Sonoma Part II
There are about a dozen or so appellations (name of an area
-- such as a region or vineyard -- under which a winegrower is
authorized to identify and market wine) in the Sonoma Valley, and
Chalk Hill Estate is one of them. We had taken notice yesterday in the fading light, but
today as we turned east onto Chalk Hill Road, the scenery was even more
obvious: vineyards and vines stretched as far as the eye could see; I am
certain that the sight is even more impressive when the vines are green and
bursting with fruit. A winding and narrow road led us to the imposing
gates of the Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg,
California. The guard at the gate and the drive up the long road and
through a beautiful valley that ended at the tasting room at the top of a
hill were my first indications that this would not be an ordinary tasting.
But then again, I was already aware that Chalk Hill did not
produce ordinary wines.
Our guide for this morning was Estate Tasting Room
Concierge Neal Coats. Neal seemed a veritable youngster for the amount
of knowledge that he possessed; it was clear that he had enjoyed every
minute of his education in viticulture. What impressed me most was
that he smiled constantly as he spoke, alive with the joy of what he had
learned and proud to be a part of the Chalk Hill Winery; never once did I
feel as if Neal were talking down to us -- I am really a rookie when it
comes to wines and wine tasting -- and he answered every question simply but
professionally, with ease and with passion.
Owned by San Francisco antitrust attorney Fred Furth, the
winery is a wonderful example of a family-owned business that truly pays
attention to detail, and a quote from the Chalk Hill website: "Fred's own
preference is 'to be the best, not the biggest' " aptly describes the
results of his efforts. Born in Harvey, Illinois, the
lawyer-viticulturist spotted what was later to become the Chalk Hill Winery when
he flew over the rugged hillside in 1972. Liking what he saw, Furth
purchased 242 of what is now close to 1500 acres of the estate... less than
400 of which will ever be devoted to growing grapes. But the planting methods,
care with which the grapes are grown and attention to detail make the wines
produced there some of the finest that you will ever taste. Broken
into 60 distinct blocks that are all tended laboriously, meticulously and
lovingly by hand, the vineyards have the ability to produce small yet very
distinct batches of wine that express the individual characteristics of a
particular terroir (a French term denoting the geographic characteristics
such as soil type, weather conditions, etc).
We had the opportunity to tour the estate with Neal on that
beautiful California morning. It was easy to see how Mr. Furth had fallen in
love with the land; every turn in the road and every hill and valley
provided different views, different breezes and different inspirations --
certainly different conditions for the different varietals growing there.
On our tour of the estate, Neal proudly called our attention to the peak of the hill that inspired the Chalk
Hill logo. Ponds, pastures and endless open space in peaceful harmonic
coexistence, there was even a large organic garden that supplied fresh and
seasonable vegetables used by Estate Chef Didier Ageorges in preparing unique dining
experiences with a custom menu, designed to be paired with Chalk Hill Estate
wines. I was now looking eagerly forward to tasting a few of those
wines!
Back at the tasting room, Neal opened for us a
buttery 2005 Estate Bottled
Chardonnay 
with a hint of oak (a cool growing season in '05 created the
essences of "ripe stone fruit—apricot, peach and pear—along with tropical
notes of deliciously ripe banana and pineapple" ), a crisp, clean
and spicy 2005 Estate Bottled
Sauvignon Blanc
(much of it aged in French Oak, the flavors were of lush,
tropical fruit and the finish was long and deep), a wonderfully smooth
2003 Merlot that was big on spice and dark fruit, a 2003 Estate bottled
Cabernet Sauvignon with slowly-opening multiple layers of flavor, hints of
chocolate and a touch of tannin and lastly, a superior 2005 Chalk
Hill Chairman's Club Semillon (a botrytised semillon that had the richness
and smooth sweetness of honey -- and from the winemaker's notes on this
wine: "Sipping this wine brings to mind liquid ambrosia"). Neal
literally glowed when he opened and tasted this wine and after tasting it
myself, it was easy to see why...
Our morning was
winding down and it was unfortunately time to leave Chalk Hill. As we
wound our way back down the long drive, a promise was made to return when we
could observe the vineyard in its full glory -- hopefully during harvest.
In the meantime, a world of thanks to Mr. Fred Furth for creating the
opportunity for Chalk Hill to provide its truly excellent wines and also to
Neal Coats for an informative and fun tour and tasting!
We had ample time before our 2:00pm appointment at
Sonoma Cutrer, so we decided to head a bit farther west and along the
Russian River. The scenery – and the geography – was immediately and
noticeably different from the region we had just visited: giant redwood
trees began to appear, along with ferns and other, lush vegetation in
the lower-lying areas. Also entering another appellation, it was becoming clearer to
me as to the reasons for wines from areas separated by as little as a
few miles could have such vastly different characteristics. There are an
amazing number of micro-climates here in Sonoma, and many geographic
areas and soli types as well. The combinations are literally endless –
adding to the complexities of wines produced at each location.
Before leaving Illinois, we had been given a heads-up to make sure to
save some time to check out the source of what has been the exclusive
champagne of the past five presidential inaugurations. It was a tip
well worth heeding! Located approximately 20 minutes west of
Route 101 on River Road near the town of Guerneville, is the home of Korbel Winery –
vintner of excellent
sparkling and still wines. Nestled beneath a trio of behemoth redwoods
and across the street form the Russian River is a tiny little visitor center
that, once upon a time, was a railroad stop for a train carrying cigar
boxes -- made from the excellent local lumber -- back to San Francisco and points east.
The winery itself was started in 1882 and the time-honored French method of
producing champagne, méthode champenoise, has produced champagne known the
world 'round. The story of the Korbel Brothers is rich with history,
and fortune-changing twists and turns; my suggestion would be to visit the
winery, take the tour and hear the interesting story for yourself. I
can tell you however, that we tasted many of the excellent champagnes and
then had a tasty lunch at the deli there. The stop was brief but quite
memorable and I strongly urge you to add it to your list of "must-see"
venues when you visit the Sonoma Valley!
Join
me at Sonoma Cutrer in Sonoma, Part III
