Sea Smoke declares own vineyards “Grand Cru” on the label
New for the 2009 vintage: Sea Smoke of Santa Barbara is putting “California Grand Cru” on the label.
The term is pure marketing. Needless to say, there is no codified “cru” system of California. However, the term does not fall afoul of the protected terms negotiated in the EU-US accord on place names. The labels previously read “Santa Barbara County California.”
After eyeing it for some time, Bob Davids acquired an apparently gorgeous, 350-acre parcel in the Santa Rita Hills in 1999 for his label Sea Smoke. According to North American Pinot Noir, it was previously a bean field. He immediately developed about 100 acres into vineyards; the first vintage was 2001. The winery produces four pinot noirs and two chardonnays; all bear the term “California Grand Cru” for the 2009 vintage.
Queried about their decision to use their term, Director of Winemaking Victor Gallegos pointed me to this Wine Spectator article ($) in which James Laube called Sea Smoke “an important part of Santa Barbara’s wine scene and one of its ‘grand cru’ properties.”
On October 17th, 2011 at 9:41 am ,Joe wrote:
Good wines, but this holds about as much weight as Taco Bell’s “Pacific Shrimp Tacos”.
On October 17th, 2011 at 9:48 am ,Mark wrote:
What were they sea smokin’?
On October 17th, 2011 at 9:50 am ,The Sediment blog wrote:
What is it with Californians?
These are the same people who label a Sonoma County wine as claret – the “St Francis Claret” here: http://store.stfranciswinery.com/index.cfm?method=storeproducts.showdrilldown&isQuickInfo=0&productID=86c1ee25-094d-cdac-eb1d-d889d6ad1773
Or has California moved to Bordeaux?
On October 17th, 2011 at 10:00 am ,Phermented1 wrote:
But James Laube says so…JAMES LAUBE Bitches!!!
On October 17th, 2011 at 10:34 am ,jbh wrote:
This is hilarious and I think Sea Smoke is going to end up regretting it bigtime.
For once, I would support the French suing internationally to protect one of their labeling terms.
On October 17th, 2011 at 10:35 am ,Rachel wrote:
Stupid, Silly, LAME! I want some of what they are “Smokin”
On October 17th, 2011 at 10:46 am ,Wino wrote:
I agree with all the comments.. Lame and stupid. I hope it comes back to get them and also hope this does not start something with other wines doing this too.
On October 17th, 2011 at 10:48 am ,Ed Thralls wrote:
I didn’t think a brand as prominent as Sea Smoke needed such smoke & mirrors? Wine drinkers who understand what Grand Cru are probably not swayed by this (in purchase behavior) and neither would those who don’t because they don’t know… confused by this move.
On October 17th, 2011 at 10:52 am ,gdfo wrote:
I can understand wanting to capitalize on what Laube said, but seeing as there is no Cru in California it is too obvious a ploy. They would have been better served it they put out POS with Laubes quote on it along with whatever points the wine has earned in a tasting.
Personally, I think it is stupid, and misleading and bad marketing.
On October 17th, 2011 at 12:19 pm ,SUAMW wrote:
oi vey
On October 17th, 2011 at 12:33 pm ,Ed wrote:
How about Wrecking Cru? The wines, at best, are mediocre.
On October 17th, 2011 at 12:41 pm ,raley roger wrote:
The arrogance of their pronouncement, based upon a compliment of just one wine critic, is so sycophantic and misdirected that, in my opinion, they just set that brand back about a decade.
On October 17th, 2011 at 1:10 pm ,Robin C wrote:
Their timing is good as France may be too busy with Domaine Olivier Cousin (DOC) to sue Sea Smoke.
On October 17th, 2011 at 2:09 pm ,David Vergari wrote:
Hmmm…it seems to be pretentious and misplaced. Why use a French term on a New World wine label?
On October 17th, 2011 at 2:17 pm ,Ray Walker wrote:
Where to begin, where to begin?
Well, someone had to be first to jump into the pool I guess.
Confused in Burgundy
On October 17th, 2011 at 3:15 pm ,Dave Erickson wrote:
So. James Laube = INAO.
LMAO!
On October 17th, 2011 at 3:33 pm ,David Vergari wrote:
Okay, I’ll admit that I’m not the hippest cat in town (which is a good thing…less pressure trying to keep up!), but do enlighten me: what does “INAO” mean?
On October 17th, 2011 at 3:43 pm ,Jacques wrote:
You Americans are fast! From bean field to grand cru in 11 years…
And so small at 141 hectares. Maybe there is some premier cru in there too?
On October 17th, 2011 at 3:44 pm ,andrew holod wrote:
INAO are the initals for the French organization that manages AOC rules for Appellation controlled wines.
Does anyone suppose that we will also see new “Grand Cru” level pricing increases this vintage as well?
On October 17th, 2011 at 4:01 pm ,SDR wrote:
Tres pretentious… Where was their marketing firm to talk them out of this foolishness?
On October 17th, 2011 at 5:31 pm ,Wino wrote:
What is it, indeed, with the pretentiousness of too many California producers? Some rich asshole finds some piece of perhaps good land and five or six years out thinks that his wines should be compared to those of Christophe Roumier or Dominique Lafon. No wonder the rest of the wine world laughs behind their backs. Grow the hell up, already.
On October 17th, 2011 at 5:33 pm ,PCC wrote:
Well this sure did get everyone’s attention. Good press vs. bad press = you’re still talking about it!!!
Snap.
On October 17th, 2011 at 5:38 pm ,Wino wrote:
@PCC: Yeah, and people talk a lot about about Stalin and John Wayne Gacy. What’s your point?
On October 17th, 2011 at 6:30 pm ,raley roger wrote:
The days of good press/bad press being a good thing, just as long as one gets press, went by the wayside circa the BP oil spill, etc. Now, it’s quite possibly that when a company receives bad press, it’s just that: BAD.
Consumers are getting smart, folks.
On October 17th, 2011 at 6:41 pm ,Damien wrote:
Am I the only one that get’s this joke? It’s a Halloween costume, people. They are just dressing their wine up as a “Grand Cru”. Or maybe it’s a late April Fools Joke.
On October 17th, 2011 at 6:49 pm ,Sean wrote:
I’m looking forward to their upcoming California Bordeaux.
On October 17th, 2011 at 6:53 pm ,Donn Rutkoff wrote:
Maybe some 300 ha producer in the Languedoc should label his wine as See Smoke or Sea Smoke (East cru) and use the same shape bottle. To quote someone famous “What fools these mortals be”. What was that guys name? Hm. Not sure what he was referring to but I think it was winery marketing guys or rich winery owners.
Can’t wait for someone here to label a wine as Chinon and put Jay Leno’s face on the bottle.
On October 17th, 2011 at 7:10 pm ,Chris Miller wrote:
The whole thing with Grand Cru designation is so… hmm… convoluted that I don’t think blanket statements on this are the way to go. I don’t believe that I would label my wine that way if I were to make wine and one at that level. I am fairly sure that the Foxen team don’t use that designation on their Sea Smoke Pinot Noir. Though given their relationship to it, I’m sure they’d be proud to see the term on somebody Sea Smokes label.
Grand Cru, Premier Cru…even the INAO and producers in Loire, Burgundy, Alsace, Bordeaux aren’t clear on the use, see Trimbach Clos Ste Hune for an example, Grand Cru wine, Grand Cru never used on label or in marketing of that great wine.
On October 17th, 2011 at 7:11 pm ,Jack Bulkin wrote:
Some funny comments. I guess Davis calling Sea Smoke a Grand Cru is as appropriate as Robert Parker maintaining that he follows his written code of ethics.
One can call themself anything they can lawfully choose, but reality may call for a smidge different moniker.
On October 17th, 2011 at 7:37 pm ,cecil hanson wrote:
I will be removing myself and 3 others from their mailing list. The wine is consistent and gets a B+ to a A- so it’s not because of the wine obviously. I don’t want to contribute to the financial success of some european wantabe. There is no place for wine snobs and certainly no place for winery acting like snobs in this new world. Best they keep quiet about it and have people think your snobs rather than shout it out and remove all doubt. Their going up in smoke fast!
On October 17th, 2011 at 8:05 pm ,Marlene Rossman wrote:
I have not ordered from them for the past two vintages. The wine is good but totally overhyped. Somehow it got a cult following. In fact, a perspective employer once told my husband that if he came to work for him, he proudly and loudly said that he would give him a bottle of Sea Smoke! What the guy did not know, is that I already had a batch in my cellar and I was underwhelmed.
Maybe I shoulda tried to sell some of my bottles to the blowhard!
On October 18th, 2011 at 3:11 am ,from the sublime to the ridiculous… wrote:
[…] you choose – here or here… […]
On October 18th, 2011 at 7:56 am ,Bill Klapp wrote:
I thought that the mantra out there was “please don’t compare us to Burgundy”, as best espoused on the wine boards by Adam Lee of Siduri. While I will, of course, continue to compare domestic Pinot to Bungundy (and find it wanting), Adam’s point at least makes sense from a marketing perspective. This move by Sea Smoke is, alas, a shameless American exhibition of Pinot envy. Andre Cold Duck has as strong a claim to grand cru status…
On October 18th, 2011 at 8:04 am ,Terroirist » Daily Wine News: Cali Grand Cru wrote:
[…] Colman (aka Dr. Vino) reports that Sea Smoke — located in the western end of Santa Barbara’s Santa Rita Hills — […]
On October 18th, 2011 at 8:26 am ,George Wroblewski wrote:
Gran Cru from California – don’t be silly!
On October 18th, 2011 at 9:30 am ,Bob Levering wrote:
You can clump the idiots at Sea Smoke with the idiots at Marcassin now.
On October 18th, 2011 at 9:33 am ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Thanks for the comments. The discussion here has sparked a parallel thread over on wineberserkers.
There, some wonder if it will attract more newbies to the wine who don’t realize that the term is meaningless. Meanwhile, the wine enthusiasts who know better may not have been buying the wine anyway. What do you think about that?
They also have started a discussion of which sites would be grand cru for pinot noir in California. An interesting discussion to be sure, but one that included all domestic pinot sites, including Oregon, would be even better.
And then there’s this view from Rhys Vineyards, which tweeted yesterday: “Tasted some wine today that reinforced my belief that many of CAs best Pinot terroirs are still undiscovered. Can explain more in time…”
On October 18th, 2011 at 9:44 am ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Also, they found this label from Bronco Wine Co (maker of Two Buck Chuck, among other wines):
On October 18th, 2011 at 10:24 am ,Jack Korpi wrote:
California will produce great wine when its growers start making wines that are true expressions of the California land that produce them, and not emulations of something made in France or Italy. Trying to gain credibility with names like claret, meritage, rhone blends, and now grand cru, only invites comparison to the real thing, which is usually better!
On October 18th, 2011 at 11:55 am ,Wino wrote:
Considering the massive chip that Adam Lee carries around on his shoulder I’d discount any comments that he has on this subject.
On October 18th, 2011 at 12:27 pm ,David Vergari wrote:
Thank you, Mr. Holod! Now I recall what it means. I’ll have to play the “…it’s the harvest and I’m knackered Card.”!!!
On October 18th, 2011 at 12:32 pm ,David Vergari wrote:
Mr. Wino, please take a deep, cleansing breath. I mean, damn!
On October 18th, 2011 at 2:32 pm ,BKWine Brief nummer 99, oktober 2011 | BKWine Magazine wrote:
[…] […]
On October 18th, 2011 at 4:05 pm ,Mike G wrote:
Dear Doc V,
Smoking Loon is to Sea Smoke as Sea Smoke is to Grand Cru.
Surprisingly, some youthful Grand Cru White Bugrundies I have tasted were big with oak and full with sweet fruit flavors as is often the case with many of the higher end California Chardonnay offerings. I recall the first time I tasted Sea Smoke Chardonnay alongside a bottle of Vincent Girardin Grand Cru. They both started out as fine examples of Chardonnay and served to highlight general differences that may be present between ultra-premium old and new world styles. On one hand, a powerful, smoky demonstration of what is possible in CA with big fruit extraction and vintification. On the other hand, a refined example of a rich textured wine produced with restraint and offering purity of varietal expression. Indeed, both wines were delicious and had different food implications. However, we were surprised when we went back four hours later and revisited these previously opened, unrefrigerated wines. The Vincent Girardin Grand Cru offering was exactly as it had previously tasted, but we were surprised to find the structure of the Sea Smoke Chardonnay did more than open up it fell apart like “Sea Smoke”.
On October 19th, 2011 at 12:33 am ,Tish wrote:
This represents possibly the lamest marketing move by a high-end California artisanal producer that I have ever seen. Tapping a term that is inherently French and earnestly regulated for a U.S. wine… just because a single wine critic used the term when praising the winery? Really? It is a huge step backwards. I think sommeliers are going to reject the concept, avoiding the awkward position of having to explain/defend it.
On October 19th, 2011 at 1:21 am ,John roberts wrote:
I think they are ridiculous. I won’t buy it.
On October 19th, 2011 at 4:08 pm ,Does California Need Grand Cru Wines? | Mike Steinberger's Wine Diarist wrote:
[…] Vino unearthed a terrific nugget the other day: Sea Smoke Cellars, which is located in Santa Barbara County, has put the words […]
On October 20th, 2011 at 9:23 pm ,Doug Lynch wrote:
Something about the sound of “sea smoke” doesn’t work for me in the first place- like a seaweed flavored cigar. Yuck. But they do apparently know how to blow smoke. What do you expect from the state that gave us Disneyland and Hollywood?
On October 21st, 2011 at 8:03 am ,Terroirist » Daily Wine News: The Future of Wine wrote:
[…] response to the news that Sea Smoke has decided to put “California Grand Cru†on its labels for its 2009 […]
On October 21st, 2011 at 11:55 pm ,Anchor Flanchion wrote:
I put big dick on my label:
Maritime Smog
South Bay
Appelation LA Cty
California Big Dick
1.5L 17.2% alc/vol
Grand Cru Marine Layer only 14.5% alcohol they are old time vagasil.
On October 21st, 2011 at 11:57 pm ,Jack Bulkin wrote:
Let me guess Anchor, you have consummed a mag of that 17.2 yourself tonight eh?
On October 22nd, 2011 at 1:26 am ,Mike G wrote:
Anchor Steam – strikes me as the confident beer drinking type. Mr. Bulkin my guess is he has been drinking Bud Lite and at least the better part of a 12 pack. This was no doubt followed ever more confidently by some Belgin Strong Pale Ale 7.20% ALC. and certainly the brand was Flying Fish-Grand Cru Winter Reserve.
On October 24th, 2011 at 12:09 pm ,Randy Caparoso wrote:
Seems to me the smart thing to do is simply ignore this “issue” — but geez, you wine geeks can get so bent out of shape over inconsequential issues. Bottom line, there’s nothing that says they can’t put “Grand Cru” on their label, same as any winery who wishes to plop “Proprietor’s Reserve” on their two-buck-chuck level red. Power to the people… which means, you buy it if you like it, and don’t if you don’t…
On October 25th, 2011 at 12:29 pm ,BKWine Brief nr 99, October 2011 | BKWine Magazine wrote:
[…] […]
On October 28th, 2011 at 6:03 pm ,Is There Truth in Your Advertising? | Cornucopia Creations wrote:
[…] bloggosphere was all a-twitter (per se) over Sea Smoke’s new wine label, purporting its wine a “California Grand Cru.†The outrage swelled over at Tom Wark’s Fermentationblog in the comments section, where many […]
On November 10th, 2011 at 2:11 am ,Are wine blogs going tabloid? | STEVE HEIMOFF| WINE BLOG wrote:
[…] This screechy pattern of exposés is getting so frequent, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a headline like CULT WINEMAKER LINKED TO SECRET LOVE CHILD or FAMOUS WINE ACTUALLY MADE BY SPACE ALIENS! One current example is the brouhaha stirred up when Sea Smoke put the words “grand cru†on their label, as reported by Dr. Vino. […]
On January 9th, 2012 at 11:49 pm ,Briana wrote:
Sea Smoke is delicious. I’ve had some when I’ve visited SB for a wine tasting event and I had a great time! I tried some other pinots as well and they were also just as delicious. Cannot wait to to back and enjoy some more. Hopefully take home a bottle or two. Glad my favorite hotel is really close by the vineyards-South Coast Inn (www.goleta-hotel.com). The most elegant place to stay when wine tasting in Santa Barbara!
On June 11th, 2012 at 2:02 pm ,Terroirist: A Daily Wine Blog » When Pinot Growers Go Bubbly wrote:
[…] a nice sparkling wine.†Those raw materials come from Sea Smoke’s estate vineyard, which is a self-declared “grand cru†consisting of about 100 acres of south-facing hillside land ranging from 300 to 700 feet in […]
On October 1st, 2012 at 9:49 pm ,Defining Audacious in the California Wine Industry - Fermentation wrote:
[…] reported by Dr. Vino, California’s Sea Smoke Cellars out of Santa Rita Hills has placed the following wording on […]