Here’s a surprising statistic:
70% of the 250 million cases of wine sold in the U.S. is controlled by families. This is an estimate by David Freed, chairman of Napa-based wine industry financer The UCC Group, quoted in the North Bay Business Journal report, “Wine Industry in midst of new wave of buyouts” (Jeff Quackenbush, Oct. 15, 2007). What makes that percentage so large? The huge wine mega-business, Constellation Brands, is family operated.
Two hand crafted reds from the Sierra Foothills Madroña Vineyards
Madroña 2006 Cardanini Vineyard Syrah
• This wine was recently bottled and has not yet been submitted to competitions or for review.
• A luscious mouthful of black fruit, including blueberries and blackberries. Nicely structured, its tannins are soft and invite another glass.
• All of the fruit for this Syrah was grown at the Cardinini Vineyard next door to Madroña. “We offered to tend the vineyard for Linda Cardanini several years ago, and it works out well,” notes Paul.
• After hand harvest, fruit was fermented at the winery just steps away. It underwent some extra time on the skins for color and texture.
• This Syrah aged nine months in neutral oak. “I believe wines focused on fruitiness, like Syrah and Zinfandel, need very little new oak character. It can muck up the balance of the wine very easily.”
• Madroña has bottled Syrah since 1997, but this is its first vintage from the Cardanini Vineyard.
• Excellent with peppered steak, sausage, or spicy stews.
• Enjoy now or hold 3-5 years. “If you have balance in the wine it will hold the wine together as it ages out. A wine with incredible fruit but without the balance will fall apart quickly.”
• Alcohol: 14.8%
Total Acidity: 0.52 gm/100ml
pH: 3.84
Cases Produced: 1298 cases
Bottling Date: October 22, 2007
Release Date: January 1, 2007
Madroña 2006 Estate Grown Zinfandel
• Like the Syrah, this wine was recently bottled and has not yet been submitted to competitions or for review.
• A Zinfandel with a heady nose of black and red berry fruit that introduce more of the same in your glass. Weighty in the mouth, with a friendly, smooth finish.
• This wine was grown at Cardanini Vineyard next door to Madroña as well. The vines were trained and tended by Madroña who used a trellising system like a vertical cordon, differing from the traditional “goblet” trellising for Zin. “There is great sun exposure all around the vine, and the fruit is gorgeous,” notes Paul. “It takes lots of hand work, but it’s worth it.”
• After hand harvest, fruit was crushed, cold-soaked, fermented and kept on the skins for 11 days. Paul gently irrigated the “cap” that formed over the wine “to soften the tannins and make a more approachable wine.”
• This Zin spent six months in neutral oak.
• A good companion with venison, a Jack cheese sandwich, spicy barbecue, eggplant lasagna.
• Enjoy now, or hold for 3-5 years. “This is a very ageable wine,” notes Paul.
• Alcohol: 15.6%
Total Acidity: 0.53gm/100ml
pH: 3.81
Cases Produced: 1292 cases
Bottling Date: September 19, 2007
Release Date: January 1, 2007
A loyal Rotta customer, Zoe, supplied this recipe to go with Rotta Cabernet Sauvignon. “I got the Baked Ziti recipe about three years ago, but it called for bottled spaghetti sauce and I don't do bottled spaghetti sauce, so I put it together my way. I have been making the pasta sauce for about 30 + years I tweak it from time to time. In fact, I just got a request to make it for my daughter's friend's baby shower.”
Baked Ziti
1 pound dry ziti pasta (or penne pasta)
6 ½ cups pasta sauce (recipe below)
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8
minutes; drain.
2 In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add pasta sauce, and simmer
15 minutes.
3 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream,
1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture.
Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4 Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
Zoe’s Pasta Sauce
Note: For most robust flavors, make the sauce a day ahead of time, before you make the casserole
1 lb. Italian sausage (casings removed)
2 Tbl. Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbl. Italian seasoning
1 large can tomato puree (28 oz.?)
2 cans tomato paste (or 1 large)
1 Tbl. Sugar
2 bay leaves
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 cups water + or - (or half water and half good red wine)
Brown sausage, add olive oil, onion and garlic – sauté until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Use amounts of water and wine to your taste and the consistency you like. Simmer (the longer the better) and remove bay leaves before use. Or – use two 26 oz. jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce,
Enjoy with your Rotta Cabernet Sauvignon. Salud!
U.S. Per Capita Wine Consumption Picks Up Speed
Though wine drinkers now outnumber beer drinkers for the first time in U.S. history, winemakers take heed: our wine train has been very slow to leave the station and lags far behind other countries.
1934: the year after Prohibition, just 0.26 gallons of wine were consumed per American.
1946: Consumption jumped to 1.00 gallons – but dropped back to 0.67 gallons the next year!
1967: Twenty-one years later, it reached 1 gallon again —1.03 gallons of wine per American. Maybe thank the hippies for that.
1980: We topped the 2 gallon mark at 2.11. During the decade, Americans went wild with 2.43 gallons of wine per year, but by 1989, dropped back down to the starting point, 2.11!
1990-1999: In 1990, we were each drinking 2.05 gallons, but kept drinking less through most of the decade. 1999 saw us drop to 2.02 gals.
2000 – 2004 The new century saw a steady uptick in wine consumption—in 2005, at 2.37 gallons. Still not as high as 1985, 1986, or 1987—but chugging along.
2005 – We break the 3 gallon barrier weighing in at 3.09 gallons. Maybe thank the “Millennials” for that, those 20-29-year-olds who have embraced wine enthusiastically.
Our Wine Train vs. Others
U.S. 3.09 gallons
Italy: 16 gallons per capita
France: 14 gallons
Australia: 5+ gallons
Two delicious wines from Rotta Winery, one of Paso Robles’ pioneer wineries
2005 “Paso Robles” Cabernet Sauvignon
• The ’04 vintage won a Gold Medal from the Beverage Testing Institute, but no awards were available for the ’05 at the time of publication.
• Dark berry aromas and flavors, and a touch of oak, greet the lover of Cabernet Sauvignon in this Paso Robles bottling. A lush creaminess on the palate leads to an easy first place finish in your glass.
• Fruit for this wine came from the Rainbow’s End Vineyard in the Paso Robles appellation 10 miles northeast of Rotta Winery. “We have sourced this vineyard for four years now,” notes Mike.
• Grapes were hand harvested from September 19th – 21st, 2005.
• Fruit was carefully sorted, then cold-soaked for two days before fermentation with Prise de Mousse yeast for seven days. The wine spent a total of 15 days on the skins to absorb maximum color, flavor and aromatics.
• This red completed malolactic (secondary) fermentation in stainless steel tanks and was then racked to French and American oak barrels for one year. It aged an extra four months in the bottle prior to release.
• ”Three percent Petite Sirah was added just before bottling for “color, firmness and backbone,” says Mike.
• Enjoy now or hold up to 12 years “if you can stand to let it go that long!”
• A great companion to hearty fare such as pot roasts, venison stew, meat lasagna.
• Alcohol: 13.12%
T.A.: 0.65 g/100ml
pH. 3.60
Cases Produced: 1,300
Bottling Date: December 20, 2007
Release Date: April 2008
2006 “Monterey” Chardonnay
• The ’05 vintage won a Bronze Medal at the Beverage Institute World Value Wine Challenge. This ‘06 was recently released so there are no awards or reviews available.
• Tropical and pineapple do a samba in the nose and on the palate of this classy Chardonnay. Oak does a little turn too, with crispness marking the beat.
• A dry-farmed Chardonnay vineyard in the Monterey County appellation supplied the fruit for this Chardonnay.
• Fruit was machine picked in the middle of the night to keep grapes cold.
• Winemaker Marco Caporale cold-soaked the fruit for one night before fermentation. Juice was inoculated with Geisenheim yeast and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Cold temperatures preserved the wine’s fruity character.
• All of the wine underwent malolactic (secondary) fermentation for a creamy mouthfeel.
• This Chardonnay aged six months on the lees in French oak barrels. This allowed it to extract more body from the lees.
• It was bottle aged three months prior to release.
• Oysters, crab salad, oven-baked halibut and fried chicken make this Chardonnay a star.
• Enjoy now or hold up to three years.
• Alcohol: 13.33%
T.A.: 0.68 g/100ml
pH. 3.59
Cases Produced: 1,300
Bottling Date: January 3, 2008
Release Date: April 2008
Name: Rotta Winery, Giubbini Vineyard
Location: Templeton, Paso Robles
Established: 1908
Owner: Mike Giubbini
Winemaker: Marco Caporale
Annual Case Production: 17,000
Website: www.rottawinery.com
CWC wines featured: 2005 “Paso Robles” Cabernet Sauvignon; 2006 “Monterey” Chardonnay
GOT HISTORY?
During winters as a 12-year-old, when Mike Giubbini was elbow-deep in cold soapy water cleaning glass jugs for Rotta Winery, he never imagined that the winery owned by his grandparents would one day become his life’s focus. Located mid-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco in Paso Robles, Rotta was one of the first three wineries in a region that now boasts more than 200+ wineries.
A Frenchman named Adolph Siot started the winery in 1856, then sold it to Joe Rotta in 1908. In turn, Joe sold it to his brother Clement Rotta in the 1920s. In the 1930s, Clement applied for a bond and began making robust Zinfandel from his old vines.
Mike’s grandparents operated the winery until the 1970s when they sold it. “They didn’t want their grandchildren having to work so hard,” Mike says. “In the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, wine here wasn’t what it is today. And our family already had its hands full since we farmed 600 acres of barley and also had a trucking business.”
Today, a modern winery is rising beside the old cistern and foundation walls of the original stone building that was one of the first pioneers in Paso Robles. No one would be more surprised at Mike’s resurrection of Rotta than his late grandparents.
IN THE BLOOD
With a winery in the family, wine was on the table as Mike grew up. “I remember my grandma would use her cane to walk over to the tasting room 50 feet away to get a half gallon of wine out of the cellar.” Mike’s uncle would give the kids 7-up with wine. A little wine at lunch and dinner was a good prelude to the hard work that would follow. “They were good old Italians, from the old country, and they worked like hell,” Mike recalls. So did Mike. “I learned to drive the tractor, and later, my son did too. We heard the stories of how Grandpa Clement would work the vineyard with mules, and when it was lunchtime, those mules knew to head right to the barn for their feed.”
In the days when wine was barely on the radar in Paso Robles, the family tended their 40 acres of vines, including the old vine Zinfandel that was their hallmark. When it came time to sell the place, Mike never imagined it would one day come back to him….
A NEW DAY FOR ROTTA
Rotta’s buyers ended up not paying for it, and in 1985, the family took it back. At the time, Mike was a fire captain for the California Department of Forestry. In 1990, he returned to the property with his wife and children and began the long, slow process of reviving its neglected vineyard. “Most of the Zin had to be replanted, and we also planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.” He also has rights to farm five acres of 60-year-old Zin planted by the Pesenti family. From 1992 to 2002, Mike sold his Zin to Niels Udsen at Castoro Winery. “He made Giubbini Vineyard kind of famous, with a vineyard designate. But I always told Niels once I got my winery going, he probably wouldn’t get any of my fruit anymore.”
That day has come…
THE OLD & THE NEW
After 33 years as a fire captain, Mike is now full-time at Rotta as he works to complete a new 5,000 sq. ft. crush facility. It includes a tasting room with a window for viewing cellar work that will replace his current site on hwy. 46 west. Though Mike had to tear down most of the old winery due to earthquake codes, he plans to rebuild the winery much as it was in 1909. At Rotta, you will find the old and the new, side-by-side, along with Merlot, Reserve Merlot, Zinfandel, Zinfandel Rose, Muscat Canelli, Zinfandel Port, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon (our CWC selection), Chardonnay (our CWC selection) and Black Monukka dessert wine. “As far as I know, we are the only ones that make Black Monukka, a grape that came from Spain to the Central Valley in the early ‘40s. It’s won quite a few gold medals.”
Mike sources his wines from his estate, Paso Robles and Monterey County. Marco Caporale, a local winemaker who has a degree from U.C. Davis, advises Mike and his cellar master, Mike Sanchez, on every step of production. “Marco grew up in Paso Robles and knew my uncle when he was making wine here,” notes Mike. It’s another thread of history at Rotta, where a family’s wine heritage lives on! Before June, visit Rotta at their tasting room at 3750 Hwy. 46 West, Templeton, CA 93465, (805)237-0510. After June 2008, drive to their tasting room at 250 Winery Road, Templeton or email info@rottawinery.com. Salud, to history!
If you want to attend THE wine country event, try getting tickets for the Napa Auction in early June. Last year, attendees raised $9.8 million, with a record set for a single bid by John Thompson of Woodside California. He paid $1.4 million for the Staglin Family Vineyard lot. That included a luxurious trip to Napa Valley and Italy, wine, and a Maserati Garen Staglin offered up at the last minute to anyone bidding more than $1 million. Other auction lots included wine from legends like Screaming Eagle and Harlan; four vintage cars, including the first Lexus hybrid luxury sedan ever; dancing lessons from celebrities from “Dancing with the Stars”; a walk-on role in the t.v. series “Ugly Betty”; and vacations to Montana and elsewhere. Comedian Dana Carvey was master of ceremonies—we don’t know who will be onstage this year.
300 Main St.
Placerville, CA 95667
Ph: 530.622.4271
Email: hchh@cwnet.com
Madroña
Vineyards
Location:
Established: Vineyards planted in 1973
Winery built in 1980
Owner: The Bush Family
Winemaker: Paul Bush
Annual Production: 12,000 cases
Website: www.MadronaVineyards.com
Our CWC Wines: Madroña 2006 Estate Grown Zinfandel; Madroña 2006 Cardanini Vineyards
Syrah
AWARD-WINNING VARIETY
The little winery in the woods above
Madroña wines have also won the hearts of a loyal group
of followers who are ever ready to experiment and try something different. They’ll
certainly find it among the 23 wines Paul makes. New on the block are his sparkling Yellow
Muscat aperitif, Viognier and new clones of Syrah and Zinfandel (our CWC
selections) with which he’s always wanted to play. “We’ve been making Zin since 1979, but I
haven’t used this clone before. It’s
more fruit-oriented, with a great mid-palate. The Syrah is also different than
our cool-climate standard; it has the great blueberry flavors in the forefront
rather than our traditional spice characters.” Recently, Paul also added a “Black Label” line of bottlings selected
from “special barrels.”
BALANCING ACT
Madrona has indeed matured, but it hasn’t come without
effort. Paul and his wife, Maggie, are raising two small children as they
operate the winery his parents built. They manage a staff of 13 and oversee 32 acres of vines around the
winery; a 10-acre site next door; and 35 acres in
nearby. In 2002, Paul took over the
winemaking, with former Madroña winemaker Hugh Chappelle consulting. “We wanted to get the winemaking back into
the family so we could focus on the style that identifies our philosophy. And since we grow all of our own fruit, we
are in the luxurious position of being able to craft a wine we truly believe
in.”
With their success has come the pressure to expand
Madroña’s 12,000-case production. They
could easily do so, since they have only planted 35 acres of the 240-acre
SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE
Keeping the winery small sustains a lifestyle the Bush
family treasures. Sustainability is also
on their minds in the cellar and in the vineyard. Paul works to reduce the winery’s “carbon
footprint” (the measure of how much carbon dioxide a business releases into the
atmosphere) with fixes like converting to 100% solar power, electric forklifts
and even planting avocado trees to absorb carbon dioxide. In addition, through careful planning,
Madroña’s solar system not only produces electricity but also insulates the
wine storage building from direct summer sun and harsh winter storms. This in turn saves even more
electricity. Out in the vineyard,
Madrona sets up owl nesting boxes, recycles wastewater for irrigation and
relies on moisture probes. “This year, we had
to water the vines only once,” states Paul. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to know that conservation makes great
business sense as well.”
While Madroña’s tasting room bustles, so do neighboring
fruit and vegetable stands, Christmas tree farms and jam and jelly counters of
this unusual wine country. “The strength
of our region is its diversity,” Paul says. “Cherry lovers buy wine. Wine
lovers buy apples. It’s an agricultural
ecosystem of sorts that allows small, family farming to prosper in such a
beautiful setting.” The cornucopia of
the land’s bounty continues to spill forth, making a harvest visit to Madroña a
time for peaches and apple pie as well as Syrah and Zinfandel. The Bush family is ready to greet you, with a
glass of outstanding wine, at
