Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1061132
{ SOMMjournal.com } 83 most severe," Maloney said as we tasted the 2014–2016 vintages of Pinot Noir from these two distinctive sites. Pennacchio Vineyard, which sits on Goldridge sandy loam soil, was planted entirely to Clone 115 in 2000 by Joe Pennacchio. Now in his seventies, Pennacchio personally farms the original 5-acre vineyard, and his son, Mark, recently added a 2-acre parcel of clone 667. Due to the severe drought in 2015, yields plummeted from an average of 2.5 to 3 tons per acre to only 1.1 tons. "So, you knew it was going to bad—what did you do as far as farming was concerned knowing that it could be disastrous to get nothing?" asked Ryan Gerni, Wine Buyer at Davidsons Liquor in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. "You just live with it," Mark re - plied. "Once the berries are set, that's what you get. That's farming." We then transitioned to sampling the wines of van der Kamp Vineyard with siblings Malia (a former somm) and Ulysses van der Kamp. Sitting at an eleva - tion of 1,250 feet above sea level on the west side of the Mayacamas, the 25-acre vineyard comprises numerous Pinot Noir clones planted in various clay-loam soil series. "It's a fascinating vineyard with a lot of micro-terroirs," Maloney said as Ulysses passed around clusters of fruit harvested that morning from some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in the state. "Between our vineyard and Pennacchio, I think they're more similar than dissimilar," Malia said, adding that other DeLoach wines from the Russian River Valley tend to have a more opulent fruit profile "as opposed to us, where we have that mountain fruit with more pine and tannin flavors." Maloney noted that he believes van der Kamp wines are the most Barolo- like of the Pinot Noirs they work with due to their textural quality and their floral, herbaceous characteristics. We said our goodbyes to the growers, Maloney, and DeLoach Vineyards and set off toward Buena Vista Winery for our final feast. The Boisset family purchased this historic winery in 2011, retrofitting the beautiful yet waning estate and breathing new life into the property. Buena Vista holds great significance for Jean-Charles, as this was the first California winery he visited as a child in 1980. He still recalls sampling Buena Vista wines from paper cups with his grandparents in a nearby hotel room, as Jean-Charles was only 11 at the time. As we sampled exotic wines from Buena Vista—including Valdiguié, Char - bono, Angelica, and a joint project from India—in the cellar of the oldest premium winery in California, we couldn't help but take stock of where we were. Gerni even presented us with a Cabernet Franc from his home state of Colorado, expressing our shared sentiments in a final toast: "This is truly what makes our business awesome. Cheers to everyone!" Russian River SOMM Campers Emily Anderson, Wine Director, Tres Market Foods, Houston Rafe Gabel, Senior Vice President of Restaurant Operations, Puccini Group, San Francisco Ryan Gerni, Sommelier, Davidsons Liquor, Highlands Ranch, CO Phil Kang, owner of Pearson's Wine & Spirits, Washington, D.C. TC Leroy, General Manager, PRHYME: Downtown Steakhouse, Tulsa, OK Joseph Mayton, Beverage Director, Rooh, San Francisco Vincent McGrath, Dallas Country Club, Dallas Brian Munck, Food & Beverage Manager, St. Regis, San Francisco Joel Arias Quito, Head Sommelier, La Mar, San Francisco Tim Ryll, Bar Director, Four Corners, Chicago Sami Seglin, Wine Buyer, Hog Island Oyster Co., San Francisco Kori Tafoya, Managing Partner, Royal Palm Tapas, Atlantic Beach, FL At Saitone Vineyard, planted in 1895 as a typical field blend, the somms sampled Carignan and hunted for white grapes. Siblings Malia and Ulysses van der Kamp. Joe Pennacchio and his son, Mark.