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March 21, 2008
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2008-03-21
Winemaker Profile: Loxton Cellars
CHRIS LOXTON
Chris LoxtonGood on You, Mate!
Australia’s Loss is California’s Gain
by Nan Reiley
Sonoma Valley, the incubator for many of California’s famous wineries, has just given a home to another exceptionally promising wine enterprise, Loxton Cellars. Owner and Winemaker Chris Loxton is a native of Australia, so Chris always knew a great deal about wine – enough to know that he wanted to study winemaking in Adelaide.
First, though, he wanted to come to the United States for a year and make use of his doctoral degree in physics in an academic setting. Ten years passed, many of them spent at the University of Illinois as faculty director of a physics research laboratory. But winemaking continued to sing its siren song to Chris, and he left academia to pursue his passion for wine, studying at UC Davis and then interning at California harvests for two Sonoma County wineries, Quivira in 1992 and 1993 (and because the harvest season is reversed down under, he was also able to work the harvest at St. Hallett Winery in Barossa, Australia in 1993) and Sonoma-Cutrer in 1994.
In 1995 Chris joined Sonoma Valley winemaker Peter Wellington at Wellington Vineyards as Assistant Winemaker. He founded Loxton Cellars in 1996 and in the summer of 2001, he struck out on his own to make it a full-time business. Chris, a fit and affable 40-something, describes himself as a “true garagiste,” because his tiny winery actually occupies a former garage. Today, it is stocked with wine barrels, a small tasting bar and always, Chris himself, who either executes or oversees every single activity of the winemaking process.
“I don’t own any vineyard property,” he says, “but I work closely with the growers who help make sure that every element affecting the grapes is just the way I need it to be. I’m a real maniac about supervising the vines during the growing season because uniformity in the vineyard is essential. You can’t have uneven ripening, for instance; that would destroy the whole purpose of making great wine.”
Naturally, with a wealth of knowledge about Syrah gained from his Australian experiences, Chris started by focusing on this grape variety. (The Aussie “Shiraz” is just another name for Syrah, and usually implies a certain style of wine – big, rich and jammy.) He soon found that the neighboring vineyards of Sonoma Valley produced great Zinfandel and so he has expanded his portfolio to include it, as well as a delicious Chardonnay and Syrah-based Port.
“I don’t chase wine trends and fads,” says Chris. “A lot of wine today, especially Zinfandel, is very high in alcohol, very intense, very big. But I want to get body and flavor without overpowering the wine with new oak or having alcohol levels go through the roof. If I keep to my own course and my own style, I won’t be confusing the consumer when wine trends change again, which they will.”
Chris’ wines bear testimony to his devotion to them. Most of his grapes are fermented with native yeasts. He uses open-top fermenters and French oak barrels, and he performs every step of the winemaking process himself. Which is why when you visit Loxton Cellars, you are almost certainly going to find him in residence.
And what better way to taste the wines than to hear about them from Chris himself? His 2004 Syrah is the flagship wine right now, aged in French oak barrels for 20 months and bottle-aged for an additional 16 months before its release. It’s a bright, intense, fruit-driven wine, with full body and a smooth finish. ($26) Its companion, the 2005 Shiraz, saw 11 months in oak barrels. It has a candied fruit aroma, and sweet, jammy black berry flavors. ($17)
Chris also has an outstanding 2005 Hillside Zinfandel, rated as runner up for the best Zinfandel at the annual ZAP Festival in San Francisco by one wine writer. A delicate floral aroma of lilac and violet becomes in the mouth a huge wine, with cassis and other dark fruit flavors, peppery notes and a silky mouthfeel. ($25) And don’t miss out on the excellent Port; it has a distinctive chocolate aroma and is rich and sweet and satisfying. It’s a perfect dessert wine with some decadent bittersweet chocolate cake or mousse. ($26) By the way, almost all of Chris’ wines are sold directly from the winery, so if you can’t visit, why not join the Boomerang Wine Club, which offers a 20 percent discount on all wines.
A visit to Sonoma’s Valley of the Moon is always enjoyable. It will be even more so if you stop to see Chris and taste his wines. The unassuming facility is set amidst meadows and old oak trees, with a magnificent view of Sugarloaf Mountain. You'll see bird boxes around the vineyard to encourage control of insect pests. No pesticides or herbicides at Loxton Cellars! And when you’re standing at the tasting bar admiring the view outside the window, you just might see a bluebird sitting on the sill, peering in at you inquisitively. Is it the blue bird of happiness? Here at Loxton Cellars, it very well may be.
Loxton Cellars is located just north of the town of Glen Ellen, off Highway 12 at 11466 Dunbar Road. The winery website gives excellent directions, www.loxtonwines.com or call (707) 935-7221.
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