Primitivo 2008, Monterey County

Primitivo, hands down, has been our most successful wine this century…but not because of its history of gold medals or its “subtle nuances.” True, its name conjures imagery of Dionysian raves in the mountains, complete with maenads toting thyrsoi through the pines beneath a waxing Aegean moon..but that's so ancient…even older than the “Sixties.” This modern Primitivo just parks its old truck on your front yard, builds a campfire in your garden, impales some Corralitos Market sausages on a stick, and unpacks a steel string guitar. Soon enough, your wife and children are out there dancing. Might as well join them, because this is a flavor festival that's going to last all night. Ditch the necktie.

The 2008 clearly belongs to this brotherhood of bawdy brawlers, but this one will wrestle with a bit more guile than brawn if you pull his cork. While not so chewy as some of its predecessors, it still flaunts the familiar, intense berry aroma, barely perceptible sweetness, and long, warbling aftertaste. We think this wine will make a fabulous companion to dishes with “sweet and savory” red sauces harkening Primitivo's Calabrian heritage. Bring on the tomato, kalamata olives, capers, basil, oregano, and abundant garlic of course. We've also tempered the price, figuring this coming political year may require the sacrifice of more than a single bottle upon the altar of decency.

Malbec 2009, Wiley Ranch, Arroyo Seco

Malbec is considered by the Bordelaise to be a minor blending component for traditional Bordeaux reds…dwarfed in both proportion and praise by Cabernet and Merlot. Indeed, we dutifully followed that convention in creating our 2006 Coyote Cuvée (14% Malbec). However, in Argentina, Malbec is the center of attention, and deservedly so. For decades of grim isolationism, few Argentine wines ever escaped the country, but when they did, they dazzled us, often aged 12-15 years in the bottle…purple silk. Well, the secret is out. In 2008, I kept Salamandre's inky, intense Malbec separate, and I was excited by the unusual combination of red fruit aromas in nearly black wine: raspberry and cherry, plus one I couldn't place in the barrel tastings. I finally figured that out. It's the smell of old fashioned roses, now layered with a subtle vanilla contribution from the barrel. Our second Malbec in 2009 is still quite young and tannic, but the fruit concentration is exciting. It will probably benefiting from substantial “breathing” in 2011 & 2012…but eager to chase your steak right now. By 2013 it is going to chase your daughter. Gauchos do that.

Don Carlos Red, 2009, Monterey County

The 2009 harvest reminded me of the 2010 Giants' pennant run: Huge elation and excruciating frustration all bunched into one amazing Fall month. The early ripening varieties enjoyed nearly perfect growing conditions…and you're all in for some treats! Then it rained… hard ...in mid October. Primitivo doesn't like rain. These magnificent but thin-skinned grapes grow in large, tightly packed clusters, and they're always the last grapes we pick. A wet Primitivo cluster doesn't dry out too well. Once they approach ripeness, the softening grapes are vulnerable to unpleasant transmogrification, and we've seen that movie before. We decided to pick the Primitivo a little earlier than our typical plan, and as expected, the wine came across full of fruitiness, but without the blackness and bombast our customers have come to expect from Salamandre Primitivo. We did some artful blending (trade secret), and I think the wine will really please people who want an accessible, early quaffing wine delicious with simple foods. The Don Carlos Red has a prominent black pepper element which just hollers for you to fire up the BBQ. Try it with a burger…or a Corralitos Market skirt steak…and you'll be happy. We priced it well below what some advisors have suggested, because, well, people should enjoy this now.

Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains , Meadowridge 2008—Released 2010

Rose and Bob Weber's Meadowridge vines push deeper into the soils of Corralitos every year, and we expect greater complexity from these Dijon clones with each successive vintage.  The 2007 brings the same cherry, pomegranate, and strawberry fruit elements as its predecessors, with a more bracing tannin structure and somewhat darker color…softening nicely now after 2 years in the bottle.  The enchanting earthiness from earlier vintages still beckons you to go find some Chanterelles, or if you are really resourceful, some morels.  While it earned a silver medal in the 2009 Santa Cruz Mountains competition despite its youth, I this wine is maturing well beyond precious metal awards into the velvety hedonistic indulgence that we all expect from handmade Pinot Noir.  It is also the perfect example to serve to an inquiring innocent who wants to know:  “What is Pinot Noir supposed to taste like?”   The innocence won't last, but we'll have replacements available.    

Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains , Dettamanti 2007

Our last vintage from this small vineyard on the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains is going out with a flourish. Dark for a Pinot, full of flavor and presumption. Silver in 2009, but I like it more than the 2004 which earned a gold .  It's now down to the last few dozen cases, and for those who waited… good news.   This wine is starting to jump out of the glass.

Coyote Cuvée 2006, Wiley Ranch, Arroyo Seco

We bottled the second edition of the Coyote Cuvée in May, 2008, after 19 months in the cellar in mixed Nevers and American oak. The blend is a little softer than the 2004, which is ageing (humbly) stunningly well.   The 2006 was “built” with 29% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and 14% each of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot…representing all 5 of the traditional Bordeaux blending varietals. It offers a really welcoming, warm fruitiness of plum and cassis, with hints of cedar and vanilla.  It has lived up to my expectations with bottle age, and it's approaching what I expect to be a golden plateau from 2011 to 2014. 

Coyote Cuvée 2007, Wiley Ranch, Arroyo Seco

The third in the Bordeaux-inspired Coyote Cuvée Series is probably the inkiest yet, with approximately 2/3 Cabernet Sauvignon, ¼ Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petite Verdot.   Early in its development, the tannins put up quite a front, but even then, it showed many layers of “black fruit,” complex spice along with pepper, and a tasteful vanilla contribution from the 2 years of oak ageing.  Now more than 2 years after bottling, the body is remains full, dare I say bordering upon voluptuous, and it has learned how to sashay.  I find it takes immense discipline not to pour a second glass.  I expect this wine to trigger lots of hyperbolic comments in 2011…with a trajectory to its peak in 2012-2015.

Newt South Wells 2006, Monterey County

I first tasted a bright, brash, unapologetically fruity Cabernet and Shiraz blend from Australia about 15 years ago. Of course, my lifelong personal challenges with authority have led me to admire the Aussies' collective willingness to rattle the traditional chains that bind European conventions.  The Aussies tinker with blends that are iconoclastically, ravishingly Under-Handed. When Sandie and I visited Western Australia in 2006 and tasted extensively, that distant respect grew into an intensely personal conviction. I also came to suspect that some of the uniquely spicy character of the Aussie blends may owe partly to the content of Cabernet Franc in many of the really good ones.

I decided to make an Aussie-inspired blend that Fall, but what to call it? I wanted to honor the Aussie's initiative as well as their inimitable mischief, and I also wanted to mention Salamandre's partner and vice president of unbridled enthusiasm, Dave South.  I suppose I wanted to get in on the fun, too, without affecting the snooty presumption of some namesake wineries.   While drinking Verdelho in Sydney on our last night, the name arose like a dancer from the glass. We put together 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Shiraz, 18% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Primitivo, all from Monterey County. It's inky, bold, and bulging with fruit…absolutely what I was hoping for. In 2011, it is overcoming some of its youthful boisterousness, and now it calls out to your inner carnivore.

Chardonnay 2009, Arroyo Seco

I thought it might be a long time before we made another Chardonnay to rival the 2008…but 2009 stepped right up! Not since the 1994 & 1995 Hunter Moon Reserves have we seen such stunners back to back. The 2009 may come across with a little more “mineral” character than the 2008, but with all the fruit just jumping out of the glass…and Allier oak in what I think is as close to perfect balance as I can make it. Now I have a confession. I loved this wine in the barrel, but after a year ageing in French oak, it still had the faintest perceptible haziness. Now, that's pretty easy to eliminate with filtration, but I thought it would be sinful to take even the faintest edge off this wine. After all, the best Chardonnays I've ever tasted have been ever so slightly hazy. (To be specific, those would include a David Bruce 1976 and a couple Meursaults.) None of those winemakers would have tampered with those flavors, any more than putting drapes on an elegant Renaissance sculpture…so I bottled this unfiltered. You will love this wine.

Viognier 2007, Late Harvest, Arroyo Seco

OK, buckle up.  I need to be honest—while Viognier has achieved a darling status in the marketplace, I really haven't tasted many California Viogniers that would stand out in a blind tasting of well made Chenin Blancs.  I think I know why so many are disappointingly thin, and why the exalted “violets” are so hard to find.  The Viognier grapes at Arroyo Seco at 24 Brix, normally nudging the upper limits of white grape harvest targets, still haven't reached mature concentration of flavors.  They're just not ready.  Pick the grapes then, and you would have a wine pushing 14% alcohol, but with rather thin flavors which we'd need to flatter by saying “delicate.”  Accordingly, we let these grapes hang…and hang…and hang.  Up around 28 Brix, some pretty remarkable things were happening with fruit development, still with surprisingly good acid, but then there's a big problem.  That sugar level is a never-never land for harvesting, as the juice will ferment to dryness, creating an really flavorful wine…with 16% alcohol…a wine in search of a niche.    So we let them hang some more…waiting until the natural sweetness reached such a high level that the fermentation would surrender with natural sugar remaining.  The 2007 late fall weather was steady, with an early rain followed by warm breezy conditions for weeks.  That was a stroke, not really of genius, but of gratitude.   

We finally harvested the week before Thanksgiving.  The grapes were shriveled but sound, with the prized Botrytis mold enveloping many of the clusters.  The pressing took 2 full days, as the grapes yielded their syrupy juice begrudgingly, and I can see why…it was pure honeysuckle with a nuance of pears and fairies.   The fermentation eventually settled with 9% residual sugar, and it's just a sensual treat.  

Gold Medal, Best Dessert Wine, and tied for highest score in the 2009 Santa Cruz Mountains competition. 

375 ml bottle (a “tenth”)

Primitivo 2004 Ultra Late Harvest

A few warm days spiked the harvest sugar well beyond what normal yeast can handle...over 35%. It quit with 14% residual sugar...more than most ports, with a great concentration of ripe fruit flavors. Yes, of course, this harmonizes with dark chocolate, but try it with vanilla ice cream or Bosc pears or, perhaps best of all, an imaginative companion. This wine is precious and scarce—I've never made anything like it before and may never have the chance again.