We were spending a day tasting wine in the town of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. We often take a day away from driving through vineyards to take advantage of the tasting rooms (and restaurants) in town. As we walked along Healdsburg Avenue, the main drag there, we spied an awning advertising the names Ehret and Lurton, obviously a tasting room for two labels just below.
Ehret meant nothing to us, but Lurton did (well, might have). G&C Lurton makes some classified wines, specifically Dufort-Vivens, a second growth Margaux and Haut-Bages Liberal, a fifth growth from Pauillac. Were they actually offering tastes of these notable wines in the heart of California viniculture? Indeed they do…and more.
The explanation begins back in France. Gonzague Lurton (the G in G&C) decided to make American wine that would represent a combination of California terroir and Bordelais winemaking skill. He purchased land in Chalk Hill, just south of Healdsburg, and planted Bordeaux grapes there and called his vineyard Acaibo. He then decided to open a tasting room featuring his wines from both his growing locations. Tastings are also available at the vineyard, but we haven’t taken advantage of this.
Gonzague and his wife Claire (who also has a long history in winemaking) induced their nephew, Jean-Joseph Cogombles to work in the tasting room. Thus it came to pass that we were served both Bordeaux and Sonoma wines by a family member. Jean-Joseph is a young man who is surely destined for a life in wine; we found his wine knowledge to be at the sommelier level.
The tasting room is spacious, with tables scattered around it. There is also a bar at the back, and that is where we sat on a slow day (we were the only tasters present) and enjoyed the wines Jean-Jospeh served. Frankly, we preferred the French wines more, but it wasn’t a fair competition. Top tier Bordeaux is going to have an advantage over relatively newly planted American vines.
But the contrast was worth exploring. The Acaibo wine we tried was lush and aggressively forward, as befits a California Bordeaux blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot). Let’s say simply that it has potential. Interestingly, the name Acaibo is a term in the local Native American language for three waters, mirroring the three grapes.
A visit to G&C Lurton in Healdsburg is not a typical Sonoma County tasting experience. We got to use our French, though Jean-Jospeh speaks clear if accented English. The opportunity to compare a famed winemaker’s products from two distant parts of Wine Country side by side is unique. We would certainly return on another trip to Healdsburg.
Oh, and about Ehret. They’re a Knights Valley winery with a bar of their own at right angles to Lurton’s. We never got to taste their wines but may on another occasion.