Ray Coursen is a large, vigorous, jolly man. At least he always seems jolly when he visits Greenville to show his wines, which share his vigor and his unabashed American style, full-bodied character. They are robust, substantial, yet clean. Like Ray, they are instantly easy to like, but they offer many layers of interest.

Ray and his wife Nancy left their work in Cape Cod restaurants behind and moved to California a little more than twenty years ago. Ray entered the wine business quite literally from the ground up. He worked at Mt. Eden winery, digging ditches and picking grapes. Later he spent an apprentice-like period with a vineyard management company, learning pruning, trellising, and training vines from experienced vineyard workers rather than textbooks. Then he worked in the tasting room at Napa’s famous Whitehall Lane Winery. Whitehall Lane winemaker, Art Finkelstein, encouraged Ray’s interest in the actual winemaking, guiding him through various aspects fermenting, aging, and (perhaps most importantly) blending wines. Eventually Ray Coursen was promoted to winemaker at Whitehall Lane, producing a series of “greatest hits” Napa wines.

In 1987 Ray and Nancy created the “Elyse” label with 286 cases of Zinfandel from the now famous Morisoli Vineyard. Elyse is the name of the couple’s daughter (they now also produce a line of wines under the “Jacob Franklin” label, named after their son). The Coursens refer to the decade from ’87 to ’96 as their nomadic period. Grapes for the Elyse wines were obtained from a number of different growers, several of whom still provide them some of California’s finest fruit. The grapes were crushed at various custom crush facilities. Elyse was a premium brand without a real home. Finally, in 1997, the family bought a small winery on Hoffman Lane.

Ray says it is his intention to “make wines that I want to sit down and enjoy – juicy, rich, voluptuous wines”. While oak is certainly a component in the finish of Elyse wines, it is a minor constituent of the smell and taste of the wines. Even some of the biggest Cabs and Zins from Elyse employ “experienced” oak barrels rather than new ones. The wines are softened by barrel aging but not overburdened with oak. This approach is reminiscent of Louis Martini’s observation: “Wine should be reminiscent of the fruit from which it was made, rather than the container in which it was stored”. Coursen further states that his wines are meant for the table: “A meal without wines is eating; a meal with wine is dining – it’s a conversation, an event. It’s what wine is about.”

The Greenville area is highly favored among the limited number of places where Elyse wines can be found. A growing number of California’s top small independent producers have found our market less reliant on mass marketing approaches than “major” metropolitan areas. The direct efforts of the winery’s principles, bear lasting results here, and would go unnoticed in the media and event driven big cities. Elyse wines are all produced in tiny quantities, but most make their way to Greenville.

With a base of operations in the heart of Napa’s red wine district, it is not surprising that the winery specializes in reds. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah lead the Elyse “varietal” portfolio. These wines are made substantially from the named grape variety, with small measures of other grape types blended in for “seasoning”. “Nero Misto” and “d’Aventure” are red blends of different origin and character. Nero Misto is largely from Carignan and Petite Sirah grapes but has a distinctly California finish like “field blends” of old. D’Aventure adds a healthy measure of Grenache to the mix for more of a “Rhone Style” wine.

These are all intense, modern style wines. Coursen’s ambition to preserve the fruit character while making big, age-worthy wines has clearly been realized. An array of different vineyard sources leads to numerous different bottlings from a given vintage (with some names appearing on the retail shelves only briefly). The attributes of each source are preserved in the different wines. Fortunately, this has not led to extremes in style or quality. The consumer can rely on the Elyse label to provide fine wine in every instance. The vineyard designated wines are special, but no single effort seems to excel. The best wine from Elyse seems to be the one that is open right now. Even if Ray says they will improve for a decade in bottle.

7/05

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