WELLS GUTHRIE ON ANDERSON VALLEY; LUNCH AT COPAIN - Copain Winery, Healdsburg, California (4/2/2011)
My last post, on a tasting of Ceritas and Halcón wines, made several references to Copain and Wells Guthrie. It seems only fitting, then, to follow with a summary of a recent visit to Copain, which included a lecture by Wells.
Seventy invited guests came for a preview of wines to be released this year, Wells’s lecture about Anderson Valley and Yorkville Highlands, and then a sit down lunch prepared by Copain’s chef Ariel Ross. Video clips of Wells’s talk can be found below. In it, he explains he was drawn to sourcing Pinot Noir (and now Syrah) from the Anderson Valley, after tasting Ted Lemon’s Littorai Pinots from that AVA. He took us through a Google Earth tour of the vineyards Copain now owns or is farming on longterm leases in that area, including three sites at the very north end of the Anderson Valley AVA.
I’ve long been a fan of Copain and Wells, and particularly appreciate the higher acid, earlier picked Pinot Noir he started producing with the 2006 vintage, and his Northern Rhone influenced cool climate Syrahs. I have previously written about a barrel tasting of the ’07 vintage with Wells, and a dinner where he talked about his evolving winemaking philosophy, here:
http://www.rjonwine.com/california-wine/copain/ and here: http://www.rjonwine.com/california-wine/copain-dinner-wells-guthrie/
As we arrived, we were handed a delicious, dry 2010 Rosé of Pinot Noir. After assembling outside the tasting room and enjoying the gorgeous view of the Russian River and beyond, we were led to the winery, where a projector had been set up in a darkened barrel room. There Wells spent about an hour talking about Anderson Valley and Yorkville Highlands: the geology, soil types and weather; and the characteristics of the vineyards Copain has purchased or is sourcing from there. We then moved to another part of the winery, surrounded by fermentation tanks, where stations had been set up with Copain’s upcoming new releases, and Wells continued to respond to questions.
Due to the 2008 forest fires and the smoke taint they caused in many of Copain’s Pinot vineyards, the resulting grapes were not bottled as single vineyard wines, and much was simply discarded. Wells and the Copain team weren’t willing to attach the Copain name to this substandard fruit, and I applaud them for that. The ’08 Syrah releases include the smoke-free bottling from the new Halcón Vineyard (one of the subjects of my last post) and a bottling of Brosseau from the Chalone appellation. Upcoming releases will also include ’09 Pinot Noir from Monument Tree, Wentzel, Kiser “En Haut” and Kiser “En Bas,” all in Anderson Valley. We tasted both the Monument Tree and Wentzel, both of which were very good. Finally we got to taste Copain’s first Chardonnay, from the Brosseau Vineyard in Chalone, from a block of the vineyard planted 37 years ago to Wente clone. It is a very elegant and poised first effort, and I can tell that Wells himself likes it a lot, because I saw that it was the Chardonnay he kept sipping throughout the rest of the event. We then adjourned to tables set up in the tasting room, and outside, for a delicious lunch, and to sample the ’09 Les Voisins bottlings of Pinot and Syrah, as well as the ’07 Copain Alder Springs “Spring Rock” Syrah.
It was a very enjoyable, and generous event. The food and setting were terrific, and the wines all showed well. And it’s always good to hear from Wells, who is one of California’s most influential winemakers these days.
My tasting notes on each of the wines appear below. For the video clips of Wells’s presentation, see my website: http://www.RJonWine.com
Rosé starter
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2010 Copain Tous Ensemble Rosé - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Light orange pink color; tart potpourri, tart orange nose; soft textured, tart orange, tart cantaloupe, tart cherry, mineral palate with medium acidity; medium finish 91+ points (91 pts.)
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2009 Copain Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone
Light lemon yellow color; floaty, lemon gelee, light vanilla nose; poised, tasty, tart lemon, lemon gelee palate with well integrated oak; medium-plus finish (92 pts.)
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2009 Copain Pinot Noir Wentzel Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; lovely ripe raspberry, rich cherry nose with a light sense of sandalwood; tasty, poised, rounded, raspberry, cherry palate with well integrated sandalwood oak and near medium acidity; medium-plus finish 92+ points (92 pts.) -
2009 Copain Pinot Noir Monument Tree - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; floral, roses, rosehips, light cherry nose; tasty, light-medium bodied, tart cherry, floral, tart raspberry, tart orange palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish (93 pts.)
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2008 Copain Syrah Halcon Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Yorkville Highlands
Very dark red violet color; aromatic, ripe berry, roasted fruit, French oak nose; tight, tasty, tart red plum, red berry palate, needs 3-4 years; medium-plus finish (92 pts.) -
2008 Copain Syrah Brosseau Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone
Very dark red violet color; nice plum, ripe berry nose; tight, tasty, tart berry, blackberry palate, needs 3-4 years; medium-plus finish (double decanted the previous evening) (93 pts.)
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2009 Copain Pinot Noir Les Voisins - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; ripe cherry, red berry nose; tart black raspberry, black cherry palate; medium finish (90 pts.) -
2009 Copain Syrah Les Voisins - USA, California, North Coast, Yorkville Highlands
Opaque purple red violet color; roasted berry, lavender, primary nose; tight, ripe berry, roasted plum; medium-plus finish (90 pts.) -
2007 Copain Syrah Spirit Rock Alder Springs Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
Opaque purple red violet color; aromatic, plush, roasted plum, berry nose; tasty, tight, tart plum, green herb, tar berry, tar palate; medium-plus finish 92+ points (92 pts.)