Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/913027
{ SOMMjournal.com } 107 A Few Tasting Notes Domaine de la Vougeraie 2014 Savigny- Lès-Beaune Blanc: While the winery was only founded by the Boisset family in 1999, some of its vineyards date back to the 11th century in Vougeot. "There's always a nice diesel quality to this wine," noted Boisset Collection's Vice President of Sales Ken Hoernlein. Add to that aromas of toasted almond, baked apple, cardamom, and sesame seeds with a zesty texture in the mouth, with notes of baked biscuits and a lemon drop intensity on the finish. DeLoach Vineyards 2014 Stubbs Vineyard Chardonnay: This o r g a n i c a l l y - f a r m e d vineyard is situated in Marin County, one of the coldest regions in the area. The wine expressed tropical fruit with biscuit and pear notes, as well as great acid. Maloney pointed out that "even though we see high sugars, and really expressive wines, we do have this natural acidity. That's why we feel this area makes some of the best Chardonnays in the world." DeLoach Vineyards 2014 Green Valley Pinot Noir: Sourced from vineyards in the cooler Green Valley sub-AVA, includ- ing Ferguson, where many of the somms experienced their first harvest. An alluring, elegant wine with plummy, herbal aromat- ics and a core of deep blue fruit, Darjeeling tea, and exotic spice structure par tially from whole cluster, which adds excellent texture and structure. DeLoach Vineyards 2014 Maboroshi Vineyard Pinot Noir: Deep black fruit with refined masculine structure and subtle hints of white peppercorn, orange peel, cranberry, and cardamom. "The 2014 feels like that baby bear [in the Goldilocks story]," said Fred Ghiassi, General Manager for Terra Restaurant at Eataly L.A. in Century City, after tasting through the 2012 and 2013. "It just has that balance in the middle." DeLoach Vineyards 2013 Pennacchio Vineyard Pinot Noir: A unique flavor profile of persimmon, fig jam, orange marmalade, and resin, with a thin layer of tannins that felt like flour dusted on a baguette. The Trials and Tribulations of the 2017 Vintage The 2017 may be one of the region's most challenging vintages in history. Heavy rains following years of drought raised the Russian River and flooded low-lying areas, increasing overall vegetation. Heat spikes in July were followed by moderate weather in early August, but record-breaking temperatures during Labor Day weekend and the thunderstorms that followed propelled wineries into the thick of harvest. "Things really accelerated after the heat wave," explained Brian Maloney, DeLoach's Director of Winemaking. "It truncated four weeks of work into basically seven days." While most of the fruit was picked during that time, the stress to the vines caused sugars to remain stagnant—and even decrease—for varieties still hanging despite September's high temperatures. While discussing the phenomenon with local wine - makers, Maloney speculated the plants' vascular systems may have been damaged by the heat. "So while there's moisture that's keeping these berries intact, they're not pulling out the sugars that are being developed in the leaves," he theorized. Maloney also added that while the vintage was in a good place "flavor-wise," we would likely see lower-alcohol wines overall. "It's a year where I'm thinking about sugar content and whether I have the alcohol to extract out and give people the body that they're used to," he said. "Stylistically, that's not something I can manipulate." As if the harvest wasn't difficult enough, multiple fast-moving fires broke out across Sonoma and Napa counties just two weeks after we first arrived in Santa Rosa. The Tubbs Fire, which started in the hills east of Santa Rosa, swept west into the city and forced thousands to evacuate their homes in the middle of the night; it eventually took the lives of 22 people and destroyed roughly 5,300 structures. The fires burned uncontrollably for several days due to high winds and in addition to the many neighborhoods and businesses burned, some wineries and vineyards were also affected. The flames nearly reached the building of the historic Buena Vista winery—the oldest operating winery in California and part of the Boisset Collection—but it was saved by the extraordinary efforts of the firefighters. And while DeLoach remained outside the evacuation zone, many employees were forced to vacate their homes. In support of its neighbors who lost so much, Boisset Collection released the 2016 Honoris Cabernet Sauvignon—a joint project between Maloney and fellow winemaker Stephanie Putnam. All of the proceeds from the 3,600 bottles pro - duced will be donated to the Bay Area Firefighters and Families Fund, the Napa Community Foundation, and the Sonoma County Resilience Fund. Most importantly though, we should all be aware that this resilient and beautiful wine country is safe and open for visitors today, so if you've been planning a trip, now, more than ever, is the time. A piece of the Boisset Collection presented to the somms at Russian River somm camp.