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Mt. Vernon’s man-made cave. Barrels are moved aside for public wine dinners once a month. photo by Keaven Van Lom |
CommentsLiquid Gold
Auburn's Surprising Riches
Published: October 9, 2008by Keaven Van Lom
Jill and Phil Maddux of Lone Buffalo Vineyards are busy pressing Mourvedre grapes on the Italian presser.
Ryan and Jim Taylor take a break from their busy schedules at the Mt. Vernon Winery.
Click on images for slideshow
It’s fall and the perfect time for a wine tasting jaunt. But the thought of driving to Napa or Apple Hill, the crowds, the expense, and the hassle is enough to push that idea right out of your head. Well, a big surprise is waiting for wine buffs, and it’s only an hour west of Truckee. More than just a stop off the freeway for snacks at Ikeda’s on your way up the hill, Auburn has struck gold again – liquid gold – with a handful of boutique wineries that are producing award-winning wines and putting Placer County back on the wine map.
Incredibly, the bounty of this once significant winemaking region was nearly lost forever. When the riches of the Mother Lode waned, settlers turned to “old country” traditions and planted grapes, recognizing that the difficult soil, hot, dry days and cool nights were perfect for Rhone style varietals such as Cinsaut, Viognier, Mourvedre, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Spain’s Tempranillo. Back in the day, there were more gold country wineries in Placer County than in Sonoma and Napa combined. Prohibition shattered the industry, which later recovered to become the behemoth wine regions of California that we know today, while Placer embarked down other agricultural roads. It’s the modern day wine hobbyists – the new pioneers – who have reclaimed the area to resurrect the ghosts of foothill winemaking.
Our group was small, but made up of seasoned tasters: Debbie Sajdak, her mom Fran, and myself set out on a gorgeous fall Sunday in search of liquid gold.
Lone Buffalo Vineyards
There is probably no other winery in the area that embraces this old west philosophy more than Lone Buffalo Vineyards, the first stop on our must-see tour of Auburn wineries. Phil and Jill Maddux named their winery after the American buffalo, nearly driven extinct by commercial killers. To them, their winery represents the re-emergence of a tradition that too nearly went extinct, but like the buffalo, has persevered to reclaim the land.
Jill says that husband Phil should have been born in the old west era “because he likes his hands in the earth, and that it was a more simple time,” even calling him an “old buffalo.”
Tasting is by appointment so interaction with the winemakers is practically guaranteed. Zoe the Labradoodle – half Labrador, half Poodle – who was soaked after a recent dip in the pool, greeted us. We arrived just in time to watch Phil press Mouverdre. The hobbyist has been making wines for 30 years and once enjoyed the tutelage of Cecil DeLoach and Dick Arrowood. His wines kept winning awards, so the couple took the pursuit to the next level in 2007. In just one year’s time, the new winery has produced two award-winning wines, Bison Blanc Viognier and Where the Buffalo Roam. And, their Buffalo Rose, a Sangiovese Rosé, sold out in two months.
As Phil worked the wine press, Jill delighted us with conversation and their refreshing Bison Blanc Viognier, expertly capturing Viognier’s classic floral aroma, tropical notes and light, creamy weight. After sampling Where the Buffalo Roam, a Rhone-style blend of Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache that tickled our nose and palettes with smooth tannins and hints of spice, it was time to pull out the credit cards and take both flavors home.
Phil is a full-time attorney, and Jill, a former sales and marketing executive, handles orders and deliveries. She also sits on the Board of PlacerGROWN, a nonprofit organization formed to assist local agricultural producers market their produce and agricultural products. The organization also promotes open space in Placer County.
The couple manages harvests with “picking parties”, where friends show up to pick, eat, drink and leave with wine. Lone Buffalo wines can also be found in restaurants and wine bars in Truckee and North Tahoe.
lonebuffalovineyards.com.
Baumbach Wines
Leaving Lone Buffalo, head up Auburn Folsom Road to Baumbach Wines next to the Gold Country Fairgrounds. Baumbach is another must-see on the tour because it is the site of the oldest working winery in Placer County. Chinese laborers originally built “The Old Rock Winery,” later called “Bernhard Winery,” for Bernhardus Bernhard, whose wines were once drunk by miners. The rock building was completed in 1874 and still provides the perfect temperature for the current owner and vintner, Neal Baumbach to blend and age his award-winning wines. For $5 you can taste wines right inside the historic rock winery. You can also tour the nearby Bernhard House Museum, an 1890s Victorian farmhouse that was originally the Traveler’s Rest Hotel built in 1851.
Here, we found that Baumbach excelled at his reds, and we were particularly impressed with his use of Aglianico in the blending of his Zinfandel. Aglianico is considered Italy’s greatest grape, which was nearly wiped out by Phylloxera (tiny yellow sap-sucking insects) in the 19th century.
baumbachwines.com.
Mt. Vernon Winery
We experienced our biggest “wow factor” of the day at our next must-see, Mt. Vernon Winery, for the sheer number of fantastic wines available for complimentary tasting in the restored 1950 milk house.
Jim Taylor, wife Lynda and son Ryan are the energetic forces behind this successful winery. Jim, a former real estate broker, jokingly claims, “It was stupidity that got me into winemaking,” which became his new career in 1996 and at which he is certainly excelling.
Jim and Ryan are the dynamic duo that concocts Mt. Vernon’s numerous blends. Jim says his palette picks up everything that is bad while Ryan picks up everything that is good, creating a perfect balance when in the lab. Ryan, at 29, possesses a real knack for boutique blending. He spent years crushing grapes and learning on the job while being mentored in Napa. In Australia, he helped bottle what is now known as the best Syrah in the world produced by Witch Mountain.
The family was honored when Dr. Ernie Bodai, CEO of CureBreastCancer, Inc., asked them to place the likeness of the breast cancer postage stamp on some of their premium wines, and Mt. Vernon gives 12 and a half percent of those sales to breast cancer research, a cause dear to Lynda’s heart after losing loved ones to the disease.
The winery works at being self-sustaining. Since 2005, they have been making biodiesel for all their equipment via used vegetable oil obtained from restaurants in the area. Next year, they will participate in a new program using grazing animals to consume vineyard weeds for a more organic approach.
It was a 2 a.m. flash of insight that birthed their number one selling wine when Jim awoke and proclaimed to Lynda that they needed to make a wine called “Girly Man,” after Governor Schwarzenegger poked fun at Democrats on TV. Though Ryan and Lynda rolled their eyes, Jim pressed on and hired a teenager to draw an Arnold as a caveman in pumps likeness, and the label was born. They now have three vintages on the books: Goodie Two Shoes, Goobinator, and X-Terminator. By our wine snob standards, it was spectacular with its potent blending of Petite Sirah and Syrah. In fact, everything we sampled was so superb, that it is hard to pick favorites. One can see why this is the most award-winning winery in Placer County.
Check out their five course wine dinners once a month held in the winery’s man-made cave and look for Girly Man by the Glass Night starting in January, where you’ll bring your guitar or mandolin for amateur jam sessions and catered food.
mtvernonwinery.com
Fawnridge Winery
Unfortunately, our last must-see, Fawnridge Winery, was unavailable the day we visited. Fawnridge is owned by Stewart and Stephanie Perry, former North Tahoe locals. They directed us to “A Taste of Auburn,” where their wines can be sampled, and we bought the best port of the day – a Fawnridge port that they rightfully claim is their pride and joy.
fawnridgewine.com
A small group of wineries are not open to visitors but their wines are available at Auburn’s tasting rooms – “A Taste of Auburn” and “The Wine Rack.” And, if picnicking is not on your menu, Auburn has many great restaurants to choose from. Or, head a bit further down 80 just south of Auburn to Newcastle Produce for locally made cheeses, wines, and picnic items at this gourmet grocery store, considered the best source for locally grown, farm fresh produce, specialty foods, and gourmet meals to go.
Just one hour from Truckee, Auburn provides vibrant cultural experiences for day-trippers with a number of interesting programs and events.
Placer Farm & Barn Tour
October 12
The Placer Farm & Barn Tour, in its fifth year, celebrates Placer County’s agricultural heritage, connecting people to the land with visits to family farms on this self-guided tour. placerfarmandbarntour.com
Auburn Big Time-Pow Wow
October 25
Experience native traditions at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in a day of ceremony, song, dancing, drumming and community. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. placerarts.org.
Art, Verse & Vines
November 7, 8, and 9
A three-day event filled with food, wine, art, and cowboy poetry with the 15th Annual Autumn Art Studios Tour, the Placer Hills Winery Tour, and the Cowpoke Fall Gathering. placerarts.org
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