Crackin’ 90: Envolve Winery’s Danny Fay

This is the first piece in a series titled Crackin’ 90, which talks with winemakers about the first time their wine “cracked 90,” with a 90+ score in Wine Spectator or by Robert Parker.

“My fingers emit sparks of fire with expectation of my future labours.”- William Blake, September 16, 1800

Danny Fay loves his Romantic English poets, as much as he loves his wine. Born in England, we  credit the English with his love of words, and being raised in Sonoma Valley for his love of wine.

Fay identifies as a “winemaking nomad,” who has lived in many countries, perfecting his winemaking and business skills.

Now, settled back in Sonoma Valley, Fay serves as President, Co-Founder, and Winemaker of Envolve Winery.

This month, Fay received word that his 2013 Russian River Pinot Noir received a 91 score from Wine Spectator. While Envolve Winery’s Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc have hit 89, this was the first time they cracked 90 with one of the world’s most important wine reviewing publications.

The process for submitting wine to Wine Spectator for review is easy: you submit two bottles to their Napa office and wait for reviewers to, well, review it. “You wait, and wait….and wait,” expressed Fay, while explaining the process to me.

And that patience paid off: the review, which will appear in the September 30 issue of the acclaimed magazine, describes the wine as “This is a touch rustic and savory around the edges, but also rich and deep, with a core of earth- and gravel-laced blackberry and wild berry flavors,” among other tasting notes.

Fay expected the Town Band to march to his door to celebrate the big news, but instead, “It was just an email.” So how did he celebrate? “I high-fived my dog Tara, and opened a bottle to celebrate.”

“Professionally, this rating is an example of my growth as a vintner, but really it’s a testament to how fortunate I am to have some of the greatest winemakers in the world as mentors,” shared Fay.

He’s has been making wine for ten years, with some of the most influential names in the business taking him under their tutelage: Jim McMahon, Jeff McBride, Joey Benziger, Phil Staehle, Mark Burningham, Joel Green, Mike Benziger, the late Bob Sessions, and the list goes on.

“I express gratitude to each and every one of them. This achievement is a combination of their humble bestowing of wine knowledge and my relentless pilgrimage to my passion; winegrowing and winemaking.”

For Fay, the review is “humbling, but it’s personal growth that is rewarding,” and he takes this as just another inspiration to achieve his hopes of becoming one of Sonoma Valley’s best winemakers.

“I’m confident the wines I’ll continue to make and the wine labels I’ll continue to be a part of will be authentic, expressive, and of great pedigree. Thank you for all the friends and family that current support me and my passion.”

Taste Fay’s 91 point Pinot at the Envolve Tasting room, 27 E. Napa St., Sonoma; 939-5385; envolvewinery.com.