Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/391696
56 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 { cover story } Until wine number ten. I wrote: Beautiful rich aroma. . . not fruity exactly, more complex than that. A page out of Burgundy. Pure and fresh—like rain. Yet also just the merest hint of creaminess. Elegant and integrated with a vividness to the flavor that's captivating. There was no waiting until the end to find out what this was. I ripped off the paper bag that had been blinding the wine: a 2012 Domaine Anderson Chardonnay. I'd never tasted it (or even heard about it) before. And in fact, it's just come onto the market. Here is its story. the big gamble Domaine Anderson is the American still wine estate of Louis Roederer Champagne. It's sister—sparkling wine house Roederer Estate—produces what is considered by many sommeliers to be one of the top sparkling wines in the U.S. Indeed, after learning of this connection, I wasn't so surprised, for the Domaine Anderson Chardonnay had the kind of finesse that Roederer Estate's prestige cuvée, L'Ermitage, possesses. The winery makes not only a Chardonnay but also a light-bodied Pinot Noir that's all earth, tea and cola—as far away from a fruit bomb Pinot as you could get. For both of these wines, Burgundian winemaker Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac is a consultant (more on which in a moment). But for as much as I've admired Roederer Estate over the years, sparkling wine in Anderson Valley is one thing. Still wine (Seysses not - withstanding) is quite another. I, for one, am not sure Anderson Valley ever really stepped out onto the court. To be sure, some good still wines have come from the appellation (and who could ever forget the early Navarro Rieslings and Gewürztraminers?). But when I think about great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the first appellation that comes to mind is not Anderson Valley. It has always seemed to me like a place on the verge. But it's been on that verge for 25 years. I remember in 1981 when Jean Claude Rouzaud, Chairman of Louis Roederer, announced he had chosen Anderson Valley in Mendocino County as the location for its new California out - post, Roederer Estate. The decision was, if nothing else, a huge risk. But on the sparkling score, Rouzaud had been prescient. Domaine Anderson, it seems, is Roederer's next big gamble. The 2012 Domaine Anderson Chardonnay. PHOTO: PETER JEZIORO PHOTO: MARCELL PUZSAR Domaine Anderson Dach Vineyard Pinot Noir.