The inaugural West of West Wine Festival , held in the tiny hamlet of Occidental, was an intimate, three-day affair exploring the wine and terroir of the “True Sonoma Coast.” Some of the most acclaimed producers (think Littorai, Peay, Williams Selyem, Freeman and Cobb) make wine here, committing heart and soul to the extreme terrain, mercurial weather, and ultimately, to the lean and supple wines that define the region.

Said Andy Peay, “The ocean is our fridge. We don’t get rain here during the summer, well, except when we do, like this June! Most of us evolve into dry farmers.”

Organized by the newly formed West Sonoma Coast Vintners (WSCV), the festival brought together producers and patrons, vintners and writers, growers and farmers, for educational seminars, a grand tasting of more than 30 coveted brands (many of them small production, limited release wines), food and fun.

The Winemakers Studio

A highlight was Ted Lemon of Littorai’s one-on-one interview with the legendary Burt Williams of (need I even say?) Williams Selyem. Ted, who is a wine luminary in his own right, did a masterful job, striking the perfect balance of reverence and effervescence.  A few bon mots courtesy of Burt:

On the beginning.

“I drank wine as a young man, mostly Burgundy. I just never developed a taste for beer like my buddies.”

“I met Ed [Selyem] through old family friends. We tasted a lot of wine together and then made wine together. Soon we were making wines we could no longer afford.”

“I read every book on winemaking I could get my hands on, particularly the older texts. Since we didn’t have the money to purchase modern equipment, we hoped to overcome this obstacle with proven ancient wisdom.”

“We referred to ourselves as “garagistas.” Our garage and winemaking facility were one and the same.”

On winemaking.

“We got serious about winemaking in 1979 but kept our day jobs for the next 10 years. We never took money out of the winery until 1990.”

“At Williams Selyem, we let the terroir and grapes express themselves by keeping all other aspects of our winemaking process consistent including the fermentation process.”

“When a winemaker has one extraordinary vintage, I often assume it was by accident.”

When asked what he thinks of Oregon wine Burt said, “I’ve tasted it.”

Ted concluded the interview by noting that Mr. Williams was the first prominent winemaker to appreciate the rewards—and challenges—of making Sonoma Coast wines. “Soon we were following his lead and  trying to ‘outcool’ one another, each winemaker laying claim to the coolest micro-climate and the most difficult growing conditions!”

More Seminars

The other two seminars were equally illuminating. “Terroir of the West Sonoma Coast” focused on the area’s six subregions, and we tasted two, 2009 Pinots from each. Commenting on 2009, David Hirsch referred to it as an “armchair vintage,” saying “We let our senior partner, Mother Nature, take care of the winemaking while us farmers relaxed in our armchairs. It’s an extraordinary class of wines.”

2009 West Sonoma Coast Pinots

L. '09 Freestone Pastorale, R. '09 Cobb Emmaline (both Freestone subregion)

Led by Rajat Parr (Mina Group), Jon Bonné (SF Chronicle) and Ehren Jordon (Failla), the final seminar “Taste the Coast in Context” was an eye opening, double-blind tasting comparing wines from West Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley and Oregon. Let’s just say it was tricky! I’m not sure there was 100% agreement as to the terroir of even one of the nine wines tasted, but fun was had by all!

Congratulations to Carroll Kemp, WSCV President and winemaker at Red Car, and the other WSCV members on an extraordinary event. One suggestion—since the educational component was so “cool,” how about inviting some students from UC Davis’ (or another university’s) oenology program as WSCV guests next year? We at DISHology.com would be happy to sponsor a a budding winemaker as part of a student scholarship program!

You can read more about the entire event, including the Grand Tasting and Whole Hog Feast prepared by the Prince and Princess of Porc, here.