Grove Street Winery - Sonoma County

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Wines that are specific, individual expressions of Sonoma Valley.

Using most acceptable standards, Healdsburg-based Grove Street Winery can be considered among the old timers of the area. Founded more than two decades ago, Grove Street is a remarkable example of a winery that was initially flushed with success, grew to almost incredible proportions, and then was later forced to retreat when it strayed from its initial marketing philosophy. Simply put, Grove Street Winery was begun in the late 1980's as a restaurant brand, available only in on-premise situations in selected restaurants throughout California. Its initial release was a smallish 2,000 cases, but the idea of a restaurant exclusive wine caught on during the wine swell that was the 1990's in Northern California. Using a formula of selected vineyards throughout the Sonoma Valley growing area, Grove Street Winery quickly grew as numerous end users throughout California and elsewhere identified with the winery's excellent fruit/acid balance in its wines and an optimum price value relationship that was so necessary for its success. At one point, the winery's ownership decided to vary from its initial successful marketing efforts and made the wines available to numerous retail outlets. The brand grew to more than 100,000 cases at its zenith, but slowly things began to change. The basis for Grove Street Winery's success, the restaurant trade, wearied of wines that were suddenly available at retail. Sales began to tumble, and the wheels came off the express that Grove Street Winery had become.

Some three years ago, an investment group comprised of several outstanding Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley wineries, (Girard Vineyards, Sonoma Coast Vintners and Stone Fly Winery to name a few), bought Grove Street Winery from its then owners. The group was called Vintage Wine Estates and a decision was made to return Grove Street Winery to its successful roots, that of being a restaurant-oriented winery that was a terrific value and producers of great food wines. Today, Grove Street Winery produces only 22,000 cases per annum, a far cry from its lofty levels of the late nineties and early 2000's.

"We decided to go back to what worked for Grove Street in the beginning," confirmed John Drady, one of the principals in the new venture. "When Grove Street was a restaurant wine, everyone supported it and we think we can make it really successful again this time around," he added. Drady conceded that the limited bottlings made available to Gold Medal Wine Club were unique and would be welcomed by restaurants due to the exposure Grove Street would receive around the country. Little else has changed with the formula used for Grove Street Winery's former success.

"We use fruit from a number of vineyards located in Sonoma Valley," Drady informed. "These are our highest quality grapes and Pat Roney and his winemaking team turn them into really fabulous wines. Since they are intended for on-premise (restaurant) consumption, the wines are really food friendly by necessity." The wines of Grove Street can be tasted at the company's new Healdsburg tasting facility located on the square in downtown Healdsburg, certainly considered one of Sonoma's most visited sites. Drady said that Grove Street will probably remain at its current level of production for a long time to come. "We know the niche we belong in, and we're very happy to be back. As long as our great winemaking team continues to produce superior quality wines, we think Grove Street Winery will again be a most viable brand. We are so convinced of this that we don't even print UPC codes on the back labels of our wines." It is encouraging to hear such definitive expression for the re-born Sonoma winery. We are delighted to be part of this delightful company's return to wine propriety.

FEATURED WINES

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

The rugged northern reaches of Sonoma County are recognized as one of California’s premier growing regions for Bordeaux varietals and Grove Street’s 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted exclusively from select vineyards within this renowned mountainous region. The shallow, rocky soils add impressive depth and concentration to the flavor and intensity, while the warm climate promotes the brightness and complexity for which Sonoma County is justifiably known. A powerful wine with great finesse, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is silky and elegant. The tannins are well integrated and the subtle oak adds complexity without overpowering the cherry and red currant fruit character. A touch of Petite Sirah enhances the aromatics and flavor profile, really bringing this wine up to the next level. While enjoyable now, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon will continue to improve with another 3-7 years of cellaring. This new release was produced almost exclusively for our Gold Series members, with a limited allotment available in the winery tasting room. Try pairing this special selection wine with skirt steak, or anything off the grill. Aged 17 months in oak. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petite Sirah. Enjoy now until 2015.

Watch Tasting Notes Video Clip >

2009 Chardonnay

Grove Street’s 2009 Chardonnay was harvested from a diverse group of three smaller vineyards from within the Sonoma Valley growing region. The diversity of the sites, and the distinct characteristics of the various clones of Chardonnay provided the perfect complementing fruit for this stunning vintage. At the winery, a combination of complete and partial malolactic fermentation promoted a full body and rich texture, balanced by the wine’s bright natural acidity. An exclusive, limited bottling produced especially for our Gold Medal Wine Club Gold Series members, the Grove Street 2009 Chardonnay has such low production that it was not sent out for review – but we think the wine speaks for itself. There are lovely fragrant aromas of ripe apple, pear and a bit of spiced apple and the judicious use of both new French and neutral French oak barrels allows the richness of the fruit to fill your palate with the complement of a warm spice nuance. Flavors of apricot, fig and melon are topped off with ripe apple and the finish is long and well balanced with a burst of refreshing, palate cleansing acidity. A wine of excellent balance that is well suited for a diverse range of foods and flavors, especially grilled seafood and roast chicken. Aged 11 months in oak. 100% Chardonnay. Enjoy now until 2014.

Watch Tasting Notes Video Clip >

ABOUT THE WINEMAKER

Nancy Walker joined Grove Street as winemaker in 2007
One of the growing numbers of women winemakers is 43-year-old Nancy Walker. A graduate of the acclaimed enology school at UC Davis, Walker began her career as the assistant winemaker at Clos du Bois in the late 1980's. In 1991, she became the founding winemaker at Brutocao Cellars in Mendocino County. Seven years later, Walker joined the huge Fetzer Vineyards winemaking team in Hopland where she stayed until taking over the reins of the Winery Exchange, a private label building company headquartered in Novato, in southern Sonoma County. Nancy Walker joined Grove Street as winemaker in 2007 and brings a seasoned hand to the winemaking chores at Grove Street Winery. She is married to another winemaker, Tony Stephen, and is the mother of two boys. Her winemaking style brings out the true terroir of the fruit used to make Grove Street's distinctive wines.

Pat Roney
Pat Roney is 54, and has been in practically every t of the wine industry during his more than thirty year career. A Los Altos, CA native, Roney graduated from Northwestern and also received a masters in marketing from Southern Illinois. During his college career, he was a sommelier at the famous Pump Room in the city's Ambassador East Hotel on Chicago's famous Gold Coast. He started in the wine business in earnest with industry giant Seagram's in 1978 and has been an integral part of the wine business since that time. He moved back to Northern California in 1986 to take the reins as senior vice president of marketing of the Christian Brothers Winery and finally became the president of renowned Sonoma wine entity, Chateau St. Jean. Three years later, he engineered the great growth cycle of the Kunde Estate Winery, and grew it into another Sonoma powerhouse. An old friend from Kansas, Paul Rudd, next tapped Roney to become CEO of the fabulous Dean & Deluca gourmet food experiences where he helped develop the company's wine business and establish their national reputation. Along the way, he also spent several years with venture capitalist Black Fox Group out of Colorado. In 2000, Pat Roney hit the big time when he acquired the exceptional Girard Winery of Napa Valley and its worldwide reputation. "I look to many different aspects of the wine industry," Roney declared recently. "And I see a really good long term outlook. I feel that the wineries that overproduce and over deliver value to their customers are going to profit in the end. It's one of the main reasons my associates and I bought Grove Street Winery in the first place. They had been in business for a long tome and had a great reputation for over delivering on both quality and value. With that combination, I didn't think we could lose on the deal." As far as time is concerned, Roney spends about 15% of his daily time on Grove Street business. He is present at all blending sessions and makes many of the production decisions. His specialty is marketing and he says that he is heavily involved in any marketing decisions that affect Grove Street Winery. Pat Roney is particularly pleased with his winemaking team, headed by winemaker Nancy Walker. A pair of additional winemakers, Anthony Austin from Sonoma Coast Winery and Marco Di Giulio from Girard Winery also consult with Walker on a daily basis.

"We have a dynamite winemaking team in place at Grove Street," proclaimed Roney. Each has their own specialty and they get along quite nicely. The winner in all this is the consumer who drinks these lovely wines, and that's our main goal in the first place." Roney intends that his winery empire encompass some 400-500 thousand cases a year, and has invested in a number of wineries that offer different price levels and availabilities. "When Bill Hambrecht founded Grove Street several decades ago, he had the right idea. He became successful by following a marketing plan (on premise) and that's exactly what we intend to get back to. The great thing is the winery continued to make marvelous wines even during its decline. A lot of consumers remember the wines and I am banking on that in all my projections." Pat Roney has been successful so many times in his career, it would not be guessing to say he will be successful again. His very presence in the vintner or owner's role assures the exceptional attention to detail that has marked his many other ventures.

THE WINE REGION

While Sonoma County is extremely able and covers a large amount of acreage, the Sonoma Valley AVA is much more specific. Located in the southern part of Sonoma County, the AVA is roughly bounded by Sonoma Mountain as its western border and the Eastern ridge of the famous Mayacamas Range. For our use, Grove Street Winery utilizes Chardonnay grown on Dijon clones (95 &76) exclusively, from several different areas (both hillside and bottom land) in the Sonoma Valley AVA. The Cabernet Sauvignon is grown on hillsides of both Alexander Valley and the southeast corner of Dry Creek Valley. Another interesting aspect is the fact that the first grapes in this area were planted in 1823 by Franciscan monks and the first commercial winery (Buena Vista Winery) was established here in 1857.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Pan-Seared Skirt Steak with Caramelized Onions, Red Wine Butter Sauce & Garlic -Thyme Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds Skirt Steak
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 cups chilled unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups Grove Street 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
10 yellow onions
5 Tbs. olive oil
8 russet potatoes
2 cups heavy cream
12 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparations:
For the Pan Seared Skirt Steak:
Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet with 3 Tbs. olive oil until hot. Place skirt steak in pan and brown both sides. Remove steak from pan and place on a cookie sheet in a pre-heated 400 degree oven. Cook steak in oven 4 min., turn, and cook the second side 4 minutes. Transfer steak to serving plate and let the meat rest for at least 5 min. before slicing. Slice against the grain for the most tender pieces.

For the Red Wine and Butter Sauce:
In a small sauce pan, heat wine and reduce by half. With a whisk, add the chilled, cubed butter a bit at a time until the sauce has a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Caramelized Onions:
Peel and slice the onions into thin strips. In a large stock pot with a heavy bottom, place 5 Tbs. of olive oil and heat to a smoking point, add onions. With wooden spoon, stir onions and cook until all moisture disappears. This should take about one hour, and the onions will become a nice caramel color. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Garlic-Thyme Mashed Potatoes:
Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters. Cook in salted water until tender. In small saucepan, heat cream with garlic and reduce by half, stirring the cream mixture so the garlic does not stick to the bottom. Season with salt and pepper. When potatoes are completely cooked, mash and then gradually add the garlic cream a bit at a time. Mash until the potatoes are at a desired texture. Add chopped thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:
Place a scoop of the mashed potatoes into the center of a plate, top with steak slices, caramelized onions and red wine sauce. Serve with your favorite vegetable and garnish of your choice. Enjoy with Grove Street's 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and enjoy!

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Black Forest Ham & Gruyere Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken breasts
6 slices of Black Forest Ham
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 cup flour
1 Tbs. each of salt and pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup butter
6 Tbs. flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup grated gruyere cheese
1 tsp. white pepper
1 Tbs. kosher salt
8 oz. package of wild rice
2 cups brown rice
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound diced pancetta
3 Tbs. picked fresh thyme

Preparations:
For the Chicken:
On a cutting board place two chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Use a mallet and gently pound out the chicken until the breast is flattened. Repeat this process for all six breasts. Place ham on the chicken and roll up. Take three bowls and put the seasoned flour, panko and eggs in each one. Start with the flour and dredge the chicken in it, pat off the excess flour. Place the chicken in the egg mixture, followed by the panko bread crumbs. Place the breaded chicken on a lightly greased sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 min.

For the Cheese Sauce:
In a sauce pan, melt butter and saute the onions until translucent. Add flour and stir for three minutes. Add cream and milk, bring to a simmer, stirring with a whisk - it should begin to thicken slightly. Simmer and stir until the consistency is enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Serve sauce over baked chicken.

For the Wild Rice:
Cook wild rice according to package instructions. Cook brown rice according to package instructions. While rice is cooking, in saute pan, cook pancetta until fully rendered. Place pancetta aside. Cook onions and garlic in pancetta drippings until onions are translucent. When rice is cooked, fluff with fork, add wild rice, onions, garlic, rendered pancetta and the fresh thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

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