Neyers Vineyards Bruce's Journal
Learning About Wine and Dining
By Bruce Neyers
Friday 19th December, 2025
A Paris Lesson on Dining and Pinot Noir – Memories of Joe Swan
A number of people were helpful to me in the early days of my wine education, but when I look back over the list of guiding lights, I’m pretty sure it was Joe Swan who is most responsible for my love of Pinot Noir. I met Joe in 1970, soon after Barbara and I arrived in California. He was an airline pilot for the now defunct Western Airline but made wine on the side. He had already developed a serious following, long before the term ‘cult wine’ emerged. I belonged to a few wine tasting groups then, and we were never surprised when a wine from Swan Cellars won our blind tastings. One day, the manager of a local wine shop introduced me to Hurst Hannum and Bob Blumberg — two local wine writers who had just published a book on the fine wines of California — and when they invited me to join them for a tasting at Swan Cellars, I was all in.
I liked Joe immediately, and a friendship soon developed. Over the ensuing years we worked together in his vineyards, dined at one another’s home, and occasionally traveled together. Thoughts of our trip to Paris in the early 1980’s still make me smile. Joe was a sophisticated diner and had become a fan of a new Paris restaurant. The industry was moving quickly, then, between ‘cuisine minceur’ and ‘fusion food’ – both had plenty of admirers. Barbara and I had arranged a trip to Paris which coincided with a trip Joe planned with his wife June, so he suggested we meet for dinner at his new favorite place. Some friends agreed to join us, and we met for what seemed like a promising evening. June had read a review and learned that the duck dumplings were not to be missed. She ordered first, starting with the dumplings, and we all followed. When June’s dumplings arrived, Joe ate one, rolled his eyes, swallowed, then silenced us all. The dumpling dish was brilliant, he said, and we needed to start all over and completely revise our meal from start to finish. He explained all of this while the rest of us tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Perhaps they’ll just ask us to leave, I thought, and we can avoid a scene. Instead, the Maître’d brought out the chef, who complimented us on our decision, told us the duck dumplings were his gift, then mentioned that he had some other dishes he’d also like us to try. He returned to the kitchen, but not before directing us to the red Burgundy section of his wine list. Joe asked me to order a bottle of red Burgundy for the Dumplings but cautioned me on pricing. I skipped over the several inviting pages of Premier and Grand Cru wines, then settled on a modestly priced bottle. When the wine arrived, Joe congratulated me on my selection and suggested I continue to order as food was served. It was a marvelous dinner, full of great food and great Pinot Noir, and it was all served to us under the watchful and approving eye of Joe’s new friend, the chef.
After our return home, Joe arranged another dinner, and the wines were all Pinot Noir bottlings of his. I don’t expect to ever forget either of these meals, and a recent dinner with Barbara served as a reminder of just how attractive Pinot Noir can be. This night, she made one of my favorite meals – breaded chicken breast sautéed in olive oil. I opened our 2022 Pinot Noir ‘Roberts Road’, along with one of my few remining bottles of 2009 Pinot Noir ‘Roberts Road’. The 2009 is still in great shape, by the way, but I have even higher hopes for the 2022 Pinot Noir ‘Roberts Road.’
Looking southeast last week, over our newly-picked Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. The sky was blue and the sun was shining only a few miles west, on the Napa Valley floor, but our vineyards are still shrouded in fog. The fog works its way north from the bay, even this time of year, and keeps the temperatures of Conn Valley low, just as it does during the growing season, allowing for longer ‘hang time’, later harvesting, and better maturity.
Looking almost due east, this follows the rolling hills of the Pinot Noir block on the Sangiacomo family’s Roberts Road property. It’s one of the coldest growing regions for Pinot Noir in northern California, so the grapes arrive at the winery late in the season, fully ripened, with higher than normal acidity levels and low pH. Both keep the color bright and fresh. The high acidity levels help the wine age too, and we are still enjoying bottles that have spent a few years in our cellar.
Neyers Vineyards 2022 Roberts Road Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
It’s persimmon season on the Neyers ranch, just in time for Thanksgiving. Barbara uses them plain or in salads, but I prefer her persimmon pie, and even the occasional persimmon pudding, which has been part of our Thanksgiving dinner.
