As you get older you may begin to think differently than you once did.  I know I have.  Many things I once believed in and life decisions I have made over the years are now shifting much like how my tastes in food and drink have changed since I was a kid.  I once abhored beer, coffee and certain vegetables, but eventually they became favorites.  Few are so lucky as to find their life-long passions the first time around.  The rest of us move along a path developed based on early career aspirations and veer only slightly, if at all, as life happens and security, family needs and material desires claim importance.  Over time we become further molded and formed by our experiences, travels, people and organizations as we strive for promotions, recognition, and more rungs up that ladder.  Then, at some point, we realize we are no longer as interested in many of those things and the drive and motivation begin to wane.  Then, hopefully, we are lucky enough to find something we are truly passionate about to rekindle that fire in our bellies and improve our chances at reaching fulfillment in our lives once again.

So, at this point of realization the process begins of chiseling away the corrosion, spackle and crust that has built up over the years so that you can get to the center of your true self, what many might call the soul.  I don’t know if the soul really exists.  But, one thing I’ve learned in my broad experience is that it is necessary to be true to yourself in order to be happy and live a fulfilled life.  Afterall, you only live once.

Similarly, it is often pontificated amongst us wine geeks that the grape also possesses a soul, which is only truly revealed in the best wines.  Never should it be coaxed or altered to become what it is not nor what it was never meant to be.  And so it should be with us.  This is where my story starts its next chapter, though the planning process has been well underway for years.  At this stage, I am simply one man going to Sonoma.

There are a lot of plates in the air, so in my case soul-searching does not mean taking a step back and basically de-toxing.  It’s a change in focus and energy, both increasing in intensity for the better.  I am taking my search to wine country this Fall to focus on how I can translate my experience, skills and passion into a future in a wine business and to reside once again on the west coast.  During harvest I will be performing as a cellar rat for Holdredge Wines in Healdsburg who make tremendously delicious Pinot Noir, perhaps my favorite varietal.  All the while, I continue developing and implementing my social media strategic framework from which wineries can be successful in using social media to complement their current marketing plans.  I am in talks with both a large winery as well as a privately held sales and marketing company of fine wine and spirits in this regard.

In one week, I will start my trip to wine country and drive across the country a total of 2500 miles over about 5 days.  I’ve always enjoyed driving, but this will certainly stretch my highway endurance.  However, I look at this drive as another opportunity for soul-searching, enjoying what the American country-side (at least along I-40) has to offer and enjoying the time alone with my own thoughts.  Though, I want to share this trip with you as well.  I plan to journal my trip via social media including photos, blog posts, tweets and status updates… of course, not while driving  Won’t you follow along?  I could use some company on the drive.

Current Plan

Here’s a video summary of the great Pinot Noir event we had here in Atlanta at Paul’s Restaurant with special guests Andrea Robinson, MS and Richard Groves of Boisset Family Estates.  As you can see, it was a lot of fun with a lot of wine.

Uh, Where's the Wine Festival?

On our way up to the North Georgia mountains for a wine festival, we passed by a cabin rental business named “Hatfield’s.”  What came to mind as I drove by was the well-known story of the feuding families of West Virginia and Kentucky, the Hatfield’s and McCoys.  It is appropriate on this day for it to be a metaphor for wineries in this area who have separated themselves into two cliques.  So much, in fact, that there are two wine festivals happening the same weekend:  The Georgia Fine Wine Festival, hosted at Blackstock Vineyards, and the Georgia Wine Country Festival, hosted at Three Sisters Vineyards.  Say, what?  A one day ticket to Blackstock is $35, while only $20 to attend the festival at Three Sisters.  The difference is most likely due to the fact Blackstock’s festival is larger and hosting more wineries and other local businesses.  This has got to be confusing to wine lovers and festival goers in Atlanta, who trek more than 60 miles to visit.  If you want to try wines from, say, Yonah Mountain Vineyards and Montaluce Winery & Estate, you will have to attend 2 different festivals and pay twice.  Conversely, if I only choose to attend one festival I will be missing out on half the wineries in the area.  This cannot be a good thing for the North Georgia winery community nor their businesses.

I reached out to a few of the wineries for comment, but could only obtain a few general statements about the lines being drawn between the Winegrowers Association of Georiga, which is exclusive to just vinifera growers, and the Georgia Wine Country, which is inclusive for all wineries in the area.  The separation of the two cliques goes back to some old dispute between Three Sisters and a few of the other wineries, namely Frogtown, Wolf Mountain and Blackstock.  Sounds like the egos need to be checked at the door.

For wine-producing states outside the Big 4 (California, Washington, Oregon and New York), owning a winery is already a struggle fighting against the stigma of assumed lower quality based on location.  In the Southeast, additional obstacles include the history of sweet fruit-based wines as well as foxy muscadine.  Now, don’t get me wrong, there is still a market in this region for these types of wines and several wineries in North Georgia are successfully making them.  However, many of the newer wineries are trying to make a name for themselves, and North Georgia, by making higher quality dry wines from vitis vinifera grapes.  It seems to me, working together as community and one unit would help accelerate awareness in the local and surrounding regions about some of the great wines being made by many of these wineries.

For those of you attending the Wine Blogger’s Conference in Walla Walla, I will have a couple of GA wines for you to taste.  So, be sure to say Hi when you see me.

Cheers!

Tim Mondavi, son of Robert Mondavi, is an “artist” as described by his daughter, Carissa, and he was looking for another way to express that attribute and truly focus on and create an artisan-style wine.  Over lunch at Chops in Atlanta, Carissa Mondavi and Stuart Harrison explained how this was the dreamchild for Continuum Estate, which released their first vintage in 2005.  The name of the winery is not doubt defined by this statement made by Tim himself: “For four generations our family has created a continuum of wine excellence, enhancing the celebration of life.”

Continuum Estates sits on what will become around 60 acres of vineyards, 40 established and another 20 currently being developed, on Pritchard Hill.  This area of Napa, though not currently identified as its own AVA, is unique in soil, which is very rocky and steep.  In my conversation with Chris Carpenter, winemaker of Cardinale, recently, he noted the extraordinary ability of this region to produce some seriously high-quality fruit and if it ever becomes an AVA, he most certainly will be adding it to his repertoire as well.  Tim was particular in the parcels he was looking for including a westerly exposure for afternoon sunshine and has spared no expense to build his dream.  It is much more expensive to farm mountain fruit than that on the valley floor.  Just think about moving huge mountain boulders and rock when developing vineyard sites in such terrain.

The 2007 vintageis now available and still the majority of the fruit comes from Mondavi’s portion (the majority) of the To Kalon vineyard in Oakville until 2008 when the vines at Continuum Estate can contribute.  It is expected that about 70% of the 2008 vintage will come from the estate vineyards on Pritchard Hill with the goal of sourcing 100% in the near future.  The 2007 consists of

• 60% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 22% Cabernet Franc
• 18% Petit Verdot

Notice that level of Petit Verdot?  I am used to seeing blends of less than 5% PV, but Stuart tells me that this variety in Napa turns very elegant in about 10 years time and has certainly helped this wine keep its deep color as well.  The nose gave off a little heat, tremendous level of black fruits very indicative of Napa followed by a little char.  I noted the mid-palate was strong and lofty with the taste of plush black fruits and currant with spice on the end leading to a great finish.  I feel that only the best was yet to come as this had not been decanted and would have probably improved and only blossomed further over the coming hours.  Another thing I noticed was a lower-than-expected level of tannins for such a young Napa Cab.  It makes it enjoyable to drink now, but I agree with Kevin(@atlantawineguy), who also joined us, that cellaring tenure may be limited than what you might other expect for this reason.  Otherwise, acid and structure is great.

The current production level of the winery is only 1,500 cases with a planned ceiling of about 5-6,000 cases.  The wine retails for around $140 and Georgia is allocated about 75-80 6-packs and can or will eventually be found at places like Chops, Murphy’s and the Disco Kroger among others.  Continuum Estate is open to visitors by appointment only:

Address: 1677 Sage Canyon Road  ST. Helena, CA 94574    View Larger Map

Phone: 707 944 8100

If you dig on swine as well as wine, then Cochon555 is the event for you.  The concept is simple: 5 heritage pigs prepared by 5 chefs and complemented with wines from 5 wineries.  Unfortunately, there were only 4 wineries present as Gamble Vineyards pulled a last minute no-show.  I have to give special thanks to Boyd Pearson and Anne Amie Vineyards as well as Jasmine Hirsch and Hirsch Vineyardsfor their hospitality and the phenomenal Pinot Noir they both are producing.  Domaine Serene and Buty Winery showed well, especially the Merlot/Cab Franc blend Buty put together – velvety smooth, plush mid-palate and worked well with the Asian-style pork dishes.

For more foodie perspectives check out:

• Jimmy of EatItAtlanta.com: http://www.eatitatlanta.com/2010/04/24/cochon-555/
• Joe of Suburbanwino.com: http://www.suburbanwino.com/2010/04/clogged-arteries-blurry-photos-and.html
• Broderick of SavoryExposure: http://www.savoryexposure.com/2010/04/cochon-555/