Mike Officer on the RRV's historic Zinfandel vineyards

Mike is such a good guy. Glad to be able to share the same passion.

Props to Mike for engaging his passion to save these sites. I LOVE these wines–Papera and Carlisle (Pelletti) are magnificent to drink. I think of the 2016 barrel samples I had with Mike last month, how beautifully juicy with acidity and balance these wines show.

Thank you Mike and the HVS for their work to keep these plots thriving and preserved.

Great read. Very happy to support Carlisle and other wineries like them!

Loved this quote

When he bought his own Carlisle Vineyard, in 1998, Officer beat out developers with much deeper pockets because he was able to convince then-owner Barbara Pelletti, whose father, Alcide, had planted the vineyard in 1927, that he would preserve her father’s vision.

I’m a huge fan of Esther mobley’s writing. She’s got a bright future ahead of her.

Also. May need to pop a Papera tonight :wink:

I also thought it was a good article and a big shout out to Mike, Morgan and all those doing their best to save these historic treasures.

Great article! Thanks to Mike and everyone that’s part of the HVS. Popped a 12 Papera tonight :slight_smile:

Opened an '11 Dupratt tonight that is hitting on all cylinders. Mike’s 2011 zins as a group might be my favorite vintage to date. They possess such amazing elegance.

Good stuff, thanks for post.

I definitely loved the piece, and I learned a few new things as well. Ms Mobley’s writing definitely has me feeling less pain from the departure of the previous wine writer for the newspaper. :slight_smile:

While the focus of Ms Mobley’s piece is the preservation efforts in the Piner/Olivet area of the Russian River Valley, I was pleased to see that the author did not overlook the work of specific individuals in bringing extant vineyards into the public eye through winemaking - mainly Mike Officer (Two Acres, Montafi, Pelletti/Carlisle, etc), Jesse Katz (Ponzo), and Max Reichwage (Mancini). I can only guess how much labor the renovation of these sites has involved!


Max Reichwage & the Mancini Vineyard:

I have a couple of qualms about the way the article addressed the work of Reichwage Winery. First, the piece states that fruit trees were planted in place of fallen/dead vines. I would like to think that the Mancini Vineyard exists as a rare example of polyculture, wherein various crops are interplanted (not unusual in farming techniques of times past). Of course, the history of Sonoma could support her claim, as the shift in agriculture from vines to fruit trees and back again did take place in the early 20th Century and Prohibition.

Second, the article’s statement that there is a dearth of Carignan in the RRV/Piner-Olivet area isn’t exactly true: aside from the Mancini plantings, Papera Vineyard has a decent amount, as do a couple of other sites. I understand that, from a climatic perspective, the cooler weather of this region (in relation to Dry Creek or Sonoma Valley) wouldn’t require the boost of acidity that interplanted Carignan vines can provide. As the author is attempting to explain the method behind the madness of “mixed black” vineyards, it is sometimes better to paint in broad strokes. After all, most of the old vineyards of the Russian River Valley are gone. All one has to work with are the extant plantings, the archived harvest reports, and the anecdotes of those who are still alive:

http://heritage.sonomalibrary.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15763coll14

http://www.sonomacountyhistory.org/related-links/

I hope that the recent acquisitions of old-vine Russian River Valley sites serve as further indicators of the movement for long-term care of the region’s agricultural roots. :slight_smile:

I emailed Mr Reichwage about the article, and to ask a few questions (mentioned above). Most importantly, I wanted to know when the initial release of the Reichwage “Mancini Vineyard” Carignan and Zinfandel wines would be available.


This is Mr Reichwage’s response:

"Hi Drew,

"I will be releasing my 2015 Zinfandel and 2016 Carignane from Mancini Ranch later this month! They are both tasting quite good in my opinion!

"It was a probably a challenging story to write… limited space, lots of different vineyards and owners, editors and what-not, but you could probably write a book on RRV Old Vines (maybe someone will someday)! I believe that the preponderance of Carignane plantings are unique to Mancini and a bit of Papera. Did they plant the Carignane for acidity? I doubt it, the Zin already has plenty… so what’s up? Most of the Carignane is located on the N side of Mancini, and the S side of Papera, along Piner Road (note: Olivet Road did not used to continue South, so Piner was the main thoroughfare). I think Lucca Mancini and Charlie Papera planted the Carignane near the road for ‘curb appeal’, they wanted the large, vigorous, Carignane vines to stand tall, proudly displaying their massive clusters. But that’s just my theory.

“The fruit trees at Mancini apparently came in later on, pears in the wettest soil, apples scattered around, and plums on the higher ground.”

I would encourage fans of old-vine Russian River Valley Carignan and Zinfandel (not to mention Pinot Noir) to sign up for the mailing list. The Reichwage website states that the offering behind on August 28th. :slight_smile:

Great article. Was able to taste some barrel samples last week of the 2016 carlisle’s. Some
Great wines including a blend of Carlisle, papera and montafi on the way.

Now that sounds interesting!

Is that not just the RRV Old Vines?

Great article - and it’s wonderful that the SF Chronicle continues to put the spotlight on wonderful wine topics. Without them, only the folks here and other ‘wine geeks’ would know about the battles that Mike, Morgan, Tegan and others continue to fight . . .

Thank you for posting that.

I do not begrudge a rising zin price in order to preserve these traditions.

(I also have a love for the Williams Selyem zins, so I was happy to see John Dyson mentioned.)

Thanks for the update, Matthew!

As P. Derdeyn asked, wouldn’t the blend you mention be 2016’s iteration of the Carlisle Russian River Valley “Old Vines” Zinfandel? The mix of vineyards might change up from year to year, but my thoughts are in line with this theory (rather than an altogether new wine).

2014: Banfield Ranch, Saitone Ranch, Carlisle Vineyard, Montafi Ranch, & Papera Ranch

2013: Saitone Ranch & Banfield Ranch

2010: Carlisle Vineyard & Montafi Ranch

I guess there was no 2011 or 2012 RRV “Old Vines” Zinfandel from Carlisle? :neutral_face:

Either way, I am envious of your opportunity to taste the wine in barrel!!! :slight_smile:

An email I received from Miro Cellars yesterday touting a sale on their 2015 Ponzo zin said:

“A sad note about the vineyard: Ponzo Vineyard, where head-pruned and dry-farmed vines over 100 years old grew, was sold and re-planted last year.”

This can’t be right. I don’t think Jesse Katz would’ve replanted it, right?

A quick note on Carignane on Olivet, Saitone Ranch is approximately 10% Carignane. On its own its really pretty, dark wine, albeit a bit brighter than your average red wine these days. It’s interesting to have that cluster of Carignane on Olivet, clustered between Mancini, Papera and Saitone - where over off of Willowside and Wood Roads, you see quite a bit more Petite Sirah and almost no Carignane. Maybe its linked to the shallower, less nutrient soils on Olivet compared to the eastern parts of the area?

My one big takeaway/reinforcement from the article, is that the Olivet Bench area (or Piner-Olivet area) is a distinct sub-region of importance that deserves to be elevated as such. It has a fairly well defined geographical boundary as well as distinct soil differences from surrounding areas. It’ll be interesting to see if the folks in the Russian River Valley Winegrowers see fit to elevate it as such within the neighborhoods initiative.

Regards,
Brian Maloney
DeLoach and Buena Vista

(expanded thoughts upon further reflection in the edit)

Clyde, I seriously hope that that is not the case! :frowning:

This is all I have found in a quick search:

“The Ponzo Vineyard is situated off the Old Redwood Highway, just south of Healdsburg, and it’s owned and farmed by the Ponzo cousins, Phil and Bob. The vineyard was originally planted in 1900, and there’s still around 4.25 hectares of vines from that year. Later on it was expanded with more blocks and it survived through the prohibition thanks to the admittance of making 200 gallons of wine per year and household over the country. Later on, some vines were replanted, and new blocks were planted, almost four hectares in 1985 and five hectares in 1999 and 2000…”




Thanks for the info, Brian!!!

Do you have any more details about the Piner/Olivet Zin/mixed blacks vineyards you source for grapes that you can share with us?


BtW, Jeff Cohn Cellars offers a 100% Carignan from the “Saitone Vineyard” called “Broken Compass”.