Have you ever wondered what a second wine is in Bordeaux?  

To make its grand vin, or best wine, a top Bordeaux château will blend together only its very finest lots of wine, usually from the most well-sited vineyard plots and the oldest vines. What happens to all the other lots? In many cases, the château makes a second wine, which will have its own brand name and its own distinct label. (It’s important to note here that a second wine is not the same as a Second Growth.) Usually made by the same winemaker in essentially the same manner as the grand vin, the second wine will be less expensive, although alas, not inexpensive (several cost more than $100 a bottle). Still, for many savvy wine drinkers, buying second wines is a smart strategy.

Often, the label on a second wine does not reveal the château it came from, but the name may be close enough to tell. Lastly, there’s one case wherein a mass market wine might seem like a second wine but isn’t. Mouton Cadet is decidedly not the second wine of Château Mouton Rothschild, but rather, a very cheap, basic quaff.  Château Mouton Rothschild costs 110 times more than Mouton Cadet.

Some of the best second wines and the châteaux they come from:

• Le Carillon de L’Angélus (Château Angélus)
• Carruades de Lafite (Château Lafite Rothschild)
• Le Clarence de Haut-Brion (Château Haut-Brion)
• La Croix de Beaucaillou (Château Ducru-Beaucaillou)
• Echo de Lynch-Bages (Château Lynch-Bages)
• Les Forts de Latour (Château Latour)
• Les Pagodes de Cos (Château Cos d’Estournel)
• Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux (Château Margaux)
• Le Petit Cheval (Château Cheval Blanc)
• Reserve de la Comtesse (Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande)
• Le Petit Lion de Las Cases (Château Léoville-Las Cases)

And what region in the US has the most Michelin stars?
In 2021, six San Francisco Bay Area restaurants were awarded 3 stars, Michelin’s highest honor. The 3-star honorees are: Atelier Crenn, Benu, Quince, The French Laundry, Single Thread, and Manresa. There are only 13 three-star restaurants throughout the U.S. (the six previously mentioned, plus five in New York, one in Chicago, and one in Virginia). Additionally, only six restaurants in the U.S. made the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list. Benu and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco and Single Thread in Healdsburg ranked 28th, 48th and 37th, respectively.

Thanks to Winespeed for the information.
If you have never been to Bordeaux, I strongly recommend it.

Regardless of the other great wine regions, like Lodi, Central Coast, and Temecula, California’s famous Napa Valley remains number one in my heart.  Why is that true?

In 1968, the Napa County Board of Supervisors passed a landmark zoning ordinance that made Napa Valley the first Agricultural Preserve in the United States. The Ag Preserve, as it is known, mandated agriculture as the “highest and best” use of Napa Valley land. The effect of the ordinance was to severely restrict commercial development not directly related to agriculture. As visitors discover, with the exception of the small town of Napa itself, there are no strip malls or department store complexes in the valley proper. Instead, Napa Valley is home to 40,000+ acres of beautiful vineyards, and the picturesque rural landscape remains intact. As for the other possible answers, there is no minimum size of a vineyard in the Napa Valley. (You can plant one thousand vines; you can plant ten vines. There is no minimum). Many vineyards are very small and 95% are family owned. Regarding mountains, vineyards have existed in the mountains around Napa Valley for well over a hundred years. Today, however, forest land is tightly protected in the valley, and planting on steep slopes is prohibited. As a practical and legal matter, it’s extremely difficult to plant a vineyard from scratch in the mountains. And finally, while vineyards are the dominant form of agriculture in the valley, all types of agriculture are welcomed (except for commercially grown cannabis, which is not allowed).

What is dosage?    Dosage (doh-SAHJ) is the degree of sweetness of the liqueur d’expédition (a combination of sugar and reserve wine) added at the very end in the making of a Champagne wine. The extent of the sugar in the dosage determines whether a Champagne wine will be Brut, Extra Dry, Demi-Sec, and so on. Over the last fifteen years, dosage levels in Brut Champagne wines (one of the least sweet) have dropped an average of 2.8 grams per liter. The rise in temperatures caused by climate change means that the Champenois are harvesting riper grapes; in addition, they are leaving the wines on the yeast lees for longer, both of which mitigate against the need for as much sugar as in the past.

And the red white conundrum?  As you probably know, virtually all red wine grapes have white juice. One day, I found myself wondering why? I asked Carole Meredith PhD, the leading grapevine geneticist in the U.S. She explained: “The red grapes that have white juice are all varieties of Vitis vinifera, the European wine grape.  These red grapes have color pigment in the berry skin, but not in the berry pulp. As to why, one can only speculate. The skin color of the fruit presumably helps to attract birds or other fruit-eating animals, which will then disperse the seeds. There would be no adaptive advantage to also having pigment in the pulp, which is not visible. Red apple varieties, for example, have pigment in the skin but not in the pulp.” I thought: So that’s it. But Meredith went on, “Then again, look at plums – some have color inside and some don’t.” Hmmm.

Only 4% of California wine grapes are grown in the Napa Valley. Although the name Napa Valley is known around the world, the region itself is rather small. Napa Valley has just 44,000 acres of vines, making it 1/6 the size of Bordeaux. In fact, the Valley represents just 0.4% of the world’s wine production. There are 700 grape growers and 475 physical wineries in the Napa Valley, 92% of which are family-owned.

 Napa Valley was named an AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1981, the first in California, and only the second in the U.S. Today, there are 16 AVAs designated within in the Napa Valley, each with a distinct microclimate. Howell Mountain and Carneros were the first to be established in 1983, and the latest to be recognized was Coombsville, in 2011.

Speaking of the Napa AVA:  In 1990, the Napa Valley vintners initiated a concept called Conjunctive Labeling, requiring any wine label which lists on of the AVAs within the Napa Valley must also list the words Napa Valley next to it. The idea behind this initiative was to not allow the standing of individual AVAs to overshadow the reputation of Napa Valley as a whole. Years later, a result of the initiative would be clear. In important export markets such as China, the words “Napa Valley” now have greater recognition than even one of the most globally recognized English words— California.

And a word about climate change:  Like other regions in California, Napa Valley has felt the terrible effects of climate change. Two major Napa Valley programs are in effect to combat the climate crisis and, at the same time, increase sustainability. Called Napa Green Vineyard and Napa Green Winery, the certification programs include more than 100 standards to save energy, improve water efficiency, prevent waste, reduce and sequester carbon, enhance soils through regenerative farming, eliminate pesticides, preserve forests, and improve social equity and justice. By 2020 more than 90 percent of Napa Valley wineries were participating in either the Napa Green Winery or Napa Green Vineyard programs. 

(All articles courtesy of Winespeed)

Yes, I believe Napa Valley wines are overpriced.  And yes, other areas produce very good wines.  But when I travel around the world, guess which region gets mentioned FIRST?  Yes, Napa Valley, only after telling them I am from California, and live near San Francisco!!!

Written in 2014, my first email regarding wine or champagne. From the Napa Valley Vintners:

 As winemaking activity in the Napa Valley transitions from the vineyard to the cellar, we asked our vintners to respond to frequently asked questions about this year’s harvest.

When did harvest begin?
The first sparkling wine grapes were picked on July 30; however, for most vintners and growers, harvest didn’t really kick into high gear until the third week in August. (Earlier than normal, Aug. 4 at Gloria Ferrer)

How many grapes were picked?
It looks like 2014 will be the third abundant harvest in a row for the region, but no one is expecting any records to fall.

Has the drought impacted this year’s harvest?
Quality was not affected. Perfectly timed, heavy rains came just prior to bud break, and a warm spring allowed vintners to save water that would have been used for frost protection. (They always put a positive spin on it no matter what the conditions)

What about the August 24 earthquake?
The earthquake did not affect the grapevines or the fruit, and even the most significantly damaged wineries were still able to proceed with “harvest as usual” in spite of the quake.

How are vintners and growers summarizing the 2014 Napa Valley harvest?
Early, excellent, quality, demanding but fruitful, and another great year are just some of the words and phrases we are hearing.   
(I love Napa, but really, their wines are a little pricey.  Look elsewhere for bargains)

 In honor of my last visit to the famous K&L Champagne Tent Party in the City today, here is one of the first articles I wrote about my favorite adult beverage: Vineyards in the Champagne region of France go back well before Roman times.  Winemaking in Champagne began long before the invention of sparkling wine.  Strangely, with the increased influence and power of the church, many important vineyards were bequeathed to monastic orders (or should it be disorders?).  Many of the most valuable vineyards ended up nationalized in the hands of clerics.  I think they drank more than they sold or exported.  In fact, the importance of this region was such that the kings of France were crowned in Reims in the heart of the Champagne region) between 898 and 1825. 

 Of course, these grand coronations had free flowing champagne.  The cooler climate of the region created still wines from red grapes that were high in acid, but delicate in taste.  So envious of their neighbors in Burgundy, they tried to match the fuller-bodied red wines from the Burgundy region.  As a result, the first sparkling wines were created in an attempt to create wines fit for royalty. 

When word of the sparkling wines of the Champagne region began to spread, they captured a devoted and noble following.  Champagne became the nectar of the ruling elite, whether French monarchs, Tsars of Russia, as well as Napoleon Bonaparte and Winston Churchill.  Here is what they said:

Napoleon came up with, “I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate…and I drink champagne when I lose, to control myself.”  Not to be outdone, Churchill said, “Remember gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne!”

However, the technology of champagne languished in the 19th century.  Creating bubbles during the second fermentation was not very sophisticated or reliable.  The hero turned out to be a French pharmacist (naturally), who discovered a method to determine the level of carbon dioxide produced in the wine by measuring the residual sugar, thus improving consistency.  Production and sales increased exponentially.  This process, called the Methode Champenoise was born and champagne production grew from 300,000 bottles per year to 20 million bottles in 1850.  From a 1915 English magazine

But all was not smooth for this nectar of the gods.  Champagne encountered many historic and economic challenges.  Both World Wars, as well as the Great Depression cut champagne production and sales world wide.  But since the 1950s, champagne has grown like wildfire.  Champagne was featured in Hollywood films, and often photographed in the hands of the world’s most glamorous stars.  Charles Dickens said “Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life.”  I must disagree with Chuck, and say that champagne and sparkling wine are absolute necessities in life!

 In the 20th century, champagne became accessible for people like me for the first time.  Sales went crazy, and the love affair with champagne became stronger than ever, with some calling it the “democratization” of the bubbly.  Champagne became synonymous with the great moments in life, like milestone birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and New Year’s eve.  Or, if you are like me, any chance you get, weekends, parties, reunions, good friends, weekends, weekdays, you get the idea! Champagne is said to have inspired many famous artists.  Chopin, after moving to Mallorca, claimed champagne made him witty.  Beethoven wrote a symphony praising champagne.  Even Wagner claimed that champagne renewed his zest for life.  Ian Fleming made James Bond into a champagne connoisseur.  Even Oscar Wilde sipped champagne on his deathbed!

Enough said!