WTN: T_Day and Sunday Urban Winery Visit-Broc Cellars

This time, I hit up the new Broc Cellars tasting room on Fifth Street right at Gilman in Berkeley.

What a lineup of pretty, pure, bracing, elegant wines. If Otto ever makes it to Berkeley, he should stop here!

My favorite may have been the 2012 Cuvee blend, which was mostly Syrah from Santa Barbara County. They were also pouring a light ruby colored, extremely pretty Mouvedre from Santa Barbara County,one of the prettiest, lightest, and most elegant mouvedres I have had! Also: an amazingly mineral and delicious Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, and a distinctively ferrous, low alcohol, powerful in a light and elegant way Cabernet Franc from Paso Robles. I think the alcohol was 11.3%. And, . Wow. This was an extremely impressive lineup of wines!

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Other weekend wines: Stopping at Corison, their 2005 Napa Valley is showing so beautifully right now. But, for the money, the 2005 Helios Syrah was delicious in a savory, meaty way that is really appealing! While still remaining light on its feet.

My friend Randy brought down an impressive bottle, a 2008 Archery Summit Estate Pinot Noir. Not sure why, as everyone else loved it, but I found it "undistinctive".

Clos Saron Black Pearl 2007. Sierra Foothills. This is a Rhone/Bordeaux blend, with nice slightly green character underlaid by some piercingly pretty fruit that was almost candied, but the freshness of the wine and that lovely green note reeled it back in. This is my first Clos Saron wine, and I quite liked it!

2011 Donkey and Goat Hella Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley. This was actually listed in John Bonne's Thanksgiving Wine article. My sister-in-law grew up in a French Colony (French Guiana) so she has a pretty old world palate. We loved it...my brother, while finishing his glass, was not sure (he found it too acidic). This was indeed blazingly acidic, with pure red fruit and a touch of delicious funk. It cut right through the rich traditional Thanksgiving Day feast foods in a mouth watering way. I loved this!

2012 Quivera Mouvedre. I brought this to a dinner with people who are a little more California in their palate. Definitely fruit forward, with some earthy notes. A little simple, perhaps. I may end up dropping this wine club...I almost feel the way about Quivera that others are noting about Preston (still love Preston, although their Mouvedre was also not my favorite in the line up) Maybe Mouvedre and Dry Creek are not a good match? But anyway, the wine was enjoyable enough, and my friends loved it, so....waddamI complaining about?????

[David M. Bueker]

Clos Saron Black Pearl 2007. Sierra Foothills. This is a Rhone/Bordeaux blend

What?

Very nice. I visited Broc on Saturday--we almost crossed paths!

I found the Mourvèdre similarly spectacular and am now mighty curious about the source, Martian Vineyard down in Los Alamos. They make an appearance in Jon Bonné's new book--so evidently they're on the radar.

Broc was also pouring the Vine Starr Zin on Saturday, a blend from vineyards in Russian River and Sonoma--would have been very interested to hear your impressions of that, as I found it superunusual and intriguing in a very unzinlike way. It was included in the SFChron's Top 100 on Sunday.

Clos Saron Black Pearl 2007. Sierra Foothills. This is a Rhone/Bordeaux blend

What?

According to teh interwebs, it's got Cab, Merlot, and Syrah.

Broc was also pouring the Vine Starr Zin on Saturday, a blend from vineyards in Russian River and Sonoma--would have been very interested to hear your impressions of that, as I found it superunusual and intriguing in a very unzinlike way. It was included in the SFChron's Top 100 on Sunday.

Cool!

I liked it and found it quite quaffable, but I just liked the other reds a little more. I agree that it is not a typical "zin".

Clos Saron Black Pearl 2007. Sierra Foothills. This is a Rhone/Bordeaux blend, with nice slightly green character underlaid by some piercingly pretty fruit that was almost candied, but the freshness of the wine and that lovely green note reeled it back in. This is my first Clos Saron wine, and I quite liked it!

Thanks for the interesting notes, Brian. As it happens, this bottle is my only Clos Saron experience, too, but as it still resides in my cellar (purchased on a visit out your way at Solano Cellars) so that experience is unrealized at the moment. Brother Gideon has made some very interesting wines, though, so I have high hopes. Do you think that it needs more time to show its best, or is it ready to go?

Mark Lipton

Clos Saron Black Pearl 2007. Sierra Foothills. This is a Rhone/Bordeaux blend, with nice slightly green character underlaid by some piercingly pretty fruit that was almost candied, but the freshness of the wine and that lovely green note reeled it back in. This is my first Clos Saron wine, and I quite liked it!

Thanks for the interesting notes, Brian. As it happens, this bottle is my only Clos Saron experience, too, but as it still resides in my cellar (purchased on a visit out your way at Solano Cellars) so that experience is unrealized at the moment. Brother Gideon has made some very interesting wines, though, so I have high hopes. Do you think that it needs more time to show its best, or is it ready to go?

Mark Lipton

OH, gosh. It was certainly approachable now after a couple of years in my warm storage situation. But it is by no means fading or even really losing its fruit. I actually, based on comments elsewhere, expected a weirder and funkier wine...maybe more time will exacerbate these reputed tendencies in Clos Saron wines?

Clos Saron Black Pearl 2007

As it happens, this bottle is my only Clos Saron experience, too, but as it still resides in my cellar (purchased on a visit out your way at Solano Cellars) so that experience is unrealized at the moment. Brother Gideon has made some very interesting wines, though, so I have high hopes. Do you think that it needs more time to show its best, or is it ready to go?

I actually, based on comments elsewhere, expected a weirder and funkier wine...maybe more time will exacerbate these reputed tendencies in Clos Saron wines?

However much Clos Saron I drink, I never feel well-equipped to answer this question. Perhaps the least linear/predictable in its development of the wines I love. Not sure if it's bottle variation (which I feel unwilling to assert without more side-by-side comparison) or nonlinear development, but every bottle is a surprise as to how it will perform, some funkier, some fruitier, some earthier, some psychedelic, but really never disappointing for me. Drink it now, drink it later, drink it whenever. They are such fun wines to experience--one of my top wines to share for folks with a sense of adventure.

Looking forward to your visit. LOVE the 2005's. Second favorite vintage of the decade.