Sorry for the light blogging the past few days, but I’ve been traveling and tasting and haven’t had much time to sit down with my laptop near a wi-fi signal.
This week took me to a tasting of 30 Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs, hosted by the Russian River Valley Winegrowers at Russian Hill Winery. The agenda was the 2006 vintage, which was a bit unusual in the Russian River because of its duration and crop size.
“We had bud break in early April and didn’t finish the harvest until November 30,” said grower Saralee McClelland Kunde, who added it was the heaviest crop load she had seen in her 30-plus years as a grape grower.
I was generally impressed with the quality of the 30 wines presented, but was most intrigued by the diversity in style.
Winemaker Oded Shakked of Longboard Vineyards (he actually gained his fame as the longtime winemaker at J Vineyards & Winery before striking out on his own) addressed this in the discussion following one of the flights.
“Ten or 12 years ago I would have said it was easy to define the Russian River style of Pinot Noir,” he said. “Not so easy today.”
The Russian River was once known for its rich, more darkly fruited Pinots, a flavor profile Shakked characterized as blueberry/blackberry. In comparison tastings with, say, Carneros Pinots, the Russian River Pinots stood out starkly against the more red-fruited cherry/strawberry Pinots of Carneros.
Several developments come into play to explain this evolution of Russian River style. More vineyards have been planted in more varying soils and microclimates. Different clones (the Dijon clone being the dominant new one) have come into play. And viticulture and winemaking have evolved as more winemakers have pushed the envelope to explore other possible interpretations of the classic Russian River Pinot.
So the tasting of the 2006 vintage proved illuminating as it unfolded, with beautifully scented, red-fruited, spicy Pinots taking the stage alongside more traditional dark, rich expressions of the same grape. Delicious wines that were lighter in body but more fragrant alongside weightier wines that were more traditional for the area, with massive layers of fruit and power.
I think this is a good thing. In fact, I am sure of it.
PHOTO: Oded Shakked of Longboard Vineyards, Mike Sullivan of Benovia Winery, Saralee McClelland Kunde of Saralee’s Vineyard, and Ellen Mack of Russian Hill Estate Winery address the media at a tasting of 2006 vintage Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs.
8