Wine Talk by Robert Whitley

So you want to go into the wine business? Well, there are strange ways to do it, and there are really, really strange ways to do it. Craig Haserot of Sonoma's Sojourn Cellars can lay claim to one of the more bizarre paths into the world or producing fine wine.

"After 9/11, high-tech went into the dumper," the former software salesman told me recently. "I had a house in Sonoma that was originally a weekend getaway. I looked around and said, 'What am I gonna do now? Heck, I'm gonna hang out in Sonoma and make some wine."

Generally that's easier said than done, or Sonoma and the surrounding environs would be overpopulated with winemakers and vintners. To be successful, a would-be vintner needs a good grape source, a competent winemaker and a place to lay down barrels. Haserot met his winemaker, Erich Bradley, on the tennis court.

They became friends, then business partners, and the rest is quickly becoming history. Sojourn, which specializes in pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon, is one of the hottest new California brands on the horizon.

The pinots are simply stunning. Haserot, who is responsible for the sales side of the business, is meeting very little resistance. For one thing, Sojourn's most basic pinot noir, the 2007 Sonoma Coast, may well be the world's best bang for the pinot noir buck at $36. The three vineyard-designate pinots I sampled — 2007 Sangiacomo Sonoma Coast, 2007 Gap's Crown Sonoma Coast, and 2007 Demuth Anderson Valley — carry a heftier price tag at $48 each, but even at the more elevated tariff the Sojourn wines are attractively priced for pinot lovers.

"We're part of this new breed of winemaking," Haserot enthused. "You create a virtual winery, buying grapes and making the wine at a custom crush facility where all we do is pay rent."

Of course, there's a bit more to it than that. Having outstanding vineyard sources accounts for much of Sojourn's success, and the two partners are clever enough to pay close attention to what's going on with the vines.

"We sort the heck out of the grapes when they come in," Haserot said. "And where we used to spend a lot of time in the winery, we now spend more time in the vineyard. If you want to make great wine, you need killer fruit."

The winery also has developed a hip new tasting room concept just off the square in the town of Sonoma.

"We have a salon tasting room and visits are by appointment only," Haserot said.

"As many as 12 people can come in and sit down on comfortable couches and taste our wines out of Riedel crystal. We're like, 'Come to our house and taste our wine. If you want to buy some, that's great. If not, that's OK, too. Relax and enjoy yourself.'"

For more information or to arrange a visit, visit the Sojourn website at www.sojourcellars.com.

The wines:

Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value.

Sojourn Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($36) — The least expensive of the Sojourn pinots is its signature wine. The Sonoma Coast delivers bright aromas of red cherry fruit and spice, with firm acidity and a lovely balance between fruit, acid and alcohol. There is an earthy note, and a touch of minerality. Tannins are supple and smooth, and there is nary a trace of the bitter stemminess that afflicts many cool-climate Pinots, especially from new producers out to impress with their ability to extract every ounce of Burgundian nuance from the pinot noir grape. Rating: 93.

Sojourn Cellars 2007 Gap's Crown Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($48) — This vineyard is from an area known as the Petaluma Gap. The weather is very cool and the grapes ripen slowly, testing the patience of the winemaker as the season grows long and the days grow short. This is a deep, brooding pinot that is long in the mouth, powerful and remarkably complex, showing layers of red and black fruits, with background notes of spice and sweet oak. It is firmly structured, well balanced and a tremendous candidate for laying down in the cellar. Rating: 95.

Sojourn Cellars 2007 Sangiacomo Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($48) — Perhaps the most Burgundian of all the Sojourn Pinots, the Sangiacomo Sonoma Coast (I make this distinction because there is the iconic Sangiacomo Carneros vineyard as well) is silky smooth, ripe and powerful without losing its freshness or elegance. The Sangiacomo exhibits succulent black cherry fruit and a supple mouthfeel, with exceptional weight and length on the palate, and a lingering finish. Everything is in balance, harmonious and delicious. Rating: 96.

Sojourn Cellars 2007 Demuth Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley ($48) — This is the sexiest of the Sojourn pinots I tasted, with richly layered red fruits and black fruits, a core essence of earthiness and minerality, firm acidity and beautifully integrated tannins. Tightly structured and dense at this stage, of the Sojourn pinots I tasted this is the one most in need of additional cellaring to reveal all of its considerable charm. Rating: 96.

To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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