Volume 01
Volume 01
Sunrise over Cienega Valley.
A Chenin Blanc Journey from Clarksburg to Cienega Valley
I am sitting at my small dining table in my new kitchen, in my new rental, four short blocks from downtown Napa. Fifteen minutes from where I now make my wine. Twenty-five miles from St Helena and El Molino, where I made wine for the last twenty-odd years. Two brand new wines are open, ready to taste.
Boxes, oh so many boxes, are strewn everywhere. Some full, others emptied of their cargo. A lone, navy blue, Danish mid-century chair, a gift from a special friend, is the only furniture in the living room. The third bedroom is now a closet, difficult to navigate, and my underwear has gone walkabout.
The house seems confused, a pressed-for-time father, trying to get his kid to school on time, knowing he is already late. And, somehow, all feels right with the world. Well, at least in this small corner of Napa.
Amongst all of this, I sit, excited, hopeful, and settling into this thing that I’ve created. Even though it feels simultaneously like jumping off a cliff, it also feels like coming home. That familiarity of recognition of something you know so well but have missed.
Contemplating these two new wines, writing the tasting notes, I am also trying to make sense of the last eighteen months in an attempt to articulate this new thing I’ve manifested, out of the ether (you see what I did there?). Something very different from the last twenty-odd years at El Molino.
Those wines were intentionally made to evolve and age over time as expressions of place. The wines of Chasing Ether also are expressions of place, California in this case, but are intended to be more accessible, approachable, and dare I say “crushable”! If you are in the dark about the meaning of “crushable,” the Oracle describes it thus;
"Crushable" wines refer to those that are light-bodied, smooth-textured, easy to drink, and enjoyable without requiring deep contemplation. These wines are typically characterized by their refreshing qualities and lower alcohol content, often made from natural or organic grapes, making them perfect for casual settings and social gatherings.
But, what about the how, where, and why you may ask… the Chasing Ether origin story? Well, OK, here goes.
This all started with an email, the type I usually get in late winter and early spring, about grapes being available for the upcoming harvest. Normally, a quick tap of the delete button takes care of that (I do try to keep my inbox tidy and concise). “Normally,” for me, however, had ceased to exist over the past three years. Starting a new chapter and finishing the previous proved to be difficult, complicated, and fraught with way more emotional energy than I had. I was totally drained. At times, I seriously contemplated an entirely new career in another industry altogether, to do something completely new with my hard-earned autonomy. I’d had umpteen pursuits around the world before winemaking; what was one more?
My 30-year love affair with wine wasn’t easily shaken, however, and there was that pesky email in my inbox about a couple of tons of Coastal Pinot.
Was I interested? I really was not sure if I was. Yet, I replied to the email suggesting we meet for a chat. A drive out to Occidental appealed as a tonic to my malaise.
Around the same time, my friend Melinda Kearney, of Lorenza Wines, and I sat together at Tegan Pessalacqua’s fall wine dinner at Guantonio's in Lodi. It had been a breathtaking drive out to the Delta; the first storms of the season were brooding and creating the most amazing skyscape of purples, blacks, contrasted by shadow and hues.
As the evening wore on while working through Tegan’s lineup, I waxed on, as I am want to do, about how great and under appreciated Chenin Blanc is.
Mindy, maybe growing tired of my waxing, suddenly deadpanned, “You should make some then!”
Sometimes the answers to the questions you have not yet asked, are right in front of you!
“Speak to Craig Haarmeyer”, Mindy said, “he will help you find Chenin”.
So I gave Craig a call, and we had a great chat, and he put me in touch with three Chenin growers.
So, in the midst of extricating myself from one of the oldest wineries in the Napa Valley, I had laid claim to two Chenin vineyards. One grown on limestone and the other on silt. And, a third vineyard of Occidental coastal Pinot.
So there you have it, the roundabout, but also completely straightforward way that this endeavor, Chasing Ether, came to be.
WELCOME!
Now, on to the wines, of which there are three.
Early morning in Occidental.
V1 1/2
I initially worked with this vineyard from 2009 to 2017, when Ulysses Valdez was farming Morelli Creek in Occidental. We would meet in March at Mike's Truck Garden, a fruit stand on River Road. After having a nice chat, we would shake on a couple of tons of super high-end Pinot fruit. I wouldn't hear from him until he’d call to inform me that the fruit was “bueno” and ready to go. Two tons of wonderful Pinot Noir would show up the next day, around 8 am, and I would take care of the rest. Ulysses tragically passed away during the harvest in 2018. I still miss him and his great big smile. When he exited stage left, that wonderful Pinot fruit left with him.
Fast forward to April 26th, 2024, when I received an email from Nathan Feileacan, wondering if I would be interested in some Pinot. Nathan had recently joined the vineyard and was looking for buyers. I hadn't given much thought to making “my own” wine or creating anything new at this point, but “oooffff”, Morelli Creek Pinot? Wouldn't that be fun!
Very fun, it turns out. It's so much fun that, that email kick-started Chasing Ether!
Morelli Creek is situated off Morelli Lane in Occidental, which has become a hub for Pinot growing in California. The Pinot is perched at the top of a canyon just above the fog line, a wonderful site that will produce beautifully ripe fruit while maintaining lovely acidity. The Goldridge soils, which are a fine, sandy loam, are low in fertility and offer excellent drainage. Formed by an ancient seabed and sandstone formations, wine from these soils tends to be light-weight but serious at the same time. It's “cool” out on the Sonoma Coast, but not particularly “cool” in 2024. Turns out Karl the Fog took a vacation. I would arrive at the vineyard expecting a twenty-degree difference from Calistoga, and most days it was the same temperature, give or take a degree or three!
On Old Sonoma Road, heading to the coast.
V1 2/2
This version of the Chasing Ether White Wine is composed of two vineyards: Wilson Farms in Clarksburg and Gimelli in the Cienega Valley. Wilson Farms is thoughtfully farmed by David Ogilvie. A dapper, handsome, soft-spoken, and well-travelled man if there ever was one. I was introduced to David by Craig Haarmeyer over text, two days before harvesting this block of Chenin. We met at the vineyard, perched between Elk Slough and the Sacramento River on either side, and started chatting as we walked the rows. A harvest in South Africa put a check in the plus column as I plucked random berries to taste, chew, and spit. Holy Moly! The fruit was delicious! I said as much, and David agreed.
“I’d pick this today”, I said.
“Can't do today, but how about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow's great, can I borrow some bins?”
“Sure, if you return them.”
“Great, I'll see you in the am.”
“Bring a check.”
“Will do”
And that is how you get into the wine business. Again, twenty-five years after first doing it in a restaurant over a bottle of Pinot in Franschehoek, South Africa.
David's other gig is Silt Wine Company, which I highly recommend; they offer bright, delicious wines at great prices. Oh, and before I forget, David also plays a mean bass guitar; you can catch him at Silt and other venues throughout the Delta.
Clarksburg is a little river town, deep in the Sacramento Delta, and worth a visit. The Delta is cooled by breezes off San Francisco Bay and can have as much as a forty-degree Fahrenheit swing in day and nighttime temperatures. This part of the Delta is slowly gaining recognition for the quality of Chenin Blanc that is well-suited to the microclimate and the alluvial silty loam soil found in the area. The Wilson component of the blend is more fruit-forward and riper than the Gimelli. The palate is tight and fresh with good viscosity and cut. I referred to this as the fruit salad component of this blend while tasting it in barrels. It is also CCOF Organic certified, which goes to show the commitment of growers like David.
On the other hand, Gimelli is farmed by Bill Weatherwax. A true Californian character if there ever was one! Bill has been in and around the California wine scene for almost forty years, as a vineyard excavator and farmer. Lily, his terrier, is a constant companion on tractors, trucks, and forklifts.
Gimelli is in a natural Caldera amphitheater, just outside the town of Hollister and near Gilroy. Gilroy, if you are unaware, is the self-proclaimed garlic capital of the world. Thankfully for the wine and your partner, no garlic flavors are present in this juice! The soil is limestone-based, made famous by Calera Wine Company founder Josh Jenson, and provides ample structure and definition that is unique to this part of California. When driving through the valley, I feel that I am in a Steinbeck novel. This part of California remains isolated and relatively untouched, and I get the feeling of time travel back 90 years when George and Lennie, of Mice and Men, roamed Salinas and this part of the world, itinerant and on the move, much like many farm laborers still do today.
Late to ripen in October, this Chenin is taught, very structured with firm, long tannins that have an indelible presence on the palate. More pear and citrus flavors are present, and this wine gained complexity with time in barrel.
Looking for Steinbeck.
VOL 2 1/1
Clementine, my daughter, and I were sitting in the back of Eben’s bakkie (South African for truck, just a little smaller and more stout than the US counterpart) on Eben's farm, deep in the Swartland and as Eben wanted to do, he was waxing lyrical. Oh, so lyrical! I smelled the fynbos, the red clay of Africa, mildly paying attention. And then, without hesitation, he dropped this gem!
“You know, Cinsault is like that cousin that everyone loves but nobody talks about because he is in prison”.
Right there, Eben Sadie said more about Cinsault than has ever been spoken. This wine grape that looks and behaves like a table grape. Doesn't really want to get ripe, like it couldn't be asked to! The wine that is made can be Pinot-like, maybe on a bad hair day, but also Carignan-like, getting a little wild and a touch messy. It can be the secret something, something, in a Rose’ blend. The great Cape reds of the 1950s always had some in the blend. This Cinsault grape is a thing. Just like your cousin in prison.
Cinsault became something that I started to enjoy a few years back, 2016 or thereabouts, I think. I had been buying Tegan’s Chenin from his Sandlands project since its inception. He asked why I didn't buy any of his reds?
“I’m not really into these light reds that the kids are digging nowadays”, was my reply.
His eyes rolled!
“Fine, throw in a Cinsault, Trousseau and that Mission. I’ll give them a try.”
Ten years later, and those “light reds” are really the only reds I now drink!
So, a couple of months ago, I was paying attention to the bulk wine market, as you do when the wine biz is in the ‘sh@%$ter. Dry Creek Cinsault 2023 for sale. And I thought of Eben, the bakkie, Clementine, Tegan’s light reds, the African summer of 2023.
Hmmmmm. May as well take a look……
It turns out that if you blend your favorite cousin, who may have a record with your elegant, sophisticated cousin (in this case, represented by Occidental Pinot) to the tune of twenty or so percent, you may enjoy an early release for good behavior with a dapper sense of dress!
I truly hope you enjoy these wines and please, if you do, spread the word. Everyone needs “crushable” wine.
Everyone!
FRIENDS MENTIONED HERE