Fall ‘21 Vineyard Notes
2019 Pinot Noir Oehlman Vineyard
The Oehlman Family has been farming on Vine Hill between Sebastopol and Forestville for four generations. They farmed grapes until prohibition and then replanted to apples. They started replacing the orchard with vines in the 1990’s and Cliff took out the last apple trees around 2015.
This area is known for it’s gold-ridge loam soil but we call it ‘moon dust’. The fine sandy soil is decomposed sandstone from ancient inland seabed. It drains well and is low in nutrients. The location near the Russian River’s final push to the Pacific, maintains cooler temperatures and consistently foggy mornings. The cooler nights maintain the delicate balance of acidity.
We have been working with these vines since 2000 and that makes this 2019 vintage the 20th harvest. John developed techniques for making this Pinot over many years and was influenced by his time working in Burgundy with Kendall-Jackson. This is our most labor-intensive wine and we baby it from vine to bottle.
The 2019 vintage is fantastic and bursting with cherry and raspberry fruit aromas. It is rich and floral with hibiscus and vanilla on the finish. This wine is still young and will benefit from at least another year of cellaring.
Ricotta-Stuffed Grilled
Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients:
4 Portobello mushroom caps
1 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
This recipe pairs perfectly with Hawley Dolcetto or Pinot Noir. It is a great harvest dish to cook on the grill and enjoy the October weather. Yield: 4 servings
Directions:
Preheat grill to medium-high.
Brush mushrooms with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Grill, gill-side up, for five minutes. Flip and continue grilling for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix ricotta, basil, Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and blot with paper towels to remove any liquid. Mound the ricotta filling in the caps. Grill until the filling is hot, 5 to 7 minutes.
Garnish with basil and balsmic glaze and pair with Hawley Dolcetto or Pinot Noir!
25 years
By John Hawley
As we release our 25th vintage of Hawley wines, I am reflecting on the twisting path that got us here and how much has changed. When I left my post as Chief Winemaker at Kendall-Jackson in 1996 and started Hawley, I was a one-man show for more than 10 years before my sons began helping. My vision for winemaking was largely formed by visiting with the great winemakers in Bordeaux and Burgundy in France and in Tuscany and the Piedmonte of Italy, tasting their wines with them and discussing their wine making goals and techniques. Then I applied what I had learned to our California grapes.
I was inspired by my perception of lifestyle of a small vintner, it seemed idyllic and stress-free. The reality of running a small winery is much less romantic. Reporting, bookkeeping, sales, and marketing made it clear what I wanted to do was make wine. Production is physical and requires a lot of cleaning and forklift hours, but for me it was the rewarding part of my work.
I am lucky to have two sons with complimentary skills who wanted to help build upon what I started. It is a well-known trope that happy vines make lazy wines; the best flavors come from vines that need to struggle for nutrients and water. I believe that the best wines come from winemakers who have to struggle to get them made; who are driven to care about every detail in the growing and production.
Now that I am retired from winemaking and focused more of the farming of my vineyard, I can see that the vision I had of the little old winemaker was not a complete fantasy- it was just took 25 years to get there.
Vintage Notes
2021 has been a very busy year. After two bottlings earlier in the year we began breaking ground on a complete cellar renovation project. Over the Summer we deconstructed and cleared out all the tanks and barrels to expose a blank canvas, ready for reconfiguration and customization to better suit our production needs. After installing new floors, modifying the tank and barrel storage layout, and adding a few smaller tanks, we were ready to move back in and start gearing up for harvest.
After last year’s wildfire scare, we were looking forward to a bigger, brighter, and more bountiful 2021 vintage. Mother Nature’s curveball this year, however, was a drought of historic proportions. While most of the county was on mandatory water restrictions, the vines throughout the valley were digging deep to find water and nutrients. As the fruit began to set and the berries began to ripen, the dry and stressful environment was producing deep, concentrated flavors in the vineyard.
We began harvest on August 20th with our Estate Viognier used for sparkling. This fruit comes in early to capture a brighter acidity and lower sugar content. The next grapes to come in are typically whites and lighter reds such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rosé, and Pinot Noir. As the season progresses, we continue sampling daily and move into the bigger reds such as Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and the Bordeaux varietals.
This year we are also excited to add several new vineyards and varietals to the ever-growing Hawley portfolio! These include Malbec and Sangiovese, as well as a new Pinot and “century vine” Zinfandel for our reserve program. We are also bringing back an old friend… Grenache!
Happy Harvest!
