The Tasting Panel magazine

30 / the tasting panel / june 2009 A Wine for Every Taste "We've got a lot of bases covered," remarks Director of Marketing and Sales Paul Young, showing us a selection from the Valley of the Moon portfolio. The winery's very popular Sonoma County Pinot Blanc comes from vine- yards in southern Sonoma and the Russian River Valley. "When we fi rst planted, this was our dark horse va- rietal," remarks Young, "but it's done very well for us. We actually have more of a reputation for our Pinot Blanc than for our Chardonnay." Val- ley of the Moon now crushes about 60 percent of all Sonoma County Pinot Blanc. Winter has begun to incorporate some acacia wood in the barrel-fer- mentation and aging regime for the Pinot Blanc—a technique used in the Loire to enhance aromatic whites. "Acacia wood really lifts the fl oral quality of the wine without adding a lot of woodiness," Winter explains. A tiny amount of residual sugar— around 0.5 percent—makes the Pinot Blanc an ideal aperitif wine. Chardonnay is made in two con- trasting versions. The crisp, racy Russian River Valley Unoaked Char- donnay is an outstanding food wine, while the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay shows clean, defi ned fruit rounded by deft use of wood. Each wine is made with a strain of yeast suited to its particular character. "The Uno- aked Chard was driven by requests from the fi eld," notes Young, "more from on-premise than from specialty wine shops. Most folks are exposed to unoaked Chardonnays fi rst in res- taurant settings, and then they look for them at retail." The 42 planted acres on the 60- acre estate provide about half the winery's needs; they're devoted not only to Zinfandel but also to several other reds, including Petite Sirah, Italian grapes Sangiovese and Bar- bera—both available as true-to-type single-varietal releases—as well as Portuguese variety Souzão for the winery's port program. Fruit for Valley of the Moon's soft, mouth-fi lling Pinot Noir comes from cool-climate Carneros to the south. The statuesque Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from further north and includes both mountain and valley fruit. The winery's elegant Bordeaux- style blend, the top-of-the-line Cuvée de la Luna, is created from fruit from Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma Valley and the Dry Creek and Alexander Val- leys, providing a composite overview of Sonoma's best viticultural areas. With what Greg Winter calls "an upwardly mobile wine program" of attractive, imminently drinkable releases fairly priced between $14 and $35 retail, Valley of the Moon is poised for another century and a half of rising success. A Moon of Platinum When Marketing Director Paul Young and his team were examining ideas for a unique label design for Valley of the Moon, the way forward seemed self-evident: "Let's work with the moon." After seeing ideas from some local designers, Young was approached by an enthusiastic young Italian from Ber- gamo, Cosimo Mendes. The artist conceptualized a shimmering motif based on a Brahmin image of the moon in all its phases. The complex screening and etching process involves fi ring the moon design onto the bottle in liquid platinum at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. Like other wines in the portfolio, Valley of the Moon's Cuvée de la Luna sports Italian-designed packaging with an etched and fi red platinum moon motif. Winemaker Greg Winter outside the barrel room. Director of Marketing and Sales Paul Young shows off the Valley of the Moon Rosato di Sangiovese in the tasting room. The stone walls were built in the 1880s.

• Cover
• TP0609_2