Tasting Hall Wines
“Would you care for some Sauvignon Blanc?” a young waitress asks, offering a selection of wines from a silver tray. Sauvignon Blanc is a curious but refreshing choice for a tutored tasting and presentation of Bordeaux style wines. Yet it is the newest addition to the Hall Wines portfolio and is remarkably bright and charming, much like co-owner Kathryn Hall herself, who greets our group in a sherbet-orange blazer, bringing some of California’s sun and warmth to a dreary Manhattan grey day.
It is the first time I am meeting Ms. Hall, and the more I discover about her amazing life and the wines she and her businessman husband Craig Hall produce, the more I am impressed. Kathryn grew up the daughter of a grape grower in California’s Mendocino County. After becoming an attorney, mother of four children, and community activist, President Clinton chose her to become the ambassador to Austria.
Throughout it all, Kathryn and Craig dreamed of crafting the finest small vine, organic wine possible. Their vision became a reality in 1995, when they purchased the legendary Sarcrashe vineyard in the hills of Rutherford. Since then, the Halls acquired more vineyards and produce plush, extracted-fruit character wine from grapes grown in Rutherford, Atlas Peak, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder along with Sonoma’s Alexander County.
During the presentation that followed the reception, Kathryn explained the winery’s philosophy and key developments. Like many winery owners, the Halls have a passion for the fruit of the vine. They are fortunate in that they have the resources to activate that passion and turn it into reality.
One of their key passions is producing wine from single vineyards, which flavor reflects the terroir in which it was grown. Towards that end, each Hall estate vineyard was strategically chosen for its elevation, micro-climates, and soil types. Another objective is to create organic wines, which in Kathryn’s words is “the right thing to do.” So far, they are in the first year of the three year organic wine certification process. And in keeping with the above-two objectives, the winery is also now relying on native yeast fermentation (most wineries used packaged yeast).
In the course of the presentation I tasted through the wines which with one exception are richly concentrated, luxurious, and quite delicious with notes of cedar, ripe fig, lush plum, and accents of chocolate and leather. The exception – which I really enjoyed – was the wine from St. Helen’s Bergfeld vineyard, which was leaner by comparison yet at the same time quite complex, refreshing with a lighter texture and flavors of blackberry jam.
St. Helena will also be the site of a state-of-the-art gravity-fed winery and Visitor’s Center designed by famed architect Frank Gehry. In 2003, Craig Hall found the site, which had been a dilapidated, 19th century coop with fourteen acres of vineyard and saw its potential. Until the project is finished in 2009, visitors can taste wine in the modern, farmhouse-style tasting room and see Gehry’s project models. Visitors can also visit Hall Wines in Rutherford, which opened in March of 2005 and can host a limited number of guests by appointment. The winery is designed to make Hall’s small-lot wines, including their signature “Kathryn Hall” Cabernet Sauvignon. Once on the property guests will find hand-built, art-filled caves, a hidden tasting room, sommelier hosts, and a gorgeous hilltop vista.
Hall Wines are available in select markets nationally and can also be purchased through the Halls’ Wine Club.
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