Congratulations to Sycamore Creek, who got Best Red Wine/Double Gold for the 2007 Mosaico as well as a Double Gold for their 2007 Uvas Valley Cabernet at the 2010 West Coast Wine competition. Out of 1400 wines only 14 Double Golds were awarded, so to win two of them is a remarkable achievement.

Full results are here. Other local winners include:

Clos LaChance:
Silver - 2007 Merlot, Central Coast
Silver - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast
Bronze - 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Central Coast
Bronze - 2006 Syrah, Central Coast

Dancing Creek:
Silver - 2008 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2008 Merlot, Santa Cruz Mountains

Martin Ranch:
Silver - 2006 JD Hurley Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2007 Therese Vineyards Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2006 Therese Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2009 JD Hurley Sauvignon Blanc, Arroyo Seco
Bronze - 2007 JD Hurley Zinfandel, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2006 Therese Vineyards Syrah, Santa Clara Valley

Jason/Stephens
Silver - 2006 Dorcich Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2006 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2006 Syrah, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2006 Merlot, Santa Clara Valley

Kings Mountain Vineyard
Bronze - 2005 Meritage, Santa Cruz Mountains

La Rusticana d'Orsa:
Bronze - 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains

Loma Prieta:
Bronze - 2008 Pinot Noir, Saveria Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2008 Pinot Noir, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains

Pietra Santa:
Gold - 2005 Vache Red Blend, Cienega Valley
Silver - 2008 Pinot Grigio, Cienega Valley
Silver - 2008 Chardonnay, Dunne Ranch, Pacheco Pass
Silver - 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2007 Chardonnay Signature Collection, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2006 Sangiovese, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2007 zinfandel, Central Coast
Bronze - NV Sacred Stone, Central Coast

Poetic Cellars:
Silver - 2005 Petite Sirah, Livermore Valley
Bronze - 2007 Ballad, Livermore Valley

Sycamore Creek
Best Red, Double Gold - 2007 Mosaico, Santa Clara Valley
Double Gold - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Uvas Valley Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Syrah, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Cabernet Franc, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Malbec, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey

Vine Hill:
Gold - 2007 Cumbre Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

Windy Oaks:
Bronze - 2007 Pinot Noir 'Diane's Block', Santa Cruz Mountains

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I was a big fan of the 2006 Windy Oaks "Wild Yeast" Pinot Noir; on the occasions that I tasted them side by side I preferred it over the 2006 "Reserve". The 2007 vintage was released this fall; since I've been very impressed by the 2007 vintage generally but haven't had chance to visit the winery yet I decided to open a bottle from my latest wine club shipment.

Just four barrels were made - all fermented with native wild yeasts - and aged for 17 months in 75% new French oak.

Decanted about 1 hour, in a wide-based decanter. Light coloured, as is typical for Windy Oaks. Nose of strawberries, roses and allspice. On the palate there's baking spice, red fruits - strawberries and cherries - and citrus pith on the finish. It started out fairly lightweight, but showed increasing weight and depth over the 2 hours it was open. 93 now, could easily gain 2-3 points with time. $55 Recommended

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Jim & Judy Schultze farm 14 acres in Corralitos, at the southern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains. They also manage a vineyard in Aptos owned by the Klein Family. Four acres are currently producing fruit, with an additional half acre being prepared for grafting. Fruit from this vineyard all goes into the "Diane's Block" Pinot Noir. While it's perhaps the most fruit forward of the Windy Oaks wines, it is still fairly tight and doesn't show all its fruit right away. It's best decanted for at least an hour or so before serving.

The nose showed lots of spicy oak and rose petals. With time a caramel note emerged. It had flavours of tart cranberry and strawberry, with cherry and tea in the background. When first opened the finish showed a woody bitterness, but that soon dissipated. As the wine opened up, the rich, lush fruit became more apparent. My initial reaction was that it was a 90 point wine, but by the end of the bottle I'd revised the score up to 92. $45, 341 cases Recommended

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Jim & Judy Schultze make some terrific wines from their property in Corralitos. Their Chardonnay is one of my favourites, and their entire range of critically acclaimed Pinot Noirs is impressive. The latest addition, named "Terra Narro", is designed to be drunk now while you're waiting for their more structured wines to mature.

The nose is light, but typical of the Windy Oaks style. On the palate there's loads of cola, with hints of cherry, cranberry and spice. It's balanced, light on the oak with a tasty if fairly quick finish. 88 points. Club members can pick it up for $23, which makes it a Value; if you aren't a club member you might want to try and get hold of the Diane's Block, or better still the Wild Yeast or Reserve, to see what the fuss is about.

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Corralitos is a village on the west side of the Santa Cruz Mountains at the southern end of the appellation. The valley landscape creates a microclimate that's ideal for Pinot Noir, and is home to four wineries and several more vineyards.

The four wineries: Windy Oaks (see previous entry), Pleasant Valley Vineyards, Alfaro Family and Nicholson Vineyards are close to each other and have got together to promote the area via the Corralitos Wine Trail. They hold periodic promotional events; the next one is on Saturday May 9th, with the opportunity to try barrel samples and local artisanal foods.

As well as the four residents, several other wineries use fruit sourced in the area. One of the main vineyards is the Lester Family Vineyard (previously known as Deer Park) which is managed by VASCM president Prudy Foxx. Fruit is used by Martin Alfaro, Picchetti, La Rochelle and Pelican Ranch, among others. Most of the Deer Park wines I've tasted have been young and showed a great deal of structure and aging potential, though I've yet to try one with any significant bottle age.

Loma Prieta and Soquel vineyards each make Saveria Vineyard Pinot Noirs; both won Gold medals in the recent Chronicle tasting.

One Corralitos vineyard has gone by several names. Currently owned by the Woodruff family, it was the source for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard's "Matteson" and "Ciardella" Pinots, as well as Hallcrest's "Terra Belle". It's also been used by Salamandre and Stefania.

Storrs own a 50 acre estate in the area. It was planted in 2007, so has yet to produce its first vintage.

Several other small family vineyards exist in the area; the fruit generally makes it into appellation designated blends from larger wineries such as Clos LaChance or Sarah's vineyard.

Overall the area is producing some excellent, distinctive wines. The Corralitos Wine Trail event is a good opportunity to sample some of them, but if you can't make it then the wineries are open for tasting most weekends and also participate in the SCMWA passport program. Check them out.

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Windy Oaks was founded by Jim and Judy Schultze in 1996; they began planting Pinot Noir on their 14 acre property, later adding some Chardonnay. The wines have established a strong following, with the flagship "Proprieter's Reserve" bottling being restricted to wine club members only. The winery produces around 2,000 cases annually. Until recently the winery was only open on events such as passport weekends; however this summer they are opening on Friday and Saturday from 1-4PM (except 4th July).

2007 "One Acre Block" Chardonnay
Nose of creamy lemon and vanilla. Crisp lemon flavours with fresh baked bread and a chalky, mineral finish. Good acidity. Currently seems more austere than the plush 2006, but this is newly released and was only bottled 3 weeks ago. $38

2006 "Diane's Block" Pinot Noir (Klein Family Mountain Vineyard)
The fruit is sourced from a 4 acre vineyard in nearby Aptos; it's the only wine that isn't made with fruit from the Corralitos estate vineyard, though the wine qualifies as an "estate" wine.
It has a huge nose; pot-pourri, spice and rose petals just jump out of the glass. On the palate it's like liquid cherry pie; rich ripe cherry fruit backed with toasty, pastry notes. Soft tannins and nice acidity; this wine just begs to be drunk now. $45

2007 "Terra Narro" Pinot Noir
In 2007 the winery stopped selling fruit (previous purchases had included Testarossa and Martin Alfaro) and instead decided to introduce an entry level label. This wine sees only 40% new French oak and is aged for 16 months.
A faint, floral nose and fresh cherry flavours with a savoury background and good, fresh acidity. Not showing a great deal in comparison to the flamboyant Diane's Block; will give it some cellar time and try it again in a few months. $29 - 290 cases

2007 "Estate Cuvee" Pinot Noir
The nose is similar to the Terra Narro, but is much more pronounced and spicy. It has
sweet, cherry fruit flavours and a meaty, savoury component with a good, rich finish. A step up from the Terra Narro. $38 - 360 cases

2007 "Wood Tank" Pinot Noir
This is fermented in a 1 ton French oak tank, holding 150 gallons or about 2.5 barrels. It's a rich, concentrated wine with dark, earthy cherry flavours and a long finish; the progression from Terra Narro via Cuvee is clear. $55

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It's a funny thing, but when a producer makes one varietal so well you can often overlook the fact that they even make other wines. A couple of cases in point are Varner and Windy Oaks.

Now Bob and Jim Varner are justly famous for their excellent Chardonnay. From the Spring Ridge vineyard in Portola valley make the "Bee Block", "Home Block" and "Ampitheater Block", as well as a blend under the Neely label. However they also make a small amount of Pinot Noir. I tried the 2005 Neely Pinot Noir earlier this year, and frankly wasn't all that impressed. Then one evening last month I was looking through the cellar for something to pair with a stuffed pork chop and spotted a 2005 Varner Hidden Block Pinot Noir that I'd picked up. I decided I may as well quaff it, after all it was nothing special.

The colour didn't give much away; it's so amazingly light, I've seen darker Rosés. If you drink a lot of Burgundy then you're no doubt used to it, but Californian winemakers (with a few notable exceptions) seems to prefer their wines much darker. And the nose wasn't much of a clue at first - dusty oak and some white flowers. But on the palate I was surprised - wave after wave of rich, sweet fruit; cherries and redcurrants, together with mixed spice and more. The depth was amazing and it just got better with air. Highly recommended.

On the other hand, Windy Oaks are best known for their Pinot Noirs. They have around 14 acres of Pinot planted down near Corralitos, together with one acre of Chardonnay. Yet that one acre makes some amazing wine. I've tried both the 2005 and 2006 recently; they each had flavours of lemon meringue pie, pineapple and custard. Overall I think the 2006 has the edge. Again, a highly recommended wine.

While on the subject of Windy Oaks I'd like to mourn the passing of a bottle of their 2006 Proprietor's Reserve Pinot Noir. I intended to open an older vintage to impress a good friend from France. Unfortunately the 2006 had just arrived and I picked the wrong one. If you own any of these babies I implore you to please let them rest; they need at least 3-5 years of beauty sleep before they are ready.

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According to the CDF almost 4000 acres have been destroyed, but the fire is now 70% contained. Just 50 more acres were lost last night and minimal growth is expected today. The estimated number of residences threatened has been reduced from 500 to 100. Some roads have now been reopened (to residents, with proof of residency for security):

• Eureka Canyon Road and Rider Road to Ormsby Road
• Hazel Dell Road
• Buzzard Lagoon Road
• Browns Valley Road
• Croy Road

Mount Madonna Park and Loma Prieta Road/Summit Road remain closed.

I just received an email from Jim and Judy Schultze at Windy Oaks that said everything there is OK.

Update: as of 6PM the fire is now 80% contained - 4,270 acres destroyed. However that increased figure is mainly due to more accurate mapping information on acreage already burned.

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Day three of the fire, and it's now claimed more land than the 2002 Croy fire. Latest CDF reports indicate 3,400 acres consumed, with only 25% containment. There is fog and light showers forecast for today, which certainly won't hurt, but I doubt that it'll make that much difference. My heart goes out to the almost 3,000 (and counting) brave fire fighters who will spend this Memorial Day weekend saving lives, livelihoods and memories, and also to those who have lost everything. The CDF report that at last count 17 residences and 11 "commercial buildings" have been destroyed.

The fire took hold in a sparsely populated area - as you can see, with over 3,400 acres destroyed less than 30 buildings were affected, but I have heard of a few small vineyards that are in the fire area. As I get more information I will update this post. There are many small vineyards scattered all over the mountains - a partial list is here.

Click on the links for the Google map locations of the vineyards.

Believed Destroyed

Kenneth Kim Vineyard
This is a small winery that I hadn't heard of until I read reports on SFGate.com. A 20 acre property planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, producing a wine called "Cult". I can't find any records at all of this winery (though there is a similarly named property in Korea) so it may be that the winery hadn't officially released yet.

Threatened

Reed's Vineyard
This 10 acre vineyard was planted with Tempranillo and Syrah and is managed by Paul Romero of Stefania Wine. The vineyard is very close to the fire - about 200-300 yards away, but in their blog Paul says that there's a good firebreak cleared around the property. The owner, Reed Wilburn was quoted in an interview in the San Jose Mercury News today. He is safe and well, and is working as a volunteer firefighter along Pole Line Road.

Windy Oaks
The fire has been heading south east towards Windy Oaks since it started and is less than a mile away. The winery is on the other side of Hazel Dell Road, which will hopefully act as a fire break; furthermore most of the winery and warehouse is metal and in a cleared area. Jim and Judy have been mailing out status updates to their friends and customers, and are prepared to evacuate if necessary.

Woodruff Vineyard
This is a 9 acre vineyard, mostly Pinot but with some Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. I helped prune that vineyard earlier this year. It's located to the south of Windy Oaks and is surrounded by farmland, so is probably more defensible than Windy Oaks. The grapes have been used by Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards in the past, but are now managed by Paul Romero.

Muns Vineyard
Ed Muns' Pinot vineyard is located about 3 miles down Loma Prieta Road, due west of the point where the fire is believed to have started. With the fire mainly travelling to the south east it's looking safe, for now at least.

Erwin's Vineyard
A four acre Pinot Noir vineyard that has been used by Clos LaChance since 1997

Split Rail Vineyard
Another Pinot Noir vineyard, located at an elevation of 1,700 feet. The fruit has been used by David Bruce and Clos LaChance.

Legan Vineyard
The Legan vineyard is located in the south west part of the mountains, near Watsonville. It is another Pinot Noir vineyard, used by Clos LaChance.

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