“People need to know their producers—the wineries with integrity that don’t make compromises will only sell you the good stuff,” Barrett says. 2000s: Focusing on Balance (Photo by Ken Ross). We’ll pick at different times based on flavor profiles – acid and those things. THE 2020 vintage was already difficult in Napa Valley. Which Wines Save Your Dinner Party Menu From Disaster? “They assume it’s cut into this very specific box. Michael Cervin The 2018 Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay ($60 Suggested Retail Price) is a great example. That’s something I’ve really worked on.”, He added that’s also true with the rest of the winemaking team at Chateau Montelena. But perhaps most important, Crafton has not lost sight of what matters most – making great wines. Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s weekend section every Thursday. Cheers to that! Spirited Quarterly Magazine in Print and Online, by Crafton added he continues to learn more about winemaking with each vintage. Its aroma is flinty yet floral. Everything tastes just right. Experience helps you a little bit, with being able to understand the long-term trajectory and the potential of some of the decisions you make. So we’ll vary almost everything we do. “I’ve made all different sorts of wines – very modern wines, very classic wines and everywhere in between. 2010–A new winemaking team was responsible for this direction. Damage to an archway on the grounds of Kenwood winery Chateau St. Jean is visible on Oct. 10 in the aftermath of the Sonoma wildfires. The age of this is obvious yet still the wine is drinkable and quite enjoyable. Currently, there are 78 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. “I’ve reflected on it a fair amount and it’s just one of those things,” Crafton said. Some of the best and most consistent winemakers like Dave Ramey and Doug Schaffer all had 20 years experience under their belt. In real life, Bo became the head winemaker in 1982. The Debut of Angel’s Share Wine & Liquors in Washington, D.C. Early on Montelena decided on a specific formula, mimicking Bordeaux. Framed by a brisk acidity and bright, crisp blueberry, blackberry, and red fruits, this represents the hallmark they will become known for. Sep 30, 2020. The Glass Fire was a wildfire in Northern California, that started on September 27, 2020, at 3:48 AM from an undetermined cause and was active for 23 days. October 1, 2020 In total, the wildfire damaged at least 114 structures and burned 48,440 acres of coveted California wine country. Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay was in competition with nine other wines from France and California under blind tasting. “Because Cabernet is a thick-skinned variety and because the grapes were so fully developed, we do not expect smoke impact in the finished wines. But if you are Chateau Montelena in the Napa Valley, besting French wines in the famed “Judgment of Paris” tasting in 1976, you already have a storied provenance that has elevated you in the pantheon of American wines. One hundred and twenty-nine years later the name Tubbs would take on a new meaning as the Tubbs Fire swept through parts of the Napa and Sonoma valleys in October 2017, destroying nearly 38,000 acres and over 5,000 buildings, including a number of wineries. Sedona, Arizona 526 contributions 199 helpful votes. Everything’s well balanced and in harmony with each other. The famed 41-year-old Chateau Boswell Winery in Napa Valley, California, was destroyed during the Glass Fire on Sunday evening, according to CNN affiliate KPIX. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Fire damage to vineyards. Grapevines are notoriously resilient plants. “Everything kind of in between those two is up to us. What’s most impressive about this tasting is that these wines are from the same vineyard, using the same type of yeast, same barrel program (typically 20 percent new French oak), and aging 18–24 months, with little variability over the decades. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press Then in 2014, Matt Crafton was promoted to the position of head winemaker. In this decade the addition of Cabernet Franc, though in small portions, helps to round out the wine. The wine country inferno began with the Glass Fire at 3:50 a.m. Sunday and two subsequent fires merged with it, burning 17 square miles (44 square … They can withstand drought, erratic weather, and can grow nearly everywhere. It was more of a function of the smoke (damage). “Though Cabernet Sauvignon is thicker skinned and can persist through inclimate conditions, a thicker skin is not impervious to smoke effects. But just because it was a great year in the fields doesn’t mean the wines just make themselves in the cellar, Crafton explained. 2005–Balancing red raspberry, boysenberry, blackberry, blueberry, and black cherry, there is a uniformity of good acids and firmer tannins. “There’s still that Montelena character that weaves through it, which is a function of the growing site.”. A fire engine leaves a burning property as the Glass Fire tears through St. Helena, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. Chateau Montelena: 50 Years, Fires, and the French: A Five-Decade Tasting Retrospective. Fortunately, the winery was able to pick all its Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes before this past summer’s wildfires in Napa Valley. Updated: Sept. 30, 11:45 pm PDT. Napa Valley, an hour's drive north of San Francisco, California, is the most famous and presti ... Stores and prices for '2015 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Es ... ' | … And even France. “So for me, it’s easy when you’re young and you think more of everything – more ripeness, more extract, more tannins, more wood. “We lost all of our red grapes this year” due to smoke damage caused by this year’s wildfires, Crafton said. There isn’t a ton of alcohol. A year later the Silverado Fire burned 2,000 acres, and even as far back as 1913, the Sage Canyon Fire corrupted valuable agricultural land. “All these things combined gave winemakers incredible confidence,” Barrett says. This list of Sonoma and Napa wineries affected by the Glass fire will be updated as necessary. That community included winemakers with grapes affected by the fire and smoke. The 1980s saw more weather fluctuations and erratic weather patterns. 1974–Blended fruit from Alexander Valley in Sonoma and Napa retaining an excellent acidity, you find ripe red raspberry resin, cranberry, mild prune, and raisin. That’s because some of the grapes were damaged by smoke from this past summer’s forest fires in California. If it’s missing something then please contact us here. Georg Salzner, president and CEO of Castello di Amorosa, sprays water on a building at the property, Monday, Sept. 28, 2020, in Calistoga, Calif., which was damaged in the Glass Fire. But what you miss out on is just that really kind of dynamic cohesion.”, “It’s the difference between a still life and an impressionist painting,” Crafton added.
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