Spring in Hawai'i
March 09, 2002

There's nothing like a few days on the beach to get you in the mood for spring! Nine days on the Big Island of Hawai'i was just the answer for the R & R I had in mind. Of course there had to be a little work while I was there, peddling my newfound wares. I had been told that Southern Wine And Spirits had been aggressively looking to add a few small wineries to it's portfolio. With an introduction from a friend who knew the head of their Wine Division, I set up a luncheon at Alan Wong's "Pineapple Room" in Honolulu. Warren Shon proved to be the perfect partner for Roessler Cellars. Born and raised in Honolulu, he had spent ten years in Southern California honing his restaurant skills before joining Southern as a part of their sales team there. Warren wasted no time in telling me about his love of Pinot Noir. He had heard about Wells Guthrie shortly after he released his first vintage, and was really excited about helping both Copain and Roessler Cellars spread the 'good word'. The bottle of Roessler Sangiacomo Pinot proved to be a great accompaniment to both the Hoisin Glazed Short Ribs & Vegetable Stirfry, and the Hawaiian Rueben. We started with a Tuna & Crab Roll, and a deliciously refreshing Asian Slaw. I had been reading about Alan Wong for quite a few years and knew his restaurant had been named Hale 'Aina Restaurant of the Year for five straight years by Honolulu Magazine, as well as having received numerous other awards year after year. The experience certainly lived up to expectations. The food and service were both perfect. I'd highly recommend you give either the "Pineapple Room" or his "Alan Wong's" restaurant a try if you happen to be in Honolulu.

On my initial arrival to the Big Island, I wasted no time in heading for Amy Ferguson's "Oodles of Noodles". Amy is another of the many chefs who have created large followings over the past ten years in the Islands. Though her location is a bit of a surprise in a Kona strip mall, the food needs no additional fanfare. Her Pad Thai, as noted on the menu, "doesn't get any better!", and her Summer Roll is a three-inch thick version filled with fresh shrimp, crispy vegetables, fresh basil and cilantro and a peanut dipping sauce. And if you're in the mood for one of the local desserts, try the mountain of shaved ice made to order with your choice of toppings. Amy has a nice wine selection with a number of great Pinots on the list. I'm hopeful you'll also see Roessler Cellars there in the near future!

Unfortunately, a less than stellar meal left me scratching my head at Roy's Waikoloa location one evening. The signature Tomato and Marinated Red Onion Salad came with Tomatoes that needed another week on the vine, and the Seared Tuna Entrée had an emulsion that was so salty that it ruined the dish. Having been a big fan of Roy Yamaguchi for many years now, I hope this won't be indicative of things to come now that his namesake restaurants have been bought by the Outback Steakhouse Company.

Spring brings plenty of excitement this year with the purchase of two new vineyard properties. The first is a 40-acre parcel located along the Sonoma Coast just four and a half miles from the ocean. Since it's in a timber harvest area, our first goal will be to go through the proper channels to do a conversion to agriculture. Although this will be a time consuming part of the development, the tremendous potential of the site makes it all worthwhile. Reddish sandy loam soils and great south and west exposures wind up and down the hilly terrain creating several unique three to four acre plantable blocks. Sonoma Coast Appellation Pinot has been part of our long-term goals and this vineyard should be a perfect addition to our portfolio.

The second parcel is 27 ½ acres located at 1400 feet elevation on Greenwood Ridge in Mendocino County. A joint venture between Copain and Roessler Cellars, this acreage is currently all planted in apple trees and should provide a perfect setting for another cool climate Pinot Vineyard. Since Wells is focused on Rhone style wines as well as Pinot, look for future vintages of some of those as well. He plans to plant Syrah and Viognier, as well as some of the other white Rhones such as Rousanne and Marsanne. If we are able to get all our soil and irrigation prep done this year, we should have one-year-old vines planted early next spring.

With just a few cases remaining, the 2000 vintage Sangiacomo Pinot has turned out to be a great success for our first release. The 2001 wines are coming along great in the barrel, and should be bottled in different stages this summer. The first releases will be the Searby Chardonnay and the Sangiacomo Pinot, and they should be available in October. The Dutton Ranch and Savoy Pinots will follow in late winter 2003. Having been able to taste all these wines week by week, it's really been exciting to see the transformation. Each vineyard has something different to offer, and will appeal to your senses in different ways.

The 2003 Harvest will bring the addition of a one more new Pinot Vineyard, and possible our first Syrah. With our sites set on small lot single vineyard wines, we don't want to add wines unless the location and vineyard management practices meet our expectations. And with our estate fruit now firmly on the horizon, we'll be spending a lot of our time insuring those wines will be the crowning touch to our portfolio.


Thanks to all of you for supporting Seasons.... And Roessler Cellars!

Chin Chin...!