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Updated: Sausal Vineyard and Winery Acquired by Silver Oak Family

: Wine Business; Written by Fred Swan; Created on Thursday, 16 August 2012 01:10

Updates: The Sausal Winery tasting room is now open again, from 10am to 4pm, seven days a week. They are offering free tastings and selling Sausal wines. The wine club is still active, but is not currently accepting new members. To purchase wines for shipment without visiting, call the tasting room.

Sausal Winery, an Alexander Valley landmark, has sold to the Duncan Family, owners of Silver Oak and Twomey, for an undisclosed sum. The agreement was finalized late last week and Sausal Winery club members were notified of a sale on Friday by email. However, no details, including the purchaser's identity, were released until today. The Sausal tasting room was closed to the public as of Friday. Silver Oak has not announced if or when it will re-open, nor has it disclosed specific plans with the regard to vineyards, Sausal employees or brand.

SOArchText Silver Oak Cellars was co-founded in 1972 by Raymond Duncan and Justin Meyer and dedicated exclusively to producing Cabernet Sauvignon that is aged and drinkable upon release. The winery makes two wines at two separate facilities: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in Oakville and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in Geyserville. Twomey Cellars makes Pinot Noir, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc from five California AVAs. "The Sausal Vineyard site presents us with an excellent opportunity to grow Cabernet Sauvignon with a variety of soils and conditions not previously available to us in the production of our Alexander Valley Cabernet," said David R. Duncan, President and CEO of Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars. "We are excited to see what other opportunities it will afford us in the future."

This transaction brings to a close more than a century of involvement in the Northern Sonoma County wine industry by the Demostene-Ferrari family. My research also indicates Sausal was the oldest family-owned winery still in operation¹ within the Alexander Valley AVA. The winery was established in 1973 on the 125-acre Sausal Ranch purchased by the Demostene family in 1956.

Sausal estate vineyards include what are thought to be the oldest Zinfandel vines in Alexander Valley. They are at least 135 years old, having been noted in a regional atlas of 1877. In addition to that “Century Vine Block,” the vineyard includes old vine Zinfandel in the “Private Reserve Block” and the “Family Block” with average ages of 95 and 55 years respectively.

The Demostene’s themselves have a long history in the area. Genoese-immigrant Manuel Demostene worked on ranches in Alexander Valley from 1901. His son, Leo, married Rose Ferrari in 1936. Her father, Abele Ferrari, had joined Italian Swiss Colony shortly after the turn of the century. He went on to operate the Healdsburg Machine Shop, where he invented and built the Healdsburg Crusher for wine grapes. In 1923, he purchased Soda Rock Winery², which he restored and operated after the repeal of Prohibition.

Leo Demostene took over as winemaker at Soda Rock after his marriage to Rose. He held that post until his death, nearly 40 years later. In 1956, the couple acquired Sausal Ranch with intent to establish a winery there. They and their children (Dave, Ed, Peachie and Cindy) planted more Zinfandel, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, through the mid-1960‘s. They completed the winery in 1973, just after Leo’s passing. Sausal added a tasting room in 1986.

Sausal wines, all made from estate fruit, included Family, Private Reserve and Century Vine Zinfandel as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Petite Sirah and blends thereof, some including Carignane. The wines were made in a traditional, balanced style that expressed the unique terroir of Alexander Valley with fruit-derived complexity. The Zinfandel routinely scored high 80’s and above in major wine publications.

Dave Demostene has served as Sausal Winery’s winemaker from the beginning and his brother Ed managed the vineyard. Cindy has been responsible for operations. Peachie ran the tasting room until her retirement a few years ago. All four Demostene “kids” are now of retirement age, hence the sale.

Frequent visitors to Sausal Winery are well-acquainted not just with the wines but also Sophie and Gypsy, the winery cats. They were the inspirations for Sausal Winery’s Cellar Cat Red and Purrfect Petite. The cats have declined comment on the sale, but are happily making themselves at home with Cindy.

¹Other longtime Alexander Valley wineries included Alexander Valley Vineyards (1975) and Johnson’s Alexander Valley Wines.

²Soda Rock Winery was sold to the Tomka family in 1978 who operated it for more than a decade. Ken and Diane Wilson purchased the name, buildings and non-vineyard property in 2000. Their restoration is nearly complete and it’s once again a popular destination.

Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check out our comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery.

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7 Fun Wine Events for this Weekend, August 10 - 12

: Tasting Event; Written by Fred Swan; Created on Wednesday, 08 August 2012 22:33

Selected wine events taking place in Northern California this weekend

Featured Event

2nd Annual ZAP Grill-o-Rama in Alameda: Saturday, August 11, 2pm - 6pm

Post_card_frontsmall Explore the diversity of Zinfandel. Taste and compare 30 different Zinfandels from 9 growing regions at ZAP’s Grill-o-Rama. Four chefs — Chef Tyler Stone, Chef John Ledbetter of Bocanova, Chef Dawn Wofford of Sonoma Smokehouse and Chef Sophina Uong of Pican---will fire up the grills to create tantalizing tastes served alongside the wines. Tickets are $50 for ZAP members, $60 for the general public. It’s suggested to buy tickets in advance (530-274-4900 or buy tickets online).

Friday, August 10

Live Music, Wine and Hors d’Oeuvres at Pine Ridge Vineyards in Napa Valley: 5pm - 7pm
Unwind this Friday evening in the gardens at Pine Ridge Vineyards. $40 per person.

Food Truck Frenzy at Rock Wall Wine Company in Alameda: 5pm - 9pm
Watch the sun set over San Francisco while chowing down and drinking up. $5 RSVP

Saturday, August 11

Scotts Valley Art & Wine Festival in Scotts Valley: 10am - 6pm
Sip award-winning wines and beer while strolling through the park experiencing the fine art of over 100 artists. Food, live music, and children's art activities.

McFadden’s Second Saturday in Hopland: 10am - 5pm
Food pairings and a one-day sale in the tasting room.

Steiner Road Wine and Food Pairings with Local Farmers’ Fare in Plymouth: Noon to 4pm
Eight Steiner Road wineries in Amador County will be pairing wine with food made from farm-fresh ingredients.

Paso Robles Rotary Winemakers’ Cook-Off in Paso Robles: 6pm - 9pm
Meet 30 of the appellation’s finest winemakers as they pair their own grilled culinary creations with some of their best wines competing for Judges’ and People’s Choice awards. This is a benefit event. $75 per person.

Sunday, August 12

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Tasting Current and Upcoming Releases of Petite Sirah

: Wine Reviews; Written by Fred Swan; Created on Tuesday, 07 August 2012 07:38

The cold barrel room at Concannon Vineyard was a welcome thing. Outside, where we lunched, it was 100°. The arbor, draped with leafy grapevines screened us from direct sunlight, but our cool wine still warmed quickly. Bald-headed gentlemen eyed my Panama hat with envy. Our vitamin D production spiked. And when it came time for the indoor tasting, we moved quickly, glasses in hand.

Inside, a happy horseshoe of tables greeted us. Full bottles of Petite Sirah sat open and waiting on black tablecloths. Spit cups arrived. Winemakers and proprietors stood by to pour and answer questions.

As usual, I didn’t get to all of the wines before the tasting closed. I particularly regret not having had a chance to try the wines of Mounts Family Winery of Dry Creek Valley. David Mounts gave a very interesting and detailed presentation that morning, covering both viticulture and winemaking for Petite Sirah.

Top Picks

I started with Aver Family Vineyards, avoiding a brief bottleneck at Aaron. They have a 8.25 acre estate vineyard in the Uvas Valley in southern Santa Clara Valley (southwest of Morgan Hill). Their focus is Rhone variety reds plus Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Kian Tavakoli, previously of Opus One and Clos du Val, makes their wine.

The 2008 Aver Family Blessings is an estate blend of 96% Petite Sirah and 4% Syrah aged in French oak. It’s dark ruby in color and offers aromas of blackberry, blueberry, violets and black pepper. The palate is nearly full-bodied and opens with briary blackberry and black pepper. A door of light-grained tannins closes to briefly dominate at mid-palate. Juicy fruit pushes its way back in for a tasty finish though. Highly Recommended

Two side-steps left took me back to Aaron of Paso Robles. Proprietor/winemaker Aaron Jackson makes just one thing: Petite Sirah. His motto for the winery is “Go Big or go home.” My taste of his wine suggests he may as well sell his house, because he’s not going home any time soon.

Opaque and ruby-black, the 2009 Aaron Petite Sirah Paso Robles captures the animal in Petite Sirah. The nose suggests dense black fruit doused briefly in tar, dredged through earth and warm exotic spice then wrapped in leather. The palate is full and the medium+ tannins ripe and light-grained. I tasted tart, briary blackberry, dark chocolate, and charred meat with a spice and black pepper coating. Highly Recommended

The Biale family has grown Zinfandel in Napa Valley for 75 years and Robert Biale Vineyards is one of the valley’s top producers of Zinfandel wine. They also make several Petite Sirah. That fruit comes principally from three vineyards, C.C. Ranch (Rutherford AVA), Thomann Station (St. Helena AVA) and Palisades (Calistoga AVA). Biale poured four Petite Sirah at this tasting, some not yet released. All of the wines impressed.

2009 Robert Biale Vineyards Petite Sirah Thomann Station is a well-balanced wine with medium+ body and chalky tannins. Aromas include white pepper and blackberry. The palate is full of creamy fruit. Highly Recommended

2009 Robert Biale Vineyards Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard smells of creamy blackberry and black cherry. Its nearly full-bodied in the mouth with medium+ tannins, both powdery and chalky. Creamy blackberry and black cherry flavors are complemented by dark chocolate and toasty oak. Highly Recommended

2010 Robert Biale Vineyards "Royal Punishers" Napa Valley Petite Sirah is a “best lot blend” from several Petite Sirah sites. The name “Royal Punishers” is an anagram of Syrah and Peloursin, those varieties now thought to be the proud parents of Petite Sirah. The wine is dark ruby-purple in color with aromas of black pepper, carob and blackberry. The body and tannins are medium+ with a lightly chalky mouthfeel. Flavors are consistent with the nose though fruit is subordinate to spice at the moment. Highly Recommended

Having overseen the heyday of several Napa Valley wineries and earned a 100-points score for the 1985 Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Nils Venge is well-known for excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. But, back in the early 1960’s before he headed to Napa, Nils spent time in the winery and Petite Sirah vineyards of Concannon in Livermore. He still has a passion for Petite and it shows in his wines, including that from Envy in which he is a partner.

The 2009 Envy Petite Sirah is rich and silky with a nose of creamy black fruit, Chinese five-spice and oak. Those flavors are joined on the palate by delicious blackberry syrup. Highly Recommended

Other Recommended Petite Sirah

2010 Artezin Petite Sirah Mendocino County Garzini Ranch
Dark ruby-purple with warm blackberry pie on the nose. Medium+ body and matching tannins with lightly chalky texture. Flavors of coffee and dark chocolate precede blackberry. 14.2% alcohol. Recommended+

2010 Artezin Petite Sirah Mendocino County
Soft blackberry with vanilla and spice on the nose. Medium+ body with heavier light-grained tannins and flavors of coffee, blackberry, spice and black pepper. Recommended

2009 Robert Biale Vineyards “Like Father, Like Son”
A blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah. It’s a full-bodied wine with creamy dark fruit balanced by chalky tannins. Earth and chocolate round out the flavors. Recommended+

2009 Bogle Petite Sirah California
An $11 wine that delivers varietal typicity in a “drink me now” style with just 13.5% alcohol. Flavors include dark chocolate, earthy spice, vanilla, oak. coffee and, of course, briary black fruit. Recommended

2009 Clayhouse Estate Old Vine Petite Sirah
From the own-rooted Block 43 in Paso Robles’ Red Cedar Vineyard. You’ll find flavors of blackberry, black pepper and spice with medium+ body and firm, chalky tannins. Recommended

2008 Concannon Vineyard "Captain Joe's" Petite Sirah
Opaque ruby in color with toasty oak and caramel on the nose. The palate has medium+ body and tannins with flavors of black cherry, oak, dark chocolate and tobacco. Recommended

2008 Concannon Vineyard "Nina's Cuvee" Petite Sirah Livermore Valley
Inky ruby-black in the glass with aromas of buttered toast and dark fruit. Full-bodied with chalky tannins, chocolate and blackberry. Recommended

Don and Sons 2011 The Crusher Petite Sirah
Another excellent value and don’t let the 2011 vintage scare you. The fruit is ripe and winemaker Greg Kitchens blended in several other varieties to compensate for the lack of extended oak aging. There is Merlot (13%) and splashes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tinta Cao, Souzao and Touriga Nacional. The result is a very attractive early drinker with fresh aromas of blackberry pie and black pepper. The palate holds five-spice, blackberry, mincemeat and a chiffonade of mint. Recommended

2010 David Coffaro Petite Sirah
Petite Sirah wines rarely offer noteworthy acidity but this wine is a tasty and especially food-friendly exception. It’s nose is a dusty chocolate bar spiked with dark fruit and white pepper. The palate is medium+ in body with zesty purple fruit, dark spice and a core of Nehi Grape. Recommended

2011 David Coffaro Petite Sirah
A more traditional representation of the variety with flavors of blackberry, charred wood, oak and spice. Recommended

2008 Diamond Ridge Vineyards Petite Sirah Lake County
Spicy blackberry, canned plum and black chocolate are featured in this full-bodied wine with very firm, drying tannins with lightly chalky texture. Give it a couple of years in bottle or drink it now with seared ribeye cap. Recommended+

2009 Michael David Winery “Earthquake” Petite Sirah
A lush, creamy mouthful of jammy blackberry, chocolate and spice. Big, bold and ready to drink. 15.5% alcohol. Recommended+

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A Big Day for Petite Sirah

: General Interest; Written by Fred Swan; Created on Wednesday, 01 August 2012 22:53

Yesterday, I attended the 10th Annual Petite Sirah Symposium. I came away with excellent technical information and historical perspectives, tasted several wines I can happily recommend and made some new friends. And I poured a magnum of history myself.

Petite Sirah has a long history in California. An Alameda County acreage report from 1885 identified it by name. Concannon Vineyard released the first varietally-labeled Petite Sirah in 1964 (from the 1961 vintage). Today there are nearly 850 producers of Petite Sirah varietal wines. Acreage has climbed to 8,354, the most since a dramatic, but short-lived, spike in the 1970’s. Growth in planting has been gradual, but steady and seemingly sustainable, for nearly 20 years now.

The attractions of Petite Sirah — deep color, mouth-filling dark fruit punctuated by exotic spice, firm yet approachable tannins — make it ideal for the way most Americans eat. The wine is happy to tuck into burgers and ribs, grab a burrito, call out for pizza or bring home Chinese. More and more, it’s showing up in restaurants featuring other ethnic cuisines: Thai, Moroccan, Persian, Ethiopian, Greek. Steak will be just fine too though.

For those people who like aged wine, Petite Sirah is a good candidate. Some of my favorite bottles of it have been Concannon wines with 10 years or so in the cellar. Just for fun, I brought a magnum of venerable wine to share at yesterday’s lunch.

I had purchased the 1965 Concannon Vineyard Petite Sirah recently from K&L Wines. They had gotten it in the acquisition of a private cellar not too long ago. A good friend and fellow lover of old California in a bottle, Rich Meinecke, pointed it out to me online and I snapped it up right away. Thanks again, Rich!

A magnum of 1965 Concannon Vineyard Petite Sirah Livermore Valley. Photo: Melanie Gameng

concannons
Jim Concannon, Fred Swan & John Concannon at Concannon Vineyard, July 31, 2012.
Photo: Melanie Gameng

It was fun to be able to share the wine with so many people passionate about Petite Sirah. Jim Concannon remembered 1965 as a good vintage and showed the bottle to friends. Clark Smith came pretty close to identifying the vintage blind and called out a lemony flavor he often gets from aged Livermore Petite Sirah. It brought back memories for acclaimed winemaker Nils Venge who worked at Concannon for a time in the early 1960‘s.

This particular bottle’s was in its golden years but was an enjoyable companion for our barbecued ribs. We drank it happily and enjoyed it’s evolution in our glasses. Bottled at just 12% alcohol, this Petite Sirah still had plenty of elegant tannins, neatly balanced by acidity and rich, baked fruit. And there were attractive spice notes, a touch of earth and more — including Clark’s lemon which I'll make a point of looking for in the future.

After lunch, we headed into the barrel room to taste current releases of Petite Sirah from numerous wineries. Stay tuned for my report on that. It will highlight some truly delectable bottles.

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5 Expert Tips for Better Aging of Wine

: General Interest; Written by Fred Swan; Created on Monday, 30 July 2012 01:20

The basics of storing wine are commonly known. Keep the wine horizontal in a cool, dark, vibration-free location and you’ll do okay. However, there are a few more things you can do to get even better results.

I spent last week at the Society of Wine Educators’ Conference in San Mateo. One of many interesting seminars was Growing Older: Not All Wines are Created Equal by Maureen Downey of Chai Consulting. She’s an expert on fine and rare wines, wine authentication and cellar management.

The seminar focused on identifying which wines can age and for how long. However, along the way, Maureen passed on several helpful tips for getting better results when aging wine. I've paraphrased them below:

1. Store bottles with the labels down.
Most people, me included, put wines into wine racks with the label facing up. That makes it a little easier to see what the wine is. However, it also allows dust, dirt and moisture to settle on the labels. Over time, the labels can degrade quite a bit. That makes them less attractive when you open wine for friends. It also lowers resale value.

2. Keep bottles you want to age slowest near the floor.
Keeping wine cool enhances aging. Because heat rises, the coolest spot in your wine storage area will be at the bottom. This is true whether you have a wine cellar, wine fridge or just keep your wine in a closet.

3. But don’t store wine directly on the floor.
Keeping cardboard boxes or wooden crates of wine on the floor traps humidity that will eventually damage those containers and bottles' labels. And, however remote, there’s always some risk of flooding that will damage boxes and bottles alike.

4. Cooler storage makes for more complex aged wine.
The process that gradually changes wine’s fresh and youthful aromas into the complex, attractive bouquet of an aged wine is called hydrolysis. [It breaks the esters within a wine into acid and alcohol, the glycosides into aglycones and sugar. Aglycones are especially aromatic.] The more slowly hydrolysis occurs, the greater the resulting complexity. Hydrolysis slows as temperature decreases.

5. The best orientation for wine bottles is at a slight angle from horizontal.
When wine is stored upright, the cork will eventually dry out. Most people store their bottles horizontally or upside down so the wine can help keep the cork moist. However, wine will age best if the ullage — the air bubble inside the bottle — has partial contact with the cork. That allows a gradual exchange of gases through the cork — undesired gases exit, tiny amounts of oxygen enter. This also promotes good hydrolysis.

Note: There is one exception to the rule about storing wines near horizontal. Madeira should be stored upright. Otherwise, it’s high alcohol and extremely high acidity will, over many years, eat through the cork.

For more on aging and cellaring wine, see these previous articles at NorCalWine.com:
Wines That Age Well: An Overview by Variety and Region
How to Start a Wine Collection, Part 1: What Type of Collector are You?
How to Start a Wine Collection, Part 2: Research, Plan, Buy

For more information about Maureen Downey and the services she offers, including cellar management, authentication, and facilitation of purchases and sales, see her website. Maureen has also been in the news a lot lately with respect to her work in identifying counterfeit wine. Here’s a short list of the articles on that topic:
The Rise and Fall of a Wine Counterfeiter, by Doug Barzelay for Old Wine Notes
Wine Sleuth Sniffs Out Fakes, Takes Hammer to Lafite, by Elin McCoy for Bloomberg
Ferreting Out Faux Bordeaux, by Patrick L. Kennedy for BU Today
Grand Jury Indicts the Man Known as "Dr Conti," Wine Searcher

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NorCal Wine Blog

Updated: Sausal Vineyard and Winery Acquired by Silver Oak Family

7 Fun Wine Events for this Weekend, August 10 - 12

Featured Event

2nd Annual ZAP Grill-o-Rama in Alameda: Saturday, August 11, 2pm - 6pm

Friday, August 10

Saturday, August 11

Sunday, August 12

Tasting Current and Upcoming Releases of Petite Sirah

Top Picks

Other Recommended Petite Sirah

A Big Day for Petite Sirah

5 Expert Tips for Better Aging of Wine

More Articles...