Return to Coolsville: Perseid at Meteor Vineyard

Last time I was in Coolsville it was for some zip line action and the release of Meteor Vineyard 2007 Perseid Cabernet. {You can read a full account of that visit here.} This time I went for a meteor shower viewing party and a pre-party vertical tasting of the Perseid Cabernet 2004-2007 and the Special Family Reserve 2005-2007.

The 2004 Perseid had not previously been tasted outside of the family. I almost felt like we would be sworn to secrecy after trying it and required to take an oath of Omertà--oh wait I’m probably projecting my own Sicilian family traditions here, not Meteor’s. No one at the table was in danger of getting whacked for speaking about the charms of the 04, well, not that I know of at least.

In addition to the pre-set verticals we tried the 2003 “Barry's Half Century” Estate Reserve, a special Birthday Blend created to commemorate vineyard owner Barry Schuler's 50th. The wine had a deep plum color, scents of tobacco and nutmeg, with chocolate, coffee and blackberry flavors. It was luscious and rich, a great birthday gift to enjoy for years to come.

I’ve tasted my way through a lot of Cabernets over the years and I'm always on the verge of declaring that I just don't like Cabernet all that much—and then I taste Meteor and it makes me reconsider. These Cabs always surprise and intrigue me. They are deep, earthy and grounding-- full of diverse flavors and scents like licorice, mint, cinnamon, clove, peppermint, chocolate, violets, leather, truffle, blackberries and plums. In the 2006 Special Family Reserve I found notes of caramelized toffee and smoky s’mores. 

Meteor wines get to me in a way that is unexpected and completely fascinating. They keep me thinking about them for days afterward. It must be that Coombsville is Coolsville mystique in action. And it’s not just marketing copy to say something is truly different about Coombsville--official recognition of Coombsville as a distinct AVA is imminent.

I have a good understanding of winemaking, grape growing and the clones that are planted. But when I first taste a wine I don’t always need to know it’s personal history, I just want to be captivated. I’m curious to discover how a wine inspires me, because I think a great wine can be a catalyst to inspiration for all sorts of creative endevors.

That’s not to say the process is unimportant, quite the contrary, I love hearing winemakers describe it in their own words. It’s always interesting to hear what Meteor winemaker Dawnine Dyer and Schuler have to say. While Dyer might describe one of their clones or wines as full of feminine charisma, or a temptress; Schuler will counter with “This wine is a busty centerfold girl with a mighty rack and body that will suck you in and never let go.” (I paraphrase here of course.) But you can glean the general spirit in which it was said. Yet despite their different frames of reference, Dyer and Schuler are in full agreement that the clones they’ve planted possess all the right stuff to thrive in Coombsville.

From the tasting we headed outside where the party was in full swing with signature cocktails, spacey music to set the tone for star gazing, and tucked off to the side, a tarot card reader. As the sun set my appetite peaked and I practically inhaled a mini cup of bacon cheddar soup and a few smoked pork belly sliders with caramelized apple that naturally paired perfectly with the 2008 Perseid and Special Family Reserve. Then I got on line to have my cards read. I was relieved to see we only had to wait in line, not zip-line to the tarot card reader. 

After dinner, carrying our glow sticks and wine glasses, we followed a path of tiny lights set down like a secret mini airstrip, that led us to the Lone Oak out in the vineyard. Under the oak, Cliff De Lacy, a NASA ambassador filled us in on all things celestial and where to scan the sky for meteors.

A dessert station set with was set to one end of the rows serving coffee and a Meyer Lemon Curd tart with a graham crust as well as a Brioche Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding with chocolate sauce and sea salt. Both were a delight to enjoy in the moonlight.

In between the rows of vines were recliners and blankets from which you could settle in and watch the sky. It was like a sanitarium in the vineyard. As I lay there I half expected a masseuse to show up and knead my shoulders. It was quite cozy tucked under the blanket between the vines with little clusters of grapes above me and the rocky soil below. Something about lying down in the earth between the vines was extraordinary. It was as if you could feel the very essence of the vines seep into you. As I looked down the long dark row towards Mount George, I could smell traces of mint and fennel, sweet clover, hay and chalky earth. It felt fantastic and rather nurturing. Heck, maybe my true roots are more Druid than Sicilian! Or perhaps there is some kind of harmonic convergence going on between the Meteor vines and land in Coombsville.

Although the event was billed as a Perseid Viewing Party, I only saw a few meteors shoot across the sky. But the most brilliant stars of the night were all in my glass.

Thanks to all the Meteorites for a stellar evening. 

Wine Book Round-Up

Next to wine and travel, my biggest obsession is reading, and wine related books are always in my "to read" stack. Over the last several months I received a variety books for review and a few I purchased myself. Here is a synopsis of what I've been reading.

The Finest Wines of California--A Regional Guide to the Best Producers and Thier Wines by Stephen Brook, Photography by Jon Wyland--

Even though I live in California Wine country, there's always a new winery to discover or a legendary one to learn more about. The Finest Wines of California offers an imitate portrait of the authors favorite wines and the people who make them. I like books like this because unlike a complete listing guide, this is a highly personal and edited selection that hones in on the best, or in this case the finest, wines currently being produced in each region. Point Rating: 98

Reading Between the Wines by Terry Theise--

Reading Between the Wines is an odyssey thru the authors career as a wine importer and his musings on the enigma of wine. It's more memoir than wine commentary, but for the most part it works--think "My Dinner with Andre" wherein you, the reader, become Wally Shawn to Terry's version of Andre. Except Terry drinks better wine than Andre.

I liked this book for it's writerly approach to the topic of wine, although it did get a bit squirrelly with tangential digressions in places. Some sensory descriptors were rather over the top-- like the line on page 163, describing a Beaune Bressandes, 1969, in which Theise attempts to anthropomorphize a truffle and writes-- "If truffles had orgasms, they might emit this fragrance. Soy, sandlewood, shiitake, you know: Burgundy."

Hey, I'm all for a gripping essence of the moment descriptor and I understand the overwhelming emotion that can take hold of you in the presence of a great Burgundy. (I once described a Burgundy as having the scent of a warm puppy belly.) But truffle sex? Pass the bong Terry. Nevertheless, I think if ever there was a perfect book to read along with a great glass of wine--this is it. Point Rating: 96

The New Connoisseur's Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries by Charles Olken and Joseph Furstenthal--

The New Connoisseur's Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries offers a compendium of the wines and wine regions in California. It makes a great reference book as well as an ad hoc travel guide. I love the organization and layout of this book and the detailed maps. Along with a brief history of California winemaking, grapes and winery listings, the book includes sections about the geography and climate of various regions that I found the most interesting and useful. Point Rating: 95

The Wild Vine by Todd Kilman--

Written in a plodding pseudo-suspense style, I found The Wild Vine hard to get through, but was propelled to carry on out of sheer morbid curiosity to see if anything would actually transpire by the end. There was much factual information on Thomas Jefferson and his contribution to establishing wine in Virginia, but an entire book on the Norton grape is a difficult subject with which to keep a readers attention. I enjoyed the history and background information on the evolution of Virginia as a wine region, but the story of Jenni nee Michael Marsh, the transexual winemaker at Chrysalis that was threaded through the narrative, seemed melodramatic and oddly superfluous to the subject at hand. Point Rating: 75

Point Scale Breakdown:

100-95 -- Read it now.

94-90 -- Worth your time.

89-85 -- Nothing on TV.

84-75 -- Mow the lawn.