VINO

My favorite wine tastings are those at which the winemakers themselves pour and talk about their wines. After all, who knows a wine better than its creator?

It occurred to me that readers who can't get out to every tasting around town — and there are a lot of them all year 'round in Southwest Florida — might like to hear what visiting winemakers have to say, too. This is the first in a series of occasional columns based on conversations with winemakers.

Jake Hawkes of Hawkes Winery in Sonoma County recently presided over a tasting at The Wine Merchant in Naples. Mr. Hawkes and his father, Stephen, started making wine six years ago. Their wines are available at The Wine Merchant in Naples and Austin's Wine Cellar in Fort Myers.

Q: After more than three decades as growers, why did you decide to start making wine?

A: Growing grapes is an anonymous profession. When we sell our grapes to large producers, no one knows about our wine. We've sold grapes to many top wineries in California. For example, Silver Oak has bought from us through the years. When you look on their label, you do not see any growers listed. We admire these wines but like self-determination. We started to produce our own label because we want people to experience what small farm wineries can make

JIM MCCRACKEN / FLORIDA WEEKLY Jake Hawkes and Bill Klauber of Naples at The Wine Merchant Q: How would you describe your winemaking style?

A: It's non-interventionist. We respect the characteristics of a particular vintage without trying to manipulate the result into something it is not. The real work of winemaking is done in the vineyards. Problems can occur when the winemaker tries to "fix" the grapes at the winery to make a particular style of wine. We make sure the grapes are picked at their optimum ripeness for making the best wine. We want our winery to show what we do as growers. We want the character of the vineyard to be expressed in the wines. Wineries that produce 100,000 cases or more need to buy a lot of grapes from different growers, and blend them all together.

Q: What can you tell me about your vineyards and growing operation?

A: Our original business name was Chalk Hill Vineyards. We started in 1971 on Chalk Hill Road. We sell 90 percent of our grapes to other wineries. This is good for cash flow and allows us to keep our operations open without

having to rush wines to an early release date. We have three vineyards, comprising 80 acres. We use about 8 acres worth for our own wines. This way we can have the best grapes reserved for our own label. We currently produce 2,500 to 3,000 cases a year.

Q: What challenges lie ahead, not only for Hawkes Winery, but California wines in general?

A: Our challenge is to make our wines distinctive. I want people to understand that our corner of the world is unique, and our wines are unique as well. That is why we stay away from the overripe style and from new oak as well. California wineries should make very good value-priced wines, but they don't do a good job of that. These wines tend to be a little sweet. The best dry, value-priced wines right now are being made in other countries. The challenge ahead for our industry is to recapture that part of the market.

Wine picks of the week

>>Hawkes Chardonnay '06, about $25. "Our chardonnay is crisp and flinty, with a clean citrus finish," says Mr. Hawkes. "It is more like a French Sancerre than a California chardonnay in taste. I think this wine is perfect for Florida." I like this wine a lot. Fragrance and flavors have tropical fruits and apple, with a little spice to it. It is refreshing and has no residual sugar.

>>Hawkes Merlot '04, about $38. "This wine comes from our Red Winery Road vineyard, in the foothills of the Mayacamas," Mr. Hawkes says. "If you're looking for a soft counterpart to cabernet sauvignon, this is not it. It has nice open fruit and a good acid balance." This wine does have great fruit; the strawberry, cherry and spice flavors are nicely balanced by the tannins and acid. >>Hawkes Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley '04, about $48. "We blended this from the Red Winery Road vineyard and the Pyramid vineyard," Mr. Hawkes says. "It is elegant and balanced, with beautiful dark fruit, smoke and leather." Complex nose, with flavors of cherry and plum and a lingering finish. Rated 92 by Wine Enthusiast.

>>Cabernet Sauvignon Pyramid Vineyard '05, about $69. "Definitely a long-lasting wine; there is good acidity and balance," he says. "This wine is showy and huge, an elegant dark powerhouse." This wine shows cherries, blackberries and plums on the nose and palate and has a deep, long finish.