© by Scott Gunerman
With so many wineries and even more wines to choose from these days, it is very difficult to remain loyal to even a handful of your favorites ... too many choices and not enough time [or money] to try everything you want.
However, over the years there have been a few wineries that I can't help but go back to with each new vintage. One of my personal favorites is Chateau Souverain, located in California's Alexander Valley [northern Sonoma County]
Chateau Souverain was founded by J. Leeland Stewart in 1944 as a Napa Valley winery. Stewart operated in Napa for nearly 30 years before finally selling out to a group of investors, who in turn sold out to Pillsbury in 1973. Pillsbury constructed a sister winery in neighboring Sonoma County, which soon became the flagship facility for the company. In 1986 Nestle stepped in to purchase the winery and in 1996 Beringer Wine Estates [consisting of Beringer Vineyards, Meridian, Stags' Leap Winery, St. Clement and Chateau St. Jean] snapped up the property. In 2000 the winery was part of yet another acquisition - Beringer Wine Estates was purchased by an Australian drinks company that owned Foster's Lager and several other Australian wineries. The resulting merger of the two wine giants is known today as Beringer Blass Wine Estates.
Chateau Souverain has maintained consistent quality despite changing ownership several times over the last few decades. Ed Killian is the current winemaker and he is continuing to focus on prime vineyards to produce the winery's key varietal wines - Alexander Valley for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc; the cool-climate Carneros and Russian River Valley for Chardonnay; and Dry Creek Valley for Zinfandel. Souverain produces roughly 138,000 cases per year and is widely recognized as one of Sonoma County's best wineries - producing wines high in quality but without the boutique price tag of many other California wines.
Chateau Souverain's Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon routinely score in the high 80's to low 90's [on the 100 point scale] in Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Robert Parker's independent publication, The Wine Advocate. The 2000 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon received a preliminary score of 92-94 pts. [very rare for a wine in the $20 and under price range] from Wine Spectator in a recent barrel tasting. The wine will not be released for another year or so, but savvy wine consumers in search of an affordable, cellar worthy red will take note and stock up [hint, hint] when the wine finally does hit retail shelves.
In a recent feature on Chateau Souverain, Wine Spectator's Senior Editor James Laube was quoted, " ... it's scary how great these wines are."
I could not agree more.
Tasting Notes - hey, give me a break! I'm not Robert Parker Jr.!2000 Chateau Souverain Sauvignon Blanc - Alexander Valley, CA: Pale/straw color. Pungent nose - herbal, grassy, sour citrus. Clean, crisp, fruity and smooth on the palate. Tasty, refreshing and always reliable. Perfect summer white.
1999 Chateau Souverain Merlot - Alexander Valley, CA: Deep purple/plum color. Nose is intense, ripe and clean. Packed with blackberry, cherry and coffee. Rich and muscular on the palate. Noticeable tannin - sticks to your teeth ["grippy"] indicating this wine has several years ahead of it. Loaded with fruit on the palate - ripe, rich and powerful. Good now, will be better with age. This is a huge Merlot with Cabernet qualities - buy 6 now [hint, hint] and watch them evolve over the next 10 years.
1997 Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon - Alexander Valley, CA: Dense purple/plum color. Clean, intense nose featuring dark berry fruit - black berry, black currant. Big nose. Full bodied, fruity, rich and powerful wine with chocolate and coffee notes on the finish. More "grippy" tannins. Excellent quality Cab from the very successful 1997 vintage. May be hard to find now [current release is the 1998] but those of you that have some in your cellar [one down, eleven to go for me] will be rewarded over the next 5-10 years.
That's it, finally! Thanks for the visit. As always, please feel free to write me at cellarbrat1@yahoo.com with your comments, questions and suggestions. Everyone gets a reply! All feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
See ya next time from the cellar, and remember wine is more fun than you think ...
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Volume Two
Number 7
July 30, 2002
