Through the Eyes of the Winemaker: Rosemary Cakebread
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Rosemary Cakebread, winemaker and owner of Gallica Wine. This was a chance to gain insights into the “drivers,” the perspective and spirit, of a great winemaker. Rosemary holds a degree in Viticulture and Enology from the University of California at Davis and has put her education to work for over 30 vintages in Napa Valley. Her background is rich and varied, from a harvest in Bordeaux to working with sparkling wine at Mumm Napa Valley. She was the winemaker at Spottswoode, one of the iconic wineries of Napa Valley. Rosemary led the winemaking effort at Spottswoode from 1997 until 2007 and consulted through the 2012 vintage.
In 2007, Rosemary launched her own label. Gallica 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon was introduced to the wine buying public in 2010, and it was a stunner. The very first vintage of her wine was well-received, to say the least. Robert Parker gave it 99 points, truly a great beginning. While Cabernet is a varietal Rosemary is very familiar with, in more recent vintages, she has explored other wines. I have enjoyed her Grenache blend called Suzuri; and, with the 2012 vintage, she released a Syrah.
A Tasting to Be Remembered
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a tasting that was pricey but well worth the time and money. It was in St. Helena at the wine store located in Dean & DeLuca’s. Being in the heart of the Napa Valley, there are many gems that are worthy of note. This tasting opportunity arrived, and I jumped at it.
Here is the line-up of wines that I was given the chance to taste:
Moderately Priced Wines from Australia — “Two Hands” and “Mollydooker”
Last week, I was on the road and tried very much to be satisfied with the wine offered in the hotel. I was out for five days in Philadelphia, and I could take it for only so long. I had enjoyed a good bottle with a dear friend at dinner one night, yet found myself longing for a richer and deeper expression of the grape. I found the wine store and set my sights on Shiraz. I do so knowing that an Aussie wine will be a big, lush and very approachable. I shy away from young cabernets, since they do need some time to unfold.
Wineries Galore!
Once upon a time, a long time ago, the wine industry was concentrated on the West Coast. But, just the other day, I read an article that simply amazed me with some facts. First, there is a working winery in every state in the United States. Yes, there is a winery in Alaska and Hawaii. While I have never visited our Alaskan friends, I have tasted wine at the one in Hawaii. It is on the Island of Maui and named Tedeschi. While not the most complex wine I have tasted, it was a fun visit.
Mi Sueño — My Dream
While Napa Valley has grown, there is still an interesting fact that remains true: 95% of Napa Valley wineries are family-owned. This is an amazing fact when considering that the number of wineries in the valley is over 400. In an even smaller number of wineries, the owner and winemaker are one and the same. Such is true for Mi Sueño: Rolando Herrera is both proprietor and winemaker.
I first drank Rolando’s wine when visiting Vintner’s Collective – a small boutique tasting room in the heart of the city of Napa. It is here where I was impressed with the richness, lushness, and balance of his big cabernets. The cabernet, though, is only one of the excellent wines that Rolando crafts. The line-up of Mi Sueño includes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. All are well-structured and a pleasure to drink.
A Cabernet for $20? Yes!
For many people, Cabernet is king. It is one of the “go to wines” for many, yet finding one that is well-crafted for less than $30 can be a challenge. As you can imagine, I read many articles and reviews and found this value bottle mentioned in my reading. This comes from Antonio Galloni, who used to be associated with and reviewed wine for the Wine Advocate. More recently, Galloni started his own publication called Vinous, which is solely web-based. I follow him and appreciate his palate and his views.
Below is a bargain worth pursuing. I have not tasted it; but I think for that price, it is a fun adventure.
Chardonnay, Please…
The top-selling white wine in the United States today is Chardonnay. There are many good reasons for that — it is an easy-going, pleasant, fruity, sometimes creamy, and sometimes spicy wine. With all that going on, it hits the right spot on many, many palates. In the beginning of my exploration of wine, my favorite one was Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. It was lush and approachable at any time. As it turns out, today it is the number one selling Chardonnay in the country.
Chardonnay is grown in many places in the world. Major plantings are found in California, Australia, Burgundy, and Languedoc-Roussillon in France. As you can imagine, these very different climates provide varied growing seasons and temperatures. Chardonnay will deliver a serviceable wine whether grown in a colder climate or a warmer climate, as evidenced by the vast array of growing regions. It will deliver entry-level wines that are easy drinking to the greatest white, the Grand Crus of Burgundy. (Yes, Chardonnay is the grape also known as White Burgundy.) Because of the wide variety of growing climates, Chardonnay becomes a great vehicle to express terroir and a great canvas for the winemaker.
Zinfandel: Two Excellent Wineries
Zinfandel is widespread and well-known in California. In fact, a legislator in the Golden State once tried to have this lovely grape established as the state grape. While that effort failed, the value and quality of the varietal lives on. Its lighter tannic structure and jammy expression are perfect for many occasions. It produces big rich and luscious styles of red wines where the price point is always welcome.
I have found two excellent wineries that consistently deliver in quality and character with Zinfandel. They may be hard to find, yet I want to share them with you, so if you find them on a wine list or in a local store – do not hesitate. They are wines to enjoy that offer great fruit and depth. Below are excerpts from Wine Spectator describing recent releases from both of these wineries. I have bottles in my cellar from both wineries and have never been disappointed.
A Brief Price Comparison
I will admit it, I am a Napa Valley fan. Even as a child, my parents took us to picnics in the Valley with my mom’s Australian Club friends. I enjoyed the beauty early on. I first tasted the fine wine from this region as a very young adult. Oh, that would be age 21! So I do have a long history and respect for the area and a fine appreciation for the wines produced.
The Napa Valley has taken some criticism though for the price wineries charge for a bottle of wine. I understand and appreciate that, for many, it can seem a bit rich for a bottle of cabernet to cost $75 or more. Yet there are reasons. We can start with the cost of land itself. The Napa Valley is highly regulated as to how much acreage can be planted to grape vines. There are strong policies to protect the valley from erosion on hillsides, so vineyard owners aren’t allowed to plant on a certain degree of slope. There are many regulations that affect the land itself; and the cost will go up from there when we start to add in the labor prices, materials and so on.
What I do not hear a lot of is complaints about the cost of wine from other countries. Just recently, I was reading Wine Spectator and learning about hot new releases. The following caught my eye.
Gems from “Down Under”
The holidays have passed — hopefully filled with good times, family and friends that warmed the season. Presents are unwrapped, put away; and, if you have young children, they could even be broken by now! With the season passed, what would be really good is to find great drinking wine that doesn’t cost a lot.
Well, here are a couple of Australian go-to wines from Mollydooker that are in wide distribution and – in my estimation – deliver a great bang for the buck. I have been drinking Mollydooker wines since the very first vintage in 2007. One is a Shiraz (called Syrah in the US, but it’s the same grape) and the other a Cabernet. These descriptors and ratings are from Wine Spectator.