Arts & Entertainment
Far Niente Shoots For A Superfecta
By Charles B. Rubinstein
"In the mountains
the shortest route
is from peak to peak,
but for that you must have long legs."
Friedrich Nietzsche,
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
What can you do to top winning a Trifecta? Far Niente, a well-regarded winery in Oakville, Napa Valley, recently faced that pleasant dilemma when they decided to purchase two vineyards in the Russian River Valley, plant them both to pinot noir, produce a wine made from those grapes in a new winery and shoot for a Superfecta. I learned about the route taken to get to that point at a recent dinner for a few members of the wine press. It was held at Eighty One, a year-old restaurant in New York City. Larry Maguire, President & CEO of Far Niente hosted the dinner as part of the introductory rollout of the Pinot Noir. Maguire is also the co-founder of the new venture. All of this would be a typical public relation's effort not worth writing about except that the quality of the wines we tasted that evening deserve attention and recognition.
My reference to a Trifecta refers to past events at Far Niente. The story begins when the late Gil Nickel purchased the old abandoned Far Niente winery and adjacent vineyard in 1979 and set about restoring the winery and the property. From 1982 on Far Niente produced only two wines - a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, and both continue to be highly regarded. I'll score that as one part of the Trifecta. When the partners decided to produce a late harvest dessert wine they set up an entirely separate company and winery called Dolce in 1985. The first commercial vintage was in 1989. Dolce remains the only winery in the United States dedicated to only produce a late harvest wine, and a great one at that. Dolce is the second part of the Trifecta. The third and final part of the Trifecta was when the partners set up Nickel & Nickel in 1997 as a separate company and winery devoted to small-lot single vineyard wines. A few are Pinot Noirs.
The partners' passion for Pinot Noir existed long before Nickel & Nickel was founded. I can personally attest to that fact because I had a case of 1986 Far Niente Pinot Noir in my cellar made from an experimental blend of grapes from Central Coast and Carneros vineyards. It was never intended for commercial release. I always enjoyed the wine. About five years ago I still had an orphan bottle in my cellar. I brought it to a dinner attended by a group of fellow wine writers and served it in the blind. Everyone guessed a top echelon Burgundy and guessed a vintage in the nineties. It was an impressive wine.
According to Maguire the partners had always believed that vineyard ownership is the way to produce the best fruit. They purchased two vineyards in the Russian River Valley to make a serious commitment to pinot noir. The 21.5-acre Graton Vineyard was purchased as an abandoned apple orchard in 2004 and replanted to pinot noir. The 22-acre Amber Ridge Vineyard already planted in pinot noir was purchased in 2007. In keeping with past practice the partners decided to set up a separate company and winery devoted solely to producing Pinot Noir. The big question that remained was what to name the wine and the enterprise. They had traveled a long road to get to this point and they were not finished. The name they chose - EnRoute, was evocative of that fact.
The 2007 EnRoute Pinot Noir "Les Pommiers" is made principally from grapes from the Manzana Vineyard and a small amount from the Central Coast. The barrel sample of the 2008 EnRoute Pinot Noir "Les Pommiers" is made from grapes from the two purchased vineyards and from the Manzana Vineyard. We tasted both wines at dinner. The partners had been involved in the Manzana Vineyard since 2001 under a contract. The French phrase Les Pommiers refers to the apple orchards that were a mainstay of the Russian River Valley.
Manzana, which is Spanish for apple, honors the same reference. The 2007 EnRoute had a lush entry with layers of berry flavors, excellent balance and integrated tannins. It will benefit from three to four years more cellar time. The 2008 barrel sample showed even more potential with an extra layer of complexity. I found both wines to be an excellent match to my squab. Those who ordered salmon also found the match to be excellent. The 2007 will be released in September. Only 1,275 cases were produced.
If you have questions about wine write to me at The Two River Times™ or e-mail me at trtwineman@aol.com.
