Sausal Winery

Just heard that Sausal in Alexander Valley got acquired by Silver Oak. Man, they made some nice (and affordable) zins there. I hope this is not a turn for the worse. Seldom does acquisition lead to anything good for the consumer or am I being cynical?
-Shaji

[quote="Shaji M"]Just heard that Sausal in Alexander Valley got acquired by Silver Oak. Man, they made some nice (and affordable) zins there. I hope this is not a turn for the worse. Seldom does acquisition lead to anything good for the consumer or am I being cynical?
-Shaji[/quote
The Sausal zins the last few years haven't been much to write home about, IMHO. For me they have nowhere to go but up.

Agree with Lou on this one. Sausal started out good, got a lot better, then went moribund (don't know why; not keyed in there).

For Silver Oak this could be a good opportunity: the right kind of vineyard land to support their style and mission, and right there in the neighborhood.

Suspect this may be a win/win: Revive Sausal if they wish; add to the quality/diversity and volume of Silver Oak if they wish. Machts nichts to me, as I haven't been a Silver Oak consumer for quite a while now. Just not my style (don't like dill pickle, sweet vanilla, and over-the-top oak.) Plenty of folk do, though.

In the wayback, Sausal had some great dry white zinfandels. I thought for a while it was the direction and hope for that grape/style. Once again, I was wrong. Still damned good wine though---sorta like the Rhone/Provence style from Sonoma/Napa.

I was there last Sunday. The sales slip now says "Silver Oak", and the tasting room ladies were very friendly. They say that the plan is to keep the Sausal brand and wines.
They were still poking around the bar, trying to find out where stuff is stashed, and wondering out loud what the selling family drinks.
To my tongue Sausal has made very typical Alexander Valley Zins. I do remember the last of their whites, which was a good old-fashioned Italian-style white with no variety on the label - just "Alexander Valley white wine".
The property has some old Cab vines and is right next door to Silver Oak.
We'll see. I hope for the best!

John

The last Sausals in my cellar were from the early 2000s. Pretty nice Zins. Lou/Hoke, I appreciate your comments that the recent offerings weren't memorable and the observation that they have nowhere to go but up is heartening. I will be driving on 128 on Monday. John, is it worth stopping at Sausal? or do you recommend some other place in particular?
-Shaji

It had been a couple of years for me since I'd been to Sausal, and at that time I wasn't blown away by the '07 they had. I bought a bottle of '09 "Family" zin last weekend, and I think it's good at the $19 price.
Other places on 128? Hmm. I haven't been down in the Napa Valley recently. I've heard recommendations for Arroyo and Summers in Calistoga. I haven't visited either myself.
In the Alexander Valley, I like Field Stone, on the left coming from Calistoga, just past the turnoff to Chalk Hill Road and Santa Rosa, and Hawkes, next door to the Jimtown Store. Hawkes does very good, if pricey, Cabs, and about the best chardonnay I've found, and at $20, it's worth a try IMO.
Soda Rock, a snazzy looking place, is a Wilson property. I'm not impressed with Wilson's tastes in winemaking, or their prices. Alexander Valley Vineyards often has some interesting whites.

Yeah, I haven't been really impressed with Sausal's recent wines, but at least they kept the prices in line. If they start pricing like Silver Oak, then no matter what they do, it will be a moot point, because I will not be buying. CA wine (at least the better stuff, with some exceptions like Steve Edmunds' wines) is pricing itself out for those of us participating in the downwardly mobile lifestyle that has become so popular in recent years. There was a recent thread here where the Montelena Estate CS was discussed, and I thought it was awhile since I had one of those, maybe I should try. But a quick look on wine searcher shows this is going for $100+ a bottle: yikes!

Joe,
Check out David Coffaro. DCV blends and zin, and a very good CS. His new (well, getting on for 10 years now) assistant Matt has talked Dave into making some sparklers and is definitely influencing the blends. For the better, I think, and I've been a fan since the 90s.
If you order futures and so on and so forth, you can get them for $10 - $16 a bottle. Huge QPR!
I agree that I hope Silver Oak doesn't march up the ladder. I think we'll be able to tell about what they're going to do early next year, when the new releases start popping out. I hope, though I have no basis but optimism, that Silver Oak will treat Sausal as a second label.
It is yet to be known.

John

John: Agree re Coffaro and their futures..In another thread you said you bought some of the 2011 Sauv Blanc..I cdn't find it on their website and Pat hasn't replied to my email as yet..What can you tell me about the 2011 Coffaro Sauv blanc?.

thx, Jon

>> What can you tell me about the 2011 Coffaro Sauv blanc?.

I have two bottles in my cellar.
Tasting it and chatting with Cindy, it's less ripe than the '09 or '10, quite grassy and grapefruity. '10 I'd pair with halibut. This is more on the creamed sole stuffed with shrimp side.
I'll be interested to see how it smooths out in 6 months or so. The '09 seemed overripe at first, then found some balance - that is, more depth.

John

Tx, John..Appreciate the feedback, our trip to Santa Rosa now a smidge under 2 mos away. Other than dinner at Willie's and Zin and probably a lunch at Bull and Bear? three Bears? anyhow, something with Bears in the name , big outdoor eating area, in Healdsburg, where we had great burgers the last time we were in Sonoma, nothing set in stone..Light meal night before race and probably some pasta several nights earlier, probably have both those meals in Santa Rosa...Then we will go running up and down the roads past vineyards from Geyserville to Healdsburg for 13.1 miles. Plan to do some wine tasting while we are there are as well ..Man does not live by running alone

Bear Republic Brewing Co. Good beer. I'll let you do the running!
Have you been to Bistro 29 in downtown Santa Rosa?

Ah yes, Bear Republic..Good burgers, good beer, sounds right..Haven't been to Bistro 29 ..

John T: The 2011 Coffaro SB sold out so enjoy what you were able to buy..Pat indicated that there was a possibility, depending on timing, that I might be able to taste the 2012 SB when we are there in late October.

That'd be in the barrel. If you haven't done it, it's an eye-opening experience.
I'd enjoy meeting up with you there, as your plans begin to gel.
If it's Friday, Saturday or Sunday, we could go down to Yoakim Bridge and bug Virginia and Dave there, too.

John

We barrel tasted at Coffaro the last time we were there and bought futures..Didn't get to Yoakim Bridage so I will definitely consider taking you up on that kind offer. Saturday unlikely as we will be running up hill and down dale for the better (or worse, depending on outcome)part of the morning. Sunday cd work as we plan to do some tasting before driving own to San Fran later in the day. Friday a bit more iffy, not sure if I will stay dry the day befoe race or not.

I'm suggesting those days because they're when Yoakim Bridge is open. If another day is better, there's Forchini down Dry Creek Road a bit, and of course dozens of others.

John

JT: understood..I suspect that is why we didn't get to Yoakim Bridge the last time as they were on my list of places to visit

Quite like the reserve line up at Alexander Valley. Somewhat old school wines...not fruit bomby. One of the best Rhone Blends, imho.

I spend some time in Anderson Valley (We were in Mendocino) and tasted mighty fine sparklers at Roederer on Sunday. The L'ermitage (2003)and the L'ermitage Rose (2004)were both excellent wines. They had some still wines as well including a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir. The Pinot was interesting in that it had a spicy end to it and was not as soft as some of the other wines in the Valley.
The same day we got to try some really good wines at Breggo. Noteworthy was a Pinot Gris and the Pinot Noirs. Although a tad on the pricey side, the wines were very good across the board. The Donnely vineyard Pinot was noteowrthy.
On our way back home on 128, we kept driving past Sausal and did not stop until we reached Rutherford Hill on Silverado Trail. Lots of people (it being the Labor Day weekend and all). Tasted and liked the Cab Franc, the Merlot. Had the Rose with lunch with a nice view of Napa below us. Soon after we stopped at Robert Sinskey. Was expecting "big" Napa wines. Was pleasantly surprised to taste a lot of nuance and subtlety. Wines I could drink every day. The Pinot Gris (a new release), the Vandal vineyard Pinot Noir, the POV (a Bordeaux blend), the SLD (cab sauv) and the Marcien (another Bordeaux blend) were all beautiful wines. Will stop here again next time.

You're speaking of Forchini, Brian? I got a chance to talk for a while with Mike Forchini time before last I was there. He's also a mechanical engineer, and we're similar in age, and though we worked in somewhat different branches of the profession, we found a lot in common! He's also rather passionate about his farming.

John

Shaji,
I really have to go up to Mendocino, now that I'm closer. At the moment, though, I have a case that doesn't fit in my cellar.

John