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What We Say 2008 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc
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Mission Codename: Live and Let Live, Part Two
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Return to Trecini Cellars and return with the perfect Summertime refresher
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Trecini Cellars
Wine Subject: 2008 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Winemaker: Dan Barwick
Backgrounder: Sauvignon Blanc originally hails from the Loire Valley in France, but has found new homes in other parts of France (Bordeaux, where it is blended with Sauternes); New Zealand, and specifically the Marlborough region as well as California. It is generally dry and crisp with flavors of apples, pears and tropical fruit and tends to have bright acidity that lends itself well to pairing with spicy foods.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Gorgeous pale straw yellow in color with perfectly clear and consistent color, right out to the edges of the glass. The springy surface of this wine settles very quickly after a good swirl, leaving behind tightly-packed, skinny legs that emerge quickly before streaking down the glass
Smell – Medium intensity on the nose with aromas of soft dried hay, soft grass, fresh citrus, subtle herbs and soft minerals. These aromas are balanced atop tropical notes of pineapple and starfruit, with a soft minerality
Feel – Soft and round on the entry, then crisp and slightly very slightly dry, with soft tannins that emerge with a slight minerality that evolves slowly in the mouth
Taste – Bright, crisp and fresh with flavors that closely echo the nose. These flavors are also accompanied by distinct soft lime, acacia, pineapple and subtle pink grapefruit
Finish – Clean and crisply fresh, the finish is soft and mouth-watering, with flavors that fall off slowly from tart to sweet as an easy minerality is revealed
Conclusion – This delicious and easy-drinking 2008 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a delightful wine that is a pleasure to drink. With a few weeks of Summertime remaining, now is the perfect time for this tasty and budget-minded wine. We love wines from our friends at Trecini Cellars. Always, they are refined, balanced and a very tasty companion to a great meal. If you are looking for light-hearted but interesting white, this wine comes highly recommended. We enjoyed ours with grilled chicken and baked red potatoes. Delicious!
Mission Report:
WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER_
SUBJECT: Dan Barwick, Winemaker
PLACE OF BIRTH: Dover, England
WINE EDUCATION: Hands in vineyards and wineries on 4 continents, basic chemistry at Davis
CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: Sonoma County vineyard and winemaking consultant
WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: Work with the vineyards, and get to know them, fine tune where necessary – low alcohols where possible, high acid
SIGNATURE VARIETAL: Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon
WINEMAKER QUOTE: “Wine should be enjoyed with food and friends and not judged in flights of 40”
WINEMAKER INTERVIEW
AGENT RED: Greetings, Dan. We are thrilled to be showing your 2008 Trecini Sauvignon Blanc today. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.
DAN: My pleasure, Red!
RED: Was there a specific experience in your life that inspired your love of wine?
DAN: I have worked with food since I was 16, I love food, and wine makes almost everything taste better.
RED: And where did you learn the most about winemaking?
DAN: In the vineyard and in wineries throughout the world, tasting a lot of different wines and asking a lot of questions and listening
RED: What is your winemaking style or philosophy?
DAN: Food friendly, lower alcohol. Sometimes the best Peach of the year is that first one you taste, where it’s just ripe enough, the fruit is fresh and piercing the texture is almost luscious and definitely mouthwatering. The same theory can follow with the time you harvest grapes – Riper is just not better. The riper the grape the less varietal distinctiveness it will have, and even less sense of place, ‘Terroir’.
RED: What wine or winemaker has most influenced your winemaking style?
DAN: Burgundy, Alsace, South Australia.
RED: How long have you been making wine?
DAN: 19 harvests
RED: Who do you make wine for?
DAN: Myself and people who love to enjoy eating and drinking.
RED: Tell me, what makes the Russian River Valley so special?
DAN: Russian River, and all of Sonoma County. Massive diversity in soils, climates, vineyard techniques and its people.
RED: What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone that is considering a career as a winemaker?
DAN: The more you Care – the better the wine.
RED: What is occupying your time at the winery these days?
DAN: Getting ready for 2009 harvest
RED: Please tell me a little bit about the wine we are featuring today
DAN: The Trecini Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, delicious, flavorful, complex and it’s an outstanding Sauvignon Blanc.
RED: What is your favorite pairing with today’s wine?
DAN: Fish, chicken, vegetables, or even pasta with clams.
RED: Please share one thing about yourself that few people know
DAN: My real name is Jonathan
RED: Interesting. We’ll have to explore that at a later date! What is your favorite ‘everyday’ or table wine?
DAN: RRV Sauvignon Blanc
RED: How would you recommend that people approach your wines, or wine in general?
DAN: Complexity is my thing so with each sip and glass you have the wine evolves and different aromas, flavors, textures greet you. And with food all of this is amplified. Life is good
RED: If you could choose any one wine to drink (regardless of price or availability), what would it be?
DAN: Burgundy
RED: What is the one question that I should have asked you, and what is your answer to that question?
DAN:Favorite food – Prosciutto, for flavor and texture
RED: Thank you so much for your time. We learned a lot about you – and about your wine. Keep up the great work, we are big fans!
DAN: You are welcome!
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Trecini Cellars’ Vicini Vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Trecini Cellars
About This Wine:
This is a classic Sauvignon Blanc with a lovely nose that’s full of grassy and citrus notes with underlying tropical fruits and freshly dried herbs. The mouth-feel of this young wine is both vibrant and refreshing from the natural petillance left over from the fermentation and this fruits keen acidity.
The flavors mirror the aromatics and fill the mouth with a persistent and complex array of juicy fruits. Our Sauvignon Blanc has never let you down, and this year, it is absolutely outstanding.
Harvest Notes: This classic wine from the cooler climes of Sonoma County will enhance a broad spectrum of full flavored dishes. Try a salad of fresh greens, topped with citrus segments and soft fresh goat cheese and a sprinkling of candied pecans. This wine would also serve as the perfect aperitif in those late afternoons from those first warm days of spring right through to balmy heat of the late summer as we see the next vintages grapes ripen and we anticipate our next harvest in 2009.
Tasting Notes: A Classic Sauvignon Blanc nose is full grassy and citrus notes with underlying tropical fruits and freshly dried herbs. The mouth- feel of this young wine is both vibrant and refreshing, from the natural petilance left over from the fermentation and this fruits keen acidity. The flavors mirror the aromatics and fill the mouth with a persistent and complex array of juicy fruits.
Vintage Notes: The weather in 2008 was superb for growing cool climate whites. A long cool summer was topped off in late August with a heat spell that brought additional fruit characteristics to these grapes.
Winemakers Notes: The grapes were handpicked in the early am and gently whole cluster pressed to SS tanks where they were cold settled, using natural enzymes. After 60 hours they were racked off the solids and inoculated with specially selected yeasts – Eperney 2 and BA 11. The grapes were fermented at a very cool temperature for over 4 months. Bottling date – February 2009.
About Our Winery:
From the historical town of Jera, in Tuscany, Italy, John Vicini brought with him the passion and love of wine that were handed from one generation to another for over 150 years. Now living and working with Cathy, his wife, and David, their son, they bring to you exceptional wines from the gently rolling vineyard covered hills of Sonoma County, the Russian River, and the Dry Creek Valley. Starting in 1994, John and Cathy grew and sold their own premium Russian River grapes. In 1999 they expanded their family’s business to developing and introducing their own label Trecini, representing the three Vicinis (John, Cathy, and David). With the help of David, Trecini has grown from a premium grape grower to a premium wine company offering five award winning varietals, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Merlot, Merlot Rosé, and a Zinfandel.
Meet our Winemaker
Dan Barwick
In 1981, Dan Barwick, a native of England, took his first wine job in the wine department of Harrods in London. “That’s where a wine germ settled and stayed in my head until I was ready to discover more,” says Barwick. After a short stint in wholesale wine sales, Barwick hopscotched around the wine world for nine years, first a Matanzas Creek Winery in Sonoma’s Bennett Valley, then Ferrai-Carano, over a Burgundy and then Stellenbosch and the Barossa Valley, before coming back to Sonoma County and Martin Ray Winery, and finally Paadise Ridge where he started working with Trecini Cellars. SInce 1999, Dan has made seven consecutive vintages of Trecini Cellars and looks forward to introducing new, creative, and extremely favorful wines.
Our Family
John Vicini, Proprietor, Wine Making
John’s fondest memory is at age 6, walking with his grandfather through the plush fields of vines in Tuscany, Italy, as he listened to the story about how the grapes were grown and how to take care of them. He grew up watching the village men make wine and listened to the stories on Sunday in the plaza about who could make wine better than the other. Everyone had their own secret method. John learned early on that the method used was the secret to making a wine distinctive from the other wines. He brought this secret with him to the United Sates when he came here at age 29. After 27 years as a proprietor of one of the finest Italian restaurants in Santa Rosa, California, John retired and was finally able to start his own vineyard, and begin his dream to make his own wine with his wife Cathleen, and their son David.
Cathy Vicini, _Proprietor, Finances_
Cathy is the glue. Not only does she help couples and families out while working as a Family and Child Therapist, Cathy helps keep John and David in-line. When not helping families, she is helping her own family by managing the office, maintaining customer satisfaction, as well as ordering and shipping the wine. Just for fun, and to get out of the office, she loves to pour at various wine events to meet everyone. You can always recognize Cathy by her Trecini grape appliquéd shirt.
David Vicini, Proprietor, Business and Socializing
David is our all around guy. Pretty much anything we think of or have to do, he does. Good times. All in all, he’s just happy to be here. From web design, tastings, shows, managing sales, etc.. etc… he is involved with it all. If you see him don’t be afraid and say hello, its his job to be nice to everyone and engage in all forms of communication. He may even offer you a glass of one of the award winning wines from Trecini Cellars.
Technical Analysis:
Alcohol: 13.2%
Appellation: Dry Creek
Sub-Appellation: Russian River
Bottling Date: February 04, 2009
Oak: 80% Stainless Steel, 20% Neutral Oak
Release Date: February 13, 2009
Year: 2008
