Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1011938
{ SOMMjournal.com } 91 more consistently, whereas Napa is more vintage-dependent." But as Jake Hawkes of Hawkes Wine pointed out, "It's funny how everybody brags about how long their wine is going to age, yet for the most part that's used as a tool to get people to buy the wine and drink it now." Striking a balance between immediate and long-term drinkability, he continued, "is the challenge and the fun" of a newer wine region "where the future is more depen - dent on what's happening now than in, say, Bordeaux, where history can be a strait- jacket." To be fair, it also complicates the already-fraught issue of regional character. "I worked on some of the early Napa AVA applications. We had to prove typicity within the region, so we did tastings, and of course no one agreed on anything," Dame told the group. "How are you going to prove typicity when everyone has a differ - ent opinion?" In other words, it seemed arriving at a general consensus on the region could be more challenging than anticipated. Luckily, we had a chance to regroup before our next seminar over a homecooked bar - beque lunch at Hawkes' Red Winery Vine- yard, where, as an added bonus, Dame held forth on the merits of collecting ageworthy wines for restaurant cellars. Back in Geyserville at Trione, Soltysiak kicked off a colloquium on geology and soil types with an overview of the tecton - ic shifts that led to the region's current geological makeup, which he described as "mostly old seafloor stuff, some of which is excellent to grow in," supple- mented by various volcanic materials. Graywacke sandstone, greenstone, and cher t count among the most advanta- geous bases for Alexander Valley soil, but serpentinite is also common. Building on that ancient history, each panelist offered an illuminating example of what Soltysiak called "the intricacies" of area farming today (reinforced, of course, by the wine samples before us). Veteran Jordan Vineyard & Winery Winemaker Rob Davis discussed the work he's doing with Munselle at the grower's Wasson Ranch to measure soil resistivity, explain - ing that the analyses "reproduce very closely what [he calls] a sensory profile" from vine to vine. This allows Munselle to zero in on the best practices for yielding "what [the winery is] looking for in Cab - ernet: cassis and blackberry flavors that are concentrated without a huge amount of hang time." Trione Winemaker Scot Covington took the floor next to profile the winery's north - ernmost vineyard, Cloverdale Ranch's Block 21. At the three-acre site, overall loaminess gives way toward the river to "gravel streaks you have to manage" through careful irriga- tion, Covington said (Davis then joked that the variability of vineyard drainage here is such that "with half an inch of rain, ducks are floating through some areas"). Rodney Strong Winemaker Greg Morthole also chimed in to describe the "well-drained, cobbly" Clough soils over clay in Alexander's Crown Block 1 that contribute to the "spicy, herbal tones" he derives from Clone 4. Ferrari-Carano Vineyard Operations Manager Todd Clow concluded the program by painting a portrait of Prevail Ranch's Back Forty as "a finicky, fussy, cold place" at an elevation of 1,050–1,200 feet above sea level. With 30- to 50-degree slopes and "marginal" rhyolite and andesite soils—not to mention bald eagles, bull - frogs, and turtles—the property never- theless yields what Executive Winemaker Sarah Quider described as that "blueberry, boysenberry, blackberry-jam characteristic" she strives for. At left, a lunchtime lineup of older vintages illustrated Master Sommelier Fred Dame's discus- sion on the benefits of building a cellar with ageworthiness in mind. At right, Ferrari-Carano's PreVail Ranch Back Forty blend is made from fruit grown 1,050–1,200 feet above sea level. From bobcats to bullfrogs, the biodiversity of Ferrari-Carano's Back Forty site is "part of what makes it so special," Vineyard Operations Manager Todd Clow said. Common components of Alexander Valley soil include greenstone and radiolarian chert.