Farella Vine and Wine Blog

On Top of Old Coombsville...

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This photo (c. 1910 ?) was given to me by one of the Coombs/Dunlap family members for which I am eternally grateful.  My wife and I were married on this very site, previously the home of Nathan Coombs.

Well, it happened.  The TTB ruled on the "Tulocay" appellation petition and they decided against it for the simple reason of the name.  Sadly, the Napa Valley's slam-dunk "nested" AVA went down on the name dispute when it could have been avoided.  The ruling came much earlier than I anticipated since the TTB still hadn't worked out the situation with the "Calistoga" AVA which shares similar issues with the name and existing brands. 

For those following this saga, my previous post includes some info and links to the early stages.  Also, the Napa Valley Register had a story recently about the ruling with some great quotes and ensuing commentary.  The topic definitely touches a nerve with people.

It actually took me a little while to realize that something happened when the TTB decision came down:  the actual debate about the name for our little slice of viticultural heaven has finally been resolved.  I've been part of these conversations for almost 20 years and it's startling to realize that it's done, it's over.  If it's going to be an AVA, it's only prospect is, rightfully, "Coombsville."  Now the only trick is starting over without the volition of the original petitioners.  I know that there is a broad base of support for "Coombsville" but without the staff and $ to make a strong push.  I'm sure that $ alone could go a long way to moving it forward but most of the support is a bit more grass-roots.  Or to quote Aaron, more "redneck" (see Register article).  Aaron provided that great quote in the aftermath and I thank him.

Welcome, ya'll!!

Cultivate Your Buzz-On

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Napa Valley Premiere  has come and gone again and it really has become an event that almost sets time in these parts.  With so many wholesalers in town for the event, so many vintners all together in one room and so much media scrutiny (the cherished "press pass" fully engaged), it's a major business event.  In our case, it also means we get to catch up with many of our wine grape customers, as well.  There's a lot of insider stuff going on and hype galore, but the beauty is one wine per winery, a special barrel sample for this event, and a minimum of marketing accoutrement to dizzy the participants.

Speaking of dizzy, I couldn't help but notice that, with such an ephemeral showcase, that there is a razor's edge of skill required for the serious wine buyers to navigate the all-important tasting aspect of the event AND have a good time in this concentrated setting.  Most of the lots average out to over $1000 per case and some at astronomical figures.  QPR aside, since it's all silly money, this is a chance to taste some amazing stuff.  It's also a chance to engineer consuming a fair share of high quality wine and get a little blissed-out, if you know what I'm saying.  Most folks here are pros and I've never seen anyone overdo it, but that razor's edge is pretty slim.  The 60's were short-lived for all the wholesale changes people made in their lives to maintain their "bliss" but this event is 4 hours to immerse yourself in -- on paper, anyways -- the Nectar of the Gods.

Meanwhile, as I drove home in the driving rain, I was passed by fleets of limousines on their way to somewhere.  It's a smart way to visit the area, actually, and can save a lot of heartache and confusion.  It's not always a storybook ending, however, but these guys still seemed to be having fun.

Cheers!

15 Minutes

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Yea, that's me on the right with a wistful look on my face on the banner to the Napa Valley Register that ran last week.  No, this isn't the New York Times or even the San Francisco Chronicle, but it's been fun to have people rib me a little when I pick the kids up at school or buy groceries.  Here's a link to the actual story: article.  My thanks to journalist Jack Heeger for a story told straight-up, without unnecessary embellishments that so often plague stories about wine, wineries and winemakers.

It also coincides with this self-same blog being featured by the good folks at Typepad who host my blog.  Here's that one: featured blog.  It was fun to have a big bump in readership, thanks to the feature.  With all the wild and crazy stuff that goes down on the internet, it was a little taste of the power of the limelight.

So now that my 15 minutes of fame are over, what next?  Well, one thing that is interesting is the loop that was created by the debate over our esteemed future AVA, "Coombsville."  As you can see from the first headline under the newspaper banner, a news story ran that helps bolster my point that the sub-appellation with which we are located is known as "Coombsville" (with all due respect to the Williams family).   This is an important qualifier in the whole process of designating an AVA, indeed one of the first criteria.

Another little concentric loop is formed where, in the Register article, I am quoted from my letter to the Feds about the AVA and I refer to the Napa Register as a reference to my point.  It almost seems like a conspiracy to promote.... something?  So, if you follow the whole thread, it ends exactly where it starts, a perfect circle.  Small town, small world, thanks everyone and goodnight.  14:57, 14:58, 14:59, 15:00!

Salut!

Food-Friendly Wine - A Revelation

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I had, what I thought, was an amazing realization about food and wine pairing the other night while I ate some pizza at home with the family.  It seems so basic and might be a little difficult to explain but here goes:

We were finishing a bottle of Pinot from the previous day which went well with the pizza -- no big deal, a nice, simple Pinot with pizza.  Then, I poured a glass of one of our recent Cabernets which had all the telltale aromas of a serious, Napa Valley Cab:  full, deep, blackberry, black olive aromas, etc.  My brain was clicking along, taking in the aroma, doing some analysis and enjoying it very much.  Then I had a sip and DOING RRRZZ XZAXZ BWZXTKFZFZF!  I hope you get the idea.  It didn't go too well.  The wine was outstanding outside of the pizza context but the flavors did not go well with it. 

Now, I've made wine for almost 30 years and I don't claim to be a food and wine expert but I have been around the subject for a good, long time.  I have had many mismatches in the past but here is my revelation:  while a wine's aromas and flavors are normally in-line with each other, and while food flavors and wine flavors may agree or disagree, the AROMA of a wine has little to do with the food in a pairing sense.  It certainly matters that you should be enjoying the combination, but, on a weighted scale, the flavor and flavor only are the factors that make a wine truly food-friendly.  So, in a sense, when selecting a wine with a meal, it really is just the flavor profile that is the key and, downstream of that, the varietal aromas are more of a "fielder's choice" scenario.

This may seem obvious or like I have WAY too much time on my hands but it hit me like a brick.  I had always, more or less, blithely accepted, as in the math formula, if A = B and B = C, then A = C.  Well, absolutely not true here.

Cheers!

Daily Video - Cabernet Fermenting and Pressing

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This video shows what's going on when we ferment Cabernet, 2007 Napa Valley Farella Vineyard "Old Vine" and "Rockpile" blocks, to be exact.  The pumpover is in a 9 ton fermenter and the T-Bins at the end hold about a ton of crushed fruit. The music is from Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler (unauthorised).

Daily Video - Pinot Noir Crushing

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Here's a little video of our Pinot crush, music (unauthorized) from Pink Floyd for Scott.

Blessing of the Grapes, Etc.

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Possible thunderstorms on the way and we can tick off one of this years' lots -- the Merlot is in, safe and sound.  Some of our grape customers have decided to wait a bit more and that's no surprise.  Our section of Merlot is on top of a little hill, the "Coombsville Divide" which stands between the Tulocay Creek and Sarco Creek watersheds.  The soil here is thin and very chalky so these vines wrap up their growing season a little before the rest of the block.

We read a lot about the ceremony in various wineries of the "blessing of the grapes" around these parts, a tradition that was a staple of the Christian Brothers winery way back when.  I honestly don't even know if it's a brand anymore but Hess and Trinchero have some of their old properties in Napa.  My brother and I have had many laughs imitating the old Chateau LaSalle commercials of yore ("Tastes like grapes, WHITE grapes").  Brother Timothy was of that age, a legendary producer in the Napa Valley and somewhat of an icon.  Another icon, Robert Mondavi, also had a regular ceremony each year for this auspicious event as the first grapes hit the hopper.

From the production standpoint, this ceremony is a little inconvenient to the actual harvest staff as everything grinds to a halt to assemble all the people and snap some photos.  Also, there's usually a little toasting and drinking of wine that doesn't really go with machinery, so I have always tried to sidestep this tradition.  Instead, thanking the vineyard crew and, maybe a vine or two, has been the tradition. There is certainly a cosmic thread thought the process and formal religion is indeed appropriate, but once the grapes are ready to crush, most winemakers know that the sooner you start, the sooner you go home.  That's important because there are no guarantees that everything will go smoothly.  I've had days (nights, really), where I was heading home when the vineyard manager was just waking up for an early pick.  Not today, though.  Time to spread out the stems with a dramatic cloud show and beautiful, delicious fruit in the tank.

On y va! Here we go!!!