Tag Archives: California

Rediscovering an old sparkling friend, the wines of Scharffenberger Cellars

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In late 2002, I had a proposal hearing with my dissertation committee. It was December and thus, holiday season, and I wanted to show my appreciation to them for ensuring that our meeting happened before year end. And what better way to say thank you than with bubbles? Around that time, we had become familiar with the sparkling wines from Pacific Echo. It was before we really knew a lot about wine other than the fact that we really enjoyed it, but we knew a good thing when we tasted it and it was a pleasure to share these wines with others. Thus, I ordered a half case from my local wine store and brought the bottles with me to campus, where it was well received by my committee members.

We continued to drink Pacific Echo’s wines periodically throughout the years, purchasing them from the same local shop, until one day, they no longer carried it and we were unable to find it elsewhere. We were definitely disappointed. But, all was not lost. It turned out that Pacific Echo had previously been known as Scharffenberger Cellars and, thanks to another shift in ownership in 2004, was, once again, hailing under that name.

Initially launched in 1981 by John Scharffenberger, the winery was focused on sparkling wine from its very beginning. John specifically choose the Anderson Valley, within California’s Mendocino County, as the ideal place to grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for this purpose. At the time, the valley was just gaining momentum as a quality wine area, with a bid for official recognition as an American Viticultural Area requested in 1982. However, it began to garner attention for the quality of its wines, which did well in its vineyards, thanks to new clones that could reliably ripen in the region’s cool, maritime climate. (Read the Anderson Valley’s full history here.)

Photo courtesy of Scharffenberger Cellars

More specifically, given the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the resulting fog, the area is very conducive to these two grape varieties, ensuring that they maintain good  acidity. Thus, it is not surprising that Champagne producers found the region equally attractive for these same reasons. In particular, in 1989, Champagne Pommery partnered with John Scharffenberger, who eventually sold his portion of the company in 1995. In April 2000, it was Cliquot, Inc., Scharffenberger’s new marketing agent who changed the name to Pacific Echo to reflect the winery’s dedication to the Anderson Valley.

But, a few years later, in 2004, the winery was acquired yet again, this time becoming a member of the Roederer Collection, under the aegis of Champagne house Maison Louis Roederer, who had established itself in the Anderson Valley as early as 1982, with the production of its sparkling wine facility, Roederer Estate. And, as noted above, they restored the Scharffenberger moniker with its acquisition.

Yet, despite the numerous changes in ownership, there have been far fewer shifts in the winery itself. In this regard, Tex Sawyer served a winemaker from 1989 through 2018, at which point Jeff Jindra took over, becoming only the third winemaker in the winery’s history. With this consistency in winemaking leadership, it is no wonder that the winery continues to consistently produce high quality wines, irrespective of the name on the label. Accordingly, the wines remain well made and well appreciated, earning top marks from both Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits magazines (and others). Moreover, at less than $25 for the Brut and $30 the Rose, these are fabulous finds for the money.

TASTING NOTES
Scharffenberger Cellars Brut, Mendocino County (CA), USA, $24
I spent this past August observing my own made-up celebration: 31 days of pleasure. This meant that each day of the month included at least one intentional act of pleasure. Options were, of course, endless, but admittedly most of my choices centered around food and wine. On one occasion I chose to indulge in caviar, which paired beautifully with this wine, which spent about two years on the lees. It had a lovely mousse, with persistent bubbles, with aromas and flavors of apple, brioche, butter and yeast, culminating in long length.

Scharffenberger Cellars Rose, Mendocino County (CA), USA, $30
Although you never need a specific occasion or excuse to open up a bottle of sparkling wine, July 4th was the perfect opportunity to share the Scharffenberger Rose with dear friends while watching fireworks from their rooftop. With a stunning pale salmon hue, this wine displayed yeasty and toasty notes, along with cherries and berries. The effervescence was well integrated, and overall the wine was refreshing, lovely, and elegant, with long length.

Blue Bin wines’ positive impact on the environment

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I first became familiar with the Ron Rubin Winery during the pandemic (See story from June 2020) as I sipped and savored his wine in my local park. I was impressed with the wines and enjoyed getting to know his story, as he pursued his lifelong dream of making wine.

More recently, I was introduced to Ron’s latest venture: Blue Bin, which builds on his commitment to sustainability, verifiable performance, transparency and accountability.
This initial effort was codified with the achievement of BCorp certification in August 2022 (presently one of only 33 Certified B Corporation wineries in the world and 1 of 5 in California). For those less or unfamiliar, “B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.” (For more details on B Corp Certification, please see the organization’s website.)

Blue Bin’s claim to fame is that it is “The first premium wine bottle made from 100% recycled material in the United States”. More specifically, the fully recyclable is a hybrid of plastic, lined with Plasmax, an ultra-thin protective layer of glass. The result is packaging that is both lighter and shatterproof. 

Admittedly, the switch from glass to plastic might make the wine look unusual (and interestingly, when I brought a bottle to a holiday party, there was some concern that the bottle could be mistaken by the children present for a bottle of soda), but it is worth changing your perspective on what a bottle of wine should look like. In fact, one third of a wine’s carbon footprint is attributed to the glass bottles in which it is usually packaged. While glass is an excellent option for storing wine, it is also a heavy one and thus impacts shipping. Moreover, glass bottles are not always recycled in the United States, further complicating the problem.

Despite the unique packaging, Blue Bin’s wines are still well made wines and good examples of their respective grape varieties. At the moment, there are four wines made under the Blue Bin label: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rose, all produced with fruit sourced from California, utilizing sustainable growing practices.

So, in the end, the wines might look a little different, but there is no impact on the taste; only a positive impact on the environment. They taste like…wine (and good wine, at that)!

TASTING NOTES

Blue Bin Pinot Grigio 2022, California, USA, $15.00
Aromas and flavors of smoke and citrus, with a dry palate, bright acidity, medium body, culminating in long length.

Blue Bin Chardonnay 2022, California, USA, $15.00
Pear and honeysuckle greet the nose, this dry wine has nice acidity, ripe red apple and pear fruit and is medium bodied with good length.

Blue Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2022, California, USA, $15.00
An intense nose of herbal and citrus notes, this dry wine offers up bright acidity, medium+ body and long length.

Blue Bin Rose 2022, California, USA, $15.00
Redolent of cherries and melon, this wine is slightly off dry, with medium acidity,
medium body and flavors of ripe watermelon and berries, with long length.


The More the Merrier with Merry Edwards Wines

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Each year, I have the good fortune to hear from the PR person who represents Merry Edwards Winery offering me the opportunity to taste through the current selection of releases. And, every year, I gratefully accept and yet somehow take months to drink through the wines. I am a diligent and dependable person who meets deadlines at the office and yet these bottles linger in my wine cellar for months. Case in point, I received this latest set of wines in late May and yet here it is mid-September and I have only just finished tasting the last of the wines this week. Why?

Why indeed? I gave this quite some thought as the item to taste (and then write) about these wines languished on my “to do” list month after month.

Well, for one thing, I generally prefer to taste these wines alongside a lovely meal, share them with friends and family or both. These are special wines that I truly enjoy drinking with good company, eager to give others the opportunity to taste them as well. In this regard, I sometimes wait for the “perfect” dinner or the “special” occasion rather than just opening them up on a random Tuesday with leftovers. And, while there is nothing wrong with this in theory, in practice it means that lots of time lapses in between tastings.

Recognizing this propensity in myself, I chose to adopt a different philosophy over the past two weeks. We are likely all familiar with the phrase “Life’s too short to drink bad wine,” but it is true in that life is too short… period. End of sentence. We should celebrate the time we have and enjoy it to the best of our abilities. For some (myself included), the price point on these wines means that you can only indulge in them occasionally, but really, while these are, indeed, special wines, they don’t require a special occasion or the perfect moment to drink them. Thus, in accordance with this new approach, I changed tactics and drank the last three bottles in close proximity to each other. I was now done with tasting and could move on to writing. 

In this regard, I often write about the climate and soil of the vineyards where the grapes for these wines are grown (see here for previous stories), which is relevant given that five of the wines below are of the same grape variety and it is their distinct environment that sets them apart from one another and accounts for many of the differences among them. But, at the end of the day, it is what the wine tastes like in your glass that has the most meaning, irrespective of microclimates and soil types.

Thus, what is perhaps more important to you, the reader, is identifying the style of the resulting wine and equally critical, the set and setting in which one drinks it. We all have preferences for different styles of wine, all of which are valid. Taking time to savor the aromas and flavors, seeing how the wine develops in the glass over the course of one’s meal and simply being in a great frame of mind — whether alone or joined by others — all contribute to our enjoyment, much more so than the formality of the meal or day of the week.

So, here are my tasting notes for each of these wines, along with the set and setting (to the best of my recollection as I wasn’t planning on including that information). I hope you will find a style that appeals to your palate and seek it out to sip and savor as we celebrate this thing called life!

Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc
2021, Sonoma County (CA), USA, $48.00
Complex aromas of herbs, smoke, citrus/tangerine greet the nose and persist on the palate with vibrant acidity, medium+ body and long length. I opened up this bottle with dinner featuring tuna steaks on Monday, July 3 (the eve of the July 4th holiday) to celebrate the deep bonds of friendship that my husband and I share with our dear friend Gisela, all of whom greatly appreciated this wonderful wine.

Merry Edwards Olivet Lane Pinot Noir 2021, Russian River Valley (CA), USA, $75.00
Redolent of ripe, dark cherries, herbs, cocoa and a hint of leather, this rich and robust wine was dry on the palate with bright acidity, medium+ body and very long length. My friend Rob and I spent the weekend of June 30-July 2 at the Riverwind Inn B&B in Deep River, CT and opened up this bottle to toast our weekend away, sitting on balcony and taking in the view of the property’s gardens.

Merry Edwards Pinot Noir 2021, Russian River Valley (CA), USA, $65.00
Very herbal in character, this wine offers up plum and cherries, with notes of both fresh and dried herbs. The dry palate had medium acidity, medium+ body, noticeable yet ripe tannins and long length. While not deliberately opened up in honor of Bastille Day, I did enjoy this wine with dinner with my husband on Friday, July 14. I don’t recall what we ate, but we definitely loved the wine!

Merry Edwards Georganne Pinot Noir 2021, Russian River Valley (CA), USA, $70.00
This wine was more fruit driven than the others, but was still quite elegant, with dark cherry aromas and flavors and a slight earthy character. The palate displayed bright acidity, medium+ body and dusty tannins, culminating in long length. I shared this wine on Saturday, September 9 with my aforementioned friend, Rob, at his home in Stamford, CT where we collaborated on creating a delicious lentil and sweet potato dish from the New York Times (find the recipe online here). NB: Dish is pictured above.

Merry Edwards Coopersmith Pinot Noir 2021, Russian River Valley (CA), USA, $70.00
This wine displayed floral aromas along with red and black cherries and berries on the nose and palate. It had good acidity, with medium body and long length. As a quiet moment before the hustle and bustle of the week ahead, my husband and I shared this bottle of wine over dinner (pasta with pesto sauce and parmesan cheese) on Sunday, September 10.

Merry Edwards Dach Pinot Noir 2021, Anderson Valley (CA), USA, $75.00
The most structured of the bunch, this wine provided a variety of aromas and flavors including herbs, dark red fruit and earth, with an herbal undercurrent. It had firm tannins, full body and long length on the dry, vibrant palate. While my husband was away for the weekend,
on Friday, September 15, I celebrated the end of my work week with dinner on my own, which consisted of yummy pork chops wrapped in bacon and rosemary and this beautiful wine. Then I continued to enjoy the wine as I binge-watched Glow Up on Netflix.