Who?  A few new producers at the Family Winemakers' Tasting

Scott and Douglas Peters of Peters Family Winery are here previewing barrel samples of their first commercial releases.

Peters 1999 Zinfandel Clements – from the Clements area of Lodi, which is east of Highway 99 up towards the foothills. Pretty, deep garnet color – slightly muted nose of sweet zinberry fruit – quite lovely and bright zinberry fruit in the mouth – more red and purple fruits rather than black – nicely balanced – medium weight in the mouth with some smooth tannins in the midpalate which will resolve with a little bit of time. A very nice $20 Zinfandel which also makes me smile.

Peters 2000 Zinfandel Talmadge Bench – from a vineyard near Ukiah. Flowers Vineyard and Winery have produced two vintages of Zinfandel from this property. Deep garnet color - more jammy black raspberry and plum fruit in the nose – big, dark and sweet black fruits in the mouth – beautifully ripe yet well balanced – medium to heavy bodied with bigger alcohol, I’m sure, but not out of balance at this point. The alcohol is balanced by the enormity of fruit and extract in this wine – not my style for everyday drinking, but a very impressive Zinfandel. $26

Peters 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Mariposa County – still a youthful purple in the glass – bright, high toned, but restrained fruit aromatics – very smooth entry with sweet high toned Cabernet fruit and good acid structure. All of these wines show very judicious use of oak, which I consider a complement to the winemaker. Follows cleanly on the palate – not my style of Cabernet but cleanly made and nicely balanced. The Cab has perhaps a little more acidity than I prefer but it might be that the fruit is just hiding a bit.

Impressive first effort from Peters Family Winery.

Peters Family Winery
415.235.8625

I have not met the folks from Emmolo Wine Company, but I have tasted their wine before, during a trip to Southern California when I had dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Granita. I ordered the Sauvignon Blanc off the list and was impressed enough to call them to try to get the wine on the list at a restaurant for whom I was the wine consultant.

Cheryl Emmolo is pouring today and her family has a long and interesting history as winegrowers in the Napa Valley. Her consulting winemaker is Bob Pepi.

Emmolo 2000 Sauvignon Blanc – pretty straw color – lively aromas of grass and herbs – lush and pretty in the mouth with delightful mixture of white stone fruits and citrus with tropical overtones. The wine has good acid backbone and would, I think, pair beautifully with a wide variety of foods from shellfish all the way to richer, fatty fishes and could stand up to some heavier saucing as well. Most delicious, and as I recall, very reasonably priced.

Emmolo 1999 Merlot – deep ruby in the glass – quite restrained aromatically with hints of plum and spice –clean, medium weight purple and black stone fruits on the palate with interesting spice and well integrated oak highlights. Still needs some bottle age to resolve some smooth midpalate tannins but a cleanly made wine with good structure and character.

Emmolo Wine Company
707.968.9147

I had to stop by Cedarville Vineyards to say hello to Jonathon Lachs and Susan Marks. They are pouring the 99 Zin and Syrah, and barrel samples of the 2000s. These folks are just going from strength to strength. The 99s both show lovely acid balance; they are bright and flavorful and undoubtedly excellent food wines. The barrel samples of the 2000 vintage are even more impressive, and I think show even better balance. The production this year was 43 tons from 15 acres so these vineyards are maturing and coming into their own, particularly the Zinfandel, which is now harvested in separate blocks and vinted in small lots. The 2000 show a wonderful, sweet, lush and pretty Zinfandel character and is quite delicious.

Congratulations to Jonathon and Susan for another strong showing. 

Cedarville Vineyard
530.620.WINE (9463)
CedarvilleVineyard.com

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Page Three

Left Coast Correspondent 
Index

PROFILES:

Tasting Notes from 
the Northern Ridge

Synergism
Further Tasting Notes from the Ridge

Up the Coast
Domaine Serene, 
Domaine Drouhin
and Archery Summit

Syren Vineyards

More Tasting Notes from the Ridge

Jancis Robinson

Pax Mahle

Sean Thackrey

Robert Biale Vineyards

Havens Wine Cellars

Galleron

Scott Paul Wines

Landmark Vineyards

Dashe Cellars

Tasting a Legacy - 
Wines of Stag's Leap

TN's From The Ridge & Beyond
Paul Draper and Monte Bello

C O P I A

TRADE TASTINGS

"T" is for...
califusa ventures where the stags leap

CCS at CIA

A Day in the Dust

Premiere Napa Valley ®

Family Winemakers 02, 01, 98

It was just wonderful to see Walt and Joan Flowers again – both looking very well. I also met their new general manager, Jesse Tidwell. The 2000 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay was a bit closed and reticent – simply needs some time in bottle to come around. The 1999 Camp Meeting Ridge Pinot Noir was very impressive – expressive with bright cherry and strawberry flavors. Perhaps the most accessible of the CMR Pinots so far and drinking deliciously right now. More good news – they have taken 35 tons of fruit from the new plantings at Flowers Ranch. So, continued good news and good efforts from the folks at Flowers Vineyards and Winery.

Flowers Vineyard and Winery
707.847.3661
FlowersWinery.com

I next met Katsuko and Doug Sparks of Sunset Cellars who produce their wines in the heart of the Alameda wine country.

(For those of you not familiar with Bay Area geography, Alameda is adjacent to Oakland and lies on a spit of land that juts out into San Francisco Bay – not a grapevine within miles. Rosenblum Cellars is housed in a large set of warehouses within spitting distance of the former Naval Air Station and several other small producers are located under their roof.)

Sunset’s first commercial vintage was 1997 and they are pouring wines from their 1999 vintage.

Sunset Cellars 1999 Zinfandel MacFadden Farm Potter Valley – this area in Northern Mendocino County is not particularly known for Zinfandel, but this particular block is on a southwest-facing slope and gets enough sun to ripen the Zinfandel (occasionally). The wine is a pretty ruby color in the glass – bright, high toned Zinberry fruit in the nose tending towards strawberry and red cherry – quite delicious in the mouth with bright and medium spectrum Zin flavors and nice natural acidity – no oak to get in the way – all in all, a very nice wine.

Sunset Cellars 1999 Zinfandel Ledgewood Vineyard Suisun Valley Solano County – darker garnet color – very pretty red plum fruit in the nose – sweet and delicious in the mouth with excellent balance and medium weight – fresh and lively and a throwback to the beautifully balanced Zinfandels of the early 1990s that captured my palate, imagination, and checkbook in their time. Finishes cleanly – very nice.

Sunset Cellars 1999 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley – from Teldeschi fruit, on the east side of the valley – vines as much as 80 years old. Pretty ruby color – quite restrained in the nose – sweet and lush Dry Creek flavors in the mouth – rich and mouthcoating with bright acids that give the wine the backbone it needs to carry all of this rich fruit. This wine cries out for grilled haunch of beast – just delicious.

Sunset Cellars 1999 Syrah Suisun Valley – from vineyards located about a mile from the source of the Zinfandel – the same vineyard manager. Darker purple color – pretty aromas of muddled dark fruits – hints of star anise and tar – sweet and forward on the palate with dark tarry notes that follow – the sweetness of the fruit really helps to balance the darker fruit flavors and earthy notes. All in all, a well balanced wine that is rich and mouthfilling.

Sunset Cellars 1999 Petite Sirah Dry Creek Valley – also from Teldeschi fruit – dark and dense purple color – shy but sweet black fruits in the nose – plush and medium to full bodied in the mouth with surprising high notes that give the wine a bright and forward personality. (I suspected this is due to blending with Zinfandel – indeed, I later found out that there is 5% Carignane, and 4-5% Zinfandel.) This wine does not show the dark and brooding side of the varietal’s personality, but is lively, straightforward and displays red and purple stone fruit flavors – quite delicious.

A very strong lineup from a relatively new producer – Sunset Cellars.

Sunset Cellars
415.566.2910
SunsetCellars.com