A Visit w/ Stu Bewley at Alder Springs (6/13)
I had known about Stu Bewley's AlderSpringsVnyd way up in Northern MendoCnty when it was first started. I've
had any number of wines (mostly Pinot & Syrah) from several producers (Arnot-Roberts/Bedrock) and have liked them
quite a lot. They're much different from either AndersonVlly and UkiahVlly wines. They seem to have a savory/herbal
character that I find most attractive.
I had read an article several months ago about Stu & his blooming interest in lesser-known Italian varieties...
an interest that tracks mine very closely. So I felt that a visit to AlderSprings was in order.
It had been several yrs since I'd hooked up w/ CaseyHartlip/OrdayVnyds and so I thought a trip to see Casey
(actually...it was PeeWee I wanted to see) was in order this trip. So I made that connection and put a visit
in place. I put the day into Casey's hands and he made the connection w/ Stu for a visit to AlderSprings.
Joining us was DavidDarlington, a long-time friend. David writes for Wine&Spirits magazine and is one of my
absolute favorite writers. Casey & David had visited AlderSprings some 10 yrs earlier, but a lot had changed
over the intervening yrs, so a revisit for them was in order.
AlderSprings is located way the hell & gone in NorthernMendoCnty, in Laytonville just a bit west of Willits.
The country up there is spectacularly beautiful. Most of the farming up there is devoted to alternative crops
and I think AlderSprings is probably the only MendoCnty vnyd North of PotterVlly. The vnyd itself is one of
the most beautiful I've seen in Calif. Nestled in this large valley, surrounded by towering forests, it is
broken into 4 large blocks w/ dozens of sub-blocks, planted to a large number of varieties. Compared to other
Calif vnyds I've toured, AlderSprings seemed a bit....haphazard...sorta like my teenage daughter's bedroom.
It's sorta a big experiment in progress. But you can't argue w/ the quality of Stu's grapes...looking at the
list of clients he sells to. He has gone to great lengths to be certified (forget the exact term) as a nursery
to grow virus-free/certified grapevines. It appears that the red blotch virus is a problem, but not sure as to
what extent. The day we were there, the crew was top-grafting over several rows to Nebbiolo. A good move to
my view.
Stu has a mind-boggling list of varieties planted. Many of them are only just a few vines to see how they
grow there at AlderSprings. It's clear that the Pinot & Syrah pay the bills for his other experiments. He also
has quite an investment in Bdx varieties...rare for that far North. Some of the exciting (to me, anyway) things
he has planted are: PetiteArvine/Fiano/Graciano/Refosco/Clairette Blanc/Falanghina/Counoise/Trousseau/Cinsault/
TempranilloLagrein/Nero d'Avola/Tannat/PicpoulBlanc/Greco. All stuff that would make people like MattRorick or
BryanHarrington foam at the mouth.
We spent over an hour touring the vnyd, afore adjourning to the ranch headquarters to try a few wines. I
was extremely impressed by Stu's passion for growing grapes and struck by the beauty of AlderSprings. It
gives me a new respect for the wines I try w/ AlderSprings on the label. It will be fun to watch the
evolution of Stu's giant experiment.
DavidDarlington has written a great bio on Stu for the Bedrock WebSite:
http://bedrockwineco.com/growers/stuart-bewley.html
Knowing Stu's interest in obscure in obscure Italian varieties, I brought along a few wines to taste:
1. Vallet Michel Feudo di SanMaurizio Mayolet DOC: Valle d'Aosta (12.5%; ToscoImports/Richmond) Sarre 2010: Med.
light color; light earthy/loamy rather fragrant/cherry/Pinotish/spicy quite perfumed/attractive nose; quite
tart tangy/metallic bright/cherry/Pinotish/strawberry rather earthy/dusty/loamy attractive flavor w/ light
angular tannins; very long tart/tangy/metallic some cherry/Pinotish rather earthy/dusty fairly high-toned
bit rustic finish w/ light sharp tannins; a lovely mountain Pinot-like red. $26.00 (EVN)
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2. Castelli Nebbiolo "Bruma" LakeCnty (13%) Sebastapol 2010: Ligt color; lovely floral/lilacs/Nebb bit tarry/
road tar very Gattinara-like light toasty/oak lovely nose; rather tart/tangy/acid slight floral/lilacs/
Nebb light tarry/pungent bit smokey/oak flavor w/ light hard/bitey tannins; long light floral/lilacs/
violets rather tarry/pungent finish w/ light bitey tannins; an attractive Gattinara-like lightweight
expression of Nebb; needs more age. $26.00
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3. Rojac Refosk Istria/Slovenia (14%; www.Rojac.Eu; EmptyGlass Wine Co.Slctn; www.IndieWineries.com;
Organically Grown) 2012: Very dark color; intense blackberry/boysenberry/black cherry cola/peppery light
earthy/rustic beautiful Refosco nose; bit tart/tangy intense black cherry cola/blackberry/boysenberry/
Refosco light earthy/loamy flavor w/ strong rugged tannins; very long/lingering intense black cherry cola/
boysenberry/Refosco bit earthy/rustic finish w/ ample rustic tannins; not the high-toned character of many
Friulian Refoscos; sorta like a very good CalaverasCnty LateHrvst Zin but w/ structure; needs age. $17.00 (O)
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4. Dom.Giachino Mondeuse Red Savoie Wine (JeffreyAlpertSlctn; 12%; GrandCruSlctns) 2014: Dark color; very strong
herbal/rosemary/thyme some pungent bit earthy strong black cherry cola/DrPepper/spicy complex nose; lightly
tart herbal/rosemary/thyme strong black cherry cola/Mondeuse bit earthy/dusty flavor w/ modest hard tannins;
very long herbal/thyme/pungent bit earthy strong black cherry cola fairly complex finish; a bit on the
earthy/rustic side but a great example of Savoie Mondeuse. $26.00 (O)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Mayolet: A variety that is indigenous to the Vd'A. Mostly used as a blend w/ PetitRouge. Seldom as a
stand-alone varietal. It has been brought back from near-extinction, but the fussiness in the vnyd (prone
to botrytis) puts it under threat of dying out. Two Mayolets in three days..must be a record.
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2. I thought all of the wines were pretty representative of the varieties. None of the others had ever tasted
these examples. The Refosck and Mondeuse were both particularly well-liked.
After bidding adieu to Stu and being gifted w/ two of his wines to try, we headed back to Casey's home for
dinner. Hosting was Casey & Lynn. Joining us was DavidDarlington, Greg & Trudi Graziano, and John Scharfenberger.
Grazi & I talked a lot about various Italian varieties. After a spirited round of bocce (the girls used their
superior athletic skills to defeat the guys, despite being handicapped by Grazi on their team), we finished up the
four Italian wines and proceeded thru a vast array of other wines. Grazi's St.Gregory Sparkling Wine was very/very
good. It was barrel frmtd from grapes grown in the cooler/upper elevations in the PotterVlly. I had never met
JohnScharfenberger before. He was the original owner of EaglePoint Ranch and, of course, drove Scharffenberger
Chocolates to success. A very bright/innovative/talented guy and fascinating to listen to. PeeWee slept thru
the whole evening.
Tom