Monday, February 28, 2011
Les Alps de Mendocino
We didn’t need to travel far from home last week to experience this beautiful sight in our little town of Hopland. It looked like Eiger Mountain in the Bernese Alps.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Blanc De Blancs Review From Unfiltered, Unfined Blog
Last week several wine writers stopped by the facility in Hopland as part of a Mendocino Wine Country tour. The following is an excerpt from Ben Weinberg's blog UnfilteredUnfined.com who had some great things to say about the less traveled wine region of Mendocino County...
Weinberg’s Wine Notes #142 - Wine On The Road in Mendocino County
'After visiting wineries in California’s Lodi, Amador County and Sierra Foothills appellations. I continued on my north-of-Napa journey all the way to Mendocino County. Mendo is full of laid-back farmers, an impressive green movement, and a whole lot of wine grapes. This time I was the guest of the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission, and after we toured a bunch of wineries I ended up at the Alsace Festival in Boonville.'
'Just as with my prior visits in Lodi, et al, many of the local wineries in Mendo make less than 2,500 cases of wine across all of their varietals, and not all or even most are nationally distributed. But these regions have been treated with such meticulous care that it’s hard not to appreciate what many of these pioneers are doing. If your local wine store doesn’t carry a particular bottle, rest assured that all should be available on each winery’s individual website.'
'...and finally ended up at Terra Savia, another of Mendocino’s organic wineries (they also make olive oil). There I got to try the best sparkling wine of the tour, a Blanc de Blancs that was all about yellow apples, passion fruit and white peach, with a fine bead and a long finish.
We'd like to thank Mr Weinberg for taking the time to stop by and write about us and our wonderful region of Northern California.
Check out UnfilteredUnfined.com
Weinberg’s Wine Notes #142 - Wine On The Road in Mendocino County
'After visiting wineries in California’s Lodi, Amador County and Sierra Foothills appellations. I continued on my north-of-Napa journey all the way to Mendocino County. Mendo is full of laid-back farmers, an impressive green movement, and a whole lot of wine grapes. This time I was the guest of the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission, and after we toured a bunch of wineries I ended up at the Alsace Festival in Boonville.''Just as with my prior visits in Lodi, et al, many of the local wineries in Mendo make less than 2,500 cases of wine across all of their varietals, and not all or even most are nationally distributed. But these regions have been treated with such meticulous care that it’s hard not to appreciate what many of these pioneers are doing. If your local wine store doesn’t carry a particular bottle, rest assured that all should be available on each winery’s individual website.'
'...and finally ended up at Terra Savia, another of Mendocino’s organic wineries (they also make olive oil). There I got to try the best sparkling wine of the tour, a Blanc de Blancs that was all about yellow apples, passion fruit and white peach, with a fine bead and a long finish.
We'd like to thank Mr Weinberg for taking the time to stop by and write about us and our wonderful region of Northern California.
Check out UnfilteredUnfined.com
Monday, February 21, 2011
Huffington Post Article On Hopland Wineries
The Huffington Post recently did an article on the wineries in the Hopland / Sanel Valley region which we were fortunate enough to be part of. Here are a couple excerpts...
"Less than two hours north of San Francisco is a tiny town called Hopland. As its name suggests, decades ago it was a bustling community of beer makers, but those glory days have passed and Hopland disappeared into oblivion. But with the rise of organic wines and biodynamic farming, Hopland once again is on the radar for foodies and wine connoisseurs.
The area surrounding Hopland is known as Sanel Valley (pending AVA designation) and is ready for its début on the international winemaking scene. The region is a mere speck compared to other wine regions -- about six miles long and two miles wide -- but when it comes to biodynamic and organic winemaking, this valley is a giant. Within this relatively small plot of land, there are 11 organic and biodynamic wineries."
"Terra Sávia organic wines are made exclusively from their estate, Sanel Valley Vineyards, and they produce only 4,000 cases seasonally. Jim Milone shares his views on organic winemaking, "Producing organic wines is better for the small piece of the planet that we get to take care of. Well-made wine in general is a pretty natural and healthy beverage. I have been making wine commercially for 34 years now. I have always tried to do as little as possible to the wine, making it as natural as possible. This is why attention to the vineyard is so critical. Great grapes make great wines with very little intervention from the winemaker. As I learned years ago in the study of ecosystems: All things are connected." Jim's focus has been on Bordeaux Varietals but he is creating some delicious Sparkling Wine and Chardonnay as well."
Read the whole article
"Less than two hours north of San Francisco is a tiny town called Hopland. As its name suggests, decades ago it was a bustling community of beer makers, but those glory days have passed and Hopland disappeared into oblivion. But with the rise of organic wines and biodynamic farming, Hopland once again is on the radar for foodies and wine connoisseurs.
The area surrounding Hopland is known as Sanel Valley (pending AVA designation) and is ready for its début on the international winemaking scene. The region is a mere speck compared to other wine regions -- about six miles long and two miles wide -- but when it comes to biodynamic and organic winemaking, this valley is a giant. Within this relatively small plot of land, there are 11 organic and biodynamic wineries."
"Terra Sávia organic wines are made exclusively from their estate, Sanel Valley Vineyards, and they produce only 4,000 cases seasonally. Jim Milone shares his views on organic winemaking, "Producing organic wines is better for the small piece of the planet that we get to take care of. Well-made wine in general is a pretty natural and healthy beverage. I have been making wine commercially for 34 years now. I have always tried to do as little as possible to the wine, making it as natural as possible. This is why attention to the vineyard is so critical. Great grapes make great wines with very little intervention from the winemaker. As I learned years ago in the study of ecosystems: All things are connected." Jim's focus has been on Bordeaux Varietals but he is creating some delicious Sparkling Wine and Chardonnay as well."
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| Looking down on the Terra Savia Vineyard and Hopland in the Sanel Valley, Mendocino Co, Calif. |
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Just Released: Terra Savia 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon – Estate Grown – Sanel Valley Vineyards, Hopland, CA
As is our custom, these grapes were hand harvested at dawn on the morning of October 23rd 2008. After a very short ride to the crusher they were destemmed and gently crushed into a fermentation tank. The fermentation took place in about two weeks at temperatures averaging in the mid 60s. This is unusually cool for our fermentations but resulted in a wine with great finesse and classic varietal nuances.
After pressing the wine moved to the cellar for aging. I like to use all French oak but will use different levels of toast and neutrality. The goal is to add subtle complexity without over doing the oak. I really detest being able to identify the barrel in a good glass of wine. The wine remained in oak for approximately 18 months prior to bottling.
The resulting finished product is well balanced and classy. Not a big grabs you by the tongue and assaults your mouth kind of wine. That’s not our style. Our vineyard lends itself to a more elegant style that will do well with age. The tannins are there, but they are soft and add the proper dimension to the wine.
I think this 2008 vintage of our Cabernet Sauvignon is one of our finest and is an indication of the great things to come.
Don’t Drink It Too Soon…………………….
Jim Milone
Winemaker
As is our custom, these grapes were hand harvested at dawn on the morning of October 23rd 2008. After a very short ride to the crusher they were destemmed and gently crushed into a fermentation tank. The fermentation took place in about two weeks at temperatures averaging in the mid 60s. This is unusually cool for our fermentations but resulted in a wine with great finesse and classic varietal nuances.
After pressing the wine moved to the cellar for aging. I like to use all French oak but will use different levels of toast and neutrality. The goal is to add subtle complexity without over doing the oak. I really detest being able to identify the barrel in a good glass of wine. The wine remained in oak for approximately 18 months prior to bottling.
The resulting finished product is well balanced and classy. Not a big grabs you by the tongue and assaults your mouth kind of wine. That’s not our style. Our vineyard lends itself to a more elegant style that will do well with age. The tannins are there, but they are soft and add the proper dimension to the wine.
I think this 2008 vintage of our Cabernet Sauvignon is one of our finest and is an indication of the great things to come.
Don’t Drink It Too Soon…………………….
Jim Milone
Winemaker
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Just Released: Terra Savia 2007 Blanc de Blancs
Our sparkling wine program started with a common passion for drinking fine bubbly. When ask by one of our partners if we could make sparkling wine, I replied, “yes, we are allowed”. My next thought was “other than to have some to drink, why would we want to get involved in such an elaborate production”. This
is not the most profitable niche in the wine industry. If you have an understanding of how “Methode Champenoise” sparklers are made, (fermented twice, aged extensively, expensive packaging etc.) then you would understand the passion needed to embark on this adventure. Well……… we seem to have it.
We decided to be very idealistic and make the kind of sparkling wine we like to drink……dry, crisp, and citrusy. We also decided to make just enough for us and maybe some of our best customers.
Our Blanc De Blancs is made exclusively from our estate grown certified organic chardonnay. We harvest early while the grapes yield juice reminiscent of lemon meringue pie. The resulting cuvee are crisp and clean with lemon zest aromatics. Once bottled and fermented in the bottle we allow the wine to stay on the yeast
for a minimum of 30 months. The goal here is to add a subtle yeasty quality similar to the smell of fresh baked bread. These wines will age well into the next decade and they reveal more of their lemon meringue origins.
Vintage to vintage there is very little variation in our Blanc De Blancs thus far. We are very happy with our results and will continue with this passion driven project for many vintages to come. We are making a blush as well to be release soon so stay tuned.
Don’t Wait to Celebrate………….
Jim Milone
Winemaker
is not the most profitable niche in the wine industry. If you have an understanding of how “Methode Champenoise” sparklers are made, (fermented twice, aged extensively, expensive packaging etc.) then you would understand the passion needed to embark on this adventure. Well……… we seem to have it.
We decided to be very idealistic and make the kind of sparkling wine we like to drink……dry, crisp, and citrusy. We also decided to make just enough for us and maybe some of our best customers.
Our Blanc De Blancs is made exclusively from our estate grown certified organic chardonnay. We harvest early while the grapes yield juice reminiscent of lemon meringue pie. The resulting cuvee are crisp and clean with lemon zest aromatics. Once bottled and fermented in the bottle we allow the wine to stay on the yeast
for a minimum of 30 months. The goal here is to add a subtle yeasty quality similar to the smell of fresh baked bread. These wines will age well into the next decade and they reveal more of their lemon meringue origins.
Vintage to vintage there is very little variation in our Blanc De Blancs thus far. We are very happy with our results and will continue with this passion driven project for many vintages to come. We are making a blush as well to be release soon so stay tuned.
Don’t Wait to Celebrate………….
Jim Milone
Winemaker
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