Robert Sinskey Vineyards

The First Time…

I remember the first time. That first sip of wine, offered long before legal age and how it made me feel naughty as I tasted the sharp, fruity/earthy flavors of the forbidden fruit. I loved how it connected me to the older folks at the table and instilled a feeling of pride now that I could participate in the coming of age, toasting ritual.

Then there was that first time. I called my father for wine suggestions for the Italian dinner I was planning to share with the young lady from my home town. I still remember the taste of the Verdicchio he recommended and how it helped calm my nerves. The rest of that evening is best forgotten.

I will always remember my first trip to wine country. Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. Passing through the fog of Marin. Seeing the repetitive pattern of the vines for the first time. Cruising into wine country, sun roof open, taking in the aromas of harvest and fermentation and pulling up the driveway to the funny house that my father bought on the land that would become known as The Three Amigos Vineyard. It looked like it was built in a warehouse and dropped off the back of a truck, with a dozen different wallpaper patterns and thirteen different linoleums, all imitations of “natural” surfaces with faux brick, imitation marble and gold colored leaves on cream background, punctuated by green and beige indoor outdoor carpeting… synthetic of course. I don’t think there was anything natural in the whole house.

But that house was on the Three Amigos Vineyard. Our first vineyard. We planted it with cuttings from our neighbors vineyards, selections we now consider to be heirloom selections. We had few options in those days with no access to modern French clones. These heirloom selections ripen later, maintain their acidity and are in sync as the flavor (physiological ripeness) develops with the sugar (brix) for a deliciously elegant wine that could not be replicated if we had planted this vineyard at any later time. As time went on, we added some French clones but then, when we discovered that some of those clones ripened too early, we backtracked and propagated more of the original heirlooms.

We learned, we matured and we grew older but we always remembered those first selections because sometimes, the first is the best.

Viva Vivacious!

The Three Amigos Pinot Noir is grown on cool clay soils close to San Pablo Bay. The cool climate of the Three Amigos Vineyard allows the grapes to ripen and develop flavor slowly while still retaining fresh acidity. This translates to an elegant wine with flavors of raspberry, violets, cranberry and freshly cut rhubarb. The vivacity of the wine makes it a beautiful accompaniment to dishes such as duck confit or, in this case, confit tomatoes baked with aromatics and ricotta, served with crunchy, soft in the middle crostini. A perfect start to a party or a clever cheese course.

Until the Next Wine....
Maria

EAT: Baked Ricotta with Confit Plum Tomatoes and Crostini

There’s a quality and depth of flavor to the 2014 Three Amigos Vineyard Pinot Noir that has the best attributes of both the 2012 and 2013 vintages. The 2012 has an aging potential but, because of this, was a bit restrained on release. The 2013 was more juicy and accessible at release. The 2014 vintage is a beautiful hybrid of the two.

The 2014 vintage was the third year of drought punctuated by a large 6.0 August earthquake that had an epicenter just a quarter mile from the Three Amigos Vineyard. Winter was the driest and warmest on record. Rain totals from July 1st, 2013 - January 30th, 2014 was just 2 inches. A normal season would see 13 inches. The first 2 weeks of February saw 6.5 inches of rain with another 3 inches at the end of February and into March. Budbreak came early, shifting harvest up a bit and, with plenty of flavor developing hang time, all Pinot Noir was picked by September 9.

Numerous heirloom and French selections comprise the Three Amigos cuvée. Cuttings from Swan, I-selection, S-selection and M&H heirlooms combined with the clones known as Pommard and INRA add distinct elements of complexity that swirl around the glass like a bouquet of garden roses. The French oak barrels (30% new) were chosen for their subtlety and help uplift the aromatics without being intrusive. The individual lots were aged for a year in the RSV caves then blended by taste to create the final cuvée.