[By Richard Sheppard in Geyserville, California] One of Sonoma County’s most
popular wine events here in Northern California is Barrel Tasting Weekend. On
the first two weekends in March, more than 20,000 tasters converge upon the
Healdsburg area to sample young wines right out of the barrel. One may also
purchase wine “futures,” thereby speculating on upcoming releases. The
discounts are hard to pass up, and many limited-release wines sell out even
before they’re bottled.
I love Barrel Tasting time
as it affords the perfect opportunity to meet winemakers, cellar masters, and
winery owners, who are available to provide an insider’s view of the winemaking
world not often available to the public.
Saturday morning, my wife
Marilyn and I follow Canyon Road uphill from Geyserville toward Pedroncelli
Winery. After passing through a stretch of moss-covered oaks, leafless rows of
knotted vines flow wavelike over hills into the valley below.
When we reach the
Pedroncelli sign, we turn right and park beside a vineyard. Family member Ed
St. John, standing before the outdoor greeting table, addresses me along with
five other newly arrived visitors, handing each of us a tasting glass. He
invites our small group on a mini tour of the grounds.
During Prohibition, John
Pedroncelli and his family purchased this then-defunct winery. At the time,
commercial winemaking was illegal, but Mr. Pedroncelli planned to sell grapes
to home winemakers, a legal practice. Long after repeal, John’s winemaker son —
also named John — joined his father, and a few years later, Jim, another son,
became sales manager. In the early 1960s, the brothers bought out their dad.
Fifty years later, and with the help of third, and now fourth generation
Pedroncellis, the winery continues as family owned.
Our group filters into the
barrel room for tasting, where we watch octogenarian John Pedroncelli
extracting from the barrel using a wine thief. The long open glass tube,
tapered at one end, is lowered into the barrel and the thumb is used to cover
the top opening. Take the thumb away and the wine in the tube flows into the
taster’s glass. I’m poured a taste of a young Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with
Cabernet Franc. I swirl my glass to draw in air and release aromas. The wine
tastes full-bodied and leaves a velvety texture in my mouth.
“This Cabernet has been
aging for 12 months,” John tells our group, “and will probably spend another
month or two in the barrel before bottling and release.”
After the wine tasting, I
ask for advice on a good place to picnic and sketch. John says the
two small hills to the north provide the best views.
Once outside, Marilyn and I
climb a low hill, passing through chamomile and mustard flowers, to find a
clear space in the shade of an oak. Lunch is simple fare: goat cheese,
crackers, thinly sliced turkey, and fragrant orange slices.
With the Dry Creek Valley
visible in the near distance, we listen to laughing tasters make their way in
and out of the winery below. After savoring a square of chocolate, I sketch the
winery, stopping to watch a ladybug crawl across my sketchbook.
