California - Day 5 (CIA Mastering Wine 1 Class)

It's our third day of class and I'm ready to go.  We focus on Sauvignon Blanc.  I can't wait for the afternoon tasting and to see what Karen has selected for us to taste and how well I do.  I enjoy a good Sauvignon Blanc so I hope my palate is in sync with the wines.

First stop, the CIA student kitchen for a quick, light  breakfast.  Then off to class.  I walk in and head to my tasting station and there are ten wine glasses set up  for our afternoon tasting.  Class begins and Karen discusses  the basic growing process for Sauvignon Blanc;  vigor, trellising, and clones. We then  board the bus and head off on today's field trip to Rudd Winery.  

Patrick Sullivan

Our Rudd Winery visit begins with meeting the Winemaker Patrick Sullivan.  We walk on the property with him and stop at the Malbec block of the vineyard.  Here Patrick discusses the growing process of Malbec grapes and how the vines are maintained.  He also discusses the vines getting ready for bud break which is late this year due to the weather.  Also, how lucky the vineyards are that this weeks rain didn't hurt the buds.  We then proceed on to the next block to see vines that have been grafted for Cabernet Franc.  On to the caves where Patrick discusses, the oak and stainless steel barrels, and cement eggs for fermenting.  I found the cement eggs especially interesting (came over from France and how they are prepared for fermentation so lime does not affect the wine).

Rudd Winery Library for our tasting.

We then proceed  upstairs to the library for our Sauvignon Blanc barrel tasting. This was a great opportunity to taste the various grapes (Clone 1, musque, and Sauv Gris) that will soon be blended to make Rudd's next vintage of Sauvignon Blanc. This field trip was amazing and very informative and a phenomenal experience.  

Back to the CIA for lunch in the student's kitchen.  Yum!  The student chef's and pastry chef's prepare delicious food.  Although the pastry kitchen is cleaned up by the time we arrive, the other chef's are preparing food and there's the hustle and bustle that I so enjoy watching.

Class starts after lunch and discussion continues with phylloxera, and  the 30 major species of grapes and varieties. Then on to our blind tasting of ten Sauvignon Blancs.  There was a wide range of characteristics for these wines.  However, one was down right nasty and a combination of characteristics I hope never to smell and taste again. Karen included a Sauvignon Blanc from Austria which was God awful; cat pee, petrol and smoke.  She included this as an example of where Sauvignon Blanc grapes should never be grown.  Boy, no kidding.   I was very pleased with myself that I could pick out and discuss the various classic characteristics.  More importantly I was able to determine which Sauvignon Blanc was from New Zealand.  WHEW!  If I couldn't pick out the varietal from the region I typically enjoy it from ... oh, what a sad day this would have been for me.

Class ends leaving Dave and I enough time to go to a winery.  Sterling was recommended to me because of the view and tram ride up the mountain to the winery.  So, that's where we're headed.  Sterling's fee is $25 for the tram and tasting five wines. Oh, and includes a souvenir glass.  The views from the tram and the winery terrace were beautiful, the wines were mediocre.  Now that I think back about the recommendations made to me about visiting Sterling no one mentioned the wine. Hmmm.  Not sure it was worth the price.  I will review the wines we tasted at another time.