Wilder on Wine: A new breed of California winemakers

Nashville native Ryan Donnelly and his college buddy Lane Shackleton are the masterminds behind the new wine label Miracle One.

One of the cool things about working in a wine retail store is getting to meet a lot of winemakers. I've met men and women from all over the world, and it's amazing to think of how much work a winemaker must do in addition to simply making wine.

They almost seem analogous to musicians. A third to even half of their year can be spent on the road, promoting what their creativity, hard work and passion crafted in their "studio," or in the case of the winemaker, their vineyards and/or cellar. It's work that must be exhausting. But it's worth it — it really makes such a difference to taste a wine with the person who actually made it and can offer personal stories and detailed information about everything from the harvest to the story behind the wine's label design.

Last week I met an especially memorable winemaker. Ryan Donnelly is a native Nashvillian who now calls northern California home. His family is behind one of Nashville's wine and liquor wholesale houses, and after being given an opportunity to work the harvest in Australia, he was hooked on the production side of wine. Donnelly then came back to the States and worked at Cline and Stag's Leap Cellars in California while taking classes at University of California Davis (the Julliard of the wine world) and Napa Valley College.

Together with Lane Shackleton, a friend from his alma mater the University of the South, Donnelly has just released his first wine under his own Miracle One label, named after the first miracle Jesus performed (turning water into wine).

The two wines in the line up, a chardonnay and a pinot noir, are very impressive for a first vintage. Even more impressive is the fact that Donnelly is only 26. And Miracle One is truly a boutique endeavor — only 200 cases of each were made.

The 2008 chardonnay ($35, from the Sonoma County side of Carneros, a region that straddles the border between Napa and Sonoma) shows excellent balance. Yes, there's a hint of that signature California chard butter, but it knows its place in the mix, providing a creamy texture and giving interest, rather than dominating. Spicy pear and apple fruits round the palate out. The grapes are sourced from the acclaimed Sangiacomo Vineyard.

The 2008 pinot noir ($35, from the Napa side of Carneros) is similarly well-balanced, and unlike many California pinots these days, is actually 100 percent pinot noir; no syrah, merlot or cabernet are in there acting as steroids and creating monster-sized wine — a suprisingly common practice that is allowed in California (only 75 percent of the grapes need be the varietal listed on the label). It tastes varietally correct, which for me is incredibly important. Showing some lovely black pepper spice and dark cherry fruit, the body is light and ethereal — the way pinot noir should be (in my humble opinion, anyway).

Another great aspect of Donnelly and Shackleton's project is their mindfulness with regard to the environment. They donate 1 percent of their profits to environmental causes (through the 1% for the Planet foundation), use wine production facilities certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers, seal their bottles with Forest Stewardship Council approved corks, and more. Among their inspirations is a quote from David Brower: "There is no business to be done on a dead planet." Amen to that!

It is so refreshing to see young winemakers creating wines that aren't trying to be huge, overblown blockbusters but instead are honest reflections of the earth. At the same time, they are models of refined subtlety and balance. Over the last several years, I have found myself buying fewer and fewer California wines. But if Miracle One is any indication of a new wind blowing through California's wine country, I will be happy to jump back on the Sunshine State bandwagon, especially when it involves supporting worthy ventures like Miracle One.

For more info, check out http://www.miracleonewines.com/