As the days grow shorter and the few weeks of warm weather we have here in San Francisco fade away, we get into the winter season, one of my favorite times of the year as a fan of cardigans, sweaters, and red wines of all shades and flavors. This combined with the various holidays makes it the perfect time to whip up some hearty comfort food and share a bottle with friends and family. This quarter, we have a trio of wines that, while not your standard wines found on the table, will pair wonderfully with all your holiday fare, whether it be roasts, turkey, pozole, roasted vegetables, or roast duck.
Nestled in the south, surrounded by the Black Forest Range to the east and running along the Rhine River from the French/Swiss border to the west, the state of Baden-Württemberg is one of the sunniest regions in Germany, consistently producing quality red wines for over a millennium. Until recently, Germany was known mostly for its age-worthy white wines, both sweet and dry, but with climate change, the country is increasingly recognized for its dry reds. These two regions, with their high elevations and warmer climates (relative to the rest of Germany), are similar to the Loire Valley, Alsace, and Champagne, and have been leading the charge in this regard for decades. Both produce a greater amount of red wine than most German regions. Württemberg is planted with around 70% red wine grapes, predominantly the lighter-bodied Schiava grape, known here as Trollinger, which migrated from its home in Northern Italy in the 14th century. After World War Two, the regions which had been independent German states were merged and split between French and American occupation. For most of the 20th century, the local wines suffered from the same poor reputation as most of Germany’s output, producing light, semi-sweet, and undistinguished bottlings, apart from a few producers. This started to change towards the end of the century with more vintners focusing on quality dry wines. These days, the wines of Württemberg are good enough to garner recognition, despite the fact that most never leave Germany and many are consumed within the state itself.
In Eastern France, at equal distance from both Beaune and Geneva, is Arbois, the heart of red wine in the Jura. One of the first 6 regions designated as an AOC in 1936, this mountainous alpine region is known for its quality red wines made from a blend of Pinot Noir, Trousseau, and Poulsard (known here as Ploussard, a thin-skinned grape known for its light color and soft tannins that creates wine with an earthy perfume). A compound of the Celtic words “ar” and “bos”, meaning “fertile land”, Arbois is the largest and oldest appellation in the area, with 850 hectares of vineyards dedicated to 70% red varietals planted on limestone and dark grey shale comprised of silica and clay. While wine has been made in the Jura since the 1st century AD, it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that winemaking truly flourished as monasteries cultivated vineyards and Benedictine monks documented the winemaking practices that are still used in the region today. By the 18th century, quality started to flag, leading to a special decree restricting the number of grape varieties permitted and marking the beginning of qualitative regulation. By 1774, a list of 14 good varieties for wine production was officially sanctioned. It was this selection that helped secure the quality of the Jura’s wines and further boost their reputation. From the French Revolution until the end of the 19th century, the wine region evolved steadily, with a focus on lowering yields. In the last few decades, Jura has become a beacon for low-intervention winemaking, respect for the environment and sustainability. Over the years, the AOC has updated the specifications for viticulture, making it a requirement for there to be grass around vinefields, and producers often use minimal or no sulfur and no additives.
The origins of California wine are rooted in Spanish history. Spanish grapes first arrived in what was then Alta California with the Franciscan padres, including Father Junipero Serra, in the late 1700s. They planted Listán Prieto (aka the Mission grape) throughout Southern and Central California. As Catholics, the Spanish valued grapes and red wine as essential symbols in both their rituals and culture. The padres became known for cultivating drought-tolerant, hedge-pruned vines, and their viticultural techniques and tools were passed down to California’s early grape growers. While the Mission grape fared poorly in the cooler areas around Mission San José and Mission Santa Cruz, it thrived in the warmer regions of the Central Valley and Sonoma. By the mid-19th century, nurseries were propagating vines from across Europe. Italian and Spanish varieties flourished in the state’s warm, Mediterranean climate. The Gold Rush brought waves of immigrants eager to slake their thirst with the oceans of wine produced in Santa Clara, Napa, the Central Valley, and Sonoma. Between 1850 and 1890, wine production ramped up across the state as settlers and viticultural pioneers began importing cuttings. As a result, wineries sprang up throughout the state in the late 19th century. Although the 1970s and 1980s saw a rise in Mediterranean plantings used for quality winemaking, it wasn’t until the 1990s and early 2000s that winemakers and enthusiasts began to rediscover the hidden gems scattered throughout the state. While Spanish varieties are steadily gaining attention, they still make up only a small portion of California’s vineyards compared to classic French grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Cheers,
Justin Malesheetz- Wine Buyer Fillmore
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2022 Aldinger “Nashorn” Lemberger |
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Region / Country of Origin: Württemberg, DE |
About the winery: With a history dating back to 1492, the Aldingers were known for generations as coopers and wine-growers. It wasn’t until 1955, when Gerhard Aldinger married Anneliese Pflüger and converted his father-in-law's existing cooperage into a full-scale winery, that the family started focusing on winemaking. The next step towards higher quality wines came in 1974 with the purchase of the nearby Untertürkheimer Gips on the site of a former gypsum mine. Its soils are similar to those found in Alsace, leading to more mineral-driven wines. Under Gert Aldinger's oversight starting in the late 80s, international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were planted while yields were reduced, which rapidly defined a new, distinctive, and mineral-driven style of wine. The estate’s other prime vineyard is the Fellbacher Lämmler, a cooler site with marl soils. Together with his sons, Hansjörg and Matthias, the house has gained wide acclaim, earning the highest grades from a range of Germany’s most prestigious wine publications. Winemaking Notes: 100% Lemberger (the local name for Blaufränkisch) is hand harvested and partially destemmed before fermentation in barrel for 3 weeks. After Malolactic fermentation is completed, the wine is aged for 4 months in used barrique. The wine is filtered but left unfined. Tasting Notes: Violet in the glass with a heady nose of green pepper, potpourri, fresh raspberry, and dried cranberry. Medium-bodied and dry, with a round creaminess to the palate with firm tannins and bright acidity to match, this wine brings to mind the more structured end of Cru Beaujolais (think the wines of Cote de Brouilly, Morgon, and Moulin-a-Vent) with flavors of dusty red fruit and blackberry with a mineral finish that lingers with a mint tea like note. |
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Winemaker: Matthias Aldinger |
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Price per bottle: $27.99 bt/$302.30l |
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Suggested Food Pairing: smoked ham, roast pork, duck, aged cheddar, venison stew, grilled lamb |
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2023 Joseph Dorbon “Les Bernardines” Vieilles Vignes Arbois Rouge |
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Region / Country of Origin: Vadans, Arbois, Jura FR |
About the winemaker: Joseph Dorbon began working as a vigneron in 1996. He works three hectares of vineyards situated in the tiny village (only 300 residents) of Vadans just north of Arbois and across the Route Nationale from the fabled town of Montigny-les-Arsures. The vines are hillside plantings, southeast facing, at approximately 1,000 feet of altitude (322 meters). Dorbon works his vineyards following the best ecological practices and is now on the path towards organic certification. He turns the soil just twice a year, the second time in June with the aid of a horse, a difficult and little-encountered practice which he learned from his uncle—and harvests by hand. Between ploughings, vegetation is largely left to grow between the vineyard rows with the weeding done only underneath and immediately around individual vines. The wines are made with minimal intervention in a subterranean 16th century cellar. After 30 years of making wine, Dorbon officially retired in 2023, passing the domain to his nephew, Pierre Laporte. Winemaking Notes: 75% Poulsard and 25% Pinot Noir from 60-year-old vines grown on a mix of clay and limestone soils in an organically farmed vineyard in Vadans named after the Bernardine order of Cistercian monks who stewarded the land during the Middle Ages. The grapes are destemmed and co-fermented in stainless steel tanks before being moved to 228-liter used Burgundy barrels to age for 18–24 months on their fine lees. Tasting Notes: Pale crimson in the glass with a chalky mineral character framing notes of strawberry, potpourri, and juicy red cherry on the nose. On the lighter side of medium-bodied with light tannins and a softness on the palate balanced by vibrant acidity and concentrated flavors of bright strawberry, cherry hard candy, and a light earthy floral character rounding out the finish. |
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Winemakers: Pierre Laporte |
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Price per bottle: $53.99bt/$583.10csl |
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Suggested Food Pairing: herb stuffing with apples, tuna steaks, baked salmon, carpaccio, cured meats |
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2023 Orixe Sotelo “En Vaso” Tempranillo |
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Region / Country of Origin: Sonoma, CA USA |
About the Winemaker: Orixe Sotelo is the passion project of husband and wife team Gustavo and Jackie Sotelo. Originally from Mexico City, Gustavo has spent over 15 years working in such wineries as Etude, Mumm, Bodegas Mauro (the personal project of Mariano Garcia, who had been winemaker at the legendary Vega Sicilia for 30 years), and finally Scribe, where he is the current Director of Winemaking. Jackie, a UC Berkeley graduate with a certificate from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has spent an equal amount of time working on the marketing and sales side of wine with such wineries as Ashes & Diamonds and Bedrock Wine Co. Their focus is on Spanish varietals as they believe these grapes are best suited for the climate of California. About the Winemaking: 100% Tempranillo from Don Miguel Vineyard at Marimar Estate in Sebastopol. Named after Marimar’s late father and former President of Familia Torres of Penedès Miguel Torres, the vineyard was originally planted in the late 1980s with Chardonnay and Pinot the Tempranillo was planted in 2004. This wine is fermented with 50% whole clusters which were foot tread before being added to the destemmed fruit. The wine was fermented for 14 days with multiple pumpovers and punch-downs midway through fermentation to invert the cap and submerge the whole clusters. The free run and pressings were combined, settled for 48 hours after pressing and then racked into neutral 60-gallon barrels. The wine was racked once after malolactic fermentation and aged for a total of 10 months in a barrel prior to bottling. Tasting Notes: Medium ruby in the glass with a deep savory floral nose of potting soil, hibiscus, dried dark flowers, red plum, and luxardo cherries. Full-bodied with vibrant acidity and smooth tannins, this brooding wine is bursting with flavors of cherry liquor, ripe blackberry, mushroom, and graphite with a dry earthy finish. |
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Winemaker: Gustavo Sotelo |
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Price per bottle: $41.99bt/$453.50l |
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Suggested Food Pairing: Pot roast, leaner cuts of beef, beef wellington, stuffed mushrooms |
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