Cormorant 2021 Preston Vineyard, Sonoma County
This is a medium-bodied Rhône-style blend of 64 percent Grenache Blanc and the remainder Marsanne, made from certified organic grapes sourced from the Preston Vineyard, at the far end of Dry Creek Valley. The Dry Creek Valley AVA is about 25 miles north of the Russian River Valley AVA.
UC-Davis grad and veteran winemaker Charlie Gilmore started Cormorant Cellars project in 2018 and first made this blend in 2021, using low-intervention methods (ambient yeast; no filter or fining) that allow the fruit to shine and sing. Made with an old-school, Old World sensibility, the wine is co-fermented in a combination of seven-year-old once-used barrels.
More nuanced than flashy, this wine, nonetheless has plenty of personality: tart green and yellow fruits from the orchard—yellow cherry and plum—along with some cooked Meyer lemon, and a savory herbal undertone.
“I have always appreciated the whites of the Rhone Valley [and] I have been interested in them because of their structure and mouthfeel. With this Grenache Blanc/Marsanne, I have focused on making a wine with good structure and bright freshness,” Gilmore said, adding because Grenache Blanc can have a heavy or bitter mouthfeel, picking the fruit at the right time is vital. In this wine he succeeded.
The pacific crested cormorants that adorn the label are coastal birds, which Gilmore says he and dad spent hours watching as a child during family trips to the Monterey coast. SRP: $27; 205 cases made.
I want to take this recommendation one step further and recommend a “pairing of the month.” I had this with a roasted sweet corn risotto with shrimp and steamed asparagus on the side. I could not think of a more perfect match on a night that almost promises spring is around the corner but still holds a crisp in the air that calls for filling fare.
How to make:
· Make your favorite risotto recipe, browning the pot with both garlic and shallots.
· More shallots in either a roasting pan or a cast-iron skillet with olive oil and corn kernels (frozen is OK when fresh corn is out of season); roast until the kernel brown slightly, but before they’re crunchy.
· Prepare shrimp as you like it: for this, I sauteed them white wine and garlic, but you can also roast them in the pan with the corn.
· Steam asparagus, top with drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lemon and serve on the side. Or, here’s a recipe you can adapt from wyseguide.com.