Eric Olof encountered a problem at wine tastings. He grows Barbera, Malbec, Nebbiolo and a few other red grape varietals in his vineyards, but someone in the crowd always held up an empty glass asking for a white.
So Olof responded as any self-taught winemaker with a brazen streak — he posed for one publication decked in a Viking helmet — would. He created a white Nebbiolo.
“I had extra grapes,” he said with a nonchalant shrug and smile. “I just treated them like Chardonnay.”
It may be one of the most unique wines produced in Lake County. The grape responsible for Barbaresco, Borolo and wines of deep burgundy color appears in this guise like a glass of fresh squeezed peach juice. The few labels around the world producing white Nebbiolo generally blend in a hefty amount of Chardonnay to mellow out the character. Olof, however, opted for 100 percent red grapes. Nebbiolo is notorious for its temperament as a young wine, often requiring at least five years before the memorable chorus of dark fruits, smoky tar, blooming violet and scarred wood to emerge. But Olof Cellars offers its 2013 white for sale.
Both the youth and the complexity of the grape explode on the nose. Plum and green apples abound. The smoky tar notes of normal Nebbiolo show up as petrol — the same sensation found in the great dry Rieslings. The floral scent has yet to settle on violet, so it offers up an entire meadow of options. Ducking in the background are whiffs of light cheese and fruit resting under a hot sun.
It promises a wild ride.
The flavor is equally difficult to pin down, carrying itself like grappa without the wallop of alcohol or an age old aperitif. Perhaps this is due to crush and press method Olof used to extract pale juice from thick-skinned red grapes. The white Nebbiolo is dry and crisp, almost astringent. It smacks of green apple and spice, with hints of citrus, crushed petals and that clever diesel edge. It may be one of the few wines that bring sushi instantly to mind when considering food pairings.
For comparison, Olof Cellars’ 2010 Nobleman Nebbiolo in traditional red presents ripe red berries, split plums, acrid embers and other rustic notes.
Olof has created something truly interesting and rare: a wine that will catch you off guard, in a good way. And he knows there is an appeal to both tradition and experimentation.
“No matter what wine you make there is someone’s glass that likes it,” he observed.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
