PLONYC ONE- Sojourn Cellars with Craig Haserot

PLONYC One enters the books in a big way last evening when Craig Haserot of Sojourn Cellars agreed to be our guest. With my new love for Cali Pinot I felt like a big gift had been hoisted onto my lap. I have never met Craig before and can tell you some things I have learned about him in person last night. Firstly, the passion he brings is second to none, but he backs it all up nicely with a knowledge that is incredible. Listening to him speak is somewhat mesmerizing; he knows where the bones are buried on many subjects California wine. He also has a super sharp palate and listening to his descriptions while tasting the wines really paints the picture well about what is in your glass. All of this made for an amazing, insightful and energetic evening, one that the membership has become quite accustomed to when they attend any _X_LONYC.

Oh yeah, Craig brought wine, lots of it. 5 amazing Pinots, a Chardonnay that astounds and a few Cabs just for the fun of it. It was a great evening. Thanks to all that attended.

2012 Sojourn Chardonnay Sangiocomo Vineyard- I love this on nose alone, it showed a nicely pure sweet honey and melon that catches your attention. Mouth feel is deft with just the perfect amount of tastiness and buttery-ness. A nice balance which always displayed a fresh minerality that is pretty nice too. It has to be one of the best Chardonnays I have had in a long time, one that displays the Sun, earth and hand well. Forthy-five dollars worth of Heaven

2012 Sojourn Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast- great balance on this one with some notes of strawberries and cherries. The 2010 version of this was my first Sojourn into this label, and this one holds up to that standing. A true crowd pleaser.

2012 Sojourn Pinot Noir, Rodgers Creek, Sonoma Coast- For those with an extra $9 to splurge, this may be your best QPR decision of the year. This shot from the glass with tremendous finesse; a darker shade of berries and a bite riper all around. Love the slight bramble in the middle-palate, this showed some richness and distinction that boggles my mind. It took me a bit to wrap my head around this one. I loved the aromatics and wondered aloud if the 15% whole cluster adds to any of it. What we got was a crash course in whole cluster I won’t soon forget. Phenomenal.

2012 Sojourn Pinot Noir, Sangiocomo Vineyard, Sonoma Coast- A bit more boisterous with a sense of self, this went even darker with a slightly elevated acidity that it seemed to deserve. Another achievement in aromatics, this one played with the senses a bit more. An underlying damp earth component brought interest and a bright-boldness grabs you. This is the second Sangiocomo Pinot I have sampled to date, and I sense I will need to explore it more going forward.

2012 Sojourn Pinot Noir, Gap’s Crown, Sonoma Coast- Similar a bit to the Sangiocomo, this had a bit more verve. An interesting viscousness ran through this. This one had some great richness as well. As it sat in the glass it went a bit redder strawberry in style. Another winner with tons of upside.

2013 Sojourn Pinot Noir, Sangiocomo Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Barrel Sample- Some similarities to its young sibling, but also a hint of what the Rodgers had too. Some darker fruits included a bit of cassis and blackberry. A bit of expected youthful heat showed through, but such deft and balance so early in its ‘wood’ life, this should be truly incredible come next year when released.

I loved this whole lineup. The family traits were evident but as any family there is and well should be singular characteristics. Any of these could be enjoyed with dinner tonight. A few interesting Pinot Noir conversations broke out, one about alcohol (ABV) and another about age-ability of any or all of these wines. I think I have found one of the reasons I am attracted to these wines, the ability to Pobega them with the UPS guy remains intact.

My favorite appetizer is the wine friendly Lobster & Crabcake with seaweed & coconut curry sauce.

Some Cabernets.

2011 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Home Ranch Vineyard, Sonoma Valley- Craig’s ‘house’ wine, literally. Grown out back from his home this shows some pretty black berry notes as well as some cola and sassafras. Its big boned and bold with nice balance. Tannins well formed and acidity just right. A nice first step into the Sojourn Cabs.

2011 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford, Napa Valley- Possibly the best QPR cab here, this is where Georges fruit goes once it has been given the boot. All the declassified GIII is here and its breed shows. Love the velvety mouth feel and silky tannic structure. Fantastic aromatics with great verve and lift. The PV adds some wonderful dimension and complexity. A must buy.

2010 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley- Bold and distinct, the small berry shows through wonderfully always keeping balance and elegance in play. Love this expression of cab today. Some interesting exotic tea leaf notes, violets and some earth is in here too. Black currants, black raspberries and crème de cassis complete a well-formed package. A truly wonderful, aromatic wine with years of life ahead. Find some, buy some, this is Spring mountain at her best.

2009 Sojourn Proprietary Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (cellar wine)- Wow, this is amazing! Plush, deep, bold and elegant. Black cassis with hints of spring flowers and cocoa powder. Mouth feel is sexy with a lingering note of cardamom and a wee bit graphite. Holy smokes, this is great.

2010 Sojourn Proprietary Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley- A bit more subdued and less dimensional than the 2009, this should blossom in a few/three years and if it is anything like the 2009, you will smile, big.

2012 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Home Ranch Vineyard, Sonoma Valley barrel sample-Young and fresh, this is all primary. If coaxed you may glimmer a sense of its future, and if its family here on that table has any say, this will be another great Cab expression from Sojourn for a silly price and who can look that horse in the mouth……

This lineup was a spectacular look into Sojourn Cellars. Come for the Pinots, stay for the Cabs and be amazed by it all. I am glad I found Sojourn this year. Better late than never I say.

Craig was gracious enough to offer us one of two classic Sauternes to enjoy with dessert: A classic and beautiful (so I was told )1976 Chateau Climens 1st Cru Sauternes-Barsac that was received gratefully from us all! Thanks for all the awesome wines, Criag!— both from this millennial and last.
Timely? Sure is, the offer came out like twenty minutes ago!

I love reading these “_LONYC” write-ups from you Mike. Really appreciate it.

Mike, thanks for the notes. Of the pinots, which do you think would most likely appeal to someone who prefers relatively less sweetness and more crispness within the Sojourn spectrum? Or same question to anyone else who has tried these. Thanks.

Probably the Sangiacomo. The Gap’s is a bigger Pinot, and the SC is very bright. The SC doesn’t need a lot of time, and is a great pour. It will be a crowd-pleaser, but profile-wise, runs to some of the sweet red fruits. The Gap’s is more of a luscious wine, and can pair well with foods, and stand on its own.

But you may want to go with the Sangiacomo, as it has nice acidity, and less of the sweet fruit, but still plenty of body and layers. It is a wine that pairs very well with food.

<edited for spelling - had Italy on the brain for San Giacomo>

I agree with Paul.

Having tasted the Sojourn wines at Pinot Days on Saturday, I’m amazed (in a good way) that these wines are ready to drink now. I’m sure some cellar time will reward those that wait.

I adored the '12 Gaps Crown.

I am now VERY sad I missed it, but given the weather I can see why flights were soooooo full yesterday. Got home before the

At least I scored a last minute UP on my MM flt.
They waited for me at the gate with a bottle of wine (nothing to report about @ WB, but a nice gesture), and a ride to the gates

Thanks for the invite Mike. I can’t make many dinners like I used to but they are always a treat.

For my tastes stars of the evening were:

2012 Sojourn Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast – right balance of flavor, structure and price for my tastes
2013 Sojourn Pinot Noir, Sangiocomo Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Barrel Sample – really surprised me. One of the better barrel samples I’ve tasted. A potentially dynamite wine when it’s ready for consumption.
2011 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford, Napa Valley – we like what we like and the profile of this wine is right up my alley. Balanced fruit with a rich classic cab feel. A better 2011 cab QPR you will have trouble finding.
2009 Sojourn Proprietary Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (cellar wine) – Among the many great shares Craig brought with him, this was a real treat. For those that already own this beauty you are in luck. The rest of us will have to remember our brief love affair with well crafted wine.

It was a night of good food, great wine and even better company. Thanks to Mike for the invite and cheers to Craig for the many indulgences (even those unmentioned!).

Craig does a great job as the face and voice of Sojourn. Kudos, too, to his partner and the winemaker, Erich Bradley.

Mike and the PLONYC gang - thanks for the terrific notes.

Now updated with pics!

Thanks for another amazing night Mike! Craig was full of interesting information and didn’t shy away from any questions we threw at him. Great info, wines, food and company to enjoy it all with.

I was really impressed with the 2013 Sangiocomo barrel sample. Really great stuff and I can see myself liking it more than the bottled '12 a year from now. The 2012 Rodgers was also a standout for me, I’ll be picking up a few of those. More than worth the small premium imo. I hadn’t had any Sojourn Cabs prior and was pleasantly surprised when tasting them. Sojourn did well with the 2011s, especially the Rutherford. Like Kevin and Mike, really enjoyed the 2009 Proprietary Cuvee. Lucky are those that own a few. I don’t think the 2010 will ever be as good down the road but a fine drink as well.

The whole lineup that Craig presented was excellent. The board has been talking about them for a bit but I’m now personally convinced that they are a producer to watch closely and I’ll be a buyer of both Cabs and Pinots. The Chardonnay was pretty good too! If I had to pick, the 2012 Rodgers would top the list of Pinots for me and the 2009 Prop Cuvee for the Cabs.

Well, if you like restrained pinot, stay away from Sangiacomo. It’s a very warm vineyard. It does really well with bdx varietals, actually, so if your idea of good pinot is that which is grown where you can make a nice claret, it should be right up your alley.

They are certainly not restrained PN. But by no means are they jammy. I found them on that middle ground with good amount of fruit with a decent acidity backbone. I may agree that it is a PN that smells and taste like PN but will satisfy cab drinkers for a change of pace. I am happy to own some.

For me, that’s the Rodgers Creek pinot for sure. It is the most burgundian of the Sojourn lineup in my experience (which does not include the 2012 vintage yet).

I agree.

I thought we were talking about 2012s? I assumed that is what Chris was asking about. It’s what Mike provided TNs for the Pinots.

I was referring to the 2012 Rodgers when agreeing with Rich, sorry didn’t mean to mix anyone up. Haven’t tried the 2011 or earlier unfortunately.

Thanks, gang, that’s super helpful. I’ll probably buy Sonoma Coast and Rodger’s Creek this time around; I think those are the two I bought last spring as well.

The pic—you guys—and you too, Craig!—look way too serious

I’ve always liked the Sangiacomo of Sojourn’s, probably consistently the most, Erich’s winemaking style seems to blend very well with what the vineyard offers, which for me is velvety feel and some balance to go with rich fruit and spice flavours. (This planes off to a very general observation I’ve made that at least some number of the pinot winemakers in Cali that I like (and have, of course tasted through and with) have a “SVS”—a single vineyard specialty—that they really understand and do well. For me, for instance, no one does Rosella’s like Ed Kurtzman, no one makes as good a Savoy as Ted Lemon (although Jamie’s come very close at times) and no one understands Pisoni like Joe Davis. So it is for me with Erich and Sang.) That said, I have usually enjoyed the Gap’s Crown pretty consistently too. Rodgers has been up and down with me.

Looking forward to my chance to taste through everything at FallTacular in a month.

Ray, glad to see you posting again, hope all is well!

Mike