2023 Sonoma County Barrel Auction Raises More Than $535,000
    Proceeds Support Sonoma County Wine Marketing Programs and Initiatives
SANTA ROSA, CA (May 10, 2023) – Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) is pleased to announce this year’s results from the ninth annual Sonoma County Barrel Auction (SoCoBA) presented by American AgCredit and held in person at MacMurray Estate Vineyards on Friday, May 5, 2023. These “never before, never again” wines showcasing the spectacular diversity of Sonoma County’s wine region raised over $535,000 for SCV’s marketing programs and initiatives that support the wine trade and community. The auction featured 66 unique barrel lots ranging from 5 to 20 cases from 76 participating Sonoma County vintners.
Over 320 guests attended SoCoBA, including participating vintners, trade, media, community leaders and sponsor partners. Trade guests attended from across the United States and around the globe, with international attendees from China, Japan, Norway and South Korea.

That spirit of collaboration resulted in the highest selling barrel auction lot of the day, a 2022 Pinot Noir from Williams Selyem, Rochioli Vineyards and Winery, and Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery named “The Legend: Joe Rochioli, Jr.” The 20-case lot sold for $51,000 and honors the late Sonoma County winemaking pioneer with a wine made from the historic Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard he farmed for decades.
Rounding out the top three lots, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Blend “The Pick of the Bunch” 20-case lot from Silver Oak sold for $45,000 and the 2022 Pinot Noir “The Duel” 10-case lot from Kosta Browne was purchased for $22,000. The highest selling white wine lot of the day was the 20-case, 2022 “Chardonnay Legends” from Rombauer Vineyards at $19,000

 

What Is a Garagiste Winery?

Education # 68

 
        

    *Garagistes (garage-east) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their “garages” (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the “rules,” and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. 
    The Garagiste Festivals were the first to shine a light on the American garagiste winemaker in 2011. The 5th Annual Garagiste Festival: Northern Exposure is coming back on April 29, 2023 at the Veterens Building in Sonoma to give you rare access to the region's best small, hard-to-find winemakers. At this intimate event, you will discover and taste amazing, cutting edge wines from over 40 high-quality, micro-production, commercial wineries from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, and more.
    Go to garagistefestival.com We will be broadcasting live from our KSVY booth with Paul Manchester and Leslie Hennessy.

                 
 
 
 Sideways- the Movie and Pinot 

  Education #67


                                           
  “Sideways,” the 2004 Oscar-winning movie in which Paul Giamatti experiences a midlife crisis while on a wine tasting trip through Santa Barbara County, made some people lots of money — not only the production company, but also countless American wineries.
Yet one person claims he never got his fair share of the “Sideways” gold rush: Rex Pickett, who wrote the novel that inspired the movie. Now, 19 years later, Pickett is trying to change his fortunes. He’s hoping that collectible editions of the book and public appearances will reignite interest in his work, this time on his terms.                                 Perhaps no group benefited as enormously as California’s producers of Pinot Noir, the wine that Giamatti’s character worships. In the decade following the film’s release, the retail value of Pinot Noir grew by 300%, according to Wine Spectator data.
        These new endeavors came out of a realization that even if his success in Hollywood was limited, Pickett is something of a celebrity within the California wine industry, for whom “the ‘Sideways’ effect” — shorthand for how the movie boosted demand for Pinot Noir and devastated sales of Merlot — is an everyday term.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 Reducing Carbon Footprint

         Education #66
    Champagne was indeed the first region to measure its carbon footprint in 2003, using the Carbonne-4 methodology, which includes every aspect of the production and shipping process. The intention was to reduce the 2003 footprint by 25 percent by 2025 and by 75 percent by 2050,; in 2022 this goal was further expanded with the region aiming to achieve carbon neutral status by 2050.
    While Champagne has certainly come a long way ( reducing its carbon footprint by 14 percent in 2018), it is unlikely that the 25 percent reduction will be achieved in 2025, especially since exports continue to grow, and warmer temperatures require previously unnecessary cooling techniques.

 

 

Moutons Artist Labels  Education #65

 Chateau Mouton Rothschild has been releasing artist rendering labels since 1945.  Chagall,Miro,and Dali are just a few of the famoous artists to adorn the Mouton labels. 
     Bordeaux first-growth Château Mouton-Rothschild has unveiled the label for its 2020 vintage, showcasing original artwork by renowned British painter Peter Doig.
“The painting shows something of what goes on behind the scenes in the production of wine, what happens offstage, as it were. It’s a sort of ode to workers, to all those involved at the various stages of making a wine before it’s finally bottled," said Doig. "It’s a dream with a romantic streak, as if someone spontaneously decided to sing in the vines. It’s a moment of poetry, where you can take your time. It’s neither really day nor really night, but rather something in between, between waking and sleeping. It is possible to see it as a progression, a dream journey in the world of the harvest.”

 

 

Water Report Sonoma and Mendocino

Education # 64

    This winter, the proverbial “storm door” opened with a bang and allowed a series of back-to-back-to-back atmospheric rivers to enter the region, beginning late Dec. 26 and finally tapering off early this week with a final cold front dropped less than inch overnight Wednesday.
    The rain has really helped the area and much of the state rebound from three years of drought, however, filling Lake Mendocino to capacity for this time of year and recharging Lake Sonoma.
“The 10-to-14-day forecast is trending drier right now, but that could change quickly,” said Don Seymour, principal engineer with Sonoma Water. “I think, in the big picture, the reservoirs, particularly Lake Sonoma, our largest reservoir, it’s almost full now. Even if it trended dry, we’re just in such a different positions than we’ve been in recent years. We’ve basically filled that reservoir.”
    It was a quick turnabout. Just last month, Lake Sonoma reached the lowest level in its history, at 96,310 acre-feet. It has more than doubled its storage since then, with nearly all of the gains coming after Dec. 26.
    Having healthier reservoirs also should restore river flows to more normal levels this summer, which would benefit fish and other river species after several warm seasons with critically low, minimum flows.
    “I’m just elated, because we’ve stepped back from the brink,” said Don McEnhill, executive director of the Russian Riverkeeper. “I wouldn’t ever say we’ve ended the drought, but we’ve certainly taken a step back.”
    McEnhill said the sudden, drastic shifts from extremely dry to extremely wet weather are exactly what climate scientists had been predicting for decades, and he feared that residents would too easily forget the importance of water conservation, given current abundance.

               
            
            Chardonnay Grape- The Come Back Kid

Education #61

    Chardonnay grapes were in oversupply from 2018 through 2020 and the wholesale prices dropped accordingly. Some growers even left perfectly healthy grapes on the vine because they determined it would cost more to pick and ferment them than they could earn from them.
    Then came the disastrous vintage of 2020, which led to a shortage of the grape. Also, growers fearing a less Chardonnay-friendly future had grafted over to something else; there are actually fewer acres of Chardonnay planted on the North Coast than at any time in this millennium.
    "Chardonnay is definitely a hot topic on the grape market," Klier ( From Turentine Brokerage ) said. "I see a huge rebound for Chardonnay. I see the Chardonnay market hotter than the Pinot market right now, in Russian River Valley. People should definitely consider Chardonnay as a replacement."

                 
        Our Favorite Wine Writer of 2022 -
        Dan Berger
Dan Berger has been a wine columnist since 1976 and has resided in Sonoma County since 1986. Today, in addition to his privately published weekly wine commentary, Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences, Dan writes a nationally syndicated wine column as well as articles for many publications.
    Dan is a speaker at wine symposiums and universities on topics such as wine marketing, trends in the industry, regional character of wines, and the healthful benefits of moderate consumption. He also speaks to assorted groups interested in learning about wine, many of them unrelated to the wine business. And he also  is an adjunct professor teaching professional wine courses at Santa Rosa Junior College.
    Not only is Dan a wine columnist, but he is also an author. His books include “Beyond the Grapes: An Inside Look at Napa Valley” and “Beyond the Grapes: An Inside Look at Sonoma County,” and he has contributed to other wine books including the University of California/Sotheby Book of California Wine and the Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America. He was also the author and project director for the Reader’s Digest’s book, North American Wine Routes.
    He is presently making a Sonoma Riesling wine with the adept wine maker Greg Lafollette. 

 

 

 

                  Monoply Napa

Education #59

    It's incredibly divisive, painfully long, and utterly ubiquitous. It's Monopoly! Since first being published in 1935, the board game has been sold around the world, and the concept has been adapted for all sorts of variations to the point where seemingly every town, college, and existential thought has its own "-opoly."

    But apparently, there's always room for more Monopolies, and this week, America's best-known wine region has announced it has finally gotten its own official version of the Hasbro-owned game: Prepare yourself for Monopoly Napa Valley Edition.

    Much like every other Monopoly variation, the Napa Valley Edition — which is produced by game maker Top Trumps — replaces the game's original Atlantic City street names and locations with Napa Valley alternatives. Expect to find "representations of much-loved Napa Valley cultural sites, historic landmarks, and time-honored businesses, alongside customized Community Chest and Chance playing cards to ensure each detail of the game pays homage to the iconic wine region destination," according to the announcement.

 

 

 

 

 

Education #58

Washington State Wines

Washington's 2022 vintage is like a football comeback. The game looked lost at the beginning and even through halftime, but two months of amazing weather have turned winemaker frowns upside down.

    "It's gonna be a good one. It's going to be one for the ages," said Brian Rudin, winemaker for Canvasback on Red Mountain. "The pHs are gloriously low. Good phenolics. The tannins are very soft and very resolved. We've got enough there and they've been really easy to manage on my end. Overall really beautiful balance."

    That said, crop size management could be an issue for some wineries. The wet winter weather supercharged what looked like an extra-large crop, and wineries that tried to leave it all on the vine might be looking at Friday's forecast of rain with trepidation, because a larger crop takes more time to ripen.

    "If you didn't adjust your crop to a cooler vintage, I don't know what's going to happen to you," De Kleine told Wine-Searcher. "If you're hanging heavy, you're not going to catch up."

    For those that did thin, the excitement is palpable. I heard the word "fruitful" from more than one person, which is an interesting word you could hear at any harvest but rarely do.

    "It was a fruitful year for everything," said Jean-François Pellet, director of winemaking for Pepper Bridge Winery in Walla Walla. "I grow raspberries in my garden and we never picked so many raspberries."

                                  
Wartime Cognac

Education # 56
Hundreds of bottles of De Haartmann Cognac recovered from the wreck of a Swedish steamer sunk by a German U-boat in the First World War are to be put up for sale more than a century later.
The French shipment of 600 bottles of De Haartman & Co Cognac – plus 15 boxes of Bénédictine liqueur – is believed to have been destined for Tsar Nicholas II, but was intercepted in the Baltic Sea and sunk by a German submarine in May 1917.
Now Cognac house Birkedal Hartmann has refilled 300 of the recovered bottles with Cognac dating from the early 1900s, using packaging identical to the original, and is selling them for €9,000 each.
The wreck of the SS Kyros was discovered by Swedish explorer Peter Lindberg in 1999, but only in 2019 were salvage experts able to finish exploring it fully and recover its cargo, using a specialist salvage vessel, divers and unmanned underwater vehicles (ROVs).
Swedish company Ocean X Team AB and Icelandic business iXplorer used a specially equipped salvage vessel, Deepsea Worker, to explore the wreck in the Gulf of Bothnia, recovering the bottles in late 2019.
According to iXplorer, the salvage process was ‘probably the most complicated recovery work we have ever had to deal with’, thanks to the poor visibility around the wreck, which lies at a depth of 77 metres, and the hazards posed by fishing nets.
Four full bottles of De Haartmann Cognac, which were later auctioned to collectors for US$45,000 each, were recovered along with 300 empty bottles, which had had their corks pushed in by the pressure of the seawater.
 

 

A Decent Water Report

Education # 55

                                      

Lake Mendocino at 68% of its Seasonal Capacity
May 12, 2022 From the Press Democrat
State water regulators could begin suspending water rights in the Russian River watershed as early as next month as the drought extends into a third summer, intensifying water conservation needs in the region.
But curtailments are likely to affect fewer water diverters this year than last, when dangerously low reservoir levels forced state officials to freeze more than 1,800 water rights for landowners, water districts and municipalities to ensure minimal supplies remained in the two main reservoirs, especially Lake Mendocino, through fall.
The luxury of time has allowed this year’s plans to reflect a more refined, nuanced approach to cutbacks, based in part on public input, water regulators say. Their goal: to sustain base stream flows and stored supplies in a river system that is the lifeline for rural residents, farms and city dwellers in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
That is no easy task this year, which began with three months that were the driest for any such winter period on record.
Lake Sonoma, the region’s largest reservoir, is at 58% of its seasonal capacity, lower than it was a year ago at this time.
The Eel River water is especially critical for farms, ranches, vineyards and thousands of rural residents along the upper river, in Mendocino County and northern Sonoma County.
The key reservoir for those users, Lake Mendocino, though only at 68% of its seasonal capacity, is in slightly better condition than it was a year ago, when the water level was the lowest ever for spring.
Boland-Brien said Wednesday that the state water board staff had expected to impose curtailments in May, but an April storm and splashes of rainfall since keep easing conditions just enough to forestall the inevitable.
Under the revised regulations, water rights holders will be required to track their status using the online Russian River Watershed Curtailment Status List and to comply with orders delivered there.
Another of this year’s revisions provides additional authority to the state water board staff to curtail diverters in four priority subwatersheds — Green Valley, Dutch Bill, Mark West and Mill creeks, strongholds for imperiled coho salmon and steelhead trout — even in the absence of other curtailments.

 

           Grape Growers Get Ag Aid

Education #54

 The U.S. Department of Agriculture said about $6 billion will be made available for crop disasters in the past two years, including severe drought and the devastating 2020 North Bay wildfires that led to significant reductions in the California North Coast wine grape harvests.
California viticulture advocates said the new money through the USDA’s Emergency Relief Program is poised to do more than previous help to cover a roughly $400 million shortfall between crop insurance payments and the value of fruit that couldn’t be picked amid the Glass and LNU Lightning Complex fires in Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Solano counties.
“USDA’s announcement of the Emergency Relief Program will provide much needed help for wine grape growers who experienced unprecedented losses due to devastating wildfires in 2020,” said John Aguirre, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, in a statement. “There is a substantial difference between the estimated value of crop losses, due to smoke damage, and the crop insurance indemnities paid to growers.”

The USDA on Monday said it would be paying the disaster assistance through its Farm Service Agency for commodity and specialty crop growers on yield and value loses. 
 

 

 

Support for Ukraine From the Wine Industry

Education # 53





The brutal Russian onslaught on neighboring Ukraine has been swift and sudden – not as swift as the reaction of retailers around the world, who have dropped Russian products like hot rocks since the tanks swept in.
Offer data for Russian products show that numbers have fallen off a cliff since Putin's troops swept into Ukraine, with the number of products being offered by retailers falling by 28 percent since this time last year and by 33 percent since last month.
Among the major markets, the US is leading the charge. Offer numbers in the US have declined by almost 55 percent since the invasion and by 41 percent year-on-year. That follows a healthy period of growth for Russian products; the number of offers had grown by 15 percent over the previous 12 months.
Figures for offers in the UK are similarly grim for Russian producers. Although there were relatively few UK offers for Russian products (641 in February, out of a total of 723,000 offers), the number has dropped by 30 percent in the past few weeks. Compared to the same time last year, offer numbers are down by 20 percent.
It's interesting to look at offers in the NATO countries, too.
Of the 30 countries that are part of NATO, we have figures for 24 of them and the level of disapproval over the invasion is pretty clear. The number of offers available in each country has dropped in all but five of the NATO members. Estonia tops the chart, with a decline in offers of a massive 73 percent year-on-year, followed by Iceland (down 57 percent), Canada (down 52 percent), and then Croatia, Luxembourg and Denmark, where offers have halved since the invasion.
Reported by Wine Searcher 4/1/22

 

 

Fighting to Save the American White Oak Trees

Education # 52

American white oak's health has been threatened by a now depressingly familiar cocktail that includes incompetent land management, climate change and invasive species. Other trees, notably maples and beech trees, are choking out younger American white oaks.
Of the forests recently surveyed by the White Oak Initiative, 60 percent of American white oak acreage had no white oak seedlings, and 87 percent had no white oak saplings.
On its current trajectory, the White Oak Initiative study found that the multi-billions in annual economic activity generated by the trees will not be sustainable in a decade, with more significant declines ahead.
The American white oak not only provides shelter and sustenance to a network of animals, birds, insects, plants, fungi and microorganisms, it is an essential component in the furniture, flooring and cabinetry of homes, and the flavor of wines and spirits around the world.
But in a refreshing change of pace, a coalition of private, public and corporate citizens have become alarmed enough about the pending crisis to take action together, in a bid to save the tree (and their own hides).
In winemaking, the vessels used for aging truly abound. There's American white oak, but there’s also French oak, English oak, Hungarian oak, Italian chestnut to name a few – and that's just the wood options. There's also concrete, amphora, steel….
American white oak barrels are cheaper than their European counterparts, partially due to the fact that the wood tends to be more dense and less porous, allowing more of the harvested trees to be used for the barrel. Chemically, American white oak is higher in lactones and vanillin, which translates to sweeter flavors of vanilla and coconut in the glass. French oak also has more tannins.
 

 

Leonardo DeCaprio
Invests in Champagne With a Cause

Education #51




DiCaprio recently joined majority shareholder Rémy Cointreau group with his investment in Telmont Champagne, a house with some of the most ambitious goals for greater sustainability in the region.
Telmont’s path to sustainability began four years ago, when it earned its first Agriculture Biologique France Certification for organic agriculture for a portion of its 60 acres of estate-owned vineyards in 2017. As part of a larger, multi-pronged project the house refers to as “In the Name of Mother Nature,” they pledged to convert all estate-owned vineyards to organic agriculture by 2025 and all cultivated areas—including vineyards from which they purchase grapes—by 2031.
“Champagne Telmont, together with its partner winegrowers, has set its sights on producing 100 percent organic Champagne, ensuring a completely sustainable production lifecycle in the coming years,” said DiCaprio in a press release announcing his investment. “From protecting biodiversity on its land to using 100 percent renewable electricity, Champagne Telmont is determined to radically lower its environmental footprint, making me proud to join as an investor.”

From The Wine Spectator
______________________________________________

 

 

Coppola Does It Again
120 Tanks Underground

Education # 50





Coppola is a filmmaker first, of course, but the business of making wine has taken up more and more of his time over the years. There are, he told me, 120 distinct growing areas of grapes on his property at Inglenook. On most vineyards, the fruit from these unique parcels of grapes go into far fewer fermenters, where they mix. But what if, Coppola wondered, you could build 120 fermenters, one for each growing area, and in doing so, learn which ones are truly great, which are average, and so on? The only limit was space and the neighbors, who probably would not take kindly to a giant fermenter plant being built anywhere they could see it. So, Coppola decided: We'll build it underground.
“I'm so proud of this because I think the biggest thrill in life is to have a dream or imagine something and then get to see it be real,” Coppola said. “There's nothing like that.”

 

 

 

Pruning in the
Vineyards
Now

Education # 49



The vines above are a great example of 'need to be pruned soon'.  For a myriad of reasons, vines just get neglected and are not pruned in time.  In time means as soon as the ground is not soaking wet from the rains. The ideal time to prune in California and the West Coast is January and February. That allows the vines to start to 'push' or send out its flowers by March and April.  That timing also relates to the harvest time. With potential fires in the Fall, the sooner we can harvest -the better. Ideal time to harvest is August 15 to September 15.  If you prune too late, you run the risk of a late harvest and more problems that farmers do not need. As they say "timing is everything".

 

 

 

Leslie Has a New Discovery For You

Education #48


        This fabulous new winery - Ektimo is a rare gem. Tucked away in the Russian River "Green Valley" appellation, this family owned boutique winery offers very limited production specialties to tickle your fancy.
     For a special introductory offer, they would like to share their  magnificent wines and motivate you to try them.  Choose your favorites and then choose your deal.  For an introductory 4 bottle sampler use code GOURMET15% at checkout and get 15% off the purchase price.  For the curious connoisseur order 6 bottles or more and use code GOURMET20% at checkout to get 20% off on your purchase.

 Leslie Hennessy tasting notes:

2018 Ektimo Russian River Chardonnay
 A light golden color leads to a big apple bouquet. A voluptuous wine with a full intro, harmony, crescendo cascade that creates a dynamic palate pleasing composition that is satisfying start to finish
 $28..

2017 Ektimo Russian River Estate Pinot Noir,
 A blueberry and strawberry bouquet leads to a very soft and silky finish. Our inaugural Estate wine from our Green Valley Vineyard and quite a charmer.  Bright, elegant and delicate, all things Pinot Noir. 
 $34

Order: 
https://www.ektimowines.com/Shop-Wines/Full-Wine-List

Click Here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10IaKAlYo
OfvPiYbn0pr8iKZWSwsXfr5u/view

to get a virtual view of our modest winery
 

 

 

 

Glass of Wine
20 Cents
New York 1939
Happy Holidays

Education #47








Just had some fun going through our family’s history and came across this wine menu from Childs Restaurant in New York City in 1939. My fabulous Mother Dolly Hennessy was sent to New York in 1939 to work as an in-house maid for a wealthy family. At the golden age of twenty-one it was a way to leave home and make money for the family back in St. Cloud Minnesota. Being very adventurous she went out as much as possible. Collecting memorabilia such as this Childs Restaurant menu was part of her life style. Notice the only two wines on the menu were the Claret and Rhine wine for twenty cents a glass! A nice bit of history.
Leslie Hennessy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debating the Health Benefits of Wine

    As Reported in The Prince of Pinot
this week

Education #46


Dr. Stockley’s review of key cohort studies found a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure by about 30%, reduced risk of ischemic stroke by about 20% and a decrease in high and unbalanced cholesterol by about 10%, with the consumption of 1-2 drinks per day of alcohol compared with lifelong abstainers.
Do we live longer if we enjoy a glass of an alcoholic beverage on a near-daily basis? The answer, for healthy post-menopausal women and men over forty is still very much, ‘yes.’
Current scientific data indicate that adults who consume alcohol regularly, with food, and without binge drinking, have a lower risk of most of the diseases of aging and tend to live longer than if they consumed no alcohol.
                From : Rusty Gaffney MD | Contact the Prince: [email protected]

 

Is Inflation Coming for Your Cabernet?

Education # 45
 
 
 
    Unlike prices for gas and meat, wine prices have not been skyrocketing—but that may change very soon. Here is how much sticker shock wine drinkers can expect in 2022. Wine has been largely absent from the raging debate over inflation in recent months. While the wholesale price of beef is up by 20 percent and gas costs are at their highest level in seven years, a bottle<