January 28, 2004
No Fining. No Filtration. No Monkey Business! Michael Bonaccorsi 1960-2004When Rick Manson of Chef Rick's Ultimately Fine Foods told me about the death of Michael Bonaccorsi, I couldn't believe it.
Two weeks ago, Mike died of an apparent heart attack in his condo in Buellton. He was 43.
Michael Bonaccorsi was a rising young winemaker and former sommelier at Wolfgang Puck's flagship restaurant, Spago, in Los Angeles. He was sommelier there for a decade and started Bonaccorsi Wine Company several years ago.
He is survived by his wife, Jenne, who is the maitre-d at Spago, and by his parents and eleven siblings. The immediate family resides in the Chicago area.
He has produced three varietals-pinot noir, syrah and chardonnay. His best barrels went into the Bonaccorsi label. His second label he calls "Red Monkey."
I have a bottle of his Red Monkey 2002 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County. Inspired by the Stones song, "Monkey Man," the label reads, "I am a monkey baby, I'm glad you are a monkey too." At the bottom the label reads, "No fining. No filtration. No monkey business."
"No monkey business, " describes Mike's winemaking. You would be hard put to find someone who more passionate about winemaking than Mike.
Peter Cargasacchi, noted grower in the Santa Rita Hills told me, "Mike was totally driven. He was never satisfied, and he made everybody around him challenge themselves a little bit more."
And in December, Mike's newest pinot noirs-the 2002 vintage Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley-received rave reviews in the "Wine Spectator." Peter Cargasacchi told me the Santa Rita Hills got 94 points; the Santa Maria Valley got 92.
I found Mike to be very low key, almost shy. At the most recent tasting he did for me after Thanksgiving, we decided to position him behind the bar because of his shyness.
Peter Cargasacchi and I-sort-of became the "founders," if you will-of a small group of tasters who liked to descend on Charlie's in Los Alamos for tri tip and wine we would bring. For Mike's memorial service in Los Angeles, I wrote "Mike was a member of our eclectic tasting group. We would meet at Charlie's in Los Alamos for burgers, tri tip or Mexican food. Given Mike's professional restaurant career, I always marveled at his graciousness to Charlie and staff when we tasted at the restaurant-a place not exactly known for white table cloths and fine wine and sommelier service. That's the way Mike was-gracious to the hilt! A great person, a great winemaker, and we will miss him."
Internet wine writer Tom Hill aptly echoed my impression of Mike when he wrote, "Being he was a Spago/Hollywood/SoCal type; I was expecting one of 'those' types; a bit of an attitude and a bit snooty. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Very friendly/low-key/genuine/warm guy. I was impressed with him. And, of course, his wines were absolutely first-rate."
"Truly a loss to the wine world and the Santa Rita Hills. So young...a pity," Tom concluded.
Wine lover, Rolling Stones lover and Santa Maria Times Wine columnist, Bob Senn, lives in the bucolic Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
