Organic Wine Journal » United States

Coturri Winery

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:50:09 +0000

Harry “Red” Coturri purchased the property which would become Coturri Winery in 1961. It has always been farmed using sustainable methods, and in 1991 the vineyards were certified organic by the CCOF. Starting 2004, conversion to biodynamics is underway.In 1979, Coturri Winery was officially bonded and since then had been handcrafting limited production wines in small batches on the slopes of Sonoma Mountain. This year they are celebrating their silver anniversary as the first winery in California to take organic farming and winemaking to the limit. From the start it has been Coturri’s mission to create wines that are as pure and natural as possible. They use only naturally occuring yeats, no chemicals or perservatives such as sulfites are added, no acid adjustment, no water, and they do not filter their wines – in fact there is only one ingreident in Coturri wines – grapes.The result is wines that are rich and extracted, darkly colored, and ripe and fruity. America’s foremost wine critic said this about Coturri, “One of the richest, most intense, well-balanced Zinfandels I have ever tasted… super rich pure examples of their varietals. They are too interesting and provocative not to recommend.” – Robert M Parker, Jr.

Araujo Estate

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:21:02 +0000

Since 1971, some of California’s most ageworthy and intensely flavored Cabernet Sauvignons have been made from grapes grown at the Eisele Vineyard, located on a benchland near the northern end of the Napa Valley, just east of Calistoga. Protected by the Palisades Mountains to the north and cooled by westerly breezes from the Chalk Hill Gap, this 37 acre vineyard is planted on warm cobbly soils that produce a low yielding crop of exceptionally concentrated fruit. The wines produced in this remarkable place have a rare combination of forthright character with precisely defined flavors and fine textures, deep concentration without any sense of heaviness, and the capacity to develop profound complexity with age.Bart and Daphne Araujo acquired the Eisele Vineyard in 1990, committed to producing only estate grown wines of the highest caliber and distinction. They constructed a small winery and caves on the property, and redeveloped major portions of the vineyard. The property now produces five Araujo Estate wines each vintage: Cabernet Sauvignon, Altagrácia, Syrah, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, each expressing the uniqueness of the precious resource that is the Eisele Vineyard.

Robert Sinskey Vineyards

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:20:34 +0000

RSV pursues purity from dirt to bottle, crafting inimitable wines that capture the unique relationship of vine and vineyard. Saveur magazine wrote that Sinskey has “seen the future of wine” in that they farm all two hundred of their acres organically and biodynamically, growing beautifully expressive, healthy fruit that needs little in the way of cellar cosmetics on its journey to the dinner table. Happily and quite intentionally, this pursuit of purity results in wines of understated elegance that enhance rather than encumber cuisine.All of RSV’s fruit grows on their own carefully tended land, spread over five vineyards in Carneros and one surrounding the redwood and local stone winery on the Silverado Trail in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. RSV’s Carneros vineyards are dominated by Pinot Noir, from which they craft five elegant and expressive wines including three single-vineyard designates. From white grapes, RSV produces a beautifully clean Pinot Blanc and a blend of Alsatian varietals called Abraxas. From red grapes, in addition to Pinot Noir, Sinskey makes several Bordeaux-inspired bottlings, including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, often in the very same bottle; and a few small-production gems rarely seen outside of the tasting room, including their delicious pink Vin Gris of Pinot Noir.

Frog’s Leap Winery

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:20:06 +0000

John Williams founded Frog’s Leap in 1981 on a spot along Mill Creek known as the Frog Farm. An old ledger revealed that around the turn of the century, frogs were raised on the property then sold for $.33 a dozen, destined no doubt, for the tables of Victorian San Francisco gourmets.Today, Frog’s Leap makes its home amongst 200 acres of vineyards in Rutherford at the historic Red Barn. This grand and welcoming building was built in 1884 as the Adamson Winery and renovated in 1994 as Frog’s Leap’s permanent home. Winemakers John Williams and Paula Moschetti handcraft an annual production of 60,000 cases comprised of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rutherford.Using the best of Napa Valley’s dry-farmed and organically grown grapes along with the most traditional winemaking techniques, Frog’s Leap strives to produce wines that deeply reflect the soils, climate and community from which they emanate. Frog’s Leap produces some of Napa Valley’s finest wines and, undoubtedly, has one of the wine world’s best mottos: “Time’s fun when you’re having flies.”

Tres Sabores

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:19:35 +0000

Our small, family owned ranch on the western Rutherford Benchland of California’s Napa Valley produces organically certified Zinfandel, Cabernet, Petite Syrah, and Petite Verdot grapes, olives, Meyer lemons, and exotic pomegranate cultivars. Tres Sabores: the “Three Flavors” in any wine: those of Terroir, Artisan, and Varietal has made single vineyard wines since 1999. Single vineyard bottlings of Zinfandel are wonderful vehicles for exploring one’s passion for variation of taste and complexity. Zin is delightfully impressionable and takes up the contributions of terroir and artisan in a particularly refreshing way. Zinfandel is a discovery grape and gets the Darwin award for adapting to its particular terroir and thriving on it. It has the capacity to produce fresh, berry-forward, spicy wines of great character. At Tres Sabores, as stewards of the land, we’re devoted to exploring the character of the grapes we grow and producing wines that truly reflect the “voice” of the vineyard. Goats, Sheep, Guinea Hens, Golden Retrievers, Bobcats, Red-Tailed Hawks, Bluebirds, swallows and a host of other denizens contribute mightily to our efforts.

Benziger Sonoma Mountain Estate

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:19:10 +0000

It takes a heart afire to nurture roots in rocky, sun-drenched soil through all forces of nature to a fruitful harvest. But to craft wines of uncommon character with a distinct sense of place commands the enthusiasm of an entire team devoted to a singular passion. At Benziger that team is a family, and their passion is Sonoma Mountain winegrowing.California’s Sonoma Valley is home to the Demeter-certified Benziger ranch, where the family is as attentive to the 30 acres of gardens, woodland, riparian areas, wetlands, cover crops and wildlife sanctuaries that comprise their 85-acre estate, as they are the 42 acres planted to winegrapes. The diversity of growing conditions on the Biodynamic ranch allows the Benzigers to micro-farm their vineyard for specific flavors. Each of the estate’s 29 blocks are picked, crushed and aged separately based on exposures, elevations, soil profiles, rootstocks and clones.Inspired by a deep and enduring reverence for the land, the Benzigers craft their certified Biodynamic wine Tribute from grapes nurtured on their family’s Sonoma Mountain estate. Winemaker Mike Benziger’s goal is a wine made from classic Bordeaux varieties that reveals a profound sense of place and the spirit of the winegrowing team.

Ceago Vinegarden

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:18:32 +0000

Ceago Vinegarden is owned by Jim Fetzer, former President of Fetzer Vineyards. Jim grew up with his ten brothers and sisters in the vineyards of Mendocino County. The Fetzers built their family business into an internationally recognized and respected winery. The family started on the “home ranch” (now “Kathleen’s Vineyard”) producing just a few dozen cases. When the family sold the winery in 1992, Fetzer Vineyards was producing two and a half million cases of wine annually. The Fetzer family led the wine industry in United Sates in organic farming and ecological business practices. In 1993, Jim Fetzer established Ceago Vinegarden at the McNab Ranch in Mendocino County. At Ceago, Jim has integrated that experience with all his learning, from his father and from his own forty years of grape growing and wine making, to take California winegrowing to a new level. Jim teamed up with Alan York to convert Ceago Vinegarden over to Biodynamic Farming techniques and became certified by Demeter in 1995. Ceago Vinegarden has recently established a new Biodynamic Farm in neighboring Lake County. With “Ceago Del Lago’s” diversity of plant, animal and lake front influence, it is a perfect farm to showcase and educate people on Biodynamic principles.

Patianna Organic Vineyards

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:17:45 +0000

Patti Fetzer Burke is producing wine from her Patianna Organic Vineyard, a 126-acre property nestled alongside the Russian River in Mendocino County. Patianna’s inspiration comes from the tenets of biodynamic farming and the traditions of the Fetzer family; exceptional quality in wine is achieved because the land, the farmer and the winemaker operate in harmony. The flavor, structure and texture of Patianna’s wines reflect progressive farming techniques, practices based on a broad knowledge of and deep respect for the cycles of nature.Patianna approaches winegrowing through lessons learned from Patti’s father, Barney Fetzer, who often said, “Many footprints in the vineyard show that the vines are wellcared for.” At Patianna Organic Vineyards, the footprints belong to Patti, consulting winemaker Mike Lee, vineyard foreman Horacio Ortega and his field crew, abundant indigenous wildlife – and flocks of resident chickens patrolling for insect pests. Keen observation guides grape growing at Patianna, and farming constantly adjusts to the conditions of the vines, soil and seasons.Patianna’s inaugural release was a 2003 estate grown Sauvignon Blanc. Drawing on her vast experience and love of the business, Patti Fetzer Burke designed her label and package.

Evesham Wood Winery

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:17:25 +0000

Evesham Wood is a small, subterranean winery producing 3,500 cases annually from four Burgundian and Alsatian varieties grown on our 13 acre estate vineyard, “Le Puits Sec”, in the Willamette Valley’s Eola Hills and other nearby vineyards. All “Le Puits Sec”and “La Grive Bleue” designated wines are made from certified organically grown fruit. “Le Puits Sec” has been farmed organically since 1995, with certification granted in 2000 by Oregon Tilth in compliance with NOP standards. Our guiding philosophy calls for traditional techniques in the vineyard and cellar with little or no intervention. Our Pinot Noir and vineyard-designated Chardonnays are bottled without fining or filtration, and we employ no enzymes, must concentrating or temperature control devices. We are also beginning to implement aspects of biodynamic viticulture at Le Puits Sec and are committed to using only “indigenous” solutions to address vine disease and nutrition issues. Our purpose is to create wine which is a natural and authentic expression of its birthplace, and at a price level which affords the average consumer this experience. Evesham Wood is a founding member of the “Deep Roots Coalition”, an association of small Oregon vintners which advocates the production of wine exclusively from non-irrigated vineyards.

Cayuse Vineyards

Adam Morganstern — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:16:53 +0000

Cayuse Vineyards owner and vigneron, Christophe Baron grew up among the vineyards and cellars of his family’s Champagne house, Baron Albert in France. Educated and trained in Burgundy, he first came to Washington State and the Walla Walla Valley in the 1990s as an intern. During a return visit in 1996, he discovered an area littered with basalt cobblestones and the idea for vineyards and winery focusing on creating world-class Rhône wines was born.Today, Cayuse owns five vineyards with 47 acres of land currently planted. From this land the winery currently creates 10 estate wines totaling 3000 cases.As the first and currently only Biodynamic estate winery in Washington, Cayuse focuses its efforts in the vineyards. The goal is to create wines that express unique individuality, personality and character.As we believe that wine is a food, we strive to produce balanced wines that can enhance a meal. Our wines are made with minimal intervention, as we try to protect the fruit, minerality and other aromas and flavors the vineyards give to the wines. Our wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.