Join Our Mailing List

Enter your e-mail address

Subscribe
Unsubscribe

The Waltz of the Titans (Part 1)

For the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that two of the largest wine-making dynasties in California, Robert Mondavi Vineyards and E. J. Gallo, have been focusing on what I like to call value-line wines. Labels like “Mondavi Coastal,” “Woodbridge,” “Gallo of Sonoma,” and “Gallo Sonoma” (there is a difference between the two) have been attracting more and more attention in the wine press for delivering reliable wines at reasonable prices. In fact, as these labels have grown in popularity, it appears that the quality of their wines has been increasing as well. Indeed, Gallo of Sonoma’s Cabernets, Zinfandels, and their latest Chardonnay have especially impressed me and have been selected for our Wine of the Week page. So when I was in California earlier this month, I visited these two producers to find out more about these relatively new wines.

Both Gallo and Mondavi appear to be contending with image, but from different perspectives. On one hand, over the last half century or so, the Robert Mondavi Winery has established itself as a leading producer of premium wines; their Reserve bottlings and Opus One are among Napa’s finest. But more recently, as they are expanding exponentially into the everyday wine market and starting international joint ventures in Europe and South America (Sena, Vichon, Caliterra, etc,) they are intent on maintaining their reputation for high quality, hand crafted wines. Value labels include “Robert Mondavi Coastal,” “La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi,” “Byron,” and “Woodbridge.”

On the other hand, E. J. Gallo has always been known, for better or for worse, as the king of jug wines. Who among us has not, at one time or another, snickered at the phrase “better wines through chemistry” or alluded to the omnipresent Thunderbird. Today, however, Gallo seems determined to be taken seriously as a producer of premium wines and to this end has introduced a triple-tier scheme of labels: at the high end is the Northern Sonoma Estate Bottled line, followed by the Gallo Sonoma “Single Vineyard” series, and completed by the Gallo of Sonoma “County” series.

Interestingly, these two titans of Napa and Sonoma appear to be mirroring each other in their steps to produce good-to-high quality affordable wines; it’s as though they were waltzing to the same music, re-investing millions and millions of dollars into viticultural as well as vinicultural research programs (canopy management, clonal selection, fermenting techniques, etc.) and equipment (harvesting machines, fermenting tanks, filtering systems, etc.) In fact, both the Gallo facility in Sonoma and the Mondavi Woodbridge winery in Lodi are gargantuan in size and with their massive fermenting tanks, storage and cellaring buildings, and bottling areas all linked together by intricate mazes of stainless-steel piping, bore an eerie resemblance to Star Wars sets. Even computer technology is being exploited. For example, oak barrels wear bar-code labels that enable winemakers to know the entire history of a single barrel: who made it, when it was made, what wines were fermented in it and for how long. Yet alongside modern technology, if you look closely, you’ll find plenty of old-world style barrels, equipment, and techniques close at hand. The attention to details like cork quality and cooperage are remarkable given the size of these facilities.

Equally impressive is the obvious pride that winery workers and representatives take in their companies. Granted some are front office and marketing personnel, but these people appear to be genuinely proud of their companies’ achievements and objectives. For me this satisfaction was most evident when I tasted wines with them. The more cynical among us might think, “Well, they’re marketing folk.” Well, if all my hosts were acting, they definitely deserve Oscars. Almost all of the representatives with whom I tasted were studying independently to learn more about wine. One, in fact, is pursuing her Master of Wine degree.

For me, however, one question remains unanswered: can quantity and quality be achieved and, more important, maintained over time? After all, most of these new lines of wine are relatively new undertakings and are benefiting from huge inflows of capital. But if the wine-drinking population in the United States and around the world grows, and boomers, generation X'ers, and Y'ers get as involved with wine as they are say with coffee, I think the answer is yes.

Before getting to my tasting notes on the individual wines, I’d like to make one general observation. A good number of these value wines have some common traits: they are consistent in style and quality; they’re clean wines (you won't find too many solids or crystals in these bottles); they’re easy to drink (not overly tannic or oaked); they’re straightforward in nose and flavor (not striving for complexity in aroma or taste). Possibly, the oenophiles among us might fault these wines for these very reasons. (I’ve been guilty of this in the past.) In my opinion, however, many of these wines are superior to the vins ordinaires found in carafes in quaint French country inns and the liter vino di tavola bottles in Italian kitchens. Sure, some of these wines may be too filtered for the experienced palate or not have the structure we associate with wines intended for laying down and aging. But these are not the objectives of the value-line winemakers. I believe most of them want to produce wines that people will drink and enjoy, as one of their logos touts, in “real life.” Have they succeeded? In my opinion, yes.

These are my tasting notes from my winery visits. Wines are listed in the order in which I tasted them. Prices are either the suggested retail or approximated. (Note that several wines have prices that are considerably higher than our $20.00 target. I've included them only to provide a more comprehensive report.)

Gallo Sonoma Wines

1998 Gallo of Sonoma, Chardonnay, Sonoma County ($10.00)

Light gold in color, this wine has a buttery nose with orange citrus notes. It’s medium bodied with good citrus flavors and nice acidity. It finishes with just a touch of oak. Quite lovely.

1997 Gallo Sonoma, Chardonnay, “Laguna Ranch Vineyard,” Russian River Valley ($16.00 - $18.00)

This wine has a beautiful gold color and a tropical fruit nose with some vanilla notes. Buttery smooth on the palate, it delivers the flavors of unripe peaches along with some citrus. It’s well structured with good acidity and finishes with subtle oak notes.

1997 Gallo Sonoma, Chardonnay “Estate Bottled,” Northern Sonoma ($45.00)

Pale gold in color, this wine has a seductive nose of vanilla and honeysuckle. It’s big, full bodied with peach and pear flavors. It’s well structured, with mild tannins and good acidity. It also has a good finish.

1998 Gallo of Sonoma, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($11.00)

Ruby in color with long legs, the wine has a huge nose, full of black cherries. It’s well structured with black-cherry flavors in balance with mild tannins. It has a good finish with cedar notes.

1997 Gallo of Sonoma, Sangiovese, Alexander Valley ($11.00)

Ruby in color with long, long legs, this wine has an earthy nose with some black fruit. On the palate, it's big and full bodied with dry, blackberry and cedar flavors. It finishes with some spice.

1997 Gallo Sonoma, Sangiovese, “Barrelli Creek Vineyard,” Alexander Valley ($19.00)

This wine is deep ruby in color with long legs. On the nose, there’s tobacco and wood with some earthy mushroom notes. It’s full bodied with great extract and plenty of cassis and black currant flavor. It has a long raisiny finish.

1997 Gallo of Sonoma, Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley ($11.00)

Deep purple in color, verging on black, this wine has a spicy nose. On the palate, there’s black fruit, tar, and anise. It’s well structured, with fruit and mild tannins in balance. It finishes with some spice.

1997 Gallo Sonoma, Zinfandel, “Frei Ranch Vineyard,” Dry Creek Valley ($19.00)

Deep purple to black in color, the wine has long legs. The nose is vanilla, bing cherry, and spice. On the palate, it’s full bodied and dry with black cherry and black pepper flavors. It has a long finish with a nice balance of fruit and mild tannins.

1997 Gallo Sonoma, Zinfandel, “Barrelli Creek Vineyard,” Alexander Valley ($19.00)

Deep, deep purple in color with long legs, this wine has a complex nose of black cherries along with earth, cedar, and black olives. On the palate, it’s dry, delivering briar, oak, and smoke flavors together with jammy fruit and spice. It’s beautifully structured and has a long finish with hints of blueberry.

1996 Gallo of Sonoma, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County ($10.00)

Deep ruby in color, this wine has a vegetal, roasted green bell pepper nose with some cigar box notes. It’s a little thin on the palate with supple fruit and berry flavors. Its flavors are somewhat diluted and has an adequate finish at best.

1996 Gallo Sonoma, Cabernet Sauvignon, “Frei Vineyard,” Dry Creek Valley ($26.00)

Deep, deep ruby in color with very long legs, this wine has a big nose of plums and currants accompanied by a sweet perfume. It’s loaded with blackberry fruit flavor and some cedar. It’s well structured, with good acidity and a sweet finish.

1996 Gallo Sonoma , Cabernet Sauvignon, “Barrelli Creek Vineyard,” Dry Creek Valley ($26.00)

Deep ruby in color with long, long legs, this wine has a huge nose, full of eucalyptus together with some cassis and olive. On the palate, it’s rich and thick with jammy black fruit and tarry flavors. There are also some apple-butter notes. The finish is long with hints of mild tobacco. This is an extraordinary wine. (A little beyond our price range, but if you want to splurge, this may be an excuse.)

1996 Gallo Sonoma , Cabernet Sauvignon, “Stefani Vineyard,” Dry Creek Valley ($26.00)

Deep ruby, almost black, in color, the wine has very long legs. The nose is big, with cedar and eucalyptus as well as boysenberry and porcini. Its flavors are deep and complex with cassis, currants, cocoa, and earth. The finish is long. An elegant wine.

1996 Gallo Sonoma, Cabernet Sauvignon, “Estate Bottled,” Northern Sonoma ($60.00)

Deep blackish purple in color with non-stop legs, this wine has a sweet nose of toast, blackberry, and cloves. On the palate, it’s smooth as silk with black fruit and cedar flavors. It has a long finish with cigar box notes.

Click here to proceed to Part 2 of this feature
that looks at the Mondavi wines.

TableWine is a personal website and does not sell any wine. However, many of the wines we review are purchased from our local wine merchant, Wine & Spirit World. Their web site may help you locate a good number of our selections.

If you have any suggestions for future tastings, drop us a line at the address below.

The Waltz of the Titans (Part 1)

Gallo Sonoma Wines

Click here to proceed to Part 2 of this feature that looks at the Mondavi wines.

Click here to proceed to Part 2 of this feature
that looks at the Mondavi wines.