California Wine Country

Jake Lachowitzer from Banshee Wines is our guest on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Banshee Wines was last on this show on this episode of June 1, 2022 which featured their winemaker at the time, Alicia Sylvester. Banshee wines stand out because they “…are so good and so reasonably priced…” says Dan Berger. They have broad distribution and are available “everywhere.” They begin tasting their Sauvignon Blanc. SV has become an important grape in Sonoma County, especially because winemakers are making it from places like Chalk Hill and Russian River Valley. This one comes from Dry Creek Valley, Chalk Hill and Russian River Valley AVAs. Dan Berger explains that this variety is capable of holding up against warmer weather later in the year. 2024 will be Jake’s first vintage at Banshee Wines. Their tasting room has moved to Geyserville, from Healdsburg. This wine has good enough acidity that it is made to go with food. Dan likes to serve it with goat cheese. Daedalus suggests gorgonzola with a little bit of honey. Dan suggests to go light on the honey so as not to overpower the wine flavors. He detects some flavors of preserved lemon and  Chamomile tea. Most people don’t age their wines, but the most interesting aspects of wine come out, in whites as well as reds, with a few years in the bottle. Jake Lachowitzer Jake Lachowitzer had a long journey to winemaking. He was born in Fargo, ND and had several careers before this. He first studied Sustainability and Environmental Science at Minnesota State University, then he got a graduate degree in winemaking and moved to Sonoma County. His first job was at Sonoma Cutrer in 2019. Then, he was assistant winemaker at Chalk Hill Estate.  There isn’t much wine made in the midwest, but there are some varieties that are made to withstand the Minnesota winter. Dan Berger says that the farmers have adapted a cold-hearty variety of grapes to their soil types and weather. Next they taste the 2024 Banshee Chardonnay. It is sourced from the Sonoma County Banshee estate. There are flavors of creme brulée, lemon curd, banana and nice barrel spice to finish it. It’s 30% new French oak, 9 months aging. Dan mentions the citrus flavors that characterize Sonoma County Chards. Most restaurants will serve it too cold, and the wine will have different flavors. This is because the health departments require refrigerators to be below 40 degrees and they can’t afford a separate refrigerator that is less cold. Today they are drinking it at about 65 or 66 degrees, which is warm enough for the flavors to express themselves. Next up is a Pinot Noir. Dan Berger says that up to about 20 years ago, it was hard to find the right locations for Pinot Noir. Jake is working with a wide variety of clones and locations. They also taste a 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, which Dan likes because he remembers it was a cool year. This wine has green herbal flavors and beautiful aromatics, structure and herbal notes. The fruit is mostly from Alexander Valley.

Elaine, the owner of Elaine Wines is our guest today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She started her winery after a career as an biotech intellectual property attorney. Dan Berger discovered these wines just by tasting them at an event. He was excited to find a Chardonnay that was not overdone and that smelled and tasted like Chardonnay. It is an older style of making Chardonnay that appeals to people like Dan who remember when that style was prevalent. Elaine Wines is a small winery but has already earned a bunch of awards. This first one for tasting is the 2023 Chardonnay, the youngest one that Elaine brought. All of the Chardonnays are made with fruit from her vineyard. She has three acres with one acre of Chard and two of Pinot Noir. Dan detects a little bit of dried pineapple character and the oak is very subtle. The vineyard is at high elevation and Dan says the wine matches the smell of the vineyard. There are fir trees and oaks nearby which influence the vineyard. Dan also appreciates the good acidity. The vines are 25 feet from their house. Before Elaine moved to California, she was a biotech patent attorney, with a background in molecular and micro-biology. She got an online certificate in winemaking from UC Davis, before she moved from North Carolina. Elaine found a custom crush where she was not obligated to meet a tonnage minimum, which allowed her to start making wine with a small production. She found a community of helpful people in California, who work in wine. That is uniform throughout most wine regions in the world, says Dan Berger. Dan says that Prohibition may have ended in 1933 but it was the 1960s before winemaking woke up in the US, in California mostly. Chardonnays The second Chardonnay they taste came from the same grapes, but the first had newer barrels and the 2022 was made in one single barrel that had been used once before. That is generally considered 50% new. She only made 23 cases of this, because they had a very low yield and she had promised some grapes to another winemaker. This wine won a Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle wine tasting. Dan says that the problem with a lot of Chardonnay today is that it has to be big and rich. This is the other side of the spectrum of types of Chard. A lot of people making Chardonnay are trying to make a wine that they think will sell. Elaine, on the other hand, came into this without that notion at all. She just lets the vineyard do what it can do, and then handle it in a way to bring that out. Don’t serve it too cold, because the flavors won’t come out. What’s more, this wine is a 2022 and it has had enough time to reach full maturity. She likes to do “as little as I can” and treat it gently. Pinot Noir The next tasting is a Pinot Noir that earned 99 points and a Double Gold from the American Fine Wine Competition, and Gold Medals all over the place. Dan says that the judges like it when the dominant flavor is fruit not oak. Dan describes the flavor of beets that is hiding in the wine.

Dan and Kevin Kevin Bersofsky, owner of Montagne Russe wines, is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Harry Duke sitting in for Daedalus Howell today. He has been on CWC before, the last time was this episode of July 19, 2024. Dan Berger begins with a compliment for Kevin’s Pinot Noir. He replies, “Syrah is my spirit animal,” so he has brought some Syrah too. His cellar is 50% Syrah. Most collectors don’t keep as much as Kevin does. Dan explains that Syrah has to be grown in a cold climate, and warmer climates are risky. 2024 was “strange” and 2023 was cold. So the cold years give nicer aromatics. The San Giacomo Family vineyards The Pinot Noir says “Roberts Road” on the label, and Kevin explains. The San Giacomo family owns the vineyard. Kevin gives credit to the San Giacomo family for setting the conditions for making such a great wine. Angelo San Giacomo founded their company in the Carneros region. It wasn’t until about 1988-1990 when they started planting in what became known as the Petaluma Gap. The combination of the soils and the weather have made Petaluma Gap one of the most interesting AVAs in the country. There are volcanic soils on one side, and a mix of clay and loam in other areas. Gap’s Crown falls in the middle layer halfway up the hill, where the sediment has settled in the lower region. Every region of Gap’s Crown can produce different flavors, even just by crossing the street. Dan compares this to Burgundy. Montagne Russe means Russian Mountain literally, and is the French word for roller coaster. He was making 13 barrels of wine in his garage, which his neighbor objected to. He called ATF federal police and he had to destroy 4 barrels and promise to stop making wine at home. So then he and his friends started Montagne Russe. Their first wines got high scores, 93 and 94. About 3 months ago they opened a tasting room in Petaluma and they love it there.

Ken Wilson and Katie Ambrosi from Wilson Artisan Wines are here on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Harry Duke sitting in for the vacationing Daedalus Howell. This is their first time on the show, although some award-winning Wilson wines were mentioned on Dan Berger’s report from the 2023 Harvest Fair competition, on this episde. Dan says that Wilson Artisan Wines is one of the most successful brands in Sonoma County and wine country, with many award winning wines in their portfolio. Their first wins go back to 1991. They produce a lot of different varieties from several leading vineyards. The early ’90s were tough times for the wine industry. They were lucky that the first wine they made, a 1993 or 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon won Best of Class at Harvest Fair a couple of years after that. The business expanded as opportunities opened up, especially during wine market downturns. Most of their fruit comes from northern Sonoma County. The furthest south they go is probably a Bacigaluppi and some from St. Anne’s Crossing and a few others. But it’s mostly northern county and mostly mountain fruit. Mazzocco and Antoine Favera In the early 2000s there was another glut and nobody could sell wine to the East Coast, after 9-11. That’s when Ken had a lot of fruit that the wineries didn’t want that year. That’s when he acquired Mazzocco and that is when Antoine Favera became their winemaker. There are lots of other brands in the Wilson Artisan Wines portfolio, and each one has a view on the Wilson Artisan Wines website. One after another, Ken had the opportunity to acquire various vineyards. Some were in need of restoration but every one produces great wine. Some of them are specialized in one varietal, like Honey Hill is mostly Zinfandel. Ken tells the story of each one that Harry asks about. They also blend brandies. You get one gallon of distillate out of ten gallons of wine. They have been tasting the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon labeled Pocket Highlands. That is the name of their ranch at the top of Mayacama Mountains. It is about 2000 feet altitude. Pocket Highlands Ranch is located east of Asti. Ken loves his mountain vineyards. A picture of the vineyard is used as the Apple computer OS update Sonoma.

Nicola Pellacani of Saintsbury Winery joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country today. Dan Berger explains that Saintsbury has been around for about 40 years with a record of getting better and better all the time and Nico will tell us their story. Saintsbury used to be focussed on Carneros and now have shifted toward Sonoma Coast. Nico has brought their Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, made from their favorite vineyards. They start with the 2023 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Most of it comes from a San Giacomo family vineyard. Dan Berger describes the cool climate influence with a bit of the complexity of Chablis and a light acidity. Saintsbury has been using this vineyard for a long time. Some of the planting was even done for Saintsbury. Where the senses and the mind come together The process of building a blend involves three or four passes. Nicola describes blending as a process where “…senses and mind come together. You have to allow yourself to reach that point.” Nicola started at Saintsbury as an intern in 2018. He worked on his first harvest that year, while was still a student in viticulture and enology at the University of Bologna in Italy. He is now the assistant winemaker A family winery with a family atmosphere Nico grew up in Italy and wine is on the table all the time. Dan Berger is eager to learn from the younger people in the world of wine. People’s palettes have evolved and this continues, just as weather patterns have changed. Nico mentions two mentors at Saintsbury, they are Tim Colla, the head winemaker at Saintsbury, and Jaime, their cellar master who has been there for 20 years. They have lots of conversations and taste lots of blends. They have family style lunch every Friday at Saintsbury. Having come from Italy, Nico is grateful to have a family feeling at Saintsbury. Dan Berger describes the house style of Saintsbury, which has remained consistent for 40 years. Next they taste a pétillant-naturel, which is abbreviated to pét-nat.  It has very small and light bubbles and Dan declares it is delightful. They only made about 150 cases of it. Saintsbury has an event scheduled for November 1, 2025, at the Napa winery at 1500 Los Carneros Ave. It is a celebration of past and present winemakers. It is structured as a market, with local artisans.

Oded Shakked, Longboard Vineyards Oded Shakked from Longboard Vineyards is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. He has been on CWC several times before, the last two times were this episode on September 20, 2024. and a year before that, this episode on November 17, 2023. Oded Shakked’s episodes on California Wine Country have the distinction of holding the N.1 and N.2 positions for the most traffic (streams plus downloads) among all CWC episodes in the last eight years of the podcast. Congratulations to Oded and Longboard Vineyards! Daedalus Howell begins by remembering that his last film premiered at Longboard Vineyards, as part of what is now the True West Film Fest. Oded Shakked remembers that he liked the  has brought several Longboard Vineyards wines. 40 Harvests! This morning, Oded Shakked finished his 40th harvest, 28 for Longboard and the rest, for others. He still get energized during harvest, when you work 12-18 hour days and feel jazzed after that. Oded wants to find a balance, for Sauvignon Blanc, using grapes from different regions and 40% in neutral barrels, the rest in stainless steel, so partial ML, but still good natural acidity. They are tasting the 2024 SV from Russian River Valley. A lot of SV has been converted to Pinot Noir, but not this vineyard. “It has a nice snap to it, … green pea… melon… meyer lemon…” says Dan. It has a character that he likes to call sun-dried linen. Dan says that unfortunately, California Chardonnay is produced for people who like something rich. Dan considers those Chardonnays to be cocktail wines. SV is more fascinating because it has more nuances of flavor. In this Chard from Longboard, the ML is subtle. And unlike some New Zealand SVs, it is not too sweet. It is not served too cool, so the flavors are more evident. Water Girl Rosé Oded always wanted to make Rosé, and initially he made it from Syrah. However it did not sell. At the time, Rosé had not yet become fashionable. Most people in Russian River Valley make Rosé from Pinot Noir. Oded makes his Rosé mostly from Grenache, with some Syrah and Carngnane. He is looking for that southern France style. The name Water Girl Rosé comes from the wine’s previous name, which was Wahine. That means a surfer girl in Hawaiian, and nobody knew the word or could pronounce it. Oded is a lifelong surfer. He noticed that whenever there were women in the water, they had to work twice as hard to compete for space to drop in. He has a lot of respect for them because of that and so the wine is named for them. This Water Girl Rosé has juicy berry notes and watermelon at first, then the finish gets a little bit of the red wine component. Later in the show Oded tells the story of how he grew up 100 yards from the beach in Israel. He started surfing as a kid and he still surfs. After his military service he made surfboards for a living, for a while. He would close shop in September and go to surf the west facing beaches in Portugal, Spain and France for months at a time. His interest in wine started in Spain on surf trips, drinking Albariño. It took some time for him to get so interested in wine. A friend of the family told him about a winemaking school in the US, and he took the suggestion. Later, he started Longboard because he wanted to write off his surf trips and admits that at first, he never thought the winery would last, let alone be so successful.

Christian Adams with the German Wine Collection is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. The last time he was on CWC was this episode last November . The name Fumé Blanc is still used by about 10% of the bottlers of Sauvignon Blanc. It was a name that Robert Mondavi came up with, for Sauvignon Blanc wine. Then in 1973 David Stare, founder of Dry Creek Vineyards, also started using it. Once the name was used, the federal government required the subtitle “Sauvignon Blanc” to explain Fumé Blanc. Dan Berger has invited Christian Adams again, to emphasize the great wines coming from Germany. They used to have a reputation for being dominated by sweet whites but that’s no longer true. Who wants dry Riesling? I do! I do! After France and the US, Germany is the world’s third producer of Pinot Noir by volume. The weather in Germany is just warm enough for Pinot Noir, although mostly still too cold for Cabernet. Pinot Noir was brought to Germany in the middle ages. Up to about 40 years ago, the German Pinots were rather light. Some producers were making “off dry” Pinot Noir, slightly sweet. Now they are making world class Pinot Noir that rivals those of Burgundy. “This is really good!” -Dan Berger The use of oak is so careful that it’s almost not there, which favors the fruit flavors. Pfeffingen has been making wine since 1622. Pfaltz is the German name of the Palatinate region in western Germany where a lot of German Pinot Noir comes from. CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. This wine is aged in a combination of smaller German and French oak barrels. Christian Adams raises the question that people often ask. What are the differences among barrels, where the wood is grown, and where the barrels are made? Christian explains that some wood comes from Romania or Germany. The differences include how much the wood is toasted and how big the barrels are. Smaller barrels make for more contact area with the wine.

Kim Stare Wallace and Brian Pruett are our guests on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Brian is the winemaker at Dry Creek Vineyards and this is his first time on California Wine Country. Kim’s last time on the show was this episode of March 30, 2022. Dan begins by describing Chenin Blanc and how versatile it is in Europe. Dry Creek Valley is making a sparkling Chenin Blanc to celebrate their 50th anniversary. They love Cremant de Loire, and the Stare family have friends in Loire Valley, so it felt right to make one for the celebration. Brian had never made a sparkling wine before but it worked so well they will make it every year. Sparkling Chenin Blanc They only needed to harvest a couple of weeks earlier than the still wine harvest, in order to get lower sugars and higher acidity. It is actually 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Cabernet Franc. Chenin Blanc of course also makes a great still wine. Dry Creek Vineyards has been bottling Chenin Blanc for many years. They always called it Dry Chenin Blanc. Her father, is the pioneering winemaker David Stare. He always thought it important to point out the difference between their Chenin Blanc and many others, that veer toward the sweet side. CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling.  Dry Creek Valley has been bottling Bordeaux-style blended wines “since the get go.” They have made some that favor the Cabernet side, and others like this new one that favor Merlot. They know the vineyards they are using, and they are looking for the oak not to overshadow the fruit or the vineyard. They want the wines to be as complex as possible and support combining with food. Daedalus notices a balance between power and elegance. Kim tells about Dry Creek Vineyard’s decision to focus on Dry Creek Valley as a source for their Bordeaux program. They have all kinds of conditions that favor the growth of Bordeaux varieties. Brian also remembers the influence of the Pacific Ocean that cools us off at night.

Dan Berger, Clark Smith and Clark’s book Postmodern Winemaking. Clark Smith, one of our most frequent guests, is back again on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. His last time on CWC was this episode on Dec. 6, 2024, when he talked about unusual varietals. Dan Berger is at WineSong today, and Clark Smith is here with Daedalus Howell. Clark Smith just got through bottling 12 new wines. One of the great things about wine is that you can’t experience it on the internet. You can experience a lot of BS about wine on the Internet, though. Daedalus remembers. At first, there were some important writers who moved wrote in magazines, now writing online. Clark remembers that they were friends of the wine industry. They wanted to promote the idea of wine as a beverage. In 1972 when Clark Smith went into the wine business, he toured the country and met as many of them as he could. Now there are 13,00o so that’s a big change. Clark Smith notes the difference between regulation of the wine industry between the US and France. In France, the regulations are all about making the wine, and in the US, regulation all about selling the wine. CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. They have a Pinot Noir from the Lester Family estate in the Santa Cruz mountains, which Clark calls the best region for growing wine anywhere. They also have a Sangiovese and a Zinfandel classico. Dan Berger Calls from WineSong Dan is on the road at WineSong, calling on the phone. Clark mentions the Zinfandel they are tasting in the studio, which he made in the old style, “before the world went nuts” and people started asking for wines that were big “pruny high-alcohol” wines. Zins that reach 17% ABV, absurd. Why did Napa Cabernet go this way? It’s really a disgrace. Clark makes wonderful Napa Cabernet, the way they used to in the ’70s. “We got into this sort of wet T-shirt contest, how big can we make the wine?” Big became too big. Napa really grows some of the best Cabernet in the world, “then we just piss it away making these clown wines…” Word.

Winemakers Greg Morthole and Chris O’Gorman join Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. Greg is the winemaker at Davis Bynum. They are here to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Davis Bynum’s wine company. He was a pioneer in Russian River Valley and was one of the first to make Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is difficult to grow properly. Davis Bynum’s father was a journalist and wrote a book about how to make wine. Davis became a journalist from the age of 25 to 40 for the San Francisco Chronicle. At 40 he studied winemaking at the Berkeley library and went through a few “hard knocks.” Dan points out that the one thing about Russian River Valley is that the weather is cool. The wines had natural acidity and did not need to be adjusted. Davis liked the natural style of winemaking because they required less work. His wines were always very good. When Dan interviewed him in 1986, he was making Merlot which he loved. Greg remembers that Davis would also play music to the vines. He started by raising organic grapes but got tired of paying certification fees. Davis Bynum Greg Morthole got to work with Davis Bynum, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 92. He was an interesting character and Greg heard a lot of stories from him. They taste a 2023 Davis Bynum Dutton Origin Chardonnay (on the left, in the picture above). It has a beautiful rich personality. Dan calls it almost Burgundian in its aromatics. It has good acidity so it could be served with rich seafoods like lobster. It will probably get better after 2 or 3 years in the bottle. This wine come from a block that the Dutton family has been farming since the 1880s. The 50th Anniversary Wine The next tasting is the 50th Anniversary wine, a 2023 vintage. Dan Berger loves it but Greg Morthole gives credit to the weather. That year the ripening was slow, then there was some rain, and only then, the fruit ripened perfectly. “Mother nature just gave us a great wine,” says Greg. Dan suggests, and Greg agrees, that the ripening conditions this year remind him of 2023. They only made 35 cases of it.

Jamie Peters from WineSong is our guest here in the studio on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, September 5 and 6 will host Winesong. Dan Berger has invited Jamie Peters from Winesong to talk about the 40th anniversary of this event. Dan has brought some Riesling that was grown at Cole Ranch in Mendocino County. This is Dan’s production called Bahl Fratty. He made 65 cases this year. There is also an Anderson Valley Handley Cellars 2019 Gewurtztraminer and a Dancing Crow Vineyards wine, and many more. (Bahl Fratty is Boontling for Great Wine. Boontling is a historic local argot that is native to Anderson Valley. It was a secret code that locals used to confound visitors.) Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation Dan Berger describes WineSong as a tasting event with great food, music and a walk through the botanical gardens. The wine auction is a fund raiser for the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation. They actually also have wines from Napa and Sonoma at the auction, and even from Oregon, but mostly local product. The foundation supports health care and also local fire stations. Forty years ago the idea for WineSong started at the kitchen table of a local nurse. She is still involved in the event. Dan is proud that one year, the auction raised enough to purchase a new ambulance. That was a big deal. There are lots of musicians who love to play this gig. Some are regulars, others rotate in and out. Some regular guests get to know the band members. Since it’s always the first weekend after Labor Day, the cooling breezes are always blowing at the end of the day. It’s a great scene for a great cause. It’s a barrel auction, so how do you get the wine home, asks Daedalus? They have a solution that turns it into about 24 cases.

Ventura Smalley, Harry Duke, Cathy Ratto and Dan Berger. Dan Berger and Harry Duke are in the studio together on California Wine Country today on the Italian holiday of Ferragosto. Our expected guest was not available. California Wine Country is brought to you by the 40th annual WineSong! Ferragosto is the Italian holiday celebrated on August 15th. It is the middle of summer vacation season in Italy. It is also a religious holiday, the Catholic Feast of the Assumption. Dan describes the rich history of Ferragosto and how a holiday with ancient roots is still an annual occurrence. Dan Berger has brought a bottle of his Bahl Fratty Riesling, and several other wines. The Bahl Fratty is probably the driest Riesling ever made anywhere. There are also some red wines to taste. Bahl Fratty Bahl Fratty is Boontling for good wine. There is a typewriter on the label, which reminds us of Dan Berger’s illustrious career as a print journalist. The 40th Winesong Weekend Celebration is Sept. 5-6, 2025. Click the Winesong 40th logo for details. The next among the wines that Dan Berger has brought today is a 2024 Chateau Montelena Riesling. They have been making this exact same wine for a long time. It has aromas of tropical fruit, pineapple, a spice component, it’s not entirely dry, but it’s not sweet, just barely off-dry. It would go well with Thai or Chinese food. Riesling is a grape variety that requires a cooler climate, or if not cool, it needs high winds to cool it off. There is only a little Riesling left in Russian River Valley, and some in Carneros and Petaluma Gap. Harry asks Dan to tell about how Steve Jaxon introduced himself and invited Dan to join the show. They met for coffee and did a show that day, and have done it weekly since 2017, eight years ago. “It’s been an absolute blast,” says Dan. Dan mentions a lot of our regular guests, people with a great story to tell, like Don Chigazola from Chigazola Merchants, Alan Baker from Cartograph Wines, Darryl Miller from Delingher Wines. People travel long distances sometimes, to be on the show. Carol Shelton is another favorite, and Harry agrees. Ferragosto Dan describes the Italian holiday of Ferragosto, pronouncing it almost correctly, so Chris DiMatteo in Los Angeles calls in with the right sound and little more about the story of this important Italian holiday. This gives Chris the chance to raise a glass of Dan Berger’s Bahl Fratty Riesling and to toast Steve Jaxon, who has been a friend and mentor to Chris. Cin-cin, maestro! Dan’s next tasting is a 2018 Syrah from Carneros. Syrah is considered a warm climate variety and Carneros is a cool region. So Dan decided to give it a few years to test it and it turned out to be “really really good.” It’s not a dark red but has a white pepper character. It was released probably is 2021 and the white pepper component has developed. It also has some dried violet character, which Harry can’t confirm. Cuvaison has been in business for close to 50 years and has owned that vineyard for about that long. This wine produces “an explosion of flavors” says Harry.

Winemaker Michael Browne is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Daedalus Howell is sitting in for Steve Jaxon today. Michael has brought a few wines today. The first pour is a 2020 Santa Rita Hills, made under his Cirq label. It his is focus on Russian River. His other brand, Chev, focuses on all the west coast, from Oregon to Central California. The Santa Rita Hills is interesting to him because “it really moves in your mouth…it has a lot of movement. … It has massive presence. If you let it sit on your palette just a bit, you can kind of see that.” It is not heavy but it has presence. It has what he calls intense elegance. Michael Browne wrote a book called Pinot Rocks, subtitled A Journey Through Intense Elegance. He describes good wine as a piece of music, with high notes, middle notes and low notes. Daedalus calls it, “a wine that went to charm school.” The Song and the Instruments The “song” has been written in the vineyard and the barrels are the “instruments” that will play it. Dan Berger has one last bottle of a 2005 Santa Rita Pinot Noir that is one of the best he has ever tasted. California Wine Country is brought to you by Rodney Strong Vineyards and Davis Bynum Wines. Next to be tasted is under the Chev label, which is Russian River, heart and soul. It’s a wine to be aged, or decanted at least. Their 2013s, ’14s and ’15s are in great shape right now. In the 1990s there was an explosion of Pinot Noir producers in California and also Willamette Valley in Oregon. When Kosta Browne started, they were the second wave, doing unique things with Pinot Noir. He tasted a “substantial” Pinot Noir from Williams-Selyem and asked winemaker Burt Williams for advice on how to achieve that result. He learned how to time his harvest to get exactly that result. They are also tasting a Santa Lucia Highlands wine. Michael Browne talks about making wine with “the Garys,” who are growers Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni. Gary Pisoni runs Pisoni Family Vineyards while Gary and Rosella Franscioni run Gary’s Vineyard and ROAR Wines. Both of them are located in the Santa Lucia Highlands. “They are the best growers that I know… They are family to me, big time.”

Today’s pre-show guest is Rex Pickett, author of Sideways. The main show guest is Trevor Durling, Winemaker from BV, Beaulieu Vineyard. This show was recorded on August 9, 2017 eight years ago. Due to a technical glitch, there is no recording of the live show recorded today, August 1, 2025. So for our podcast listeners, we offer this jewel of a Highlight show, in its place. Enjoy! In the live segment before CWC begins at the top of the hour, Steve and Dan visit with Rex Pickett, author of Sideways, the book, movie and now stage play. Then after the main show, we will hear more of Steve’s interview with Rex Pickett. Rex Pickett, author of Sideways. First, Dan tells that somebody called him on the telephone way back in the ‘90s when he was writing at the LA Times, to ask him about Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez, the area where the book is set. Dan never got his name, and after the movie came out, Dan always assumed the call had come from Rex, but Rex says he wasn’t the caller. The movie Sideways was not really about Merlot, it was more about Pinot Noir, or people, really. The situation of the market for Merlot changed as a consequence of the movie. The book was about Pinot Noir, not about Merlot. Dan says that Rex put his finger on the pulse of the industry at the time, what people were talking about in the industry then, which was that Pinot Noir was starting to take off in the US and particularly in cooler regions, Santa Barbara and Sonoma Counties in particular. A story about people, that happened to have wine in it. But it was a book about personalities and people, and only incidentally about wine. In Dan’s opinion, it was a great book and movie but it really tapped into something that was more wine-related than what Rex was hoping for. Rex tells that he was starting to go to wine tastings and loved the lyricism and poetry about describing wine, (apart from some pretentiousness). Rex didn’t know that the wine tasting scene would become so important in the movie. Merlot and the Cinema Merlot had been “overcropped” at the time and the movie thinned out the herd, as a lot of poor Merlot producers no longer make it. They agree that the movie did a lot for Pinot Noir and at that time we were starting to get away from the routine Cabernet-Chardonnay and into other wines and Pinot Noir was the one that first broke through, and that the movie picked up on that momentary market trend. Dan points out that in 1992 California had 8,000 acres of Merlot. In 1995, there were 58,000 acres of Merlot. Rex says they were mechanized-farming it and Steve says it just wasn’t that good. Dan says there is good Merlot all over the place now but you have to be very careful what you buy because we’re down to about 29,000 arcres now, which is way too much, and planted in the wrong places. Steve tells that his friend Jim from BV is there and he talks about when they were in DC, in April. Jim was there, he started singing and Steve was playing piano. Later we will hear a musical excerpt. At the intro to the main show, Steve re-introduces Rex Pickett, author of the book, screenplay and the new stage adaptation of Sideways which will be on stage in Santa Rosa from September 8 through October 1 (2017). Dan introduces Trevor Durling, winemaker at BV, which has been around since 1900. It was the home of the great André Tchelistcheff, starting in the 1930s up to around 1973. The BV style of the wines had been formed and it’s not easy to shift. It’s like turning an ocean liner. The problem always had been to use French oak versus American oak. BV started using American oak, for Cabernet. The fact is that BV didn’t make certain grapes that had become popular, such as Zinfandel. Dan talked to André about that and André said he would not know how to make Zinfandel, as he didn’t know it. Beaulieu Vineyards BV is a historic property and makes more varieties now. The flagship is still the BV Private Reserve. Trevor tells that was born and raised in Santa Rosa and had wine at the dinner table from a young age. But it wasn’t until he went to UC Davis and took a winemaking class that he got interested seriously. He realized the Davis program was special and then was hired as a harvest intern at a winery. Trevor loves the combination of art and science in this kind of agriculture and he also loves that it’s a social product that you can enjoy with friends and family and good food. He’s going into his 16th vintage. Steve says he is proof that drinking wine keeps you young and makes you look good. He just joined BV four months ago, so this year is his first vintage. He spent the last 8 years across the highway at Provence and Hewitt vineyards. which is in the same winemaking network as BV so he has worked with some of the same growers and vintners, so there is continuity in his present position. Dan says that Trevor also worked with Tom Rinaldi at Provenance, who is his mentor. He says he will write a book about working with him. Joel Aiken is carrying André Tchelistcheff’s legacy forward. Dan visited the property with André 6 months before he passed away and he spoke highly of Joel. During the interview Joel joined the conversation and talked about converting from French Oak to American Oak. Joel kept the traditions going that have kept BV at the top of the game, ever since 1900 with George de la Tour himself founded the winery. Who’s a snob, and what do you drink? Steve asks Rex to talk about his experience with wine and how he came to write Sideways. He says that at a certain time in his life he was living in LA and playing golf to take his mind of heavy issues of family life, and the golf courses in LA were expensive but the ones up near Santa Barbara were not, so he went up there to play and got to know the wineries in the area. At the same time, he was living in LA and going to wine tastings at a local store.  Dan tells that at the time wine was the snob beverage and beer was the popular beverage. But the movie Sideways showed that wine was something for everyone. Dan points out that Sideways changed the way that wine was perceived. They taste a BV 2014 Carneros Chardonnay. Dan says it’s an elegant style, not overblown, as the oak is in check. It has mid-palette richness and cripness, together. Trevor tells that it was made 100% from BV ranch grapes in the Carneros district, 100% barrel fermented, with about 60% new oak and half of that is put through malolactic fermentation, “…to add a little bit of the mouth feel.” Everything is aged sur lies. Steve calls a Geek Alert. Trevor explains that that means that after fermentation is finished, there is some yeast and solid content in there, and they stir the barrels which adds mouth feel and viscosity in the wine. More about Sideways and more BV wines After the break, Steve re-introduces today’s crew and asks everyone to talk about Sideways. Dan says that it was pure entertainment, but that if you think of all the implications that it had on the wine business and on society in general, it’s really far more monumental. Steve again points out that rather than being a movie about wine, it’s about two guys and their live lives and Rex mentions that the Paul Giamatti character Miles is based on his life at the time. Next they taste some BV reds. First, the 2013 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. Among the different Cabernets that they make, Dan says the standard bearer is the Rutherford. He says it shows what André Tchelistcheff called Rutherford dust, not the actual soil dust but the faint dried herbal components that come from there and not from other Napa Valley districts. Trevor thinks of it as a chocolatey cocoa powder texture which is typical of the Rutherford appellation. Dan has had examples of Rutherford wines that last 30 years in the cellar. Next they open a 2014 Tapestry Cabernet, with more guts and power to it. Dan says this wine carries more of the modern style and the older generation would prefer the Rutherford. Tapestry Trevor notes that the Tapestry is a fun wine to make because it is a red blend and is not held to having a specific varietal dominate it. Typically it is Cabernet Sauvignon based but will use some Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, in different proportions each year, to make the best red wine they can make each year. Finally they open what Dan calls “The Monster” which is the George de la Tour Private Reserve, which has been made since the 1930s. It has gone through some changes thanks to some conditions in the 1940s and 1950s. Trevor talks about how they had to change to American oak back then because French oak was too hard to get, thanks to the war and economic conditions. Trevor tells how that remained a style of the private reserve, up until the 90s, when they started re-introducing French oak. After the close of the California Wine Country show, we hear the rest of Steve’s interview with Rex Pickett, which was recorded before the CWC hour. Author Rex Pickett, author of the book Sideways, which became the movie and is now a play. Rex says the adaptation is based on the novel and has been performed before, in Santa Monica. He agreed to do the production under the condition that they could pour high end Pinot Noir at the theater. Rex describes how the play was first produced. They discuss how the author adapted the book and movie into the play. He wanted the play to maintain as much as possible of the movie’s style, which meant a lot of scenes and set changes. The production of Sideways ran from September 8 to October 1, 2017, at the Left Edge Theater in the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa.

Kyle Cameron and Gianna Fugazi of Trecini Winery are our first-time guests on California Wine Country with Daedalus Howell in for Steve Jaxon, and with Dan Berger. Kyle is a seventh generation Russian River Valley farmer. They are farming grapes now. He and his wife Christina bought Trecini Winery in order to get more involved in the rest of the wine business, apart from growing grapes. The wine market is in a downturn, so he has a positive outlook. Dan Berger says this downturn is a predictable one or two year cyclic drop. Giana Fugazi is originally from Linden, California, where she grew up on a cherry orchard. She studied wine business and archaeology at Sonoma State. Her dad calls grape growing “fancy farming.”  She worked as an archaeologist in Italy for three years. California Wine Country is brought to you by Rodney Strong Vineyards and Davis Bynum Wines. Dan Berger believes that the future will include more Italian grape varieties. He peaks to retailers all around the country and the world. Retailers are telling him that there is less enthusiam for the Number one varietals in white and red, which are Chards and Cabs. There are many wines that used to be obscure that people are asking for. “I’m interested in making any kind of obscure wine,” says Kyle. Dan’s Albariño and Gianna’s Verdolo As a starter, Dan has brought a wine from grape grower Francis Mahoney, a friend of his. It is a 2024 Albariño, quite dry, sells for about $24 a bottle. It’s in a lot of local retain shops. Gianna has brought a Verdolo from Portugal. There are less than 500 acres of this grape in California. This is a 2024 from Taft Street, where Gianna is a series winemaker. This is her first take, a 100% neutral barrel. The organic grapes are from Calaveras County. She fermented it outside in barrels, no temperature control, then she consolidated it into an egg (concrete). There was no temperature control, so it was risky but successful.