Robert Sinskey Vineyards

It Takes a Village...
To make Good Wine!

I’ve never been comfortable with our winegrowing/making operation being called Robert Sinskey Vineyards. Though my father founded it and I’ve been running it for over thirty years, the name implies that it is one person… and that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. I have been fortunate to have aligned myself with many talented people, without whom I don’t think the winery would have succeeded, let alone continue to evolve, refine and improve over the decades.

Though there are many who make this winery what it is, from back office support, sales, hospitality, culinary, cellar and vineyard, I need to call out three folks - two who have encouraged RSV to be what it is and one who will help the winery stay focused into the future. They are Winecrafter, Jeff Virnig; Chef, Culinary Director, Director of Sales (and many other hats), Maria Helm Sinskey and RSV General Manager Phil Abram.

Let’s start with the newcomer, Phil Abram. Though he has only been with RSV a few years, he has pulled all the disparate elements together to allow us to realize our vision. Phil came to us after stints as a sommelier and general manager of restaurants in New York and Napa. Phil has the people skills I lack and is a true professional in the front of the house. His sommelier chops take us to the next level and add excitement when pairing wine and foods, especially the library wines.

Then there is my partner in crime, the fire under my ass, Maria Helm Sinskey. A relative newcomer in that we have only been married twenty one years, she keeps Jeff and I focused on the reality that wine is inseparable from cuisine and that elegant, balanced wines work better at the table and age more gracefully than athletic wines. She has served as the tiebreaker when Jeff and I have disagreed on final cuvées and has a flavor memory like no other.

Jeff Virnig, the Winecrafter, has pushed the winery and vineyards to be more sustainable by creating programs that naturally feed the soil. He truly makes wine from the ground up. When I met Jeff over thirty years ago, he said the craft of making wine is about knowing your vineyards and adopting techniques to elevate instead of dominate. He plays the long game… and it shows. The Capa Vineyard illustrates the constant evolution of RSV. When I bought this parcel of 15 acres it was a neglected junk yard of a “ranch” with decaying cars, farm equipment and dilapidated barns and sheds. Jeff was key in helping me turn it around.

When we acquired this parcel in the early 1990’s, we knew we wanted to grow and make a classic Pinot Noir in the model of a Cru-Burgundy, but we didn’t have a clue how to achieve it. So Winecrafter Jeff Virnig and I hopped on a plane to educate ourselves in the vineyards of Borgogne. After interviewing many legendary vignerons, we decided to emulate Grand Cru vineyards by selecting the clones of Dijon and Pommard, space the vines in a tight one meter by one meter pattern and train them close to the ground. Needless to say, we did not end up with a Cru-Carneros, the aromatics were there but not the structure. Instead of a tight knit wine with laser focus, we got a juicy, jammy, soft and high-alcohol California style Pinot Noir. Carneros is not Burgundy and we needed to adjust to the realities of our climate and soil. Jeff suggested the vigor was too high and we needed to find ways to slow down the ripening cycle. He suggested removing every other row, re-train the vines higher with only one cane instead of two, and plant de-vigorating cover crops. It took a few years but this vineyard now produces elegant (especially in cooler vintages) Pinot Noir with bright fruit, balanced alcohol and firm tannin. The evolution continues in that we have now removed the hillside Pinot vineyards and are focusing on the prime, gradually sloping section of the parcel that best suits the variety. The only downside is that we will have less Pinot from this site, but the quality will only continue to improve.

The Bun Club

There is no greater joy than sinking your teeth into a soft, buttery bun kissed with warmth from the oven. Wine intelligentsia generally do not think of bread as a serious pairing, but I wholeheartedly reject this thought. Bread and wine are both products of fermentation. Cheese is also in this bucket. If warm buns are my greatest joy, a warm bun with cheese and a glass of wine runs a close second… and what about those leftover buns?? My third joy is leftover buns toasted and topped with butter, truffles, nutty Comte cheese or smoked ham.

The sleek elegance of the Capa Vineyard Vineyard Pinot Noir, bursting with red berries and a hint of sour cherry, can handle these buns no matter whether they are consumed on their own, eaten alongside a fine bird or stuffed with a filling.

Open a bottle and find your own joy!

Until the Next Wine....
Maria

EAT: Potato Buns

The Capa Vineyard is a south and west facing vineyard with anywhere from a gentle grade to steeply sloping terrain. It is more often than not the first pinot noir grapes harvested each year. Depending on the vagaries of vintage, it is some of the most structured pinot noir RSV produces, exhibiting firm tannins, bright structure, and lower pH. The result is a wine with captivating red fruits, semi-firm tannins, a brilliant mouth-feel, long finish and the ability to age gracefully.