Top California Winery Releases Cool Climate Chardonnay And Pinot Noir Wines

Forbes

9 hours ago

Hawaii getty
As the sun glistened off the crystalline, turquoise-colored water, it consumed the young man with its sheer exquisite transparency, knocking the wind out of him as he couldn't fully imagine its effect on him, as the pictures couldn't do it justice. Then, a quick, deep breath filled his lungs with the unadulterated air, which gave his weary bones, subjected to too many harsh winters, a jolt of renewed life that was much needed.
Jeff Crawford, when recently graduated from high school in Minnesota, sought a different type of life experience and ended up living in Hawaii, working for an artisanal oyster mushroom farmer. Although he initially thought it would be an ideal way to briefly recharge after the intense pressures of having to map out his future, he ended up staying a lot longer than he intended.
Sonoma vineyard getty
It turned out that the man who ran the mushroom farm had once been a winemaker in Sonoma and introduced Jeff to many of California's great wines. The aromas, flavors and textures blew his mind, and it opened his eyes to the transcendent experience these wines can have on the drinker. Wine quickly became a passion of his, especially since his boss, also a man he calls his mentor, would occasionally return to Sonoma to make wine as a hobby at one of his friend's places. At a certain point, Jeff moved from Hawaii to Sonoma, where he assisted his mentor with winemaking to learn as much as possible. He became fascinated by every nuance involved in vineyards and wineries.
Jeff ended up working at a top winery in Napa Valley, Merryvale Vineyards, and through time worked himself up to the head winemaker position. One of the projects he is currently overseeing is relocating their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production from Carneros to the Sonoma Coast, making a stronger commitment to Merryvale's goal of crafting refreshing wines in a European style.
Merryvale Merryvale Vineyards
Merryvale Vineyards has a long history dating back to 1933 when it was established in St. Helena, Napa, under the name of Sunnyhill Winery, and a handful of wine legends made wine there. Its modern history began in 1983 when a small group of partners purchased the property, renaming it Merryvale. In 1991, Swiss-born Jack Schlatter joined that partnership, bringing his son, René, on board a few years later. The Schlatter family eventually became the sole owners of Merryvale, and put an intense focus on elegance-driven wines that possessed an overall European finesse.
Jeff Crawford Merryvale Vineyards
As one would expect, Jeff Crawford ended up at such a leading Napa producer after attending one of the best universities for winemaking, U.C. Davis. However, what was unexpected was that he pursued a degree in economics, as wine had become such a wonderful passion in his life that he didn't want to lose that passion by turning it into a career. But going to Davis allowed him to take a few viticulture and winemaking classes. As time went on, he started spending more time thinking about winemaking than he did economics. One day, he noticed an announcement for a job fair for viticulture and winemaking, and since they weren't checking one's degree at the door, he walked in and started talking to a bunch of different producers, telling them his story. He ended up getting hired by Merryvale for their sister winery, Starmont, which makes varietal wines from the cooler Napa sub-region of Carneros at an affordable price. First, he worked in their lab, making several small-batch fermentations and finding all the subtle adjustments that ideally conveyed the character of that particular grape from that area. Jeff has always been a detail-oriented person, which helped him in his degree in economics, but it gave him an incredible talent for zeroing in to the most minute qualities and having the passion to never stop trying to bring a precision, for example, such as learning to blend different plots by truly knowing the plots in a given vintage.
Sheep in Merryvale's vineyard Merryvale Vineyards
Jeff was quickly promoted to cellar master of Starmont, and then, through time, he became the assistant winemaker and, finally, the winemaker. Early last year, he was promoted to the head winemaker position at Merryvale, as well as Starmont. In total, he has been working for Merryvale for 18 years, which is highly uncommon nowadays as the California wine industry typically experiences a lot of movement. But Jeff couldn't be happier working for the Schlatter family as they are just as detail-oriented, and Jeff also shares their mission to express the most elegant aspects of Napa and Sonoma wines.
Previously, Merryvale made their ultra-premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines from their Carneros vineyards, but they are now ready, with Jeff at the helm, to move closer to creating the epitome of elegance with these wines by relocating the production to the much cooler Sonoma Coast. They have released the inaugural vintage of their Sonoma Coast wines, 2022, and Burgundian techniques are employed in the winery, including the use of native yeasts for both wines and sur lie aging for ten months for the Chardonnay, as well as hand punch-downs for the Pinot Noir. A Resume Only Says So Much
Schlatter Family Merryvale Vineyards
Every employer wants to find ideal employees, especially if they are eyeing a person who could fill one of the most critical roles in the future. Although there are obvious markers on one's resume to look for, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be a good long-term fit. The Schlatter family has, in the past, walked an unconventional path, as when they took over Merryvale in the early '90s Napa was still young and the consensus among many other producers was to make big, bold wines. But Schlatter believed in Napa's elegant beauty and stayed true to their values, and they were willing to invest more time and resources into seeking and preserving those graceful qualities.
Profile Estate Vineyard Merryvale Vineyards
Perhaps they saw that passion in Jeff, not only a passion for drinking wine, but also for going beyond what is expected to achieve finding an ideal balance. This balance should have plenty of concentration yet harmony and nuanced complexity and texture, bringing an overall refined quality to the wines. Perhaps they saw someone who loved the details so much that he would be meticulous at every step of the way and thrived from such conscientious work that it filled him with enthusiasm. As Jeff explained perfectly, "There is a reason I have been here so long," as he beamed with a genuine smile that showed a man who was right where he wanted to be.
It is interesting to think back to Jeff's early life, the beginning of his journey into the world, and how afraid he was to lose his passion for wine if he made it his career. While he noted that U.C. Davis has a great economics program, there are many other universities he could have attended, and he chose the one with the prestigious winemaking program as well. But he could have never guessed that his own tendency to want to delve into every facet would significantly increase his love for wine as a winemaker rather than destroy it.
Sometimes, looking beyond the resume and getting to know the person can be extremely beneficial to a business, especially one that is near and dear to family owners, such as the Schlatters. And sometimes, it is the right step to take that leap when one is young so there are no regrets down the line. What destroyed others' love for wine once they became a winemaker might be the very things that intensify that love for others.
Merryvale, Sonoma Coast, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Cathrine Todd
2022 Merryvale, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California: A multifaceted Chardonnay with wet river stones and lemon curd with a hint of spice that has lots of finesse on the palate with pristine nectarine fruit and lots of vitality with marked acidity that has a long, expressive mineral finish.
2022 Merryvale, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California: A strong sense of place from this Pinot Noir with broken earth and dry bark mingled with a juicy core of wild blackberries that is framed by fine tannins and finishes with delightful notes of grated nutmeg and sandalwood along the long length of flavor.
Merryvale, Sauvignon Blanc Cathrine Todd
2023 Merryvale, Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley, California: Blended from different Napa Valley sub-regions that are harvested at different times to give a lot of layers and an overall harmonious quality to this Sauvignon Blanc, such as mouthwatering acidity with lots of fleshy fruit of peach cobbler flavors and honeycomb with a floral lift and exotic note of lychee syrup that brings another dimension.
Merryvale, Cabernet Sauvignon Cathrine Todd
2018 Merryvale, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec. Sourced from different sub-regions within Napa Valley to achieve a seamless balance, a truly class act with this meticulous, expressive Cab with blackcurrant fruit infused with tobacco and violets that becomes expansive on the palate with manicured tannins.
2018 Merryvale, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley, California: Sourced from Merryvale's renowned hillside Profile Estate Vineyard, located at 800 feet in elevation, which solely sources their flagship wine 'Profile.' The grapes from this prestigious plot that make wine for long-term aging go into their top wine 'Profile' while the grapes that are more accessible in their youth will go into this St. Helena Napa Cab. Intriguing aromas of smoldering earth, cassis and graphite with a muscular, broad-shouldered structure balanced by mouthfilling fleshy fruit layered with olive leaves and slate with a prolonged length of flavor on the finish.
Starmont wines are single-varietal wines made in a fresh, classic style from cool climate regions in the North and Central Coast regions of California.
Starmont, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay Cathrine Todd
2023 Starmont, Sauvignon Blanc: Even though this wine retails around only $20, it is impressive and shows Jeff's attention to detail when blending as it has the brightness and zesty lift, the ideal amount of fruit and a touch of structure, giving it drive with lemon confit, apricot skin and kaffir lime leaf flavors, and it is simply just really delicious.
2022 Starmont Chardonnay: Priced similarly to the Sauvignon Blanc - another impressive bottling for the price point as it has a touch of complexity with chalky minerality, almonds and mandarin oil aromas merging with a hint of spice and lemon confit.