Bruce Cunningham, X Winery / Amicus Cellars

There was an Aussie, an Englishman, and an American in a Swedish Bar tasting Californian wines. Sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke !. On April 1st 2009, I met up with Bruce Cunningham and Brad Schultze at Berns Hotel in Stockholm. Bruce is the Director of Sales and Partner at X Winery/Amicus Cellars which is located in Napa, California. Brad is the Business Development Manager at Muram International AB. The meeting was kindly arranged by Brad.

X Winery is the core brand of Amicus Cellars. X Winery was started by Reed Renaudin in 2001; Reed is the winemaker and CEO. Amicus Cellars produces 15,000 cases a year for sale in fine-wine shops, restaurants and a downtown Napa tasting room. Amicus Cellars celebrates the connection between wine and friendship; "amicus" is the Latin word meaning "friends". X Winery symbolizes the crossroads of where innovative and traditional winemaking meet. Amicus Cellars is independently owned as has a staff of 8 persons. The initial impression of all their wines is the packaging which is eye-catching, modern, and suggests hi-tech. All of the wines are very drinkable and incredible value for the money.

During winemaking, X Winery uses enzymes for for increased juice extraction and cultured yeasts for better control during fermentation and specific aroma and flavour extraction. All of the bottles labels are silk-screened printed whereby the ink is applied directly to the bottle which is then baked.

We tasted (all prices are the suggested consumer price, in Swedish Kronor, as given by Muram International) :

• X Winery 2007 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was made from 100% Musque clone and aged for 3 months in stainless steel drums. 148 SEK.

• X Winery 2006 X3 Tri-County Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were sources from Lake County High Valley appellation, Sonoma County, and Yountville and St Helena in Napa County. 189 SEK.

• X Winery 2006 Red X. This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Syrah, 12% Zinfandel, and 6% Petit Sirah. The grapes are 74% Lake County, 17% Paso Robles, and 9% Napa Valley. 148 SEK.

• X Winery 2007 Nova Vineyards Zinfandel. The Nova Vineyard was planted in the mid 1960s. It is located on the benchlands of Kelseyville in Lake County. The vineyard is cerified as organic. 222 SEK.

• X Winery 2005 Paso Robles Petit Sirah. This is a blend of 85% Paso Robles Petit Sirah, 10% Carneros AVA Syrah, and 5% High Valley AVA Cabernet Sauvignon. 248 SEK.

• X Winery 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. 248 SEK.

• Amicus Cellars 2005 Napa Valley Special Blend. This is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are 98% Napa Valley Spring Mountain and 2% Lake County. 436 SEK.

• Amicus Cellars 2005 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes come from 96% Napa Valley Spring Mountain and 4% St Helena. This wine received 91 points from Robert Parker in December 2008. 580 SEK.
  

My personal favourites were the X Winery 2007 Nova Vineyards Zinfandel and the Amicus Cellars 2005 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.

The X winery range of wines probably will not be in the Systembolaget ordinary range since they are too expensive for the price point. The Systembolaget has puts its buying on hold for the non-base programs for US wines for the time being. The X winery range would probably be submitted should the hold be lifted. It is forseen that Muram will be selling the range through restaurants and their wine club.

Gina Richmond is the winemaker and Christine 'Maclean' Adams (or Cmac for short) is the marketing guru and blog-engineer for X Winery. X Winery joined Twitter at the beginning of this year, 2009, and established a page on Facebook five months ago. Following company policy, Christine tweets at least three times a day and spends 20 to 40 minutes in social-network interaction : posting links to interesting stories, responding to posts by Twitter “followers” (now nearly up to 300 !) or Facebook “fans”, and uploading content on Facebook. “It is a whole new level of communicating with consumers that was not really there before,” she says. Cutting-edge communication fits well with the brand’s image as an innovator and with the company’s small staff and marketing budget.

Website : X winery / Amicus Cellars
Website : Muram International AB
Website : Bruce Cunnigham
Website : Bradford Schultze
Website : Christine Adams
Website : American Wine Club
Website : Wineries plug into Internet social networks, North Bay Business Journal, March 30th 2009

TN : Seghesio Zinfandel 2006, Sonoma County, California, USA

Edoardo Seghesio planted the first Zinfandel vineyard in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley in 1895.

The wine was bottled under screwcap.



This wine was imported by Johan Lidby Vinhandel.

Colour : Purple, blue hues

Aroma : Blackberry, dark fruits, oak, mint, chocolate, smells much better than it tastes

Taste : Burning bitter astringent oak alcohol finish, blackberry, mint, chocolate, slight liqcourice

Alcohol : 15.5%

Price : 165 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Seghesio Family Vineyards
Website : Johan Lidby Vinhandel AB

TN : Two Tracks Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Wither Hills, Malborough, New Zealand

This wine was packaged in a 1.5 litre bag-in-box. It is made by Wither Hills and the winemaker was Ben Glover. Total acidity is 7.2 grammes per litre and the residual sugar is 5 grammes per litre.



This wine was imported by WineWorld AB.



Colour : Pale straw

Aroma : Blackcurrant leaf, lime, gooseberry, cut grass

Taste : Overwhelming cut grass and sharp gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf, bracing mouthwatering acidity, lime

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 179 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Wither Hills
Website : WineWorld AB

TN : Ascender Cellars Shiraz 2008, Broken Plough Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Australia

This wine was packaged in a 1500ml (two bottle) bag-in-box. It is a blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Petit Verdot. There was a pre-fermentation maceration for a week and then alcoholic fermentation was started at 28 degrees and then fell to 23 degrees. Pumping over was performed every seventh hour. One gramme per litre of French oak powder and American oak chips were added during alcoholic fermentation. Part of the wine was stored in two year old French and American barriques and part in steel tanks with American oak staves inserted.

Broken Plough Vineyard was founded in 2000 and is owned by Jim Moulardellis.

Colour : Deep purple

Aroma : Vanilla, oak, plum, blackberry, herbs

Taste : Liquorice and warmth on finish, blackberry, herbs, oak, vanilla

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 179 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Austwine

TN : Les Remparts des Ceps Dores Rose 2008, Cave des Vignerons a Sablet, Cotes du Rhone, France

The wine was sealed with a screwcap and was bottled in 375ml (half-bottle) format. It is a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault. Fermentation was in stainless steel tanks.

The cooperative was founded in 1935 and has 150 members who together own over 550 hectares of vineyards. The winemaker was Bernard Degoul.



This wine was imported by Premium Wines Sweden AB.

Colour : Bright strawberry red

Aroma : Herbs, strawberry, raspberry

Taste : Dry, herbs, strawberry, raspberry

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 45 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Premium Wine Sweden AB

Bernard Magrez Luxury Wine Tourism

Bernard Magrez has now branched out into more luxury wine tourism; in recent years, it has been possible to visit Pape Clement and the accompanying wine shop. A dedicated web site will be open very soon.

There are four packages currently on offer, a minimum of two persons is needed :

• La Vie de Chateau, from 990 Euros per person, 1 day and 1 night
• Secrets de Grands Crus, from 1790 Euros per person, 3 days and 2 nights
• Envolee d'Exception, from 5390 Euros per person, 3 days and 2 nights
• Echappee Belle en Rolls Royce, from 2490 Euros per person, 4 days and 3 nights
  

La Vie de Chateau consists of a private tour of Chateau Pape Clement, a tasting of the Grand Vin, lunch in the chateau park, a drive in a Rolls Royce to Bordeaux, dinner in dining room, and one night in one of the Chateau's bedrooms.

Secrets de Grands Crus consists of dining at Pape Clement, overnight stay at Pape Clement, tour of Pape Clement, picnic in the park of Pape Clement, private tour of Chateau Fombrauge and village of St Emilion, dining at Chateau Fombrauge, overnight stay at Chateau Fombrauge, tour of Chateau La Tour Carnet, and medieval dinner at Chateau La Tour Carnet.

Envolee d'Exception consists of a dinner and overnight stay at Pape Clement, helicopter tour, tour and tasting at Chateau La Tour Carnet, lunch at Chateau Perenne, tour, tasting, dinner, and overnight stay at Chateau Fombrauge, drive in Rolls Royce to tour St Emilion, lunch at a restaurant in Bordeaux, walking tour of Bordeaux, and finally a tour and tasting at Chateau Pape Clement.

Echappee Belle en Rolls Royce consists of a dinner, two overnight stays, tour, and lunch at Pape Clement, lunch in Bordeaux, tour, lunch, evening meal, and overnight stay at Chateau Fombrauge, walking around St Emilion, and lastly a tour of Chateau La Tour Carnet followed by lunch on the banks of the moat at La Tour Carnet.

Website : Luxury Wine Tourism
Website : Chateau Pape Clement

Systembolaget New Wines May 2009

The new newsletter Varunytt detailing the set of new wines that will be for sale in May 2009 from the Systembolaget monopoly stores in Sweden can now be downloaded from their website in PDF format. The wines can be purchased from Saturday 2nd May 2009.

Website : Systembolaget Varunytt Maj 2009

TN : Claremont Reserve Cabernet Sauvingon 2006, The Directors Cellars, Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia

The Directors series is the highest tier price range of Claremont Wines.

This wine was imported by WSB The Beverage Company AB.

Les Sampson was the winemaker.



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Vanilla, mint, chocolate, blackberry

Taste : Mint, chocolate, blackberry, blackcurrant, vanilla, herbs

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 159 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Claremont Wines
Website : WSB The Beverage Company AB

TN : Duorum, Colheita, Duorum Vinhos. Duoro, Portugal

On the label it states "from the Golden River Valley". This wine is a blend of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, and Touriga Franca. Jose Maria Soares Franco was the winemaker. Duorum in Latin means "from two" and respresents the desire to combine oenological activities with Joao Portugal Ramos.



Colour : Red/purple

Aroma : Spice, violets, vanilla, dark berries

Taste : Blackberries, violets, earthy, fruity, oak, vanilla

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 99 SEK

Mark : C+

TN : De Martino Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2006, Quebrada Seca, Limari Vineyard, Chile

The Quebranda Seca vineyard lies in the Northern Limari Valley locate 22 km from the Pacific ocean. The vines are planted on an alluvial terrace which has a clay content of higher than 50% with calcium carbonate components in the sub-soil. Marcelo Retamal was the winemaker. De Martino have been around since 1934.



This wine was imported by Domaine Wines.

Colour : Yellow with green hues

Aroma : Pistachio nuts, butter, lemon, pineapple

Taste : Citrus fruit, nutty, nice long crisp clean acidic finish, mouthwatering, lemons, lime, pineapple

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Vina De Martino
Website : Domaine Wines

Systembolaget Wines in Stock Count Wrong

It is possible to see how many bottles of each wine are in stock at each Systembolaget store in Sweden by browsing the Systembolaget website. This is the theory but currently the numbers quoted for the flagship store in Regeringsgatan in Stockholm are complete rubbish. I have no idea of the validity of the figures for any other store.

TN : Allegrini Valpolicella Superiore 2005, DOC, Italy

The wine is a blend of 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella, and 5% Oseleta. The grapes were hand-harvested during the first week of October. After crushing, the must was macerated for one week at a temperature between 25 to 31 degrees. All of the wine spent one year in oak; half in Slavonian oak and the other half in 225 litre French oak.



This wine was imported by VinUnic.

Colour : Plum/red

Aroma : Plums, cherries, rum raisin, slight spice

Taste : Spice, cherry, oak, plums, rum raisins

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 99 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Allegrini
Website : VinUnic

VinUnic Newsletter April 2009

Just posted is the April 2009 newsletter from VinUnic. It can be downloaded from their website in PDF format. Just two wines launched this month, a Valpolicella from Allegrini and a rose from Spain.

Website : VinUnic Våra Viner April 2009

TN : De Martino Single Vineyard Carmenere 2006, Alto de Piedra, Maipo Valley, Chile

The organic Alto de Piedras vineyard is an alluvial terrace from the Quaternary era (700 years ago). The soil is a combination of sand, lime, and clay.



The grapes were harvested during the second week of May. Before fermentation, the grapes underwent a cold maceration for week at 8 degrees. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 15 months. It is suggested that this wine can be cellared for up to 7 years and I would suggest leaving it 2 years to see if the oak is mellowing and the fruit is still present. Marcelo Retamal was the winemaker. De Martino have been around since 1934.



This wine was imported by Domaine Wines.

Colour : Purple/black

Aroma : Blackcurrant, blackberry, green pepper, oak

Taste : Concentrated fruit, overwhelming toasty oak on finish (will this calm down and integrate in 2-3 years time ??), blackcurrant, green peppers, blackberry

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Vina De Martino
Website : Domaine Wines

WineWorld Newsletter April 2009

WineWorld AB have just published their latest newsletter for April 2009. It can be downloaded from their website in PDF format. This month sees wines in PET bottles and in 1.5 litre bag-in-boxes.

Website : Vintips Från WineWorld

TN : Floresta Leyda Sauvingon Blanc 2007, Valle de Leyda, Santa Rita, Chile

The winemaker was Andres Ilabaca. This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc composed of 55% clone 242, 20% clone 1, and 25% clone 108.

All the clones are planted on a trellis system with the shoots positioned vertically in bilateral rows. The grapevines are located on soft slopes of gravelly, clayey soil, with shallow to medium depth and good drainage. Once the seasonal growth began, the vines were thinned in order to obtain the proper distribution of the remaining shoots; thus assuring adequate luminosity for bunches without exposing the canopy to excessive sunlight. Irrigation was managed to halt growth during the veraison and in turn to obtain good nutrition for the grape bunches to enable the berries to develop their varietal characteristics. After veraison, hydric control was very strict.

Each clone was managed separately and blended later. The harvest was carried out from the end of March to mid April, based on clone and maturity level, in order to obtain the different varietal components. The harvested grapes, exclusively picked in the morning, were transferred to bins and quickly taken to be processed. Once destemmed and softly crushed, the grapes are then pressed, except for some lots that are subjected to an extended maceration, in the press, at a controlled temperature so as to prevent any type of oxidation and phenolic extraction. Drop selection from the press is carried out by tasting, selecting only the best texture, fruitiness and freshness and no phenolic extraction or oxidation. The obtained juice is settled for a 20-day period, during which, the varietal character is obtained from the solids and thus the juice becomes more complex. Fermentation is at low temperatures to maintain its fruitiness. Once the wine was finished, it was kept on its lees for additional mouth feel. The wine was bottled once it was been clarified and stabilized at cold temperatures.

The pH is 3.10, total acidity (as tartaric acid) is 6.7 grammes per litre, and the residual sugar is 1.27 grammes per litre.



Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Gooseberry, tropical fruits, blackcurrant leaf

Taste : Overwhelming grass and nettles, blackcurrant leaf, tropical fruits, minerals

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Santa Rita

Vinkällaren Grappe Newsletter April 2009

Vinkällaren Grappe have posted their latest newsletter containing wines that they will be launching on Apri 1st 2009. What I really like about this newsletter is that the tasting notes contain drinking windows for each wine which is something that Systembolaget seem reluctant to publish (maybe they just don't have a clue !). The newsletter can be downloaded from the Vinkällaren Grappe website in PDF format.

Website : Vinkällaren Grappes Nyhetsbrev april 2009

Peter Work, Ampelos Cellars

I met with Peter Work, owner of Ampelos Cellars in the Santa Rita Hills AVA in California, USA and Bradford Schultze of Muram International on Wednesday 11th March 2009. Muram International are a leading wine importer of American Wines into Europe with a current focus on wines from the Central Coast of California. The meeting was kindly arranged by Brad.

Peter is originally from Denmark but came to the USA via his studies at Princeton and then later with his job at Price Waterhouse. He bought land in 1999 in Santa Barbara

County which would later become incorporated into the Santa Rita Hills AVA. The first vines were planted in 2001. In total, Ampelos now has estate vineyards planted to Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier. In addition to their estate vineyards, Ampelos acquires grapes from Fiddlestix, Alisos, Cuatro Vientos, and Byron. Peter also has a small amounts of Dornfelder and Pinot Gris planted.

Amepelos is a Greek word which means "vine". Peter and his wife Rebecca were married on a small Greek island, and fell so much in love with the island that they created a 10 room hotel, Ampelos Resort. He visits usually once a year which is stocked with a cellar full of Greek wine.

We tasted four of his wines over the course of an hour's conversation. These were the Pinot Noir Lambda 2005, Pinot Noir Rho 2005, Syrache 2005, and the Syrah Gamma 2005. The Rho is made from the best barrels for the higher-end cuvee. The Lambda had lots spice and cherries while the Rho was richer and oakier - an all together bigger wine. Lambda is a mathematical constant signifying that the wine will be made each year. Rho is a correlation co-efficient signifying that each year this wine will be made but from a different set of barrels and thus clones. The Syrache was very gluggable though still with complexity. The Rho is a barrel select Pinot Noir made by selecting the best barrels (16 in the case of the 2005); the rest goes into the Lambda - the fruit is identical between the two cuvees. The Gamma Syrah was a lovely wine with some substance and very drinkable now. Gamma is used mathematically for a function that includes complex numbers which signifies the complexity of the estate Syrah.

In the case of the Pinot Noir then some Pinot Gris is incorporated to fix the colour (same principle as adding Viognier to Syrah). This tends to give the fruit an uplift.

All of the red go through a cold soak. After picking, the grapes stay in our cold room at -1 degrees centigrade for at least 24 hours. The clusters are then destemmed; Syrah and Grenache are also crushed . Following this, the grapes stay in small 1 and 1/4 ton fermenters for three days before inoculation. This leads to the right amount of early colour, tannin and flavor extraction.

If Viognier is added to the Syrah varies from year to year. In 2007, Viognier skins we added (they had just been pressed for the white wine) into a Syrah fermenter. In 2008, the estate Viognier was hanging and crushed together with the estate Syrah.

Ampeleos uses cultured yeasts; Three different yeast strains for Pinot (Asmanshausen, BM45 and RC212) and three for Syrah/Grenache (BM45, VQ15 and D254)

Peter releases all of his wines when they are ready to drink; though they continue to improve with age.

Peter's son Don is actually the winemaker at renowned winery Sea Smoke Cellars.

Peter made an interesting remark when it comes to when to pick and that is that the vine usually gives out it's own sign. That is, if the leaves are green then things are probably not ready in that photosynthesis is still happening, if the leaves are all brown then things are shutting down; thus if the vine shows a mixture of green and yellow/brown leaves then one should think about picking. Tasting the seeds also gives some clues as they start to take on a hazelnutty flavour when ripe.

All of the grapes are sorted in the as they are picked.

Something he also practices is the use of special netting so as not to restrict the movement of the leaves in that they naturally need to follow the sun as it moves in the sky; ordinary netting can restrict this leaf movement.

Peter's vineyards are all 100% biodynamic and will now certified by Demeter.

Peter was recently featured in two episodes of Gary Vaynerchuck's Wine Library TV.

I asked Peter if he missed his old career - not at all was his reply.

Website : Peter Work
Website : Ampelos Cellars
Website : Bradford Schultze
Website : Muram International
Website : Wine Library TV Episode 630
Website : Wine Library TV Episode 631

Bryn Ceiliog Vineyard, Penarth, Wales

My parents-in-law come from a small town called Penarth which is just outside Cardiff in Wales. I was indeed surprised to discover that grapes was being grown minutes away from where they live.



The Bryn Ceiliog vineyard is located on the Beggan farm on Cock Hill in Leckwith in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. There are 2,000 vines planted on over 4 acres (1.8 hectares). Both black and green grape varieties are grown and all the vines are cool-climate varieties, mainly from Alsace and the Rhine Valley.

The white wine is a blend of six grape varieties which are Orion, Phoenix, Reichensteiner, Kernling, Findling, and Bacchus. The red wine is a blend of three varieties which are Rondo, Dornfelder, and Regent.

After harvesting, the grapes are sent to the Three Choirs Vineyards in Newent for processing and bottling.



The price is currently 45 GB pounds per half case (6 bottles) inclusive of VAT and paid duty. Delivery is free within South Wales for orders of four cases or more.

TN : Les Hauts de Granget ArteVino 2005, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France

This wine will improve with 2-3 years of age. It is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.



Colour : Purple/blue

Aroma : Plum, milk chocolate, herbs, coffee

Taste : Typically St-Emilion, plums, cherry, oak, drying tannins on finish, herbs

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : B-