September 14, 2012

Now that the summer months have passed, I hope to be a better blogger.  At the very least, I hope to be a little more consistent.

The Wooster Inn is privileged to host winemakers from around the planet on a regular basis.  Of course many of them hail from California.  Mac McDonald, winemaker and owner of Vision Cellars has made at least a half dozen visits over the last decade.  He is a pinot noir specialist who only makes 250 or so cases of wine from each of five vineyards.  Small quantities with high quality makes each bottle a special treat.  Generally the price also makes the wine one that might be reserved for special occasions.  

Today the Inn received two cases of two wines:

            Vision Cellars Coster Russian River Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009

            Vision Cellars Chileno Valley Pinot Noir 2008

When last we visited these wines, they had a minimum retail of $46 a bottle.  Although only 250 cases of each were produced, this special allocation is reduced to $30 a bottle.

I have never before witnessed a price like this for wines like these.

The Russian River Valley is truly the most prized real estate in Sonoma County.  At only 198 square miles, this is the prime pinot growing area in California. Pinot Noir needs a cool growing climate and the proximity of the region to the Pacific Ocean generates a fog most evenings that drops the daytime high temperature by as much as 40º.  This cooling affect increases the growing season by 15-20% over warmer neighboring regions.  A long growing season creates wines with a balance of fruit, acid, and sugar.

The Chileno Valley is a bit further to the west in Marin County.  The strong winds that come off the ocean into the valleys of the county cause the pinot noir grapes to protect themselves with thicker skins.  The winds also make pollination difficult, so this is hardly a prime grape growing region.  The resulting harvest creates age-worthy wines with a strong tannin structure.  This is not a light pinot noir.  In fact I have converted some folks who only like bigger wines like cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel to pinot noir by sharing a bottle with them.