What's Your Origin Wine? This Is What Turned Me On
A one-time cult winemaker named Joel Gott ignited my wine fire.
What a truly glorious week this has been! First, I want to say hello to all of you new subscribers — and there have been a lot of you since last week’s newsletter about my favorite 15 Chicago restaurants (and some I miss that have closed). Many of you replied about your favorites and also those spots you miss, many I completely forgot about like H.U.E. (Hillary’s Urban Eatery with its beautiful mosaic floor and incredible chilaquiles!), Feast (shout out to Debbie Sharpe!), Ruxbin, Más (John Manion’s first place and also the site of my first official date with Drew), Maude’s Liquor Bar, RoseAngelis, and more. I love this interaction with you all — it’s what ties us together as a community. So welcome to everyone new and thank you all for your continued support of Something Glorious! Now, let’s talk about wine.
My wine origin story
When I was living in San Francisco in the early 2000s, I went from having a solid job as a marketing manager for Shutterfly, with a good salary and all the benefits it came with. Then things came crashing down. All around us. The city went from a bustling, lively, vibrant bacchanalia to a virtual ghost town nearly overnight. One evening, I remember going to The Ramp, one of my favorite divey spots that still sits right on the SF Bay at the far end of Potrero Hill (or is it Dog Patch?). It looked like an old fishing shack, but the real draw was its massive deck right on the water. We’d often go for lunch or brunch, get a big bowl of thick clam chowder and drink pitchers of margaritas.
On this particular day, I met some friends for an early happy hour and when I was heading home through Potrero and then the Mission, what jumped out at me were all the “for rent” and “for lease” signs in an area that just months before had nearly 100 percent occupancy. And I started to cry. Not heavy sobs, but a sadness came over me because the city I had known the last two years was, in effect, gone.
That time also was eye opening in that I went from this high-paying job to working at the original location of the Sports Basement (hey Mark Haggarty!) for $11 an hour and then after that got a job at a hot restaurant in the Castro called Home. The owners converted it from a swanky dot com-era haunt to a post-bust comfort joint with dishes like fried chicken, pot roast, burgers and the most delicious bourbon-soaked banana bread pudding. The more-affordable prices reflected the time, yet Home never skimped on the ingredients, the cocktail list, or especially the wine. Being in San Francisco, we had access to all that wonderful wine Napa, Sonoma, and other nearby wine regions in California offered. It was here I really began my wine journey.
Many people who work in wine or have a passion for wine may tell you about a spectacular and often rare or expensive wine they tasted that blew their mind and set them on their path. I can tell you the wine that did it for me wasn’t a premiere cru (a.k.a. “first growth”) wine from Burgundy, grand cru Bordeaux or an eye-popping vintage riesling from the Mosel in Germany. Mine was a cult wine from a fairly unknown winemaker at the time who you likely have heard of now: Joel Gott.
While a conglomerate now owns the Joel Gott Wines and produces upwards of one million cases a year, back when I had my first sips — as it was literal sips I was given — Gott was a fledgling winemaker. Born in Napa Valley, Gott, a fourth-generation vintner, grew up in the Sierra Foothills where his parents owned Montevina Winery in Amador County. Gott started his namesake winery in 1996, sourcing zinfandel grapes from Amador. The following year, he and winemaker wife, Sarah, produced their Dillian Ranch Zinfandel to great acclaim, affording them the ability to buy grapes from around California, making their first blend. This is what put them on the map. That release sold out in one week.
It was likely this or the following vintage I got to taste at Home. I remember a buzz sprouting up near the bar during pre-shift one afternoon. I saw two cases of wine sitting there and asked my manager what was happening. “The Joel Gotts are here!” Hector exclaimed. Seeing the clear look of cluelessness on my face, he told me about this cult-like wine from a young producer that was hard to come by. That Home got two cases was a score and Hector poured me a decent taste. I was fairly inexperienced in the nuances of wine tasting, but I knew something special was in that glass. My eyes widened at the aromas and notes of blackberry, cherry, plum, spice, and bramble. It was silky and lush. And I wanted more. But none was available — yet.
While Joel Gott wines are readily available today and some people may look upon them as mass-produced grocery store wines, they still hold a special place in my heart. And I’ll say, while it has grown to a massive winery, the quality generally still exists. Gott also got me to enjoy Chardonnay at a time when California wineries overly oaked and he released an unoaked chard, allowing the grape itself to really shine without all those extra buttery nuances.
It’s been a minute since I’ve had a Joel Gott zin, cab, pinot or other wine so maybe I’ll pick up a bottle. In the meantime, I’ve enjoyed plenty of other wines. Here are five wines I have really enjoyed lately. Look for them in your local market or order them online.
5 Wines I’ve Loved Recently
Dobbes Family Estate 2020 Patricia’s Cuvee Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
If you like Willamette Valley pinot noir, you’re going to love this bottle. Drew and I enjoyed one while watching the Oscars last weekend and it — Just. Kept. Giving! Black cherry, blueberry, violet, strawberry, some herbs and grrrrreat acid. It has a light essence within a medium body. It’s lovely and silky goes with a variety of food.
Ettore Galasso 2018 CornoGrande Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Premium
When I took my first sip of this wine, I literally gasped and went back in for more. What’s interesting to me about montepulciano d’Abruzzo (montepulciano being the grape; Abruzzo the region in Italy), a wine that’s pretty similar in taste and profile to sangiovese, is that it can range from the lighter side of medium bodied to a heftier mouthfeel that can sometimes be a bit dry and tannic. This wine was in that Goldilocks range. It was perfect. Plum, blueberry, leather, cocao, cherry, balsamic. I know these are somewhat lofty terms, but trust me, this wine kicks ass. It’s grown in an area that overlooks the Adriatic Sea. So with views like that, how could it not be fantastic? Get a bottle from BevMo.
Modales 2021 Pinot Gris, Fennville, Mich.
This pick is from Michigan, yes Michigan — a winemaking area that has changed over the last decade and it deserves our respect, as I wrote about for VinePair. Recently, Drew and I went over to Harbor Country in Southwest Michigan to visit our friends Judy and Aaron Gadiel. While Aaron and Drew had an all-day coaching session at The Knoll (one of my most favorite places in the world — and you can rent it), Judy and I drove an hour north to Modales in Fennville, which sits next to Virtue Cider. We spent about 2.5 hours with winemaker Andrew Backlin, who trained at some Napa wineries, tasting through many of their wines — pinot noir, cab franc, pinot blanc riesling. But this Alsatian-leaning pinot gris, with its creamy and fuller-bodied mouthfeel, citrus and stone fruit notes, grabbed my attention. Before you roll your eyes at Michigan wine, know shit is changing. Quickly.
Day Wines 2022 Lemonade Pinot Noir Rosé, Willamette Valley
Even though I argue rosés can and should be enjoyed all year, rosé season is coming, y’all. This is one you absolutely should put on your radar. This wine, from Brianne Day in Oregon, took a very slight departure from its predecessor by reducing the pinot noir a smidge and adding about 6% grenache, giving it a hint more fullness. I got to sample this a few weeks ago at distributor Candid Wines’ rosé trade tasting and, like bottles before, it shines. I mean, look at that label! Think cherry, strawberry, grapefruit, acid and minerality. This is definitely a food wine, but who the hell am I to tell you not to enjoy the bottle on its own?
Elena Walch 2021 Schiava, Alto Adige, Italy
Over the last few years I have really fallen for the wines of northern Italy, especially the lighter bodied reds of the Veneto and Alto Adige. I had the true honor of visiting the absolutely gorgeous Elena Walch winery (one of the most respected in this northern Italian region) in late 2021 and spending an hour or so with Elena’s daughter, Karoline. We had a tour and a tasting in the stunning setting overlooking the town and valley of Tramin, where I learned more about her pioneering mother and her fabulous wines. This schiava, which is native to the region, shows cherry, currant, strawberry, incredible acid with a bright and juicy body. It’s a fabulous food wine for pasta, cheese, cured meats, grilled veggies and more. And it’s super affordable. Grab a bottle at Wine.com.
SG List
SG Art: 21C Museum Hotel’s OFF-SPRING: New Generations
I love the 21C Museum Hotel chain — upscale, boutique, and in cool markets, including Chicago. What truly makes this hotel group unique is the the free-to-the-public rotating art exhibits that push boundaries through captivating storytelling. Chicago recently launched this new exhibit that explores the rituals — religious, cultural, generational — that tie us together. Drew and I attended a private group tour this week (along with a fun wine tasting by the always fabulous Regine Rousseau) of more than 100 pieces by 60-plus artists. If you’re in Chicago, I highly encourage you to pop in. Did I mention it’s free — and open 24 hours?
SG Artisan Goods: Enny Olive Oil
As the name suggests, this is not just any olive oil, but olive oil made by the Ennys. The who? The Ennys! That would be my very dear friends, Jenny and Kenny Grouf. When they bought a house in Sonoma County, it came with a robust olive grove. So they decided to continue with tradition and harvest the olives in the fall and press them to make oil. This is the result and it’s wonderful. Clean and grassy with a bit of spiciness on the finish. And, if you live in or around LA or the SF Bay Area you can get a bottle.
SG Tunes: T.S.O.C. by Terry Hunter
My Spotify “Discover Weekly” regularly has great tunes in it and this week was no exception. When this song came on, I had to google it and see when it was released. It has such a slick funky disco house vibe that I was surprised it was released in 2022. And with the Chicago name-checking in the song, I love that Terry Hunter is a local guy. I’m guessing T.S.O.C. stands for “the sounds of Chicago.” Anyone know for sure?
$25.00 at the time, my origin wine was 1996 L'Ecole Merlot (given as a gift in 1998), the winery just released a 40 year anniversary (merlot blend) bottle with the same label from my origin wine... https://www.lecole.com/wine/202040thanniversary/
Just bought some of that olive oil! Thanks for recommending.