The Tasting Panel magazine

December 2015

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1 14  /  the tasting panel  /  december 2015 T he green '71 Ford parked at the Jimtown Store in Healdsburg may as well be Tom Gore's calling card. Gore, a native son of Sonoma, made his career choices early in life. He's had his hands on every harvest in Sonoma County since the tender age of seven, and it was from about that time he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and be a grape grower. Like many master growers, Gore has recently become a vintner in his own right and now has the second vintage of the Tom Gore Vineyards label to his credit. As we head out to the vineyard site where Tom and his wife Erin had their first date, it was easy to understand why he feels such a deep connection to the spot. Having been in that particular vine- yard just once before, it seemed to draw me back with the gentle rise of the land and the old oak trees left carefully in place as a sign of respect for their beauty. Gore's aging Yellow Lab, Moose, makes a beeline for the pond where the water level is several feet lower than normal. "I've come full circle," he said. "I drive to work on the same roads that I grew up on." The pond ripples as the dog ploughs in after a hefty branch that Gore has pitched into the center. Long-time friend and winemaker Maureen Martin collaborates with Gore on three wines—a Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Field Blend—all of which are sourced from vineyards he oversees across the valley and on the Central Coast. "The project is very much a labor of love and the wine styles are driven by the vineyard," said Gore who debuted his current releases at a pre- harvest celebration in September. Sixty percent of the fruit for Gore's 2013 Chardonnay ($15) hails from the North Coast and River Oaks vineyard in Alexander Valley and spends time in neutral oak. "There are 13 different Chardonnay clones in that vineyard," said Gore. "The remaining 40 percent of fruit comes from cool coastal site in Monterey and it only sees stainless steel." In addition to farming the vines, Gore is involved in the blending and determining the finished wine styles, and he's crafted a wine with fresh green pineapple and secondary notes of vanilla and hazelnut that he personally enjoys drinking. "2013 was a fruit-forward vintage that afforded picking decisions timed for optimal maturity for the reds," said Gore as we delve in to the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon which has earthy red and blue fruit, notes of rich pastry and more tannin than you might expect from a $15 wine. In this case, one that over-delivers in quality for the value. But it's Gore's 2013 Reserve Field Blend ($40) of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Tempranillo and a small percent- age of Carignan that spends 20 months in new French oak and is made with the intention to age. "We used more Tempranillo in 2013 and found that the blend was better with the Carignan." Gore describes it as "a farmer's wine," but with dark spice, generous tannins and focused flavors, it's anything but rustic. With the 2015 harvest disappearing in the rearview mirror and the vineyards glowing bright gold in the morning light of Indian summer, there was a sense of satisfaction in the air as we wrapped up our tasting. While there's little that can be done to rush nature, the wines made by this master grape grower don't feel rushed to market because Tom Gore himself isn't going anywhere in a rush. He's exactly where he supposed to be. by Deborah Parker Wong / photos by Dennis and Jaime Viera Gore describes his dark-fruited Field Blend as "a farmer's wine" although it's anything but rustic.

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