It's Official: Bonny Doon Is Biodynamic

Last month, Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm received Demeter Certification for his Ca' del Solo estate vineyard in Santa Cruz. Since 2003, the vineyard has been farmed biodynamically and with the Demeter Certification now in place for both the vineyard and the winery it will be fascinating to see how these changes alter the market perception--and the taste--of Bonny Doon wines. (image from the Biodynamic Agriculture Association UK)

Grahm's goal is to make Bonny Doon a 100% biodynamic estate winery, a goal that I heartily approve of since I felt like the brand was getting a bit out of hand and losing its focus, and that its marketing strengths were in danger of outrunning his winemaking abilities. I'm happy to report as a DEWN (Doon Esoteric Wine Network) Club member, that I have received some of the smaller production Ca' del Solo wines and have really enjoyed the post-2003 bottlings. Going biodynamic has meant that Grahm cut back on production. He's also drawing on the skills of a talented team including director of viticulture Philippe Coderey, vineyard manager Nicole Walsh, and associate winemaker Jillian Johnson.

Varietally speaking, the new focus seems to be on Mediterranean grapes. If it's a grape grown in Spain, southern France, or Italy, the folks at Bonny Doon are interested in it. I don't usually write up my reviews of Bonny Doon wines on the blog, since the ones I drink can be hard to find. But in light of their announcement, I thought I would share my reactions to two wines I've had recently that were made from grapes harvested near the beginning of the biodynamic transformation:

2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Piemontese Blend Cá del Solo Vineyard ($20) had abundant initial aromas of cranberry and plum develop that developed herbal notes as the wine opened up. More cranberry was in the flavors, along with berry, plum, herb, and mineral notes. Mild tannins, and a dry, almost austere finish, this wine was made for pasta with red sauce or a simple grilled beefsteak.

2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Dolcetto Cá del Solo Vineyard ($18) was very, very good. Dark purpley-red in color, its aromas were a tad alcoholic at first and there was a strong tannic grip to the first sips. Once it was left open for an hour, the tannins and plummy fruit integrated, and aromas of rose petal emerged to accompany a distinctive spicy flavor note. It's nice smooth finish made this a good partner for spaghetti carbonara.

These tasting notes bode well for the future of Bonny Doon. Though neither of these particular wines is available any longer, there are several wines from the Ca' del Solo vineyard that are available over at their website, including an albarino, a muscat, and a grenache. (sorry there are no direct links, but the site if flashified, so you're on your own!) Also, it is worth noting that even wines that are designated DEWN, and are therefore restricted to club members for a time, often become available to everybody a little later on. This was the case with their grenache, for instance.

But buyer beware. Not all Doon wines are biodynamic--only those from Ca' del Solo grapes harvested after 2003. And the first certified biodynamic grapes will be picked this fall. Additional caveats: last summer Grahm sold off the Big House and Cardinal Zin brands, so those aren't even made by Bonny Doon anymore. The Pacific Rim wines are in the process of relocating to parts north, although Grahm seems (for the moment at least) to still be involved in the project.

I'm enjoying being on Bonny Doon's journey from mega-brand to biodynamic estate winery. If you want to join me, head over to the website and pick up a few bottles. See what you think.

What's in Your WineQ?

I read about WineQ some time ago, the new wine club based on the Netflix model, and cruised by their site but it was early days and though the concept was intriguing, I filed it away like Scarlett O'Hara to think about on another day. Recently, though, a bunch of us have jumped on board, including Winehiker who generated quite the blog-buzz last week with his post about joining up. So I wanted to add my kudos to Joshua Zader and Marshall Sontag, the brains behind the operation, and report that my wine arrived just when they said it would, complete in snazzy box with WineQ sticker, and in perfect condition.

What made me take the plunge? Well, when I saw that Twisted Oak and Escafeld (two wineries I feel I know because I follow their blogs) had joined the ranks of WineQ, that was all this blogger needed to sign up. And I'm really glad I did. Now that I've signed up and have received my first shipment, I'm happy to report that not only does the club represent excellent QPR, it also provides great customer service (and no, they didn't know I was a blogger when I started emailing questions). Joshua himself wrote back in approximately 1o minutes with the answers about how and if I could pause shipments during the hot summers.

WineQ has a small stable of wonderful artisanal wineries from California right now, but the list is growing each month and they are very open to suggestions of who they should approach about joining. They even have a blog to keep you up to date on the latest news, complete with profiles of new wineries as they are added. Wineries you can already put in your Q, in addition to Escafeld and Twisted Oak, include Ceja, Smith-Wooton, Lava Cap, Sapid, Deerfield Ranch, and Rust Ridge. When I was at the Family Winemakers tasting this week, I made a point to taste some of these wines and I can report that every one I tasted was a winner, and represented good value. Not sure about wines you've never heard of? There are customer reviews for most wines, and more are entered every week as new members like me pop their corks and take a few sips.

If you've ever been in a wine club where you've received wines you don't want when you don't want them--sound familiar?--this is the one wine club out there where you get exactly what you want, when you want it. Want nothing but whites? Don't put anything in your queue that's red! Want boutique cabs and pinots? They have them. Only want wines under $20? That's easy, too. Don't want wine next month because you'll be in the Bahamas? Just pause your shipments. Need 3 bottles one month and one the next? Okay. The site is intuitive and easy to use, allowing you to find wines that you like and drag and drop them into an ordered list for regular shipments at intervals you define. Or, you can turn this feature off and have complete control over when wine gets sent to you. And it's dead easy to make changes.

Even more than including great wines, WineQ represents excellent QPR. Why? Because for $4.95 a month in membership fees, you get unlimited free ground shipping for any order that totals more than $35. You won't find yourself in the unenviable position of Wannabe Wino when you do the math and realize that you've spent $1300 in wine shipping over the past year. Free ground shipping for $4.95 a month works great for California, but if you live farther away from these wineries, you should know that members get deep discounts on 2/3-day shipping (just $5 per shipment) and overnight shipping (just $10 per shipment).

My first shipment contained 3 lovely bottles of Escafeld Vineyards wine, and will be followed up next month by three lovely bottles of Twisted Oak wine. I figured Friday was a perfect time to post my reactions to WineQ, since over the weekend you might have the time to sit down and browse through their site. And if you're a member, feel free to let us know what's in your Q.