From The Winemaker's Desk -- George Troquato

Appellation: What Location Means to the Winemaker

Winemaker George Troquato

Most wine aficionados are familiar with the concept of appellation; they need only read a label to see popular classifications such as “Central Coast” or “Santa Cruz Mountains”. Wine writers, the influential voices that drive the market, often expound upon the merits of location, regional typicity and terroir. From the winemaker’s point of view, however, appellation is more about what a given vineyard or region brings to the party.

Some winemakers use grapes from a variety of regions with a panache that mirrors the way artists pull colors from a palette. George Troquato developed such an approach in the late 1990s when he began augmenting Cinnabar’s estate vineyards with fruit from local mountain growers. He remains committed to the process as he sources grapes for the limited production wines that are available in our Saratoga Village tasting room. What follows is a review of the inspirations and goals behind a handful of his offerings.

George can buy fruit from just about anywhere in the state, so why does he choose regions such as Lake County, Paso Robles or Clarksburg? “I try to find unique flavors from appellations off the beaten path,” said George. “Many of these areas are perfectly suited to growing less popular grape varieties too.” The unity of non-traditional regions with semi-exotic fruit presents a wide range of diversity, and sometimes the discovery process literally leads him over the next hill.

The current generation of
Heringer family grape growers

For example, his search for Bordeaux varieties in Napa and Sonoma resulted in a Lake County Malbec. “My interest in upscale high-elevation Argentine Malbec inspired me to look for malbec in the mountains of Lake County,” said George. “I thought the volcanic obsidians soils and favorable climate would be a good match.” He “struck gold” when he found Andy Beckstoffer’s Amber Knolls Vineyard. The planting lies at 2,000 feet of elevation and produces a nose of black Asian spice (pepper, soy and licorice), firm tannins, and rich fruit.

The development of the Clarksburg Petite Sirah involved a different deduction. “I tried modestly priced petite sirahs from Clarksburg,” said George, “and saw great potential in the appellation’s combination of cool breezes from the Sacramento River delta and rich alluvial soils.” The plan called for racketing up the wine quality with proper site selection and precise farming. Fruit is purchased from Heringer Holland Vineyard by the acre rather than by the ton to maximize potential. “The Heringer family is committed to grape quality and the use of modern farming methods,” said George. “The wine has a pure expression of fruit with medium body and firm tannins.”

Looking south, George already knew that Paso Robles was conducive to growing high quality Rhone varieties. In French Camp Vineyard, he found a planting that offers 12-year-old vines, well drained sandy soils, 2,000 feet of elevation in the eastern range, and very cold nights. “Our Marsanne has stone fruit qualities, a rich mid-palate, and bright minerality,” said George. “It’s like a French country wine with a pleasing mouthfeel, and rich without being oily or heavy.”

These accounts display George’s gift for conceiving ultra-premium wines that people enjoy. While the grape acquisition process offers a certain amount of drama, it is only the beginning of each wine’s journey from vine to bottle. George carefully monitors the development of the vineyards throughout the growing season to insure proper maturation. After cool harvesting in the early morning, all lots are rushed to the winery where they are fermented and aged with the same care that goes into their discovery.