The Blue Rock Chronicles - Blending

Kenny Kahn and Graduated Cylinders, in Baby Blue, of Course

The Blue Rock Chronicles is my year-long journey, in residence, with Blue Rock Vineyard in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley. Recently, I had the great privilege of sitting in, and joining, the blending of Blue Rock's most popular wine, Baby Blue. My favorite part of being a wine merchant, for many years, was the opportunity to taste so many finished wines upon their releases. Now, after the many thousands of prêt à boire products I have tried, for which I believed many could have been better with my professional input, I was getting my chance to put my money where my mouth is.

Well, let's just say, not only was I bad, I would have likely ruined Baby Blue, and the winery's reputation had I been given the final say in the blend. Gut instincts, guesses, and my long-held beliefs as to which varieties of grapes contribute which characteristics to a wine, were summarily dismissed for real chemistry, mastery of phenolics, and years of blending practice. What do I mean by this? It takes experience, knowledge, and the ability to thin-slice where a wine comes from, in order to know where it will finish (pun intended). In other words, blending wine is a job for professionals.

Great wines are made in the vineyard, is one of the most commonly heard adages in the wine biz. I think this statement, while true in the sense that poor grapes never make great wine, is mostly marketing. It is promulgated to the public via Sommeliers, retailers, and the media in part to cultivate a pervasive ideology of farm to table. The notion that the farmer is the gatekeeper to great wines has attained almost myth status in the industry. I believe great wine is "made" in great wineries. A vineyard can produce grapes sent Fedex from heaven, but if the associated winery is unclean, the winemaker is reckless, and the fermenting conditions are less than ideal, these grapes will yield a crap wine. Great wine is a symbiosis of farm, and skill. A hardy vineyard must deliver its yield to an equally healthy winery. After the harvest, and even after the fruit becomes wine, this is where a new game becomes afoot. How a wine is finished is very similar to a chef plating food. A professional cook uses finishing salts, careful garnishes,  and sauces to deliver something visually appealing, and with complex flavors. A great winemaker makes incremental decisions, during blending, in order to determine balance, acidity levels, richness, and mouthfeel. It is this stage, that I experienced blending Baby Blue. This is a final hurdle that either makes or breaks a wine.

Meet Miro Tchalokov, Blue Rock's consulting winemaker. Miro hails from Bulgaria, and learned winemaking and viticulture at one of Eastern Europe's most important universities for agriculture. Under the radar, which is how he appears to like it, he quietly makes excellent wines at Trentadue winery, and consults on several others, including Blue Rock. In one evening, sitting and tasting with Miro, I learned more about the craft of winemaking than in all of the winery visits, research, and personal experiences I have had. Kenny and Miro are a wonderful juxtaposition of dreamer to pragmatist, yet they are both artistically inclined. Miro would add a little of the merlot, I would expect one outcome, it would be another, a better one. Kenny would suggest some of the vineyard cab, I would be sure it would be too much, it would be perfect. I would offer a suggestion here and there, Miro would humor me, and watch my face sink as the suggestion proved to be fruitless. We were, after all, blending Baby Blue. Blue Rock's most successful wine may have come about from a happy accident, after a challenging vintage for the reserve wines, but now it has a life of its own. It is a fan favorite, a great value in California wine of this ilk, and made by the deft hands of dedicated artisans. Sixteen years I spent tasting wines for a living. I can tell you very quickly where a wine is from, its relative makeup, and its age. However, I have no idea how to blend an unfinished wine. I am so glad these guys do, and that they paid me no real mind, other than to show me so many things I did not know, and likely never will know, at least not like they do. The 2013 vintage of Baby Blue will be outstanding, because Blue Rock is an excellent winery, that happens to grow beautiful fruit, and they have some serious winemaking firepower. Luckily for them, and for Blue Rock clients, they kept my blending input on the periphery. This certainly must have given Miro and Kenny a modicum of self-satisfaction, and a  little touch of, "take that wine Mr Wine Professional."

Stay tuned, as next time, as I experience southern hospitality, at a Northern California wine lunch.

Housewrighter embeds with Blue Rock Vineyard

The 19th Century Farmhouse.

The Housewrighter has embedded with Blue Rock Vineyard for a 1 year exploration of an estate, its winery, and the people who manage them. Kenny Kahn is the magnanimous owner of Blue Rock, in the Alexander Valley. This, recently fashionable, enclave of excellent wine is showing up all over the press lately. Blue Rock is one of the reasons it is. The wines are excellent, but I am not here to write about wine flavors, organoleptic compounds, or scores from critics. I am here to talk about people, to share my observations living at the winery once a month, and to learn just what the hell goes on day-to-day during the winery year. It all starts with Kenny, a native of Memphis, and while his southern charm is evident, do not be mislead by the lilt of his voice when he describes his estate. Kenny is no bumpkin. He is cool, well-dressed in French berets, country denim, and possessing the savoir-faire to relate to kings and countrymen. He is clearly well-traveled and conscious of his presentation.  In the first 15 minutes of hanging out with him, it is apparent he owns the place, and not just in deed, but in show.

In October of last year I took his photo for a Wine Enthusiast article about the Alexander Valley. In minutes I, could feel the wheels turning, and within an hour, we were talking about collaborating. He was looking to grow his presence on the web and get new images of his gorgeous property. I explained, that I am a storyteller, first and foremost. I would be happy to work with him on new images, but the story would have to come from our interactions, my observations, and that the winery year would dictate the storylines. We quickly agreed to meet again on this subject, and shortly after Wine Enthusiast sent my images to print, Kenny Kahn called.

"Can you come up once a month, stay in the farmhouse, see what we do?" said Kenny, rather matter-of-factly. It took me about a second and a half to accept. I was in the wine industry for 16 years, but I have never worked in a winery, or experienced the inner workings of the winemaking operation. Blue Rock is no juggernaut in terms of size, yet it produces several thousand cases of wine,  and Kenny is the only full-time employee of the winery. No question that the man is a hard worker. The vineyards are another story, but not an altogether different one. The immigrant family that toils the earth for Blue Rock is an exceptional saga of its own, and I relish the opportunity to share it with you in the coming months. We agreed I would come up in January, and at least once a month from there.

I arrived at Blue Rock last week in a rented Dodge Ram 1500 with a Hemi. If I was going to live a winery life, once a month for a year, I needed a proper vehicle. Kenny greeted me in the middle of the one-way road  at the site of a broken-down tractor, getting a jump start. "That's how things go at a winery Michael, things break, they all cost a ton of money to fix, but if you don't fix them, you can't do the work." We jumped in the car (a winery appropriate Korean luxury sedan) with Laika (the ubiquitous, and immediately charming, winery dog), and headed to lunch, on a cool sunny day. We drove through the vineyards and Kenny explained some of the history of the area. We got serious tacos at a taqueria where we appeared to be the only gringos in the joint. "The place fills with vineyard workers every evening", said Kenny ripping into a bowl of outstanding and spicy salsa. He warned me the salsa had some kick, and being a native Texan, I devoured 2 to 3 chips before I allowed any heat to settle. If it was going to come, I wanted it to come hard. It did, I was sweaty, and sated.

From there we decided to drive back to Blue Rock through Dry Creek, land of Zinfandel. A farming community for a century or more, Dry Creek is now starting to show signs of powerful monied influences. All around Sonoma county there are new restaurants, lively markets, and folks clamoring for a life that simply got ignored, and left to the "locals" for a hundred years. Now, it's cool to go to wine country. Who needs a flight to Champagne, when there is so much incredible life to be lived right in the American backyard. Blue Rock is this backyard. French country in style, Memphis proud in hospitality, and decidedly American in its optimism. On our way up the stairs, back at the farmhouse, I could not help but notice the light from the carefully placed windows on the landing. The sun was setting low over the high hills in back of the estate, and it was shining a beam of warmth through the afternoon haze. I grabbed my Nikon and emphatically skipped down the stairs to see.

I had always heard that vineyards go dormant in the winter. There is nothing dormant about these lands. The mustard flowers, the essential insects, the birds, and the beautiful sunshine suggest something closer to a botanical orgy, than dormancy. I knew at that point in my day, I had made the right decision. I would tell the story of this place, and I would be better for doing it. Although I am not sure I still need the Ram truck.

Join me next week when we meet Kenny's neighbor and I sit in on the blending of the famous Blue Rock Vineyards, Baby Blue Wine.

Housewrighter Work Published in Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Roadside Vineyards in Alexander Valley

The Housewrighter's photography will be published in a 10 page article in the upcoming December issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The article, penned by the venerable Virginie Boone, focuses on some of the outstanding wineries of the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County, California. Michael Housewright will receive a photo credit by-line, and his work over 5 days in the AV is flush with the signature drama and movement in his images. Photographer Loren J Root assisted Michael on the shoot and his work was integral to the project. Loren's work will be seen in the AV piece and will be featured in an article on soil consultant Paul Skinner, also in the December issue.

Loren and Michael bring unique voices to winery and vineyard photography. The two artists have a combined 30+ years of experience in the wine industry, which allows them insight into the detail images of wineries, traditional photographers might miss. Loren and Michael are working on a plans for a European vineyard photo tour in 2015, and will be working in the Bay Area for remainder of 2015.

If you have an idea for collaboration or the need for exceptional photo work contact Michael and Loren directly.