Napa Valley

The absence of social engagements during the Covid-19 era has taken a definite toll on wine tastings, which are inarguably an inseparable part of the wine trade. Thankfully, with the situation improving in India, the first shoots of recovery are already emerging and a tasting of California wines organised at the US Embassy in New Delhi was one such recent engagement. The event was organised by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through Tulleeho – a Beverages consultancy based in New Delhi.

California, as many would know is the most prominent wine region of the USA. The region produces a majority of the American wines and hence well justifies its stature. The major sub-regions of California wines are North Coast, Central Coast, Inland/ Central Valleys, and the South Coast. Within each of these sub-regions, are sub-sub regions like Napa, Sonoma and Carneros, which further contain the American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) that are the important building blocks of the American viticultural system.

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California Wines at a Glance

(Source: discovercaliforniawines.com)

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Thirty five California Wines from different regions

At the New Delhi tasting set at the Roosevelt Hall of the American Embassy in a walk-around fashion, we sampled around 35 wines coming from various sub-regions of California. The event afforded us a rare opportunity to look beyond the ubiquitous Napa Valley and get a feel of some equally worthy wines from other regions of California. The prices of the wines were from 5 USD to 100 USD, hence representing a good range across various affordabilities. Given the limited time at hand, it was difficult to take down notes for all the wines, hence I am detailing some of my favourites in this space. However, I have listed the remaining wineries with their website links and additional photos towards the end of this post. Do take time to browse through them.

California Sparkling Wine

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2018

The wine was represented by Wilson Daniels, which is a fully integrated, family-owned marketing and sales company founded in 1978. 

Blanc de Blancs was Schramsberg Vineyards‘ first wine produced in 1965 and was America’s first commercially produced Chardonnay-based Brut sparkling wine. The wine gained international recognition in 1972 when then-President Nixon served the wine at the historic “Toast to Peace” in Beijing, China.

Tasting Notes

A pale lemon coloured wine with a green tint. It had citrus and tree fruit aromas followed by a dry palate and a buoyant acidity. This Méthode Traditionelle wine had flavours of green apple and pear supplemented by an unmistakable toastiness.

The other Sparkling wine at the tasting from the same producer (see pic above) was Mirabelle Brut Rosé– a cuvée of 54% Pinot Noir and 46% Chardonnay.

California White Wine

Carmel Road Chardonnay 2019

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Appellation: Monterey County AVA (Central Coast)

Alcohol: 13.5%

CIF Price: 7 USD

Carmel Road produces three varietal wines viz. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a limited quantity of Cabernet Sauvignon. Their vineyards are certified sustainable by both SIP (Sustainability in Practice) and CCSW (Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing).

Tasting Notes

A pale straw coloured wine with enticing citrus and stone fruit aromas. On the palate, it was delightful and struck an instant rapport with its rich and rounded flavours supported by well-balanced acidity. My neighbouring tasters liked this wine as well as I did.

California Red Wines

Carmel Road Pinot Noir 2019

Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir

Appellation: Monterey County AVA (Central Coast)

Alcohol: 13.5%

CIF Price: 7 USD

The producer claims that their  Pinot Noir case sales increased over 99% over the same time when the total Pinot category sales in the USA decreased by 9%. The wine didn’t disappoint either, especially after the high expectations set for it by their Chardonnay tasted earlier. 

Tasting Notes

The claret coloured wine had appetising aromas of red berries and confectionery. It had a medium-bodied juicy palate with an appreciable structure and abundant flavours of red berries. At the stated price point, the wine offers a very good value for money.

Lange Twins Miller Cabernet Franc 2017

Grapes: 100% Cabernet Franc

Appellation: Clarksburg AVA, Lodi (Inland Valleys)

Alcohol: 14.5%

CIF Price: 32 USD

Lange Twins is a family-owned estate located in the Clarksburg AVA. The grapes for this wine come from 10.95 acres of Clone 13 and 11 Cabernet Franc vineyards that have thick skins to combat the fierce Delta winds typical of the region. According to the producer, the varietal was grafted from Sauvignon Blanc in 2010 and was difficult to grow but has paid off the efforts by consistently producing good wines.

Tasting Notes

The deep ruby red wine opened with leafy and dark cherry aromas. It was full-bodied and powerful on the palate with dense dark berry, coffee and spice notes. I would rate it as an out-and-out gourmet wine with a potential for ageing up to 10 years or so.

Daou Vineyards Pessimist 2019

Grapes: 73% Petite Sirah, 14% Zinfandel, 12% Syrah, 1% Grenache

Appellation: Paso Robles (Central Coast)

Alcohol: 15.2%

CIF Price: 14 USD

While the name of the wine itself may be quite unusual, the logic behind it seems intact with its tagline “A Pessimist is never disappointed”. I would interpret it as approaching the wine with little expectation, only to be delighted later on. Whatever the interpretation, Daou Vineyards Pessimist turned out to be another delight for me at the tasting. At 15.2% ABV it somewhat pushed the envelope but was well integrated to carry the alcohol through.

Tasting notes

A deep ruby wine with a fading rim and complex aromas of blackberries, black cherries mushroom and vanilla. The palate was dense with an ample body, powerful structure and layers of complexity. The finish was satiating and smooth. For the power it packed, Pessimist would offer an excellent value for money.

Present on the occasion from the US Embassy in New Delhi were Patricia A Lacina Chargée d’Affaires, Ron Verdonk, Minister-Counselor for Agricultural Affairs, Mariano J Beillard, Senior Agricultural Attaché and Mark A Rosmann, Attaché for Agricultural Affairs among others.

On enquiring about their future plans on American wines, Mark A Rosmann, Agricultural Attaché U.S. Embassy New Delhi informed:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture at U.S. Embassy New Delhi will continue to promote and feature premium, new-to-market American wines for an Indian audience, and we hope that these products will soon be found among every Indian wine lover’s collection.  In this event, we featured California’s high-quality wines, which make up more than 80 per cent of wine production in the United States and 95 per cent of U.S. wine exports around the world.  A good number of top tier California wines are available for sale right here in India.

It is undoubtedly a “Vin-Vin” proposition for wine lovers in India and producers in America.

More Links and Photos

Wineries

St Supéry, Napa (North Coast)

Oak Ridge Winery, Lodi (Inland Valleys)

Ballard Lane (Central Coast)

Hahn Family Wines, Monterey (Central Coast)

Jordan Vineyard and Winery, Sonoma (North Coast)

Ménage à Trois, Napa (North Coast)

Photos

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That wine and food have a hand and glove affinity would be an understatement. Ever since mankind has known wine, food has played a key role in bringing out its characteristics in full glory. This is probably the reason why reputed wine enterprises establish in-house culinary setups. Brian Streeter, Culinary Director  Cakebread Cellars– a reputed Napa Valley wine producer- reinforced this point this March in India.

Brian arrived on a multi-city visit to India on invitation from Cakebread’s India importers Brindco and their retail frontage La Cave Fine Wines and Spirits. Curating special menus in Delhi and Mumbai, he personalised the Cakebread experience for wine lovers in both cities alike.  I attended the dinner at Delhi courtesy Madhulika Bhattacharya aka Madame La Cave, owner of La Cave Store.

Madhulika,  known well for her consumer wine sessions titled Unwined with LaCave has been creating a strong buzz in the wine space of India. Brian’s session was yet another of her endeavours to connect wineries directly with the consumer.

A quarter of a decade with Cakebread Cellars

Having been with Cakebread Cellars since 1989, Brian has been highlighting their wines with seasonal, product-driven menus. Known particularly  for his affinity towards the Mediterranean cuisine, Brian uses well its historical linkage with wine. It was something which was noticeable on the menu at Delhi (detailed later in the post) where Mediterranean and Asian components of the cuisine were presented with a Californian touch.  It made me recollect my interaction with Bruce Cakebread last year where he highlighted the adaptability of their region to global cuisine.

In the US, particularly in the Napa valley, San Francisco and Bay area, people are liberal and open to innovation. This is probably why the Silicon Valley landed in the Bay area. These are the areas where you can expect a fresh Salmon or Cod from the Pacific coast prepared in an Asian way. It exhibits a keenness of wineries to experiment pairings with different cuisines, which in turn makes the appeal of their wines global.

– Bruce Cakebread in 2017

Click here to read my complete conversation with Bruce Cakebread during his visit to India last year.

My aperitif round with Brian Streeter

I recorded some exclusive moments with Brian before the dinner commenced. The interaction revealed Brian as having taken to Indian cuisine admirably well in a short duration. Watch the video below to know of his  maiden experience.  A highlight in Brian’s words is:

Like a sponge, I am trying to to absorb the various flavors and textures of Indian cuisine.

Brian Streeter’s Menu for New Delhi

The dinner started on a special note at The Lodhi‘s new Italian restaurant  Perbacco. A unique feature of the restaurant is an attached  Italian wines cellar established by La Cave that serves as many as 130 wines by the glass! To my knowledge, this would be the largest assemblage of wines by the glass from a particular country served in a five-star property in India.

Three of Cakebread wines already present in India were served at the dinner.  In addition, Dancing Bear Ranch 2009, a Bordeaux style blend coming from Cakebread’s prized parcels in the Vaca mountain ranges, was also served.

Course 1

Kimchi and Potato Pierogi

Served with: Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016

The herbaceous flavors of the wine, notably bell peppers, worked well with the savoury and tangy filling of the Pierogi- a dumpling originally from Eastern Europe.

Courses 2 & 3

2. Asparagus Red Flint Corn Polenta, Burrata & Pickled Mushrooms

3. Seared Sea Scallops with Carrot-Brown Butter Emulsion, Spinach, English Peas & Pumpkin Seed Dukkah 

Served with: Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

My neighbouring diner clearly preferred the Sauvignon Blanc from the earlier course with these two courses. For me, both the wines worked well, looking at the pairings from different angles.  The Chardonnay stood up well to the dense textures of polenta and the creaminess of brown butter emulsion. So did the Sauvignon Blanc that complemented the herbaceous elements with ease.

Course 4

Spice Rubbed Duck Breast with Fig Mostarda, Braised Radishes. Kohlrabi & Sugar Snap Peas

Served with: Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Ranch (DBR) 2009

“Good wine is a good familiar creature if it is well used,” recorded William Shakespeare in Othello. Using a good wine with the right food can never be overemphasized.

The grapes for DBR blend come from some prized parcels on the Howell Mountain in the Vaca ranges of eastern Napa Valley. The vines are rooted in well-drained volcanic soils and enjoy excellent sun exposure, prompting their fruit to ripen earlier than those from Cakebread’s valley floor vineyards.

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The blend for DBR 2009 is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4 % Cabernet Franc. The blend constituents are changed every year to give each vintage its unique character.

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DBR 2009 worked extremely well with the powerfully textured Duck Breast served around a melange of sweet and spicy flavours.

The wine decanted well, which was evident in its expressive nose at the outset.  Due credit goes to Sommelier Nitin Raj who pranced around pouring the wine from the decanter. With an extremely active General Manager  Vikram Aditya Singh at the helm, a great level of service was quite expected too.

On the palate, DBR 2009 was robust and rounded with flavours of blackberries, blackcurrant, mint, vanilla and earthy tones. This course turned out my best for the evening.

Course 5

Blue Cheese Soufflé with Wild Flower Honey, Garden Beets, Dried Persimmons & Toasted Pecans

Served with: Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon  2013

The biggest plus of this pairing was the exotic nature of the food incorporating a range of flavours and textures that went naturally well with the wine. The decadently crusted blue cheese soufflé drizzled with pure honey, complemented by crispy crunchy and juicy components, made it a heavenly indulgence. The wine didn’t fail too, with a medium body, silky tannins and dark berry flavours coupled with distinctive mineral notes.

Serving this wine after the DBR 2009 though,  stole its thunder.  An order swap between the two courses would have been a good idea.

A sweet adieu

 

A decadent Cacao Nib Ice Cream Sandwich with Balsamic & Cracked Black Pepper (not discreetly paired with a wine)  topped the dinner experience for the day. The deeply satiating dessert was the best I’ve had in a while, so much so, that I already crave one as I write these lines.

I guess that’s a befitting testimony to a well-curated experience.

“It takes a thousand small steps to make our wines” – these words of Bruce Cakebread summarise his enterprise’s passion behind winemaking.  Bruce, the President and COO of Cakebread Cellars, was in India this February to “meet new friends over a glass of wine”. At a dinner organized by  La Cave Fine Wines and Spirits store  that exclusively stocks the Cakebread Cellars wines in Delhi, Bruce mingled with one and all with natural ease, thanks to his familiarity with India. I was quick to whisk him aside for an exclusive  tête-a-tête even before the first guest for the evening arrived and the first of the Champagnes were sabred.

About Cakebread Cellars

One of the foremost wineries of the famed Napa Valley in California,  Cakebread Cellars was established in 1973 by Bruce’s parents Jack and Dolores Cakebread with a casual initiation. They were out on a photographic expedition, shooting  for Nathan Chroman’s “Treasury of American Wines” when the sight of  Sturdivant Ranch in Rutherford took them in, and they ended up buying property.  It was not long before they planted their first Sauvignon Blanc vines in the estate and the edifice of Cakebread Cellars was established..

After more than 40 years and several harvests later, Cakebread Cellars now own properties located throughout Napa Valley and a location in the Anderson Valley. Its 13 sites span 1100 acres of real estate, 560 acres of which are currently planted.  Jack and Dolores continue to lead the company with Bruce and his brother Dennis playing active roles in the family business.

Bruce joined his family business in 1979 and has overseen several of its milestones. Having first studied Pomology (tree fruits) at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, he switched over to the Viticulture and Enology program at the University of California at Davis consequent to his decision to enter the family business.

After working alongside his father since the winery was founded in 1973, Bruce assumed the winemaking position in 1979, overseeing all vineyard operations and winemaking duties until 2002 when he became president and COO.

Bruce is currently the President of the Napa Valley College Foundation Board, serves on the Viticulture and Enology Executive Leadership Board at UC Davis, is an alternate on the Napa County Flood Control District, and is past President of the Board of Napa Valley Vintners Association, serving in 2010 and in 2013.

My Conversation with Bruce Cakebread

This is your umpteenth time in India. What changes do you notice in particular?

The most significant change that I notice is the proliferation of standalone fine dining restaurants in the country. During my first visit to India 10 years ago, I came across only one such restaurant. Now there are so many options that you are actually spoilt for choices.

Another change that I notice in the country is the large scale proliferation of social media, which is empowering businesses and consumers alike.

A hot topic related to the United States today is the immigration policy enforced by the Trump administration, which is said to be discriminatory towards migrant workers. Does it affect your workforce? If yes then how are you coping with it?

The latest work force restrictions have undoubtedly affected us in terms of finding good qualified labour. This is a problem not just for us but the overall agricultural sector in the US. However the issue is not something that has sprung up during Trump’s tenure- being alive since the previous regimes too. I believe that Governments need to come forward to resolve this issue on priority.

Majority of our workers come from Mexico. They work during summer and fall, thereafter going back to their families across the border. This back and forth movement has to be safe for all, which is clearly not so in the present day.  It is a challenging proposition but has to be done.

On our part, we have tried to overcome the work force problem by mechanizing many of our vineyard operations. For example during the pre-pruning, we use machines to tear and brush off the trellis of redundant portions of vines, thereby completing 75% of the work. Though a human  is required to operate the machine, the overall manpower requirement has been drastically reduced . Similarly we are looking at optimizing other labour intensive jobs.

Which would be these measures?

The possibilities are endless. This year, we plan to spray vineyards through drones rather than a person physically venturing with a backpack.We can also have driver less tractors in the farms akin to the concept of driver less cars.

Use of modern technology versus the old school thought of sticking to artisanal practices has been an issue of debate since long . What is your take on that? Going further, what is the general orientation of the US wine industry in this respect?

Wherever processes become faster and  efficient, keeping quality intact, I am all for co-opting technology in vineyard operations. At Cakebread Cellars, we continuously adapt measures that improve our products and processes. For example we pick the grapes at night to get the fruit ice cold, whereby we don’t have to spend energy  chilling it. The hand picking crew too, is more comfortable working during cooler night time, enabling them to work for longer and hence earning more money. It is also good for the quality of wine which turns out more age worthy. All of these factors offer a win-win situation viz. improved wine,enhanced crew comfort and better efficiency.

In the US, particularly in the Napa valley, San Francisco and Bay area, people are liberal and open to innovation. This is probably why the Silicon Valley landed in the Bay area. These are the areas where you can expect a fresh Salmon or Cod from the Pacific coast prepared in an Asian way. It exhibits a keenness of wineries to experiment pairings with different cuisines, which in turn makes the appeal of their wines global.

You studied pomology before venturing into viticulture and oenology. How handy did your background with tree fruits come in the vineyards?

Just understanding agriculture is a good start because it helps you in adapting to a particular season. Bio diversity in vineyards is undoubtedly an important parameter in vineyard ecology.

A lot of growers will try to analyse the last year’s problems and attempt to fix them in the current season. However if you plan to play poker with mother nature, the deck is often going to change. Hence one has to look at present issues, rather than  dwelling in the past. A good understanding of agriculture facilitates applying focus on grapevines with the overall consideration of bio diversity all around.To that effect, I feel that my exposure with tree fruits has been an added skill.

When the infamous phylloxera struck in 1989, American rootstocks turned saviours for many. But I believe your vineyards also suffered the phylloxera scourge. Does that mean that you were not using American rootstock in those days?

During the phylloxera era,  most of California was planted with AXR-1, a cross between native American rootstock and a French species.  AXR-1 was easy to grow , graft and was quite drug tolerant. You could grow it on hills, valleys and pretty much everywhere. However it did not turn out phylloxera resistant and that compelled us to deconstruct as to how California could miss the details despite there being an  evidence of  a research on the subject in South Africa in the 1960s . But obviously in those times information was not as easily available as in the Internet era.

In Napa valley, the initial outbreak of phylloxera was localized but was aggravated due to a big flood in 1986 that moved a lot of soil around. Everyone was replanting and we took an aggressive stance to replant our entire vineyards sooner than later. We signed up 5 year contracts with growers who could take it to the banks and get loans to replant-  which otherwise was a very expensive proposition. All these efforts saw sudden jump in the fruit quality vis-à-vis the AXR-1 rootstalk.  It put Napa faster on the world wine map that if we had waited for the old AXR vines to peter out. So phylloxera eventually worked to our benefit (smiles).

Certain Cakebread Cellars wines have intriguing names such as Rubaiyat and Vaca. What are they all about?

Rubaiyat, inspired from Omar Khaiyyam’s famous compilation of poems, began as our effort to evolve a light red wine from individual leftover quantities of Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir- each of them quite good by themselves too. It was a typical jugaad (Indian word for functionality oriented innovation) , something intended to be sold in the winery. Our first release itself saw a couple of hundred people turn up and the wine became quite popular with our customers in the winery. We change the blend composition of this wine  every year.

Vaca (Spanish for cow) on the other hand derives its name from the Vaca mountain range which forms the eastern boundary of the Napa valley, the Mayacamas range forming the west. On this 35-40 miles long range we have our Dancing Bear Ranch in the north, Doggwood Vineyard in the south and Suscol Springs Vineyard further southwards. We made red Bordeaux style blends from these three vineyards with an aim to show off the potential of the Vaca range since not many wineries have these many vineyards on that range.

On a somewhat similar thought, we also introduced a wine in 2012 called Guajolote (Spanish for wild turkey pronounced Gua-ho-lotey) which comes from our vineyard populated with lots of wild turkey. It is a blend of five varietals viz. Grenache, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

(L-R) Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Rs. 9440, Sauvignon Blanc, Rs. 5990 and Cabernet Sauvignon Rs. 13410

When we talk of varietal blends in the ‘new world’ , does it imply that the “new world” wines are eventually going the “old world” way? Something also highlighted by the Bordeaux style blends called “Meritage” in the US.

The phenomenon of Meritage  started well but faded away gradually. Nevertheless, we have seen several red, as well as white  in the US  fuelled primarily by the demand generated by Gen X-ers and millennials, who are interested in experimenting with newer wines. As a contrast, the baby boomer generation who started drinking wine 40 to 50 years ago, has been more inclined towards varietal wines.

Speaking of drinking demographies, do you find any similarities between a wine drinker in the US with his/her counterpart in India?

Much like India, US wasn’t essentially a wine drinking nation. There are many similarities in the evolution of wine  in both nations- only difference being the time horizon.

In the present day US, baby boomers (my generation) are more stable about their wine choices and are moving up the quality ladder. Gen X-ers are transitioning from spirits to wine as well as craft beers, which are growing like crazy. Millennials on the other hand are experimenting with a lot of different things. My impression is that as one is getting older, he/she is more inclined towards wine than spirits.

The other interesting aspect is that while baby boomers had to learn about wine, later generations have grown up with wine on the table, making it an important part of the culture. This is how both The US and India are learning wine and going along.

Dinner with Bruce Cakebread