Round Table on Balancing Alcohol in California Wines

Santa Barbara County is one of the youngest wine growing regions in California, measured by both vine age and the age and experience of its winemakers.
“wonderboy” Gavin Chanin of Chanin Wine Company
Thus it wasn’t hard for me to sit around a table at the home of Presqu’ile winery owner Matt Murphy with eight winemakers and get a passionate discussion going about that perennial favorite topic in California, alcohol level.
While I can be a provocateur, I wasn’t here; it just came up. The high-alcohol defenders have a chip on their shoulder, perhaps because one of the big men of the area, Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, has been very aggressive at public forums in attacking the style.
I’ll admit that I’m increasingly on Clendenen’s side of the fence. While balance is key, I’d simply rather drink a wine at 13.5% alcohol by volume than 15.5%. But that’s a problem for many vignerons in California because not all grapes in this state will ripen at sugar levels that low.
What made this discussion interesting is that while it was collegial, it brought together proponents of very different styles of wine. Two of the county’s top names in particular are wonderboy Gavin Chanin, 26, named one of Forbes’ top 30 food professionals under 30, and Greg Brewer, who isn’t a senior citizen but was making some of Santa Barbara County’s most exciting wines while Chanin was in elementary school.
Chanin, who runs his own Chanin Wine Company and also assists at Au Bon Climat and Qupe, made me swoon with his Chanin Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay 2009 ($35), one of the best Chardonnays I’ve had this year, and I spent a week in Burgundy. It’s chalky initially and leesy with lime fruit and great texture, as it softens and gets comfortable on the tongue but never gets flabby. It’s not at all lean, yet it’s only 12.8% alcohol.
Chanin shares many philosophies with Brewer: both exalt terroir, treat their grapes gently, and prefer to do as little to the wine as possible. But the results are so different: Brewer’s Chardonnays sometimes top 17% alcohol. I wrote last year about having a problem with that conceptually, which is why he brought a lean, juicy Diatom Hana Shinobu Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2011 ($36) at 13.8% to the table. With its fine texture and strong salinity, this wine would fit in well with the low-alcohol In Pursuit of Balance movement, though the organizers might stop him at the door.
left to right: Cronje, Magdevski, Brewer, Bonnacorsi, Murphy, Schalchin, Chanin, Storm, Law
Other members of the roundtable included:
• Dieter Cronje, winemaker for Presqu’ile, a new winery built by wealthy Hurricane Katrina escapees. Presqu’ile owner Murphy has given Cronje the proverbial unlimited budget but with an unusual-for-the-type mission to make balanced wines that go well with dinner.
• Jenne Bonnacorsi, who came from the high-end restaurant world in Los Angeles to co-found her eponymous winery. She has been making the wines herself since her husband suddenly passed away eight years ago.
• Ernst Storm, a South African (like Cronje) who makes Rhône-style wines for his own eponymous winery and for Curtis (his Curtis Santa Barbara County Mourvedre 2009 [$24] was delicious, fascinating and, at 14.3% alcohol, right in between the battle lines.)
• Curt Schalchin of Sans Liege, representing a countercultural style in the Central Coast best epitomized by Sine Qua Non, but also done successfully by Justin Smith at Saxum: ripe fruit with disregard for “rules.” Schalchin brought a non-vintage Rhône-style white (“Cotes du Coast,” $26) at 14.9% alcohol that I loved despite its weight, and a multi-vintage Syrah-Mourvèdre blend (“The Prophetess” 2009/10) at 15.6% that tasted like roasted fruit.
• Sonja Magdevski, a journalist from Macedonia who is doing all the work for her one-person wine company, Casa Dumetz, which specializes in Viognier. Magdevski lives in Malibu and hates it when people ask her about being married to Emilio Estevez. So I didn’t.
• Apologies to Kevin Law, who makes Pinot Noirs with wonderful texture at his new Luminesce winery that impressed all of us. But Law, whose degree is in meteorology, is soft-spoken and polite and didn’t want to get into this particular discussion.
And now, without further ado, the roundtable:

Cronje, Presqu’ile winemaker: The reason we end up with this low alcohol style is, it’s easiest. Whatever we have to do to not have to touch the wine. If it’s not high pH than I don’t have to worry about it. It’s definitely about low intervention.
Gray: What if you have a hot year in the estate vineyard?
Cronje: We’re not going to water it back. If we have a bad vintage, I wouldn’t mind it showing.
Murphy, Presqu’ile owner: We’re not making Coca-Cola. We’re not homogenizing wine to show no vintage effect at all. I don’t know that there’s a “bad vintage.” 2011 was a difficult vintage, but I’m actually looking forward to the ’11s because it will force people to make more reasonable wines. Reasonable for my palate, anyway.
Bonnacorsi: Nobody’s aging California Pinot for 15 years.
Chanin: I think it represents the vineyard when you don’t have a ton of sweetness. After a year of traveling I noticed ripe wines lose their sense of place anywhere.
Sometimes I think Chardonnay is more telling of terroir than Pinot Noir because you can remove yourself more.
The wines that excite me are high-end wines that don’t cut any corners that are aiming for the very top we can do there.
Storm: I think you can have fruit-driven wines at lower alcohols. But it comes down to choosing your site correctly. My whole goal is to make Rhône varietals in a way that’s balanced and represents Santa Ynez Valley. I don’t think we have the vine age yet where we’re going to make big structure Mourvèdres. Made in a more balanced style, we can see some of the southern Rhône style, where it’s not just about fruit, but there’s also an earthiness and a fungal component. I sometimes get a forest floor, mushroomy note in the Mourvèdre that I like to see.

http://palatepress.com/2012/05/wine/round-table-on-balancing-alcohol-in-california-wines/

Good hotel accommodation in Clark is available for Manila residents and tourists looking for good resorts in Pampanga for vacations and holidays in Philippines. Clearwater Resort is one of the best resorts in Pampanga that is lauded by Manila residents for its safe and clean outdoor facilities that are perfect for family bonding or for stressed out Manila residents to relax and unwind during a weekend in the north. Many guests of this hotel in Clark Pampanga enjoy fishing in the lake or their fishing pond located next to the outback tents hotel accommodation. Clearwater appears frequently on the top of a list of the best hotels in Pampanga. Function room for meetings and seminars is also available in this popular resort in Clark Philippines.

The growing array of hotel resort accommodation, recreation and entertainment facilities, places to unwind and relax, fine dining and family restaurants, bars and pubs makes it increasing easy for tourists and visitors from Manila to spend quality time in a place of leisure in Clark, Pampanga. Clearwater Resort is generally regarded by travel agencies and frequent travelers as one of the best resorts in Pampanga.

To many visitors from Manila, a place of leisure or a good hotel or resort in Pampanga must be located in a city that is safe, clean and not so noisy. Convenience and accessibility are important considerations in choosing a holiday destination in Philippines. Clark Freeport is probably the easiest tourist destination to reach from Manila. Clark also has its own international airport with dozens of daily flights connecting Clark directly with Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok, Malaysia and South Korea. Clark is home to some of the best golf courses in Pampanga. Although golf continues to be one of the reasons why visitors from Manila travel to Pampanga, residents of Angeles City, Subic and Bulacan travel to Clark not just to play golf in one of the best golf courses in Pampanga but also to relax and unwind in the best resort in Philippines.

Hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, fine dining and family restaurants, bars and pubs, entertainment, nightlife, place of leisure, sports and recreation facilities in Clark and Angeles Pampanga are showcased for the convenience of visitors planning a getaway from Manila or a weekend out of town to relax and unwind in a clean and safe city.

Many residents of Manila, Angele City and Pampanga travel to Clark this summer for family bonding in a good resort in Pampanga. Trips and packages are offered by travel agencies for Manila residents to enjoy an out of town excursion with the whole family this summer. Family bonding in this resort in Pampanga is a memorable experience.

During holy week, Easter holidays, Christmas, New Year, Halloween and especially the Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival, Manila residents travel out of town to the north to relax and unwind at this famous resort in Pampanga. Clearwater Resort is the hotel in Clark that visitors prefer for family bonding and team building outside of Manila.

Clearwater Resort & Country Club offers several styles of accommodation from US$65 up inclusive of breakfast for two at the beautiful Breakfast Garden Restaurant overlooking the large Clearwater lake and beach. This is a good rendition of the lifestyle that the Americans left behind after they left the Clark Airbase. A good short description of this lifestyle is suburban laid-back slow-paced clean living, very suitable for tourists and guests looking for a way to unwind from the stress of living in Manila.

In a city like Manila, most residents rely on visits to spa and beauty parlor to unwind and relax. But with a short getaway to Angeles City Clark Pampanga one can de-stress by enjoying beautiful outdoor amenities of this beach resort, savoring what nature can offer.

For inquiries and bookings, Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort for inquiries and reservations now

Clearwater Resort and Country Club, Clark Pampanga
Creekside Road near Centennial Expo,
Clark Freeport, Pampanga Philippines 2023
(045) 889-5151 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177
Joanne or Jeremy or Loydha

Getting to this lake and beach resort in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines

After entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway MA Roxas, passing the stand-along wine shop called Clark Wine Center on the right, continue to bear right making no turns at all, go past Mimosa Leisure Estate on the opposite side of the road, one will hit a major intersection. Go straight and the road becomes Creekside Road. YATS Clearwater Resort and Country Club is on the right just 200m down.

Family Bonding by the famous lake of Clark Pampanga

http://www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay

Email: Inquiry@ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort to reserve a venue for your upcoming event now

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

While in Clark, one might as well add to the itinerary a visit to the famous Clark Wine Center, the largest wine shop in Philippines which offers over 2000 selections of fine vintage wine from all wine regions, vintages spanning over 50 years covering all price ranges.
http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

For jobs and business investment opportunities in the Philippines please visit http://www.yilp.com

Hot Line for what’s happening in Clark: 045 889-5151 or 0927-940-2669 ask for Loydha

0915-542-6250 (Jeramie)