Randall Grahm calls an end to the party

Bonny Doon’s Randall Grahm has called an end to a “crazy party” that has lasted 30 years.

Speaking on Monday at UK importer FMV’s offices, he talked of systematic sell-offs and a new project in a wild corner of California – which he first saw in a dream – to enhance his focus on authenticity.

“It has been an exercise in viticultural id,” he said of his work since 1982, when he planted his first Grenache vines in California’s Central Coast.

Since that time his portfolio has expanded to include a vast range of grape varieties, including Albariño, as well as products such as eau de vie and vin de glaciere, while Grahm has practised importing and consultation alongside winemaking.

“It’s not really been a commercial venture,” he admitted of his business. “It’s more like performance art; my critics might call it dilettantish”

“And while I realised that I was successful at moving laterally I was not moving as deeply as I wanted.”

Hence, in 2006, Grahm decided to “shed a lot of the impedimenta of Bonny Doon.”

This involved cancelling grape contracts and selling off successful brands such as Cardinal Zin and Big House Red.

Four years on and Grahm’s case production has dropped from 450,000 to just 22,000 cases from his core labels – the infamous Le Cigare Blanc and Le Cigare Volant.

Meanwhile, the sell-offs have funded the acquisition of a 35-hectare estate in San Juan Bautista, southeast of Santa Cruz in San Benito county.

The vineyard, which he says he saw in a dream, comes complete with its own lion.

“I dreamt about it before I saw it – so I saw it and then I saw it,” he explained. “There’s an energy about it and a lion that lives on the property, which is a bit freaky but I see it as a good sign.”

Grahm is planning to plant southern French grape varieties Grenache, Rousanne, Clairette, Picpoul and Bourboulenc, as well as Italian varietals Sagrantino and Lagrein. “Some part of me is yearning to plant Nebbiolo, but nobody wants to buy New World Nebbiolo,” he added.

Half a hectare will be planted this winter and a further 25ha in 2011.

Speaking further on the motivation for the project he commented, “Terroir is the most precious notion wine possesses.”

“And, looking in the mirror, nothing I was doing was congruent with what I was saying – was I on the road to making vin de terroir? No.”

To fully reflect the characteristics of the new site, Grahm’s vineyards will be dry-farmed and biodynamic.

“Of course biodynamic just means it’s biodynamic – not that it’s any good – but I esteem wines with minerality and life force and biodynamic seems a particularly good way to get there.”

The full story of his winemaking career and much more can be enjoyed in his book entitled Been Doon So Long, the 2010 Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year.

Patrick Schmitt, 10.06.2010