Winemaker to Watch - Travis Allen - Kobayashi Wines

Ok, he’s not on the SF Chronicle “Winemakers to Watch” list yet, but perhaps should be. Most of the Seattle WB crew know him, as do some of us in his former home town of San Diego, but I don’t see that anyone has posted about board member Travis Allen’s Kobayashi Wines here yet. Travis is still a “part time” winemaker with a serious day job and young family, but each release (now on his third) garners more accolades, even with miniscule production on the order of one barrel per wine. Travis has already received some major love from Jeb Dunnuck for his 2014-2015-2016 Red Willow Vineyard Cabernet Francs, but Stephen Tanzer’s Vinous review yesterday on Travis’ new 2017 Boushey Vineyard Marsanne caught my attention. “Very much in the style of a topnotch rich white Hermitage…” and a later “…I was spellbound” were just a few words of the lengthy praise from a tough reviewer. Those who know Travis know he is a perfectionist, and he’s said he agonizes over and often second-guesses many of his winemaking decisions. Probably because they are anything but conservative or conventional. The Cab Francs receive extended maceration in puncheon, where the barrel is spun rather than conducting punch downs or pump overs. As for the Marsanne, the release note back in July indicates Travis had thoughts of dumping the wine a few months into the process.

“The Marsanne was something I couldn’t pass up. I was planning to go all out Guigal ex voto style, but I wanted to do something My Way. We hand selected and destemmed the most beautiful grapes and put them into a stainless steel cylinder with holes. Then we pressed the majority of the fruit whole cluster into a new French oak barrel. The cylinder and whole grapes were inserted in the barrel to allow for a minor amount of skin contact during the first several weeks of primary fermentation – the whole time aromas of pear pie were out of control. After 3 months I racked the Marsanne into a once used French Acacia wood barrel. In March, the wine went to a place I wasn’t happy with and I was planning to dump it… but lo and behold, it has emerged from the cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. The pear and baking spices are still subtly there, but it is so much more. Tropical, full bodied, complex and walking in the margin where orange flesh meets green on a melon rind. There is a marzipan nuttiness that could be mistaken as an oxidative note, but it is just a typicity of the Marsanne grape variety.”

Can’t wait to give it a try.

Travis has also bottled and released a Cabernet, and produced a natural “nothing added” Mourvedre which he has not released, but that I thought was just stunning when he shared a bottle at a group dinner during Hospice du Rhone in Paso this past April. Hope he will be letting some of that go as well as doing a similar bottling in the future. He also recently harvested some Red Mountain Viognier from north-facing slopes. Knowing his love for Gangloff, Villard, and Cuilleron, it will be fun to see his take on that grape!

Posting this at the risk of further watering down already meager two-bottle allocations of each wine, but Travis truly deserves the recognition and kudos. This board has always supported winemakers who are also “good people” and Travis is just that. One of the most thoughtful, genuine and generous folks I know, and he and his wife Mario (Kobayashi) are consummate hosts each time we see them. It would be easy to support Travis even if the wines were just ok, but they are quite good. Keep an eye out for the wines and an eye on Travis!

Cheers, [cheers.gif]

Steve

As soon as they come out with a Maru counterpart, I will buy it.

Hi Steve,
Thanks for your great post; I agree completely with it!
Travis is a great guy and a wonderful winemaker; I have been lucky enough to try a couple of his bottlings (one of which I posted about on another board);
I wish him all the success in the world; the recognition that he has received from Mr. Tanzer and Mr. Dunnuck is well deserved and just the beginning!
Cheers,
Henry

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I always thought Kobayashi wines were undrinkable. That was their whole point.

(But maybe I’m just thinking of Frank Cornelissen)

champagne.gif I am glad someone understood.


The wines do sound interesting and I like the varieties he is making, I really interested in the Marsanne. What are the price points?

I think $75

They may do well for washing down dozens of Coney Island Hot Dogs, or are there already Chestnut Wines? [wink.gif]

Chiming in to concur with Steve - Travis is a great guy, and while I’ve only tasted his wines from barrel, I’ve been impressed. I think WA Cab Franc generally is way too slick, but Travis’ has soul and, while not Loire-like, is a great New World take.

I’ve yet to try the Marsanne, but he helped make a Marsanne Beer with Floodland Brewing that was one of the best beers I tried this year.

Wonderful to see someone highlighting Marsanne, a variety that I really dig both drinking and making myself. It is not surprising that the line took the twists and turns that it did in Barrel during aging. Its trajectory both in barrel and in Bottle is unlike most other white varieties. Put your seatbelt on and enjoy the ride! Can’t wait to try this when I have a chance.

Paul,

The Marsanne was released at $45. The Cab Sauv was $85 and the Cab Franc $75.

As for the Kobayashi Maru reference, I did get it, but my shields were up so it was deflected toward the Delta Quadrant. neener

Cheers,

Steve

Look forward to trying them at the release party in a couple of weeks. Concur with Scott, the Marsanne beer he collab’d with floodland was awesome.
Concur with most here that he’s a good dude.

Thanks Steve et al. for the kind words!

I know my website is devoid of any useful information. Now that harvest is over we are working on an overhaul.

Just so everyone knows…Steve Anderson is the ultimate embodiment of a Wine Berserker. I read about wine 365 days a year and love to geek out and delve into the obscurities, yet Steve always turns up with some awesome shit I’ve never heard of. Last time I was in San Diego he brought over a Clos Thales blanc, Sami Odi and about 6 other fun wines - awesome!

I’m having a party in Seattle on 12/1 so if anyone wants to come taste the Kobayashi lineup (including floodland collabs), this is the only time they’ll all be open. You can PM or email me for the details.
travis@kobayashiwines.com

This is one of the coolest things about berserkers, learning about new wines and winemakers

OR
sign up to the mailing list, and buy some wine, like the rest of us plebs! :wink:

Look forward to it Travis.

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Larry, unless I succumb to temptation beforehand, I’ll bring a bottle of the Kobayashi Marsanne to the Falltacular Friday dinner in Feb.

Cheers!

Steve

OR
sign up to the mailing list, and buy some wine, like the rest of us plebs! :wink:
[/quote]

Yes, that is excellent advice Mark! … but we may need help with the double-mags of 1978 Mondavi Reserve and 1978 Leoville Las Cases (from a perfect local cellar).

I have a burgundy tasting that night. Are you trying to change my mind?

Definitely the best wine release party I’ve attended - not only the excellent Kobayashi line-up, but double mags of 1978 Boudreaux and Napa Cab that we’re both singing, an assortment of other fun, older bottles in large formats, and a few mags of Floodland beer.

I just went to the winery website, and there’s very little (NO) information about the actual wines on it.

For +$50/btl wines, I would like to know a bit more behind the winemaking philosophy…

I would email Travis, he is usually very responsive

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