2022 New Clairvaux Vineyard Assyrtiko – Unique Winery with a Historic Background
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
I received word from the California State Fair Wine Competition that a “different winery” and unique wine won Best of White Wine of California, and it was New Clairvaux’s 2022 Assyrtiko. They also won Best Region White Wine, Best of Show White Wine and Double Gold Medals!
Below is from an earlier story I wrote on Assyrtiko from Santorini:
Not an everyday household varietal but perhaps it should be! Firstly, this wine is indigenous to Santorini and was the wine of choice from 3500 BC to 1620 BC as the wine center in the Aegean Sea. In 1620 BC, one of the largest volcanic eruptions occurred in the last 10,000 years on Santorini. It covered the island in volcanic ash which provides unique soil for Assyrtiko grapes to grow. Secondly, the pronunciation is “ase-ry-tiko”.
The island with its volcanic soil, the Assyrtiko vines can go down as far as 60 meters! This depth is one of the key components in giving this grape a minerality like no other grapes. Assyrtiko vines comprise 70% of the production wines of Santorini. Some of the vines go 60-200 years in age. But perhaps one of the unique things is the training of vines in a circular basket/wreath formation. With the grapes growing on the inside, it provides shade from the hot summer sun and protects the grapes from the fierce winds of the island. The basket is called a “kouloura”.
When I heard that Assyrtiko won from Tehama County, a long way from the ocean, my curiosity got better of me and did some investigation. They don’t use the basket technique but typical wine trellis.
The Winery — A Rich History
This is a paraphrase and edited about the winery from their website:
Photo from New Clairvaux Winery
For more than 150 years, some of California’s most innovative and industrious winemakers worked this area, called “Vina Loam”. Geologists attribute the characteristics of “Vina Loam” to volcanic silt carried from Mt. Lassen to the mouth of Deer Creek at the Sacramento River now alluvial fan soil. Peter Lassen planted a one-acre wine grape vineyard in 1846 to replenish supplies for those coming off their journey to Mt Lassen. In 1852, Henry Gerke expanded the vineyards to 100 acres. He established the small town of Vina and started shipping his wines worldwide. Railroad magnate and Governor of California, Leland Stanford took a keen interest in this development. In 1881, Stanford purchased the land and expanded it to over 55,000 acres. The construction of the world’s largest wine operations took place with over 2 acres in the facility. Today, just 1/4 of it is used for the winery production.
The name started in 1098, when a group of Benedictine monks broke off and established a monastery called Citeaux in Burgundy, France. With vows of poverty and labor, they prospered. Soon they constructed an Abbey and planted what is now one of the more famous vineyards in the world– Clos De Vougeot. This new order of monks became known as Cistercians, and their legacy of winemaking would become renowned. Cistercian vineyards were planted throughout Europe; the monks were responsible for propagating varietals common to this day such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Tempranillo and Riesling. They also developed the viticultural practices of trellising, water management and leaf thinning all for the unique and betterment of grape growing.
Photo from New Clairvaux Winery
Today, Trappist-Cistercians continue to dedicate their lives to personal prayer, communal prayer and manual labor. It is through these works and offerings of thanksgiving that they show their love and appreciation of God and their fellow human beings. They do this by striving to produce the highest-quality product attainable. This is expressed by the simple words “Trappist Made Product,” so that in all things God may be glorified. They do not take on a vow of silence, but avoid any unnecessary communication, including having meals in silence or when passing in hallways.
Photo from New Clairvaux Winery
The Sunseri family, a long-time winemaking family, began to explore the possibility of partnering with the Abbey of New Clairvaux to revitalize Vina’s rich viticultural past. It would begin in 2000 with two experimental vineyards. Aimée Sunseri is today the winemaker, with many vintages and national and international awards.
Today besides the Assyrtiko they produce Syrah, Viognier, Barbera, Trebbiano, Moschofilero, Primitivo, Friulano, Semillon and various red and white blends. Their first year of production was 900 cases and today they are producing 15,000 cases.
The Wine — “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The grape varietal is known besides its minerality, to have citrus, apple, honeysuckle, passion fruit, pear, lime and beeswax. This New Clairvaux wine on the eyes a light shade of yellow and medium viscosity. On the nose, honeysuckle was a dominant trait. On the palate, along with citrus flavors of lemon and lime, giving way to a firm minerality. Also in the mouth, such a rich mouth filling presence, so much more than Viognier or Chardonnay and with a high degree of acidity. This wine was made for oysters, salmon, trout, shrimp and shell seafood. The wine sells for $23/bottle. The quality of wine starts in vineyard with care of vines by the Monks and continues through hand picking and hand sorting, although Aimée mentioned during the sorting no leaves or MOG is in the bins as they are meticulous when picking.
This wine made my Best Wines Tasted in 2023 and will again make my Best Wines Tasted in 2025!
The Food and Wine Pairing — “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
When doing my food and wine pairing for my website, I always quote Andre Simon that “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners”.
Every wine brings out the best in food and food brings out the best in wine! While some wines can be fully enjoyed by themselves, more often food heightens the experience. There are two distinct methodologies that I and chef, Susan my wife, have used for years.
They are Congruent meaning that the two are in balance and sympatico with each other. This is more akin to a peaceful accord between the food and wine sharing similar flavors or compounds. The other method is Contrasting. This is where a counterbalance effect takes place, more of a Yin-Yang effect, which showcases the opulence in the wine or the exotic flavors in the food.
The key in any food and wine pairing is to taste the food and take a sip of the wine. Repeat and repeat for three times to get the full effect to determine the symbiotic relationship between the two or does one intensify the experience of the other? A great food and wine pairing will result in bringing the two together are greater than the sum of the parts.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This was the case this evening with the first food pairing being one of a contrast with an appetizer called Bang Bang Shrimp with a beautiful 2023 Stags Leap Cellars Chardonnay. Crisp shrimp bites drizzled in sweet chili garlic sauce. The Chardonnay provided a calming and beautiful contrasting flavor profile to the delicious shrimp with tantalizing spicy shrimp bites.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The main dish of the evening was an Albacore Tuna Crudo consisting of sushi grade Albacore, arugula, avocado, capers and Calabrian chiles. Something in the dish was startling different and not listed so we got the word from the chef it was a lemon peel soaked for thirty days in salt! Those at dinner thought it provided the lemon zest and salinity to be of the congruent mode of food and wine pairings. Further research showed that soaking with salt concentrates the lemon flavor but mellows out the acidity as well as the bitterness of the peel.
Two of the other guests enjoyed the exact same meal and we three concluded that this was the best meal prepared by Verona18 restaurant over the last couple of years! We also believe this wine and the tuna Crudo were heavenly matched and simply was a spectacular pairing.
Sláinte,
Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com