In Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California (9) Joseph Swan with Rod Berglund

Website: https://www.swanwinery.com/

Rod Berglund is one of the most respected winemakers in the Russian River Valley, and for the last 37 years he’s been the custodian of Joseph Swan, which under his stewardship has become one of the iconic wineries in Sonoma. These are wines that march to a different drum: made in an ageworthy style and many of them released with a few years bottle age on them. It was great to meet with Rod and his assistant Cody Sapieka to taste through their range, and even dip a little into the archive of older wines. We would have tasted outdoors, but it was a scorching Sonoma afternoon with temperatures over 100 F, so we tasted in the air-conditioned winery.

Rod Berglund, affectionately referred to as the Rodfather

‘Joseph Swan was an airline pilot,’ says Rod. ‘It was his third career. He was an artist early on and he was paid by the government to create art during the depression, when they were paying people stipends. Then he taught flying in the army air corps during WW2, and then he became an airline pilot.’

‘He was intensely interested in wine, and in the 1940s went to UC Davis to get some advice on how to make wine. He met someone there called Maynard Monahan, and he went to work for André Tchelistcheff in the vineyards. Maynard introduced him to Joe, and they became friends so he was pretty well connected.’

‘He was looking for a place and nothing worked out, and then one day he stumbled across this place and ended up buying it. It was 13 acres with a two storey house and a cellar.’ This was in 1967, and it was planted to Zinfandel.

‘There were fruit trees and some pasture land, and the remains of an old vineyard from the 1880s. He paid $43 000, and all the neighbours were mad because he’d just driven up the property values and all the taxes would go up. He made one wine from the vineyard: a 1968 Zinfandel, which unfortunately we are now down to our last bottle or two in the cellar.’

‘At one of Jasper Morris’ parties Becky [Wasserman] came over to say hello and I bought a bottle of the 1968 zin and gave it to her – she and Joe were really good friends – she looked at me and burst into tears, and ran away. Then I saw her later, and said, Becky is it something I said?  She said no I just didn’t want anyone to see because then I’d have to open it. It was one of the best wines I had in my life, a legendary wine.’

How did Rod get into wine? ‘In 1979 some friends and I started a little winery in Petaluma called La Crema Vinera (later La Crema). I was there for a while. I did a couple of other projects along the way. Then in 1987 Joe needed some help. He was making more wine and he had become my father in law the year before. My mother-in-law came to me and said Joe has no help this year, and he has more grapes, and he desperately needs help. I was making wine at night, because you couldn’t touch your wine in a custom crush facility at that time. So the night crew would allow me to come in because the day crew wasn’t doing what they said they were doing, and it was the only way to preserve the wines.’

In the winter of 1987, Joe became ill with cancer, and made just one trip up to the winery in the 1988 vintage, and then died in January 1989. ‘That was it: I’ve been here since,’ says Rod. ‘He was an inspiration: Ravenswood started here. Dehlinger started here. A lot of people came through here.’

What about the Swan clone of Pinot Noir? When Joseph started he went to the UC Davis experimental research station at Oakville with André Tchelistcheff to look at Pinot Noir. Andre had told him he needed to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This was in 1968. One clone stood out, which had come from the Matin Ray Liberty vineyard. The story was that three vines had been flagged there as very interesting. These were watched for three years, and then a selection was made and brought back to Oakville to the research vineyard. A row was planted for evaluation. ‘Joe and André looked at this and thought it looked like Grand Cru Burgundy, Pinot Fin. They managed to get cuttings, and at that time other people weren’t interested in Pinot Noir, especially in low production clones, and the row was ripped out.’

The home vineyard

Joe planted this Pinot Noir on his vineyard, but didn’t call it anything. Francis Mahoney was planting a Pinot Noir evaluation block in conjunction with UC Davis. ‘They made wines separately from all these selections, and he labelled the row of Joe’s as Swan clone. People saw this, and it’s where the name came from. In the trial, it made the best wines in terms of quality but was last place for size of crop load and cluster. At that time, if you didn’t get a crop, people wouldn’t grow grapes. People didn’t believe Pinot Noir could grow well in California so there was no real incentive to look at good selections. But that’s where the name came from and now it’s everywhere.’

‘There’s a cleaned-up virus-free version now available, Clone 97. But winemakers who I’ve talked to who have used both heritage and that say they have a clear preference for the heritage. Maybe this is because it’s not a true clone; it probably came from more than one vine, so there’s some variability that might build in some complexity. Or maybe it is the process of cleaning them up.’

‘When Zinfandel was cleaned up, the local viticulture instructor called it UC Davis basketball clone: it had giant clusters and giant berries. He loved old vine Zinfandel, and said the only thing this is useful for is white Zinfandel.’

Joseph Swan buys a lot of grapes. The estate fruit is only Pinot Noir, Syrah, some of the original Chardonnay planting and a tiny bit of the original Cabernet planting. The home vineyard is about 85% Pinot Noir. Estate fruit is around 30% of production.

The winery

What has changed? ‘In the old days people were paid by the sugar in the grapes,’ says Rod. ‘There was a sugar range, and you got bonuses or penalties if you were outside of that. And you almost never saw a winemaker in the vineyard. Joe was one of the few who was out in the vineyard.’

‘There have been lots of changes and a lot of them are good. When I first started making wine, I remember a couple of people who were well educated and forward thinking, and said that I was the most innovative winemaker they had seen. I figured, if you are not trying new things you aren’t going to learn anything. If you always do stuff by recipe you won’t learn and you probably won’t make the best wines you can. That is more the norm now. Everyone does lots of stuff and we all learn from each other.’

‘50% of the people thought I was a mad genius, the other 50% of people thought I was plain mad. There was zero middle ground.’

THE WINES

Joseph Swan Gewurztraminer Saralee’s Vineyard 2019 Russian River Valley
13.3% alcohol. Wonderful aromatics of pear and lychee with a dry palate showing lovely balance with a distinctive spiciness. Such nice texture to this wine which has real Gewurztraminer character. Very fine. 94/100

Joseph Swan Anderson Valley Riesling 2023 Mendocino County
13% alcohol. Joe Swan made a Riesling in 1972, so this is a 50th anniversary celebration wine. This is fabulous: bright lemon and lime with a nice crystalline quality, with some sweetness to the fruit (even though this is dry). Supple and bright with lovely acidity and mineral extract. Has some chalkiness. Very fine. 94/100

Joseph Swan Catie’s Corner Viognier 2020 Russian River Valley
This is intriguing. Concentrated and intense with lemony acidity but also nice peach and apricot characters. Lots of personality here, with white pepper and some pear, finishing vivid with a nice acid line. Some grapey, musky notes. 92/100

Joseph Swan Catie’s Corner Grenache Blanc 2020 Russian River Valley
Bright and lively but with some appley slightly oxidative notes, with notes of apple, pear and mandarin. Nice brightness here with a tapering lively finish showing citrus with some apple notes. Lots of personality here. 93/100

Joseph Swan Saralee’s Vineyard 54% Roussanne/46% Marsanne 2022
Distinctive with an exotic warm herbal character as well as stony-edged pear, peach and citrus fruit. Complex spicy notes on the palate with some mint and herb character as well as nice pear and peach. 93/100

Joseph Swan Trenton Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2017 Russian River Valley
Powerful and concentrated with some mealy notes, a touch of honey, lovely peach and some hazelnut and spice. There are some appley notes with lovely focus and freshness, and a nice salinity on the finish. Such complexity and depth here, and it’s ageing so well with real depth and balance. Just one barrel made. 95/100

Joseph Swan Saralee’s Vineyard Cuvée Orange 50% Roussanne/50% Marsanne 2022 Russian River Valley
12.8% alcohol. Fermented on skins for three weeks. Supple and fine with sweet aromatics of peach, white pepper and some nice lemony characters. There’s a touch of apple here and some gentle grip. Fine, grainy and detailed. There’s a hint of mint on the finish. Lovely detail here. 94/100

Joseph Swan Saralee’s Vineyard Cuvée Orange Gewurztraminer 2021 Russian River Valley
Full gold/amber colour. Highly aromatic with perfumed lychee and marmalade as well as fine spices. Powerful palate with apples, pears and table grape notes as well as some spice. Complex and spicy with nice detail. 93/100

Joseph Swan Cuvée de Trois Pinot Noir 2018 Russian River Valley
14% alcohol. This was initially a blend of three vineyards, but is now a blend of all the vineyards they source. 40% of their production. Supple, fine and sweetly fruited with herbs, strawberries, plums and some subtle leafy hints. Elegant and refined with lovely elegance and mellow but focused fruit. Very stylish and expressive. Warm but elegant. 94/100

Joseph Swan Trenton Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 Russian River Valley
12.2% alcohol. This is the current release, and it contains fruit from the oldest Pinot Noir in Russian River Valley, planted in 1969. Raspberries, cherries and herbs here with nice perfumed elegance but then surprising structure on the palate, which shows nice brightness, with some herbs and pepper in the background. There’s a slight mintiness here. Nice grip on the finish. This is a serious expression of Pinot Noir. 95/100

Joseph Swan Trenton Estate Vineyard Syrah 2014 Russian River Valley
13.2% alcohol. Current release. A small percentage of Viognier co-fermented. This is fresh and fruit-driven with nice sweet cherry and raspberry fruit, with some nice sweet texture. Has a slight salty edge with elegance and poise. Some peppery notes on the finish, and hints of olive and charcoal adding a savoury edge. 95/100

Joseph Swan Trenton Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015 Russian River Valley
12.7% alcohol. Supple and fine with fresh cherry and berry fruit with some grippy structure. Elegant, fresh and fine with supple fruit but also substantial structure. A beautifully expressive wine with freshness and focus. So expressive and linear, with a wide dynamic range. 95/100

Joseph Swan Trenton View Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015 Russian River Valley
13.1% alcohol. From a neighbouring vineyard right next door. Warm, sweet aromatics with nice juicy cherries and plums and some sweet strawberry notes. Supple and bright with nice freshness and a juicy finish. Has a nice range of flavours with good structure and acidity, some herbal hints and a nice juiciness. 94/100

They are now making Stellwagen vineyard Zinfandel again after some problems that saw the vineyard go.

Joseph Swan Stellwagen Vineyard Zinfandel 1987 Russian River Valley
12.5% alcohol. This was the last vintage that Joe made. Fine, elegant and refined with notes of tea and herbs as well as sweet cherry and plum fruit. There’s a nice grainy detail to the sweet fruit. Has a nice earthy development with some fine spiciness. This has aged really well. 94/100

Joseph Swan Stellwagen Vineyard Zinfandel 1989 Russian River Valley
12.5% alcohol. This is still firm and intense with bright raspberry and cherry fruit, with a good acid line and nice structure. Fresh and supple with a minty edge to the bright black fruits. Has nice grip with quite a bit of tannin, and excellent balance. 94/100

Joseph Swan Stellwagen Vineyard Zinfandel 1994 Russian River Valley
Complex nose of cherries and spice with some mint and herbs. The palate is herb-laden and spicy with cherries and plums, and a nice acid line. It’s developing very nicely with some taut, spicy, herbal hints. Could do with some more time, even. Grainy and grippy with nice focus. 93/100

Joseph Swan Stellwagen Vineyard Zinfandel 1995 Russian River Valley
14.3% alcohol. This has nice brightness with a peppery, herby kick to the bright raspberry and cherry fruit. Nice focus and weight here with a supple, elegant character. Light, fragrant and elegant, and developing really nicely. Has grippy structure and some subtle earthy notes on the finish. This still has so much energy and focus. 95/100

Joseph Swan Stellwagen Vineyard Zinfandel 1996 Russian River Valley
14.8% alcohol. Bright with some pepper and cherry notes as well as some sweet strawberry character. There’s a bit of grip here, with some dusty tannins and nice raspberry, herb and cherry. Lovely dusty finish with nice spiciness. 94/100

EXPLORING THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY, SONOMA, CALIFORNIA