It was an interesting sight.
There were 100 bottles of wine lined up on my kitchen counter with only a sip or two missing from each. That is, with the exception of one empty bottle.
While researching my upcoming book, The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide, I regularly tasted dozens of bottles at a time to determine which ones would make the cut. After giving thumbs up or down to the whole lot, I’d invite friends and neighbors over to sip and share their thoughts with me. (Needless to say, I’m quite popular in the neighborhood.)
One Saturday evening several months ago, after shooing everyone out the door, I glanced at the countertop and noticed the lone empty bottle. It didn’t surprise me since that particular wine had received my highest score. I was obviously not alone in my assessment of the drained-dry bottle. The 2003 C.G. Di Arie, “Southern Exposure” Zinfandel from California’s Shenandoah Valley was a standout.
Not recognizing the producer (fairly unusual for someone who tastes as much as I do), I knew I’d have to make a journey to the Sierra Foothills to find the birthplace of this wine.
The Thrill of the Hunt
The Shenandoah Valley is a two-hour drive from my home in Sonoma County. Not overwhelming, but long enough to keep me from making regular trips to this hotbed of Zinfandel production. Big mistake. Exciting things are happening in the historic wine region on the fringes of Sacramento, California’s suburban sprawl.
Straddling both Amador and El Dorado counties, the Shenandoah Valley’s rolling hills are an ideal spot for growing hearty varieties such as Zinfandel, Syrah, Sangiovese and Barbera. Very warm days coupled with cooler nights from the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range give the grapes their one-two punch of ultra-ripe fruit flavors and bright acidity.
C.G. Di Arie is located down a rugged country road on the outskirts of the weather-worn, former gold-mining town of Plymouth. With the Wild West scenery around me, I was sure I’d be visiting a likeness of the Ponderosa Ranch. As I drove up to a stunning, Tuscan-inspired property perched on a hill with sweeping views of the vineyard-covered hillsides below, I thought maybe I’d made a wrong turn and was back in Napa. Out stepped a casually-dressed man in cowboy hat and boots, however, and I knew I was in the right spot.
Owner and winemaker Chaim Gur-Arieh has one of the most interesting backgrounds of anyone I’ve met who made the jump from another career into the wine world. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Chaim moved to Israel in 1949 and received his degree in chemical engineering from the Israel Institute of Technology. He then moved to the United States and earned a Ph.D. in food science from the University of Illinois. Putting all that education to good use, he worked in the corporate world at places such as Quaker Oats and Del Monte, where he developed familiar products like Cap’n Crunch and puddings-in-a-cup.
When Chaim met me at the winery, energy radiated from his smile and his step. I could tell this was a man who made things happen. He ushered me a few hundred feet from the winery to the house where I was greeted by an elegant Elisheva Gur-Arieh, Chaim’s wife.
A former ballerina for the Oakland Ballet, whose creative energies had been channeled into art, her work lines the walls of their eclectic home and winery. As we chatted over bottles of wine, cheese, salad and home-grown olives, I was captivated by this couple, who were married in 1974 and still seemed as enchanted with one another as they were, I’m sure, when they tied the knot.
Elisheva began to tell me about the couple’s decision to have Chaim leave the corporate world in the mid-1970s and together they founded two companies in food and flavor development. Working on products such as wine coolers and Power Bars, they ultimately built their California Brands Flavors into a company known for the identification and formulation of over 5,000 unique flavors used in the food world.
It seems only natural that the artist and flavor stylist combined their skills to create wine.
The Art of Wine
The wine bug hit Elisheva first, and decades ago she became the duo’s original collector. She got her husband into wine and their love affair with the grape developed.
I wondered why this obviously well-traveled, worldly couple decided to settle in the remote foothill region instead of trendy Napa. “We were visiting our friends who own the nearby Vino Noceto winery and decided we loved the area. When we came upon our property the angels came down, the sky opened up and the choir started singing!” Elisheva joked.
But these are not multi-millionaires who let other people do the work so they can “live” the wine country lifestyle. In 2000, they purchased more than 200 acres and lived in a small trailer on the property for nearly two years as Elisheva designed the winery and home. Chaim complemented his years of science and flavor training with winemaking courses at the University of California at Davis.
Over the past several years, Chaim has also created new winemaking techniques such as a proprietary way to submerge the cap (the hard mass of grape skins that form on top of fermenting tanks of red wine) to give gentle extraction of color and flavor. Chaim’s focus on unique ways of achieving flavor nuances allows him to craft wines with depth and elegance. “I don’t like oak to dominate; jammy flavors or harsh tannins and high alcohol to mar the balance,’ he said. With a focus on the regional specialty, Zinfandel, Chaim and Elisheva also are excited about the additions of Syrah and Italian-style varieties such as Barbera to their portfolio.
Boutique producers such as C.G. Di Arie often find a wine club is an effective way to market their wines, but Chaim and Elisheva see their successful club as a vehicle to push the envelope. “Our members are dedicated wine lovers. By offering small lots of experimental wines such as Touriga, Tempranillo and Cabernet Franc, we take them on a journey,” he said.
As the lunch was nearing an end, I inquired about the winery name and stylish, antique-looking labels, which Elisheva designed. Both chimed in unison and with obvious pride, to share the story behind C.G. Di Arie. The C is for Chaim and the G, homage to their last name. Chaim’s father was Leon and Gur-Arieh means lion’s cub in Hebrew, so the lions depicted on the label represent Chaim and Elisheva facing east (dawn) and west (sunset). It is symbolic of their past and future.
In my opinion, they have an exiting future in store.
The Wines:
C. G. Di Arie Shenandoah Valley (California), Zinfandel “Southern Exposure” 2003 ($30): A stunner. Fruit for this concentrated, intense Zin comes from vines in the nearby Grand Pere vineyard that are over 100 years old. Dark berry fruit flavors are accented by aromas of brown spices and bittersweet chocolate. Small amounts of Petite Sirah, Malbec and Alicante add complexity to the wine, which sports balanced alcohol levels and a staggeringly long finish. 94
C. G. Di Arie Shenandoah Valley (California), Zinfandel “Southern Exposure” 2004 ($30): This wine won’t be released until June 2006 so it’s slightly closed right now, but the same elegance that is apparent in the 2003 is evident here. 93
C. G. Di Arie Sierra Foothills (California), Syrah 2003 ($30): I was surprised by the Old World, earthy character of this obviously New World Syrah. Yes, it’s packed with blackberry, plum fruitiness but layer that with peppercorn, dried cherry and meaty notes and this is a Syrah to savor. 92
Di Arie Amador County (California), Zinfandel 2004 ($25): Named simply Di Arie, these wines were crafted by Chaim for more causal, immediate drinking. Rounded out with a dollop of Cabernet and Petite Sirah, this rich, lush Zin is like popping a chocolate-covered cherry into your mouth. 89
Di Arie Amador County (California), Barbera 2004 ($18): The best California Barbera I’ve tasted. As the most widely-planted red grape in Italy’s Piedmont region, it’s rare to find good domestic versions, but this one has the telltale licorice aromas, red berry fruit notes and bright acid. If you’re having spicy sausage pizza or grilled meats, it’s an ideal match. 90
Di Arie Sierra Foothills (California), Rosé di Arie 2005 ($12): As a fan of dry Rosé, I’m always on the hunt for the pinnacle of pink power. Made from a mélange of free-run juice from mostly Zinfandel with Syrah and Petite Sirah, this winning pink is a fruit bowl of flavor with strawberry and tangerine freshness peppered by underlying spice notes. You’ll sip it all spring and summer long. 89