Dionysian Writes
Thursday, 26 November 2009 18:24
The Night That Hope Began
I'm hearing it more and more these days, folks are saying, "I'm disappointed in Obama." I understand, we all had such incredible hope for change. I spent election night last year working a very busy floor shift at the Oxbow Wine Merchant in Napa. The space is fairly large, but it was packed to standing room only that night. I was happy to see Argentine born Napa Valley winemaker Delia Viader, who produces a wonderful Tempranillo and Cab Franc there, among many other locals. I tried to give people the best service I could that night, but in that crowd, it was pandemonium. People were cheering, crying, the music was pumping, the elation palpable. To those that remembered Richard Milhous Nixon, Ronald Reagan and the Bush Clan, it seemed a long and almost never-ending journey to be able to witness Barack Obama with his hand on a bible taking the oath of the President of the United States... what a memory. While the image may have seemed alien to some, for me the symbol of the statesman-like African-American man has been with me my entire life through sports icons and musical heroes. I've never seen the President shoot hoops, but I would love to share the court with him sometime, he's obviously a fierce competitor and from what I understand, the guy throws some smokin' house parties. I wish I could have seen some of the Jazz that's been performed there. But then again, I've never donated to him or his campaign fund, so there's no reason why they would think of inviting me. Believe me, I'm glad to have the Obama's in the White House. I don't expect him to change things overnight. Any President has got a Congress, Senate and Lobbyists to deal with, not to mention the myriad of PAC's and Special Interest Groups. I only hope that President Obama will continue to pursue a humanist agenda that embraces the severe ecological problems which as a species we are globally facing. The organic vegetable garden is a wonderful symbol of the administration's acknowledgement of the green movement in the country of late. However, people are wondering if those "Green" jobs might be withering on the vine, turning orange and brown and eventually becoming bare grey. Over the past decade, I've been able to meet and spend some time with people that have reaffirmed my views vis-a-vis United States Foreign Policy, not to mention the myriad of Domestic problems we've experienced and are still experiencing. In the beginning of the decade I was fortunate enough to sit on a panel with Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Kathy Kelly {http://americanswhotellthetruth.org/pgs/portraits/Kathy_Kelly.php} at Grinnell College in Iowa, and hear first hand about the grim realities of Iraqi life, and at that point we were debating the lifting of economic sanctions! Some months later, the bombs fell.
Kathy Kelly
Several years later, in Taos, New Mexico, I was able to spend the morning with 1992 Nobel Peace-Prize Winner Rigoberta Menchu Tum. {http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1992/tum-bio.html} She was very gracious and rather forthcoming about the Iraqi War, as well as her personal views on past and recent American Foreign Policy in Latin America. As we drove towards downtown Taos from out in Ranchos, to the South of town, majestic Pueblo Peak hugged the skyline. It is an impressive sight and has inspired Taoseños for thousands of years. I pointed the mountain out to her and mentioned that it was the sacred peak of the local pueblo, one of the oldest inhabited buildings in North America. She smiled and said , "Yes, like back home." Later that day, she spoke to a packed crowd in Taos Plaza and denounced the War. I was surprised by her frankness. I had never heard a public figure, other than Howard Zinn or Noam Chomsky speak so frankly and critically of American Policy, and never in person. In Spanish, she told the largely hispanic audience, "Don't let the army take your children to fight a meaningless war. We need our children here to help us change things!" She was accepted with lukewarm response from the Hispanic contingent, but the Old Hippies and New Agers loved her!
1992 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Rigoberta Menchu
♢♢
Dots, Not Feathers, And A Botched Menu For Obama's First State Dinner
Recently, the White House hosted its first official state dinner. The Indian Prime Minister Manhoman Singh was invited along with his wife, Mrs. Gurshahan Kahr, and here I thought I'd never see an Indian invited to a State Dinner at the White House! Perhaps Leonard Peltier will get an invitation next? In any event, I hate to bring it up, but I have to say it: I'm disappointed in Obama. Even though Mrs. Obama worked with guest chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, as well as White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford on the menu, which looks fabulous by the way, there is a mistake on it. Perhaps its all those years in the Restaurant Industry checking the evening's menu before it gets printed and hits the floor, but I couldn't help but notice the mistake. Now, mind you, this isn't as serious as, say...Watergate,or the Iran-Contra Affair, but for a burgeoning foodie nation, its important that we set a high standard, or at least adhere to the Industry standard. You can bet that if the Sommelier at Aquavit got called on this one, they would and should feel embarrassed. Who knows, maybe the mistake happened at the New York Times? A misprint? Who knows? I'm just happy to see that Beckmen Vineyards made the menu. The White House has treated the California Wine Industry well. Starting with Napa Valley's Schramsberg's Sparkling being served in Tricky Dick's White House, to Beckmen's Grenache in Obama's, Washington has done right by California.
From Santa Ynez To The White House: What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been
Purisima Mountain Vineyard, Santa Ynez
Tom Beckmen purchased the 365 acre hillside Purisima Mountain Vineyard in 1996 in part due to the high presence of limestone, which is prized in the Rhône for its ability to produce smaller vines with more concentrated fruit. He farms it Biodynamically and doesn't over-do it on the oak. Beckmen was recognized at about the same time as its neighbor property, Stolpman by Robert Parker in the late 90's and they have not disappointed. The two are rather different, but equally as good. I find it ironic that Biodynamic grapes have made the long, hard journey across the continent from the area that was home to Ronald Reagan's Ranch and Michael Jackson's Wonderland, to the storied Dinner Table of the White House. The Santa Barbara Wine Industry has traditionally been inhabited by innovators though, Au Bon Climat's Jim Clenenden and Adam Tolmach of Qupe, for example, have carefully nurtured the Bien Nacido Vineyard, also in the area, and partially farmed Biodynamically. Beckmen has this to say about Biodynamics on their web page,
"Because consistency and quality are so important, Beckmen carefully tested these methods before committing the whole vineyard. The results were impressive. When farmed biodynamically, the vines grew straight up and the leaves were rich in color and healthy. In addition, the soil retained more moisture and there was an increase in sugar and tannin quality. Building on these exceptional results, 2006 marked the transition from a grand experiment to a fully dedicated program of biodynamic farming at Purisima Mountain Vineyard. Our goal,is to always get better and better. Biodynamics allows us to achieve the purest possible expression of our Purisima Mountain Vineyard terroir, which is at the very heart of our winegrowing philosophy. Since we've gone biodynamic, we have produced some of our best wines ever."
It's a big stage for some small wines. I hope that the White House Staff catches on to that. One can only hope that they'll connect the dots between: Biodynamic Farming, Sustainability and intelligent water use. That adds up to invigorated soil with extended life for future generations, as well as the immediate reward of sublime wines that have been consciously produced. I know that there's a lot going on: the economy is terrible and seems to be getting worse, there are aspiring Reality TV personalities crashing the gates (or was it a stunt the White House was in on?) Polar Ice is melting at a dizzying rate... It may seem vain to tout such esoteric arguments as Biodynamic Farming. However, the sooner that we all realize that this is where the bulk of the emerging "Green" jobs might come from, particularly in California's San Fernando Valley, which is basically a fertilized, alkalized wasteland, the sooner we can let the healing begin. But, for now, I'll settle for a properly written menu and a little heads-up play at the White House...if they need a new Sommelier, I'm available (By the way, guys, its GRENACHE, not GRANACHE)
The offending Menu:
≈
Roasted Potato Dumplings
With Tomato Chutney
Chick Peas and Okra
or
Green Curry Prawns
Caramelized Salsify
With Smoked Collard Greens
and
Coconut Aged Basmati
2007 Granache, Beckmen Vineyards, Santa Ynez, California
≈
*Official White House Menu
Tuesday, 31 March 2009 19:12
The Many Faces of Petite Sirah
I'm out on the back patio of the Quixote winery with its estate manager, Lew Price looking out at the towering palisades that sit behind the deck as a light drizzle falls in the electric between-storm weather of late morning.
In the distance, the stream is gurgling and a distant waterfall is barely visible up on the face of the palisade.
As I watch water cascading down, I'm reminded of the Wappo legend that describes the deer hunting that used to take place here.
Legend has it that the deer would be stampeded from the backside towards the edge, where they fell a few hundred feet to their deaths. Apparently one day, instead of falling dizzily towards its death, there was one stag that was able to gracefully leap, from rock to rock... seemedly flying through the air, softly down the palisade, and off into the distance...
...but at the moment I'm imagining the slow-motion macabre journey of deer falling, as they writhe and tumble to their deaths in the throes of bacchanalia.
Lew breaks the silence by saying, "Let me show you the new vineyard."
A Grape By Any Other Name:
Records show that in 1884 playboy-millionaire Charles Mc Iver, owner of Linda Vista Vineyard in San Jose, one of California's premiere pre-prohibition wineries imported a grape called durif. The grape was the progeny of a French nursereyman of the same name who developed a seedling believed to be a variation of a grape named peloursin. Mc Iver referred to the grape as "petite sirah."
Shortly thereafter, H.W. Crabb, owner of the To Kalon Vineyard and Winery in the Napa Valley, which today is owned by Mondavi and Andy Beckstoffer, among others, visited Mc Iver and liked what he saw. To Kalon was soon producing the grape until phylloxera destroyed virtually all of the state's plantings in 1890. Sometime around 1897 a large-scale, statewide re-planting took place. It is commonly held that it was true syrah that was planted, with some durif, perhaps, although no one can say for sure. What is known is that most of what was produced went into red-burgundy blends.
Voodoo Child: Petite Sirah in the age of Aquarius
In the California of the 1960's, there were roughly 4,500 acres of Petite Sirah planted in California. The major distinction of this crop though, was that for the first time it was bottled as a premium varietal. Between 1971 and 1973 plantings doubled to 8,200 acres, with new plantings in Monterey and the Central Valley. Meanwhile, the coastal counties like Sonoma and Mendocino continued to tend their old plantings. However, like so many of the positive elements birthed in the 60's of California, Petite Sirah saw a serious decline in the 80's.
At the University of California at Davis, ampelography, or DNA grafting tests for the grape were performed in 1992. The result was that what is mostly called "petite sirah" is durif, with a slim chance that it might be either peloursin or beclan. In 1997 there were close to 2,500 acres of California vines that were known as petite sirah which produced roughly 1.2 million gallons. In Napa there were 328 acres of petite sirah, and 10,335 of cabernet sauvignon.
The irony of petite sirah is that most vineyardists have been unsure as to what it actually is, and despite that, have continued to farm it on the grape's merit alone.
Whatever the case may be, it is a true California original and premium varietal that will continue to evolve and develop into a 21st century standard for the state's wine industry, providing that consumers continue to appreciate its brooding blueberry depth and cocoa-powder tannic character - which is the easy part. The hard part is convincing producers to gamble on a grape that isn't one of the standard bordeaux varietals. To do the - dare I say, quixotic ?
Subterrranean Home Spun Blueberries: The Cave at Quixote
F.M. radio is playing to an empty, damp cave as Lew and I enter the subterrranean underbelly of Quixote.
There definitely are more elaborate caves in the Napa Valley.
Built to host dinners and private events, these caves are oftentimes the showpiece of the winery. Quixote's is different.
The cave at Quixote is what I would refer to as a "working" cave: consisting mostly of stacks of wine-stained barrels and sundry equipment.
Lew and I are looking for Timothy Keith, Assistant Winemaker at Quixote, to do some barrel tasting.
But at the moment there is only Lew and myself, and a pleasant yeasty, damp mustiness.
We were about to give up when Timothy appeared, Lew took off and we started to taste. My notes are as follows:
2007 Petite Sirah
2,000 Cases Produced
Blackberry and new leather aromas. A body of Rubenesque proportions doing a multi-veiled dance revealing consecutively: gravelly tannins, generous raspberry fruit and finally, silky tannins.
2008 Petite Sirah
Block 6
Alc. 14%
Deep purple saturated color, focused raspberry acid base that gives way to Mexican Cocoa tannic finish, less flesh, more elegant...
Block 5
Petite Sirah
Campfire smoke and blackberry jam with teeth staining tannins mingle with a velvety mid-palate laced with aged balsamic macerated blueberries...and finally, sandy tannins as long as a Tahitian beach.
Block 12
Petite Sirah
60 day extended maceration 6-8 day cold soak.
a full-bodied endeavor with thoroughly ripe blueberry flavor displaying a ripeness that shows raspberry and blackberry as well.
Block 14
Petite Sirah
Hawaiian Punch with an extra shot of blackberry juice, perfumed with violet and fresh herbs.
Acid, fruit and tannins dance hand in hand.
A cocoa powder tanninic tug at the end.
Thursday, 22 January 2009 03:01
To Sing, to scream, to dance barefoot in the woods in the dead of night, with no more awareness of mortality than an animal! These are powerful mysteries. The bellowing of bulls. Springs of honey bubbling from the ground. If we are strong enough in our souls we can rip away the veil and look that naked, terrible beauty right in the face; let god consume us, devour us, unstring our bones. Then spit us out reborn."
- Donna Tartt in The Secret History
Due to it's core philosophy being rooted in the bridging of earthly forces with unseen, cosmic forces, Biodynamics empowers the practitioner to become part of what is often referred to as "ancient" thought. This way of thinking sees earthly forces, humanity and the cosmos as interconnected, and therefore, interdependent. Once one is able to identify this larger structure, they may then partake in the activities that deepen one's connection to the source.
On the Indian subcontinent, this process is referred to as Tantra, a Sanskrit word that literally means to weave. This weaving means to work with unseen energies in the universe on the human realm, and by doing so, connecting the individual to all the power and magic of the cosmic realms. Observing, and taking account of the cosmic energy that surrounds and pervades all that we consider earthly and human in the Biodynamic context means performing specific actions at particular times of the year.
The ancient Greeks saw the connection between the act of winemaking and its link to the unseen world of energy. The grapevine was seen as an important symbol of death and re-birth: an understanding of the potent, unseen forces lurking behind the thin veil of reality. The urge to look behind that veil, to look beyond the confines of consciousness and to lose oneself in the sublime state of ekstatis or ecstasy (standing outside oneself) was a major drawing point for the participation in Dionysian rites and the cult of wine. As the character of Julian in Donna Tartt's The Secret History says,
"All truly civilized people – the ancients no less than us – have civilized themselves through the willful repression of the old, animal self. Are we, in this room, really very different from the Greeks or the Romans? Obsessed with duty, piety, loyalty, sacrifice? All those things which are to modern tastes so chilling?"
The Repression of the Soul: The Beginning of the End
This repression of the "old animal self" was initiated with the Socratic dialogues and the philosophical method, particularly during the symposia, an occassion for the men of Athens to get together and enjoy the pleasures of food, wine, and female companionship. In his study of wine's place and effect in ancient Greek society, Harold Tarrant states in Wine & Philosophy: A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking:
"when they were confronted by natural power of any kind, the Greeks desired to harness it eliminating from their world as far as possible all that was unpredictable and beyond human control." For Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, that control took the form of intellectualizing and moralizing of such power. They preffered to argue that their preferred lives of moral and intellectual excellence, "though they were not recommended because they would prove pleasurable, did offer very substantial pleasures - and without the pains that often followed from the direct pursuit of the life that most persons thought pleasant."
Tarrant adds,
"Looked at in this way, the potency of wine, whose double edged powers were already brilliantly contrasted in Euripides' Bacchae, should never be something to be thrown out unthinkingly because of its dangers, but rather something to be used for the better like any other power. Using anything for the better requires expertise relating to the thing being used."
This type of logical deduction is at the core of the repressive tendencies displayed by the ancient Athenians. Wine is not the reason for violence in the Bacchae. By focusing on the pleasure or damage that come in the wake of the bacchae and its use of wine, Tarrant's "double edged powers," one loses the fact that the violence in Euripides' Bacchae is due to Dionnysus' desire for revenge:
"Thebes here is the first city of the land of the Greeks that I have roused to Bacchic cries, fastening a fawnskin around their bodies and placing a thyrsus, my ivy-clad weapon in their hands. For my mother's sisters - the last who should have done so- denied that I, Dionysus, was the son of Zeus, but said that Semele (Dionysus' mother) had been seduced by some mortal and used Zeus as a cover for her sexual transgression. This, they claim, was Cadmus' (Dionysus' grandfather) clever idea, and they gloatingly spread the story that her lies about her marriage were the reason that Zeus killed her. So that is why I have driven the same women from their homes in a mad frenzy, and they live on the mountain in a state of violent delusion."
However, Dionysus' return is met with mixed feelings, his grandfather, Cadmus, who created a shrine at the spot where Dionysus was born, happily seeks to join the Bacchanalia with his friend, Teiresias, the blind prophet of Apollo, Disguised as revelers, they head out to the mountains:
CADMUS: Are we the only men in the city who will dance to Bacchus?
TEIRESIAS: Yes, for we alone show good sense. All the others are fools.
Cadmus' son and current King of Thebes, Pentheus, is Dionysus' prime target:
So then, Cadmus has given the kingship and its honour to Pentheus, his daughter's son, who fights against the deity in my person, pushes me from my libations and makes mention of me nowhere in his prayers. To pay him back for that, I shall show to him and all the Thebans that I am a god. After I have set things to rights here I shall move on to another land and reveal my godhead there. But if the Thebans' city tries in its rage to take the bacchae from the mountain, I shall lead my army of maenads and join battle. It is for this reason that I have changed to this mortal form and transformed my appearance to human shape.
Pentheus' disdain of Dionysus and his repression of the Bacchanalia are the primary motivators for his eventual demise. His hubris in the face of Dionysus' inherent power and his subsequent taunting of him seals his fate - a reminder that man's hubris in the face of the gods will be punished, generally in an ironical manner, where those being punished have created their own fates. And so it is not wine, nor its over-consumption that is to blame for the tragic events in the Bacchae, but a blatant disregard for holiness and cosmic power.
Lost In Translation: Reality to Abstractionism
The tendency towards Platonic abstractionism away from the personalism of ancient belief through the decontextualization of Greek culture and the universalization of the religious and mythical traditions was a decisive step away from the oral, to a written tradition. Yet, by moving away from the living continuity of personalization: the people and prayers they offer and actions they perform, we lost the human connection necessary to maintain the culture.
As Derrida has shown in Of Spirit, this abstractive tendency, already dominant in Plato, haunts Heidegger's influential philosophy, so that the dialectical tension between history and myth is denied by concealment of the spiritual paradox that makes the dialectic spin. While spiritual traditions are based on transformation one must be careful not to confuse that with transcendence. Reciprocal transformation, rather than transcendence is at the root of the spiritual method and relies heavily on its continuity by emphasizing change. By idealizing and seeking to transcend nature, we ignore the ancient recepticle of knowledge implicit in land based societies which have survived philisophical and industrial changes over millenia. Transcendental ideologies put forth by an intellectualized elite, fortified by science and technology, have sought to universalize its own agenda in a homogeneous fashion which looks beyond the ecological capacities on which their very survival is dependent upon.
Jacques Derrida
Caught In the Net of Spiritual Materialism
Biodynamics, like Tantra, uses what Jung refers to as an alchemical process to restore balance by listening, observing and working with subtle cosmic energies in a state of transference between earth, cosmos, and the practitioner. There is, however no guarantee that the transference process will take place. Merely repeating phrases or prayers and performing tasks without mentally understanding the desired outcome and the problems one seeks to move away from can prove to be an exercise in futility. According to Jung,
"many people are misled into snatching at such "magical" ideas and applying them externally, like an ointment. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. They will practice Indian yoga and all its exercises , observe a strict regimen of diet, or mechanically repeat mystic texts from the literature of the whole world - all because they cannot get on with themselves and not have the slightest faith that anything useful could ever come out of their own souls."
The same sentiment is echoed by the Sixth Patriarch of Ch'an Buddhism, or Chinese Zen, Hui Neng, an illiterate woodcutter who was one of the first to demonstrate that enlightenment can be an innate property. When discussing prajna, or insight in the Diamond Sutra, a seminal Zen text, he says,
"Good friends, people of the world who chant "prajna" all day long without knowing the prajna in their own essential nature are as if talking about food without being filled."
From a Biodynamic viticultural standpoint the danger is the application of the preparations and vineyard management techniques without the proper timing of the cosmos and the reasoning behind the adherence to the cosmic calender. Steiner saw celestial observation as a cornerstone of the process stating, "We shall never understand plant life unless we bear in mind that everything which happens on the earth is but a reflection of what is taking place in the cosmos."
Standard vineyard actions change from conventional farming techniques, to organic farming techniques, to Biodynamic techniques, and without proper knowledge of how these actions are applied, there is the danger of not extracting the maximum effects of the principles. The problem between biodynamic practitioners and Natural scientists is that scientists are concerned only with physical realities; the measurable phenomena that can be subjected to analytical data, while biodynamicists maintain that immeasurable life forces play a key role in the efficacy of their approach. As long as modern science continues to be concerned solely with measurable physical realities based on taking individual, measured phenomena and processes as the basis for analyzing "realities," the longer we perpetuate the myth that our supposed intellectual superiority allows us to hold dominion over the natural world and its processes.
Marcus Aurelius
Roman Tantra and Instant Karma
The second century philosopher and statesman, Marcus Aurelius was one of the first to recognize this problem. He addresses the problem in his Meditations, and I offer two contrasting quotes from him on the subject. The first quote shows the danger of a nihilistic, existential approach to reality. A reality where mankind is separate from the cosmos and all actions and phenomena are separate: a view that modern science invariably leads one to. Aurelius states:
Either the world is a mere hotch-potch of random cohesions and dispersions, or else it is a unity of order and providence, if the former, why wish to survive in such a purposeless and chaotic confusion; why care about anything, save the manner of the ultimate return to dust; why trouble my head at all; since, do what I will, dispersion must overtake me sooner or later?
Contrast that with the following statement, one that could easily be attributed to any Eastern sage:
All things are interwoven with one another; a sacred bond unites them; there is scarcely one thing that is isolated from another. Everything is coordinated, everything works together in giving form to the universe. The world order is a unity made up of multiplicity: God is one, pervading all things; all being is one, all law is one.
Zen master and Poet Sown Nakagawa, one of the first Japanese Zen monks to come to America to spread buddhism in the 1940's adds:
When we talk about the spiritual realm, we may feel that it is a place where we go after we die. Most people think that we live in the actual world while we are alive, and after that we take the last breath and wander into a vague realm of the spirit. It is a great mistake to see two separate realms. Instead, where we live is in fact the spiritual realm, a realm of many billion worlds, which goes beyond three, four, or even infinite dimensions. Then the danger is that we might think that this is a realm that is empty and boundless. Watch out! It's all manifested right here at this moment. It is alive and kicking!
Soen Nakagawa
This manifestation takes place in every form imaginable: relationships, farming, flowers, stars, basketball, the stock market...it is on the atomic level, the earthly level, the cosmic level...while we see the microscopic world as separate from this world; the stars and planets as different, they are, in fact inextricably linked to us, to the tangible "reality" that we take for granted on a daily basis. While some may see biodynamics merely as a way of farming responsibly, there is the opportunity there for it to be a potentially transformative experience...it all depends on the individual.
Friday, 16 January 2009 02:06
Miljenko "Mike" Grgich at Chateau Montelena, circa 1970's
Around 10:00 p.m. in the middle of a hot August night in 1958, a Greyhound bus pulled into the sleepy hamlet of St. Helena, California. Its sole passenger was a diminuitive Croatian named Miljenko Grgic. His journey to St. Helena began some four years earlier when he left communist run Croatia to follow his dream of coming to California to make wine. First, he went to Germany, and then to Canada, where he came out to the west coast to work in Vancouver as a waiter and at a paper mill. Then, he finally made it to Napa Valley. Miljenko was a hard worker and dedicated to the winemaking process. Napa Valley was the perfect place to be at that time for individuals that were serious about wine. The area had got back some of the steam that it had in the pre-prohibition days and was attracting serious individuals with serious money. Wine had always been a seminal part of Miljenko's life. From the days as a boy in his village of Desne, in Croatia: through his adult life, to the present day, where he is ensuring his legacy of love for the land, Miljenko has been, and like Robert Mondavi before him, will always be remembered as a Napa Valley pioneer.
The crystallizing year for Miljenko was 1976. As winemaker for Chateau Montelena, he helped to produce the Chardonnay that would eventually travel all the way back to Europe and to a tasting salon in France, where it, along with other California wines were to be blind tasted against the best of the French wine industry, a tasting that has now been immortalized in celluloid as well as print. Miljenko Grgic, nee, Mike Grgich, never forgot the peasant roots that tied him to the land. He came from a world where wisdom was found in the places that one encountered on a daily basis: vineyards, trees and mountains. These were all not just inanimate objects there for human consumption, but were known to hold properties that heal and are inextricably linked to a religious life that saw them as crucial to the concept of god and universe. And so, three years prior to the tasting, on September 6th, 1973, when the chardonnay grapes that would eventually go into the Montelena wine arrived at the winery, they were blessed by a Catholic Priest who also said a prayer for a successful harvest and sprinkled holy water on the grapes. Perhaps it was the holy water, perhaps it was the vintage, perhaps the hard work of the Montelena team, but the wine was selected as the best of the field of ten, beating out the second place winner, the Roulot Meursault Charmes, which had garnered 126.5 points to the Montelena's 132. The result of this tasting was a major coup in the wine world. California wines beating the best of France, and with French judges, nonetheless!
But success was not garnered overnight for Miljenko, while he enjoyed making wine, he still had not reached his goal of owning his own winery and growing his own grapes: he was determined to re-connect with land in a way that was imprinted in his subconscious. On Independence Day, 1977 Miljenko broke ground on his winery with his partner, Austin Hills, of Hills brothers coffee. The rest is history. Today, one may go to Grgich Hills in Napa Valley and get a sense of the history there. Unlike other wineries that architecturallywant to bowl people over with their presence, Grgich Hills, like Miljenko, has grown with dignity and with a sense of place.
Their website has a wealth of information on Biodynamic farming, but I feel that the following quote really puts their perspective into context and gives one a sense of the intention behind Biodynamics:
"Let us start with a painful truth: over the past fifty years many grape-growers in California and beyond did not take proper care of their soil and vines. In fact, some of the commonly accepted farming methods that we used wound up doing serious damage to the natural processes of Mother Earth. One set of problems began with the introduction of herbicides. This seemed like a good idea at the time, and after the first treatments the vines appeared to be doing well. But the benefits proved to be short-lived. As the herbicide was applied to the area, most of the living organisms in the soil were killed, providing an effective, but temporary compost. Over time, though, we found that those herbicides actually weakened the soil. The result was clearly visible: growers witnessed diminished growth and diminished yield. In response, the chemical industry gave us another short-term solution: synthetic fertilizers. For the chemical industry, the soil is of no importance, it is a lifeless support medium, nothing more. So why not add more chemicals? Alas, this “solution” only caused greater long-term damage to the soil and vines. In sum, this second round of chemicals added insult to injury, and the long-term health and well-being of Mother Earth suffered even further."
If one were to compare this quote from a quote that is posted in an entry on this site entitled "On Biodynamics" by Monty Waldin, whose book on Biodynamics is an invaluable source of information for anyone interested in the subject, there is a similar theme regarding the responsibility of farmers to be stewards of the land that they are farming. Government subsidies and the bottom line have pushed America's farmlands to the brink. As I've said elsewhere on this site, collectively we are at the tipping point with the environment. It is our responsibility as inhabitants of this one and only planet Earth to pass its beauty and splendor onto future generations, even so far as the seven generations into the future that was the commonly held viewpoint in America as recently as 300 years ago.
Allright, off the soapbox I go and into the wine...
My tasting notes on the wine. First though, a word on the vineyard... planted in 1889, this old-vine vineyard has soil of reddish, gravelly loam with excellent drainage. The clones, however are of an unknown origin, but most likely planted by Italian immigrants.
2006 Miljenko's Old vines Zinfandel
15.1 % Alcohol
bright cherry and fine herb nose...tightly packed and built to last...secondary aromas of mushroom and coffee with cranberry highlights...Grgich Hills suggests laying this down for 5 to 10 years, and I would agree with that, but if you wanted to open it up with a spicy lamb stew...I'm thinking this would be a good thing....
Thursday, 01 January 2009 03:17
Venus
Biodynamic farming practice sees mineral fertilizers as lifeless and posits that those that use them are seeing the soil merely as a neutral holding area while Biodynamics sees it as a living organism capable of stimulating a dynamic interaction between plants, roots and the cosmos above. This way of including the unseen with the seen is at the crux of the biodynamic philosophy. Underground, unseen root systems are directly influenced by the soil and humus that is visible to the naked eye by unseen cosmic forces that are vaster than, but also include the stars above and the visible sun, moon and planets. While Steiner incorporated this into his biodynamic concept, he is not the first to put forth the phenomenon.
The bedrock of Biodynamic farming is the use of composts that are a result of transforming organic waste, residues and manure into more or less new organic compounds, or humus. Humus endows soil with the capacity to hold both nutrients and water and gives it a stable structure and encourages the release of phosphorus through the activity of earthworms. Composting and the six compost preparations devised by Steiner were meant to utilize the intangible formative forces present in the earth and cosmos. These six preparations when seeded in the compost pile, transform ordinary compost into biodynamic compost by bringing energy into the vineyard, its soil and the vines. The soil is thusly prepared to receive cosmic energy, as well as simultaneously create upward growth from within the earth.
While it may sound like mumbo-jumbo to the scientifically inclined, it should be noted that knowledge of soil chemistry is not ignored, but biodynamic farming seeks to look beyond this knowledge to incorporate the phenomenon of the interaction between cosmic energy, the soil, the crop and the farm as a whole.
Equally important is the choice of animal manure used as it must be adapted to the type of crop grown, however, the preferred type of animal manure in compost for the biodynamic vineyard is cow, which is moister than other manures , thanks to the huge quantities of saliva the cows use during rumination and digestion. If overly moist, it can be mixed with sheep manure. The compost pile should also be turned and watered to provide it with moisture and air, to break it down into humus. With just the right amount of air the aerobic bacteria will break down mineral nitrogen to organic nitrogen, which will kill off weed seeds, fungal spores, and noxious bacteria by raising the temperature of the compost pile.
After the compost pile is built, but before the bacteria, fungi and other organisms such as actinomycetes, yeasts, and algae start to transform it into humus, the six Biodynamic compost preparations are added. holes are made around the pile and preparations (502-6) Yarrow, camomile, nettle, oak bark and dandelion are dropped in and valerian is sprayed over the top. However, the raw materials used in compost preparations can also be made into teas that provide similar effects when sprayed on vines.
Sense organs of animals are used as sheaths for the Biodynamic preparations to keep the compost within the realm of the living. The theory behind this is that the animal organs maintain their cosmic charge, and these in turn regenerate crops. Specific animal organs are chosen for their affinity to a specific plant: cow intestines, animal skulls, bovine mesenteries and stag's bladders are among the most commonly used. The preparations are placed into their respective sheaths and are allowed to interact with the life force still attached to the organ, creating a synthesis of energy and positive regenerative forces which will then be transferred back to the vineyard.
Steiner's initial reasoning for creating the Biodynamic philosophy was to heal a sick Earth. The composts were the tool that he envisioned would regenerate and revitalize the Earth: re-connect it with positive cosmic forces. In addition to these effects, the Biodynamic farm is to be seen as a living organism which is interconnected with the cosmos, however it isn't only the the farm or vineyard that is to be seen in this light, but the compost pile as well: Yarrow as the lungs, breathing in cosmic energy, camomile as the stomach, ensuring proper mix of elements within the pile and the soil are digested and processed correctly;stinging nettle as the liver to cleanse;oak bark as the brain, reining in excess, dandelion as the corporeal body holding the influx of energies together. Valerian is the blood, bringing warmth and stimulating life.
(502) Yarrow
Referred to as the lungs of the compost pile and also used to help "breathe in" the cosmic energy via its connection to sulphur and potassium. Steiner linked Yarrow to the energy of the planet Venus, an inner planet whose energy is instrumental in supporting the calcium process involved in plant growth, seeding and reproduction. Yarrow also helps plants attract trace elements such as boron, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc.
The Yarrow preparation is cured in a Red Deer bladder, for as Steiner says,
"As thin as it may be in terms of substance, in terms of its forces a deer bladder is almost a replica of the cosmos. A deer is involved with forces that are quite different from those of a cow, which are all related to the interior. By putting the yarrow into a deer bladder, we significantly enhance its inherent ability to combine sulphur with other substances."
Red Deer Stag
The preparation utilizes, Flower heads of Yarrow, bladder of a Red Deer Stag and is collected ideally from August 11th to September 14th. The flowers are stored over Winter and stuffed into a dried stag's bladder before midsummer at the latest. It is then exposed to sunlight all summer and before Autumn turns to Winter, when the Earth opens up to the cosmos as it inhales, the bladders are buried in a pit one foot deep. Th following Spring they are dug up, ideally when Mercury is in Aries, by then only fragments of the bladder are left and the Yarrow should be crumbly. One teaspoon of the preparation is then added per 15 tonnes compost.
Next time...Biodynamic Preparations 503 through 506
Saturday, 20 December 2008 18:51
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Compost piles at Joseph Phelps Photos Courtesy of Joseph Phelps Vineyards
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It has been raining in the Napa Valley this past week. A cold arctic wind is blowing from the North, bringing cold rain and grey clouds. The community of Angwin on the top of Howell Mountain at around 1800 feet has some snow, as does Atlas Peak, to the south of the valley. As I drive down the hill from Angwin down Deer Park Road, there are patches of blue emerging occasionally across the valley behind the lush greenery of Spring and Diamond Mountains. Across the valley, the branches of the vines are bare and spread their spider-like fingers across the slate coldness of the sky. There is a fresh, clean quality to the day that seems to come with cold fronts. Driving South on the Silverado trail, just past The Napa Valley Reserve, the brilliance of a majestic rainbow emerges from the vineyards to the left of me, just at the entrance of the Meadowood Resort. These vines belong to individuals that have purchased the right to have the fruit processed by Bill Harlan and his team at the Reserve into world class wines that they will design labels for and have for their own consumption and for gifting. Lance Armstrong is among those that have bought into the program at the Reserve and last year I toured a few groups through this same vineyard to discuss plant physiology and to allow guests a more hands-on approach to vineyard production and plant life.
The sun is starting to emerge with more frequency, and as I pass the Pope Street bridge, I pick up the trail of another rainbow. To the left of the Silverado Trail, behind the hills, I can barely see the top emerging. Coming around the corner by the Spring Valley Ranch of Joseph Phelps, a huge, broadly banded multi-hued beauty sits smack dab in the middle of the Phelps vineyard. On a whim I veer the car into the long driveway and decide to see if they can fit me in for an unscheduled tasting. Wintertime in Napa Valley is one of the best times to taste. The crowds have dissipated and there is a regal quality to the valley that emerges in the silence of dormant vines and lush greenery. The parking lot is somewhat empty, so my chances look good. I present myself at the reception and am pleased to learn that they will be able to squeeze me in.
For those who are familiar with Joseph Phelp's wines, you know that they are constantly being lauded with high scores and awards, year after year. The wines are a mainstay in all of the crucial wine critic's reviews and they can safely be put into the 'trophy' category of California Wines. Less known but more importantly, is the fact that Phelps has quietly been converting his vineyards to fully Biodynamic over the years, nearing 100% at the time of this article. The handful of Napa Valley producers that farm biodynamically and simultaneously continue to capture discriminating audience's hearts are at the vanguard of the emerging green consciousness that is slowly pervading not only wine making, but most sectors of production from energy to food. However, for Phelps, as well as for the other Biodynamic producers in the world of wine that have had the vision and the wisdom to realize that the best way to ensure profitability for their business is to increase the longevity of their soils and increase the health of their vineyards, the true test may be in demystifying the biodynamic process for their consumers and informing them as to why they have decided to commit to Biodynamic principles without sounding too "mystical."
According to Joseph Phelps literature, they have this to say about their commitment to biodynamics:
"At Joseph Phelps Vineyards, our philosophy is to maintain, preserve and (where possible and appropriate) ecologically enhance the natural vineyard environment. While this goal is essential for present vineyard practices, it will have an even more profound effect on the development of maturing vineyards in the future. In order to achieve the greatest possible ecological health in and around our vineyards, we continue to build upon the sustainable vineyard practices we have been using since the early 1980's, and gradually but steadily we are embracing a style of farming known as "biodynamic agriculture."
In addition to the above statement, Philippe Pessereau, Director of Vineyard Operations at Phelps has prepared the following summary of Rudolf Steiner's vision for Biodynamics:
"What Steiner was suggesting is a comprehensive approach to supporting and bringing out the best in the soils (terroir), native vegetation and surrounding environment, while increasing the farm's ability to do this without importing enormous amounts of off-farm inputs.
If done well, this approach becomes the basis of sustainability in agriculture. there is more, though, in that Steiner came to this from a moral-ethical perspective, not just from a scientific-ecological one and had what we call a spiritual approach to our responsibility for the land and its creatures: increased reverence for life, enhanced sensitivity to our environment, a lasting commitment to quality andto the subleties of life."
BrassTacks: How It Goes Down In The Vineyard
There are basically Seven Key elements to the hands-on approach to Biodynamic farming at Joseph Phelps. They are as follows:
1. Appropriate Production is the very basic building block of all good farming. it involves a very careful selection of what to grow and where.
2. Biodiversity is nature's fundamental premise. It aims at helping as many plant and critter species as possible grow, co-exist, and mutually support each other.
3. Soil Fertility includes a focus on proper levels of organic matter, good humus content and healthy microbial activity in the soil (bacteria, fungi, yeasts, protozoa, etc.). At JPV, we have produced our own biodynamic compost since 1999 to foster our soil humus.
4. Natural Crop Nutrition involves feeding compost to our vines and cover crops, herbs, flowers and orchards. done correctly, compost produces nutrient rich, microbial rich, moist, spongy, sweet smelling and long lasting humus.
5. Whole Farm Self-Sustainability is the goal of any self-sustaining farm and is achieved by creating healthy soils and a bio-diverse set of crops.
6. Integration of Farm Animals began in 2006 when we brought sheep to graze in the vineyard during vine dormancy. Our purpose was twofold: we wanted to increase biodiversity on the home ranch (we have chickens and bees which perform a similar ro le within their respective realms), while maximizing use of our natural resources. Sheep grazed on the cover crop and transformed it, illustrating the animal's role on a farm. they not only recycled the grass but most importantly they influenced the soil ecology (manure=deposition of organic matter=humus) as well as the flora. In addition, they enabled us to keep the vineyard floor mowed and ready for frost season.
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| Before Grazing | After 1st grazing pass | After 2nd grazing pass |
7. Biologically Integrated Pest, Disease & Weed Prevention & Management is achieved by producing healthy plants which, when grown on healthy soil, are better fit to naturally resist pest and disease attacks. Thus, this system produces the optimal foundation for pest and disease prevention.
This is the time of the year that the cow horns are stuffed with manure and then buried prior to the Winter Solstice. The images below give a good indication as to the beneficial results of applying the tea that will be invariably be made from the manure that is buried.
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Right: Biodynamic field spray 500 is made by packing female cow horns with cow manure and burying them for 6 months (from fall to spring equinox). Middle: After the cow horn preparation is removed from the horn, a tiny amount is added to lukewarm water and stirred for one hour, thereby creating a vortex where the energy of the preparation is transferred into the water. One-quarter cup of preparation covers one acre. Left: A biodynamic farming experiment in which the plants on the right received an application of horn manure. The plants on the left were grown in untreated soil.
And so what about the wine? My notes are as follows:
2005 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
90% Cabernet sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot from estate-owned vineyards (75%) and independent growers (25%)
Grapes were harvested between September 10th - November 3rd, 2005 at an average 24.7 degrees Brix, fermented in stainless steel tanks, then aged 18 months in a combination of new French and American oak barrels (50%) and 2 year old (50%) from coopers Sylvain, demptos, Nadalie, Canton, Taransaud, Vicard and World Cooperage.
...ruby and crimson core with macerated cherry aromas, a spoonful of blackberry jam, hint of tobacco leaf and talcum powder fine tannic finish. A splash of violet perfume lingers seductively on the nose and lends an air of otherworldly elegance...
Friday, 19 December 2008 02:47
Dionysus
"O Rock that flashes with the
gleam of Bacchic torches above
the twin peaked summit that
Dionysius haunts, and you, vine,
that daily put forth shoots and
offer up the fruitful cluster
of your grapes."
Euripides, Phoenician Women v.225
Napa Valley is a truly amazing place. Aside from the natural beauty, tranquility and abundance here, there exists a geological environment which is truly unique: Thirty -three different types of soil series, a variety of microclimates, steep mountains and sloping foothills on the Eastern and Western flanks, and a network of pocket valleys that meander eastward off the valley floor creates an environment found nowhere else in the United States. It is said that the Napa Valley is Eden to the wine grape. However, 150 million years ago most of what we now know as the Napa Valley, or California for that matter, did not exist. Over time, a series of geologic events, described as a continual dance of crustal plates, caused the shifting, sliding and lifting of land masses that plastered material on to the edge of north America and formed it into its present, temporary and ever changing configuration. This seemingly eternal process has created this garden of eden for the wine grape and has positioned the Napa Valley as the premiere grape-growing region in the United States.
It didn't happen overnight, though. 145 million years ago cataclysmic events occurred which began to shape the current California geology and landscape. The Pacific plate dove beneath the North American plate, melting rocks into magma that rose to the surface forming a chain of volcanoes. Over thousands of years erosion eventually deposited sediments forming what is now Napa Valley. It is this bedrock material that is a major contributor to the unique soils that comprise the Napa Valley and helps to define the quality of grapes grown here. As the land masses danced with one another, shifting and sliding, material from the ocean plate was slathered onto the edge of North America, this material is now known as the Franciscan Formation, a complex and diverse rock unit that underlies much of coastal California and which is one of the major bedrock components of the Napa Valley AVA.
Closer to the present day, but still in a time that seems unimaginable in today's amnesiac culture, another huge geologic process contributed to the creation of the Napa Valley. About 24 million years ago, the Farallon, Pacific and North American plates met at a triple junction in Southern California. Pushing northward, they created the San Andreas fault. As this triple junction slowly moved north, it drug the San Andreas faultline along with it. The tremendous compression of this created wrinkles in the earth's crust that created what is now the coastal ranges and here in Napa, the Mayacamas Mountains.
California is a dynamic place. It is unique in the regard that it, like the Napa Valley has a stunning array of biodiversity; mountains, beaches, deserts, and one of the few places on Earth that one might find Redwood Forests. However, in regard to wine making, it is the bedrock that was produced as a result of the geologic processes mentioned that are one of the major factors leading to the success of the California Wine Industry. Bedrock is the main source of the chemical and mineral elements of soils in which grapes grow. It provides the necessary structure, and chemical make-up that invariably will provide all the right factors for world-class wines. The Great Valley sequence is a huge trough piled high with sandstone, conglomerate and shale deposited over a period of 140 million to 60 million years ago. These sandstones and shales, derived from volcanic rocks, contain quartz and feldspar and are rich in potassium and sodium. Exposures of the great valley sequence can be seen mainly on the west side of the valley roughly between Oakville and Carneros, as well as at Stags leap,and near Calistoga.
Another geologic feature of the Napa Valley is the Franciscan Formation. It is unique in the regard that it has geologists puzzled as to its origins, and to date are unable to find an environment on or in Earth that shares the same characteristics of high pressure, low temperature environments. It is believed to be comprised of materials derived from oceanic environments of the Pacific and Farallon crustal plates. It is important for viticultarists to understand that it is rich in calcium and sodium feldspar which is generally indicative of low amounts of available water and nutrients, especially nitrogen and potassium, which leads to slower ripening and potentially lower yields (1 to 2 tons per acre) there are sequences of the Franciscan that run along the middle Mayacamas from the Southern boundary of the Oakville fan, north to St. Helena and West over the mountains into Sonoma County. While their hasn't been a lot of attention paid to the mysterious origins of the Franciscan formation, I often wonder how in the heck the material got here and, what exactly it is? Galactic material of an unknown origin? meteor shards? Perhaps its better just to accept the fact that it produces world class wines and be content with that.
Thursday, 04 December 2008 03:11
Always think of the universe as one living organism,
with a single substance and a single soul; and observe
how all things are submitted to the single perceptivity
of this one whole, all are moved by its single impulse,
and all play their part in the causation of every event
that happens. Remark the intricacy of the skein,
the complexity of the web.
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
As the realities of global climate change continue to be embraced by the incoming political heirarchy, so the ways of combating these effects will continue to develop and hopefully provide us with answers to these life-threatening forces which are currently at work. Whether you are recently being made aware of these effects through the global media, or have known about them for some time, the mindset must be the same: the situation is dire. However, it is within our power to at least make the effort to change, to innovate, to once again prove that necessity is the mother of invention. The world of wine does not exist in a bubble, the effects of global warming are at this moment being closely scrutinized by the powers that be. Global entities that are at the helm of multi-nationals as well as small time producers are closely watching weather patterns and adjusting their forecasts accordingly. However, there are many factors that come into play when it comes to global viticulture. Part of the problem with any agricultural endeavor is a lack of resources. Who determines who is going to get the lion's share of water? Who, in fact, determines who will be able to develop and maintain the mass tracts of land that are required to maintain a global wine concern? While these questions may appear self-evident (those with the money) I believe that it is not always so easy.
Vandana Shiva, a recipient of the right livelihood award, the alternative Nobel Peace Prize has said, "Whether it is ecological devastation or the destruction of diverse systems of knowledge, economic organization, and cultural patterns, the source is a common one; it lies in the dominant worldview that falsely universalizes the values, priorities, and truths of a small, privileged group based on class, gender, ethnicity or religion." Unfortunately, rural populations have traditionally been hit hardest by this situation. Land-based societies have been at the crux of the economy since the beginnings of civilization. As we've become more 'advanced,' these societies have continued to be marginilazed to the point where they, as well as the land they come from are at the tipping point. Wine growing societies have traditionally valued the land and in the European context, at least, they have managed to create some longevity, knowing full well that in order to continue to produce wine, healthy soil is a necessary corollary to said endeavor. Needless to say, this knowledge isn't across the board. The European wine industry is a hulking behometh that has deep roots. The product must go out, money must be made. This can oftentimes mean that the horse needs to be flogged to get to the finish line. The problem with this philosophy is that in order to meet quotas, or to get a return, the soil will end up suffering.
Monty Waldin, author of "Biodynamic Wines," states the problem as such,
"The problem I see with convential vineyards is that they are not sustainable long-term either environmentally or economically. This is because the vineyard owner ends up paying money which should be retained by the vineyard, to conglomerates for man-made, chemically synthesized weedkillers, fertilizers, and vineyard sprays that ultimately deplete the vines and the soil they grow in. The grower is then caught in an economic and environmental vicious circle. As the soils weaken because the living organisms with it are not being stimulated, so the vines and the wine they produce lose their strength and become less valued by the market. This tempts the vineyard owner to purchase yet more chemicals to try and bolster his flagging crop, or to rely on added sugar, acid, yeasts, and enzymes in winemaking. And it's not just everyday wines that are reliant on this kind of vinous scaffolding, or trickery, but the most expensive ones, too."
The problem of global warming in the context of the current financial meltdown is generally a point of anxiety for most of us, as well it should be. However, as one reads the daily news, the word "green" appears with greater frequency. One can only hope that this signals the turning point in the history of man where we turn the page, ironically, back, perhaps to a simpler time. I understand that there is a global consortium that wishes to go forward, to step out of time into a future that is sleek and shiny, where the problems at hand are solved with technology, where there is no hunger, no more global warming...things change constantly. In our quest to attain perfection, we have ignored the savage, the unpredictable, the wild, and yet these are all part of existence, we can no longer live without these natural phenomena than we can stop earthquakes or any other natural disasters, we can, however, stop the man made ones.
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