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theCompass mobile application is a winery, brewery, and distillery locator for North America. |
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Eric Ross Winery
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The Eric Ross Winery began just east of Occidental, California on the site of an old Italian winery above the Russian River Valley. There two friends, Eric Luse and John Ross Storey, award-winning photographers for San Francisco’s daily newspapers, joined together to produce wines with big personalities and heartfelt passions—characteristics more than skin deep and ones they believed were inherent in California’s soil. Their decision was based on having personally tested hundreds of grapes and having been exposed to the state’s diverse wine growing regions in the course of their journalistic assignments. They knew the Sonoma Valley was the ideal spot to produce their wines. "The long, cool growing season, just above the fog line, keeps the vines temperate, yet there’s plenty of sun to ripen," Eric explains. "The cool-down at night prevents acids in the skins from dissipating into the air. Grapes ripen slowly, and what we’re getting is a fruit of great concentration".
"You don’t have to coax good fruit into doing what comes naturally; the grapes know what to do," says John, who puts a lot of faith in the harvest of their mountain vineyard. The wine makers interfere with the process as little as possible, but devote copious amounts of personal attention to the final product. The Old Vine Zinfandel, for instance, starts with fermentation in open-topped redwood tanks, punched down by hand twice daily. After pressing, the wine is transferred to American and French oak casks for 18 months prior to bottling, and the two taste every barrel before separating into the Old Vine Zin. A delicate balance between flavor and oak, intensity and acidity--in other words, not too much of anything--is the key. And a low draw from un-irrigated farming yields less than 1 ton per acre, producing wines with incredible integrity. Both epicureans at heart, Eric likens the wines to a rare meal: "If you start out with really good ingredients, I mean really good, you have the fundamental components for something extraordinary." Taking advantage of this premium growing region, and by hand-crafting each vintage, Eric Ross Winery produces a small quantity of extremely remarkable wines. Unfortunately, while the original location lent romance and history to the Eric Ross Winery, as well as a spectacular view, they eventually figured out that looks weren't everything. These two winemakers have since located their operations to more modern facilities, but have not set aside their desire to retain the original "old-winery" appeal for their premium wines.
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Directions
Eric Ross Winery is located just south of the town of Glen Ellen in the lovely Jack London Village. Come visit us and taste our world class wines in our Sonoma Valley location.
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2000 Eric Ross Old Vine Zinfandel
Russian River Valley, Occidental Vineyard. Our 2000 Occidental Vineyard zinfandel may be the best we've ever made. From Connoisseur's Guide, " Depth and intensity are not wholly dependent on maximal ripeness, and this altogether lovely Zin hits the mark smartly in terms of varietal precision, balance and irrepressable fruit. Medium-full-bodied but nevr heavy, it shows a touch of piquancy to its vibrant berry-like themes, and its oak is always sympathetic to its larger message of fruit. It is long on the palate and has the kind of strength and overall energy to suggest that its best is yet to come." Not much we can add to that glowing review.
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2000 Old Vine Zinfandel
Feeney Ranch. "This wine is too good for toast-drinking, my dear," declares Count Mippipopolous in The Sun Also Rises. "You don’t want to mix emotions up with a wine like that." Could Hemingway have anticipated Eric Ross Feeney Ranch Zinfandel? Our 2000 Old Vine, Feeney Ranch Zinfandel, has a nose of fresh tobacco, cedar, blackberry, and chocolate, with well integrated tannins. Sweet oak, dark fruit, create a wine with soft and balanced flavors in the mouth. Make it the centerpiece of a holiday meal surrounded by stilton and walnuts, grilled portobello mushrooms and prime rib with Yorkshire pudding.
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2000 Old Vine Zinfandel Port
When Eric Ross Winery was founded, Eric Luse said to John Ross Storey: "Why compete with Portugal? Not many people make a Zinfandel Port; let’s be two of them." They took their fiercest Zin grapes, halted fermentation, added a touch of brandy from Carneros Alambic distillery and got an aromatic dessert wine with a smooth finish. It’s a "good time" sipping Port, great with chocolate truffles or poured over berries or ice cream--heck, pour it over your self. The fun is just beginning.
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2001 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Saralee Vineyard. Our 2001 Russian River Pinot Noir from the Saralee Vineyard, a past Bronze Medal winner at the Orange County Fair, has a nose filled with black cherry and plum with subtle French oak in the background. The mouth has a nice complexity with silky smooth tannins and a soft long finish. The grapes for this Pinot came from Saralee's Vineyard in the Russian River Valley near Forestville. Low yields and a long cool growing season, produced grapes with great complexity and finesse.
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2001 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Poulet d'Or
Eric Luse and John Ross Storey tasted through all of the Pinot Noir barrels from the 2001 vintage to assemble the blend for this Poulet d'Or. Our 2001 Russian River Valley Poulet d'Or Pinot Noir has a smokey nose with hints of sweet toasty French oak, as well as notes of cola and roast coffee. The mouth has a nice complexity and flavors of bing cherry and rhubarb with mouth coating tannins, and a full rich lingering finish. If you were wondering, Poule d'Or means golden hen in French, clever huh!
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2001 Russian River Valley Viognier
Catie's Corner Vineyard. Our 2001 Russian River Valley Viognier has a nose of Fresh cut apples, tree fruit, and dried apricot. In the mouth the wine has a richness that finishes with crisp acidity making it the perfect wine for rich fish dishes or freshly shucked Oysters. Grapes for this wine come from Catie's Corner Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The cool climate allows the grapes to develop great complexity. The vineyard is farmed by the Kunde family, and is located in Windsor.
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2002 Old Vine Carignane
2002 marks a new release of the Eric Ross Old Vine Carignane. A smooth rich wine, similar to a Syrah in smell with wonderful fruit that carries through the palate. Blueberries and ripe fruit in the nose and a softness in the mouth that lends itself to many types of food. Grapes for this wine come from a vineyard located in Lodi. Rauser Ranch is a 9 acre vineyard that sits next to the Mokolumme River that lends cooling to the vines that date back to theirorginal planting in 1907.
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Eric Ross Old Vine Zinfandel
Our 2001 Occidental Vineyard zinfandel may be the best we've ever made. From Connoisseur's Guide, " Depth and intensity are not wholly dependent on maximal ripeness, and this altogether lovely Zin hits the mark smartly in terms of varietal precision, balance and irrepressable fruit. Medium-full-bodied but nevr heavy, it shows a touch of piquancy to its vibrant berry-like themes, and its oak is always sympathetic to its larger message of fruit. It is long on the palate and has the kind of strength and overall energy to suggest that its best is yet to come." Not much we can add to that glowing review.
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Old Vine Carignane, Lodi
2004 marks a new release of the Eric Ross Old Vine Carignane. A smooth rich wine, similar to a Syrah in smell with wonderful fruit that carries through the palate. Blueberries and ripe fruit in the nose and a softness in the mouth that lends itself to many types of food. Grapes for this wine come from a vineyard located in Lodi. Rauser Ranch is a 9 acre vineyard that sits next to the Mokolumme River that lends cooling to the vines that date back to theirorginal planting in 1907.
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Old Vine Zinfandel Port
When Eric Ross Winery was founded, Eric Luse said to John Ross Storey: "Why compete with Portugal? Not many people make a Zinfandel Port; let’s be two of them." They took their fiercest Zin grapes, halted fermentation, added a touch of brandy from Carneros Alambic distillery and got an aromatic dessert wine with a smooth finish. It’s a "good time" sipping Port, great with chocolate truffles or poured over berries or ice cream--heck, pour it over your self. The fun is just beginning.
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Old Vine Zinfandel, Feeney Ranch
"This wine is too good for toast-drinking, my dear," declares Count Mippipopolous in The Sun Also Rises. "You don’t want to mix emotions up with a wine like that." Could Hemingway have anticipated Eric Ross Feeney Ranch Zinfandel? Our 2001 Old Vine, Feeney Ranch Zinfandel, has a nose of fresh tobacco, cedar, blackberry, and chocolate, with well integrated tannins. Sweet oak, dark fruit, create a wine with soft and balanced flavors in the mouth. Make it the centerpiece of a holiday meal surrounded by stilton and walnuts, grilled portobello mushrooms and prime rib with Yorkshire pudding.
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Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Weeks Vineyard
Our 2004 Russian River Valley Chardonnay is a medium bodied wine from a very cool mountain vineyard a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. You'll encournter a nose of apples and a note of French Oak. In the mouth you'll discover a touch of butterscotch and crisp acidity in the finish. This choice is perfect to accompany any type of shell fish or light pasta or chicken dish.
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Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Our 2002 Russian River Pinot Noir from the Saralee Vineyard, a past Bronze Medal winner at the Orange County Fair, has a nose filled with black cherry and plum with subtle French oak in the background. The mouth has a nice complexity with silky smooth tannins and a soft long finish. The grapes for this Pinot came from Saralee's Vineyard in the Russian River Valley near Forestville. Low yields and a long cool growing season, produced grapes with great complexity and finesse.
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