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Poe Wine Company, Van der Kamp Vineyard, Pinot Noir

California, United States 2019 (750mL)
$37.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Poe Wine Company, Van der Kamp Vineyard, Pinot Noir

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone say, “Great wine is made in the vineyard,” I’d be a very rich man. But, to be fair, it’s cliché because it’s true. No one exalts the importance of the ‘vineyard of origin’ quite like the Burgundians—on whose labels the vineyard name is typically ten times the size of the family name—and it was in Burgundy that Samantha Sheehan had the epiphany that led her to the wine business.


She founded Poe Wines in 2009, focusing primarily on vineyard-designate Pinot Noirs from choice vineyard sites. In relatively short order, she has developed relationships with some exceptional growers, including the Van der Kamp family, whose cherished vineyard atop Sonoma Mountain has been continuously planted to wine grapes for 100 years. Poe’s 2014 Pinot Noir from Van der Kamp vineyard joins a distinguished list of wines sourced from this site, which boasts Pinot Noir vines planted as far back as the 1950s in a cool, picturesque high-elevation site. This wine delivers on its “cool-climate” promise with high-toned, old world-style aromas, silky Chambolle-like texture, and great energy—it’s a worthy homage to one of California’s great Pinot Noir vineyards.


Although Martin Van der Kamp purchased the 25-acre vineyard in 1989 (including one of the original homesteads on the mountain, where the family still lives), he had been sourcing Pinot Noir from the site since the 1960s. Situated at 1,400 feet elevation, on a little spur that faces north, it may be the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard in California. That combination of elevation and aspect creates an especially cool microclimate for Pinot Noir, which needs cooler conditions to preserve acidity and aromatics. These days, the vineyard is planted to a wide variety of Pinot Noir clones, as well as some Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, all of it lovingly tended by Martin Van der Kamp’s son, Ulysses. (For a beautifully photographed, in-depth look at Van der Kamp, check out this feature on the website Vineyard360).



Here’s Samantha Sheehan describing the production of this 2014:



“The Van der Kamp family hand-picked the grapes at night, and we delivered it to the winery just before sunrise. We retained 1 ton of whole clusters, and then de-stemmed 4 tons of whole berries on top of the whole clusters. We allow the fermentation to begin naturally a few days later. We gently foot tread the cap and let the fermentation naturally reach 85 degrees. After a week and a half, we lightly pressed, and allowed the secondary fermentation to happen in French oak barrels (30% new). The wine aged on the lees for 12 months before bottling unfined and unfiltered.”



When I tasted the wine, the first thing I thought of was Chambolle-Musigny in Burgundy—it has the uplifted elegance and earthy notes of a Chambolle, albeit with a deeper fruit component that brings you back to California. In the glass it is a deep ruby with garnet reflections at the rim, while the nose is a sweet and savory mix of strawberry, huckleberry, candied rhubarb, dried orange peel, rose petals, black tea, wild mushrooms and a hint of oak spice. The addition of some whole grape clusters during fermentation has lent the wine some grip on the palate, and the acid, too, keeps the wine’s energy high—no syrupy, cola-like notes here! It’s got tremendous aromatic complexity, a silky texture, and the finest of fine-grained tannins. Drink this wine now, with relish, in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees. It has great finesse, enough that it can do double-duty as a ‘meat’ or ‘fish’ wine; check it out alongside these marinated and grilled tuna steaks. Cheers!




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Country
United States
Region
California
Sub-Region
United StatesSonoma Mountain
Soil
Spreckles Loam with Volcanic Material
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Pinot Noir
Alcohol
13.6
OAK
French Oak Barriques (30% New)
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Marinated & Grilled Tuna Steaks

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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