For our 15th anniversary on July 25th, we uncorked a special bottle of Mayacamas Pinot Noir 2009, purchased last year from the Mayacamas Napa downtown shop. It was the only 2009 vintage available. Despite Mayacamas focusing primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the winery ceased production of Pinot Noir after 2013. Knowing this, we were excited to celebrate our milestone with such a rare, old vintage of Mayacamas Pinot Noir.
To mark the occasion, we dined at an exceptional French bistro near our home called ‘Onyva’ (On y va: French, means ‘let’s go’). We paired the delicious dishes with our treasured Mayacamas Pinot Noir 2009 and enjoyed an array of other wines, creating unforgettable memories and a perfect celebration.
Table of Contents
1. Mayacamas Winery & The End of Pinot Noir Production
(1) Mayacamas Winery: A Legacy of Excellence
Founded in 1889, Mayacamas Vineyards has a rich history spanning over 120 years. Nestled high in the Mayacamas mountains above Napa Valley, near the top of Mount Veeder, the winery sits on the edge of a dormant volcano crater. The steep, rocky slopes of the estate vineyards produce small crops of intensely flavored grapes, contributing to the winery’s esteemed reputation.
Mayacamas is particularly celebrated for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, both of which thrive in the high-altitude terroir. The winery has remained dedicated to traditional winemaking methods, producing wines with remarkable structure and complexity that benefit from long-term aging.
(2) Changes and Evolution Post-2013
The acquisition of Mayacamas by Charles Banks and Jay Schottenstein in 2013 ushered in a new era for the winery, blending both continuity and change:
- Winemaking Team: Esteemed winemaker Andy Erickson and renowned viticulturist Phil Coturri joined the team to enhance vineyard management and winemaking processes.
- Vineyard Replanting: Significant replanting efforts were undertaken to replace old, phylloxera-affected vines. This included a shift in grape varieties, focusing more on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay while phasing out Pinot Noir in favor of Cabernet Franc.
- Organic Practices: Under Coturri’s guidance, the vineyards were converted to organic farming practices, emphasizing sustainability and environmental responsibility.
- Modernization: The winery saw some modernization, such as the addition of cooling equipment to stabilize fermentations and extend macerations. Despite these updates, Mayacamas maintained its traditional ethos of minimal intervention.
(3) Commitment to Tradition
Despite these changes, Mayacamas remains steadfast in preserving its historical winemaking techniques:
- Continued Use of Historical Equipment: The winery still employs concrete fermenters and old foudres, some over a century old, to maintain its classic style.
- Focus on Terroir: The winemaking approach continues to emphasize the unique characteristics of the Mount Veeder terroir, allowing the natural qualities of the grapes to shine through with minimal intervention.
- Longevity and Ageability: The wines are crafted to be age-worthy, retaining robust structure and acidity that allow them to develop and improve over time.
This blend of tradition and modernity ensures that Mayacamas Vineyards continues to produce wines that are both reflective of its storied past and capable of meeting future challenges. While the decision to phase out Pinot Noir was significant, the winery’s dedication to quality and heritage remains unwavering.
2. Onyva: A Culinary Journey
(1) Introduction to Onyva
Onyva (French for ‘let’s go’) is a French bistro near our home that offers beautifully creative French cuisine crafted with seasonal ingredients from Korea and boasts an impressive wine selection. The main menu here is the Carte Blanche, a tasting menu featuring four courses tailored to the season’s best ingredients.
“Carte Blanche” is a French term that translates to “blank card” or “blank menu,” meaning that the chef has full discretion over the meal. In the context of a bistro or restaurant, a “Menu Carte Blanche” typically means a tasting menu where the chef selects the dishes for each course, allowing diners to experience a variety of flavors and culinary styles that the chef wants to highlight. Though it consists of four courses—Entrée, Poisson, Viande, and Dessert—each course can include one to three dishes, making for a much richer dining experience.
Every visit is a delightful surprise, showcasing the chef’s creativity with the changing seasonal menu, turning each meal into a highly anticipated, treasure-like experience.
(2) Mayacamas Pinot Noir 2009 Opening
Upon ordering, we opened our bottle of Mayacamas Pinot Noir 2009 and poured two glasses for us. The wine was clear and medium ruby in color, with edges showing a slight orange tint as it aged. Initial notes of elegant cherry and raspberry were followed by aged aromas reminiscent of moss and forest floor. Mayacamas Pinot Noir 2009 is a somewhat elusive wine, with limited reviews available in the public domain.
Reviewer ratings generally average around 87-88 points, highlighting the wine’s complexity and structure, which are characteristic of Mayacamas. As this was my first experience with a Mayacamas wine, I cannot compare it to their other offerings. However, beyond the numerical rating in the high 80s, opening this wine immediately brought forth a delightful forest aroma typical of old vintages, reminiscent of aged Bordeaux. This fragrance, coupled with the joy of celebrating our 15 years together, made it feel as though the wine was toasting our time together. It provided me with one of the best experiences I’ve had with any wine.
And then we poured three more glasses for the owner-chef, manager, and sommelier. All three were impressed when they first sampled it as it was their first time experiencing an old vintage Pinot Noir from Mayacamas. We then let the remaining wine breathe in the bottle to enjoy with the main course, Viande, later in the evening.
(3) Pre-Main Course Wine Pairings
Before getting into main dishes with Mayacamas Pinot Noir, we enjoyed two white wines by the glass recommended by the sommelier: IN SITU Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2021 and Domaine Cordier Père & Fils Mâcon Loché 2022. These white wines were perfectly paired with three entrée and two poisson (fish) dishes, especially the two poisson dishes respectively.
IN SITU Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2021: This wine comes from In Situ Family Vineyards, located in the Aconcagua Valley, Chile. Known for creating wines that reflect the unique character of the region, this Sauvignon Blanc offers a vibrant bouquet of white peach, grapefruit, and lemongrass. On the palate, it is well-balanced with a firm structure, featuring flavors of tropical fruits. The wine paired excellently with the buckwheat crepe with eel and ginger flakes, enhancing the dish with its bright citrus and tropical fruit notes.
Domaine Cordier Père & Fils Mâcon Loché 2022: This Chardonnay is from a renowned family-owned estate in the Mâconnais sub-region of Burgundy, France. It has an intense and complex nose with aromas of ripe apples, pears, and citrus fruits, mingled with floral notes and a hint of minerality. The wine boasts a well-rounded texture with balanced acidity, leading to a clean and elegant finish with mineral nuances. It was particularly well-paired with the grilled halibut fin with sweet corn and corn silk, where the wine’s mineral and citrus characteristics complemented the delicate flavors of the fish dish.
(4) Fusion of Korean Tradition and Fine Wine
In Korea, summer is a time for enjoying foods that boost health and vitality, with Samgyetang being one of the most popular dishes. This traditional soup features a whole chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, jujubes, garlic, and ginseng, simmered to perfection. For the main course, a beautifully reinterpreted dish was presented, featuring sous-vide chicken thigh, breast, and wing, served with crispy nurungji (scorched rice, the slightly burnt, crunchy layer of rice that forms at the bottom of a pot when cooking rice) and accompanied by a ginseng sauce.
Wine Pairing Experience
This exquisite dish was paired with the Mayacamas Pinot Noir 2009, creating a remarkable dining experience. The complex aromas of the wine, with notes of fresh red fruits and earthy undertones, complemented the richness and depth of the ginseng sauce. The bright acidity and balanced tannins of the Pinot Noir cut through the savory flavors of the chicken and nurungji, enhancing each bite and providing a harmonious balance. The subtle forest-like aromas of the wine mirrored the herbal notes of the ginseng, making the pairing not only complementary but also elevating both the dish and the wine. This pairing celebrated the fusion of traditional Korean cuisine with fine wine, creating a memorable and satisfying culinary experience.
(5) Extending the Delight: Additional Pairings
After finishing the main dish, which was not overly large, we found ourselves with plenty of wine remaining. Wanting to extend this delightful experience, we ordered two additional dishes that would pair well with the wine: Cacio e Pepe pasta and a cheese platter featuring Comté, Manchego, and Brillat-Savarin.
Cacio e Pepe Pasta: The creamy and peppery flavors of the Cacio e Pepe pasta harmonized beautifully with the Mayacamas Pinot Noir 2009, as the wine’s bright acidity and earthy notes complemented the rich, cheesy pasta and balanced the peppery spice.
Cheese Platter: The cheese platter offered an excellent contrast: the nutty Comté, the robust Manchego, and the creamy Brillat-Savarin each brought out different aspects of the wine’s complexity. The Comté highlighted the wine’s fruity undertones, Manchego enhanced its earthy character, and Brillat-Savarin added a luxurious, creamy element to the pairing experience. Tasting Brillat-Savarin cheese for the first time was an additional delight on this special day.
(6) A Sweet Finish with Champagne
To finish, we enjoyed a surprising dessert of perilla oil ice cream and ginger choux, accompanied by a glass of Krug Grande Cuvée 172nd Edition Champagne. This exceptional champagne is a blend of 198 wines from 11 different years, with the youngest wine from 2016 and the oldest from 2000. The blend is composed of 51% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay, and 11% Meunier, achieving a balance of richness, freshness, and complexity. For those interested in its 170th Edition, check out my blog.
This exquisite meal, enhanced by thoughtfully chosen wine pairings, made for an unforgettable celebration.
The last sip of Mayacamas Pinot Noir 2009 was bittersweet, but the experience was so enriching that it left no room for regret. I’m looking forward to our visit to the Mayacamas winery this November, where I plan to taste their current offerings. Comparing those to the memorable 2009 vintage will undoubtedly be an exciting and highly anticipated experience.