[We’ll be running our contributors’ picks for the best wine performances for 2009 on a dialy basis through the end of the year, so stay tuned. Michael Franz]
At this time of year, I ask myself if the hesitation to select a wine and winemaker of the year is just me being indecisive or, because there are so many good wines and talented winemakers, that to pick just one ignores many others. Hoping to avoid more waffling, I decided to go with two California winemakers who impressed me with their expressive talent, resiliency, passion and consistent high quality of their wines.
Veteran winemaker George Bursick has an admirable track record that spans 30 years, with his best-known 21-year stint at Ferrari-Carano in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley. Bursick is a happy guy with an effusive
personality that boils over into his winemaking. Vintage after vintage, with a lot of Don Carano’s money behind him, Bursick turned out very good to excellent wines; in my opinion, better red than white, although the Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc was a trend setter under Bursick. His wines were often criticized for being laden with too much oak, but once they settled down and took on a little bottle age, the oak backed down and the fruit came up in balance.
Since the summer of 1996, George Bursick has been with J Vineyards & Winery, in Windsor, playing with such varied wines as Pinot Gris and Pinotage (tasting room only), both from Russian River Valley fruit. When was the last time you tasted a California Pinotage? More important, he has come very close to mastering the art of making Pinot Noir — no easy task as any pinot producer will tell you. In the market now is a quartet of J Vineyards Pinot Noirs: one carrying a Sonoma Coast appellation and three from Russian River Valley. I like them all, but the wine that says Pinot Noir to me more than any is the J Vineyards 2007 Russian River Valley Nicole’s Vineyard, $65, a silky stunner with ripe juicy fruit, excellent balance, nicely integrated refined tannins and great length and structure. Though still in its early stages of development the Nicole’s Pinot is seamless, complete and nicely integrated. It ain’t cheap, but it is very good!
Across the Mayacamas Mountains in Rutherford, Napa Valley, Michael Scholz is once again at the helm of St. Supery Vineyards & Winery. Scholz, an Australian who came to California in 1996 from South 
Australia’s Barossa Valley, made his chops at St. Supery in the ‘90s with an excellent Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc; an ironic accomplishment for him since Barossa is known more for big red wines than white wines. No worries. Scholz, the sixth generation to grow up on his family’s vineyard in the Barossa soon added a string of impressive Cabernet Sauvignons to his portfolio, all from Rutherford grapes or from St. Supery’s Dollarhide Ranch in Pope Valley.
From 2001 to 2009, Scholz was winemaker for Wattle Creek in Sonoma County’s upper Alexander Valley. Then in June of this year, the lure of Napa and the opportunity to work again with vineyards he knew well, drew Scholz back to St. Supery where he launched into readying an impressive line of Cabernet Sauvignons and a Merlot for bottling, while fashioning a juicy 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. At a recent tasting of the new releases from St. Supery, the Scholz touch of vibrant fruit-oriented wines was evident, most notably with the Sauvignon Blanc. In style, Scholz’s zesty Sauvignon is more Southern Hemisphere than Northern Hemisphere, with fresh tropical fruit and lime juice flavors, no oak, crisp acidity and a long mouth-watering finish. This is a refreshing juicy wine intended for early drinking. Look for the 2009 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc, $20, in early 2010.
It’s my pleasure this year to recommend George Bursick, the Brett Favre of winemakers, give him some grapes and he’ll make excellent wine anywhere; and Michael Scholz, a transplanted Australian who has decided, to our good fortune, to practice his craft in California.
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