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July 2008
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To help answer the question, a panel was assembled
that included some of the wine industry’s most
respected writers, authors, and educators. On hand
were Dan Berger, Vintage Experiences, Leslie
Sbrocco, internationally acclaimed author,
consultant and speaker, Sara Schneider, Wine Editor
at Sunset Magazine, Linda Murphy, Decanter
Magazine, Virginie Boone, wine writer at the
Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and Ziggy “The Wine
Gal” Eschliman, wine radio personality and
consultant.
Moderated by second generation winery owners, Don
and Kim Wallace, along with winemaker, Lisa Bishop
Forbes a total of 19 wines were tasted in two
separate flights. The first flight consisted of the
winery’s Sonoma County Fumé Blancs from the past
three decades: 1973, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1992,
1998, 2002, and 2007. The second flight consisted
of a 10-year vertical of the winery’s acclaimed
Estate Fumé Blanc DCV3, a wine which author Paul
Lukacs called one of the “great Sauvignon Blancs in
America” in his book,
The Great Wines of
America: The Top Forty Vintners, Vineyards, and
Vintages.
While developing a
consensus was tricky, the overall notion was that
Dry Creek Vineyard Fumé Blanc is an age-worthy
wine. “When made with the proper pH and balance,
Sauvignon Blanc (Fumé Blanc) can age extremely
well,” noted Dan Berger. |
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Highlights
of the tasting included the 1977 Sonoma County Fumé
Blanc, a wine that Leslie Sbrocco wished she could
“drink every night of the week.” Still in
remarkable condition for a wine of its age, it
showed vibrant stone fruit, cardamom, and cilantro
notes. When paired during lunch with a Laura Chenel
goat cheese and olive tapenade on crostini, the wine
was “to die for” in the words of Ziggy “The Wine
Gal” Eschliman.
Perhaps it was
Linda Murphy who summed it up best. “When wines are
made like these, there’s no doubt in my mind that
Fumé Blanc can age extremely well. It’s a testament
to the winemaking skill at Dry Creek Vineyard over
the years – I mean, how often can you taste a 30-year-old white wine, made in California, that still
has several years of life left in it?” |
