Blending In
During her 30 harvests (and counting) at Chateau St. Jean, winemaker Margo Van Staaveren has seen the celebrated Sonoma Valley producer develop alongside the changing face of California wine. Over the years, the pioneering Kenwood, California winery expanded its white wine only focus to enjoy huge success with Cabernet Sauvignon and other dynamic reds.
Van Staaveren's post evolved from working in the lab to climbing the ladder of assistant winemaking jobs before she was named winemaker and director of operations in August 2003. Along the way, she earned much respect (including being named Winemaker of the Year in 2008 by Wine Enthusiast magazine) and has enjoyed being part of what she calls the winery's exploration of the diversity of Sonoma County.
Chateau St. Jean's cellars include a dazzling array of whites and reds, including superstar bottlings of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet and more esoteric Sonoma County offerings, such as Pinot Blanc, Malbec and Riesling.
Arguably St. Jean's most popular wine is Cinq Cépages, a red blend of the five classic grape varieties from Bordeaux. Van Staaveren was assistant winemaker when the early incarnations of the Cabernet Sauvignon blend were fashioned.
"The early trials were labeled as Cabernet Sauvignon," she explained. (California winemaking laws allow producers to label a wine as a varietal wine if it contains more than 75 percent of that grape variety.) But the first commercial release, in 1990, saw Cinq Cepages Cabernet Sauvignon hit the shelves.
The French-oriented name (literally, "Five Varieties") proved to be a tongue twister for American wine lovers.
"It was 'sink seepage,'" Van Staaveren recalled.
Customers became much more eloquent when American wine bible, Wine Spectator, named the 1996 vintage of the polished red blend its wine of the year.
"Suddenly Cinq Cepages wasn't so hard to say any more," she says light-heartedly, adding that today aficionados shorten the name. "Now its just 'Cinq.'"
The current vintage of Cinq Cepages retails for about $90 per bottle in Canada, which makes it a splurge. It's a terrific bottle of wine, to be certain, but the good news is you don't have to spend that amount to appreciate the quality of Chateau St. Jean.
The most exciting thing about Chateau St. Jean, to my taste, is the consistency across the portfolio. Every wine is incredibly well made for the variety and the price point. The Chardonnays, Fume Blancs, Cabernets and even Merlots — that much maligned varietal from California — positively shine whether they are the $20 model, the $40 model or something more costly and rare.
Wine of the Week:
Chateau St. Jean 2006 Merlot
California $19.95 (025304)
Small amounts of Malbec and Petite Sirah are blended into this pleasingly rich and fruity Merlot. There's good structure and intensity on the palate, making this a versatile red to enjoy by the glass or with a meal.
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