Quite A Story Lies Behind The Guenoc Wine Label

Right in the middle of the restaurant Karen Melander-Magoon burst into song, attracting smiles and stares. Her lilting song, delivered in a voice that has entertained audiences all over the world, told of the early childhood of Lillie Langtry.

Magoon's impromptu aria was to vocally illustrate the operetta she is writing about Langtry, the famed Victorian actress who scandalized London society a century ago with her "close association" with King Edward VII.

Magoon, a performer of note herself, has a special interest in Langtry. Magoon is married to Orville Magoon, who started Guenoc winery on the very property where the British actress lived and produced wine 100 years ago. Langtry, who is pictured on Guenoc wine labels, has been a focus of research for the Magoons ever since they discovered the history of their land.

The story began late in Langtry's career when she purchased a large (4,200 acres) ranch in Northern California in 1888 with the intent of making the "greatest claret in the country."

Bringing in her own French winemaker from Bordeaux, she eventually did produce wines. Being shrewd at marketing, she put her portrait on the label and sold it to fashionable San Francisco restaurants. She was very fond of her remote estate and, upon the close of a performance in San Francisco, went by her private railroad car to St. Helena in Napa Valley, where she would hop on a stagecoach for the final leg to the ranch. She referred to the region as "paradise."

Eventually she grew tired of country life and, after her marriage to the Lord de Bathe, decided to spend her final days in Monaco. Over the years the vineyards became overgrown, her Victorian home fell into disrepair, and the stone wineries were abandoned.

Enter the Magoon family of Hawaii. When they made a trade of some downtown Honolulu property about 20 years ago they ended up with 23,000 acres in Lake County. That acreage included the Langtry estate. Orville Magoon, who took over management of the property, soon discovered the vestiges of the Langtry winery operation and began restoring things. This led to Guenoc wines, which first appeared on the market in the early 1980s. Guenoc is the name of the surrounding valley.

I reviewed these wines at the time, praising them for their excellent style and interesting link with the past. In tasting the latest releases from Guenoc, I find them not only improved but on the cutting edge of the blending of Bordeaux varieties (a big topic these days).

The original Guenoc label has been joined by a budget version of their wines called Domaine Breton (Breton was Langtry's maiden name) and Langtry, a label reserved for a red and white Bordeaux blend (Meritage). Here are three Guenoc offerings:

Guenoc 1991 Sauvignon Blanc, $9: You can't beat Lake County for sauvignon blanc, and this one has all the fruit and balance one expects from that region. French oak adds nice complexity.

Guenoc 1991 Estate Chardonnay, $11: Very forward fruit, which is typical of Guenoc wines, and tropical, spicy undertones define this excellent white.

Guenoc 1990 Caberent Sauvignon, $10: All five of the classic Bordeaux varieties are blended into this wine, giving it depth, complexity and balance.

Wine by Tom Stockley appears Wednesday in the Food section of The Times. Now on Infoline, Tom Stockley gives weekly tips and advice for choosing wines. To hear the recorded messages, call 464-2000 on a touch-tone phone and punch in category WINE (9463). Calls to Infoline, a telephone information service of The Seattle Times, are free in the greater Seattle area.