Falltacular 2011, It's a Wrap

Once again Frank and Jill and their army of volunteers put in a man decade of time and effort to organize a great Falltacular 2011 event culminating with a significant donation to Laura’s House.

Once again there was an avalanche of great wine and food and even a little different crowd mix this year. Kudos to all who help to continue to make this a way fun and worthy event.

Without a detailed analysis, there seemed to be more Syrah based wines than ever before … that said I personally focused my attention on the Pinot noir and Cabernet/Bordeaux wines. My favorites in no particular order -

2009 August West Graham’s (this was my wine of the tasting)
2007 Ladd Cellars Abigail Pinot noir
2009 Siduri Keefer Ranch Pinot noir
2009 Loring Cargasacchi Pinot noir
2007 Saxon Brown Parmalee-Hill Pinot noir
2008 Bevan Merlot

Was bummed to have missed this for the first time in a few years, but very happy to hear that a good time was had by all.

And I’m glad to hear that there were more syrahs and rhone-style wines on hand . . . just saying [swearing.gif]

Looking forward to more detailed notes and pics - and to see if anyone topped Mike G’s fashion statement from last year [cheers.gif]

Thanks to Frank and Jill for another great Falltacular!

Pictures available at:

http://www.jburk.net/Wine/Falltacular_11/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to Frank and Jill and their tireless kitchen helpers for the best Falltacular yet!

We all agreed yesterday that syrah was the big winner. Excellent examples of CA syrah were at nearly every table, and there was so much outstanding syrah that it made it difficult to appreciate some of the lighter styled wines, particularly pinot. How an there not be hope for this variety?

Falltacular was a blast. Thanks to Frank and Jill, and their other volunteers, we had lots of wine and food to choose from, and the choices were mostly quite good. After a while palate fatigue set it.

It was great to meet so many people I only knew electronically, and to see some of my favorite winemakers like Craig Haserot, Brian Loring, John Cabot, Peter Cargasacchi, and John Holdredge - also nice to meet Ed Kurtzman and Justin (from Argot).

It was exciting to try some new labels, and those that for financial reasons we had to pass on during the year.

My favorite wines of the day:
Sojourn GIII Cab and Sangiocomo Pinot;
August West Graham Family Pinot;
Loring Divergence (it has really come together since I tried it in September); also Loring Clos Pepe, Gary’s and Cargasacchi vineyards;
Carg’s '09 Estate;
Weber Mishelle;
Holdredge Mazie Rose
Cabot Aria’s

I know I tried about three Rosella’s vineyards that were all good but don’t recall whose… someone will help me out here.

The good thing was I got to try some that I’ll never make the list (like Rhys) to learn they are good but not my style. I also found some of the Cabs and Syrahs were a bit overly extracted.

Thanks to Frank,Jill and all the volunteers who helped make this one of the best Falltacular events ever. Gloria and I had a blast both Friday and Saturday and it was so good to see all our old friends and meet so many new ones. Knowing that this event supports such a worhtwhile cause makes this a must attend for us every year. Bravo Frankie!

I actually had a chance to try more wines than I have in the past and was impressed by quite a number of wines. Also great to see a number of wines being made in a more elegant style reflecting the purity of fruit and location.
I did not take written notes but here is a short list of some wines that stood out for me:

2009 Black Kite Pinot Noir Redwoods Edge
2008 Copain Syrah Brousseau
2009 Cargasacchi Pinot Noir Cargassachi Vineyard
2007 Ladd Pinot Noir Moore Vineyard
2007 Wind Gap Syrah Griffen’s Lair
2008 Bevan Cabernet Showket Vineyard David’s

There were many more interesting wines and I am sure I missed tasting many more.

As a side note I just finished watching the Bears/Packer game and being originally from Chicago it was a disapointment to say the least. To make matters even worse there is an unamed person responsible for this board who is a Cheesehead and proud of it. I am sure I have not heard the last from him.

Man, wish I could have been there to share the experience with you all…

Totally agree with everyone’s love for the Carg/Carg pinot…had the pleasure of having some of that sweet juice the last time we were up in Lompoc. Peter’s stuff rules.

flirtysmile

Sounds like another fantastic was enjoyed by all; congrats to Frank for putting on another successful event!

Hope to attend next year and happy to see the love for CA syrah.

[cheers.gif]

Brett

I had a great time at Falltacular (and the amazingly fun dinner the night before at Frats).

Everyone who was at Falltacular or contributed in some way was a hero… the winemakers, those who donated bottles or artwork, those who bid on things, and really everyone who attended…it took all of us/you to help make Jill’s and Frankie’s dream of supporting Laura’s House so meaningful.

Since I have made the conscious decision to not buy much wine (I’ve got enough, really, and at my age I need to drink more and buy less if the cellar is not to be passed on without me enjoying it!!), it’s a treat for me to be able to continue to at least try new vintages of wines that I `cut my teeth on’ and from wine makers I know and deeply respect–Loring, August West, Novy, Siduri–and to try new wines that I would like to buy.

I had never tried, and was very impressed with the Line-up from Holdredge, Black Kite (what aromas!), Bevan and Argot. I appreciated trying wines I still do buy from **Hug (**a great line up… you guys are the best!!), and trying again those I would be buying if I were a younger man from Jemrose and Cargassachi.

I didn’t try many Syrahs at all, focusing on Pinots, Bdx types, and white wines, so there were some wineries I didn’t get to sample at all… next time!

I think that it was truly amazing that from noon til I left at about 7 pm, new grilled food continued to materialize from Frankie’s BBQ and that, somehow, side dishes of every description popped up anew to keep us full and happy and hopefully relatively sober. Some folks had lunch, snack and dinner while there (Sean Kennedy, you know who you are!!).

Falltacular is really about people with the wine an excuse for all of us to hang out. I met lots of new folks (Jim S, Larry P, Felipe and his wife, Justin, Leo “the hugger”, Spartacus) and had fun mingling with old friends as well. All in all, a terrific weekend, even if the Jets didn’t win.

Here is what I learned at Falltacular:

  1. Frank Murray married way out of his class.
  2. Wetrock can actually bake decent cookies (although he is a bit sensitive)
  3. Robert Yamata has but one emotion- happiness
  4. Augie Hug, while lacking a military background knows how to stake out the high ground (in this instance near the BBQ)
  5. Jim Dietz actually looks like his avatar picture
  6. The Rex Ryan toe fetish provided Arnie (last name unknown) and I good fodder for a running joke
  7. Cargasachi has moments of sobriety- contrary to legend
  8. Ed Kurtzman maintains his statesmanlike demeanor in all situations
  9. Todd French is a really tall, strong good-looking surfer type- but I hope he was kidding about us dating.
  10. R Del Rosario and I both know our place is to fetch for our wives on request (demand).
  11. There are some amazing wines being made in this state
  12. I forget the rest- I was drinking.

But in all seriousness, I should say that aside from the good time, the organization this benefitted is an amazing place, doing some amazing work. As DrMrs FMIII spoke about it and then the director spoke about it, you could have heard a pin drop- this place is helping domestic violence victims from across America. Some of the stories and statistics were moving enough that I’m still thinking about them today. We live in trying financial times, and while governmental budget cuts can make complete sense on one level, the impact to programs like this can be devastating to those who need it most.

If I remember the numbers correctly from my discussion with the director (whose name I regrettably cannot recall), out of the $3mm budget, only 20% comes form government assistance (Homeland security ironically). That means this incredible organization has to get its funding in other ways- and this event, though a small part of the money the project needs, is directly helping those who need it most. And social service budget cuts by the government can seriously impact organizations like this- even though it is largely funded outside of governmental money.

When I got home, I looked at my wife and kids and thought about the contrast between the clients of Laura’s House that I heard about and the life they enjoy. I know they won’t be victims of domestic violence as long as I am around- no one is going to grab my kid who is crying and put their feet on a hot barbq and say “now you’ve got something to cry about”, no-one is going to physically or emotionally brutalize them such that they are not only afraid to defend themselves, but they think it’s their fault. When my kids sleep, they are secure- they can’t even imagine someone coming into the safety of their room and harming them. But it’s not enough to think only of our own families- we have to help the places like this that protects the victims of domestic violence, and teaches them to rebuild their lives so it won’t continue.

So, all the pleasure of wine and camraderie aside, if you couldn’t make it to Falltacular, you can still make a difference. It’s as simple as sending the cost of the next bottle of wine you’ll drink to Laura's House - Domestic violence shelter in Orange County California serving 16 communities Since everyone here apparently drinks $100+ bottles ($400+ at offlines), we could make a difference. And even if it’s less than that, the real point of this event is perhaps this: we can make a difference.

Sorry for the soapbox, but kid’s causes mean a lot to me (this is for adults too) and even if you weren’t able to enjoy the event, by sending a donation you can still enjoy being part of the difference it is making. Carry on.

What I learned…

You and WetRock know how to take pictures with a smart phone and send said image halfway across the country while drinking.

And to John’s soapbox rant…ditto. I’ll sign up to make a cash donation.

And you respond to said pictures with three mono-syllable word sentences.

But thanks for catching the spirit of this thing.

Nice post John (and sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you). I’ll add that donating to any social cause, in which many are likely victomized by budget deficits, is something we should all consider. There are literally 1000s of worthy causes that desperately need our help. We all can make a difference.

The Murrays are the kind of people that make me proud of this human race thing. Everyone in attendance made a difference yesterday in so many lives. I’m very proud to be associated with such an amazing group of folks. And for those of you that missed the Leo/Carg mating song all I can say is priceless!

Wow, I can’t add much to what Dietz, Holdredge and Gregg have said. This event has truly become much more than a wine event. The steady supply of awesome food as Jim mentioned is amazing. The steady supply of laughs from new faces and old keeps the atmosphere lively.

Frank and Jill donate so much time not to mention their house for a great cause and allow us to share in the charity. All the while making one of the best wine events in California happen year after year. A big thanks to all the wineries who donated wines to the cause as well as those ITB’ers who joined us in revelry. Another big thanks to those who donated wine and artwork to the auction which added still more money to the Laura’s House fund.

Maybe we can get a recording of the Carg and Leo rendition of ‘In Soviet Croatia, Babe Got You’ for next year’s auction?

A few highlight wines:
Rhys Skyline Syrah
Black Kite Pinots
Copain Wentzel Pinot
Copain Hawkes Butte Syrah
Cargasacchi Estates
Sojourn (single vineyard) Cab
Big Basin Woodruff Family Pinot
Cabot Aria’s

All in all an awesome time. Extra thanks to the late night crews Friday and Saturday for still more laughs. Justin from Argot is officially Berserker material even if he drinks Sewer’s Lite Silver Bullets. [wink.gif]

What a great weekend. [cheers.gif]

We were just in a charitable mood obviously.

Thank you all for the kind words above, especially that of Spartacus Holdredge. He summed it up very well. And in fact, as I said on Saturday in my opening remarks in the backyard, I owe John a great debt for helping me steer Falltacular in the early days, to not give up on the idea. Thanks Mr Holdredge.

We got all this started on Friday night, with about 35 of us dining at Fratello’s to kick off the weekend. I suspect we had about 50 bottles out on the tables, it was a gas. Here are a few photos I took over dinner:

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Then, the big event on Saturday AM. We had the house ready by about 1045 and it was nice to catch up and take a breath before we got to cracking. So, some stats:

I’d gather we had about 115 people all in.

We had over 130 different wines arrayed all over the house, across 6 stations.

And the most important part, we raised $14,000.00, beating last year. $6,500 at the front door and another $7,500 in the silent auction for the garage. To pull down 14K really moved me, all of you stepping up to help. THANK YOU!

I appreciate Burkie’s photos above, I am not to that talent but here is a few I took:

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Over the years, with the help of Robert and Carlin Yamada doing the tasting booklets, signage and collateral, you make this event classy. For the winemakers, early and still stalwart supporters like Brian Loring, Ed Kurtzman, Adam Lee, Wes Hagen–I love you guys for helping me do this thing since the very beginning. All of the new wineries that have supported the event, so many to mention that have come aboard to support us–you all have made it work–THANK YOU! Here is the list from this past weekend–support these wineries!

AGHARTA
ARGOT WINES
AUGUST WEST
BEVAN CELLARS
BIG BASIN
BLACK KITE
C3
CABOT
CARGASACCHI
CARLISLE
CLOS PEPE
COPAIN
CORE WINES
ETRE
FLYING WINE CELLARS
HOLDREDGE
HUG CELLARS
JEAN EDWARD CELLARS
JEMROSE
KEEFER RANCH
LADD CELLARS
LORING WINE COMPANY
LUCIA
NOVY
OLSON OGDEN
POINT CONCEPCION
RHYS
SANDLER
SAXON BROWN
SIDURI
SOJOURN CELLARS
SWITCHBACK RIDGE
TERCERO WINES
VIRAGE
WEBER WINE COMPANY
WIND GAP

To all the volunteers who poured the wines, who helped with setup and breakdown, it’s a team effort and through wine, we have helped Laura’s House with a solid donation as they work to intervene and save the lives and women and kids who can’t do it alone.

We had a great day Saturday. And to my wife, thanks for putting up with this each year and helping us make it happen–you’re the best and to John’s point above, I did marry well.

As a final point, it is hard to taste things during the event, running around. I did find a few things that I wanted to flag:

2008 Rhys Skyline syrah–uh, wow. I hope to get some of this.
2009 Copain Les Voisins pinot noir–rock solid and terrific flavors.
2009 Jemrose Viognier–the aromatics and flavors are spot on.
2007 Big Basin Rattlesnake Rock syrah–terrific balance and complexity

and for what it’s worth, the Black Kite pinots, all 3 bottlings, I think were the first wines to drain during the event. That says a lot about Jeff’s wines.

I’ll add my thanks to FM3 & Dr. Jill for opening their beautiful home to us, and for conceiving an event where we can drink immeasurable quantities of wine, meet lots of great and entertaining people, and all to help a great cause.

Frank, thank you to you and Jill for opening your home again and for the Herculean effort you both put into this each year. What a great event for an even greater cause. From dinner at Fratello’s on Friday night through 7 PM on Saturday, everything was perfect and a celebration of wine, food and friends – yet there was never any doubt about the real purpose – Laura’s House. It was great to see the local crew, as well as those who traveled from Santa Barbara, Livermore, Sonoma and elsewhere. Kudos to all and thank you to the wineries for their generosity.

I tasted far fewer wines this year, as the accursed Santa Ana winds late in the week triggered allergies that got progressively worse. Of those I tasted early in the afternoon before my nose and palate gave out, the following stood out to me:

2009 Jemrose Viognier: even with a slightly stuffy nose, the aromatics were spectacular. Easily the White WOTD for me.
2008 Tercero Cuvee Loco Grenache/Sryah
2008 Hug Cellars El Jefe G/S/M
Sojourn 2008 GIII and 2009 Showket Cabs
2009 Sojourn Gap’s Crown and Sangiacamo Pinots
2006 Bevan Dry Stack Syrah (a repeat favorite from last year)
2008 Jemrose Gloria’s Gem Syrah/Merlot
2007 Big Basin Coastview and Rattlesnake Rock Syrahs
2008 Rhys Horseshoe Syrah (Red WOTD for me)
2009 Loring Clos Pepe Pinot
2009 Cargasacchi Carg-Jalama Pinot

By the time I realized there was a “new” room upstairs, I had missed out on the Black Kite. Also missed out on the Loring Divergence, even though there were three bottles and it was pretty much “front and center” on the main table. Oh well…gives me incentive to participate again next year!

Thanks to all and Cheers, [cheers.gif]

Steve

What a perfect way to taste through some excellent wine. Relaxing. Interesting folks to chat with. No mobs. Incredible food to nosh on through out the day. Spots to take a nap in the sun. Supporting Laura’s House. No wonder this is my favorite tasting of the year.

I didn’t have any theme in what I tasted this year, other than avoiding wines I’d had the last several months. The standout wines include:

09 wind gap pinot gris
09 Jemrose Viognier

08 Holdredge Selection Massale PN
09 Siduri Garys’ PN
09 Sojourn Ridgetop PN
07 Copain Wentzel PN
09 Loring Clos Pepe PN
09 August West Graham PN

08 Jemrose Cardiac Hill Syrah
06 Cabot Aria’s Syrah
08 Rhys Horseshoe Syrah
08 Wind Gap Griffin’s Lair Syrah
08 Hug El Jefe GSM
07 Argot The Preamble Syrah

08 Sojourn George III Cab
07 Cabot Cab
08 Bevan Showket Cab

09 Sandler Buck Hill Zin

Thanks very much to Frank and Jill for hosting this event and everyone that made it happen.

Will I never live the sweater down? And Frank, excellent pics–especially since you somehow managed to avoid posting any with Todd in them. [dance-clap.gif] [wink.gif]

I see from the brief notes that I will need to load up on my Sojourn allocation. Not that that’s much of an arm-twist.

Really sorry I missed you this year, John, but you have wonderfully summed up just how meaningful this event is and what sets it apart from other get-togethers…well, that and the terrific people.

Oh, and what did Cargasacchi cook up critter-wise this year? I’m dying to know. [rofl.gif]

With hopes of attending next year. Well done on another successful event, great job raising so much for Laura’s House.

best,