MacPhail Winery, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County

Part 2.  Read the back story and meet the wine…

Interview with James MacPhail, Winemaker, MacPhail Family Winery 

When did you start making wine, what was your position and with whom?  I started making my own wine in 2001 (it was a Merlot).  I was working at Pelligrini at that time – and that’s where Merry Edwards was making her wine before she built her own place.  I worked for both producers doing everything and anything that was asked of me.  There really wasn’t a name for it.  I guess “cellar rat” is the closest thing.

When did you start your own label?  2002

When did you partner with Hess? If you mean when was I contacted to be the winemaker for Sequana, that would be in the spring of 07.   If you mean when did Hess and MacPhail Family Wines come together, that would be June of 2011.

 How did that come about?  For 2007, I was on the list to be interviewed for Sequana. I went over with 3 bottles of my Pinot – no resume – and met with Dave Guffy.  We hit it off.  I got a call the next day and was offered the position.  If you mean 2011, that happened at the Taste of Vail event with CEO Gary Bulger – over a beer.

What are your favorite things to do when you are not making wine?  Sleep in, be with my family, go places and relax and soak up the sun.  Swim.  Go out with friends and try new places.

Do you have any goals or dreams in the winemaking business that you have yet to meet? If so, what are they?  I’d love to make wine in Argentina, do more research about this business; I’d like to teach.  It’s a never-ending quest.

Thanks James (& Kerry!), I finally got the answers to my burning questions. Regarding Argentina, interesting…everyone knows it’s my favorite place in the world (besides home). 

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White Oak Winery

The pretty Alexander Valley tucked into Sonoma County’s northern corner is quite different from its famous neighbors, Dry Creek Valley (filled with Zinfandel pursuers) and Russian River Valley (teaming with Pinot Noir collectors). There is a hidden, quiet, unassuming quality to the area.  Perhaps this is because the main road is dotted with occasional signs and driveways and most of the wineries are hidden from view.  It’s also a monoculture grape-growing region, so a big part of the area’s appeal is being surrounded by rows and rows of vineyards.

It”s easy and pleasant to get around this unhurried and uncrowded area, yet it’s also an ideal place to enjoy open-air transportation.  Unless you have your own convertible, your choices are a horse-drawn Wine Carriage or a customized Land-Rover called the Vine Rover.

The Wine Carriage takes you through the vineyards and includes a barrel tasting & cave tour at Alexander Valley Vineyards, guided tours, premium tastings and a gourmet picnic and tasting at White Oak Vineyards & Winery, Hannah Winery, or Soda Rock Winery.

Vine Rover Tours offers customized tours, VIP tastings, friendly and knowledgeable guides.  And because I’m a guide with Vine Rover Tours, I’ll introduce you to some of my favorite wineries.

To book Vine Rover Tours, call Jay (707) 838-1405.  For the Wine Carriage call Bret at (707) 849-8989. Both are available year-round as weather permits.

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Cachet. When I visit this winery, I feel like I’ve come home. The drive onto the property is lined with rose bushes. The parking lot draws you towards a multitude of excellent choices…walk straight to one of three tasting rooms, head for a shady picnic table near one of several ponds, tour the one-of-kind museum of California Mission models or visit the exotic birds on display in the aviaries. All of these choices and yet the atmosphere feels like you have walked into someone’s private farm…albeit a very lovely one that makes fabulous wine.

Wine. Cline wines come in five groupings: Oakley (from the San Joaquin Delta area), California (blends from various vineyards), Sonoma County, Ancient Vines, and Single Vineyards. With all these choices, there is something for everyone! The Oakley group is often a best buy from Wine Enthusiast. The California series has interesting wines like Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay, Viognier, Syrah (blend) and Cline’s well-known California Zinfandel. Ancient vines are popular in California, people love to talk about them. Cline has four wines in this group: Mourvedre Rose, Carignane, Mourvedre and Zinfandel. The single vineyard wines are my favorite with the Small Berry Mourvedre leading the pack.

People. Everyone that I have encountered at this winery has a happy and relaxed demeanor…tasting room staff, winemakers, management and visitors. I use the tasting room reserved for club members…the cutest little room with two to three enthusiastic, smiling people behind the counter. I think the intimacy of this room lends a tremendous amount to the convivial atmosphere. But of course, it comes down to the people. They are genuinely enthusiastic and seem to love their jobs. Once at a large event, my husband and I were chatting with winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos and he got so excited by all of our questions, he spontaneously led us on a private barrel tasting.

Getting there. If you have one day to visit and you choose Sonoma County, I recommend you start or end your day at Cline. Marin County (where I live) is beautiful so if you are coming from San Francisco or points north, take advantage and drive through Marin. From Hwy 101, (the unfortunate asphalt divider of Marin) take Hwy 37 (a stunning Marsh area) to Hwy 121. Follow the signs to Sonoma and you’ll soon find yourself in rolling pastures surrounded by cows, goats and hawks. This is the Carneros AVA. Cline is one of the first wineries (on the left).

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I have always been in awe of winemakers.  Amateurs making their own blends is an industry trend, e.g., Crushpad in San Francisco is very successful. Until now, I’ve happily sat on the sidelines (drinking fab wine).

I finally poked my beaker into the bottle so-to-speak at a corporate event where I was VIP Hostess.  The client had already chosen the wineries so I used my insider persuasion to organize the various events, get discounts and keep everyone on schedule.  We started at Ravenswood with Peter Griffith’s Blending Seminar. The guests learned the basics about acidity, sugar and tannins.  I helped translate that into “taste the three wines in front of you, decide what you think about them, then start mixing and tasting until you come up with your favorite”.

The group had a blast. They used every last minute to pour, play and taste.  When the time was up, Peter quickly bottled, corked and even hot waxed each guest’s personal blend to take home.

**(That’s me in the hat.)

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I attended a superb Wine Club Lunch at Paradise Ridge.  We were greeted at the Barrel Room by enthusiastic smiling women in Hawaiian dresses, and handed a lei and a glass of champagne (Blanc de Blanc!)  The party started at 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday and I hadn’t eaten yet so I was thrilled to find some fruit and sliced bakery items to go with the champagne.  I also was delighted to find a table with a game on it.  (Name that varietal – smell various scents, name the descriptors & then match it to a varietal.)

I tasted a Chardonnay & Pinot Noir in barrels.  Not only was the wine maker hosting the barrel tasting, notes were posted on the barrel. This detail gave me more time to understand each wine which increased my anticipation of its bottling.  They were also pouring two new releases and had plenty of small bites to go with it.

One of my favorite parts of the event’s first stage was the introductions of the family & the winery team.  They all seemed so friendly and accessible!  Summoned by the bell (silverware on a wine glass) we proceeded to the winery for lunch.

Assigned seats were labeled with our names on pretty envelopes.  Inside, a thank you note from Amanda McLain, the Wine Club Manager reminded us of past and future events including pairings with local produce from the Paradise Patch, sunsets in Paradise, the 2nd P.R. tasting room in Kenwood.

Lunch was first-class with lots of wine glasses and sparkling silver. I especially appreciated the Chef speaking.  (I love it when the Chef  comes out of the kitchen.)

I found Paradise.  Have you?

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Picking up wine from Michel Schlumberger & Quivira in Dry Creek Vally, Sonoma County.

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Courtesy of Kunde.com

When a winery describes their wines as ultra-premium, I fear the prices will start at $55 a bottle.  Not so with Kunde (rhymes with bundy); this family estate is wallet-friendly, welcoming and makes suburb wines. They use ultra-premium to describe the intense care and attention to detail that characterizes their wine making.  Learn more by watching the video (located on page right).

They have a new seated tasting paired with cheese.  It’s called the Kinnybrook Room but it is actually in the tasting room which keeps it festive and comfortable.  I always say if you can taste food with wine…go for it…it’s worth the price of admission.

I bought several wines during my last visit (search on Kunde for my posts).  Their website has a lovely recipe feature; I’m going to try their chicken wings with the 2004 Syrah. I highly recommend this winery.  It’s beautiful inside and out, and all visitors will find something to enjoy.

One last tip from Tulip, Jeff Kunde leads Eco-Tours including Eco Tour Dog Hikes.  Now that’s something to yap about!

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I have to have that forest floor on my Pinot Noir. Ann, Tasting Room, Artesa Winery

She’s serious actually.  This unusual and spectacular situated winery is built into the hillside in the Carneros region of Napa Wine Country.  The family pulls from impressive vineyards on both sides of the Mayacamas mountain range from which the winemaker, Mark Beringer*, makes exceptional wines.

They have several unique tours including a new cheese and wine tasting.  Be sure and order a glass of bubbly ($10) after your tasting and enjoy the terrace and the views all the way to San Francisco.

*I met Mark when I was an advisor to a Napa nonprofit and he sat on the board.  He struck me as kind, thoughtful, dedicated and extremely business-saavy. Through a series of twists and turns, he was introduced to David, a good friend of my family’s and they became very close. Sadly, David died a few years later.  Mark made a big effort to fly in for the service even though he had been traveling overseas nonstop for weeks. I don’t know Mark well, but that type of grace touched my heart.

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As I criss-cross through the wine country, enthusiastic tasting room staff, winemakers and owners share their winery’s rich histories, explain their wine making philosophy and welcome me and my friends to their home-away-from-home.

One of my favorite wineries is Robledo Family Winery. Mr. Robledo is only in his late 50′s and has enjoyed a 30+year career in wine making for some of the biggest players in California.  He has nine grown children, all of which live with 15 minutes of each other.

The story is wonderful and romantic but best of all, their wine is excellent!  Larry Robledo, our tasting room host, was warm and genuine. His mom is responsible for the winemaker dinners and I’m really looking forward to learning more about Mexican dishes and wine pairing.

You can read about them on the Robledo web site but better yet, visit their tasting room, meet Mamacita and a few of the brothers and sisters, see the Robledo’s wedding photos and enjoy their yummy wines.

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Do you like to get off the beaten path, away from the touristas?  Cambria, outside of the Paso Robles appellation is half-way between San Francisco and Los Angeles.  4 1/2 hours from the Bay Area, it’s not a day trip.  Cambria is a quiet little village that is a great place to rent a house for a week and go winery-hopping.

Harmony Cellars sits on a ridge just outside of the village.  It is the main attraction in a town called Harmony, population 18.  Harmony has advertised itself as a tourist destination for many years, but honestly, it has seen better days.  The winery, however, is not touristy, quite the opposite.  The family has been there 150 years. (They are part of the population 18.)

Tulip and I loved the staff and I tasted all of their wines. I especially like the reds.  They even have a Port that they serve with a chocolate-covered blueberry.  I bought wine and a sack of the berries! Go visit, it’s a lot of fun.

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