Those of you who loved the Diamond Ridge Vineyards Aspects blend will adore this blend of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc. Diamond Ridge Vineyards is located at the southeast corner of Clear Lake in Lake County. One of the best sites in California for these two varieties. The Merlot is unlike any other in the State, and resembles more the wines of Pomerol, with dense structure, lush mouthfeel and a rich core of fruit. The siteâs high altitude dispels any herbaceous character in either variety and imparts firm tannic framing to the Cabernet Franc and an aggressive spiciness which perfectly complements the softer Merlot.
The result is a complex mixture of bright red fruit aromas: grenadine, white cherry and black raspberry which are well preserved by the lake effect which cools the vineyard each afternoon. Droughty herbs that surround the site impart âair-oirâ â sage and bay laurel elements which are apparent in the nose. The volcanic soil
imparts a racy mineral energy to the palate and gives the wine a prolonged aging trajectory. After 51 months in neutral cooperage, the wine remains fresh and purple, and will repay extensive further cellaring. Delicious now or in two decades. Recommended with rosemary lamb, wild mushrooms or ratatouille.
Specs
Vintage: 2013
81% Merlot
19% Cabernet Franc
Diamond Ridge Vineyards, Clearlake
Harvested 12 October
24.3 Brix
Fermentation techniques: Anchor NT 112 yeast inoculum
10 g.L Bois Frais Alliers chips
14-day maceration
Elevage details: Four weeks microbĂźllage pre ML
51 months in 20-year old neutral French oak
Alcohol sweet spot at 14.5%
pH 3.80 at bottling
198 cases produced
2014 WineSmith Grenache, Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates Ranch
Tasting Notes
The nose is instantly alluring. One expects from your basic Grenache a simple strawberry aroma, but here we have in support of its bright fruitiness an intriguing
collection of melon, droughty âgarrigueâ herbs, saddle leather and Asian spice. The mouth is medium-bodied with fine tannins and energetic minerality
As a result, the wine is more complex and intriguing than a simple picnic wine, but is certainly suitable for an outing in some summer meadow with a basket full of
chicken and three-bean salad with sun-dried tomatoes. Its tannins have no edge at all, so I wouldnât serve it with a steak, but it loves game, from venison to quail and is magic with my Swedish meatballs, doused in a morel / porcini cream sauce with a dash of Marsala. My goal is to produce skillfully crafted wines that explore winemaking possibilities beyond the contemporary mainstream.
Winemaker and Vintage Notes
2014 WineSmith Grenache, Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates Ranch
There is, in my view, no other region in California that compares to the Santa Cruz Mountains for producing wines of distinctive terroir expression. Something about
its mountain soils and mix of sandstone and greenstone, plus the lush surrounding herbs that encircle its tiny vineyards and impart their own distinctive âair-oirâ gives each vineyard a unique stamp. The area is moderated by heavy Pacific influence but also lifted above the fog so that it enjoys plenty of cool direct sunlight, the perfect recipe for the grape to express itself.
Because of this, most of the region is best suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, of which there are many stunning examples. The Bates Ranch is located in the sheltered
Corralitos region just south of Ridge Vineyards, and is famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon, while their Grenache, less well known, is also quite wonderful.
Specs
Vintage: 2014
Vineyard Location: Bates Ranch
Corralitos subregion, Santa Cruz Mountains
5th leaf of experimental planting
Harvest Date: 1 October 2014
Harvest Sugar: 20.7 Brix
Fermentation techniques: 100% crush/destem
Anchor VN112 yeast inoculum
7 gm/L untoasted Alliers chips, air seasoned 2 yrs
Elevage details: Malolactic fermentation in barrel
Neutral French oak aged 27 months
TA 6.7 g/L,
pH 3.73 at bottling
Alcohol 12.9%
141 cases produced
2017 WineSmith Norton, Yolo County, Heringer Estate Vineyards
Tasting Notes
Though rarely planted in California, Clarksburgâs long, warm summers are perfect for developing full ripe flavors and softening its considerable acidity. Its deep purple color, rich blueberry flavor and dense yet incredibly soft tannins have great curb appeal. This is Clarkâs wife RuthE.âs favorite WineSmith offering. Its dense, soft body owes to a high degree of unfermentable polysaccharides similar to the unfermentable starches in microbrew beer.
Winemaker and Vintage Notes
2017 Norton, Yolo County, Heringer Estate Vineyards
Although most wine experts confine their expertise to the European Vitis vinifera varieties, there are almost 100 other Vitis species, some of which make very good wine. Dr. Norton was a 19th century breeder who crossed a wild Virginia Vitis aestivalis with an unknown parent to produce one of the most respected and widely produced reds in the U.S., with over 500 wineries offering examples.
Itâs good to be an American. Amaze your friends and strut with some barbeque. The color is a crazy deep shade of purple. Donât get it on your clothes! We Smiths offer small lots of extraordinary hand-crafted wines which explore French winemaking traditions in California.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
100% Norton
Heringer Estate Vineyards
Harvested 20 October 2017
24.6 Brix
Fermentation techniques: Nothing fancy. This wine makes itself!
Anchor NT 112 yeast inoculum
7 g.L Bois Frais Alliers chips
Stops with 1.5% remaining unfermentables
Elevage details: 3 weeks microbĂźllage pre ML
18 months in 20-year old neutral French oak
Alcohol 12.9%
TA 7.1 gm/L
pH 3.78 at bottling
104 cases produced
Included in the Box
3-bottles:
1x 2013 WineSmith Meritage, Lake County
1x 2014 WineSmith Grenache, Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates Ranch
1x 2017 WineSmith Norton, Yolo County, Heringer Estate Vineyards
Case:
4x 2013 WineSmith Meritage, Lake County
4x 2014 WineSmith Grenache, Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates Ranch
4x 2017 WineSmith Norton, Yolo County, Heringer Estate Vineyards
Winery: WineSmith Cellars
Owner: Clark Smith
Founded: 1993
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the worldâs largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with Californiaâs winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become an renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 âCrucibleâ Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy CĂ´tes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself âWhat is this wine trying to teach me?â Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wineâs true nature.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Canât speak to the '13 Meritage, but Iâve been sipping on a '14 for weeks now that is absolutely delicious and continues to improve.
I should see if I can find one of the '13âs CT thinks I haveâŚ
@rjquillin@WineDavid49@winesmith
I was also blessed by Clark and Sandra with a bottle of the 2014 WineSmith Roman Reserve Meritage from Humboldt Countyâs Ishi Pishi Vineyards a few weeks back. Unfortunately, I do not do a very good job of monitoring my email and assumed it would be up on Casemates within a day or two of receiving it. I drank it with my wife and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
We were out of town at a hotel and I did not jot down any notes, thinking that it would still be fresh in my mind when the offer went live. I received a call about a week later from Sandra who wanted to make sure I had received the bottle. Once again, I was ignorant and didnât fully understand that there was no imminent offer coming to Casemates for the wine and instead I was more concerned with placing an order for some of Clarkâs Norton (one of which I intend to open today and post some notes - maybe RJ can dive into a bottle of the '13 Meritage so we can have rattage on all 3 wines currently offered).
I do still have some overall impressions that I would be glad to share with Clark and/or WD in hopes that we will get an opportunity to buy some of the '14 WineSmith Meritage here on Casemates.
Bottom line, it is well worthy of not only the âRoman Reserveâ designation on the bottle but also the âBlack Tieâ designation that we used to see on that other site.
If price point is the only objection to putting up the offer, suggest that it be mixed into a combination case like the current offer to lower the average per bottle cost. It would be a real shame if we didnât get a crack at it! Another option would be to offer it as a 2-pack or 6-pack in place of the usual full case. We have had 2 magnums substitute for a full case so there is obviously some flexibility available in the sales model.
@chipgreen@rjquillin@Winedavid49@winesmith Roman Reserve Ishi Pishi Meritage?! Love that vineyard (Briceland and Cabot introduced me to it), and my experience with the RR Cab Franc makes me want to try this!
(Also, get Cabot and Briceland on board!)
@klezman@rjquillin@Winedavid49@winesmith
I sincerely hope that we get an opportunity to purchase this wine through Casemates. Just want to reiterate that sentimentâŚ
@chipgreen@klezman@rjquillin@Winedavid49 Not this vintage, guys. We have only 14 cases of it left and it just scored a Gold Medal at the Jefferson Cup, so how long do you think itâs gonna last?
@winesmith
Also, thanks for the warning. I just grabbed 6 bottles of the Meritage from your website and rounded out a case with 3 each of your Petit Manseng and Any Gorilla.
@CruelMelody Would you be willing to part with a bottle of each? No problem if the answer is no, just thought I would check before getting a three pack! Iâm really intrigued by that NortonâŚ
@CruelMelody For sure! We could do a three for three if you like. Wouldnât be an exact trade, as those were less $ than these, but Iâd pay you the difference.
For those of you who donât know us, WineSmith is an experimental project focusing on Euro-forgeries and Oddities like Norton, Petit Manseng, St. Laurent, and a collection of Bordeaux knock-offs including some organic, sulfite-free wines that have become quite spectacular after five years in very old barrels. Weâre all about balance, integrity, ageworthiness, restrained alcohol and affordable profundity. Check out www.whoisclarksmith.com/shop.
We have a triple treat in store this time âround: three beautiful reds for the holiday season, each with different uses. Two of them you know very well from previous offers, and I hope you will chime in with testimony and questions about them.
The â14 Grenache from Bates Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains is a Southern RhĂ´ne knock-off, medium-bodied but very complex fruit and earthy character and a minerally finish with considerable aging potential.
The â13 Meritage is from the volcanic soils of Lake County with 51 months in very old French oak. Itâs got a wonderfully developed Black cherry and tobacco thing going on in the nose quite firm tannins in the mouth and again, that minerally finish. Though very nice now, it will definitely improve with a decade or two further aging. Itâs looking for a steak of better yet, Beef Wellington with madeira sauce, a substantial improvement over turkey.
The third will pretty much blow your mind. Norton derives from a Vitis Aestivalis species discovered in the Virginia woods in the 19th century and now produced by 500 wineries throughout the Midwest and East Coast, planted principally for its disease and winter tolerance. Itâs a little like Petit Verdot in its density and high acidity so it needs to get really ripe. Therefore, it is a perfect grape for Clarksburg in the Central Valley where Heringer Family Estate grows three rows. As far as I know, this is the only planting in California.
This Norton is my wife RuthEâs favorite wine that I make. Itâs like drinking blueberry pie. Also, it has 1.5% unfermentable material, so the alcohol is only 12.9%. Itâs very hard to hate.
Iâd do a split here if any vegas folks are interested⌠@scenicready@XsanityX âŚrealistically, zero room for another case of wine. Had to pull out the back up wine fridge, even with that, Iâm still over stocked.
This is a 100% pure Norton from Clarksburg. Why, you might wonder, didnât I use Clarksburg AVA instead of Yolo County. Well, itâs the same reason that the 2004 and 2005 Crucible are Napa County wines although 100% from Napa Valley College in the Napa Valley.
The reason in both cases is that the older wine was more complex but the younger wine was richer. Both wines benefited from cross blending to the max, in this case the 2017 and 2018. With an AVA, the TTB restricts cross blending vintages to <5%, whereas with a County appellation, the max is <15%, so the Yolo County blends are just better wines than the tonier AVA.
Welcome to my crazy world. I will always choose the steak over the sizzle. The intimate relationship I have with you guys makes this possible.
@klezman I hope you can hook up with others who will split a case unevenly so you get what you want and they do too, hopefully less adventurous casemates.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
WineSmith Cellars Mixed Reds - $80 = 28.56%
Woo-hoo! What a way to brighten up a cold midwestern weekend.
Weâve got the Meritage and Grenache from earlier deals and are more than happy to find a way to shoehorn these in/squirrel them away for winter enjoyment.
If you are on the fence, buy now and save the questions for later. Such as âWhy didnât I buy more?â
Canât wait to try out the Norton. Thanks @winedavid and Clark @winesmith!!
/giphy dreary-feathered-otter
These are not really very high pHs. I donât counsel anyone to make wine at pH 4.0. I think of pH like a speedometer of aging. pH 3.0 is like driving 10 MPH, seldom a good idea. pH 3.2 - 3.4 is like in-town driving at 25-40 MPH, good for whites where there is danger and we arenât trying to cover distance. pH 3.70-3.85 is like highway driving at 60-75 MPH, good for distance driving on a limited access road where you donât need as much control and are just stewarding the carâs inertia. pH 4.0 is like driving at 100 MPH, seldom a good idea.
When I say high pH, I am talking about the zone 3.70 - 3.85 where I believe red wines are most properly made, This is contrary to the teachings at UC Davis, where they seem to think there is no distinction between whites and reds, and preach to make everything below pH 3.6. The system I use I was taught at the University of Bordeaux.
Consumer expectations for red wine differ from whites in several salient ways:
-More tolerance of browning
-Less emphasis on clarity
-Less emphasis on fresh fruitiness
-More value placed on complexity, less on cleanliness of aroma
-Greater longevity expectations
Acidity stimulates salivation. In a Sauvignon Blanc, this provides a palate cleansing function which is useful paired with seafood, much like squeezing a lemon on your scallops or oysters. With red wines the situation is different because unlike Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon has a lot of tannin. The astringency it imparts is not the tannin itself but its combination with salivary protein to form a grainy dry texture. When we have more acidity, we get more saliva and with it, more protein, with the result that the wine is perceived as more coarse and harsh.
We want our whites to be fresh. Low pH (3.2 - 3.4) inhibits aging and maintains freshness. But red wines are in it for the long haul, and they need a healthy oxygen appetite to protect themselves. I make Pinot Noirs at 3.70 with TAs of 6 gm/L because they have little tannin. For a big Cabernet I prefer pH 3.85 and a TA around 4.5 gm/L.
Norton is an exception to this because its tannins are so soft and enrobed that it can handle more acidity. Nortons have high malic acid which malolactic fermentation converts to relatively high lactic acid, a weak acid that doesnât lower pH very much, so Norton ends up in the same range for a different reason.
@winesmith Clark, you and I both know that UC Davis does not âteachâ that everything - red or white - needs to be below a pH of 3.6. This just isnât true. You did a good job of laying out what different pH ranges may lead to in wines, but didnât really get into why higher pHs can be more âchallengingâ as a wine ages . . .
@tercerowines Well, I should have stated that this âstay below 3.6 pHâ was the gospel I was taught when I served as Roger Boultonâs TA in the early 1980s, though I have my doubts that dogma has progressed much since in this regard. I spend a lot of time in debate with my winemaker clients squeamish about moving above 3.6.
At the risk of driving many in this forum crazy, Iâll offer a super-geeky rendition of my working hypothesis. I hope this explanation does not propel everyone into a confused slumber.
The challenge of this realm of pH for reds is that we need to look at microbial control through fostering competition within the microbiome between the mostly beneficial or benign organisms and bad actors like Brett. (In sulfite-free wines, we see a lot of complexity but Brett is almost never dominant.) We resort to this form of management because the amount of molecular SO2 we depend on in whites at low pH is vanishingly small and what there is gets largely bound to pigments, thus ineffective in suppression of Brett and Acetobacter.
One technique I find useful is the aromatic integration we get from the formation of small colloids through early micro-oxygenation.
My picture of whatâs going on is that the game is to stabilize short oligomers incorporating anthocyanins and which, if alcohol levels are not excessive, form 50 - 100 ring-stacked units with a lot of surface area, allowing intercollation of pyrazines, oak phenolics and microbial byproducts such as 4-ethyl phenol and 4-ethyl guaiacol.
Right or wrong though this theory may be, it has served me as a working hypothesis with the result is a wine with refined texture with fruit-centered aromatics underlain by muted elements of veg, oak and the microbial party in the background, aging gracefully without precipitation of the structure.
At Davis there was almost no mention of macromolecular structure in the early '80s, though I give credit where it is due. Vern Singletonâs later work with the o-diphenol cascade in 1987 is central to an understanding of MOx and is the subject of an entire chapter in Postmodern Winemaking. Also, Linda Bissonâs progress from a very conservative standard bearer to a vocal advocate for âgood Brettâ and other microbial nuances put her far ahead of most winemakers, who generally didnât take her seriously in this regard.
@winesmith thanks for the reply, my friend. And as far as winemakers being âsqueamishâ about pHâs above 3.6 - this is general âdogmaâ, not UCD dogma. Many are simply afraid of having to deal with potential issues with higher pH wines - though many âplayâ with these wines with the âcomfortâ of knowing that they can use techniques like de-VAâing or de-alcoholizing wines down the line to âcounterâ these things. I prefer to not have to deal with these things. The chemistry of Micro Ox is fascinating - and not something regularly covered. It was clear with my work in Dr. Adamâs lab that this technique certainly helped âfixâ more color, helped created polymeric pigments which were not as âastringentâ, and helped get wine to market faster in a more âdrinkableâ manner. Not sure about the long term aging potential of wines made with this techniques versus not using it, though - and would love to see a study comparing / contrasting - not just anecdotal information. Cheers
@tercerowines@winesmith
Layman here and this is just additional anecdotal evidence so pardon the interruption but if Clarkâs wines are any indication, micro-oxygenation and/or reverse osmosis seem to actually enhance the wineâs ageability.
His âFaux Chablisâ line of wines is a perfect example. Vintages 2003, 2004 and 2005 are still going strong - just starting to show some age to the point that the small amount of oxidation present currently enhances the complexity of the wines rather than detracting from their enjoyment. Another example is his âNVâ PennyFarthing Dry RosĂŠ of Cabernet Sauvignon, which he has confided is actually vintage (2008 I believe?) but he was concerned that people would think it was over the hill if it was sold as a vintage wine. It is still drinking wonderfully. Bottled under screw cap (stelvin?), I last drank a bottle within the past few months and it tasted as fresh as the first bottle I tried 6 years ago, with no hints of oxidation, loss of fruit or loss of acidity. I am guessing that the enclosure is one of the factors in this instance, as you well know, being that you use stelvin yourself.
His 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon âCrucibleâ (Napa) and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Lodi) are also drinking beautifully right now but that is not unexpected.
I agree that it would be interesting to see a long-term study but it seems that the anecdotal evidence, insufficient though it may be for an ultimate determination, is certainly there.
@chipgreen@winesmith interesting - and great points. But without examples of the wines produced in a âdifferentâ manner, it is impossible to draw cause/effect conclusions . . .
@chipgreen@tercerowines@winesmith
Excellent discussion guys! Keep it coming
LarryâŚI saw an offer from Garagiste the other day with a ânon-sulfurâ vs a âsulfurâ version of the exact same wine. Looks like at least a few people are trying to get some objective answers.
@tercerowines Yes, that would be nice.We are used to seeing the modern scientific methods as driving better winemaking and establishing credibility. In the 1970s thereâs no doubt that UCD paved the way to cleaner wines - after all, in 1960 the industry was 95% port and sherry, so we really didnât know much of anything about stable table wine.
That era is long past. Today we are looking not at avoiding defects but how to enhance greatness. Itâs a very different question, and one which Davis has studiously avoided - they claim to measure wineâs qualities, not quality itself. We have been trying for two decades to get somebody at Davis to address MOx as a technique, and pretty much all weâve gotten is Andy Waterhouse asserting that itâs all about Fe2+ <=> Fe3+ and its catalytic effect. While this is certainly true, itâs not very helpful from a craft technique point of view.
Still, after two decades of making ageworthy wines, I think we have convincingly demonstrated the validity of MOx and other techniques in promoting longevity. We are currently doing vertical tastings of four vintages of Crucible from 1999 and six vintages of Faux Chablis 2001-2006 all around the country. Weâre doing a tasting at La Bodega in Sebastopol on December 16th. $200 / seat, and I promise a mind-blowing experience.
Not to worry, Chip - Ohio is definitely in our sites, as are Miami, Chicago, Seattle and Denver.
@pseudogourmet98 Also here are some great misic pairings:
America The Beautiful
Blueberry Hill
Rhapsody in Blue
Mamas and Papas - Safe In My Garden
Fanfare for the Common Man - the last minute.
I canât say how the winemaking compares, but it would be interesting to compare this CA Norton to the Missouri/Hermann Nortons I have. Anyone around KC interested in a split?
Unofficial lab rat checking in, drinking from my stash.
2014 WineSmith Grenache Bates Ranch
LOOK: Translucent ruby color, great clarity.
SMELL: Mostly strawberry nose with a light herbal note. Almost like dried clover.
BODY: Light-bodied wine. Pinot-esque.
MOUTHFEEL: Light and nimble with ample acidity and that wonderful buzz of minerality that Clarkâs wines are known for.
TASTE: Strawberry, cherry and ripe raspberry with some musty earthiness and a hint of mixed herbs and light spice. Strawberry definitely leads the way.
FINISH: Medium finish with moderate tannins that seem to dissipate soon after you notice them.
SUMMARY: Light, easy drinking wine that starts out fairly basic with strawberry nose and palate but develops complexity with air time. The secondary fruits, herbs, earthiness and light spice notes all start to become more noticeable with time in the glass. Very enjoyable without food although the acidity has me believing that it would also be a great food wine. Interesting and tasty Grenache!
@chipgreen I was a rat the first time through on this bottling, and the Grenache was and is one of my favorite things. The âbuzzâ is real. Kinda like a 9-volt on your tongue!
I was trying to avoid the temptation to buy this (Iâm already overflowing my storage space in Missouri, and I donât even live there yet!), but as usual, resistance is futile (please, @winesmith, take my money!). First I remembered to update my shipping address from Illinois to Missouri (making the move on November 21). Iâm a bit afraid what giphy my order might show:
/giphy spiteful-sexy-light
[edit: it took a few edits to get one I found acceptable]
One more question regarding alcohol levels - you seem to have some pretty interesting âconversionâ factors for these three wines, especially the Grenache. Did you do âsweet spot analysisâ with this or any of these? Just interested to see. Cheers!
In full transparency, I often water back. Because of our dry air in California, water evaporates from our grapes such that when they reach maturity, brixes are generally too high. Not only does this make the wines hot and bitter, but high alcohols impede the extraction of color and flavor by destabilizing co-pigmentation colloids. We get denser wines by watering back to 23 brix, resulting in about 13.7% alcohol.
In the case of Norton, the 12.9% alcohol is not a result of watering. This strange variety has about 1.5% unfermentable dissolved solids which add body and donât add to the alcohol content.
In France, the humidity is much higher and they donât have this problem. The same can be said for regions like Virginia and Texas, which bring in fruit at balanced brixes naturally. Colorado, on the other handâŚ
@winesmith thanks for the reply. I truly appreciate it. And thanks for the info about watering back - at the end of the day, each winemaker needs to decide what is best for their product and I applaud that. Period . . .
These wines are well worth drinking. As a fellow winemaker I believe and preach that of all living winemakerâs today Clark has done more to innovate wine quality than any other winemaker.
@ScottHarveyWine And it was at your place that I first met Clark playing his guitar. Thanks for introducing the community to Clark as it has been a most enjoyable journey through wine and winemaking.
Super long preface begins;
My wife and I first discovered Norton wines in 2013 while visiting MO wine country. Yes, MO has a âwine countryâ complete with a Weinstrasse (German for Wine Highway) along I-94 which runs between St. Louis and Kansas City and is parallel to the 240 mile long Katy Trail State Park and bike path. We spent 3 days and 2 nights bouncing between the towns of Augusta and Hermann while staying at the amazing Hermann Hill Vineyard & Inn. My wife literally cried when she saw the room, thatâs how nice it was.
While we have more recently tried and enjoyed a couple Norton wines in VA, our first experience with this grape varietal in MO is permanently etched into our minds.
Augusta Winery stood out among the wineries in the Augusta area (although we also enjoyed Mt. Pleasant and Montelle). We ended up buying a mixed case from Augusta Winery which included several bottles of Norton, one of which was eventually shipped to @neilfindswine who, like WD, was pleasantly surprised after trying Norton for the first time.
FACTOID: The first AVA in the United States was accorded to Augusta, Missouri on June 20, 1980. Seven California districts and one in Oregon had filed applications with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; however, the honor went to the 15 square mile area surrounding Augusta.
Moving on to Hermann, our favorite wineries were the aforementioned (by Clark) Stone Hill Vineyards and Hermanhof Winery.
Established in 1847, Stone Hill Winery was once the second largest winery in the U.S., shipping 1.25 million gallons of wine annually by the 1870âs. During Prohibition, Stone Hill harvested mushrooms in their wine caves in order to stay in business.
During our tour of Stone Hill, we learned that Norton grapevines produce small quantities of tiny, thick-skinned berries. Given that information, we were surprised that Norton wines arenât more tannic.
Finally, moving onto tasting notes for Clarkâs NortonâŚ
2017 WineSmith Norton Heringer Estate Vineyard
LOOK: Dark and inky, almost like a Petite Sirah.
SMELL: Blueberries for days, along with blackberry, light oak and something creamy, like a creme fraiche.
BODY/MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with less acidity and minerality than the Grenache but that buzz on the tongues is still present and accounted for! There is a smooth, almost silky mouthfeel to the wine as well.
TASTE: Clark and Ruth E. nailed it when they said itâs like drinking blueberry pie. Fruity but not sweet, this is a wine that is made for quaffing. Very hard to put down! Well integrated oak and just a touch of nutmeg round out the uncomplicated but extremely satisfying palate.
FINISH: Moderate, smooth but not quite velvety tannins. Medium+ lip-smacking finish. As soon as I set down the glass, I want to pick it up again.
Very happy to have previously picked up a case of this and will now have to be miserly with the unquantified allocations that I offered to my NE OH peeps!
Additional amusing backstory of Nortonâs history in MO;
Apparently, Norton was the traditionally popular grape variety with wine lovers on the North side of the Missouri River while those on the South side of the river prided themselves on their Cynthiana wines. The debate raged on for many decades as to which was better until a botanist came along in 1992 and tested the DNA. Turns out they are genetically identical. They were the same grape the whole time!
@winesmith
âŚand a mea culpa. I inserted âannuallyâ to the 1.25 million gallons of wine that Stone Hill shipped by the 1870s and upon reflection, it seems much more likely that it was the total amount shipped, not an annual estimate.
@chipgreen Perhaps so, but I do know that Stone Hill claims to have been the third largest winery in the world at that time. In any case,Norton was and is a much bigger thing than most wine pros imagine.
I should not be spending money⌠but an offer from Clark? Makes this a must buy. Itâs always better to ask forgiveness than permissionâŚright?
/giphy artsy-fluid-cream
I have 9 bottles of the '13 Meritage left (which I love), and Iâd like to try the Grenache and Norton. I live in the exurbs of St. Louis, but I havenât had a Norton in probably 20 years (back when I was even more of a wine novice).
/giphy matchless-okay-willow
First impressions still hold true, but tonight this went with a Flannery Ribeye and some trimmings, and did it justice. While still quite young, itâs bouquet upon opening and decant fills the room. What is missing is the herbaceous nose, now just fruit. Crisp on the palate with tingling minerality and spice. Tannins are firm but well controlled and not at all distracting.
Seems like this one has a long life ahead of it, or works well now with an adequate decant.
I received my case this morning; I was lucky to be home. The order still shows as âprocessingâ in my account, and I received no notification it was on itâs way. Anyone else?
@bolligra I certainly hope that mine is not delivered until the estimated delivery dates. My order still says âprocessingâ as well. I wonât be (relocating to) the delivery location for a couple of days. This was my âhousewarmingâ gift to myself!
@bolligra@Mark_L I didnât get a shipping notification from Casemates but it did show up in delivery manager. Mine was shipped on the 15th and is supposed to be delivered Thursday here in WNY. I redirected it to a FedEx location as I usually do, theyâll hold it for 5 business days.
@bolligra If you havenât yet, create a personal FedEx account. Whether Casemates notifies you or not, youâll get an email from FedEx that something is coming your way. Then you can request to have it held at numerous locations near you.
@scott0210 yeah, I have an account. No e-mail, and my order still shows processing. If I had checked my account I probably would have seen it, but I donât do that.
@bolligra@PLSemenza We arrived at our new location in Missouri yesterday afternoon. There were 2 FedEx stickers on the door. I never received any shipping notices (and my status here still says âProcessingâ). My FedEx account was still set up with my old address when this shipped, so I didnât have any way of watching the shipment from the FedEx side. With the door tag number, it says they are supposed to try to deliver on Monday, but another page said they tried the final delivery attempt yesterday unless I contact them.
@bolligra@Mark_L@PLSemenza I have an account with FedEx, but my shipments to the office donât show up on my combined list because multiple people use that address. So there was technically no way I could have known this was coming. Of course since it showed up at the office it wasnât a big problem.
@bolligra@PLSemenza FedEx online and a phone call to them both said it would be delivered Monday. I was expecting another FedEx shipment yesterday, and sure enough, it came along with the wine. About 55 degrees inside the box on delivery.
Yeah, I do the same, ask for hold at FedEx location. It was very lucky I was home when they showed up. It looks like this was shipped/delivered a full two weeks before the anticipated time.
Wow, the Meritage, a Right Bank St Emilion blend from @winesmith, sounds wonderful. I would love to try that, given my experience with Clarkâs other wonderful wines, especially the Crucible. Maybe I can find a bottle or two whenever I get back to the US for a visit. Iâll take it back with me and let it sit for a few years, and then savor it.
Hi Klez, thanks for the offer. I donât see it happening anytime soon, but you never know. My family and friends are all in the eastern US. By the same token if you ever get to Poland (unlikely probably) or Berlin which is only an hour away, let me know. My German friend loves to share his well stocked cellar and has given me permission to invite any US wine lovers I know to join us and taste some really fine wines. Uli was very impressed and had a great time a few years ago when I came to the US with him and we had a little Woot! Wine gathering at a Pennsylvania winery I used to work at. Don and Bonnie from Buffalo and Chip Green (Dave?) and his lady, from Ohio joined us as we sampled PA wines as well as A Clark Smith Crucible and a Mouton Rothschild and a Cheval Blanc. Clarkâs wine showed favorably against the heavyweights. A very nice time with good wine and good people.
2013 WineSmith Meritage, Lake County
Tasting Notes
Specs
19% Cabernet Franc
2014 WineSmith Grenache, Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates Ranch
Tasting Notes
Winemaker and Vintage Notes
Specs
Corralitos subregion, Santa Cruz Mountains
5th leaf of experimental planting
2017 WineSmith Norton, Yolo County, Heringer Estate Vineyards
Tasting Notes
Winemaker and Vintage Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$312.80/case at Trinitas Cellars (including shipping)
About The Winery
Winery: WineSmith Cellars
Owner: Clark Smith
Founded: 1993
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the worldâs largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with Californiaâs winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become an renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 âCrucibleâ Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy CĂ´tes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself âWhat is this wine trying to teach me?â Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wineâs true nature.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, December 6th - Tuesday, December 10th
WineSmith Cellars Mixed Reds
3 bottles for $69.99 $23.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2013 Meritage
2014 Grenache
2017 Norton
Canât speak to the '13 Meritage, but Iâve been sipping on a '14 for weeks now that is absolutely delicious and continues to improve.
I should see if I can find one of the '13âs CT thinks I haveâŚ
@rjquillin @WineDavid49 @winesmith
I was also blessed by Clark and Sandra with a bottle of the 2014 WineSmith Roman Reserve Meritage from Humboldt Countyâs Ishi Pishi Vineyards a few weeks back. Unfortunately, I do not do a very good job of monitoring my email and assumed it would be up on Casemates within a day or two of receiving it. I drank it with my wife and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
We were out of town at a hotel and I did not jot down any notes, thinking that it would still be fresh in my mind when the offer went live. I received a call about a week later from Sandra who wanted to make sure I had received the bottle. Once again, I was ignorant and didnât fully understand that there was no imminent offer coming to Casemates for the wine and instead I was more concerned with placing an order for some of Clarkâs Norton (one of which I intend to open today and post some notes - maybe RJ can dive into a bottle of the '13 Meritage so we can have rattage on all 3 wines currently offered).
I do still have some overall impressions that I would be glad to share with Clark and/or WD in hopes that we will get an opportunity to buy some of the '14 WineSmith Meritage here on Casemates.
Bottom line, it is well worthy of not only the âRoman Reserveâ designation on the bottle but also the âBlack Tieâ designation that we used to see on that other site.
If price point is the only objection to putting up the offer, suggest that it be mixed into a combination case like the current offer to lower the average per bottle cost. It would be a real shame if we didnât get a crack at it! Another option would be to offer it as a 2-pack or 6-pack in place of the usual full case. We have had 2 magnums substitute for a full case so there is obviously some flexibility available in the sales model.
Letâs get 'er done!
@chipgreen @rjquillin @Winedavid49 @winesmith Roman Reserve Ishi Pishi Meritage?! Love that vineyard (Briceland and Cabot introduced me to it), and my experience with the RR Cab Franc makes me want to try this!
(Also, get Cabot and Briceland on board!)
@chipgreen @Winedavid49 @winesmith
Just because CT claims I have these, finding them can still be a challenge.
Forty-three minutes later; success.
Now chilling.
@rjquillin
I can relate!
@chipgreen @klezman @rjquillin @Winedavid49
Let me acquaint you with the Ishi Pishi Shake:
@chipgreen @rjquillin @Winedavid49 @winesmith Love the shake. I do that with some bottles, too. Especially really closed bottles of young Petite Sirah.
@klezman @rjquillin @Winedavid49 @winesmith
I sincerely hope that we get an opportunity to purchase this wine through Casemates. Just want to reiterate that sentimentâŚ
@chipgreen @klezman @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Not this vintage, guys. We have only 14 cases of it left and it just scored a Gold Medal at the Jefferson Cup, so how long do you think itâs gonna last?
@klezman @rjquillin @Winedavid49 @winesmith
Congrats! Well deserved!
@winesmith
Also, thanks for the warning. I just grabbed 6 bottles of the Meritage from your website and rounded out a case with 3 each of your Petit Manseng and Any Gorilla.
/giphy happy happy joy joy
/giphy better-fattest-sun
Iâve been hoping these would show up here! In for a case!
@CruelMelody Would you be willing to part with a bottle of each? No problem if the answer is no, just thought I would check before getting a three pack! Iâm really intrigued by that NortonâŚ
@LambruscoKid yeah I can pass three your way! Thatâs the one I really want to try as well
@CruelMelody Awesome, thanks!
KRULL! A SKULL! BRETT HULL! AWESOME!
@LambruscoKid any chance youâd be willing to sell me a bottle or two of the onesta from yesterday in the exchange?
@CruelMelody For sure! We could do a three for three if you like. Wouldnât be an exact trade, as those were less $ than these, but Iâd pay you the difference.
@CruelMelody @LambruscoKid
Norton is fun, sweet. Picked up a case direct last month
@LambruscoKid that would be great!
Greetings, mates!
For those of you who donât know us, WineSmith is an experimental project focusing on Euro-forgeries and Oddities like Norton, Petit Manseng, St. Laurent, and a collection of Bordeaux knock-offs including some organic, sulfite-free wines that have become quite spectacular after five years in very old barrels. Weâre all about balance, integrity, ageworthiness, restrained alcohol and affordable profundity. Check out www.whoisclarksmith.com/shop.
We have a triple treat in store this time âround: three beautiful reds for the holiday season, each with different uses. Two of them you know very well from previous offers, and I hope you will chime in with testimony and questions about them.
The â14 Grenache from Bates Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains is a Southern RhĂ´ne knock-off, medium-bodied but very complex fruit and earthy character and a minerally finish with considerable aging potential.
The â13 Meritage is from the volcanic soils of Lake County with 51 months in very old French oak. Itâs got a wonderfully developed Black cherry and tobacco thing going on in the nose quite firm tannins in the mouth and again, that minerally finish. Though very nice now, it will definitely improve with a decade or two further aging. Itâs looking for a steak of better yet, Beef Wellington with madeira sauce, a substantial improvement over turkey.
The third will pretty much blow your mind. Norton derives from a Vitis Aestivalis species discovered in the Virginia woods in the 19th century and now produced by 500 wineries throughout the Midwest and East Coast, planted principally for its disease and winter tolerance. Itâs a little like Petit Verdot in its density and high acidity so it needs to get really ripe. Therefore, it is a perfect grape for Clarksburg in the Central Valley where Heringer Family Estate grows three rows. As far as I know, this is the only planting in California.
This Norton is my wife RuthEâs favorite wine that I make. Itâs like drinking blueberry pie. Also, it has 1.5% unfermentable material, so the alcohol is only 12.9%. Itâs very hard to hate.
Iâd do a split here if any vegas folks are interested⌠@scenicready @XsanityX âŚrealistically, zero room for another case of wine. Had to pull out the back up wine fridge, even with that, Iâm still over stocked.
@TechnoViking Iâd chip in for a third! I can be convinced to do a half if we canât do a three split. I do have two orders on the way, though lol
@scenicready clearly I forgot how to add the giphy thing. Our order
/giphy physical-sturdy-fang
@scenicready @TechnoViking Like this:
/giphy physical-sturdy-fang
Dang two days in a row that I buy a case. Iâm going to be in trouble!
/giphy coy-futuristic-tortilla
Hereâs a link to the Norton Youtube.
All you need to do is look at RuthEâs face when she tastes it.
Anybody know how to embed it?
Vintner factoid:
This is a 100% pure Norton from Clarksburg. Why, you might wonder, didnât I use Clarksburg AVA instead of Yolo County. Well, itâs the same reason that the 2004 and 2005 Crucible are Napa County wines although 100% from Napa Valley College in the Napa Valley.
The reason in both cases is that the older wine was more complex but the younger wine was richer. Both wines benefited from cross blending to the max, in this case the 2017 and 2018. With an AVA, the TTB restricts cross blending vintages to <5%, whereas with a County appellation, the max is <15%, so the Yolo County blends are just better wines than the tonier AVA.
Welcome to my crazy world. I will always choose the steak over the sizzle. The intimate relationship I have with you guys makes this possible.
Thanks Clark!!
We always Love your wineâsâŚAlways!!
average-supreme-hunchback
Iâd like to try the Norton, of course. Iâve got a few reach of the other two, and zero space.
@klezman I hope you can hook up with others who will split a case unevenly so you get what you want and they do too, hopefully less adventurous casemates.
I was skeptical about the Norton. Not any more. A very enjoyable, expressive , lively wine with nice fruit. Well done Clark!
2013 Meritage offered here previously, the notes:
https://casemates.com/forum/topics/winesmith-cellars-meritage
The grenache was recently offered here, a few notes, not much though:
https://winespies.com/sales/9167-winesmith-wines-2014-bates-ranch-santa-cruz-mountains-grenache
@kaolis This Meritage was an absolute favorite of ours. We blew through the case, couldnât stop opening themâŚ
Auto buy. In for a caseâŚ
Giphy/regal-splendid-weasel
2014 Grenache notes from an ancient site that was named wine.woot:
https://forums.woot.com/t/winesmith-grenache-3/301533/2
/giphy favorable-wavy-coriander
/giphy liberal-voidable-light
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
WineSmith Cellars Mixed Reds - $80 = 28.56%
If anyone in the Houston area wants in for half a case let me know.
/giphy worthy-guided-wizard
Woo-hoo! What a way to brighten up a cold midwestern weekend.
Weâve got the Meritage and Grenache from earlier deals and are more than happy to find a way to shoehorn these in/squirrel them away for winter enjoyment.
If you are on the fence, buy now and save the questions for later. Such as âWhy didnât I buy more?â
Canât wait to try out the Norton. Thanks @winedavid and Clark @winesmith!!
/giphy dreary-feathered-otter
Hi Clark. Can you address the high PH on all three?
Sure. This is the subject of Chapter 9 in my book, Postmodern Winemaking.
These are not really very high pHs. I donât counsel anyone to make wine at pH 4.0. I think of pH like a speedometer of aging. pH 3.0 is like driving 10 MPH, seldom a good idea. pH 3.2 - 3.4 is like in-town driving at 25-40 MPH, good for whites where there is danger and we arenât trying to cover distance. pH 3.70-3.85 is like highway driving at 60-75 MPH, good for distance driving on a limited access road where you donât need as much control and are just stewarding the carâs inertia. pH 4.0 is like driving at 100 MPH, seldom a good idea.
When I say high pH, I am talking about the zone 3.70 - 3.85 where I believe red wines are most properly made, This is contrary to the teachings at UC Davis, where they seem to think there is no distinction between whites and reds, and preach to make everything below pH 3.6. The system I use I was taught at the University of Bordeaux.
Consumer expectations for red wine differ from whites in several salient ways:
-More tolerance of browning
-Less emphasis on clarity
-Less emphasis on fresh fruitiness
-More value placed on complexity, less on cleanliness of aroma
-Greater longevity expectations
Acidity stimulates salivation. In a Sauvignon Blanc, this provides a palate cleansing function which is useful paired with seafood, much like squeezing a lemon on your scallops or oysters. With red wines the situation is different because unlike Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon has a lot of tannin. The astringency it imparts is not the tannin itself but its combination with salivary protein to form a grainy dry texture. When we have more acidity, we get more saliva and with it, more protein, with the result that the wine is perceived as more coarse and harsh.
We want our whites to be fresh. Low pH (3.2 - 3.4) inhibits aging and maintains freshness. But red wines are in it for the long haul, and they need a healthy oxygen appetite to protect themselves. I make Pinot Noirs at 3.70 with TAs of 6 gm/L because they have little tannin. For a big Cabernet I prefer pH 3.85 and a TA around 4.5 gm/L.
Norton is an exception to this because its tannins are so soft and enrobed that it can handle more acidity. Nortons have high malic acid which malolactic fermentation converts to relatively high lactic acid, a weak acid that doesnât lower pH very much, so Norton ends up in the same range for a different reason.
@winesmith Clark, you and I both know that UC Davis does not âteachâ that everything - red or white - needs to be below a pH of 3.6. This just isnât true. You did a good job of laying out what different pH ranges may lead to in wines, but didnât really get into why higher pHs can be more âchallengingâ as a wine ages . . .
@tercerowines Well, I should have stated that this âstay below 3.6 pHâ was the gospel I was taught when I served as Roger Boultonâs TA in the early 1980s, though I have my doubts that dogma has progressed much since in this regard. I spend a lot of time in debate with my winemaker clients squeamish about moving above 3.6.
At the risk of driving many in this forum crazy, Iâll offer a super-geeky rendition of my working hypothesis. I hope this explanation does not propel everyone into a confused slumber.
The challenge of this realm of pH for reds is that we need to look at microbial control through fostering competition within the microbiome between the mostly beneficial or benign organisms and bad actors like Brett. (In sulfite-free wines, we see a lot of complexity but Brett is almost never dominant.) We resort to this form of management because the amount of molecular SO2 we depend on in whites at low pH is vanishingly small and what there is gets largely bound to pigments, thus ineffective in suppression of Brett and Acetobacter.
One technique I find useful is the aromatic integration we get from the formation of small colloids through early micro-oxygenation.
My picture of whatâs going on is that the game is to stabilize short oligomers incorporating anthocyanins and which, if alcohol levels are not excessive, form 50 - 100 ring-stacked units with a lot of surface area, allowing intercollation of pyrazines, oak phenolics and microbial byproducts such as 4-ethyl phenol and 4-ethyl guaiacol.
Right or wrong though this theory may be, it has served me as a working hypothesis with the result is a wine with refined texture with fruit-centered aromatics underlain by muted elements of veg, oak and the microbial party in the background, aging gracefully without precipitation of the structure.
At Davis there was almost no mention of macromolecular structure in the early '80s, though I give credit where it is due. Vern Singletonâs later work with the o-diphenol cascade in 1987 is central to an understanding of MOx and is the subject of an entire chapter in Postmodern Winemaking. Also, Linda Bissonâs progress from a very conservative standard bearer to a vocal advocate for âgood Brettâ and other microbial nuances put her far ahead of most winemakers, who generally didnât take her seriously in this regard.
@winesmith thanks for the reply, my friend. And as far as winemakers being âsqueamishâ about pHâs above 3.6 - this is general âdogmaâ, not UCD dogma. Many are simply afraid of having to deal with potential issues with higher pH wines - though many âplayâ with these wines with the âcomfortâ of knowing that they can use techniques like de-VAâing or de-alcoholizing wines down the line to âcounterâ these things.
I prefer to not have to deal with these things. The chemistry of Micro Ox is fascinating - and not something regularly covered. It was clear with my work in Dr. Adamâs lab that this technique certainly helped âfixâ more color, helped created polymeric pigments which were not as âastringentâ, and helped get wine to market faster in a more âdrinkableâ manner. Not sure about the long term aging potential of wines made with this techniques versus not using it, though - and would love to see a study comparing / contrasting - not just anecdotal information. Cheers
@tercerowines @winesmith
Layman here and this is just additional anecdotal evidence so pardon the interruption but if Clarkâs wines are any indication, micro-oxygenation and/or reverse osmosis seem to actually enhance the wineâs ageability.
His âFaux Chablisâ line of wines is a perfect example. Vintages 2003, 2004 and 2005 are still going strong - just starting to show some age to the point that the small amount of oxidation present currently enhances the complexity of the wines rather than detracting from their enjoyment. Another example is his âNVâ PennyFarthing Dry RosĂŠ of Cabernet Sauvignon, which he has confided is actually vintage (2008 I believe?) but he was concerned that people would think it was over the hill if it was sold as a vintage wine. It is still drinking wonderfully. Bottled under screw cap (stelvin?), I last drank a bottle within the past few months and it tasted as fresh as the first bottle I tried 6 years ago, with no hints of oxidation, loss of fruit or loss of acidity. I am guessing that the enclosure is one of the factors in this instance, as you well know, being that you use stelvin yourself.
His 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon âCrucibleâ (Napa) and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Lodi) are also drinking beautifully right now but that is not unexpected.
I agree that it would be interesting to see a long-term study but it seems that the anecdotal evidence, insufficient though it may be for an ultimate determination, is certainly there.
@chipgreen @winesmith interesting - and great points. But without examples of the wines produced in a âdifferentâ manner, it is impossible to draw cause/effect conclusions . . .
@chipgreen @tercerowines @winesmith
Excellent discussion guys! Keep it coming
LarryâŚI saw an offer from Garagiste the other day with a ânon-sulfurâ vs a âsulfurâ version of the exact same wine. Looks like at least a few people are trying to get some objective answers.
@klezman @tercerowines @winesmith
Agreed, interesting topic and I hope that Larryâs presence may also be a precursor to an upcoming Tercero offer!
@chipgreen @klezman @winesmith Hmmmmmm . . . . I guess weâll just have to wait (for a little while) and see . . .
@chipgreen @tercerowines @winesmith I wasnât going to jinx it
I also just bought a 6-pack on Larryâs sale last month.
@tercerowines Yes, that would be nice.We are used to seeing the modern scientific methods as driving better winemaking and establishing credibility. In the 1970s thereâs no doubt that UCD paved the way to cleaner wines - after all, in 1960 the industry was 95% port and sherry, so we really didnât know much of anything about stable table wine.
That era is long past. Today we are looking not at avoiding defects but how to enhance greatness. Itâs a very different question, and one which Davis has studiously avoided - they claim to measure wineâs qualities, not quality itself. We have been trying for two decades to get somebody at Davis to address MOx as a technique, and pretty much all weâve gotten is Andy Waterhouse asserting that itâs all about Fe2+ <=> Fe3+ and its catalytic effect. While this is certainly true, itâs not very helpful from a craft technique point of view.
Still, after two decades of making ageworthy wines, I think we have convincingly demonstrated the validity of MOx and other techniques in promoting longevity. We are currently doing vertical tastings of four vintages of Crucible from 1999 and six vintages of Faux Chablis 2001-2006 all around the country. Weâre doing a tasting at La Bodega in Sebastopol on December 16th. $200 / seat, and I promise a mind-blowing experience.
Not to worry, Chip - Ohio is definitely in our sites, as are Miami, Chicago, Seattle and Denver.
NoVa Group, Iâm considering purchase. Donât know if I want the full case, but Iâd go for half case (2 of each). Anyone else interested in this?
@WkdPanda Columbia MD I can meet you in NoVA if you wanted to split a case.
Iâm in (of course, itâs Winesmith!). Clark, can you give us some pairing suggestions for the Norton.
@pseudogourmet98 We just had it with grilled vegies and a vinagrette salad with feta - works much better than most reds. I love it with barbecue.
@pseudogourmet98 Also here are some great misic pairings:
America The Beautiful
Blueberry Hill
Rhapsody in Blue
Mamas and Papas - Safe In My Garden
Fanfare for the Common Man - the last minute.
I canât say how the winemaking compares, but it would be interesting to compare this CA Norton to the Missouri/Hermann Nortons I have. Anyone around KC interested in a split?
@worbx Definitely compare it with the Vox Vineyards Double Norton in KC.
/giphy /brash-grotesque-discovery
Unofficial lab rat checking in, drinking from my stash.
2014 WineSmith Grenache Bates Ranch
LOOK: Translucent ruby color, great clarity.
SMELL: Mostly strawberry nose with a light herbal note. Almost like dried clover.
BODY: Light-bodied wine. Pinot-esque.
MOUTHFEEL: Light and nimble with ample acidity and that wonderful buzz of minerality that Clarkâs wines are known for.
TASTE: Strawberry, cherry and ripe raspberry with some musty earthiness and a hint of mixed herbs and light spice. Strawberry definitely leads the way.
FINISH: Medium finish with moderate tannins that seem to dissipate soon after you notice them.
SUMMARY: Light, easy drinking wine that starts out fairly basic with strawberry nose and palate but develops complexity with air time. The secondary fruits, herbs, earthiness and light spice notes all start to become more noticeable with time in the glass. Very enjoyable without food although the acidity has me believing that it would also be a great food wine. Interesting and tasty Grenache!
@chipgreen I was a rat the first time through on this bottling, and the Grenache was and is one of my favorite things. The âbuzzâ is real. Kinda like a 9-volt on your tongue!
@radiolysis
LOL, yes that is an apt description of the sensation!
@chipgreen This is one of my favorite wines!
I was trying to avoid the temptation to buy this (Iâm already overflowing my storage space in Missouri, and I donât even live there yet!), but as usual, resistance is futile (please, @winesmith, take my money!). First I remembered to update my shipping address from Illinois to Missouri (making the move on November 21). Iâm a bit afraid what giphy my order might show:
/giphy spiteful-sexy-light
[edit: it took a few edits to get one I found acceptable]
Anyone in Denver/Colorado springs area up for a split?
One more question regarding alcohol levels - you seem to have some pretty interesting âconversionâ factors for these three wines, especially the Grenache. Did you do âsweet spot analysisâ with this or any of these? Just interested to see. Cheers!
In full transparency, I often water back. Because of our dry air in California, water evaporates from our grapes such that when they reach maturity, brixes are generally too high. Not only does this make the wines hot and bitter, but high alcohols impede the extraction of color and flavor by destabilizing co-pigmentation colloids. We get denser wines by watering back to 23 brix, resulting in about 13.7% alcohol.
In the case of Norton, the 12.9% alcohol is not a result of watering. This strange variety has about 1.5% unfermentable dissolved solids which add body and donât add to the alcohol content.
In France, the humidity is much higher and they donât have this problem. The same can be said for regions like Virginia and Texas, which bring in fruit at balanced brixes naturally. Colorado, on the other handâŚ
@winesmith thanks for the reply. I truly appreciate it. And thanks for the info about watering back - at the end of the day, each winemaker needs to decide what is best for their product and I applaud that. Period . . .
These wines are well worth drinking. As a fellow winemaker I believe and preach that of all living winemakerâs today Clark has done more to innovate wine quality than any other winemaker.
@ScottHarveyWine And it was at your place that I first met Clark playing his guitar. Thanks for introducing the community to Clark as it has been a most enjoyable journey through wine and winemaking.
@ScottHarveyWine
Speaking of winemakers whose presence hopefully indicates an upcoming offerâŚ
Hi Scott!
@chipgreen @ScottHarveyWine Upcoming? I just bought a case of Zinâs at the beginning of OctoberâŚ
@ScottHarveyWine Very kind of you, Scott. Nevertheless, my wife still likes your Zin more than mine.
@ScottHarveyWine he certainly has added to the winemaking community - his knowledge and heart are second to none . . .
@ScottHarveyWine @tercerowines @winesmith @Winedavid49
Not one, not two, but three different winemakers participating in the discussion. That is what makes Casemates really special. Thank you!
@pseudogourmet98 @ScottHarveyWine @tercerowines @winesmith Here here!
Unofficial labrat report #2.
Super long preface begins;
My wife and I first discovered Norton wines in 2013 while visiting MO wine country. Yes, MO has a âwine countryâ complete with a Weinstrasse (German for Wine Highway) along I-94 which runs between St. Louis and Kansas City and is parallel to the 240 mile long Katy Trail State Park and bike path. We spent 3 days and 2 nights bouncing between the towns of Augusta and Hermann while staying at the amazing Hermann Hill Vineyard & Inn. My wife literally cried when she saw the room, thatâs how nice it was.
While we have more recently tried and enjoyed a couple Norton wines in VA, our first experience with this grape varietal in MO is permanently etched into our minds.
Augusta Winery stood out among the wineries in the Augusta area (although we also enjoyed Mt. Pleasant and Montelle). We ended up buying a mixed case from Augusta Winery which included several bottles of Norton, one of which was eventually shipped to @neilfindswine who, like WD, was pleasantly surprised after trying Norton for the first time.
FACTOID: The first AVA in the United States was accorded to Augusta, Missouri on June 20, 1980. Seven California districts and one in Oregon had filed applications with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; however, the honor went to the 15 square mile area surrounding Augusta.
Moving on to Hermann, our favorite wineries were the aforementioned (by Clark) Stone Hill Vineyards and Hermanhof Winery.
Established in 1847, Stone Hill Winery was once the second largest winery in the U.S., shipping 1.25 million gallons of wine annually by the 1870âs. During Prohibition, Stone Hill harvested mushrooms in their wine caves in order to stay in business.
During our tour of Stone Hill, we learned that Norton grapevines produce small quantities of tiny, thick-skinned berries. Given that information, we were surprised that Norton wines arenât more tannic.
Finally, moving onto tasting notes for Clarkâs NortonâŚ
2017 WineSmith Norton Heringer Estate Vineyard
LOOK: Dark and inky, almost like a Petite Sirah.
SMELL: Blueberries for days, along with blackberry, light oak and something creamy, like a creme fraiche.
BODY/MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with less acidity and minerality than the Grenache but that buzz on the tongues is still present and accounted for! There is a smooth, almost silky mouthfeel to the wine as well.
TASTE: Clark and Ruth E. nailed it when they said itâs like drinking blueberry pie. Fruity but not sweet, this is a wine that is made for quaffing. Very hard to put down! Well integrated oak and just a touch of nutmeg round out the uncomplicated but extremely satisfying palate.
FINISH: Moderate, smooth but not quite velvety tannins. Medium+ lip-smacking finish. As soon as I set down the glass, I want to pick it up again.
Very happy to have previously picked up a case of this and will now have to be miserly with the unquantified allocations that I offered to my NE OH peeps!
Additional amusing backstory of Nortonâs history in MO;
Apparently, Norton was the traditionally popular grape variety with wine lovers on the North side of the Missouri River while those on the South side of the river prided themselves on their Cynthiana wines. The debate raged on for many decades as to which was better until a botanist came along in 1992 and tested the DNA. Turns out they are genetically identical. They were the same grape the whole time!
@chipgreen Other Norton factoid. In 1875, the Stone Hill Norton from Hermann MO was the largest selling wine in the world!
@winesmith
âŚand a mea culpa. I inserted âannuallyâ to the 1.25 million gallons of wine that Stone Hill shipped by the 1870s and upon reflection, it seems much more likely that it was the total amount shipped, not an annual estimate.
@chipgreen Perhaps so, but I do know that Stone Hill claims to have been the third largest winery in the world at that time. In any case,Norton was and is a much bigger thing than most wine pros imagine.
@chipgreen such a cool tidbit!
@Winedavid49
Napa was the second AVA established, after Augusta.
I should not be spending money⌠but an offer from Clark? Makes this a must buy. Itâs always better to ask forgiveness than permissionâŚright?
/giphy artsy-fluid-cream
Unless somebody in SoCal pipes up, I guess Iâll wait for an offer of all Norton or Iâll get some direct one of these days.
I have 9 bottles of the '13 Meritage left (which I love), and Iâd like to try the Grenache and Norton. I live in the exurbs of St. Louis, but I havenât had a Norton in probably 20 years (back when I was even more of a wine novice).
/giphy matchless-okay-willow
Dug into my archives for this
Lab Rat Report from earlier offer that I can now add an update, lateâŚ
First impressions still hold true, but tonight this went with a Flannery Ribeye and some trimmings, and did it justice. While still quite young, itâs bouquet upon opening and decant fills the room. What is missing is the herbaceous nose, now just fruit. Crisp on the palate with tingling minerality and spice. Tannins are firm but well controlled and not at all distracting.
Seems like this one has a long life ahead of it, or works well now with an adequate decant.
I assume that this refer to to the '14 Grenache Rouge. Sounds right on the money.
I received my case this morning; I was lucky to be home. The order still shows as âprocessingâ in my account, and I received no notification it was on itâs way. Anyone else?
@bolligra I certainly hope that mine is not delivered until the estimated delivery dates. My order still says âprocessingâ as well. I wonât be (relocating to) the delivery location for a couple of days. This was my âhousewarmingâ gift to myself!
@bolligra @Mark_L I didnât get a shipping notification from Casemates but it did show up in delivery manager. Mine was shipped on the 15th and is supposed to be delivered Thursday here in WNY. I redirected it to a FedEx location as I usually do, theyâll hold it for 5 business days.
@bolligra If you havenât yet, create a personal FedEx account. Whether Casemates notifies you or not, youâll get an email from FedEx that something is coming your way. Then you can request to have it held at numerous locations near you.
@scott0210 yeah, I have an account. No e-mail, and my order still shows processing. If I had checked my account I probably would have seen it, but I donât do that.
@bolligra @bolligra Yep showed up out of the blue this past âSundayâ, thatâs never happened before, good thing we were here
@bolligra @PLSemenza We arrived at our new location in Missouri yesterday afternoon. There were 2 FedEx stickers on the door. I never received any shipping notices (and my status here still says âProcessingâ). My FedEx account was still set up with my old address when this shipped, so I didnât have any way of watching the shipment from the FedEx side. With the door tag number, it says they are supposed to try to deliver on Monday, but another page said they tried the final delivery attempt yesterday unless I contact them.
@bolligra @Mark_L @PLSemenza I have an account with FedEx, but my shipments to the office donât show up on my combined list because multiple people use that address. So there was technically no way I could have known this was coming. Of course since it showed up at the office it wasnât a big problem.
@Mark_L @PLSemenza I hope you get it before itâs returned, which I had happen to me last spring.
@bolligra @PLSemenza FedEx online and a phone call to them both said it would be delivered Monday. I was expecting another FedEx shipment yesterday, and sure enough, it came along with the wine. About 55 degrees inside the box on delivery.
@Mark_L @PLSemenza I just got my e-mail notifying me my order has been shipped! Ship date: November 16th, lol
@bolligra @PLSemenza Same here. Crazy!
Yeah, I do the same, ask for hold at FedEx location. It was very lucky I was home when they showed up. It looks like this was shipped/delivered a full two weeks before the anticipated time.
Ugh! I missed the Wine Smith offering
@jmruru He will frequently still honor offers if contacted directly.
@rjquillin thanks!
Wow, the Meritage, a Right Bank St Emilion blend from @winesmith, sounds wonderful. I would love to try that, given my experience with Clarkâs other wonderful wines, especially the Crucible. Maybe I can find a bottle or two whenever I get back to the US for a visit. Iâll take it back with me and let it sit for a few years, and then savor it.
@edlada If you ever make it over to SoCal just let us know!
Hi Klez, thanks for the offer. I donât see it happening anytime soon, but you never know. My family and friends are all in the eastern US. By the same token if you ever get to Poland (unlikely probably) or Berlin which is only an hour away, let me know. My German friend loves to share his well stocked cellar and has given me permission to invite any US wine lovers I know to join us and taste some really fine wines. Uli was very impressed and had a great time a few years ago when I came to the US with him and we had a little Woot! Wine gathering at a Pennsylvania winery I used to work at. Don and Bonnie from Buffalo and Chip Green (Dave?) and his lady, from Ohio joined us as we sampled PA wines as well as A Clark Smith Crucible and a Mouton Rothschild and a Cheval Blanc. Clarkâs wine showed favorably against the heavyweights. A very nice time with good wine and good people.
Last fall, a memorable horizontal: