Esther Mobley (SFChron) on Kevin Harvey's (Rhys) new Italian venture

WINE TALK
21

Get it, Mel. Thought you were implying Esther was unaware of NEB. She’s very much aware of our “ad-hoc group” (as Darrell refers to us).
But the omission of JimClendenen was a huge oversight in my book.
Tom

22

Like others I think this is a cool project and the wines look to be affordable. There are still so many varieties to be explored here under West coast sunshine.

23

With due respect to Kevin Harvey for his determination and level of investment, the statement “Grapes never before grown in California” on the Aeris website is a bit hyperbolic. Sumu Kaw is also growing Nerello, IIRC, though perhaps Harvey spearheaded the effort to ‘naturalize’ Nerello and planted first. Meanwhile, there has been a long, albeit mixed, history of Nebbiolo in California. I get it, it’s marketing, but shading competitors can be a tricky angle.

On the other hand, I like the unapologetic challenge of the “cool days, warm nights, large diurnal shift” paradigm. I’m not an enologist, but a large diurnal shift seems to be more of a necessity in warmer regions at lower latitudes than a truly desirable characteristic.

I’m also curious about the presence of volcanic soils at the Centennial Mountain Vineyard. That feature, along with elevation, would seem to best match Nerello’s home terroir. Perhaps this vineyard has an eclectic mix of substrates, but it would be surprising to match soils to all the cultivars in one location. I wonder if Napa mountain vineyards would be optimal for Nerello, though this would be outright commercial suicide.

24

Greg,
“Grapes never before grown in California” is not intended to be hyperbole (though I am not entirely opposed to hyperbole!). I do not know of any Carricante, Nerello Capuccio or Nerello Mascalese that have been grown in CA prior to our submission in 2012. If Sumu Kaw has grown some Nerello Mascalese, then I will reduce that set to Carricante and Nerello Capuccio.

25

http://www.eldoradograpes.com/index.php?cID=165&mID=11

Sumu Kaw Vineyard
David & Sheila Bush
2660 Bodega Way
Placerville, CA 95667

Growing:
Alvarelhao, Grenache, Marsanne, Mourvedre, Nebbiolo, Roussanne, Souzao, Syrah, Tinta Cao, Touriga, Viognier, Zinfandel

26

Sumu Kaw has Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, from cuttings that Bryan Harrington submitted to FPS. I believe they were brought into the country a couple of years after Kevin’s project brought in their cuttings. These clones are publicly available through FPS, so if it turns out the varieties do well in California, they can be planted in other vineyards.

-Al

27

Okay, April is two days away - we got a release date yet? [dance-clap.gif]

28

Scott,
We are trying to wrap up the Aeris website so I think maybe 2-3 weeks from now.

29

April 24 release date. Got notification this morning.

Kevin – can you give us a preview of which wines you’re releasing (or at least which varieties)?

30

Just received this email form Rhys…anyone have insight?

Greetings from Rhys Vineyards!

For the last 10 years, the Rhys team has been quietly working on a very exciting new project and it is almost time for the grand unveiling!

We will explain more next week but please keep an eye on your inbox next Tuesday, April 24th, for more details and an offer including the first fruits of this long labor.

Thank you again from all of us at Rhys!


I’ll admit that I’m a huge fanboy and will buy anything and everything that has the Rhys label on it. I’m looking forward to whatever this is.

31

Their side venture perhaps?

32

Cabernet?

33

Read down the front page of WB a bit

34

I’m guessing 2014 Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore!

35

Surely. I got both Aeris and Rhys emails saying the same thing.

36

To be fair they just say “save the date” for the upcoming announcement. There is no specific wine mentioned.

37

Great guess!!

38

Oh Kevin you tease!

39

Rich,
Since WBs always gets the scoop first, here goes-
The first Aeris release will be - 2014 Etna Bianco Superiore (old vine Carricante from the best white wine region of Mt. Etna) for $59/btl including shipping.

Our first release of wines grown in California will be next year (2019). Unfortunately, these Aeris wines will start as a trickle but ramp over the years as our vines mature. Also, we are being quite careful and plan to only release wines that will really impress our customers. Many “new grape” projects are oriented around novelty but that is not our goal with Aeris. We are working hard to make sure that our customer’s first experience with each variety elicits a “Wow”!

40

Kudos for that, Kevin. That’s the way to do it.
All too often, when a wnry plants some new/never-before-seen variety in Calif and puts out the first rendition of that varietal,
they price it very aggressively to take advantage of its novelty.
The first Calif Gruner was vonStrasser. Priced at about $80 as I recall. Tasted like a middlin’ Austrian GV at <$20.
They eventually came to their senses and it’s now priced at $40 I think. Stiil doesn’t hold a candle to the Carlisle.
I also remember when the first Calif Syrah came out by Phelps in '73. Made by WalterShug just like his Pinots
w/ a ton of toasty Fr.oak. Nearly killed the market/potential for Syrah in Calif. First good one was not until the Eberle '77.
First great ones not until '82. It was a steep learning curve.
Tom