BLOGSCHU

Stevie Wonder - Superstition live on Sesame Street

Cool Pics

Came across (if that is what you call having Google alert send me an email) the so clearly talented KA Goldberg's photo blog on Flickr and it happens to have one shot of GB among many great ones of wine country. Go here and then view the Vineland slide show.  The picture featuring us will be obvious.  It looks something like this, but much better.  No offense to dog lovers:

Wines to Gawk At

Had a coupla of very good wines the other day, with very cool labels. Both blew my group and me away, for different reasons.  And luckily,  one of the wines was even ours.  That was the Gundlach Bundschu 2001 Vintage Reserve.  I don't like to spend too much time here waxing poetic about our own wines, but this was too good to ignore.  Beautiful black fruit, lean structure and intriguing complexity, and beautiful with some age.   Like Grace Jones.

Next was a 2006 Carnival of Love by Molly Dooker.  This wine was a gift from the Australian winery's St. Helena office.  The label, like the GBVR, was very cool, and the McClaren Shiraz turned R. Parker's head around, so I was anxious to try it.  Wasn't surpised at all that the thing was so high in alcohol (both on the label and in the glass) that we kept it away from the candles just in case.  Huge juicy sweet fruit, massive tannins and all round humongoloidness.  A bit short in the way of balance or finesse, but great for mouth soaking wowness.   Not surprising that RP loved it so.  To keep with the wine/woman comparison thing going, this would be more of a Pamela Anderson kinda thing.

Election O8

thanks to scott beale for the hookup

Why? Because it's There.

Can't help but be moved and touched by the ordeal on K2 right now.  A huge ice ledge broke off near the summit, at a place called the Bottle Neck, stranding and/or killing 9 or more climbers.  Among the dead is Gerard McDonnell, a 37 year- old Irishman who was the first from his country to summit K2, the climb from which he was descending when the tragedy happened.  He was part of a dutch expedition that started in May.  Below is an excerpt from the home page of the expedition's site, followed by recent real time posts from it's webmaster, Maarten Van Eck:

On May 16, Wilco van Rooijen and his team will depart to Pakistan to make an attempt, in the coming months, to reach the top of the 8,611 meters high K2. Because of its level of difficulty and the great risk involved, the K2 is considered to be the modern-day Holy Grail of mountain climbing. The giant is also known as the “killer mountain” because of the fact that for every five people who reach the top there is one who does not survive. It is a very steep mountain with many technical passages, and the danger of falling rocks and avalanches. Moreover, it is very remote, with a seven day walk to the nearest village. Because of this, K2 is reserved only for professionals. For the sake of comparison; almost 3,000 people have stood on the top of world’s highest mountain, Mt. Everest, compared with only 200 making it to the top of K2.

They are on the Summit!!
01/08/08  2000 K2 time

The candles really worked. Wilco, Cas, Gerard and Pemba are at the summit of K2! All the way back to the source! It is a very late at K2. We said it before and repeat it again. Now the most difficult part will start. The summit is only half way! Light a fresh candle. We at K2BC Netherlands will start celebrations only if they are back safe in C4. This was Wilco’s third attempt to reach the summit of K2. It’s Cas second time. Gerard just became the FIRST Irishman to become a K2-summiteer. This is Pemba’s first summit. I will take a short moment to take my breath and wipe some tears from my face. Keep your fingers crossed. Maarten K2BC Netherlands

Rescue report 3rd August 9pm.
03/08/08
Update 3rd August 9 PM Irish time

10 climbers now feared dead on K2 including our beloved Ger McDonnell. We pray for the spirit and soul of Ger. May he rest in peace. Ger's family issues heart rendering statement. see below

Update below on climbers that are missing. 3 climbers die from serac (ice avalanche) fall on 1 August while descending from a successful summit earlier in the day in The Bottle Neck just below the summit ridge and exit to the lower section of K2. This is a technical steep section of the mountain above 8000 meters (a place known to us climbers as death Zone) The ice avalanche sweeping away the fixed ropes which is used by tired climbers as a handrail to the safety of the lower sections of the mountain and the safety of camp 4.

(The Bottle Neck from on high)

We are extremely proud of the many heroic and brave achievements of our son and brother Gerard. He brought honour not only to us his family, but the whole country when he became the first Irish man to summit K2 on Friday last.
The last few days have been a roller coaster of emotions as we celebrated with joy his historic achievement, and now must try to come to terms with the untimely loss of a great son, brother and friend. Gerard's love of mountain climbing was surpassed only by his love for his family and friends. Our thoughts are with his long time girlfriend Annie in his adopted home of Alaska, where he lived for the last 11 years. We are sure like us, Annie will miss most of all Gerard's warm and caring smile that brought light and joy to all he met.
Gerard was a kind and loving son. He had a great love of traditional Irish music, and despite living away from Limerick for the past number of years he was a true and proud Irish man. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our many friends and neighbours for their support at this sad time.
We would like to acknowledge the bravery and selfless acts of his Norit team mates and the members of all the other teams, who risked everything in an attempt to rescue Gerard. We will forever be grateful to them, and the support and information we received from Maarteen - the web master for Norit expedition. Thanks also to Pat Falvey for his hard work and perseverance in keeping the line of communications between base camp and the family open.
We would like to sympathise with the many other families who lost loved ones to the unforgiving elements of K2 this weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We now ask for privacy from the media as we come to terms with the news that our beloved Gerard will not be returning home.
We will not be making any more statements at this sad time and thank you for your co-operation.

Pass the Sun Block: Climate Change

From the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa comes this front page story talking up the cool climate of the Ukiah Valley versus Napa and Sonoma. You'll read that none other than climate/vit expert Gregory Jones commented on the matter, which adds a certain amount of legitimacy to the claim. 

I came across Jones and his data at a Unified Symposium two years ago.   His data blew me away.  What I remember of it (which is always a dangerous way for me to start a sentence), was that if you looked at global temperature change as it has occurred in the past and projected it forward (using conservative estimates), within 50 years the latitude of optimal premium wine growing climates would move as much as 150 miles to the north (away from the equator, hence cooler) in the northern hemisphere and to the south in the southern hemisphere.    That is the gist of the foggy portion of my memory. 

What I remember clearly though, is that his model couldn't account for the impact of coastal fog.  So I could sleep that night knowing that a) as a Carneros region producer of Bordeaux varieties, we could actually benefit before we suffer from climate change and that b) because we are in a fog zone the change would be much less predictable.  That plays very well into my Algerian-learned response to all such uncontrollable things (and some controllable ones) in which I hope for a positive outcome: Insha'Allah. 

I also remember driving with my dad right after the conference and picking his brain thoroughly regarding his impressions on the matter, with his 40 plus years experience farming the same property.   When I told him how much the average temperature had changed in Napa since 1950 ( a number I think is something like 4 degrees), he thought about it and intuitively recognized that it must be because of warmer lows than higher highs, something Mr. Jones had infact pointed out.  He (Dad) also mentioned how much less our vines are threatened by frost now than they were in the 60's and 70's.   Always pragmatic, and very leery of anything championed by suspect spokespeople (say, like wealthy left leaning political scions from Tennessee), Dad nonetheless recognizes that things are changing.

Because my memory is so faulty, and I care too much about how smart you come across at your cocktail parties, I dug up the real deal on the matter - Mr. Jones' full presentation all 70 plus pages of it, so you can get the real story.  Truly very interesting stuff.  Much more so than the article, actually, but a bit more of a time and mental investment. 

Is Mendocino the new Napa?

Changing weather patterns may make Ukiah Valley better for grapes

By MIKE GENIELLA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Monday, August 4, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, August 4, 2008 at 11:26 a.m.

KENT PORTER / The Press Democrat

St. Helena winemaker George Vierra, at Jeriko Estate Winery in Hopland on Friday, said he unexpectedly found acidic levels of the Hopland grapes comparable to similar fruit grown in the famously cool Carneros region.

Or worse yet, the touted Napa Valley.

"Yet such a shift is supported by available data and expert analysis," said Vierra.

For Vierra it's a surprising development after 35 years of overseeing wine production for Napa Valley icons such as Charles Krug and Robert Mondavi wineries, and his own Vichon and Merlion labels.

"I was among the many who believed Mendocino vineyards were probably 'too hot' to produce quality grapes for high-end premium wines," Vierra said.

Yet, an expert analysis of 50 years of summer highs shows that the Ukiah Valley is now a cooler grape-growing region than Napa Valley.

The findings are attracting the scrutiny of winemakers such as Vierra and climate experts who specialize in weather-related effects on grape-growing regions.

Vierra's own quest to understand changes in Mendocino vineyards took root last year after he assisted in making a wine from organically grown pinot noir grapes in Hopland.

"I was amazed," said Vierra.

Vierra said he unexpectedly found acidic levels of the Hopland grapes comparable to those grown in the famously cool Carneros region at the southern tip of Napa and Sonoma counties. That's important because grape acidity falls significantly slower in cool regions, a process that can be sensed in the taste of a finished wine.

To better understand why, Vierra sought the opinion of nationally known climatologist Gregory Jones of Southern Oregon University. Jones the year before had compiled, analyzed and published findings from a study of 50 years of Wine Country temperature data.

Jones' findings substantiated a warming trend in Sonoma and Napa counties, which he said is already altering grape-growing conditions. Jones said a pattern of warmer overnight temperatures appears to be stewing some cool-loving varietals.

Jones, and now Vierra, are convinced the climate shifts occurring in inland Mendocino County to the north deviate sharply from Sonoma and Napa.

Jones' study, for example, found that the number of hot summer days over 95 degrees in the Ukiah Valley has steadily declined over five decades while temperatures in Napa have risen.

In the 1950s, Ukiah posted an average of 51 days where the high temperature reached 95 degrees or more, according to Jones' study. The average for the last 10 years is just 29 days.

The shift is so dramatic that for three summers in a row Ukiah has on average posted cooler temperatures than Napa.

"If we didn't have the supporting data, no one would believe it," said Vierra.

Charlie Barra isn't surprised. A Redwood Valley grape grower for 60 years, Barra knows from experience that conditions have changed.

"I know it's cooler at night because my own vineyards are cooler," said Barra, who has more than 100 acres of grapes.

Last summer, a seminar at Gloria Ferrer Winery in the Carneros district focused on global warming and the wine industry. It touched not only on how winemakers can reduce their carbon footprints but also on how climate change can affect premier grape-growing regions. Some winemakers said they had witnessed local changes, such as more heat spikes and fewer spring frosts, and those changes were influencing the way they manage vineyards.

In a recent e-mail exchange between Vierra and Jones, the Oregon weather expert theorized that a warmer Central Valley is now pulling more cool air across inland Mendocino County from the Pacific Ocean. Frequent daytime breezes are helping keep maximum temperatures down.

Jones said because Mendocino vineyards are being exposed to cooler air for longer period of times, the ripening process has slowed, which helps raise grape quality.

In contrast, Jones said Napa Valley and inland Sonoma County vineyards seem to be experiencing warmer overnight temperatures because of their proximity to the warmer Central Valley.

For Vierra, the findings help explain the surprising quality of pinot noir grapes that were being harvested on vintner Dan Fetzer's Jeriko Estate north of Hopland. Fetzer's decision a decade ago to plant the pinot vineyard was considered risky, given Hopland's reputation for warm weather.

But Vierra learned the Jeriko vineyards are brushed by constant winds from the northwest. "It's even cooler there than Ukiah," said Vierra.

Vierra became so convinced about the new role cooling temperatures are playing in Hopland grape production that he organized a blind tasting earlier this summer. Jeriko's pinot noir was put up against 10 highly rated pinots produced from vineyards in the more recognized Carneros district and the Russian River Valley.

Jeriko pinot came out third in the rankings.

The same pinot grapes are used to produce a sparkling Jeriko Brut Rose, which this summer won a gold medal during the prestigious Orange County Fair judging.

"It's clear to me inland Mendocino County has become cool enough to produce some very high-quality wine grapes," said Vierra.

Climatologist Jones believes the cooling-off in Mendocino and warming of summer nights in Napa and Sonoma are part of complex and evolving regional climate shifts that are likely to intensify over time.

The best grape-growing regions of the past may not be best in the future, said Jones.

At industry and academic conferences across the West, Jones tells listeners that some of today's inland grape-growing regions eventually will become too hot, forcing producers to shift operations northward.

For the coastal regions of Wine Country, however, the outlook is not so bleak.

All of Jones' data modeling suggests that coastal regions will be less affected by warming because of the moderating effects of the Pacific Ocean.You can reach Staff Writer Mike Geniella at 462-6470 or mgeniella@gmail.com.

What's up Houston?

SF Recycles 69% of its total waste

NYC Recycles 34% of its total waste

Houston?????    2.6%!!!!!!!!

Sorry Houston, but that is pitiful.    Houston has always been one of my favorite cities in Texas.    It is just big, diverse and unwieldy enough to generate its own unique momentum, like NY or LA.  But it is so un-LA or NY that it is refreshing.  This is disgusting though.   Does this mean we can assume that only 2.6% of all the wine bottles used in Houston are recycled?  Think about that waste for a minute.  That is so foreign to the way things are done here that I can barely relate.   

First the article that points out the issue, and then a nice video on the city that talks up its redeeming qualities, which believe it or not, are many.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29recycle.html?hp

Ode to Rhinefarm, or Why We Have Succeeded in Successing.

It was announced that Chateau Montelena sold this week to a French capitalist who also owns Cos D' Estournel.  Believe it or not, even I had heard it was for sale, but now the rumors have been confirmed.  Winery ownership transition has been a hot topic lately, particularly the potential for much of it to happen over the next decade as the current generation of ownership ages and deals with succession planning.    Montelena is only the latest iconic family winery that has sold, and it makes sense that there will be more.  Because I run a  winery that has been owned by one family for 150 years, I end up being asked often to reflect on what makes this place work.   Here is a little of what I think, even if I don't alway say it:

Luck:  Even though I do believe that you truly influence your own,  time and time again luck (or fate, chance, or whatever you choose to call it), has played a significant role. 

Common Lifestyle Aspirations:  Lifestyle is a term that is bandied about a lot in the context of wine and wine country living.   For us,  lifestyle is a love of living our vineyard and winery in all aspects of its current operation, as opposed to something independent that is afforded by means of what they provide.  This has been consistent throughout generations, and, because it trumps material gains in almost every case, provides a unique approach to running the business.  It happens to be an approach that fosters generational continuity.

Flexibility:  This is a biggie.   There is very little rigidity in how this business is portrayed from one generation to another.  That is to say that it is almost bred into us that the only successful career is one that fulfills one's needs, desires, and values, and that our wine business can and will evolve to accommodate those of incoming generations. 

Strong Ego-less Leadership:  Okay, not exactly ego-less, but with less ego than is common among  leaders.  Family leaders here have always embraced youth and newness (not always the same thing) and the vigor that comes with them, and have never shied away from the fact that with it almost always comes change.

Humor:  I think most here would say that this is the most important element: To find the humor in any situation.  Heaven knows that like any family anywhere we have had plenty to cry about.  But looking at the petals instead of the thorns has always been our way.  Sounds cliche, I know, but it is true.

Authenticity:  Another catch word, but one that is important to us.  Rhinefarm has always reflected the people who run it and whatever it is that they value.  That all 6 generations, each with their unique circumstance, have consistently valued Rhinefarm so highly is really a matter of, um, luck.

On another note, Sonoma Valley neighbor Bob Kunde died this week.  He was a few generations ahead of me and I did not know him.  What I do know is that he sheparded one of Sonoma's most stunning properties and strongest wine families for decades.   Not a bad epitaph.  Our thoughts are with the Kunde family.

 

   

Running with the Bulls

When I was 19, into wandering and reading, at times simultaneously, I let James Michener guide me through Europe via his book The Drifters.   His story led me right to Pamplona in early July where I stayed up all night drinking red wine and coke, dancing, and then running with the bulls in the morning. 20+ years later there is finally a way for me to re-live the thrill in my own country.  You can now risk life and limb by taunting some of nature's most fearsome creatures, and do it right in New Orleans.  http://www.nolabulls.com

Maria Taylor and Jonathan Rice at Gundlach Bundschu Winery

So I broke rule number one of successful blogging by not bringing my (or using someone else's) camera for the Jonathan Rice/Maria Taylor show here Saturday night, so words and borrowed images will have to do. The hillside amphitheater had 200+/- people enjoying their picnics by the time opener Nick Freitas got on stage, and two things were clear from the get go: First, if Nick was this good, Maria and Jonathan must be something else, and then that the setting, temperature, and all around beauty of the place was going to make the evening even more special.  Maria came first, and just melted us all away.  Her gear had been stolen in SF a few days before so we were seeing a pared down version- just Maria and her (new) guitar. It turns out I wouldn't have wanted any more. She was just that good. She had her sister come and sing a few songs with her, which made me think of Gracie and Eva.

Then came Jonathan Rice, who also went unaccompanied, and did a bunch of lively good songs that were altogether different from Maria's.  And it was great to listen to him between songs, as his somewhere America via Glasgow accent made his funny comments even better... A treat was that he ended his set with his girlfriend singing a few songs with him. Her name is Jenny Lewis and she mainly sings with a band called Rilo Kiley.

We broke new ground Saturday night at our winery.  Those were special performances by great new alt. rock talent that none but the coolest had ever heard of. Lucky for us that the in crowd came and brought their parents and friends with them.  I believe we all walked away touched and buzzing from the music and the place. The outdoor theater is such a great place to connect with music, and that it was acoustic made even more personal. I was truly inspired by what we all saw that night and will build on it.  Here are some videos of our new friends.

Maria Taylor - Song Beneath the Song

Rilo Kiley - Portions For Foxes