THE PLEASANT ABILITY TO SURPRISE…
                         Even after 6,000 years.

March 7, 2008

The old expressions about the Joys of Pursuit have never held truer than they are today. The sad issue of complication is that sometimes, after The Pursuit, disappointment sets in  and you wonder why you were so “hot” for the item/experience/lover/relationship in the first place.

Sometimes wine is like that. You hear about something, or experience something, relatively new to you, and then you finally achieve the bouquet and the taste, and you think What Was I Thinking? That was not worth the effort or the anticipation.

I will not bore you with grand wines I have tried and been disappointed with. It may not even have been the wine’s fault. My anticipation just got the better of me and expectations were so high that nothing could have satisfied my desires.

Yet, more often than not, there continues to be surprises. Fun realizations and experiences that brighten the day and encourage me to continue on with The Pursuit.

Two such happy occurrences took place lately and they are both worth noting.

The first one was centered around a region where wine is not the logical choice of beverage, and I was fairly luke-warm in anticipation about the whole experience.

Baja California (don’t stop reading now, you are going to enjoy this) is not a place where the mind’s eye pictures lush vineyards, rolling hills, state-of- the- art wineries. But here, in this westernmost region of Mexico, something has happened to transform Tequila Country to Wine Country.

Winemaking here is not a new enterprise. Spanish missionaries brought a wine agriculture aspect as far back as 1590, and, in fact, the Spaniard Don Lorenzo Garcia made the town of Santa Maria de las Parras in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila home to his Casa Madero, the oldest winery of the Americas.

That is not to say that this area was the ideal place to grow grapes and make wine, but interestingly the climate, the soils and the proximity to the cool Pacific Ocean have all combined to bring Baja California excellent conditions to grow fine grapes.

The town of Ensenada, just 70 miles from the US border, is the center of the Mexican wine industry (it feels odd to say “Mexico” and “wine industry” in the same sentence).

The San Antonio de las Minas region contains the Guadalupe Valley, probably the most renowned and promising in the area. Other valleys, San Vicente and Santo Tomas, are also considered key to this budding (sorry, could not resist) industry.

Grape varietals thriving here, and these should sound familiar, are Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Grenache in the red range; and Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Semillon, and Chenin Blanc among the whites. There are other varietals that work well here including Mission, St. Emilion, Ruby Cabernet, Palomino, and Malaga, and these are used primarily as blending grapes, providing additional structure and nuance to the main varietals.

The wines, as you would expect, are reasonably priced, which is a breath of fresh air in today’s mostly inflated purchasing environment. The problem is that the wines are not readily available in wine stores and retailers. Distributors are not taking an interest in a new region that is not commanding high pricing or respect from consumers.

The wines themselves are most approachable and they furnish good value, with palate qualities that one would expect, not much subtlety, but varietally correct flavors and bouquets.

Imagine a region that is now intent on quality, while possessing a long history of turning out products that were just okay. Quality Mexican Wines. Who would have thought?

The other surprise is the joyous debut of a brand new wine from Napa Valley, California. Tough to imagine that Napa, a place that has held our attention for a long, long time, could surprise with a new wine. A train, maybe. Hot air balloons, possibly. Pricey new wineries, for sure. But a new wine? Surprising? Don’t think so.

But one taste of Continuum will convince you otherwise. The brain-trust behind this new wine is actually one of Napa’s oldest winemaking families, the Mondavi’s. After The Thing, and if you don’t know the saga about what happened, it will make no difference now, this pioneering family did not roll over and go away.

They determined to get right back up on the horse that threw them. The Mondavi’s new winemaking project, headed by patriarch Robert and son Tim, is known as Continuum, which gives the impression that this is not a “new” thing, but a “logical” extension of what they have done before.

The first Continuum wine, 2005, has just been released. It is expensive, $125 a bottle, and it is completely sold out. If you see some, do not hesitate. Grab as much as you can. It is very, very, very good juice.

Continuum 2005 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% each Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. To me, the Cabernet Franc makes the wine most interesting and pleasurable now. I am certain the wine has aging potential, but its approachability at this moment would make it hard for me to put it away.

It is something I have not enjoyed from Napa before. It is, in short, in my opinion, a new direction for Napa Valley. I think you are going to start seeing other wineries following suit with interesting blends, kicking up the quantity of a grape previously used only 5% or 10% in the wine, now going to 20% and higher.

The Mondavi Family has been one of America’s real wine pioneer families for more than 100 years. They and their legacy just keep going on.

The Family is classy. The Wine is a Treat. And that is no Surprise.

Continuum, 2005, Napa Valley Red Wine, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petite Verdot, 20% Cabernet Franc. $125

Baja California Wines are sometimes hard to find, almost never locally. Wine stores in Southern California are the best source for purchase.
 
L. A. Cetto – Cabernet of Rose; Reservas Privado Nebbiolo;

Chateau Camou – Gran Vino Tinto; Gran Vino Tinto Merlot

Monte Xanic – Chenin Colombard; Gran Ricardo

Casa de Piedro – Vino de Piedra Tinto; Parallelo Ensemble Arsena