Bill Nachbaur's guest appearances

Bill Nachbaur

The Good Life Show - Food, Wine, Travel & Lifestyle

California Wine Country

Wine Soundtrack - USA

Remi Cohen

Justin Seidenfeld

Stu Smith

Joseph Phelps

Eileen Crane

Devin Ruddick

Joel Aiken

Julie Pedroncelli

Alex Holman

Adam Lee

Jeff Pisoni

Brook Bannister

Alan Baker

Robert Larsen

Erica Stancliff

OwlTail

Bill NachbaurAcorn Winery co-owner Bill Nachbaur is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. First, Bill tells about buying the vineyard that had been planted decades ago as a field blend. This means different varietals are planted side by side in the same vineyard, unlike most vineyards today. As a teenager in the 1890s Bill’s grandfather worked in vineyards in the area. The whole story is on their website.Field-blended wines are made of different grape varieties grown together then pressed and vinted together too. The result can be tasted in the flavors that are uniquely reflective of the land and the blend. Today they have planted some grapes that reflect their personal heritage. There is Zinfandel and also some Alvarinho, a Portuguese varietal, to honor his wife’s grandmother. Gruner Veltliner is an Austrian grape that he planted to honor his grandfather. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for the latest on the 2022 Summer Concert series. Dan Berger describes Acorn Winery as a fascinating project because it is not varietal-based. They have decided to focus on their field blends, so they are by definition vineyard-based. They are often a year behind their neighbors in their releases, because they hold them a longer time, which they need to express their character. The Gruner Veltliner is very dry. Dan tastes a “preserved lemon” character. The sharpness of the acid would make it great to go with seafood. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. Acorn Winery is located across the street from Rodney Strong and they can partially hear their concerts. Besides the whites and the rosato, they make Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Syrah and Cabernet Franc as well as blends of those. Acorn Winery wines use oak in a very careful way so the wine speaks to the fruit. Dan Berger says his Dolcetto is really an Italian style, which means it is delicate. It is a grape from Piedmont, northwest Italy. Dolcetto and Barbera are the everyday wines. Barbaresco and Barolo, made from the Nebbiolo grape, are the heavies. They taste the Rosato, which is simply the Italian word for pink, or Rosé wine. It is a bit darker than the usual Rosés. All Rosés are on a color spectrum, though. It is hard to tell a Rosé from a red if you taste it from a black glass. Your vision influences your expectations and what you taste.

Bill Nachbaur<a href="https://acornwinery.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Acorn Winery</a> co-owner Bill Nachbaur is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. First, Bill tells about buying the vineyard that had been planted decades ago as a field blend. This means different varietals are planted side by side in the same vineyard, unlike most vineyards today. As a teenager in the 1890s Bill’s grandfather worked in vineyards in the area. The whole story is on their website.Field-blended wines are made of different grape varieties grown together then pressed and vinted together too. The result can be tasted in the flavors that are uniquely reflective of the land and the blend. Today they have planted some grapes that reflect their personal heritage. There is Zinfandel and also some Alvarinho, a Portuguese varietal, to honor his wife’s grandmother. Gruner Veltliner is an Austrian grape that he planted to honor his grandfather. <a href="https://www.rodneystrong.com/2022-concert-series/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for the latest on the 2022 Summer Concert series. Dan Berger describes <a href="https://acornwinery.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Acorn Winery</a> as a fascinating project because it is not varietal-based. They have decided to focus on their field blends, so they are by definition vineyard-based. They are often a year behind their neighbors in their releases, because they hold them a longer time, which they need to express their character. The Gruner Veltliner is very dry. Dan tastes a “preserved lemon” character. The sharpness of the acid would make it great to go with seafood. <a href="https://bottlebarn.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. Acorn Winery is located across the street from Rodney Strong and they can partially hear their concerts. Besides the whites and the rosato, they make Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Syrah and Cabernet Franc as well as blends of those. Acorn Winery wines use oak in a very careful way so the wine speaks to the fruit. Dan Berger says his Dolcetto is really an Italian style, which means it is delicate. It is a grape from Piedmont, northwest Italy. Dolcetto and Barbera are the everyday wines. Barbaresco and Barolo, made from the Nebbiolo grape, are the heavies. They taste the Rosato, which is simply the Italian word for pink, or Rosé wine. It is a bit darker than the usual Rosés. All Rosés are on a color spectrum, though. It is hard to tell a Rosé from a red if you taste it from a black glass. Your vision influences your expectations and what you taste.

Acorn Winery with Bill Nachbaur

When we purchased Alegría Vineyards In 1990, Bill was able to pursue his childhood dream of being a farmer, trading in his law books for books on viticulture, pruning shears, and a tractor. “Alegría”, our vineyard name, means “Happiness” in Spanish. Bill is much happier working in the vineyard and making wine than he was working as a lawyer. He likes working with his hands and being outdoors. He knows every vine on our 32 acres and takes pleasure in making a physical product that people can enjoy and appreciate. As he often says, he never got such positive feedback for well-crafted legislation or a contract. “Alegría” is also an apt description of how you will feel when you discover our wines. Betsy makes visiting ACORN Winery is a memorable experience. Betsy enjoys welcoming visitors and sharing our wines and our story. We are passionate about preserving the tradition of field-blending and co-fermenting. The oldest part of our vineyard, which dates back to 1890, is a field blend of Zinfandel inter-planted with Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah, and many other grape varieties. That mixed planting inspired us to plant about 100 different varieties as we planted new vineyards adjacent to the old. As far as we know, ACORN is the only winery where every wine is a co-fermented field blend. At first, we sold all of our grapes to Ridge Vineyards and other local wineries, but in 1994, we decided to make wine ourselves and established ACORN Winery. An acorn is a popular symbol of prosperity, good fortune, and potential. (“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”) We are tiny like an acorn; Our wines have a lot of potential; our historic vineyard is lined with tall oak trees; and our wine is aged in oak barrels, so ACORN was the perfect name! Our first release was our 1994 Sangiovese, co-fermented with Canaiolo and Mammolo. We are dedicated to creating co-fermented field blends from our certified sustainable grapes that truly reflect this special place. We have always been committed to farming and living sustainably. We enjoy the biodiversity of the creatures, great and small, who share this land with us. Today, after more than 30 years, we continue to find alegría living in the middle of our vineyards, enjoying the Russian River climate, growing grapes and sharing our ACORN wines.

When we purchased Alegría Vineyards In 1990, Bill was able to pursue his childhood dream of being a farmer, trading in his law books for books on viticulture, pruning shears, and a tractor. “Alegría”, our vineyard name, means “Happiness” in Spanish. Bill is much happier working in the vineyard and making wine than he was working as a lawyer. He likes working with his hands and being outdoors. He knows every vine on our 32 acres and takes pleasure in making a physical product that people can enjoy and appreciate. As he often says, he never got such positive feedback for well-crafted legislation or a contract. “Alegría” is also an apt description of how you will feel when you discover our wines. Betsy makes visiting ACORN Winery is a memorable experience. Betsy enjoys welcoming visitors and sharing our wines and our story. We are passionate about preserving the tradition of field-blending and co-fermenting. The oldest part of our vineyard, which dates back to 1890, is a field blend of Zinfandel inter-planted with Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah, and many other grape varieties. That mixed planting inspired us to plant about 100 different varieties as we planted new vineyards adjacent to the old. As far as we know, ACORN is the only winery where every wine is a co-fermented field blend. At first, we sold all of our grapes to Ridge Vineyards and other local wineries, but in 1994, we decided to make wine ourselves and established ACORN Winery. An acorn is a popular symbol of prosperity, good fortune, and potential. (“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”) We are tiny like an acorn; Our wines have a lot of potential; our historic vineyard is lined with tall oak trees; and our wine is aged in oak barrels, so ACORN was the perfect name! Our first release was our 1994 Sangiovese, co-fermented with Canaiolo and Mammolo. We are dedicated to creating co-fermented field blends from our certified sustainable grapes that truly reflect this special place. We have always been committed to farming and living sustainably. We enjoy the biodiversity of the creatures, great and small, who share this land with us. Today, after more than 30 years, we continue to find alegría living in the middle of our vineyards, enjoying the Russian River climate, growing grapes and sharing our ACORN wines.

Acorn Wine - Bill Nachbaur

We are tiny like an acorn. Our winery is framed by tall oak trees. Our wine is aged in oak barrels. So ACORN seemed the perfect name for our winery. Bill traded in his law books for books on viticulture, pruning shears, and a tractor when we purchased Alegría Vineyards in 1990. In the early years, he was in the vineyards every day, and Betsy helped out on weekends, but within a few years she too was ready for a change and joined Bill full time. At first, we sold all of our grapes to other wineries, and they produced highly prized Alegría Vineyard-designated wines. Then in 1994, we decided to make some wine ourselves and established ACORN Winery. Our first release, in 1996, was our 1994 Sangiovese. Gradually, we kept more grapes for ACORN and added other wines. Now we make seven different wines—Russian River Valley Heritage Vines™ Zinfandel from the original 1890s vineyard, Russian River Valley Axiom® Syrah, Russian River Valley Cabernet Franc, Russian River Valley Sangiovese, Russian River Valley Dolcetto, two proprietary blends—Medley® and Acorn Hill, and a flavorful Rosato (a dry Rosé). We still sell half our grapes to other wineries. Several of them vineyard-designate the wines. Our production remains small, at about 3,000 cases each year. All our wines are made from grapes we grow ourselves at Alegría. Every wine is a field blend, following the ancient tradition represented in the mixed planting that is our original 120-year old vineyard. Every wine is made by co-fermenting multiple varieties. We like to say that our wines are blended from the day they are picked. This is what sets ACORN wines apart. Today, after 25 years, we continue to find alegría living in the middle of our vineyards, enjoying the cool Russian River Valley climate, and continuing a long tradition by sustainably growing premium quality grapes and producing acclaimed award-winning wines.

We are tiny like an acorn. Our winery is framed by tall oak trees. Our wine is aged in oak barrels. So ACORN seemed the perfect name for our winery. Bill traded in his law books for books on viticulture, pruning shears, and a tractor when we purchased <a href="http://acornwinery.com/alegria-vineyards" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alegría Vineyards</a> in 1990. In the early years, he was in the vineyards every day, and Betsy helped out on weekends, but within a few years she too was ready for a change and joined Bill full time. At first, we sold all of our grapes to other wineries, and they produced highly prized Alegría Vineyard-designated wines. Then in 1994, we decided to make some wine ourselves and established ACORN Winery. Our first release, in 1996, was our 1994 Sangiovese. Gradually, we kept more grapes for ACORN and added other wines. Now we make seven different wines—Russian River Valley Heritage Vines™ Zinfandel from the original 1890s vineyard, Russian River Valley Axiom® Syrah, Russian River Valley Cabernet Franc, Russian River Valley Sangiovese, Russian River Valley Dolcetto, two proprietary blends—Medley® and Acorn Hill, and a flavorful Rosato (a dry Rosé). We still sell half our grapes to other wineries. Several of them vineyard-designate the wines. Our production remains small, at about 3,000 cases each year. All our wines are made from grapes we grow ourselves at Alegría. Every wine is a field blend, following the ancient tradition represented in the mixed planting that is our original 120-year old vineyard. Every wine is made by co-fermenting multiple varieties. We like to say that our wines are blended from the day they are picked. This is what sets ACORN wines apart. Today, after 25 years, we continue to find alegría living in the middle of our vineyards, enjoying the cool Russian River Valley climate, and continuing a long tradition by sustainably growing premium quality grapes and producing acclaimed award-winning wines.

Bill Nachbaur from Acorn Winery is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today.Their first tasting is a 2014 Sangiovese, whose label suggests several Italian food pairings. Dan Berger explains that Sangiovese is a variety that very few Californians want to make, because we get so much sun that we can't avoid having a plump wine. Californians like that the acids will drop out of the wines, but "...this one is a beautiful example of splitting the difference between California ripeness and Chianti's acid-based" flavors. Dan suggests pairing it with wild boar stew or anything with strong flavors.  Bill says that the Russian River Valley climate is ideal for this. It's a cooler climate than other Sangiovese growing regions in the US so they can control the acidity to get it super ripe before picking it. Bill says it's the most widely planted grape in Italy.Bill and his wife bought the vineyard in 1990 after working in law, and took viticulture classes at Santa Rosa JC under Rich Thomas. He was first focussed on growing grapes and his first wine was a 1994 Sangiovese. He makes a wine called "Alégria" (happiness in Spanish, close to the Italian Allegria). They have about 26 acres of grapes and they just finished their 29th harvest.Then they taste a 2014 Zinfandel that Steve says is delicious. Bill credits the Russian River Valley cool climate and extra complexity from the "field blend." It is from the oldest part of the vineyard 78% Zinfandel, 10% Petit Syrah and 10% Alicante Bouchet, with the remaining 2% from a mix of other grapes.All their wines are "field blends" which means they grow the grapes together then they pick them together and press and ferment them together. Dan says some Zinfandels get "over-ripe and plummy" but that he likes the black raspberry component in this wine, which works with the other peppery aromatics in the blend. Bill thinks the pepper flavor comes from the Petit Syrah.Next they taste a Dolcetto, another Italian grape that is quite rare in California. It is grown in Piedmont (Piemonte) in north-west Italy.  Despite the name of the grape, it makes a dry wine. Dan says to decant it to give it lots of air. Bill says that most Dolcetto in Italy is not oaked or aged, as he does to it. He gives it 18 months in oak.Bill Nachbaur tells about visiting Piedmont and asking winemakers there if they used oak and they replied, "well, our grandfathers didn't do it," so they don't. (That is a prevailing attitude in Italy about a lot of food and wine practices. -cd). Dan Berger tells that very little Dolcetto is grown in California because growers make so much from the familiar varieties that planting a less-well-known grape is too much of a risk. Dan says that Dolcetto has good acid and it works well in blends. It responds well to decanting, to highlight its dry character.Then they taste Medley, which is a combination of 60 varieties that they grow. There is a chart that lists all the varieties. It is a vineyard blend of 20% Zinfandel, 18% Cinsaut, 18% Syrah, 18% Muscats, 10% Dolcetto, 2% Petite Sirah, 2% Alicante Bouschet, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Sangiovese, and 10% other varieties. This is the 15th year of Medley, which they started making in 2000.Dan Berger believes that it should not rest for more than 3 or 4 years because its great complex fruit flavors will still be evident. Dan says that Medley could not be made this way in many other regions. For example, in Alexander Valley, the wine would be different. Trying to mix these varieties in the Alexander Valley do not yield such subtle flavors as do the Russian River Valley's cold temperatures, fog and marine influence. They are about a mile from the river and will have fog all morning for many days in the Summer, so they might pick a month later than they would in nearby Dry Creek. It's an example of how great reds can grow in Russian River Valley as well as the white varieties grow there.

Bill Nachbaur from Acorn Winery is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today. Their first tasting is a 2014 Sangiovese, whose label suggests several Italian food pairings. Dan Berger explains that Sangiovese is a variety that very few Californians want to make, because we get so much sun that we can't avoid having a plump wine. Californians like that the acids will drop out of the wines, but "...this one is a beautiful example of splitting the difference between California ripeness and Chianti's acid-based" flavors. Dan suggests pairing it with wild boar stew or anything with strong flavors.  Bill says that the Russian River Valley climate is ideal for this. It's a cooler climate than other Sangiovese growing regions in the US so they can control the acidity to get it super ripe before picking it. Bill says it's the most widely planted grape in Italy. Bill and his wife bought the vineyard in 1990 after working in law, and took viticulture classes at Santa Rosa JC under Rich Thomas. He was first focussed on growing grapes and his first wine was a 1994 Sangiovese. He makes a wine called "Alégria" (happiness in Spanish, close to the Italian Allegria). They have about 26 acres of grapes and they just finished their 29th harvest. Then they taste a 2014 Zinfandel that Steve says is delicious. Bill credits the Russian River Valley cool climate and extra complexity from the "field blend." It is from the oldest part of the vineyard 78% Zinfandel, 10% Petit Syrah and 10% Alicante Bouchet, with the remaining 2% from a mix of other grapes. All their wines are "field blends" which means they grow the grapes together then they pick them together and press and ferment them together. Dan says some Zinfandels get "over-ripe and plummy" but that he likes the black raspberry component in this wine, which works with the other peppery aromatics in the blend. Bill thinks the pepper flavor comes from the Petit Syrah. Next they taste a Dolcetto, another Italian grape that is quite rare in California. It is grown in Piedmont (Piemonte) in north-west Italy.  Despite the name of the grape, it makes a dry wine. Dan says to decant it to give it lots of air. Bill says that most Dolcetto in Italy is not oaked or aged, as he does to it. He gives it 18 months in oak. Bill Nachbaur tells about visiting Piedmont and asking winemakers there if they used oak and they replied, "well, our grandfathers didn't do it," so they don't. (That is a prevailing attitude in Italy about a lot of food and wine practices. -cd).  Dan Berger tells that very little Dolcetto is grown in California because growers make so much from the familiar varieties that planting a less-well-known grape is too much of a risk. Dan says that Dolcetto has good acid and it works well in blends. It responds well to decanting, to highlight its dry character. Then they taste Medley, which is a combination of 60 varieties that they grow. There is a chart that lists all the varieties. It is a vineyard blend of 20% Zinfandel, 18% Cinsaut, 18% Syrah, 18% Muscats, 10% Dolcetto, 2% Petite Sirah, 2% Alicante Bouschet, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Sangiovese, and 10% other varieties. This is the 15th year of Medley, which they started making in 2000. Dan Berger believes that it should not rest for more than 3 or 4 years because its great complex fruit flavors will still be evident. Dan says that Medley could not be made this way in many other regions. For example, in Alexander Valley, the wine would be different. Trying to mix these varieties in the Alexander Valley do not yield such subtle flavors as do the Russian River Valley's cold temperatures, fog and marine influence. They are about a mile from the river and will have fog all morning for many days in the Summer, so they might pick a month later than they would in nearby Dry Creek. It's an example of how great reds can grow in Russian River Valley as well as the white varieties grow there.