Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/391696
114 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 { winemaker profile } "MULTIFACETED" JUST BEGINS TO DESCRIBE GARNET WINEMAKER Alison Crowe, who can add book author and award-winning blogger for "Girl and the Grape," this year's best new wine blog (see page 18), among her many talents. During the calm before the whirlwind of harvest, Crowe sat down to break bread, and a few barriers, with a group of sommeliers from around the Bay Area. The discussion, over several courses at downtown Napa's Fish Story—the first keg customer for her Monterey Pinot Noir—ranged from down - right technical to very down-to-earth. Crowe's winemaking history includes working with some of California's more distinctive terroirs—the Chalone AVA for one—and under the tutelage of several iconic winemakers, most notably Bonny Doon proprietor Randall Grahm. Grahm's non-interventionist counsel—"Winemaker, step away from the barrel"—has become somewhat of a personal mandate for Crowe, who recollects that sage advice as having a considerable influence on her wine - making both then and now. The Somms Speak Over a glass of Garnet 2012 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (SRP $19.99), some of which found its way into a gelée for the ahi tartare, Crowe and her husband, photographer and wine educator Chris Purdy, are eager to hear what's happening with consumer preferences in restaurants where the beverage gurus don't miss a beat. Wine Director Gordana Josovic offers some insight on the demand for Pinot Noir at Epic Roasthouse, a steamship-inspired steak house on San Francisco's waterfront: "For the first time, we're seeing sales of Pinot Noir surpass those of Cabernet Sauvignon. We're pouring three or four Pinots by the glass and, in addition to California wines, customers are now asking us for produc - ers from Oregon and New Zealand." Just a few doors down from Fish Story at Morimoto Napa, Eduardo A. Dingler, Corporate Beverage Director for Morimoto Restaurants, is seeing more interest in aromatic whites: "Ribolla Gialla is a current by-the-glass favorite, but Chardonnay is still popular." Sommelier Ashley Broshious, formerly a manager at Angèle in Napa and now working under Jeff Creamer at Brix, sees generational differences steering wine preferences. "In spite of interest in imports, younger consumers are gravitating to California wines." Whether that's a factor of comfort with trusted brands or simply wanting to drink sustainably, it's good news for Crowe, whose Garnet wines over-deliver in quality and are competitively priced. As the Crowe Flies GARNET VINEYARDS' ALISON CROWE GOES THE DISTANCE by Deborah Parker Wong / photos by Christine Tomlinson Eduardo A. Dingler, Corporate Beverage Director, Morimoto Restaurants gets a laugh from Gordana Josovic, Wine Director at EPIC Roasthouse, and Ashley Broshious, former manager at Angele Napa. Winemaker Alison Crowe began making Garnet in 2010 but she's worked with the same vineyard sites for the last ten vintages. Corporate Beverage Director for Morimoto Restaurants Eduardo A. Dingler. Garnet 2012 Monterey Pinot Noir (SRP $14.99) is number eleven on Wine Enthusiast's "Top 100 Best Buys" list for 2014 with a score of 92 points.