Sierra Foothills Wines
Make Their Mark

APPELLATION AMERICA's Best-of-Appellation Regional Evaluation Program recently focused its attention on the wines of the Sierra Foothills. Several days of in depth tastings and analysis revealed the great breadth of Foothills wines.

by Jean Deitz Sexton
May 16, 2008

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mong the granite outcroppings and rocky soils of the Sierra Nevada foothills, a merry band of veteran and young winemakers are coaxing remarkable wines out of the unforgiving land. The individualistic, sometimes quirky, but always interesting styles of Foothills winemakers came to the forefront in March and April when APPELLATION AMERICA's Best-Of-Appellation Program chose the Sierra Foothills appellations as its first focal region.

Over the course of three days, teams of wine experts blind tasted and discussed the wines of El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, North Yuba, Sierra Foothills, Fair Play, Fiddletown and Shenandoah Valley. The teams were composed of APPELLATION AMERICA senior editors, joined by representative industry professionals who had been nominated by regional associations in Amador and El Dorado County.

Although the Best-Of-Appellation Program is primarily aimed at generating a better understanding of the regions themselves, the Program does award medals to individual wines which best express regional character and high quality. Wines are scored analytically on four dimensions (Appearance, Smell, Flavor and Balance); those scoring 80-89 points are awarded Silver Medals, and 90+ points rates a Gold. Most importantly, the award winning wines are elevated to the Best-of-Appellation Wine Lists for their appellations, there to act as markers of regional quality and, in some cases, pointers for future development of regional signatures.

As was expected from the Foothills, the preponderance of entries and medals awarded were in the red varietal categories: Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Barbera, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sierra’s 800 pound guerrilla, Zinfandel, showed that it was still the signature variety of Amador and Shenandoah Valley, capturing 8 gold and 11 silver medals.

Rhone varietals showed well also, indicating that the Foothills can choose to make a unique statement in Rhone reds rather than duplicating the Cab-Merlot-Chard axis of other regions. Syrah wines from eleven different producers won 2 gold and 11 silver medals. Petite Sirah, a sleeper from the Sierra past, made its claim to a piece of the Rhone vogue, with three gold medals offered by three different producers for the varietal.

White wines were relatively scarce in this initial Best-of-Appellation exploration for regionality in Sierra wines, but there were gold medal winners for Riesling and Muscat and a sprinkling of silver medals for Muscat, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The Foothills, however, does an outstanding job on one white Rhone varietal, Viognier, and that was evidenced in the two gold and two silver medals awarded to Viogniers sourced from Amador, El Dorado, and the broader Sierra Foothills AVAs.

All the Evaluators commented on the diversity of styles, ranging from veteran producers such as Ironstone Vineyards and Milliarie (Calaveras AVA) and Madrona Vineyards (El Dorado AVA), as well as up and coming wineries such as C.G. Di Arie (Shenandoah Valley and El Dorado), Pilot Peak Winery in Penn Valley (Sierra Foothills AVA) and Montoliva Vineyard and Winery in Chicago Park (Nevada County).

Cabernet Franc Variations

One of the most exciting varietal winners was Cabernet Franc, more or less a blending grape in the Bordeaux-patterned regions of California, but capable of offering a fine single varietal expression across the Sierra appellations. Judges awarded two golds and one silver for Cabernet Franc.

The Sierra Foothills evaluation was on the lookout for the expression of terroir and regionally distinct viticultural practices in all the wines. The award winners for Cabernet Franc offer an opportunity to look at how three different appellations can affect one varietal.

It’s not surprising that Ironstone Vineyards captured a gold medal for its 2005 Ironstone Cabernet Franc Reserve ($28), a blend of 81% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. Steve Kautz and his family are the largest growers of Cabernet Franc in the United States, farming a total of 450 acres of the varietal in Lodi and the Sierra Foothills. They produce 40,000 cases of Cabernet Franc under the Ironstone Vineyards label. Kautz sees a uniqueness in Calaveras-grown Cabernet Franc. “My Cab Franc grows in shallow soil almost on a quartz outcropping, at 2,480 feet elevation, and exhibits none of the typical vegetal characteristics,” Kautz says. “That rich aroma of blackberries at the end of the season, I don’t see in Cab Franc anywhere else.” In the middle of the palate, Kautz says you get classic blueberry and cassis notes. “It has the depth and structure of a Cabernet Sauvignon yet it is not overly tannic, and has 13.5% alcohol.”

Perhaps a deeper, earthier, yet fruit forward expression of Cabernet Franc is Pilot Peak’s gold medal winner, the 2006 Pilot Peak Cabernet Franc ($25), a 100% varietal wine. APPELLATION AMERICA’s evaluators described the wine as having an “inviting nose with dark fruit and tobacco notes……dark, rich, spicy, and cedar flavors……… good acidity, good balance…..and a long finish.” Lynn Wilson, winemaker and co-owner of Pilot Peak with his wife Jacque, says the wine is a 50-50 blend of grapes from the Naggiar and Pendagio vineyards in Nevada County.

Wilson describes the wine as a medium-bodied, mellow Cabernet Franc, with violets on the nose, a hint of cocoa and lavender, with plum and red berries on the mid palate. Wilson does not co-ferment grapes from the two vineyards. He prefers to ferment separately, with open top fermentation lasting five to eight days, and using hand punch downs. “I don’t like overly extracted, over oaked, overmanipulated wines,” says Wilson. “I like to have the fruit, the acids, the alcohol and the residual sugars balance each other.” He uses a combination of used and new French, American and Hungarian oak barrels.

Mike Naggiar, a Grass Valley grower who farms 62 acres of grapes, supplies a number of varietals to Pilot Peak, Elyse Winery in the Napa Valley, Orin Swift in Rutherford for its “The Prisoner” wine, and other wineries. He says Cabernet Franc loves heat, owing to its Southern France origin, and does well in Foothills conditions where sunlight can be intense and hot. He farms at 1,300-feet elevation in rocky soils.

“We have a clone 337 that produces about four tons to the acre,” says Naggiar. To avoid the grassy, vegetal characteristics associated with the varietal, Naggiar says the grape has to be picked at high sugar levels, at 26 or 26.5 ° Brix. “Otherwise you get that herbaceous quality.”

“It takes great grapes to make good wine,” says Naggiar, and one of his practices is to keep yields down to three to four tons per acre. The richness of the Pilot Peak wines’ flavors start in the vineyard, he explains. “You want those berries to be as small as possible for flavor and intensity. The color, the legs of the wine comes from the skin, not from the pulp.”

In the El Dorado AVA, spicy, floral notes are the defining characteristics for Cabernet Franc, says Paul Bush, winemaker for Madrona Vineyards. His father, Dick, began planting grapes in 1973, and first planted Cabernet Franc in 1985. They farm in all varieties a total of 70 acres of estate grown vineyards, 35 acres in Camino at 3,000-feet elevation and 35 acres in Pleasant Valley, at 2,800 to 3,000-feet elevation.

Madrona Vineyards won a silver medal for its 2004 Madrona Vineyards Cabernet Franc ($16), a blend of 87.5% Cabernet Franc, 10.3% Merlot and 2.2% Cabernet Sauvignon. “In El Dorado County, we can do Cab Franc better than anybody else,” says Bush. The Cabernet Franc is growing in fertile Aiken loam soil, in a cool climate, and the award winner was picked at 25° Brix. The Cabernet Franc has a nice cherry base, but it is the spice and lavender floral notes that make it striking, Bush says. APPELLATION AMERICA tasted a nose of sage and plums, with integrated tannins and the good balance that Bush says defines his wine.

The Rhone Reds Report

Syrah, which could easily become the second signature grape of the Foothills after Zinfandel, showed well in the regional evaluation. [See our feature: Sierra Foothills Rhone Varietals Grow in Quality and Popularity.] Pilot Peak, which won a silver medal for its 2006 Pilot Peak Syrah ($26, 96% Syrah, 4% Grenache), sourced the grapes from three separate blocks at Naggiar Vineyard and found something interesting: the grapes in the 2005 vintage had a lot of black fruit flavor while the 2006 crop exhibited red fruit, from the same exact blocks.

“Foothills terroir shows in Syrah. All of the Syrahs here have a good mouthfeel and tend to have dark red fruit, and usually are not as lean as some of the Australian imports,” says Lynn Wilson. Another terroir influence is the varied soil and exposures growers can get within the same vineyard in the foothills. Varied hang time from one vineyard block to another can also affect the flavor intensity yet, at the same time, create a balanced, award winning wine.

APPELLATION AMERICA evaluators awarded three gold medals for Petite Sirah, for the 2005 C.G. DiArie Petite Sirah ($25, Shenandoah Valley AVA); the 2005 Macchia Petite Sirah ($24, Amador County AVA), and the 2005 Pilot Peak Petite Sirah ($28, Sierra Foothills AVA). Macchia submitted Producer Notes pointing to the Amador County vineyard’s red decomposed granite soil as the source for the wine’s spice notes. The APPELLATION AMERICA panel described the Macchia wine as having notes of peppercorn, red licorice, red cherry, spice, juicy brightness, soft tannins and perfect balance in the regional idiom.

The Foothills Are Nothing, If Not Eclectic.

The economics of so many wineries selling directly from their tasting rooms encourages a startling array of wines. Since the wineries are bypassing distribution, which would cut into their margin, they have the luxury of making small lots of an assortment of wines and trying everything from traditional Foothills Zinfandel to Sangiovese, Barbera and other Old World varietals.

Fair Play grower and vintner Dave Pratt of dkcellars produces 1,200 cases a year, 250 of which are his gold medal winning 2005 dkcellars Zinfandel ($22, 98% Zinfandel, 2% Petite Sirah) from Fair Play’s historic Herbert Vineyard. He farms ten acres of estate grapes on a hill outside of Fair Play and purchases the Zinfandel from grower and consulting winemaker Marco Cappelli, who owns the Herbert Vineyard. “It’s a real plus having Marco involved. As a winemaker, he knows what you need to do in the vineyard to make a great wine,” says Pratt. Cappelli’s vineyard has decomposed granite soils and gets consistent warm days during the growing season.

The 35-year-old Herbert Vineyard vines are head trained. “Zins are the biggest crapshoot because each cluster can vary,” says Pratt, who had the grapes picked at 26.5° Brix. “It is a level that will go dry,” he says. The granitic soils in the Fair Play AVA and El Dorado County tend to show blackberry fruit notes in the Zinfandel, with an element of pepper, says Pratt. In particular, he says, Zinfandel from the Herbert Vineyard has a trademark element of clove.

The strongest showing of Zinfandel in Calaveras County during this round of Best-of-Appellation tastings came from the Milliarie Winery, with their terroir-driven Ghiradelli Vineyard 2004 Zinfandel. Steve Milliarie, who over the years has done double-duty as winemaker at a host of Calaveras wineries, knows the appellation's diverse terroir inside out. He also knows how to get the most out of Zinfandel in a variety of styles, modern or traditional. That same kind of masterful ambidexterity in defining the diverse style templates for an appellation shows in a number of Scott Harvey's versions of Amador County Zinfandel that made it to the Best-of-Appellation list.

Outside of Placerville, in the town of Rescue, vintner Bob Leidigh, a former deputy attorney general for the State of California, has morphed from home winemaker to micro winery, Chateau Leidigh, producing 150 cases a year and having great fun growing tiny blocks of Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. Leidigh won a gold medal for his 2006 Chateau Leidigh Zinfandel ($25, Sierra Foothills AVA). The grapes are grown in iron-rich Terre Rouge soil, literal translation: red dirt. Low yields at 1,320-feet elevation give the Zinfandel its flavor intensity, says Leidigh. “Foothills fruit shines; it has a different character than valley fruit. The best vineyards in the world are on hills,” notes Leidigh. The Foothills give fruit “more pizzazz, a little extra spiciness,” he says.

Other adventurous Foothills vintners are winning awards for their Sangiovese and Barbera wines, demonstrating the tenacity of the Italian partisans amongst all the Zin-pride and Syrah-yak in the Sierras. Deaver, Renwood and Pescatore wineries set the Barbera standard with their gold medal winning offerings. As one might expect, Vino Noceto, the long time Sangiovese partisans in Shenandoah Valley, continues to define the varietal expression of Shenandoah Valley Sangiovese with their 2005 Reserve, a finesse wine and also a solid rebuke to those that think this “new-comer” Italian varietal is the poor sister to grandma Barbera in the Sierra. Vino Noceto also won a 90+ with its 2005 rendering of the famous Original Grandpere Vineyard Zinfandel.

An equally strong statement about how much Sangiovese belongs in these appellations is the debut offering of Montoliva Vineyard and Winery in Chicago Park, a verdant rural area in Nevada County. Owner Mark Henry won a gold medal for his 2005 Montoliva Sangiovese ($22 , Sierra Foothills AVA). Montoliva sources most of its grapes from nearby Clavey Vineyard and currently produces 750 cases. His muse is Tuscany, notably the legendary Brunellos. On his one estate acre, he has planted Aglianico and Sangiovese.

The award winner - his first Sangiovese vintage - is mostly estate grapes. “Sangiovese likes warmer temperatures and thrives in the ‘banana belt’ at Chicago Park,” says Henry. “Nearby Rollins Lake serves to moderate the temperatures,” he explains. At the same time, the shallow topsoils help to beat down the prolific Sangiovese vines, controlling yield and encouraging rich flavors, he explains. His Sangiovese is planted on 101-14 rootstock which is de-vigorating and helps to control the yield. Henry describes his Sangiovese as “very muscular, very Brunello in character. “The dominant flavor characteristic of a well made Sangiovese is the earthiness, not the fruit,” says Henry, whose wine has flavor notes of tobacco and dried cherries.

Foothills Whites

The Foothills can distinguish itself in Muscats, Viognier and Riesling, as evidenced by the Best-Of-Appellation Program evaluations. “Due to its altitude, the Foothills has some advantages which the rest of the state lacks. The brighter and longer incident light, together with some coolness, can produce one racy Riesling,” says Clark Smith, an APPELLATION AMERICA columnist, enologist and co-owner of Vinovation, Inc, winemaking consultants.

Smith was referring to the gold medal winner, the 2007 Madrona Black Label Riesling ($26, El Dorado AVA). Madrona winemaker Paul Bush is working with Riesling vines more than 30 years old, at 3,000-feet elevation, “which gives it that bracing acidity.” The grapes get good sun exposure all day but, even in the summer, the temperatures rarely get into the 90s at that elevation, he says. The Madrona Riesling has a flintiness that comes from the Aiken clay soil, and a strong gooseberry character, he says, with citrus, apple and pear notes. Alas, only 48 cases were produced.

The Sierra appellations have plenty to offer aromatic addicts in the marketplace, as evidenced in Cooper Vineyard's subtley fragrant Amador County Orange Muscat, and Perry Creek's knock-your-socks-off 2007 Muscat Canelli with origins in the Fair Play AVA. "We hope the Best-of-Appellation Program will encourage more Sierra producers to trust the market to appreciate the pockets of elevated terroir that promise the acidity and sugar to make stunning Muscats," commented Program Director Roger Dial.

A gold medal in the Viognier category is the 2007 Pilot Peak Viognier ($20, Sierra Foothills AVA). Winemaker Lynn Wilson sources 80 percent of the grapes from Damiano Vineyards in Auburn, and the rest from Naggiar Vineyard. Naggiar’s grapes give the wine its great nose and mouthfeel, says Wilson, while the Damiano grapes provide acidity, leanness and rich flavor notes of citrus and apricots. The wine is unoaked and goes through cold fermentation. Clark Smith likens the final result to a New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc.

Freedom To Innovate

Sierra Foothills winemakers are a hearty lot, undaunted by shallow rocky soils, mercurial weather swings and unrelenting sunlight and heat, forging ahead to make fine wines of a more personal expression than one would find in more homogenous wine districts. “The Foothills are interesting as a center of innovation. They have cheap land and nothing to lose. It’s a freedom to innovate,” observed Clark Smith.

For sure, what came out of the initial Sierra rounds of APPELLATION AMERICA's Best-Of-Appellation Program tastings was that wine consumers also have nothing to lose and everything to gain by exploring these fascinating appellations in depth. “Mining” is the metaphor of this region, and we all have a good chance of discovering gold and silver in these parts!