p i n o t B L A n C

Transcription

1 R o b e r t S i n s k e y V i n e y a r d s pinot BLANC 2011

2 Blanc in the USA... Bean Counters, White Wine and Rock n Roll! by Rob Sinskey Years ago, my accountant told me that ABC didn t stand for Anything But Chardonnay, but rather Always Bet on Chardonnay! Needless to say, he is no longer my accountant and we no longer grow Chardonnay. Wine is a business of passion. Playing by the numbers might be safe, but safe is not always the right approach... at least when it comes to creating interesting wine. 2 PINOT BLANC, 2011

3 This year at the SXSW music festival, The Boss gave an inspirational keynote speech geared toward young musicians, but its lessons can be applied to any craft, field or even life itself: Open your ears, open your hearts. Don t take yourselves too seriously and take yourself as seriously as death itself. Don t worry. Worry your ass off. Have iron clad confidence, but doubt! It keeps you awake and alert. Believe you are the baddest ass in town and you suck. It keeps you honest. Be able to keep two completely contradictory ideas alive and well in your heart and head at all times. If it does not drive you crazy it will make you strong. This statement rang true to me. I always tell new employees that they must take their work seriously, but not themselves. But more than that, always question why something is considered the norm and be willing to contradict it to create something unique... but be prepared because sometimes, you will suck! Then again, you might rock the house! If Chardonnay is the corporate rock band of wine, Pinot Blanc is the little indie band that could... it s all in the numbers. The total 2011 Napa Valley harvest of Pinot Blanc was a whopping 56.3 tons. This number sounds like a lot until you compare it with the 21,015 tons of Chardonnay harvested from the same geographic region. Why? Quite simply, because of price, hype and the media. A ton of Napa Valley Chardonnay commanded an average of $2,253 per ton last year. Pinot Blanc, on the other hand, sold for an average of $1,673. For the same effort, Chardonnay earned almost $600 more per ton. Any accountant looking at this report would say, plant Chardonnay! But we don t sell raw ingredients, we make wine; that is our performance! We aren t held to the same metric as a grower who sells grapes or a corporation who needs a mass appeal wine to satisfy their stockholders. The grapes RSV grows cost the same regardless of variety. This liberates us to pursue passion instead of just bottom-line. It s a DIY approach we grow it and make it the way we like it and hope there will be an audience for it. We are living in a post-authentic world, where authenticity is a house of mirrors.... the hype, the methods... and the story are second to what you bring when the lights go down. ~ Springsteen How do you rank a performance? Do you assume that heavy metal is louder so it s better? Do you believe the hype when someone tells you it s great when your own ears know better? Major critics of wine have traditionally approached rankings with a varietal bias and tend to ignore subtlety and authenticity. Wines of power (Chardonnay) trump wines of finesse (Pinot Blanc). It would be like trying to rate Hardcore Metal against Americana say Metallica against Wilco. Metallica plays louder and faster, so they win... but ultimately, which brings more pleasure? It all Believe you are the baddest ass in town and you suck. It keeps you honest. depends on how you roll. Personally, I m a Wilco kind of guy restraint with a quiet power that gets under your skin. You can play their latest album as dinner music or hunker down with headphones, taking in intelligent lyrics wrapped in sonic bliss. Pinot Blanc is our Wilco, under-appreciated yet respected; self-confident yet vulnerable. A serious wine that retains its sense of humor... and, it doesn t suck! When you walk on stage tonight... Treat it like it s all we have, and then remember it s only rock n roll. ~ Springsteen Thank you... Blanc on! 4 PINOT BLANC, 2011

4 Wine Growing Notes Tasting Notes The slogan for 2011 was: Twice the work for half as much! Spring rains came right when the whites and Pinot Noir were flowering, causing several challenges: a small fruit set, reemergence of cover crops and vigorous canopy growth. All the early rain meant lots of extra handwork. Leaf pulling became an art, encouraging air circulation without exposing the delicate grapes to potential sunburn late in the season. Then, there was the vigorous cover crop. Even our gluttonous sheep couldn t keep up with it, requiring us to mow again and again. Yes, we could have sprayed herbicides to save a buck or two, but that s not our style - and we have to live with ourselves. RSV s Pinot Blanc is all about growing it well and not messing it up in the cellar. Purity is the name of the game. RSV s organic and Biodynamic vineyards create beautiful fruit that need little but a long cool fermentation in stainless steel. It is simple perfection. A vibrant diamond-like yellow/green glint captivates the eye while aromas of peach blossom, mineral and almonds entice a sip. Explosive flavors of white peach and mandarin/ lime satisfy while the beautiful mouthfeel and amazingly long finish keep you coming back for more. It s a pretty little thing! (03/2012) 706 (12 x 375ml) half-bottle & 236 (6 x 1.5ml) magnum cases produced The growing season was long and cool for excellent whites, particularly if you prefer the more European styled wines with mouthwatering acidity and laser focus. The only downside is that the crop was down almost 40%. We apologize if we don t have enough to go around, but Mother Nature created the allocations this year. What, no regular size bottles? RSV s Pinot Blanc is only produced in half-bottles and magnums because we feel you should either start with it, or party with it... there is no in-between! 6 PINOT BLANC, 2011

5 A well made, delicious sandwich is one of the simple pleasures in life. When you add a glass of crisp Pinot Blanc to the mix, life takes on an air of perfection. A sip of Pinot Blanc and then a Simple things bite through the crisp, golden crust into the moist, white flakes of fish is like a thousand sighs. It s a delicious relief from the mundane sustenance we sometimes settle on, and oh, so good! The top note of tangy tartar partners just fine with the zing of the wine, so no worries about quashing flavors. And that is all I have to say! Until the next wine Maria PINOT BLANC,

6 Golden Fish Fry Sandwich A thick cut of absolutely fresh line-caught cod or filet of sole will assure success. You should be able to find Japanese panko breadcrumbs at your specialty supermarket or online. Warning: beware of hot gushing juices on first bite and remember to serve with lots of napkins... and maybe a bib. Serves 4 1 1/2 pounds 1 1/2-inch-thick cod filet, line caught Kosher salt 1 cup Japanese panko bread crumbs 1/2 cup all-purpose flour mixed with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika 1 large egg beaten with 1/2 teaspoon salt Extra virgin olive oil to fry 4 brioche or hamburger buns, split 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce 1. Cut the fish into 4 equal pieces, about 6 ounces each, season lightly with salt and let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. 2. Place the panko in a pie pan or other low-sided container. Follow suit with the egg and flour in separate containers. 3. Dip the fish in the flour, shake off excess then dip in egg. Roll to cover all sides. Let the excess drip off and then place in the panko and press lightly to coat well. 4. Place the breaded fish on a rack placed over a plate or sheet pan and let dry in the fridge uncovered for 20 minutes to make the coating extra crispy. This can be done up to 1 day in advance. Do not cover, or the coating will get soggy. 5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 6. Heat a 12 inch sauté pan over medium high heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and then the fish filets. Cook until golden on one side about 3 to 4 minutes, turn over, add 3 tablespoons more olive oil and cook until golden. 7. Place pan in the oven for 3 minutes or so, then remove pan from oven, remove the fish from the pan and place on a rack to rest for 3 minutes. 8. Put the bottom half of the buns on a serving plate. Divide the shredded lettuce between the buns. Place the fish on top and then divide the tartar evenly on top of the fish. Top with the bun and serve immediately. Tangy Tartar Tart, tangy and full of flavor, this sauce makes a great partner for any and all crispy seafood. Double the recipe if you like your sandwich drippy with sauce. Yield: about 1/2 cup 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons finely chopped cornichon 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon 2 teaspoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley 1/4 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1. Mix everything except the salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or so then season with salt and pepper to taste. 2. Make up to one day in advance. 10 PINOT BLANC, 2011

7 PINOT BLANC, 2011 Winemaker: Jeff Virnig Recipes: Maria Helm Sinskey Photos and Text: Rob Sinskey Vineyard Manager: Debby Zygielbaum Tasting Notes and Editing: RSV Group Effort Robert Sinskey Vineyards 6320 Silverado Trail Napa, California tel or