An Evening with Gary Pisoni
March 18, 2009 by Sean Chaudhry
Filed under Calendar of Events
Come meet the man behind some of the greatest wines your lips will ever touch!
Host: Hinsdale Wine Shop
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2009
Time: 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: Hinsdale Wine Shop
Street: 12 E. Hinsdale Avenue
City/Town: Hinsdale, IL
Description: Meet legendary winemaker Gary Pisoni at the Hinsdale Wine Shop. He will be here for a meet and greet, tasting, autograph signing and more.
This man is a superstar!
Come taste:
- 2007 Lucia Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard
- 2007 Lucia Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
- 2007 Lucia Chardonnay SLH
- 2008 Rose of Pinot Noir SLH
Susana Balbo: Red Wine That’s Green
February 19, 2009 by Ivy Kupec
Filed under Inspired Posts, Ivy F. Kupec, Wine People
Perhaps circling the globe to consult with other winemakers causes one to return home with an appreciation for not only good wine, but also preserving the resources that help create it.
That seems to be the case for Susana Balbo, who is respected worldwide for her skill and experience in winemaking. After 20 years of advising others and helping them to produce great wines in Australia, California, Chile, France, Italy, South Africa and Spain, she found her way back to Argentina and started Dominio del Plata, a vineyard known for its sustainable agriculture as much as its fabulous wines. Reportedly, she still spends a month each year in a different wine region of the world, everlearning from other winemakers and growers.
According to the winery’s Web site, “the entire project is specially designed and implemented in a way that doesn’t harm the natural resources, preserves the environment, functions according to social requirements, and at the same time maintains productivity to remain economically competitive.” And, though, many of the grapes for the wines come from other vineyards, those growers too, must agree to Balbo’s rigorous standards.
Hinsdale Cellars’ own Sean Chaudhry spent a day touring her vineyards and winery recently during his ongoing Argentina wine expedition that you will soon read about in Vintelligence.
A winery known for passion and precision
A family enterprise, Balbo and her husband Pedro Marchevsky had a shared vision of paying close attention to the small things that make the difference between good wine and great wine. Many describe her wines as a bridge in style between California and Bordeaux with fruit “opulence” that doesn’t overpower.
Wine critics reiterate the evident passion Balbo and her family have put into producing quality wine: the careful selection of Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, an area noted for its warm summer days and cool nights; the well-draining, sandy soil that, despite strong hail storms, make this a nearly perfect home for grapevines’ the high-trellising system for stability that is credited for sustaining the grapes during a long growing season so they can have great color and aroma; and the constant maintenance Balbo and company give their vines. It all adds up to making truly noteworthy wines.
In addition to Balbo’s super premium or signature labels of Susana Balbo, Ben Marco, and Nosotros, she has become popularly known for her more moderately priced “Crios” line. Crios means offspring in Spanish, and she has said that she chose this name because these wines weren’t quite as grown up as her others – more brashly fruit forward and to be enjoyed younger than her signature wines.
A winning combination
Perhaps, one of her most interesting wines in the Crios collection blends Syrah and Bonarda grapes. Critics and wine connoisseurs alike proclaim it drinks like a significantly more expensive wine than she has priced it, so take note. The Bonarda grape, which originated in Italy, is rarely found there these days, but it’s quite common in Argentina, and the blend with Syrah has produced a dark reddish/purple wine with an intense aroma of black raspberries.
According to Robert Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, the 2006 Crios de Susana Balbo Syrah-Bonarda “delivers an alluring nose of baking spice, blueberry plum, and black raspberry. On the palate, it is medium bodied with loads of spicy dark fruit a forward personality, good balance, and a pure finish….” His rating of 90 points for this wine follows Wine Spectator’s 89 points and the quippy comment: “Very tasty. Drink now.” Clearly advice to heed…and soon!
– Ivy F. Kupec
The Lore of the Loring
January 29, 2009 by Ivy Kupec
Filed under Inspired Posts, Sean Chaudhry
Brian Loring has come to learn that it works best to mix old with new.
A winemaker since 1999 whose boutique Pinot Noir caught and held wine critics and wine enthusiasts attention, Loring has been known for New World or Caliesque style dark, fruity wines often seen from the Central California region. However, it is his underlying Old World attitude that puts his focus on the importance of the grapes and terroir that is clearly coming through and tempering some of that in your face description he heard about his earlier vintages. It is also why his wine has become so noteworthy. The most recent vintage to be reviewed, the 2007 Loring Wine Company Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir received its highest marks yet from Pinot Report with a 97 rating.
Without a doubt, Brian Loring is on a life-long quest for the best Pinot Noir. Each year, he buys grapes from 10-13 of the best, most prestigious growers that span the cooler California and Oregon Pinot-growing area. In announcing the sale of his 2007 vintages he apologized that despite it appearing to threaten his credibility, they were even better than the 2006; great wines in their own right. Not so surprising. Throughout California, 2007 vintages are expected to be outstanding. Low yields meant very concentrated wines, and great weather at harvest resulted in lower alcohols. The bottom line: were in for some tasty Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir on the whole is lighter bodied than Cabernets or Merlots, but the Caliesque style features a more robust Pinot. The 2007 Loring Clos Pepe is a richer ruby color and described as having big, full, rich dark cherry and plum flavors with peppery notes, and its the complexity of flavors, perhaps, that made Pinot Noir the centerpiece of the 2005 movie, Sideways.
A little Loring Lore
Self-described as a total Pinot Freak, Loring got interested in wine during college when he worked for various wine shops. Despite his career as an IT engineer, he didn’t forget his love for wine, and specifically Pinot Noir. In 1999, after being a Cottonwood Canyon Pinot Noir self-proclaimed groupie who attended every wine event there and pumped its proprietor Norm Beko with thousands of questions, he took the leap and started his own winemaking. Using $20,000, a couple of barrels of grapes from Beko and part of a leased warehouse, he made his first wine while still working full-time as a computer programmer, mostly for the military. No winery. No vineyard. No experience. But, apparently, very good wine.
In 2000, he started getting grapes from Clos Pepe, a burgeoning grape grower, and together, he made wine he, himself, was so impressed with that he sent some to Wine Spectator to taste, not knowing if they would even review it. The outcome: Wine Critic James Laube raved, and the spotlight was turned on for Loring Wine Company.
The evolving Loring Pinot
Initially, Loring just dreamed of becoming a winemaker and some day producing 3,000 cases of Pinot each year in his own winery. These days, he is living the dream. He is a full-time winemaker at a 20,000 square foot winery in Lompoc, Calif., producing 7,000-8,000 cases and having a new goal of 10,000 cases/year in the future. Because of his very limited experience in the wine business, his philosophy has always been to rely on the experience and knowledge of the best grape growers he can find. He pays top dollar for his grapes, so the growers can focus on smaller yields and produce a better product.
For Loring, the key to success is very simple: its all about the grape.
-Ivy F. Kupec
