for growing quality Montepulciano. However there is also significant cooling in the evenings so the wine holds its acidity and structure, resembling counterparts from Conero more so than Abruzzo.

100% Montepulciano; 195 cases produced                 Link to store

Notable producers of Montepulciano

Le Marche

Oasi degli Angeli – Viticulture extremists who crop-thin their tiny biodynamically farmed vines down to almost nothing (yielding just two grape clusters per vine) to create an ultra-concentrated pitch black elixir called Kurni. Winemaking methods include a 200% new French oak treatment that cycles the wine through 2 rounds of brand new French oak barrels during aging. Kurni delivers the powerful essence of ripe Montepulciano distilled down to a rich core of Cassis, chocolate, and spice flavors in an over-the-top hedonistic style. It’s a crowd pleasing monster that is served every year in the wee hours of the Unti harvest party.

Moroder – (Harry Potter’s bunk house?) A pioneer with the Montepulciano grape and one of the first in the region to craft 100% Montepulciano wines.  Dry, fleshy, and concentrated with anise, cherries, and sweet spice notes.  Moroder’s Dorico bottling offers tremendous complexity and ageability.

Fattoria Le Terrazze – A modern style producer whose Montepulcianos show well-measured balance and elegant definition. Their Sassi Neri bottling is extraordinary stuff. Plus, the owner is a huge Dylan fan —  naming one of his blends after my favorite song Visions of Johanna.

Lanari – On the hills that overlook the Adriatic Sea, Lanari is a consistent producer who fashions a well-made traditional style, showcasing vineyard fruit. They make a wine called Fibbio that is George Unti’s favorite Conero

Abruzzo

Illuminati – Known for a clean and modern style of Montepulciano that is reasonably priced and well made. Their Zanna bottling is excellent and widely considered the best Colline Teramane produced.

Il Feuduccio – An impressive winery to visit with an underground vinification cellar carved through five layers of pure rock. Their wines are decidedly modern showing flavors of black cherry and currant fruit intermixed with licorice, scorched earth and tar. Ripe, pure, and dense

Centorame – A producer of very intense and powerful Montepulciano in the Teramo hill territory.

Valle Reale – Producing a range of quality levels, Reale’s wild-yeast fermented wines are elegant and refined, with silky tannins and layers of berry fruit and spice. San Calisto is their most consistent bottling.

Edoardo Valentini – The most highly regarded traditional producer of Montepulciano, Edoardo’s son Francesco now runs the family winery which has been operating since the 1600’s. He was recently awarded Winemaker of the Year in the 2011 Gambero Rosso Wine Guide, where all of the Valentini wines were given tre bicchieri rankings. Flavors in Valentini wines are extremely complex, showcasing black cherry, tar, truffles, and underbrush with big tannic structure. Extremely expensive, and it is almost impossible to find, but worth the effort.

Emidio Pepe – Very traditional and eccentric style, from grapes that are said to be actually crushed by hand. Animal, dried cherries, cigar tobacco, earth and cocoa. Pepe is difficult to find and appreciate, due to miniscule production levels and the challenging style of a wine whose artistic character is derived from what some might call “flaws.”

Link to store

Over the past year, retailers and critics under the impression they are renowned wine writers have pronounced California Syrah dead.  Or, at the very least, complained about how difficult it is to sell.  Winemaker Randall Graham even had this to say: “[Syrah] appears to have crashed and burned in this country.”

I know we live in a world where trends blow up and fizzle out in the time it takes most humans to go through a common cold, but isn’t it a tad pre-mature to declare Syrah passé?  Back in the early 1990’s Rhone fanatic winemakers like Bob Lindquist (Qupé) and Steve Edmunds (Edmunds St. John) began making Syrah in California. I don’t believe they ever thought it would replace Chardonnay, Cabernet, or even Merlot as America’s most popular varietal wine.  More likely, they felt it was a grape that could expand the possibility of producing artistic wine in this state. Having made Syrah for over twelve years, I believe they were right.

When you consider how long it takes for vines to mature and produce quality fruit, it’s safe to say we are still in the learning phase when it comes to making wine-geek worthy Syrah. Remember, there were only 164 acres of Syrah planted in California as recently as 1991. Since then over 100 times that amount of Syrah was planted here, undoubtedly contributing to a fair amount of less than exciting Syrah available on the market. Consumers might be reluctant to support these producers and I certainly can’t blame them for doing so.

Our experience is that consumers are supporting those winemakers who have a method to their Syrah madness. Over the past three years, we have consistently met or exceeded our Syrah sales projections. We still have some very scrutinizing restaurants, such as Bistro Aix, Delfina, and District Wine Bar selling our Syrah faster than ever.   Other notable local wineries such as Peay and Arnot-Roberts are experiencing similar success marketing Syrah. Why?

After all of these years drinking Rhone wines I’ve come to this profound conclusion: the most interesting Syrahs come from (now we can all shudder with surprise) winemakers who have strong opinions about what makes Syrah interesting.  Winemakers develop their opinions by visiting the finest Syrah producing regions and continually taste through those wines; thus, instilling a desire to “push the envelope” toward making better Syrah.

I’ve known both Bob Lindquist and Steve Edmunds for quite some time. Aside from being two of the nicest winemakers you could ever meet, they are experts on Northern Rhone wines. They have consistently made complex, vineyard-driven Syrah at prices competitive with Syrah from the world’s finest producers. Not surprisingly, Lindquist and Edmunds have built their respective wine brands on Syrah.

Our 2007 Syrahs represent a culmination of our quest to make interesting, terroir-driven Syrah sourced from different sites within our vineyards. From the plant material (clones) used, to the vineyard block, to the winemaking techniques, these wines differ greatly from one another.  If our recent release party and initial restaurant showings are any indication, you will like these wines.

Maybe if Mr. Graham had applied his creative efforts toward making high quality Syrah, he would think differently about its future here in California.

2007 SYRAH BENCHLAND

2007 is perhaps the most hyped vintage since 1997. Our 2007 Benchland lives up to this hype showing all of what we cherish about the vintage – dark color, intensely fruity aromas, rich full flavors, and bright acidity.  It is a wine that represents the beauty of both a great vintage and a great vineyard, combined with a dash of winemaking experience. From sorting table to bottle, this wine never had a bad hair day.

Most of our varieties had small berries in 2007, but none smaller than our Benchland Syrah.  Most likely this smaller berry size, along with a textbook growing season led to more concentrated fruit. While showy, fruit-driven vintages like 2007 can sometimes overwhelm vineyard personality; this Benchland Syrah retains its savory, site-specific character. In other words, similar to our 1997 (has it really been that long) this wine knows how to shake its booty.

We also fine-tuned our approach to winemaking in 2007 from this vineyard block. In 2006 we tried fermenting our Benchland Syrah as whole clusters. While this added aroma complexity, we did not like the touch of astringency (most likely from the stems) found in the wine. Only 15% of this ’07 Benchland was fermented as whole clusters, less than half of the amount in our 2006.

100% Syrah; 570 cases produced.   $35/bottle, or $28 when part of a case purchase.   Also available in 1.5L Magnum for $75.   Link to store page.

2007 SYRAH NORMALE

Similar to the 2005, our ‘07 Syrah Normale will remind you of a medium bodied, fruit-driven Northern Rhone such as St. Joseph or Crozes Hermitage. And I’m more than okay with that.

Our 2007 Syrah Normale is primarily from the same vineyard block (between the winery and the Dry Creek itself) that brought you our 2005 Reserve Syrah.  You might recall this vineyard block is planted to clones #383 and #470. Over the years we prefer to ferment these grapes as whole clusters. While this technique is labor intensive and old school, it really helps define the essence of this wine.

Contrary to our experience with the Benchland Syrah, we really like what whole cluster fermentation does with this vineyard. There are floral, peppery, and olive characteristics to go with the intense fruit of this vintage. Furthermore, whole clusters seem to leave an impression of brighter acidity in the wine.

Another reason this wine seems to evaporate in my house is its balance. Look at the bottom of the label and you’ll see this ’07 Syrah is 14.2% alcohol. That is lower than any other Syrah we’ve made since 1997.  This winery block seems to physiologically ripen at lower sugars than our Benchland Syrah. In fact, the winery block Syrah lots from 2010 have less than 14% alcohol.  What a concept! We hope to make our Syrah Normale in this lower octane style every vintage.

If you haven’t deduced by now, I love this wine. Sadly for me, we only made 400 cases.

100% Syrah; 400 cases produced.        $26/bottle, or $20.80 when part of a case purchase.      Link to store page.

2008 ZINFANDEL

Location, location, and uhm, clone.

When George decided to plant the Primitivo-clone Zinfandel in 1998, it was because he heard this clone was superior to other Zinfandel clones.  Vineyard managers from Kendall Jackson and Gallo (who grow just a little Zinfandel) said a Primitivo-clone was easier to farm for high quality than other selections of Zinfandel. Ten years hence, our experience says they were right.

Primitivo as a grape variety is known in Itlay’s Puglia region. There it makes a dark, robust and jammy red wine.  Thanks to Dr. Carol Meredith’s work with grapevine identification through DNA analysis, we know that Primitivo and Zinfandel are identical, though different clones. But how are they different you might ask?

Most growers agree, Primitivo tends to have thicker, darker colored skins. Its clusters are also a little looser than other Zinfandel clones. Both characteristics help mitigate bunch rot and shrivel. Primitivo wine is often darker and with more tannin.

I mention all of this as a prelude to describing why our 2008 Zinfandel is as good as it is.  2008 was a difficult year in the vineyard, which subsequently rendered potentially testy wines in the cellar.  Many of our vines were damaged by a prolonged frost season in the spring. This caused a reduction of crop (a good thing) but with uneven ripening (not good).  We then had a serious heat spike late in August and early September that had Zinfandel growers scrambling to harvest less-than-ideally ripe grapes before they turned into raisins.

While we struggled with those issues in 2008, our Primitivo faired far better than our other selections of Zinfandel. The 2008 Zinfandel is not much different than our highly successful 2007 vintage. It has rich ripe fruit with firm structure. I doubt many local Zinfandel producers would say the same when comparing their ‘07/’08 wines.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Petite Sirah’s role in making 2008 a successful vintage for our Zinfandel.  One of the main reasons we blend Petite Sirah in with our Zin is to add structure. This is particularly important when you are battling high sugars due to shrivel, because Petite Sirah helps balance a wine that is potentially high in alcohol.  While the Petite Sirah pushes this Zin toward the “dark [fruit] side,” it is very Dry Creeky.

82% Zinfandel, 18% Petite Sirah; 1,375 cases produced.       $26/bottle, or $20.80 when part of a case purchase.

Link to store page.

2010 ROSÉ

We are bottling our 2010 Rosé April 14th. We will begin shipping immediately, so you can sip it while listening to the Beach Boys album, Pet Sounds.

This 2010 Rosé is very similar to our 2009 except that it is more full-bodied, slightly higher in acid and (hold your applause) is  lower in alcohol! Basically, if our 2009 resonated with you Bandol Rosé freaks, this wine will black you out.

By now you all know that there’s something about Grenache and Mourvedre that is ideal for making world class rosé.  Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc make for passable pink but these wines seem to be less complete than those from GR and MV. And if you see rosé from Sangiovese, Zinfandel – or heaven forbid Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot – tread lightly.

We now harvest grapes at lower sugars specifically for this Rosé. This means we can make balanced rosé without adding water or acid.  Go figure! Seems like I say this every year, but it’s true: This 2010 is our most traditional Provençal-style Rosé to date.

75% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre; 1,350 cases produced.

$22/bottle, or $17.60 when part of a case purchase.  Link to store page.

What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Artisan Wine

Terry Theise has just come out with his first book called Reading Between the Wines. For those unfamiliar with Mr. Theise, he has been an importer and champion of great German and Austrian wines, and grower/producer Champagnes.

I have never met Theise, but I feel we are connected through his wine selections. I can’t begin to count the number of Donnhoff, Schaefer and Christoffel German Rieslings I’ve consumed over the years. And his Champagne stars, such as Pierre Gimonnet, Gaston Chiquet and Pierre Peters (the man with the same first and last name) are just about the only wines I drink during the month of December.

If he never uttered a word about wine, Theise would be wine-articulate simply through his pioneering work bringing these outstanding wines to America. Fortunately for us though, he is an articulate writer; offering some of the most lucid and thoughtful opinions on wine today.

In chapter 2 of the book, titled “What matters (and what doesn’t) in wine,” Theise says it is what is not important about wine which takes up far too much of the discourse. He says “those who assert value judgments over work they don’t actually do, risk sounding fatuous.” I completely agree and was painfully reminded of this a couple of months ago when wine bloggers, wine hipsters and some credible wine makers were arguing over what constitutes a “natural wine.”

In a noble attempt to draw attention to authentic artisan wines, a group of San Francisco sommeliers and fine wine shop merchants recently created “Natural Wine Week.” The premise was to feature several producers who farm their grapes organically or biodynamically, believe in minimizing manipulative winemaking, and favor terroir-driven wines.  Naturally (pun squarely intended), Unti was happy to have an opportunity to share our thoughts about artisan wine with City folks. Sounds fun and harmless, right? In the wine world online, apparently not.

One wine blogger criticized a participating restaurant for not adhering to her definition of natural winemaking; she didn’t approve of the wineries selected and did not bother to substantiate her claims. A winery “social networker” agreed, but he also offered no supporting evidence. Unfortunately, some of the winery principles involved and the restaurant owner felt compelled to defend themselves and their winemaking methods. As Theise opines in his book, it is hard to believe wine attracts such controversy and meaningless blather.

The entire dialogue was a perfect example of what doesn’t matter in wine. What should matter is a winemaker’s experience farming and making wine from his or her vineyard. Ultimately that determines how the wine tastes. After all, isn’t that the most important issue here? A true artisan almost never has to explain anything.

Almost everyone connected with wine, including all of the above-mentioned parties, are trying to sell something. It is up to you to decide which folks are credible. I heed individuals who have tangible winemaking experience, or work closely with winemakers beyond more than one harvest season. Their opinions seem genuine, and not prone to following the latest marketing trend.    MU

2006 SYRAH BENCHLAND

I’m a sucker for a good vineyard – or at least one with personality. Good vineyards are like good friends: they can handle the good, bad and the ugly, because you can always count on them to stay true – no matter how many times you try to change their irrational behavior.

On the surface, the 2006 vintage did not produce the show-stopping wines we produced from this vineyard both before and after that year. No hedonistic, fruit bombs here. In 2006, we experienced more than our fair share of rain in the spring, which caused larger-than-normal berries. Additionally, the moderately cool growing season produced a Syrah that was not as overtly fruity as in 2004, 2005 or later seen in 2007. It is more in the savory and spicy flavor camp.

Yet, upon tasting our 2006 Benchland Syrah you’ll think this wine is right in line with all of our other previous efforts. This is where it helps to have a vineyard with personality.

Benchland Syrah comes from the lowest yielding vines within our original 6-acre Syrah block. As such, it is the most expressive fruit we harvest in any vintage. You’ll clearly recognize that smoky, blackberry bay leaf thang happening within a full-bodied Syrah labeled Unti. About half of this wine was whole cluster fermented in small 2-ton tanks, which amps up the floral/licorice aromas. It is a beautiful example of why we are fond of this Syrah vineyard.

100% Syrah; 500 cases produced

$35/bottle

Link to store

2007 PETITE SIRAH

We don’t make much Petite Sirah. Our 3-acre vineyard block, located on the winery property, is not the best site for Petite Sirah. It is in a low-lying creek-side area, just east of where we grow Grenache, Mourvedre, Barbera and Montepulciano, near Dry Creek.

In retrospect, my dad would not have planted Petite Sirah in this site because the soils are deep and tend to retain moisture-not the best conditions for a vigorous vine producing tight clusters. We usually have to wait until mid-October to get the grapes fully ripe, which means having to deal with bunch rot and shriveled grapes. Yippee! For several years running, our Petite Sirah grapes have won the Ugly Duckling prize here at Unti.

Over the past several years we’ve tried to mitigate this ugly situation by eliminating excessive amounts of fruit at veraison, and manicuring the remaining bunches to keep them from developing rot. We also manage the leaf canopy to protect from too much sun, but leave enough room for ventilation. By the time we are done, these grapes are worth a small fortune. It’s as much fun as going to see Michael Richards do stand-up comedy.

The 2007 vintage, combined with our efforts in the vineyard, produced awesome results. I’m not going to say the grapes were gorgeous (after all, even a well pedicured ugly foot is still…), but these were the best Petite Sirah grapes we’ve seen since 2002. Not surprisingly, the wine is pretty good, too.

Our Petite Sirah may not be subtle, but it is by no means an over-the-top wine. Like most all of our 2007 wines, the Petite is ripe, fruity, full-bodied and has built-to-last structure. What distinguishes our Petite Sirah from other local examples is acidity. I guess you would expect this from our Euro-obsessed winery. If you liked our 2002 or 2004, you’ll love the 2007 PS.

100% Petite Sirah; 150 cases produced

$28/bottle

Link to store

2007 ZINFANDEL ARBOLITOS

Remember how we said we don’t make over-the-top Zinfandels here at Unti? Well, that will teach you to ever listen to me.

The very first wine we made as “home brewers” was from this 5-acre block of Zinfandel we call Arbolitos. Planted circa mid-1970’s, these head-pruned vines now look like little trees, hence the creative vineyard name.

We made that Zin in a 33-gallon plastic bin and used an aluminum baseball bat to punch down the cap during fermentation (shocking, I know). As expected, the wine didn’t turn out so well, but it was a great excuse to spend some time with my dad and two good friends, Ed Guelld and Jim Kopp. I have nowhere near enough space, or time here, to describe the conversations from that day.

We have been making a small amount of the Arbolitos to blend into our Zinfandel bottling because it is fruitier than the main component, Primitivo. But, in 2007, the Primitivo was ripe and plenty fruity on its own. The Arbolitos wine was typically fruity, but a little high-octane for our taste. It seemed to push our main Zinfandel over the edge, which is why we omitted it from the blend.

What would you do? Almost any other winery in Dry Creek would celebrate this wine and market it as a limited production, vineyard-designate, full-throttle Zin (because, let’s face it, that’s what we all really want in a wine isn’t it?). Tempting though it may be, we just can’t get there.

We decided, in our usual corporate manner (a high level 10 minute conversation with my dad in the winery parking lot), to price our 2007 Arbolitos below our normal Zinfandel. When you buy an assorted case from us this month, this wine will cost you $16 a bottle. While this ripe and fruit-driven Zin might not be my favorite style, it looks awfully good next to most Zinfandels under $20.

100% Zinfandel; 97 cases produced

$20/bottle

Link to store

2008 PETIT FRERE

By now many of you know that Petit Frere is our version of a Côtes du Rhône. It is always a highly calculated assemblage of whatever lots of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah are left-over after we have decided upon the blends for our Grenache and Syrah bottlings. If you think I’m downplaying this wine a tad, you would be right.

Despite the fact that PF is our “Oh, by the way” cuvée, this wine has solid vineyard pedigree. It comes from low-yielding Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, farmed as if it were going into a $30 bottle of wine. As such, this little CDR wanna-be is more full-bodied and tannic than the average unpretentious Rhone blend. I might even go as far as saying the 2008 PF will age nicely over the next 3 years!

For drinking now, I recommend decanting this 2008 Petit Frere. If you are like me, and constantly on the look-out for solid, reasonably priced wine to have on hand for any occasion, look no further. Petit Frere is the perfect solution to that age-old dilemma of finding an inexpensive wine you serve to a crowd of your not-so knowledgeable friends or family. And you will actually enjoy drinking it with them.

72% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 13% Mourvedre; 440 cases produced

$18/bottle

Link to store

“Let’s see. My people. Now, which of my people? I mean, you know I’m in several groups, you know, I’m in…let’s see. I’m in the group of the piano players; I’m in the group of the listeners; I’m in the group of people who have general appreciation of music; I’m in the group of those who aspire to be dilettantes; I’m in the group of those who attempt to produce something fit for the plateau; I’m in the group of what? … Now, oh yeah- those who appreciate Beaujolais.  Well, and then of course…..I’ve had a strong influence by the music of the people. That’s the better word- the people, rather than my people, because the people are my people.”

I was going to apply this perfect reasoning from one of the greatest Americans ever to our wine making philosophy, but that would only trivialize Duke’s response.

MU

Gabe from DrinkDryCreek.com recently blogged about his visit to the winery on Passport weekend:  

Visiting Unti Vineyards During Passport 2010

April 29, 2010

One of the places I’d never been before for Passport was Unti Vineyards. I’ve enjoyed their wines over the years and I was eager to see what their Passport event was like. The thing that has stood out to me over time about Unti is their varietal selection. At times you go from one winery to the next and taste the exact same grape types over and over. At Unti they make a few you may not be as familiar with. Zinfandel is featured to be sure; but it’s joined by the likes of Barbera, Sangiovese, Grenache, Mourvedre and more to form a distinct portfolio that will take your palate on a trip off the typical beaten path.

It turns out Passport to Dry Creek Valley is serious fun at Unti, just like their wines. Music was provided by Tim Vaughn. The band’s sound was a blend of rock, jazz and blues all with a vibe that alternated between searing and mellow.

The lineup of wines being poured started with the 2009 Unti Rosé. This wine is a classic example of dry Rosé that landed right in my sweet spot.  It was followed by the 2007 Grenache which is one of Unti’s best releases vintage after vintage. There are a few people in Dry Creek who make top shelf Grenache, count Unti in their number.  

The featured food item at Unti was sliders. Not only where they delicious they also paired wonderfully with the 2007 Zinfandel. There are certain things that are meant to enjoy together. Grilled, tasty meat and Zinfandel are two of those things. Several other wines were also poured during Passport including a couple of Syrahs.

What’s most impressive about the Unti wines is that they’re incredibly well balanced in a style reminiscent of the old world. While Unti is very much a California producer, their traditions, methods and style assure that they bridge the gap and provide elegant, food friendly wines at reasonable prices. So whether it’s over the next few weeks or at Passport 2011, Unti is a fun and tasty stop we heartily recommend.

Posted on http://www.drinkdrycreek.com/?p=3137

Basically we are offering “futures pricing on presents.” How’s that for a clever double entendre. FIF

See February, 2010 Newsletter post for more info on the new releases. We are a little excited about them.

Mick

It’s Winter Wineland Weekend and we are celebrating by listening to Bob Dylan sing Walking in a Winter Wonderland from his new Christmas cd (Ouch! Hurts my ears and throat just thinking about it!) and drinking our latest release, the 2006 Syrah.

It seems like we don’t give Syrah the love we used to. What with the likes of Barbera, Grenache and Montepulciano around, who can blame us if our attention has strayed from “the one who brung us.” Our 2006 Syrah is more than a worthy reason to re-focus.

As you know, we have been incorporating some of our newer plantings of Syrah into our “normale” bottling. In 2006, we didn’t get the structure we expect from these vineyards. The cooler nature of the ’06 vintage limited ripeness and phenolic (tannins) development of our winery block Syrah, so we took it old school, and used only fruit from our original Benchland Syrah block to make this wine.

That means this 2006  is a “Mini-Me-Benchland Syrah.” Similar to our 2001 Syrah, which, BTW, is drinking beautifully these days, our 2006 really shows the deep blackberry smoked meat character of this vineyard. Because most of this wine was slated for the Benchland bottling, our ’06 received the royal treatment and was aged in a higher-than-normal amount of our best new French oak barrels. It all adds up to a wine that will certainly please long-time fans of our Syrah.

The weekend of October 3rd and 4th, there will be a fantastic music festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park called Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass. The list of performers includes: The Chieftans, Dave Alvin, Emmylou Harris, Boz Skaggs, Billy Bragg, Nick Lowe,  Steve Earle Del McCoury, Jorma Kaukonen and many others. Wouldn’t you know those are not fruit days, which means no crushing, which means Unti Vineyards Field Trip! I love this natural winemaking stuff!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we resume crushing grapes until our facility is full.