“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein
It’s curiosity which gave this 18 year old girl courage to leave the comforts of her family and home land, to cross oceans to a foreign land without a single dollar in her pocket. It’s curiosity that fueled the discovery of wine nearly 5 years ago, fast forward to 2019, curiosity blossomed into a full fledged career in the wine industry as a wine ambassador and educator.
And it is the same fire I see blazing inside peers, wine makers, producers, writers, and practically every person touched by wine. Speaking of eternal passion and dauntless conviction, we had the fortuitous opportunity to sit down with the “Pinot Doctor” aka the esteemed Donald Patz, founder of Patz & Hall, as he embarks on a new journey, forged out of respect for this enigmatic elixir we call wine.
Q: Your immersion into wine industry – when, how, why did you decide to purse wine as a career?
Donald Patz: It wasn’t a family business. Running a wine club in my home state, Oregon, was the start of a lifetime career. With the declining Oregon economy, I set my eyes on California, a national stage to sell wine. Come 1983, packed up, and I found myself working with James Hall at Flora Springs winery. Another revelation – the desire to create a personal brand led to the birth of Patz & Hall.
“Fascinated by the diversity, characteristics of a place, with each new year, a set of new challenges and results, it was easy to fall in love with wine”.
Q: Your first vintage and your favorite?
Donald Patz: My very first vintage – let’s call it 1988, the first vintage with Patz & Hall – a thrilling moment. The first vintage for my new Donald Patz Wine Group was 2017, an unforgettable year due to the catastrophic fires that devastated swaths of Napa/Sonoma hillsides. Fortunately for us, none of our grapes were exposed to the unpalatable, smoldering smoke.
2017 is my favorite vintage as it marks another new beginning for me. We have been blessed with great vintages at Patz & Hall from 1988-2016, yet 2017, a new chapter on my own has been the most fun and rousing. Beginnings are always energizing. Discovering new grape sources, wine-making facilities and equipment – it was really fun. I didn’t like the fires. Otherwise, it was great!
Q: What’s the most challenging aspect of being a wine maker and how has this journey shaped you as a person?
Donald Patz: For
me, the most challenging thing about being a winemaker is also the
reason I love it. Having an idea in your head, of how wine can taste
from a given vineyard, and then trying your best to have what goes into
the bottle be exactly what you imagined for it.
Q: Has consumer preferences and current market trends influenced your wine style?
Donald Patz: The real answer is Yes and No. It’s important that consumers like the wine we make. Pretending to make wine in a vacuum just for me and my own personal vision – it’s silly. Of course the market will influence the kind of wine and style of wine we make. That said, it’s dangerous to chase the hippest/coolest new trend in wine. I think, wine-making is a process that allows us freedom to express my vision of distinct grapes/vineyards, and these new wines from Martiana, Secret Door, Terminim, all bear my imprint.
Q: Tell us about your latest projects?
Donald Patz: Forged out of a promise, Secret Door pays homage to my wife Jung Min Lee’s love for Cabernet Sauvignon. When I was discussing the possibility of moving to California, to be together (at tge time she was my girlfriend), she mentioned – “I don’t really like Pinot Noir, I am really a Bordeaux and Napa Cabernet lover”. I promised that if she moved Napa to be with me, someday I will make a Cabernet for her. SECRET DOOR is that wine.
Once I was free to go about creating new wines, my first impulse was the find grapes from my favorite part of the Napa Valley – Stags Leap District, and Hirondelle Vineyard right along Silverado Trail is the epicenter of the SLD. Cooler conditions along with great soils, contributes higher acidity and great tannin structure that last a lifetime with proper storage conditions. The purpose of SECRET DOOR is to create wines that balance power and finesse with classic Cabernet Sauvignon character. Maturation takes place in 100% new French Oak barrels for 24 months, followed by minimal if any, fining or filtration.
And the verdict? ” Massive briar and herb explode out of the glass, driving a loggerhead of mint and cassis into your nose but backed up by a dusty, dirt road fruit ridiculously concentrated, calving off layers and layers of floral and spice–buoyed AND felled by petrichor. I could smell this all night”. Check out the entire review of Soif Knows HERE.
Maritana Wines: Starting over gave me a chance to really think about what I wanted to do differently and where my heart really lies when it comes to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Maritana Vineyards is dedicated to my favorite area for these two grapes – Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. I love the beauty of this place, quality of the grapes, the soils, the expertise of the growers, and the resulting wines.
To elaborate, La Rivière is my new vision for Chardonnay from Russian River Valley. An elegant rendition of perfectly ripe fruit, touch of old French oak barrels, limited production – 1000 cases. I specifically chose sites that maintain great acid/ph balance, and the individual clones we chose to work with will add greatly to the complexity and purity of the flavors. For example, Clone 04 is classically California – it delivers lovely ripe apple, while the Old Wente Clone is less fruit-driven and more floral/mineral. The resulting wines are quintessential – ripe peach and wildflower notes with a great framework of acidity. From the Shop Block there may be as many as five different clones planted – possibly more. All these come together in the La Rivière cuvée to produce a really complex and fresh style of Chardonnay.
Here’s how I look at a vineyard – 1: The site – soils, aspect, flat or hillside, etc. 2: The rootstock/varietal clone selections. 3: The grower – team involved with making the site as perfect as possible for those grapes. 4: Are all those involved good and honest and possible to work with to create the wines I want? Strictly farmed to winery specifications, Dutton Ranch Hansen Hill is a top site – a great location, hillside with classic Goldridge Sandy Loam. Finally, the best sites have a resumé of success with other winemakers and Hansen Hill forms a key part of wines from Kistler, DuMol as well as others. No one gives up the Hansen Hill Vineyard grapes – the first to do so in almost 20 years was Chasseur (retiring). And fortunately for us that 1.8 acres was offered to Maritana Vineyards.
I wanted both the Russian River Valley blends of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to avoid becoming a “regular” version so I gave them each a name. Since they come from Russian River, the Pinot Noir is called “Le Russe”, and the Chardonnay baptized ” La Riviére” the river……I thought I was SOOO clever.
Here’s what the experts are saying – James Suckling: Maritana “La Rivière” Chardonnay 95pts. Maritana Dutton Ranch – Hansen Hill 94pts. Maritana Dutton Ranch- Shop Block 1967 – 93pts. Maritana “Le Russe” 92pts.
Terminim Wines: derived from Terminus the Roman God of borders, Terminim is a wine-making collaboration of yin and yang between eminent Rhone wine maker François Villard and yours truly. For me, TERMINIM means this is as far from home as I will go for the Donald Patz Wine Group (2.5+ hours each way to the vineyard). It’s also my third wine project.
For this California/Rhône-styled wine project, we chose Alder Springs Vineyard located at the northern edge of Mendocino County. A mountainside vineyard, successfully planted by the exceptional grape grower Stuart Bewley, singularly dedicated to producing the greatest grapes possible. It’s such an honor to work with such fine talent as Stuart and Francois. The white is a blend of Marsanne/Roussanne called “Cépages d’Or” (grapes of gold) and a red Syrah.
New beginnings come with it’s own set of challenges. We wish the Pinot Doctor only the very best in his future endeavors. I am not much of a betting (wo)man, but if I was, I would bet there is some extra fine juice coming our way in the near future.
If you happen reside in Florida, ping me, you just might catch me in a generous mood, eager to share my SECRET stash!!
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