Jason Valenti has his feet firmly planted in the vineyards, but he travels the world vicariously through his boss, Paul Hobbs.
Valenti is the winemaker behind our wine-of-the-week winner — the CrossBarn 2009 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay at $25.
"We are always looking for ways to improve...and Paul's travels play a pivotal role in this pursuit," Valenti said. "We very much look forward to him returning from his trips abroad because he most always has useful information to share."
Hobbs is a "flying winemaker," which means he makes wine in many far-flung parts of the world - namely Argentina, Chile and Hungary.
As for making chardonnay, the key is remembering to pamper it, Valenti said.
"Chardonnay flavors are very delicate and nuanced, so it is important to work very gently at every stage so that those aromas and flavors aren't lost," he said.
Another challenge is to make it food-friendly.
"The CrossBarn chardonnay is in some ways a response to the sommeliers and restaurant wine directors looking for chardonnays that pair well with, but don't overwhelm, their dishes," Valenti said.
The vicarious traveler decided to become a winemaker after tasting a striking Bordeaux.
"One day I stumbled into a fine wine shop near our apartment in southern California and the proprietor pointed me to an inexpensive 1989 Chateau Suau," Valenti said. "The 1989 vintage was one of those years where even the satellite appellations of Bordeaux made amazing wines and surely enough the moment I tasted this wine it caught my attention..."
Valenti left his pharmaceutical sales job so he could ultimately study at U.C. Davis and today he's the winemaker at CrossBarn, a Hobbs-owned winery.
When Valeni tasted that career-changing Bordeaux, questions lingered. What were those flavors? Where did they come from?
"These questions ultimately led to more wines and more questions, and ultimately the realization that I wanted to spend the rest of life getting answers to these questions as a winemaker," he said.
[END_CREDIT_0]Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat .com.
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