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NV ÆROS® Napa Valley Meritage “Founder’s Tribute”
September 13, 2011 by David
Filed under AEROS, Blog, Winemaker Notes
This vintage proudly marks our 4th ÆROS® Meritage release in our 26-year history – a remarkably opulent, complex blend from two vintage years. Winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch, carefully selected the finest lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc exclusively from our Yountville Estate to create a wine of extraordinary character, intensity and majestic proportion.
We took the best components of vintages 2007 and 2008 and combined them into a single whole that proved to be better than the sum of its parts; resulting in this one-of-a-kind, extremely limited production wine. The best Bordeaux clones, three of Cabernet Sauvignon and two each of Cabernet Franc and Merlot were married with Petit Verdot through repeated tasting trials over a period of months, maximizing complexity and bringing these classic varietals into perfect balance.
This ÆROS® is our ultimate Meritage in tribute to Reynolds Gorsuch (1925-2009). As Founder of Goosecross Cellars, Rey served as a mentor to Geoff and David and was often sought out for his advice and visionary thinking. He created the preliminary concept for the ÆROS winged label and was a guiding force in Goosecross’ wine education programs. He delighted people with his viticulture tours, his stories of the native Wappo Indian history, obsidian artifacts from the Estate vineyard, and his dedication to growing and producing the best quality wines possible in Napa Valley.
Food Suggestions
Our resident chef, Colleen Topper, has selected a very special recipe to pair with this elegant wine. Try Beef Tenderloin with Coriander, Mustard & Garlic Crust from her large recipe collection.
2007 ÆROS® Napa Valley Meritage
April 8, 2011 by David
Filed under AEROS, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The long, mild growing season presented nearly textbook harvest conditions, setting the stage for excellence.
The best Bordeaux clones, three of Cabernet Sauvignon and two each of Cabernet Franc and Merlot were married with Petit Verdot through repeated tasting trials, over a period of months, maximizing complexity and bringing the four varieties into perfect balance.
Stunning – a complex expression of intense, yet nuanced, flavors are united with the ÆROS signature elegance.
The seductive scent of blackberry, ripe plum, mocha and mint anticipates dense, but graceful layers of black cherry, raspberry, cocoa and spice that coat the palate and linger, finishing with rich, toasty oak and polished, supple tannins. Hedonistic, and much too alluring to pass up now, it will develop even greater complexity in the cellar over the years to come.
Food Suggestions
Enjoying a glass of 2007 ÆROS Meritage creates an exceptional occasion in itself, but it’s also the perfect centerpiece for a celebratory meal of filet mignon or prime rib. It’s a delicious enhancement for a chocolate torte or dark chocolate soufflé cake.
Geoff recommends this special recipe, specifically designed for the 2007 ÆROS Meritage by Proprietor and in-house chef, Colleen Topper for Roasted Rack of Lamb with Blueberry Sauce.
2006 ÆROS® Napa Valley Meritage
October 20, 2009 by David
Filed under AEROS, Blog, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
For those who demand the very best – that’s ÆROS. This vintage marks the 11th ÆROS® release in our 24th 
year history, so you know we’ve reached to the sky when those wings go on the bottle.
ÆROS isn’t a single wine, but a series of limited-production wines made only in the exceptional vintages that yeild the elusive ÆROS quality, character and style.
The 2006 vintage is a remarkably hedonistic blend of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It’s a mouthfilling symphony of black cherry, wild strawberry, ripe plum, dusty mocha with a hint of tobacco and supple, polished tannins. Just delicious. Only 284 cases produced.
ÆROS Meritage and food: Opening the bottle creates an occasion in itself, but the ÆROS also makes the perfect centerpiece for a celebratory meal of rack of lamb or filet mignon. It’s a decadent partner for chocolate torte or dark chocolate souffle cake. Try it with this special recipe Colleen has created especially for the 2006 ÆROS: Duck Breast with Black Mission Fig Sauce.
NVWR® 92 – Wine Blending: When and Why?
September 29, 2009 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
There are so many ways to look at blending when it comes to wine – blending the varieties, different vineyards, locations, and barrel lots – it goes on and on. In this episode, Winemakers Geoff Gorsuch and Jeff Booth talk about the endless possibilities with Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education.
There are so many ways to look at blending wine – blending the varieties, different vineyards, locations, and barrel lots – it goes on and on. In this episode, Winemakers Geoff Gorsuch and Jeff Booth talk about the endless possibilities with Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education.
How We Make Our Estate Meritage
In 2002, we had to re-plant our home vineyard here at the winery because the Chardonnay we planted in 1978 was diseased. The phrase “crisis as opportunity” comes to mind.
After almost 25 years, we had a chance to take a fresh look at our property and re-evaluate what belongs here. It’s a process! We hired three different consultants to take soil samples and check the meso-climate1 throughout the site. Much to our comfort and delight, the three consultants came back with almost identical recommendations: Plant red Bordeaux varieties2.
What Is Meritage Wine?
With that decision made, Geoff Gorsuch, our Winemaker, immediately thought about making a Meritage wine. A Meritage (pronounced like “heritage”) is a blend of Bordeaux varieties and so the wines are usually Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot- based (there are white Meritage wines, too, but they’re less common). Since varietal wines had been the standard of excellence here in America, the Meritage Association was created to distinguish hand-crafted, high-quality blends from simple red or white table wines or generic, so-called “jug” wines. Geoff wanted the freedom to blend the varieties together in the way he most prefers, regardless of varietal percentage. He takes the best our property has to give, and blends it into a beautiful expression of our vineyard site to make a single- vineyard, estate grown, Meritage blend.
Planting The Vineyard
We hand-planted lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, some Merlot, and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Our consultants helped us select the various clones3 and rootstock hybrids4 to match the variability of the soil throughout the 9.5 acres. The vine spacing also varies, depending on the anticipated vine vigor, or lack of it, in different parts of the property. Before planting we re-graded, installed drain-tile and brought down the acidity of the soil a bit.
The vineyard is on the valley floor between the old Rector Creek and the Napa River-Conn Creek junction. Small as it is, the vineyard has been divided into 11 different sections according to variety, clone, rootstock, spacing and other variables. These sections are monitored separately regarding water, nutrients, canopy management5, and of course, harvest date. It’s a lot for Geoff to juggle, but it’s the only way to get the kind of results we’re looking for.
From planting the rootstock or benchgrafts6, it is 3-4 years to the first small crop. We think of the vineyard as mature when it is 6 or 7 years old, and hope that it will be with us for decades.
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Understanding Wine Names
Varietal, Meritage, proprietary and place names: what does it all mean?
We can start with the fact that here at Goosecross we make a wine called ÆROS. Other Napa Valley wineries have released wines called Insignia, Opus One, Rubicon and so forth. What do the names have in common? They represent wines of great distinction to be sure. Typically, these bottles contain what the producers consider to be the highest expression of their artistry in the vineyard and the winery – you might call it the cream of the crop. Yet the name doesn’t tell you anything about what’s in the bottle. These are proprietary names, which are a relatively recent phenomenon in California wine history.
Varietal vs. Proprietary
As you know, most of the wines here in California, like other new world wines, are named for the grape variety that makes them, such as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon. For a long time in California we equated the varietal designation with quality. The emergence of proprietary blends and Meritage-style wines was just a natural part of our maturation as an industry. Following prohibition, it took until the early 1970s for a few pioneers here in the Napa Valley to begin producing proprietary blends– and it came from a desire for artistic freedom on the part of our winemakers.
In America, when we name the wine for a variety such as Cabernet Sauvignon, the requirement is a minimum of 75% which gives you a pretty good idea of what’s in there. The federal government, which regulates these things, is interested in truth in labeling. However, from a winemaker’s perspective it can be somewhat limiting. What if the Cabernet Sauvignon tastes better if we blend in 40% Merlot this year? Then we can’t call it Cabernet, but we can create a proprietary name — and that’s exactly what we’ve done with ÆROS and what other producers have done when they develop proprietary labels. Since the name doesn’t identify a grape variety the winemaker has complete artistic license when it comes to blending-as long as he uses grapes, of course!
We tend to identify proprietary names with Cabernet based blends, because that’s the way it all started, but these days many of them aren’t Cabernet based at all. For instance, our Goosecross AmerItal is a blend of primarily Sangiovese with a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Bonny Doon Vineyard makes a Rhone-style blend bottled under the playful name Le Cigare Volant. Even with ÆROS we don’t restrict ourselves to Bordeaux varieties. For us, ÆROS is defined as a wine that’s beyond expectations, whatever the variety or blend. With proprietary names the blend is often indicated on back label, and if not, then the best thing to do is consider the track record or reputation of the producer.
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2005 ÆROS® Napa Valley Meritage
May 4, 2008 by David
Filed under AEROS, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This vintage proudly marks the 10th ÆROS® release in our 23-year history and our first release of a Meritage (pronounced like “Heritage”), which includes all five of the classic Bordeaux varieties. Geoff Gorsuch, our Winemaker, carefully selected the finest lots from the Goosecross Estate vineyard and married in some Cabernet from our rugged Howell Mountain vineyard. The end result is a wine of extraordinary beauty, intensity and majestic proportion.
Winemaker Notes
Stunning. The seductive scent of black currant, ripe plum, dark chocolate and grilled bread anticipates layers of luscious cassis, dried cherry, sweet tobacco and anise that coat the palate and linger, finishing with subtle nuances of earth and spice. Hedonistic, and much too alluring to pass up now, the 10th ÆROS release will develop even greater complexity in the cellar over the years to come.
Food Suggestions
ÆROS® Vintage 2005 is a rare collector’s wine. Our Winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch, highly suggests pairing this elegant Meritage with fillet of beef and black peppercorns, prime rib, roast leg of lamb with rosemary, beef wellington, or beef bourguignon. Try this as an enhancement for chocolate torte, chocolate mousse, chocolate raspberry cake or chocolate soufflé cake.
NVWR® 22 – Understanding Wine Names
August 8, 2006 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Varietal, Meritage, proprietary and place names: If you’ve wondered about all the various ways we name wines and what the names communicate to you as a consumer, please join Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education, for an investigation.
NVWR® 17 – Bordeaux Blends
July 4, 2006 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Why is it so common to blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and other red Bordeaux varieties together? Sit back, relax, and listen while Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education, tells you a little about each of the “big five” Bordeaux varieties and the role they play in the total blend.
