2009 ~ No. 11    

Liparita

In-the-know wine drinkers at the turn of the 20th century undoubtedly enjoyed Liparita La Jota. At the time, it was one of California’s top wines, winning gold medals at the 1900 Paris Exposition and at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition.

The estate was founded in 1881 by W. S. Keyes, a wine connoisseur and geologist. He noted that the area’s terroir was similar to that of the Lipari Islands (an area known for fine wine) and so dubbed his land Liparita, or “little Lipari.” La Jota was added to the name as a nod to the Mexican land grant (originally given to George Yount, who is credited with being Napa’s first winemaker) that once encompassed Keyes’ vineyard.

The estate flourished until Prohibition demolished its success, though not the winery itself; the stone walls of the original building can still be seen on top of Howell Mountain.

This ghost winery and the La Jota name are now owned by Jess Jackson. The Liparita label has recently been dusted off and given new life through the efforts of Spencer Hoopes.

A self-described wine geek, Hoopes recently purchased the Liparita name (and corresponding rights) as well as the inventory from the previous owners, who made both red and white wine. He is taking things in a new direction, with the goal of establishing Liparita as a cabernet sauvignon brand offering a series of appellation-specific wines.

One thing that sets him apart, notes Hoopes, is his desire to put “quality in the bottle” while offering “underrated value.” Although the operation needs to make money, he says, “I don’t buy into the concept that you [should] charge whatever you can” for quality Napa cabernet.

With that in mind, Hoopes has just released the first vintage of the revitalized Liparita: a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon with the Oakville appellation and one from the Stag’s Leap District, priced at $55 and $45, respectively.

Each region offers something special, according to Hoopes. “I love the grapes from Oakville. The soil and weather produce fantastic fruit,” he explains. “The Stag’s Leap District is a little bit more lean. The wine is not as fruity or concentrated; it’s more of a Bordeaux style.”

Roughly 1,000 cases of the Oakville and 800 of the Stag’s Leap District wines were produced. Next year, a wine with the Yountville appellation will be introduced. Production will be similarly limited.

Liparita is not Hoopes’ first foray into the wine business. He started simply as a drinker, when a friend took him to a wine tasting in San Francisco. “I did five or six years of [just] tasting,” he says. “It was a passionate hobby and I build a huge personal cellar, filled mostly with European wines.” In the 1990s, he purchased a vineyard in Oakville and began making Hoopes Cabernet Sauvignon, first released in 1999.

Though the wine is successful, he was looking for something more. His eponymous label was “where I wanted it to be...and I wanted to be more actively involved in the business, to do more things and make more appellation specific wines.”

This is a man who clearly enjoys his hobby; when he describes a personal project with friends to make 200 cases of pinot noir simply because they like pinot, he sounds like the kid who’s just been handed the keys to the candy store.

The guiding principle behind Liparita is balance, according to Hoopes. Fruit is picked when the tannins are mature and the wine goes through (among other things) a cold soak before fermentation, a technique that imparts brighter fruit notes and deeper color to the wine. The result is harmony between the fruit, acidity and alcohol that gives the wines their supple, easygoing feel.

“These are well-made wines to open now,” Hoopes (pictured) says, though they can age for 10 to 15 years.

But why wait? Hoopes advises pairing the Liparita Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon with lamb as “it really brings out the flavors” while the Stag’s Leap District Cabernet is “really good” with ribeye.

While understandably fond of the inaugural 2006 vintage, Hoopes notes that the forthcoming 2007 and 2008 vintages are likely to be “spectacular.” Consider it a word to the wise.

Tasting the Wine

Liparita 2006 Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon: Juicy with notes of soft cherries and red fruit. A touch of mint lurks in the back. Pairing it with ribeye brings out deeper, woodsier flavors. The finish is very subtle. Rating: C2 $45

Liparita 2006 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon: This is what I was looking for! The nose offers notes of dark berry fruit, cherry and a touch of earth. On the palate, there is great fruit flavor and nice depth. Rating: B2 $55

The wines are rated A to F for quality (C is average) and 1 to 3 for value, with 1 a wine that tastes better than its price, 2 is neutral and 3 is a wine that isn't up to snuff for the cost. Prices are approximate retail.

A Vertical Leap

Collecting verticals isn’t for the faint of heart.

At least you don’t have to be afraid of heights.

“Verticals” refers to a collection of “the same wines from the same producer from the same vineyard, but representing different years,” notes Jesse Becker, a Master Sommelier and partner in WinetoMatch.com.

It sounds like a lot to keep up with – 10, 20, 30 years’ worth of the same wine?! Alessandro Lunardi, Director US Market for Italy’s Marchesi de’Frescobaldi, offers a poetic reason to collect this way:

“Great wines are a representation of a place with distinctive elements that give the wine a personality. Each vintage is a unique expression of that place [and] each vintage is a new piece that tells the story of the place, of the estate and the people involved. By collecting verticals, you can…read the chapters of the story that evolves as each vintage passes.”

Gwendolyn Wilson, Wine Director at Wine.com, adds that verticals allow you to “compare a wine’s style in its youth to its style after years of age [as well as note] the subtle changes that occur year-by-year.”

David Speer, a personal sommelier in Oregon, puts it much more succinctly: “Drinking verticals is the real reason to collect them!”

Here are some strategies to get you started:

Should I even be collecting verticals?

Collecting wine this way isn’t for everyone. “Some people don’t enjoy wines that have secondary and tertiary aromatics and flavors that develop with age,” notes Frescobaldi’s Lunardi. “They prefer the primary fruit components.”

If that describes your palate, Speer suggests it is worth the effort to find one or two older vintages of a wine you think you want to collect, buy a bottle to taste and, if you do like it, build the vertical.

In addition, Becker notes that “our tastes change and we should know our palates well before making such an investment. Do a lot of initial tasting of a wine before you begin to build an expensive vertical.”

Yes, I want to build a vertical! How do I decide what to collect?

The tried-and-true way to build a vertical is to, as Becker suggests, “stick with blue chips: first growth Bordeaux, Barolo, SuperTuscans and so forth.”

These are wines with long, consistent track records that age well and, if you ever decide not to drink them, can provide a very nice return on your investment.

However, many of these wines are very pricy - $100, $200 and more per bottle.

If you want a vertical simply for your own enjoyment, Speer, the personal sommelier, recommends starting with a wine you particularly like and begin buying it each year. “Don’t get caught up in a wine being impressive,” he says. “If you don’t like it, why buy it?”

Doing a little research is also important, notes Lunardi. “There are so many great wine regions in the world, each with conditions that create wines that can age gracefully for a long time. Go to tastings and take notes to you can start identifying your preference and shaping your collection style.”

He recommends several regions with a tradition of producing wines that age well, including Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone in France; Barolo and Barbaresco from Italy’s Piedmont region; the Bolgheri region of Tuscany; Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Australian Shiraz.

But it’s not only red wines that keep in the cellar. Lunardi also raves about “the profound white wines of Burgundy and Alsace [which] can be amongst the most memorable wines in the world. And the sweet wines of Sauternes…talk about longevity!”

Not every wine from these regions can age, though. Price matters: “Once you breach the $25 to $30 mark, you are starting to get into wines that will allow you to build a five, maybe 10 year vertical,” says Speer.

In summary, Becker offers, “Stick with the classics – classic wines from classic regions” and you won’t go wrong.

Do I really need to buy a wine from each vintage?

This depends in part on how wine-geeky you want to get. Becker, the Master Sommelier, notes that keeping a consistent vertical allows you to see how the wines change and compare. “How does a wine from Europe in 2003, a hot year, compare to 2002, a difficult year. It’s interesting to taste even from off vintages, particularly since some wines drink better in so-called lesser vintages.” He cites the example of 2004 Bordeaux, “a lesser vintage [that’s] drinking well right now.

“A selection of years gives you more opportunities to select what you want to experience” when tasting, notes Speer. “Unless you are very dedicated, you may not want to buy every year.” And though he too mentions the fun of discovering a sleeper vintage, he also cautions that a good vintage on release, such as 1997 Barolo, may not stand the test of time.

How many bottles should I buy from each vintage?

“What your pocketbook allows,” says Becker, citing three to six bottles as a starting point.

Lunardi goes further: “To begin, when trying to assess your collecting style, preferences and budget, the collection can start with three bottles per wine per vintage. Then when the criteria are a bit clearer, the quantity should increase to six bottles per wine per vintage.”

If you collect for investment, Lunardi notes that a case of 12 bottles is the minimum to collect. Buying large format bottles (magnums, double magnums and imperials) also helps add value to the collection.

I’m impatient. How long do I need to collect before I can start drinking?

Becker recommends waiting at least five vintages, while Speer exercises a touch more restraint, suggesting “drink[ing] the current vintage in five to seven years.”

Lunardi’s advice is for those seeking instant gratification: “In my opinion, it makes sense to ‘experience’ the life of a wine from the early stages. If you start buying a half case or case…in each vintage, start by opening a bottle each year or every other year and see the progress. Make accurate notes so you can go back to them when you open the next bottle and understand how the wine is developing.”

If your collection is limited – say, you have only one bottle from each vintage - Speer recommends “giving the youngest a couple of years to mellow out” before opening it along with other wines from the vertical.

Woo hoo! It’s drinking time. Should I really open one bottle from each year in the collection?

This decision is completely personal; it depends on your motivation for the tasting and how many bottles you have cellared.

“It’s a learning exercise…I would do it all at once!” says Becker.

Personal sommelier Speer suggests opening at least “three bottles so you can get a feel for the differences but no more than six since you don’t want to burn out your palate.

Remember also to have fun with the process. Frescobaldi’s Lunardi recommends you “start playing with different variations like ‘a full vertical of all the vintages you have’ or ‘the best vintages together.’ His favorite vertical tasting is to “pair the ‘lesser years’ together as that is always a great indication of the quality of the wine: a great winery will make excellent wines even in lesser years.”

Boy, collecting verticals is a commitment. Is there a way to speed up the process?

To have fun with verticals without the lengthy time and expense to build one yourself, Wine.com’s Wilson offers this suggestion: select a wine you’d like to try and “find a group of friends and put them each in charge of finding it from a specific vintage – or any vintage they can find!”

Either way, it’s a lot of wine. What’s the best way to organize this tasting?

Number one – invite friends! “It’s always better to share wine with those you care about,” says Speer.

Be sure and have enough glassware “for everyone to have a pour of each wine in front of them. It makes it easier to compare the wines rather than tasting one at a time,” he says.

“It’s great to compare notes and talk about what you find in each wine,” adds Wilson. “That said, make sure there aren’t too many people, as you want to…have enough wine to revisit it multiple times.”

[Caption: Photo courtesy of EPseja.]

From a technical perspective, Wilson reminds of the importance of sniffing before sipping: “Aromas can tell us so much about a wine, so take notes on how each smells before you dive into the taste.”

Once I’ve started collecting the vertical, when do I stop?

Most wine geeks would look askance if asked this question. But for anyone, the time to stop collecting a vertical is simply when your palate changes and you no longer enjoy what’s in the bottle.

After all, why collect a wine you don’t want to drink?