Shared Notes, a project of married winemakers

Written by Allison Levine on August 29, 2019

Wine

I recently sat down with winemakers Bibiana Gonzalez Rave, owner and winemaker of Cattleya and Alma de Cattleya, and Jeff Pisoni, winemaker of Pisoni Vineyards. The two winemakers are married but work on their own projects. However, they decided to make a wine together and created Shared Notes, which I wrote about in the Napa Valley Register and share here.

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Many winemakers say that their job is to simply usher the grapes through the process of fermentation and into the bottle. But even a winemaker who focuses on minimal intervention has hundreds of decisions to make along the way.

There are decisions to be made in the vineyard, questions of when to pick, whether to destem or whole cluster, whether to use stainless steel or oak and so much more. And talk to any winemaker and you will find that while they are always learning and willing to experiment, they are also very confident in the choices they made to create the final product.

It is this confidence that can lead to differing opinions when two winemakers work together. And add to the mix when the winemakers are married to each other. Sounds like the possible making of a disaster but instead it has resulted in the Shared Notes between Bibiana Gonzales-Rave and Jeff Pisoni.

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: March Rosé of St. Laurent 2018 Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma Valley

Written by Allison Levine on August 7, 2019

Wine

Rosé is made from so many different grape varieties – Pinot Noir, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and more. But the March Wines rosé is made from St. Laurent, a grape that originated in Austria and is thought to be a crossing of Pinot Noir and an unknown parent. While the origin of the grape may be unknown, I know that the March Rosé of St. Laurent 2018 Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma Valley is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

St. Laurent is a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety. Typical notes include raspberry, blackberry, sweet tobacco, baking spices and chocolate. Think of it like a deeper colored, meatier version of Pinot Noir.

March Wines sources the St. Laurent from Ricci Vineyard in the cool Carneros region of Sonoma. The Ricci Vineyard is home to the first and only three acres of St. Laurent in all of California. Dale Ricci, owner of Ricci Vineyard, planted St. Laurent after falling in love with the wine when traveling in Austria.

The March Rosé of St. Laurent 2018 Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma Valley is made in the Provence style with the grapes being direct pressed. The wine is cold fermented to enhance aromatics and then stirred on the less. The resulting wine is a bright salmon pink color with bright fruit aromatics and lovely fresh lively acidity on the palate.

There are only 28 cases of March Rosé of St. Laurent 2018 Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma Valley, which is available for $25. March Wines are the only producers of Rose of St. Laurent in California so order a bottle today.

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Pax 2018 Trousseau Gris, Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard

Written by Allison Levine on July 10, 2019

Wine

A French grape variety, Trousseau Gris is a native grape of the Jura region in eastern France where it is made into a white wine, or slightly colored wine. Once widely grown in California under the name Gray Riesling, there is now extremely limited production. The 98-year old, dry-farmed, seven acre Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard in the Russian River Valley appellation of Sonoma County is home to the only known standing block of Trousseau Gris in California. One of the producers making a Trousseau Gris from this vineyard is Pax Wine and the Pax 2018 Trousseau Gris, Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

The Pax Trousseau Gris may look like a rosé but it is not. Due to some carbonic maceration as well as skin contact, the wine is a golden hued, peachy colored wine. Pax ferments the grapes in 100% concrete eggs for four months and does not add any additional SO2 during winemaking.

On the nose, the wine is bright and fresh with aromas of orange peel, lemon, kumquat, savory herbs, wet stone and unripe peach. On the palate, the wine is savory with vibrant acidity and finishes with crushed stone minerality. The wine has a lovely texture and pairs well with food, ranging from shellfish to meats to cheeses.

The Pax 2018 Trousseau Gris, Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is available at wine retailers across the country and will range from $20 on the west coast to $30 on the east coast.