I was at The Woodlot last week for a post Terroir Symposium gathering of winemakers, friends and Alice Feiring (though I didn’t get a chance to talk with her). It was a fun night with a lot of interesting wines being poured including some back vintage Hidden Bench Pinot, single vineyard Rieslings from Charles Baker, some really impressive wine from Thomas Bachelder’s new Niagara/Oregon/Burgundy project and the usual slew of terrific vin naturel from Jeff Connell.
A couple of wines really stood out. First off, the definite surprise of the night was the 2004 Domaine La Reine Pinot Noir from Prince Edward County, one of Geoff Heinricks first wines in the region. It was such a surprise because it was still very alive and interesting. A great study on the age-ability of Prince Edward County Pinot Noir.
The second surprise was a wine I had never heard of, but which immediately caught my attention. It was actually David Haman who came up to me and said you got to this wine out. It was The Scholium Project 2007 Naucratis Lost Slough Vineyard.
When I first tasted it all my conceptions about Californian wine were thrown out the window. This wine had volume and precision, ripeness and restraint, complexity and purity. It was a stunner, but I really knew nothing about it. Luckily The Scholium Project has one of the the the best winery websites I have ever seen. Brilliant design, tons of information, great visuals. I absolutely love their website and branding.
So what is the 2007 Naucratis? 100% tank-fermented Verdelho. Yes Verdelho which is used quite often in Madeira production and as a table wine in Rueda, Spain. Though the Naucratis is quite a different interpretation of the variety. Its almost like mineral driven, cool climate Chardonnay meets Grüner Veltliner. There is a touch of RS (residual sugar), but that’s totally balanced by the rocking acidity and minerality. Serious, thought-provoking, and very cool.
After this I am definitely on the look out for more wines from The Scholium Project. Especially since it looks like they are producing some of the coolest wines in California. Things like Orange wines, 140 year old own rooted Malvasia Nera, skin-fermented Sauv Blanc and Pinot Gris and even flor affected Chardonnay. Super, super cool stuff. Be on the look out for them. Distribution is very limited in Ontario, but keep an eye out. If the Naucratis is any indicator or how innovative and impressive this winery is, each bottle should be a real treat.
