Time in a Bottle
Posted June 8th, 2011 by sean@bevx.com
Better late than never… I’ve mumbled this phrase to myself on several occasions but perhaps never with such disbelief as I had some months ago when I was introduced to the great Wines from Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. How could I have missed this? Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard (SCMV) has only been around for three-plus decades making the kind of Wines I personally adore. In my weak defense, but a defense nonetheless, SCMV makes precious few cases of Old World styled Wine each year and most of it is gobbled up in California. The sum of style, integrity, and commitment harken to a time that has sadly passed us by but can be found again in every bottle of SCMV Wine. It’s like time in a bottle.
Jeff Emery, a man who wears many hats at the winery including winemaker and proprietor, capably helms SCMV. Jeff has been with SCMV since 1979 when he took a part-time job tending to the vineyards and working as a cellar rat (an endearing term used for the guy who does the dirty work in the cellar). Soon the part-time gig became a full-time job that had the flavor of an Old World style apprenticeship to owner Ken Burnap. In time Jeff Emery’s apprenticeship ended as his relationship with Ken Burnap became a collaboration that would last until Ken’s retirement in 2004. But we should not jump ahead in this great story.
Jeff worked side by side with SCMV owner/founder/winemaker Ken Burnap. Ken became interested in Wine in a peculiar way, but a familiar way to many connected with the Wine biz. While dining out with his girl Ken made a less than graceful stab at ordering a bottle of Bordeaux. Rather than being a gracious and good waiter, the fellow determined to make young Burnap feel rather small. Being a proud twenty-something guy Ken vowed that this would never happen again and took up a self-guided study of Wine. The more he read the more fascinated he became by the subject.
Fortunately for Burnap, French wines sold for very modest prices in the 1960s and 70s (and through much of the 80s I might add… I miss those days). He continued to read and taste furthering his Wine education. Before long he discovered that he preferred the red Wines made in the French region of Burgundy, Wines made entirely with Pinot Noir. Soon the inevitable comparisons of Burgundy to California Pinot Noir were made. Ken wondered why the Wines were so different. Why California Pinots so flabby, grapey, and uninteresting as compared to the Pinots from Burgundy? He concluded that it must be due to where they were grown.
In the early 1970s Burnap and his business partners opened a restaurant in the city of Orange, California, The Hobbit (it’s still there). Burnap was the sommelier while his partners ran the kitchen. In his spare time Ken would drive up to the Santa Cruz Mountains looking for great vineyard sites. At this point this was merely a hobby, he had no intention of becoming a winemaker. His position at The Hobbit brought him in contact with many California winemakers and he enjoyed these interactions and the knowledge gleaned over time.
As you may have guessed, this hobbyist eventually became a vineyard owner. Burnap spotted a property on Jarvis Road that was planted to Pinot Noir by winemaker David Bruce. Bruce and Burnap were friends and shared similar opinions of wine, especially Pinot Noir. Burnap sat atop the vineyard property drinking a bottle of Champagne thinking to himself that this was the perfect site for Pinot Noir. In 1975, the first crop emerged and the rest is history as they say.
For two years Burnap would commute between Southern California and the Central Coast before selling his interest in his SoCal businesses. In 1977 Burnap moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains full-time and started a winery. Two years later Emery took a part-time job at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and so began a great collaboration and friendship between Burnap and Emery that continues to this day.
Burnap generously shared his love of Burgundy and his self-styled theories on making Pinot Noir. Over time, Emery developed what could most simply be described as an Old World palate. Emery, like Burnap, prefers to create and drink Wines with moderate alcohol levels, acidity in perfect proportion and derived naturally, and where oak is very much a complimenting flavor. The Wines would necessarily pair well with food and age gracefully for well beyond a decade. In my view Emery has hit the bull’s-eye in every regard. This is the style of wine that I prefer and while I find charm and merit in other styles, the Wines made by SCMV are flirting with perfection.
If you are accustomed to sweet cherry focused fruit-bomb Pinot Noir then this wine may catch you be surprise. If you love Burgundy and have all but given up on California Pinot Noir, then this wine will likely surprise you as well in the most wonderful way. The SCMV Pinots are incredibly complex and they require a good amount of time in the decanter before these Wines will show you all of their incredible aromatics and flavors. I found half-full bottles of SCMV Pinot Noir opened three days prior to be better and more generous than when the cork was pulled. These are Wines for aging.
While SCMV specializes in Pinot Noir they also make small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. In 2008 SCMV launched a second brand, Quinta Cruz, which features only varieties that originated on the Iberian Peninsula but are now grown in California. These Portuguese and Spanish varieties include Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Souzao, Graciano, and Tinto Cão; seven different wines in all. Of course these Wines share the same soul and philosophy found in the great SCMV Pinot Noirs.
SCMV total production is quite small totaling fewer than 4,000 cases in sum. The wines are not always easy to find outside of California but if you live in a state that has not stripped away your rights to buy Wine via the Internet you can find these great Wines at their internet store. In addition to my great affection for SCMV Wines, I am a big fan of Jeff Emery. Emery is a good guy and a real straight shooter. We have spoken on several occasions and he has always been generous with his time and refreshingly honest and open about his work. Great Wines, sold at a sensible and fair price, made by a good and honest man is all I am looking for in a Wine brand.
in
Source:
Sean Ludford, BevXBetter late than never… I’ve mumbled this phrase to myself on several occasions but perhaps never with such disbelief as I had some months ago when I was introduced to the great Wines from Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. How could I have missed this? Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard (SCMV) has only been around for three-plus decades making the kind of Wines I personally adore. In my weak defense, but a defense nonetheless, SCMV makes precious few cases of Old World styled Wine each year and most of it is gobbled up in California. The sum of style, integrity, and commitment harken to a time that has sadly passed us by but can be found again in every bottle of SCMV Wine. It’s like time in a bottle.Jeff Emery, a man who wears many hats at the winery including winemaker and proprietor, capably helms SCMV. Jeff has been with SCMV since 1979 when he took a part-time job tending to the vineyards and working as a cellar rat (an endearing term used for the guy who does the dirty work in the cellar). Soon the part-time gig became a full-time job that had the flavor of an Old World style apprenticeship to owner Ken Burnap. In time Jeff Emery’s apprenticeship ended as his relationship with Ken Burnap became a collaboration that would last until Ken’s retirement in 2004. But we should not jump ahead in this great story.
Jeff worked side by side with SCMV owner/founder/winemaker Ken Burnap. Ken became interested in Wine in a peculiar way, but a familiar way to many connected with the Wine biz. While dining out with his girl Ken made a less than graceful stab at ordering a bottle of Bordeaux. Rather than being a gracious and good waiter, the fellow determined to make young Burnap feel rather small. Being a proud twenty-something guy Ken vowed that this would never happen again and took up a self-guided study of Wine. The more he read the more fascinated he became by the subject.
Fortunately for Burnap, French wines sold for very modest prices in the 1960s and 70s (and through much of the 80s I might add… I miss those days). He continued to read and taste furthering his Wine education. Before long he discovered that he preferred the red Wines made in the French region of Burgundy, Wines made entirely with Pinot Noir. Soon the inevitable comparisons of Burgundy to California Pinot Noir were made. Ken wondered why the Wines were so different. Why California Pinots so flabby, grapey, and uninteresting as compared to the Pinots from Burgundy? He concluded that it must be due to where they were grown.In the early 1970s Burnap and his business partners opened a restaurant in the city of Orange, California, The Hobbit (it’s still there). Burnap was the sommelier while his partners ran the kitchen. In his spare time Ken would drive up to the Santa Cruz Mountains looking for great vineyard sites. At this point this was merely a hobby, he had no intention of becoming a winemaker. His position at The Hobbit brought him in contact with many California winemakers and he enjoyed these interactions and the knowledge gleaned over time.
As you may have guessed, this hobbyist eventually became a vineyard owner. Burnap spotted a property on Jarvis Road that was planted to Pinot Noir by winemaker David Bruce. Bruce and Burnap were friends and shared similar opinions of wine, especially Pinot Noir. Burnap sat atop the vineyard property drinking a bottle of Champagne thinking to himself that this was the perfect site for Pinot Noir. In 1975, the first crop emerged and the rest is history as they say.
For two years Burnap would commute between Southern California and the Central Coast before selling his interest in his SoCal businesses. In 1977 Burnap moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains full-time and started a winery. Two years later Emery took a part-time job at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and so began a great collaboration and friendship between Burnap and Emery that continues to this day.Burnap generously shared his love of Burgundy and his self-styled theories on making Pinot Noir. Over time, Emery developed what could most simply be described as an Old World palate. Emery, like Burnap, prefers to create and drink Wines with moderate alcohol levels, acidity in perfect proportion and derived naturally, and where oak is very much a complimenting flavor. The Wines would necessarily pair well with food and age gracefully for well beyond a decade. In my view Emery has hit the bull’s-eye in every regard. This is the style of wine that I prefer and while I find charm and merit in other styles, the Wines made by SCMV are flirting with perfection.
If you are accustomed to sweet cherry focused fruit-bomb Pinot Noir then this wine may catch you be surprise. If you love Burgundy and have all but given up on California Pinot Noir, then this wine will likely surprise you as well in the most wonderful way. The SCMV Pinots are incredibly complex and they require a good amount of time in the decanter before these Wines will show you all of their incredible aromatics and flavors. I found half-full bottles of SCMV Pinot Noir opened three days prior to be better and more generous than when the cork was pulled. These are Wines for aging.While SCMV specializes in Pinot Noir they also make small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. In 2008 SCMV launched a second brand, Quinta Cruz, which features only varieties that originated on the Iberian Peninsula but are now grown in California. These Portuguese and Spanish varieties include Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Souzao, Graciano, and Tinto Cão; seven different wines in all. Of course these Wines share the same soul and philosophy found in the great SCMV Pinot Noirs.
SCMV total production is quite small totaling fewer than 4,000 cases in sum. The wines are not always easy to find outside of California but if you live in a state that has not stripped away your rights to buy Wine via the Internet you can find these great Wines at their internet store. In addition to my great affection for SCMV Wines, I am a big fan of Jeff Emery. Emery is a good guy and a real straight shooter. We have spoken on several occasions and he has always been generous with his time and refreshingly honest and open about his work. Great Wines, sold at a sensible and fair price, made by a good and honest man is all I am looking for in a Wine brand.