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by Fred McMillin
for September 12, 1997
Winery of the Week
When the Saints Come Marching InPrologue: Saints and wine are no strangers.
- 350 A.D.—St. Martin on the Loire domesticates a local grape that will develop into Chenin Blanc.
- 1209 A.D.—St. Francis of Assisi founds the Franciscan Order, which will make the first wine in California five and a half centuries later. (Suprisingly, St. Francis originally forbid the production of wine by his friars.)
- 1975 A.D.—San Francisco (named after the above St. Francis) ophthalmologist William Casey buys a Napa Winery and names it St. Clement, after his ancestral home, St. Clement's Manor in Maryland, a seventeenth- century grant from the English crown. (WineDay readers last encountered the name Clement when Pope Clement V established the Chateauneuf-Du-Pape vineyard north of Avignon. See 4/4/97 WineDay.)
A Jump In Quality
Ten years ago a major change occurred at St. Clement. The Japanese Sapporo firm acquired the winery. Now funds were available to buy more vineyards, including that of Carneros pioneer Abbott Williams. Dennis is producing award-winning Merlot and Chardonnay from the "Abbotts Vineyard." Critic John Baxevanis rates the Reserve Chardonnay as St. Clement's best. My panel gives the top mark to their red blend "Oroppas," Sapporo spelled backwards.
Just The Facts
| Name | St. Clement Vineyards |
| Founded | 1975 (the first vineyards on the land were planted in the 1870's) |
| Owner | Sapporo USA |
| Winemaker | Dennis Johns, who is not bound by traditional methods to get the best wine from his grapes...he may press before his Cab is totally dry...he won't use malolactic fermentation if it masks the character of his Chardonnay fruit, etc. |
| Recommended Wines | All five! |
| Contact | Jennifer Lamb, (707) 963-7221 |
| Address | P0 Box 261, St. Helena, Napa Valley, CA 94574 |
| Price Range | $25 to $35 |
Postscript: Below the century-old Victorian house (shown on the St. Clement label) is the original wine cellar, bonded in 1879.
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About the Writer Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College and is Northern California Editor for American Wine on the Web. In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded to American wine writers. |
Read more articles by Fred McMillin in the eGGsf
Welcome to WineDay, the electronic Gourmet Guide's daily update. Monday through Thursday, WineDay presents a wine profile. Then on Fridays we present the Winery of the Week to take you through the weekend
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09/11/97
The Langtry Pedigree
09/10/97
A Riesling to Remember
09/09/97
Grgich Chardonnay, Up, Up and Away
09/08/97
Good Sports, Good Grapes
09/05/97
Winery of the Week
J. Lohr Winery
09/04/97
The Korbel Spell
09/03/97
Jed Knocks 'Em Dead
09/02/97
Hot Rocks
09/01/97
Like Rogers and Astaire, Here's Another Perfect Pair
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