Want to get a quick handle on the David Bruce Winery? Think of it as a classic rock radio station playing the greatest hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and today. Yes indeed, it's been around that long, having been founded way back in 1964. Such impressive staying power at or near the top of the California wine world deserves a halfway decent Silicon Valley Yelp shout-out, don't y'all think?
Welcome, then, to KDBW, sound of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains since the days of LBJ. What's on the commercial-free (i.e. complimentary) tasting list depends on the seasons, but you're sure to find something to your liking. Here's a sampling, based on a recent visit. Enjoy!
1. The 1960s "A Cal-Ital Classic"
2008 Paso Robles Sangiovese - "California Dreamin," The Mamas & the Papas
Something about this unpretentious and excellent wine embodies all that is admirable about classic Californian viticulture and its Italian-American heritage. One sip, and you'll get lost in its alluring aromas, brisk fruit, and structured but softening tannins. It's been a DB staple for decades, and it reminds you that food-friendly reds are not always French in origin. Think of it as Californian Chianti, but at $28/bottle, not the kind you serve in straw baskets or slurp down with all-you-can-eat spaghetti. It's more of a Sunday dinner sort of sipper, with half the bottle set aside for tomorrow's pasta: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/95lrm76CYpysQW3UuqJoiA?userid=73DZUFYAXuycbJ_eEAox1Q#NF-FUMOSRA5cXkT6Lz4j9A
2. The 1970s "The Hit Parade of Pinot"
2008 Santa Cruz Mts Pinot Noir - "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits
2009 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir - "Lady D'Arbanville," Cat Stevens
2009 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir - "Maggie May," Rod Stewart
Pinots are cool, Pinots are hot, with loads of exotic spice and ordinary heartbreak all bottled up inside. Nothing is more reminiscent of the highs and lows of the sensuous but scandal-prone '70s than a love affair with Le Vin Noir. DB has invested much of its current 60,000 case production into Pinots sourced from Mendocino in the North to Santa Barbara in the South, with a little Russian River (from DB's Sebastopol estate), the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Monterey's lovely (for a grape) Santa Lucia Highlands thrown in for good measure. Personally, I love the cool and unpretentious vibe of the swinging SCM vintages, a little less sexy than the others, perhaps, but with longevity and good mountaintop character. The Santa Maria has perfume that intoxicates, but like an impromtu love affair, the sparks fade fast. As for the luscious spicy plum fruit and softly silken texture of the Anderson Valley Pinot, you really do wish that you never saw its face, because at $42/bottle, it's an expensive summer pleasure.
3. 1980s "Que Sirah, Sirah ..."
2006 Estate Petite Sirah ' "The Way it Is," Bruce Hornsby and the Range
DB has regrafted its estate Syrah and Petite Sirah vines over to Pinot, to satiate the seemingly infinite thirst for the Sideways drink of choice. So sad, really. But some things will never change, and at DB it means keeping up with the times and that's just the way it is (But don't you believe them ...) The last estate vintage of PS is inky, wet, and olallieberry jam extracted at great effort from the rocky soils of Skyline Ridge. It's an honest, tough little wine. And what's not to love about that? Even if the Paso Robles Shell Creek Vineyard PS will still be available, we shall miss the peppery little pocket rocket and look back fondly when it's finally gone.
4. 1990s "Rosé-Colored Glasses"
2009 Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir (Saignée), "Desert Rose," Sting
Silicon Valley in the 1990s was a land of optimism now forever hidden behind a dark cloud of post 9/11 sadness and sobriety. Who has time now to sit back on the deck and savor a chilled pink Pinot, oozing Seascape strawberries and letting pale rose petals waft in the wind? Well, at DBW, you can relive the Clintonian moments of the lost millenium, one satisfying swallow at a time (and no stained blue dresses in sight).
5. Today (2000s) "When Chard Ruled the World"
2005 SCM Estate Chardonnay, "Viva la Vida," Coldplay
David Bruce hit the world stage running with a 10th place finish in the 1976 Judgement of Paris, and like so many other California winemakers at the time, he helped put West Coast Chardonnay on the map. Unlike the overly oaked fruit bombs of Lake County (brainchild of that "other" Jackson family, not the singers), DB SCM Chard has minerality, modest fruit, and subtle oak, a classic case of letting the terroir dictate the taste and not the other way around. While the Russian River AVA may win more medals when it comes to critics and connoisseurs, I'll take a 10th place Santa Cruz Mtn Chardonnay anyday. Even if the world of CA whites has exploded to encompass lesser-known varietals (Gruener Veltliner and Verdejo, anyone?), it's fun to recall that simpler time when Chards were still California's king. read more