Introducing Steve Heimoff, our new SIP writer.
We hope you will enjoy his contributions to the Yummy letter
Hi—some of you already know me, and to you I say, “Nice to see you again!” To my new friends, it’s a pleasure to meet you, and I hope we’ll get something good going here at Yummy.
My wine resume, briefly, is this: Wine Spectator (1989–93) and Wine Enthusiast (1993 and counting). I review all California wines for the magazine, and also write the main feature stories on California wine, winemakers, wine regions, vintages, travel, and trends.
You can read more about my humble beginnings at my
blog. As a youngster, I was never into wine, except for a period during college when cheap, screw-top stuff was something we got blitzed on at Saturday-night frat parties. It wasn’t until coming to California for grad school (San Francisco State) that some relatives turned me on to the pleasures of vino. Immediately, I became hooked. Within months I was buying wine books and scouring wine shops, where I’d pick the clerks’ brains, asking them why one Cabernet cost more than another, if they were both the same.
Well, I have since learned that wine is not like Campbell’s soup. In 1989, fed up with my career-track job (imagine me in a suit and tie, carrying a briefcase), I lobbied Wine Spectator (then headquartered in San Francisco) for a job. After months of pestering them, they finally relented. I began with small articles, then graduated to big ones and, ultimately, to the “Collecting” page. At that time, it was the last page in the magazine, and for about four years, it was mine.
Then it was time to move on to Wine Enthusiast, where I’ve been happily ensconced for about 16 years. (I can hardly believe it!) I travel throughout our state’s wonderful wine regions, and count as my friends some of the best, nicest winemakers, owners and marketing and P.R. specialists in the business. I also rate and review about 4,500 wines each year for the magazine.
In SIP, I hope to share with you some of the things I’ve learned about wine (and, occasionally, spirits and beer). I also look forward to you hearing from you. Please feel free to e-mail anytime at steve@yummyletter.com.
What does Yummy mean to me? First and foremost I’m a journalist — a reporter — and “yummy” is not a word I would normally use to describe things. It’s a little slangy, and while I hold no brief against slang, my journalism training urges me to avoid it and use terms that are a little more, um, classical.
So, when GraceAnn asked me to come up with my definition of yummy, my first feeling was of frustration. Then, all of a sudden, it occurred to me that I had actually used the word many times. Where? In my wine descriptions for Wine Enthusiast, where I review all California wines. So, I went back in time and researched some of the wines I called yummy. Here are a few:
Eaglepoint Ranch 2007 Grenache. From the central Mendocino highlands, Eaglepoint’s red wines are tremendous in fruity extraction. I wrote it had “distinctly yummy, intense red cherry aromas and flavors.”
Novy 2006 Page-Nord Vineyard Syrah. Made from a great Napa Valley vineyard, I said this wine had “sheer yummy deliciousness.”
Lane Tanner 2005 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. This wine is made from one of the Santa Maria Valley’s (Santa Barbara County) best vineyards. “Winemaker Tanner calls [this] a ‘yum-yum’ wine [and] it is indeed yummy in cherry pie, root beer, cola, mocha and woodspice flavor,” is how I put it.
Korbel non-vintage Brut Rose. “So layered, with yummy raspberry, vanilla, smoke and yeasty dough flavors, just irresistible,” I said of this bubbly, made by the true Champagne method.
Leucadia 2005 Rooftop. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah from Paso Robles, I wrote that it had “chocolate fudge, cherry jam and cassis flavors” that were “so yummy.”
Vina Robles 2006 Edna Ranch Chardonnay. Made from a vineyard in this cool, coastal valley of San Louis Obispo County, this wine had “exotically fruity lime, kiwi, butterscotch, fig, honey and toast flavors” that were “yummy.”
So I surprised myself! I’d thought I didn’t use the word “yummy,” but it turned out I do — all the time. I applied it to a Grenache, a Syrah, a Pinot Noir, a sparkling wine, a Cab-Petite Sirah blend, and even a Chardonnay, which means it’s not limited to just one wine type. I guess what I mean by calling a wine “yummy” — now that I think about it — is simple: It’s rich and balanced and clean and fruity and, in a word, delicious. Or rather, I should say, yummy.
My First SIP Column and I’m Praising Pinot Noir
Why? Because nothing in the 30 years I’ve followed California wine has made me happier or prouder than the progress our state’s wonderful, pioneering grape growers and winemakers have made with this variety, which is, of course, the great red grape of Burgundy.
A Wine Journey along the Russian River, not all that long ago, California Pinot Noir was pretty dreadful, and it was a real puzzlement why. After all, in the 19th century, vintners had figured out Cabernet Sauvignon so much that it was winning awards in Europe; and by the 1960s, California Cabernet (as well as Chardonnay) already was acknowledged as great (if few in numbers) by cognoscenti. But Pinot still stumbled along, boring and heavy, and not at all like its Burgundian counterpart.
The real revolution occurred in the 1990s. Vintners took advantage of several developments: the importation of new grapevine clonal material from France, and the development of vineyards closer to the Coast, which were better suited to Pinot’s demands for a cool climate. Also not to be overlooked were improved winemaking techniques in which vintners ceased trying to produce Pinot like Cabernet, and instead focused on authenticating its racy, silky delicacy.
And now, look where we are! From the Anderson Valley in Mendocino, through the North Coast’s Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Carneros and Santa Cruz Mountains, down through the Central Coast’s Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Grande Valley, all the way to the splendid Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County, California now boasts the most exciting Pinot Noirs in the world (IMHO, as they say on Twitter).
Here are some of my favorite producers: Williams Selyem, Talley, Brewer-Clifton, Goldeneye, Testarossa, Siduri, Longoria, Morgan, and Hartford Court. (There are actually too many to list, but these will do for starters.) And what’s even more fantastic, California is just getting started on the Pinot Noir road! It thrills me, and it should thrill you, to think what we’ll be accomplishing in another 5 or 10 years.
Clos du Val 2006 Merlot
People think of Clos du Val for Cabernet Sauvignon, but this winery knows how to make killer Merlot, and their 2006 is possibly their best ever. It shows a Bordeaux-like delicacy and firmness, and the alcohol is modest, only 13-12 percent, not like some of the big, gooey wines today that are as sweet as a Starbucks’ drink. Most of the grapes were grown in the winery’s estatevineyards in the famous Stags Leap District. The wine contains smallerquantities of the two Cabernets, Sauvignon and Franc, for complexity. This is a great price for a Napa Valley Merlot of this quality — $26 at the winery
Tangent 2007 Paragon Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
For $13, a drily elegant, fruity wine that displays zesty Central Coast acidity. Widely available, or order direct from the winery.
SIP-worthy Wine Events
Visiting Winemakers Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant
There’s almost always something cool going on here at this wine store in the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street. Every week or so, they have a visiting winemaker, who guides patrons through tastings. Upcoming winemakers include John Olney (Ridge), Jon Priest (Etude), and Joan & Walt Flowers (Flowers). Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, One Ferry Building, Shop 23, San Francisco, 415-391-9400.
Photo Exhibit Mumm Napa Valley
If you're in Napa Valley this summer (and you should be), don't miss George Rose's great photo exhibit. It's called "Hollywood, Beverly Hills & Other Perversities" and is a collection of George's pictures of the famous and infamous from "back in the day" — the 1970s and 1980s. Mumm Napa Valley, 8445 Silverado Trail, Rutherford, 707-967-7700.
Clos du Val 2006 Merlot 
