Wine tasting and tour at Rudd Winery (Oakville).

2000 RUDD RUSSIAN RIVER CHARDONNAY
"BACIGALUPI VINEYARD"

The Bacigalupi Vineyard is located on benchland along Westside Road within the fog belt of the Russian River Valley. The 2000 vintage of this vineyard designate Chardonnay Rudd's second release made from blocks 1,3, and 5 planted on the Wente clone in 1966. These same vines were the source of the legendary 1973 Chateau Montelena that won the Paris Tasting in 1976. The vines are low yielding, producing fruit of intensely focused yet elegant flavors.

Harvest 2000 began on September 9 and was completed over a 4-day period. This vintage exhibits fruit forward aromatics and a wonderful minerality, balanced with a long, elegant mid-palate with a persistent savoriness in the finish that only mature vines can produce. Once harvested, the grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed, then gravity-fed to French oak barrels in Rudd's underground caves. Native yeasts were allowed to induce both the primary and malolactic fermentations. Weekly stirring of the lees occurred until the secondary fermentation was complete, then the wine was stirred monthly for the remainder of time in barrel. After 22 months of barrel aging, the wine was racked to tank, settled and minimally fined before being bottled unfiltered in early June 2002.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
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Appellation: Russian River Valley
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Fermentation: Native yeast and natural malolactic
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Aging: 22 months in French oak; 70% new
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Cases produced: 970
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Suggested retail price: $50

2001 RUDD NAPA VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC

The 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, produced from vineyard sources in Oakville, Rutherford, and Calistoga exhibits the richness and classic varietal flavor that has become the hallmark of Rudd's approach to Sauvignon Blanc. The blending of these three fruit sources resulted in a complex integration of subtle tropical fruits with herbal undertones framed by crisp, refreshing citrus nuances.

Harvest 2001 began on August 23 and was completed over a seven-day period, beginning with the Rutherford fruit, followed by Oakville and ending with the Calistoga vineyard on August 30. Once harvested, the grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed, then gravity-fed to French oak barrels in Rudd's underground caves. Native yeasts were allowed to induce fermentation. This primary fermentation was completed in a combination of fourth-use French oak and stainless steel barrels with no subsequent malolactic fermentation. The wine was stirred and topped monthly for eight months, then racked, fined and bottled without filtration in June 2002.
Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
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Appellation: Napa Valley
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Fermentation: Native yeast / no malolactic
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Aging: 8 months in a combination of neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels
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Cases produced: 2700
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Suggested retail price: $28

2000 RUDD OAKVILLE ESTATE PROPRIETARY RED

The 2000 Rudd Oakville Estate is the first vintage from our newly replanted vineyard at the corner of Oakville Crossroad and Silverado Trail. Our vineyard is planted on rocky, red volcanic soils at the foot of the Vaca Mountains. We planted the vineyard to 4 X 4 spacing using low vigor rootstock to encourage the vines to produce smaller, highly concentrated fruit. The 2000 was made primarily from Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, a highly regarded Bordeaux clone that successfully expressed this unique Oakville terroir.

Harvest 2000 followed ideally mild summer temperatures, allowing for extended hang time that produced mature tannins in all three varietals. As a result, the wine exhibits powerful ripe tannins balanced by a seamless mid-palate, concentrated dark fruit flavors and complex aromatics. After eighteen months of barrel aging, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration in early June 2002.
Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot
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Appellation: Oakville
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Fermentation: Native yeast and natural malolactic
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Aging: 18 months in French oak; 83% new
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Cases produced: 1200
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Release Date: Fall 2003
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Suggested retail price: $100

and a Petit Syrah/Zinfandel blend, but I couldn't find the wine on their website.

We ate 8 dishes:
1) Cold cuts (smoked fish, jellyfish, pork, vegetarian goose, etc.)
2) Fried chicken
3) Steamed fish with preserved vegetables--full of tiny bones
4) Pig knuckles with tofu skins and hair vegetables
5) Sweet and sour beef with onions
6) Soy sauce braised pork (with fat)
7) Chinese greens with mushrooms and abalone
8) Stuffed tofu skins with veggies

White rice,
Chicken soup with vegetables,

and for dessert,
Aunt Peggy's walnut soup with tapioca balls:
Shell and blanch walnuts, then peel off the papery skins.
Deep-fry the walnut meats.
Puree in a blender with some skim milk and raw rice, for about 30 minutes.
Heat on stove.

Produces a thick, creamy, nutty, sweet, light tan-colored soup.