The Tasting Panel magazine

ROAD TRIP B CELLARS: NEW World Blends THOMAS GEORGE ESTATES: NEW Roots For An Old Winery B Cellars co-founder Duffy Keys, winemaker Kirk Venge and co-founder Jim Borsack at their Calistoga property. "W e are very much New World," says B Cellars co-founder Jim Borsack, as we explore wines made by Kirk Venge, the son of legendary winemaker Nils Venge (of Plumpjack, Groth and Villa Mt. Eden fame). "Kirk has a blending philosophy: The wines are made for chefs. They can pick out the nuances from the various varieties and craft dishes that just meld with the components." Venge has aiders and abetters in winery owners Borsack and Duffy Keys (a former VIP VP of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts), who are able to source grapes from the vineyard rock stars of the Napa Valley, with names like Crane, To-Kalon and Starr. "Kirk cut his teeth on vineyard-designate wines," comments Keys. Venge nods and adds, "I understand the nature of each of the stand-alone vineyards and further the relationship by bringing them together in a blend. Everything we purchase has a reserve quality to it." Not shy to blend across vintages, Venge produces as many as 22 different lots. That's a lot of mixing and matching. He starts with his "hero" vineyard and builds from there. For instance, B Cellars 2008 Syn3rgy (SRP $55) uses Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from three Napa and Oakville properties: Tamber Bay, Traina and Haru Sumars vineyards. The aroma is "eau de barrel"—cedar and antique wood—with a slathering of blackberry jam, tobacco and bacon fat. Dried cherries and an Amarone ghost layers it further. "We're curious guys," notes Borsack, who explains that experimentation is the key to the wine blends at B Cellars. "I have to admit, it is labor intensive. The winemaker's assistant has an assistant who has an assistant . . ." 98 / the tasting panel / january/february 2012 Young guns. Winery President Jeremy Baker with Thomas George's winemaker, the "light- handed" Chris Russi. I n 1973, an old Russian River winery built in the 1920s would be taken over by Sonoma pioneer Davis Bynum. Bynum, in turn, passed the baton when he sold it to father and son Thomas and Jeremy Baker in 2008. Bynum, you may recall, was the first to produce a single-vineyard Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley; still hearty at 89 years old, he spends time, and consults with, the Bakers. Now with 63 acres abounding, 30 of them under vine, the fabulous Bakers have transformed this old working winery into a spectacular, modern working winery. With the estate Baker Vineyard already under their belt, they added two additional vine- yards: Cresta Ridge and Starr Ridge, which they bought from Gary Farrell. A massive restoration is still underway, most notably the underground cellar and caves, where we tasted through current and future releases of their progressive, artisan Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. B Cellars White Blend 23, Napa Valley (SRP $35) combines 47% Chardonnay, 35% Sauvignon Blanc and 18% Viognier making for a weighty, mouth-filling- plus wine. The texture is killer, but this is also a pretty thing, with vanilla caramel, spiced nutmeg and sweet honeydew melon in a flower garden. With a block-by-block approach to farming and winemaking, the small-production wines from Thomas George have rich character. The 2009 Starr Ridge Estate Pinot Noir (SRP $60) is generous in its bounty, its fruit and acidity lifted and showy, with layers of fruit and soil. "2009 is when we found our identity," Jeremy Baker states.

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