Folks,
I hope the non-existent post history doesn’t preclude me from asking for some advice. (I’m a long time lurker and only wish I had more to contribute, outside of saying, “we don’t like those wines here either”, after each disappointing Australian wine tasting note).
I’m writing because I’m making my way to the US next month for a short trip, and am putting together my scavenger-hunt list of wines. You know, that list you keep in your back pocket, ready to pull out when you find yourself in front of a good winelist, or in a good store.
I’m a wine-maker in Australia, and must admit to falling more onto the wine-geek side of things. Whilst I’ve had some incredible experiences with Californian Cabernet, my heart really lies with fine Pinot Noir, quirky Rhone varietals/blends, and all things unique. (So everything from Rhys to Thackrey to Scholium Project). I’ve tried most of the “top”/high scoring/old-school Californian wines in my life, so I view this trip as a chance to scavenge for the “cool”, (whether they be new or old),wines that you can really only find near the source. Quality is king, but a lean towards elegance and interest is what I’m looking for.
The list for the hunt is looking like this so far;
Littorai
Wind Gap
Rivers-Marie
Gros Ventre Cellars
Anthill Farm
WesMar
Kutch
Loring Wine Company
Saxum
Courier
Bedrock
Edmunds St. John
Lagier Meredith
I appreciate it’s a broad question, and I’ll never have a comprehensive list, but I also don’t want to miss any opportunities to taste wines I’ll likely not see again for quite some time.
Any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks in advance, David.
To any standard list such as described above, I would add:
Copain
Dehlinger
Lucia/Pisoni
I’d enthusiastically endorse Copain (for syrah as well as for PN) and add Siduri.
Will you be going to Oregon or Washington State?
David,
Send me the dates and hotel you are staying at and I will have a bottle of my wine at the concierge for you once you arrive.
Enjoy your trip.
Jamie
Tablas Creek is doing interesting things with Rhone varieties. More restrained than most Californian, best with some age. If you make arrangements to visit them in Paso Robles, I’m sure they’ll do you well.
Many thanks- I’m travelling on a tight itinerary of a week or so, and spending most of my time in Las Vegas and San Francisco, (hence the fact I feel confident I should have good access to most wines). Though winery visits aren’t an option this time around.
I would love to get more exposure to the best of Oregon and Washington State, and won’t ignore any opportunities that come up, but I’m also coming back later in the year, and might make that the focus for then.
These names are all great, so thank you, (and keep them coming!). I know it’s hard to single things out from the 3500 odd Californian wineries, but in lieu of doing a better job of describing exactly what I’m looking for, anyone whose wines get the Berserkers community thumbs-up, is something I want to try. I’ve tried plenty of big-ticket, overblown, famous Californian Pinot, (the ones with big scores and occasionally controversial newsletters), so I want to taste as many “real” wines of California as I can, and do some serious stereotype bashing. (In much the same way, I suppose, I’d like more people to do with Australia).
Thanks again, and getting really excited to start getting through some wines!
Littorai
Wind Gap
Rivers-Marie
Gros Ventre Cellars
Anthill Farm
WesMar
Kutch
Loring Wine Company
Saxum
Courier
Bedrock
Edmunds St. John
Lagier Meredith
Copain
Dehlinger
Lucia/Pisoni
Tablas Creek
Thanks Jamie, very kind of you. I’ll return the favour around the same time with something from us. Cheers, David.
David,
reading a little about your winery (biodynamic principles, use of field blends, relatively no interventionist, natural ferments etc.), I think you’ve developed a pretty good shortlist. One you don’t have yet that should almost certainly be on there is Arnot-Roberts. I also think you might be interested in Palmina for Italian varietals. They’re well known, but i also think Williams-Selyem should be on the list. Including these, particular favorites of mine are:
Rhys
Rivers-Marie
Copain
Wind-Gap
Arnot Roberts
Wesmar
Anthill Farms
Littorai
Palmina
Bedrock
Williams-Selyem
You might find it more difficult than expected to find these wines in-store… but hopefully you find a few.
Clayton
Thanks Clayton, that’s great. You’re right, I’ll should still keep an eye out for some of the classics like W-S as well.
True, I think I’ll have better luck on winelists for many of them, which is the joy of having some idea of what I’m looking for beforehand. Cheers.
David,
If you are in San Francisco, you may want to check out Donkey and Goat winery as well. I believe they have a tasting room in San Fran. After reading your philosophy on wine, I think you may like what they are doing.
Oh, and I am glad to see you have Wesmar on the list. One of my favorites in California.
Mike
David,
When are you traveling?
If you are in SF, check out Terroir (http://www.terroirsf.com) - not so many local wines but if you are in to natural wines and biodynamic principles, you should stop in. I work in the neighborhood so it’s always good to sneak off for a nice Jura or Bandol from time to time.
You can get some Bedrock basic cuvee at K&L. Bedrock is doing some of the coolest stuff with “primitive” winemaking, field blends, ancient vines on unique sites.
Eric- I’ll be there in the back half of next month.
Thanks Alex, I have really liked the couple of Bedrock Heirlooms I’ve tried, so hope to find some more. It may surprise you, but Australia is dripping with European natural wine. You pretty much have to tell every sommelier here you don’t want a cloudy Jura wine up front, or it’ll end up in your glass. Luckily, because of a handful of very dynamic, young importers, it’s mostly the good stuff coming through. I’m still sure I’ll find a moment to duck into Terrior.
Thanks
Hi David,
You didn’t list Mount Eden on your list but you mentioned you’d tried most old school Cali wine, but on the off chance you have not, that is a producer you must if it’s available wherever you visit. Fantastic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Have a wonderful trip.
Cheers!
David,
Looking at your web site, you specialize in wines of Geelong, but are located in Sydney? Just asking, since I’ll be in Melbourne for a couple of weeks in May.
The list you have above is excellent, can’t go wrong with any of them. I would put in a good word for Lagier-Meredith, Copain, and add Peay to the list.
Thanks Scott, will add Mount Eden.
Yes Alan, I split my time between the two. (The other half of the Between Five Bells team is on site in Geelong). We’ll happily receive you if you are in the area, just let me know when you’ve got some plans set. We’re about 40 minutes from Melbourne.