In Pursuit of Balance, The Final Tasting: Thoughts and Wines
In Pursuit of Balance held their final tasting on November 14 in San Francisco. It was one of the best tastings I’ve attended this year. It would have been among the best in most any year. My notes on some of the wines are below.
Before I get to the wines though, a few thoughts about In Pursuit of Balance overall. My opinions, by the way, can be seen as impartial. I have my biases just as everyone does, but I don’t have any close personal/industry connection with with Raj Parr or Jasmine Hirsch and neither am I in the Robert Parker-James Laube camp. I’m an outside insider I suppose.
Much has been made of the name “In Pursuit of Balance” and the group’s association with wines of relatively low alcohol levels. There has been talk of selection criteria based on alcohol levels and push back from wineries wanting to participate with wines of generous alcohol that were nonetheless “well-balanced.” But alcohol is only part of the balance equation and the makeup of wines poured only one-half the meaning of “In Pursuit of Balance.”
To me, the second meaning is at least as important: pursuit of balance in wine reviews. That may also be where the organization had its greatest impact. When IPOB held its first tasting in 2011, wine reviews were unbalanced. The vast majority of wines getting high scores from esteemed American wine critics were rich, fruit-focused and mouth-filling. Wineries producing lighter wines of lower ripeness and leaner body generally did not fare well. Many struggled to get attention at all.
So, a primary goal of In Pursuit of Balance was simply to expose such wineries to the public and evangelize them to media. In the years following that first tasting, balance in reviews and wine writing overall improved substantially. Of course, this is not due solely to IPOB.
What IPOB did was provide member producers, who come from all over California and represent a variety of styles, an umbrella under which they could all stand. Driving awareness is very difficult without a cohesive message, a core “product” and enough money to build a campaign. In Pursuit of Balance facilitated that. It also served as a focal point for media and an aggregator of wineries for trade tastings.
There were many other actors in the rise of lighter wines. There were writers, such as Jon Bonné, and a critical mass of sommeliers looking for nuanced wines that work with food rather than stand above it. There was a new generation of winemakers focused on representing place with their wines. Rising prices for vineyard land and fruit drove many winemakers to more marginal (read “cooler) sites. And both the craft beer and eat/drink local movements helped make “hand-crafted, minimal intervention” wines of low volume a happening segment. Finally, consumers—both young ones in search of authenticity and older ones with a long-standing preference for wines with a classically Old World profile—supported the movement with their wallets.
Anytime you have three people, things become political. And any time there is disagreement, there’s a tendency toward zero-sum, ‘us vs. them’ thinking. That certainly happened in this case. Critics such as Parker and Laube criticized many IPOB members’ wines, calling them things like shrill, under-ripe, green and harsh. Barbs sometimes flew the other direction too.
But, in the end, wine consumers are better off. Wine drinkers, and wine resellers, have access to more, and more varied, writing on wine. And they have a much wider spectrum of wines from which to choose. Many of the lighter wines are not just balanced, but gloriously expressive and sensual in their own, medium-bodied fashion. Which brings us to wines to seek out from the tasting.
Excellent Quality, Easy Comparisons
Two of the benefits to me in the IPOB tastings have been focus and curation. While some very good wines have undoubtedly been excluded, no bad wines get in.
Producers were told to pour only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at this tasting. That leaves out a bevy of excellent wines: cool-climate Syrah, savory Cabernet Franc, crisp Sauvignon Blanc and an array of interesting, less common varieties. But it makes the tasting process more harmonious and makes it much easier to get a sense of vintages, places and winery styles. There were a few under-the-table Syrah poured. But, despite my strong love for Syrah, I found them distracting and wished I’d passed them up.
Highlights
Wines from the Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley and Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills were standouts throughout the tasting, from one producer to the next. Producers such as Chanin, which poured Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from both vineyards side by side gave attendees a clear picture of the differences. The S & B wines were riper, fuller in the mouth and more fruit-driven. The Bien Nacido wines showed more savoriness—smoke in the white, spice and tea in the red.
Aromas and flavors of tea were at the fore in Presqu’ile’s absolutely gorgeous 2013 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir. In contrast, the excellent 2013 Pinot from their estate vineyard (which is also in Santa Maria but much closer to the ocean) was both fresher and more structured. And, while I’m on about Presqu’ile, two things you shouldn’t miss. One is the winery which is gorgeous and a must-visit in Santa Maria Valley. The other is their 2011 Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir. Their first ever sparkling, just released after spending five years in bottle at the winery, it is a very pretty wine.
After smelling and tasting the smashing Sandhi Bentrock Vineyard Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills 2014, I asked Raj Parr, “Hey, what gives this wine such intense, focused flintiness?” “The vineyard is all silex,” he replied. Silex is flint. Minerality in wine is hotly debated and little understood. But wines like the Bentrock would make even skeptics take notice.
All of the Sandhi wines were beautiful and, all 2014 vineyard designates from Sta. Rita Hills, the clearly show how well site can be expressed in wines when ripeness is not overwhelming. The Sanford and Benedict Chardonnay shows smoky golden apple with green apple, while the Mt. Carmel Chardonnay is about preserved lemon and green apple. The Rinconada Pinot Noir is very floral, the Mt. Carmel Pinot Noir quite spicy.
Matthiasson always pours Chardonnay at In Pursuit of Balance. But, this time, they brought a surprise. Just because of the tasting, Steve Matthiasson made his first Pinot Noir! The 2015 Matthiasson Pinot Noir Spring Hill Vineyard Petaluma Gap was lovely with tangy red fruit plus floral and spicy notes from 30% whole cluster usage. I hope he continues to make Pinot going forward.
Top Wines (92 points or better)
There were so many great wines at this tasting that a detailed accounting of all them would be too long. And there were a few I didn’t get to taste at all. But here’s a list of all the wines I rated at 92 points or better, in alphabetical order by producer. Those rating 93+ points or higher are in bold.
Big Basin Pinot Noir Alfaro Family Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains 2014
Calera Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard, Mt. Harlan 2013
Calera Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard, Mt. Harlan 2013
Ceritas Chardonnay Porter-Bass Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
Ceritas Pinot Noir Hellenthal Old Shop Block Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
Ceritas Pinot Noir Hacienda Secoya Vineyard, Anderson Valley 2014
Chanin Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Chanin Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley 2014
Chanin Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard, Santa Barbara County 2014
Chanin Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley 2014
Chanin Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Cobb Pinot Noir Emmaline Ann Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
Cobb Pinot Noir Rice-Spivak Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
Cobb Pinot Noir Jack Hill Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2013
Cobb Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard 1906 Block Pommard, Sonoma Coast 2014
Copain Chardonnay Laureles Grade, Monterey 2012
Copain Pinot Noir Kiser “En Haute,” Anderson Valley 2012
Domaine de la Cote Pinot Noir Memorious, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Domaine de la Cote Pinot Noir Bloom’s Field, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Domaine de la Cote Pinot Noir Siren’s Call, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Domaine de la Cote Pinot Noir La Cote, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Drew Pinot Noir Fog-Eater, Anderson Valley 2014
Drew Pinot Noir Dew Ranch, Anderson Valley 2014
Drew Pinot Noir Estate Field-Selections, Mendocino Ridge 2014
Failla Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge, Sonoma Coast 2014
Failla Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
Failla Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard, Fort Ross-Seaview 2014
Hanzell Chardonnay Sonoma Valley 2014
Hanzell Pinot Noir Sonoma Valley 2013
Hirsch Vineyards Estate Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2014
Hirsch Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir ‘Bohan-Dillon’ Sonoma Coast 2014
Knez Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard, Anderson Valley 2014
Knez Pinot Noir Demuth Vineyard, Anderson Valley 2014
Knez Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2014
Knez Chardonnay Demuth Vineyard, Anderson Valley 2014
Knez Chardonnay Cerise Vineyard, Anderson Valley 2014
Kutch Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch, Sonoma Coast 2014
Kutch Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 2014
LaRue Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
LaRue Pinot Noir Rice-Spivak Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2013
LaRue Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2013
LIOCO Chardonnay Demuth Vineyard, Anderson Valley 2014
LIOCO Chardonnay Hanzell Vineyard, Sonoma Valley 2014
Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill, Sta. Rita Hills 2015
Liquid Farm Chardonnay Golden Slope, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Liquid Farm Chardonnay FOUR, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Liquid Farm Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Littorai Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
Littorai Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
LUTUM Chardonnay Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Sonoma coast 2014
LUTUM Pinot Noir Durell Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
LUTUM Pinot Noir La Rinconada Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Matthiasson Chardonnay Michael Mara Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2014
Matthiasson Pinot Noir Spring Hill Vineyard, Petaluma Gap 2014
Mignanelli Chardonnay Nelson Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains 2014
Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 2013
Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains 2013
Native9 Chardonnay Rancho Viñedo Doña Martina, Santa Maria Valley 2014
Ojai Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley 2015
Ojai Chardonnay Puerta del Mar, Santa Barbara County 2015
POE Chardonnay Manchester Ridge, Mendocino Ridge 2014
Presqu’ile Winery Pinot Noir, Presqu’ile Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley 2013
Presqu’ile Winery Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley 2013
Presqu’ile Winery Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir,, Santa Maria Valley 2011
Presqu’ile Winery Chardonnay, Presqu’ile Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley 2013
Red Car Chardonnay Estate Vineyard, Fort Ross-Seaview 2013
Red Car Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2013
Sandhi Pinot Noir Riconada, Sta. Rita HIlls 2014
Sandhi Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict, Sta. Rita HIlls 2014
Sandhi Pinot Noir Mount Carmel ‘VV,’ Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Sandhi Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict, Sta. Rita HIlls 2014
Sandhi Chardonnay Mount Carmel, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Sandhi Chardonnay Bentrock, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Tyler Chardonnay La Rinconada, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Tyler Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Tyler Chardonnay Bien Nacido ‘W Block’, Santa Maria Valley 2014
Tyler Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict ‘Old Vine,’ Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Tyler Pinot Nor La Rinconada, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Varner Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard, Santa Barbara County 2014
Varner Pinot Noir Upper Picnic, Santa Cruz Mountains 2013
Wenzlau Chardonnay ‘The Drawing Board,’ Sta. Rita Hills 2013
Wenzlau Chardonnay Estate Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills 2014
Wenzlau Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills 2012
Wind Gap Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2014
Wind Gap Pinot Noir Gaps Crown, Sonoma Coast 2014
Wind Gap Pinot Noir Mi Pente, Sonoma Coast 2014
Copyright Fred Swan 2016. Photo courtesy of LUTUM Wines. All rights reserved.
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Would have loved to try that Matthiasson Pinot Noir.
I’m not sure how much they made. Must have been at least a barrel I’d think. I wouldn’t mind getting a bottle myself.
What a stupendous tasting experience. And thank you for your eminently sensible comments about balance in wine. Wish I had been there.
Thank you, Frederic. And that’s the thing about tastings like this, I wish a lot more people could experience them. Reading only gets us so far. Tasting!
A great read Fred. I especially appreciate your thoughts about IPOB contributions. I missed the last tasting, but I went last year and I can still remember some of those wines! Headed up to Anderson Valley this weekend, will definitely stop by Knez
Thank you, Martin! Knez and Drew have tasting rooms in the same complex, so you can easily hit them both if you like.
Nice column. I have to say that I question someone who is so favorable toward IPOB also claiming to be impartial. That part does not add up. But it was still a good column.
Thank your for reading and commenting.
I am, in fact, unaffiliated and impartial in this case. And, for what it’s worth, I also like a lot of the wines Parker does, score many wines similarly and think his overall impact on the industry has been positive. He and IPOB serve largely different audiences, but they are not mutually exclusive.