Perlis Picks: Membership with the Historic Vineyard Society

January 18, 2020 by Michael Perlis

I’ve written about the Historic Vineyard Society various times over the years. This organization is near and dear to my heart, dedicated to the preservation of California’s historic vineyards, so many of which have been lost to development or replanted to grapes that are currently in vogue and therefore more profitable. Karen and I have had the pleasure of attending some of the society’s events and we’ve encouraged others to do so as well. We’ve also made some great friendships along the way.

But now there is an opportunity for fans of these important historic vineyards to assist in the efforts of the HVS on an ongoing basis. I recently received the following email:

You are invited to become part of the HVS family

Dear friends,

Since HVS launched almost ten years ago, we have been driven by our commitment to preserving California’s historic vineyards. Many of these vines have been around much longer than we all have, surviving two World Wars, Prohibition and an ever-changing economy and climate. We started HVS to save historic vineyards, and our mission is even more important today as it was back then.

We are continually working to initiate projects that move this goal forward, but we need your help to do so. We have decided as a Board to open up an HVS membership, one that involves an annual commitment to HVS at various levels. Why? We continue to operate with almost no overhead, but we do have a small amount of expenses to keep HVS up and running.

For those who want to take their involvement with HVS one step further, click the link below to make a commitment to supporting HVS each year. For as little as a few cents each day, you can help keep these precious vines in the ground. Thank you for your consideration, and as always, let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

Best,
The HVS Board of Directors

Signed:

Mike Officer

Tegan Passalacqua

Morgan Twain-Peterson

Bob Biale

David Gates

Mike Dildine

For those of you who are fans of old vineyard sites, especially those dedicated to Zinfandel, Syrah and great old field blends, you’ll definitely recognize at least some of these names.

Emily Rasmussen, HVS Administrator, sent me some additional information:

We have been floored and so excited by the response to our newly launched membership. We’ve started to add our members to our new Supporters page, linked here.

Here is a bit more info than we have in the email:

We offer incremental benefits as follows, listed individually on each membership page:
- Old Vine ($50/year) and Centenarian Vine ($100/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
- Ancestor Vine ($500/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
  - First access to purchasing tickets to HVS events
- Historic Vine ($1000/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
  - First access to purchasing tickets to HVS events
  - One complimentary ticket to each HVS event

Membership is a way of committing to a yearly donation to HVS. Donating is completely optional: all are welcome to support HVS by receiving our emails and attending our events, or by making a one-time donation at any amount using our Donations Page. Donating/not donating, joining/not joining membership will not impact anyone’s status on the HVS mailing list or one’s ability to attend events. All those on our mailing list will receive the same offers to purchase tickets to HVS events (and wine, if applicable).

Let me know if I can answer any other questions. Thanks so much for your support, Michael!

For anyone who has an interest in helping with the preservation of these old vineyards, this is a great opportunity to participate [along with attending events and purchasing wine, of course]. I already see some names I know on the HVS Supporters page and I’m looking forward to seeing more.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 30 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also President of MCP Financial, which provides outsourced controller services. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or mcpfinancial@aol.com.

Perlis Picks: The Garagiste Festival in Glendale (Part Two)

July 27, 2019 by Michael Perlis

Last week, I wrote about the seminar that Karen and I attended at the latest Garagiste Festival in Glendale. Part 2 is about the other wines we tasted.

The grand tasting featured over 50 wineries from all over California, 23 of which also poured the previous evening at the Rare & Reserve kick-off party – shout out to Fired Up Chef Services for the great BBQ buffet dinner that accompanied this.

Here are the wineries that stood out to us. I’ve also added a few comments in brackets. We didn’t taste everything, so not being marked as a favorite isn’t a sign of disrespect. And in some cases we only tasted at a winery’s table during the Rare and Reserve tasting and if so that is indicated as well.

13^th & Third Wines – Paso Robles

2018 Rose of Grenache

2017 Lily (blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Picpoul)

2015 NMR (blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre)

[Hard to go wrong when the winemaker is Don Burns of Turtle Rock and Saxum.]

Aldina Vineyards – Sonoma

2015 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Angeleno Wine Co. – Los Angeles

2018 Super Bloom Verdejo, Clay Station

2018 Meadow Rose, Terra Alta

2017 Zanja Madre (Grenache, Tempranillo), Alonso Family Vineyard

2017 Syrah, Alonso Family Vineyard

[As I mentioned in the segment about the seminar and in a previous article, I’m a big fan of what this winery is doing in downtown LA.]

Ascension Cellars – Paso Robles

2015 Ascendance Cab/Merlot [from the R&R tasting]

Bevela Wines – Santa Barbara

2018 White Lotus Grenache Blanc [from the R&R tasting]

Bodega de Edgar – Paso Robles

2015 Gran Reserva Tempranillo [from the R&R tasting]

Byron Blatty Wines – Los Angeles

2016 Evenfall (Tempranillo, Petite Sirah and Merlot)

2015 Ghost Cat (Syrah, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Merlot)

[both from the R&R tasting]

Cavaletti Vineyards – Santa Barbara / Los Angeles

2018 Alicante Bouschet – Barrel Sample

2017 Vigneron Reserve Syrah/Cabernet

2018 The 109 Mile Rose (Tempranillo, Grenache)

2017 Sangiovese

2017 Rancho Baila Sol Field Blend

[So impressed with everything from this winery.]

Deno Wines – Paso Robles

2010 Two Bills Zin-Grenache

2009 Paso Robles GSM

2017 Arneis, El Pomar District

2016 Estate Grenache

2016 Estate GSM

2014 Estate GSM

[These tasted like old school Paso Robles to me. I don’t mean big over-the-top wines. They brought back memories – in a good way – of visiting before things got so crowded. They have a tasting room in Templeton now, which also reminds me of old school Paso.]

DeWitt Vineyard – Sierra Foothills

2016 Estate Syrah

2015 Estate Touriga

2016 Estate Tempranillo

[Really nice, fairly prices wines. Just disappointed their Barbera wasn’t ready!]

Dusty Nabor Wines – Central Coast

2014 Bolt To Wines Grenache

2016 Bolt To Wines Grenache Blanc [the richness of this wine was amazing.]

2017 Syrah – Ballard Canyon AVA

2017 Bolt To Wines Syrah

Ferguson Family Winery – Sierra Foothills

2016 The Phoenix Zinfandel

2016 Boomshakalaka Petite Sirah

Golden Star Vineyards – Central Coast

2015 Tempranillo, Paso Robles

2016 Syrah, Chavez Vineyard, Antelope Valley AVA

[I really am past due for a visit to this high-desert winery.]

Golden Triangle – Paso Robles

2015 Syrah, Willow Creek District

2015 Cab / Syrah, Willow Creek District

[Finally got to taste Garagiste Fesitval co-founder Stewart McLennan’s wines. And the good news is that he is opening a tasting room in Templeton.]

Hoi Polloi Wines – Central Coast

2017 Rose of Grenache, Adelaida District, Paso Robles [consistently Karen’s favorite Rose]

2016 “Blue Velvet” Syrah, Larner Vineyard, Ballard Canyon AVA [a consistently great Syrah from an iconic vineyard]

[From Garagiste Festival co-founder Doug Minnick and his partners; we are lucky to have this tasting room in the Santa Clarita Valley.]

MCV Wines – Paso Robles

2018 Pink Rose

2016 Petite Sirah, Rosewynn Vineyard

2016 1105 Blend

[I’ve been a fan of Matt Villard’s wines for a long time. Some big news coming from this winery so stay tuned.]

Oceans Churning Wines – Sonoma

2014 Chardonnay [from the R&R tasting]

Powicana Farm – Mendocino

2013 Petite Sirah [from the R&R tasting]

Record Family Wines – Paso Robles

2017 Estate Viognier

2017 Estate Grenache Rose

2016 Randy’s Red (Syrah, Grenache)

2016 Reserve Syrah

[The wines are made by Jeff Strekas of ONX, so of course they’re going to be delicious.]

Two Papas Wines – Santa Barbara

2017 Grenache Blanc, Saarloos Vineyard

2017 Grenache, Saarloos Vineyard

2017 Grenache, Thompson Vineyard

2017 Syrah, Thompson Vineyard

[I was eager to taste Santa Clarita local Rick Pratt’s wines and I was totally blown away by the quality.]

Two Shepherds – Sonoma

2018 Picpoul Blanc, Yolo County

2018 Rose of Carignan, Mendocino

2018 “Wiley” Carbonic Carignan, Mendocino

2016 Carigan, Mendocinao

[William Allen continues to make his delicious, convention-defying wines.]

Velvet Bee Wines – Santa Barbara

2018 Queen Bee (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon) [from the R&R tasting]

Wandermust-Must Wines – Sonoma

2018 Verdelho [from the R&R tasting]

Zanoli Wines – Paso Robles

2017 Mourvedre, Glenrose Vineyard

2016 Syrah, Glenrose Vineyard

Congratulations to co-founders Doug Minnick and Stewart McLennan as well as Lisa Dinsmore (Event/Web Director) and Melanie Webber (Public Relations and Communications) for another great event. Their passion and hard work have really made the Garagiste Festival concept something special. We can’t wait for the next one.

Perlis Picks: The Garagiste Festival in Glendale (Part One)

July 20, 2019 by Michael Perlis

Think about one of your favorite wines. What goes into your decision to make it your favorite? Is it the varietal? The region it comes from? The terroir? The year? The label? There may be multiple reasons. I that, at least for me, a big one is passion – the passion of the vintner, winemaker, grower, everyone who worked so hard to get that wine into the bottle for you.

And nothing speaks wine passion more than the Garagiste Festivals. We at Eve’s Wine 101 have a special affinity for them, having reported on the Garagistes from the beginning, including my interview with co-founder Doug Minnick before the very first event in 2011 in Paso Robles, which Karen and I also attended. Focusing on ultra-small (and then therefore ultra-rare) production wineries, the festivals have now expanded to four annual events – Paso Robles, Solvang, Sonoma and (conveniently for locals) Los Angeles.

We’ve definitely attended our share of these over the years. They’ve now had about two dozen events in total and the passion of these winemakers is clear. More so than with a large big-budget winery, the owner/winemaker typically has to handle all or most of the tasks of the winemaking process, sometimes in addition to what their day job might be.

By the way, you may have noticed the word “garagiste” being used a lot more lately; I sure have. The Garagiste Festival doesn’t own the term, it goes back to the originally somewhat derogatory French word for small winemakers. And I can’t say for sure that the increased usage of the term overall is connected to the success of the Garagiste Festivals, although I would tend to think so. After all, they were voted the best wine festival in America. So, if you want to be sure you are supporting the real deal, go to their website and sign up for their newsletters.

Karen and I attended the latest LA event, held at the Glendale Civic Auditorium. In keeping with the LA theme, the Saturday event started with a seminar presented by three LA based wineries working to bring back to LA County an industry that used to dominate the landscape in the days before prohibition and real estate development.

Hosted by Steward McLennan, one of the founders of the Garagiste Festival, the seminar presenters were Patrick Kelley of Cavaletti Vineyards, Jasper Dickson and Amy Luftig Viste of Angeleno Wine Co. and Mark and Jenny Blatty of Byron Blatty Wines. All three wineries get a significant amount of their grapes from Los Angeles County. The Blatty wines are made in the Santa Clarita Valley and Angeleno is in the process of finalizing its tasting room and winery operations in downtown Los Angeles.

Of course, it was a wine seminar, so there was wine.

Each winery poured two wines, in the following order, lightest to heaviest:

Cavaletti Vineyards –

2018 109 Mile Rose (62% Grenache, 38% Tempranillo)

2017 Grenache, Swayze Vineyard

Angeleno Wine Co. –

2017 Zanja Madre (Grenache and Tempranillo)

2017 Syrah, Alonso Family Vineyard

Byron Blatty Wines –

2017 Undertake (60% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah, 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah)

2016 Pragmatic (90% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot)

For me, the takeaway from these wines is that Los Angeles County is capable of producing a variety of styles of high quality wines. Truly something for everybody.

The winery owners all shared stories of trials and tribulations. Their individual stories varied, but they all included one common component – the challenge of teaching potential customers, retail stores and restaurants about the quality of wine coming from LA County. One might think they are fighting an uphill battle but they appear to be winning it; that takes passion! I expect the LA winery scene to continue to grow and prosper and I know of at least one cult-status winemaker who is planning to set up shop soon – more on this in a future article, hopefully.

Of course, the Garagiste Festival isn’t just about Los Angeles. The grand tasting after the seminar featured over 50 wineries from all over California, 23 of which also poured the previous evening at the Rare & Reserve kick-off party – shout out to Fired Up Chef Services for the great BBQ buffet dinner that accompanied this. More on the wines in Part 2 which will run on this site next Saturday, 7/27.

Perlis Picks: Elevating Zinfandel

June 29, 2019 by Michael Perlis

Admittedly, the last few months have been difficult for my family and me. Stuff happens to all of us so the details aren’t necessary for this article, but getting the invitation to Ian Blackburn’s WineLA’s annual Elevating Zinfandel event was like a light at the end of the tunnel.

Wine people are good people and I often feel that Zinfandel people tend to be the best people of all. Tasting through a multitude of versions of my oft-favorite varietal amidst a great group of attendees and winery participants really helped to remind me of what makes Zinfandel special to me. I was determined to relax and enjoy.

So, I took my time. I didn’t try everything, but of what I did, these were the standouts for me. (If you want to see all the wines poured, here is the link to Eve’s article: http://evewine101.com/2019/06/14/eve-gets-her-zinfandel-on-at-elevating-zin-2019/)

My first stop was Mauritson Wines where Clay Mauritson was pouring a few of his Rockpile Zinfandels (2016 Rockpile Ridge Vineyard, 2017 Rockpile Ridge Vineyard and 2017 Jack’s Cabin Vineyard), along with one 2017 designated as Dry Creek Valley. The DCV was delicious, but I was there for the Rockpiles. I’ve written before how special a place I believe the Rockpile AVA to be, and nobody showcases the region better than Mauritson. And not rushing through the tasting was really a good idea. While Clay and I reminisced about our visit to Mauritson last year and chatted about this year’s upcoming Project Zin event, the wine had a little more time to develop in the glass. The wine was showing even more of that Rockpile richness and complexity.

Pouring next to Mauritson was WineLA’s Ian Blackburn himself providing tastes of his own Beekeeper Cellars Zinfandel. This is definitely not a vanity project for Ian. His wines are serious versions of this beloved grape. My favorite here was the 2016 Secret Stones from Rockpile, but the 2016 Monticello was no slouch either.

Besides the two wineries mentioned above, Sonoma County was very well represented at this tasting. As it should be; the area is definitely one of the top destinations for Karen and me. Wineries I especially enjoyed were:

Kreck – lighter in color as can often be the case with 100% Zinfandels, neither wine poured was light in flavor. Loved both the 2016 Teldeschi Vineyard and 2016 Del Barba Vineyard.

Martinelli Winery – this Russian River Valley legendary winery was somewhat of an eye-opener for me. I’ve always enjoyed their wines, but in the past the alcohol heat was just a little apparent. Not these 2016s. All three wines being poured were delicious and very “gulpable” and the Vigneto di Evo bottling is a veritable steal at its price point.

Portalupi Winery – this was a new winery to me. They actually have been around since 2002, specializing in Italian varietals. Fortunately, they also make Zinfandel, from the famed Dolinsek Ranch in the Russian River Valley. They were pouring their regular and reserve bottlings from 2016 and 2017, with the 2017 Reserve a solid candidate for my wine of the day.

Williams Selyem – known for Pinot Noir, this winery also makes a couple of excellent Zinfandels. My favorite was the 2017 Papera Vineyard, a heritage site that Karen and I had the pleasure of visiting a few years back.

Zialena – we also visited this winery not too long ago in the Alexander Valley. They were pouring their 2016 Estate and 2015 Estate Reserve bottlings and both were delicious.

Napa Valley, while known mainly for its Cabernet Sauvignon (for some reason), has some very good Zinfandel producers that sometimes fly under the radar.

Brown Estate – a true classic winery that makes you wonder why you don’t hear more about Napa Zin. They were pouring four of them today; my favorites were the 2017 Chiles Valley and Rosemary’s Block bottlings.

Robert Biale Vineyards – a winery that excels in Petite Sirah also, but today was about their 2017 Zinfandel. They make several Zins; the two being poured were the famed Black Chicken and the Stagecoach, both wonderful examples of what can come from this area.

Finally, it might not be considered a real Zinfandel event without Turley Wine Cellars. Whitney Turley, one of the four Turley sisters represented by the stars on Turley’s corks and one of two working at Turley Wine Cellars (along with her sister Christina), was pouring four 2017 Zins. Contrary to the other wineries, these were from neither Napa nor Sonoma. The Juvenile is possibly the best deal out there for Zinfandel [or maybe anything]. The other three single-vineyard wines all had special meaning to me: Kirschenmann Vineyard in Lodi [owned by Turley Director of Winemaking Tegan Passalacqua], Buck Cobb Vineyard in Amador County [from the old Karly winery] and the Dusi Vineyard in Paso Robles [my consistently favorite Turley wine]. It should go without saying that they were all delicious; we’re talking Turley, after all.

Wrapping up the afternoon tasting, I reflected on my very purposeful decision to not rush through and attempt to taste everything but to try to really appreciate the moment, the wines, and winery people pouring them. I highly recommend this approach. Thank you to Ian Blackburn and the entire staff of WineLA for putting on another great event.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com

Perlis Picks The Spinster Sisters and The Astro

February 16, 2019 by Michael Perlis

Santa Rosa in Sonoma County is very diverse. There are many high end hotels and restaurants if you are looking for that but there are other options as well.

In what is known as the SOFA arts district are two places you should know about. The area is known as SOFA because it is South of A Street and actually has an annual sofa parade during its Winterblast street festival.

Acclaimed Chef Liza Hinman took a big chance when she opened The Spinster Sisters restaurant in 2012 in the under-served SOFA area. But the risk has clearly paid off with the restaurant’s popularity and accolades, most recently being awarded Best Restaurant in 2017 by the North Bay Bohemian. Being lauded by others as well (such as Michelin, SF Weekly, Eater and Wine Enthusiast) are just additional examples of the kudos they have received, serving Liza’s continually evolving menu featuring local products.

Truly, upon entering this restaurant, you know immediately that you wish it was in your neighborhood. A lot of adventurously prepared small plates (like smoked trout dip, pork belly sliders, steamed mussel mouclade, among many others) were keeping a large crowd in a family atmosphere very happy. The very fairly priced wine list is intriguing as well, with a nice selection of local wines combined with other California and international choices. The by-the-glass list includes some wines on tap, which adds to the fun. Oh, and they are open for breakfast and lunch too. Check out their website for more info on the menus and wine selections.

Liza’s continuing commitment to the area’s development is evident in her recent acquisition and remodeling (along with her partners from The Spinster Sisters) of The Astro Motel, which is walking distance from the restaurant. Admittedly, this was another risk on her part, as the property had long been considered a blight to the area. But Liza and her team have transformed the Astro.

The Astro has 34 rooms, of which two are Doubles and two are King Suites. The rest have Queen size beds in them. Built in the early 60s, it used to look like a pretty standard “motor hotel” with rooms in a U-shaped layout with a parking lot in the middle. That parking lot is mostly gone, replaced by landscaping and an edible garden. A short walk to offsite parking picks up the overflow. Each room has its own colorful and eclectic furnishings designed by local artists and craftspeople. And all these mid-century original items are for sale.

The Astro actually opened earlier than planned, as FEMA approval granted after the fires in late 2017 for them to house displaced survivors at no cost to them, again just showing commitment to the area.

The downstairs lounge area currently serves breakfast with coffee from Flying Goat and pastries from Criminal Bakery. The lounge is a roomy place to wind down and use the free WiFi to go through emails at the end of a day of sightseeing. The plan is to expand the offerings to include wine tasting from local producers.

The Astro is a fun place to stay. There are plenty of things to do in the area as well. One of the investors is Giro d’Italia champion Andy Hampsten and the motel rents Shinola Bikes to its guests. Also, per the website: “It’s the only place in Sonoma County where, within a five-minute walk, travelers can gaze at contemporary art or used cars, see an avant-garde theater ensemble or a team of bocce players, get a tattoo or a tintype portrait, and a taste of the some of the finest wine, beer and produce in Northern California.” Besides, you’re right in the middle of Sonoma County.

It wouldn’t be right to close this article without a big thank you to The Astro General Manager Lisa Robbins and her staff. They are a gracious group and went out of their way to take excellent care of us.

The Spinster Sisters

401 S A St, Santa Rosa, CA 95401

The Astro

323 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

https://theastro.com/

http://thespinstersisters.com/

Perlis Picks: Vintners Inn

February 9, 2019 by Michael Perlis

Karen and I often extol the virtues of staying at a winery when visiting wine country. Nothing beats the ambience of waking up to a vineyard scene. But, maybe you are looking for more than what a typical winery may have to offer.

What about staying at a property modeled after a Southern Mediterranean village, with all the amenities you could ask for? And, yes, you will have that vineyard view all day long.

Welcome to Vintners Inn.

Located in Santa Rosa with easy access to local wineries as well as being able to jump on the freeway to expand your adventures – but Vintners Inn offers so much that you don’t need to leave the property if you don’t want to.

We spoke to Percy Brandon, General Manager of Vintners Inn. He’s been with Vintners Inn over 18 years as he has shepherded them through their master plan with the expansion of additional luxury rooms, bringing the total from 44 to 78 – all of the new rooms have tons of modern features as well as vineyard views. Percy emphasized that the Vintners Inn motto of “Celebrate Everything” is not just a catchy phrase but it truly applied to all aspects of the guests’ stay.

Acquired by Rhonda Carano and her late husband Don in 2000, it was a great addition to their existing ownership of Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery. Percy came on board initially to manage the onsite John Ash & Co restaurant but soon took over the entire property. His enthusiasm and clear love for what he does permeates all aspects of the Vintners Inn.

The elegant John Ash & Co restaurant is only the beginning of what this property has to offer. Other dining options include the The Front Room Bar & Lounge (its Happy Hour is a locals’ favorite) as well as the River Vine Café for breakfast and lunch. The recent additions not only include the luxurious new guest rooms but also the Vi La Vita Spa.

Being very environmental conscious, Vintners Inn has achieved the California Green Lodging Program’s Environmental Level. Not only is there an onsite 68 acre vineyard, but vegetable gardens and olive trees to supply the property’s restaurants. There are even beehives. Feel free to stroll among the vines and experience wine country firsthand.

With a total property size of 98 acres, Vintners Inn also boasts a meeting and event center – who wouldn’t want to hold a business or pleasure function in this paradise? Not to mention the outdoor Vineyard Pavilion. No wonder Vintners Inn is such a popular wedding site; I think we saw two during our last stay and Percy told us they host dozens of weddings annually.

Vintners Inn

https://www.vintnersinn.com/

4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Perlis Picks Zinfandel: Stories from Napa Valley

February 2, 2019 by Michael Perlis

During our trip to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, Karen and I naturally got a hankering for some Zinfandel. So, where did we go? Well, Napa, of course. Wait, really?

Admittedly, Zinfandel may not be the first varietal that comes to mind when one thinks about Napa, but maybe it should be. After all, the popularity of current “fad” grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon is a fairly recent phenomenon and historically vineyards were planted heavily to Zinfandel, often interspersed with other varietals.

Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) is the organization for all things Zinfandel. Perhaps best known for the huge annual January event in San Francisco, ZAP does a number of other things as well. According to the ZAP website: “Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) is a membership based organization that advances knowledge and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history.”

Last year, ZAP held a series of events in various California wine regions, highlighting the Zinfandel producers and vineyards of those regions. Our timing prevented us from attending the event held in Sonoma County but with Napa being only a hop, skip and a jump over the Mayacamas Mountains [from our morning visit to Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery], we were excited to attend…

Zinfandel: Stories from Napa Valley.

Held in the CIA at Copia, Napa, the event consisted of a tasting seminar followed by a walk-around reception. Moderated by the always entertaining “Sommelier to the Stars” Christopher Sawyer, the speaker panel consisted of Julie Johnson (Tres Sabores), Carol Brown (Brown Estate Vineyards), Tres Goetting (Robert Biale Vineyards) and Tegan Passalacqua (Turley Wine Cellars). And, yes, wine was included with the seminar, as any respectable wine seminar should include wines to taste. (Maybe all seminars regardless of whether about wine or not should include wine, but I digress.) The wines presented were:

Tres Sabores – 2015 Estate Zinfandel, Rutherford

Brown Estate Vineyards – 2016 Estate Zinfandel, Chiles Valley

Robert Biale Vineyards – 2016 Aldo’s Zinfandel, Oak Knoll

Turley Wine Cellars – 2016 Dragon Zinfandel, Howell Mountain

The wineries and wines presented offered great examples of the diversity of Napa Valley Zinfandel showcasing wines from the valley floor as well as from mountainside vineyards.

Each speaker had some interesting tidbits for us. Among other things, I learned that Julie Johnson was one of the founders of Frog’s Leap Winery (along with John Williams and Larry Turley) as well as “Women for Wine Sense” before eventually founding her own Tres Sabores winery in 1999. We’ve known Tres Goetting for some time and loved his comment that “I love Zinfandel because it is a mysterious varietal that never ceases to amaze.” I think we’ve known Tegan Passalacqua even longer and found his remark very intriguing that the Howell Mountain AVA is the most unique AVA that he has worked with. But I think that Coral Brown really touched on how I feel about Zinfandel when she said that their goal is to make the wine shine and the food pairing is just like a backup singer to the wine.

During the seminar, Christopher Sawyer also shared with us that ZAP had just received a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture to help to fund the launch of “Zinfandel Stories: Preserving California’s Legendary Vineyards.” This was especially good news to us, as we are staunch advocates of the importance of California’s historic vineyards, so many of which are Zinfandel-based.

After the seminar it was time for the reception, which included many more wineries organized to showcase Zinfandel from Napa Valley’s different growing regions, along with bites from the CIA kitchen. Here’s what was poured…

From Calistoga:

August Briggs Winery

2015 Ancient Vines

2015 Old Vines

Chateau Montelena Winery

2012 Estate

2014 Estate

T-Vine Winery

2014 Frediani Vineyard

From Chiles Valley:

Brown Napa Valley

2016 Estate

Green & Red Vineyard

2015 Chiles Mill Vineyard

2015 Chiles Canyon Vineyard

From Howell Mountain:

Howell Mountain Vineyards

2015 Old Vine

2015 Beatty Ranch Reserve

Lamborn Family Vineyards

2014 The Earthquake Vintage

2014 The Platinum Anniversary

Outpost Wines

2015 Estate

2016 Estate

Summit Lake Vineyards

2014 Summit Lake Vineyard

From Napa Valley:

Ballentine Vineyards

2016 Estate

2015 Reserve

Grgich Hills Estate

2013 Estate

2014 Miljenko’s Old Vines

Hendry

2015 Blocks 7 & 22

2015 Blend

2015 Mike and Molly

Saddleback Cellars

2016 Old Vine

The Lost Chapters (Scotto Cellars)

2013 The Lost Chapters

Turley Wine Cellars

2016 Dragon Vineyard

2016 Hayne Vineyard

2016 Mead Ranch

Sattui Winery

2015 Black Sears

2015 Vittoria’s Vineyard

2015 Quaglia Vineyard “Agent Vine”

From Oak Knoll:

Robert Biale Vineyards

2016 Aldo’s Vineyard

From Oakville:

Oakville Ranch Winery

2015 Field Blend

2014 Field Blend

From Rutherford:

Neal Family Vineyards

2016 Rutherford Dust Vineyard

Tres Sabores

2016 Estate

From St. Helena:

D-cubed Cellars

2014 Korte Ranch

The above list is from the program. (More wines were poured as well.) I listed them all here, not to boost my word count (well maybe a little) but to emphasize that there is really a lot going on in Napa Valley when it comes to Zinfandel. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of wines from Howell Mountain, like Outpost. At the same times there’s no denying the richness of the lower elevation wines like Brown and Green & Red. There’s a lot of diversity and a Zin for every taste, for sure.

I think it is especially important to support Napa’s Zinfandel production as these vineyards are in constant danger of being replaced with more profitable grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon. So please, go out and get some Napa Zin soon.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Ev Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

Perlis Picks: Historic Vineyard Society 2018 Year in Review and Upcoming 2019 Events

January 19, 2019 by Michael Perlis

This week, we’ll take a break from our Sonoma trip series to share with you the recent information received from the Historic Vineyard Society.

Karen and I have been fans of this organization for some time. Spearheaded by Mike Dildine, the HVS team of Bob Biale (Biale Vineyards), David Gates (Ridge Vineyards), Mike Officer (Carlisle Winery), Tegan Passalacqua (Turley Wine Cellars and Sandlands), Morgan Twain-Peterson (Bedrock Wine Company), Larry Piggins (Photography), Emily Rasmussen (HVS Executive Director) along with special consultant Joel Peterson (Ravenswood Winery and Once & Future Wine) do the important work, with YOUR help, to preserve California’s historic vineyards.

Here’s their latest news:

It’s hard to believe, but another year has come and gone! We at the Historic Vineyard Society have had another eventful, productive year, and we’re incredibly grateful to all those who joined us for our various events and tastings over the last twelve months.

The Year in Review

In February, a panel of HVS growers and winemakers gathered for a two-part event at Cadet Beer & Wine Bar in Napa: first, a private tasting of several wines with a panel discussion on historic vineyards, then an open-to-the-public tasting where locals had the chance to taste a selection of wines from historic vineyards.

In April, HVS hosted a magnificent, never-before-seen gathering of wines from California’s oldest vineyards. The tasting took place at Press Club in San Francisco and featured 30 wineries and 70+ wines across dozens of historical sites, from Cienega Valley Riesling to Contra Costa Carignan, Calistoga Petite Sirah and numerous eclectic field blends. The event sold out at 250 guests and was a great success.

In June, HVS Board members once again participated in an educational tasting for students in the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program, working to spread the good news of historic vines to the next generation of the wine industry.

November marked another new event for HVS: a tasting at Sonoma’s Best Mercantile in the town of Sonoma. Keeping with the theme of the store’s name, this tasting featured wines from the oldest vineyards in Sonoma Valley: 100 attendees had the opportunity to taste wines from Monte Rosso, Old Hill Ranch, Pagani Ranch and Bedrock Vineyard.

What’s New for 2019

Upcoming HVS Events:

February 6th, 2019: HVS returns to Cadet Beer & Wine Bar in Napa, showcasing a selection of old-vine wines from the Russian River Valley to the Cienega Valley. More details on our website here.

June 8th, 2019: Save the Date for our 2019 Vineyard Tour & Dinner! After a year off, we’re excited to announce the return of this beloved HVS event. The 2019 Vineyard Tour and Dinner will take place high above Sonoma Valley at the beautiful Monte Rosso Vineyard on Saturday, June 8th. Tickets will go on sale in mid-January. We hope to see you there!

HVS on the Web: Be sure to follow HVS on social media to stay up to date on the latest HVS announcements and see behind-the-scenes photos from events and historic vineyards.

Facebook: Historic Vineyard Society

Instagram: @historicvineyardsociety

Twitter: @historicvineorg

Ways to Support HVS

Donate! Perhaps the most obvious answer, but we can’t overstate how much we value all your contributions. As a reminder, your tax-deductible donation directly supports historic vineyards through education, research and vineyard-related events. Help keep these precious vines in the ground!

Shop using AmazonSmile, where .5% of every eligible order will be donated to HVS. To get started, visit smile.amazon.com, then search for and select Historic Vineyard Society. Every penny counts!

Once again, we can’t thank you enough for all your support of HVS. We look forward to another great year to come.

Best wishes,

[Signed by]

Mike Officer

Bob Biale

Tegan Passalacqua

David Gates

Morgan Twain-Peterson

Mike Dildine

All donations will benefit the Historic Vineyard Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of California’s oldest living vineyards. For further information, contact the Historic Vineyard Society at (707) 494-1667 or info@historicvineyardsociety.org.

Perlis Picks: Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery

January 12, 2019 by Michael Perlis

Let me make this perfectly clear: I have nothing against Cabernet Sauvignon. While our own personal wine journey has taken us primarily down the Zinfandel and Rhone paths, we definitely recognize Cabernet’s place in the pantheon of great wine grapes. Most of our wine trips tend to focus on our favorite varietals, but we have no aversion to expanding those choices. So when our friends gave us a certificate for a tasting at Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery we were happy to do just that.

Stone Edge Farm actually owns three vineyards – Stone Edge, Mount Pisgah and Silver Cloud, which are managed organically by the renowned Phil Coturri.

The Stone Edge Vineyard property at the base of Sonoma Mountain was acquired by Mac and Leslie McQuown in 1995. The property has the distinction of having been owned by Nicholas Carriger, who came to Sonoma from Missouri in 1847. When he planted here, he became the first American to grow wine grapes in Sonoma Valley.

Mac McQuown had his own distinction, not only as a very successful businessman and entrepreneur, but also in the wine industry, having been a founder of both Chalone and Carmenet wineries.

Winemaker Jeff Baker, who was also a partner at Carmenet, joined the McQuowns with his Mount Pisgah Vineyard in the Mayacamas Mountains. Eventually they formed Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery in 2004.

The Silver Cloud Vineyard is in the Moon Mountain District just north of the Mount Pisgah vineyard, up in the Mayacamas Mountains where Sonoma County borders Napa County. The tasting room is on the Silver Cloud property and it is aptly named, being at a high elevation seemingly close to the clouds. It’s a long, winding and narrow road; they recommend you hire a driver. Please don’t go all the way up there without making an appointment first.

Karen and I had plans to head into Napa (more on this in a future article) so we chose that morning to pay Stone Edge Farm a visit.

We parked and were met by Philippe Thibault, Stone Edge Farm’s Director of Hospitality, who gave us a tour of this amazing mountain property and led our tasting.

Stone Edge Farm makes three wines: a Sauvignon Blanc a Bordeaux blend called “Surround” and their flagship Cabernet Sauvignon.

We tasted the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc [actually an 80/20 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon], two vintages of the Surround blend [2009 and 2014] and the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon.

My impressions were that these wines are designed to showcase the fruit but to not overpower the palate. Sometimes wines are referred to as “food wines” because they just don’t stand on their own and need food to make them work. That was not the case here. The wines all drank beautifully on their own but the experience was definitely enhanced by the charcuterie that was provided.

The Cabernet Sauvignon in particular made a special impression. I am not one for complicated tasting notes, but I did comment specifically about the mouthfeel of this wine, the way it magically spread across my tongue and then dissipated. I actually said “…like a cloud” before I remembered we were at the Silver Cloud Vineyard.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the name is Stone Edge Farm. The entire operation is built around sustainability and includes 16 acres that are organically farmed just west of downtown Sonoma. There is a 30-seat private dining room called Edge where their culinary director pairs the Stone Edge Farm wines with seasonal dishes.

Just to wrap up – Thank you so much Philippe Thibault for being such an engaging host. This is definitely a winery to check out when you are looking for an elevated experience, both in location and in wine. But remember: Make an appointment!

Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery

Perlis Picks: Zialena

January 5, 2019 by Michael Perlis

An Irishman, an Israeli and a Korean walk into a tasting room.

While this may sound like the opening line of a bad joke it is actually how I found out about Zialena.

The Irishman and his Israeli wife are friends of ours. They were visiting Sonoma County with their friend, the Korean gentleman, when their driver suggested they go to a fairly new winery that they had not yet heard of.

They enjoyed their experience so much that they gave me the Tasting Room Manager’s business card. When we were planning our trip a few months later, I reached out to Reece Channell to schedule a visit.

When we drove up the long winding driveway to the modernistic winery and tasting room in Alexander Valley, I thought at first I was at the winery of some wealthy dabbler with a vanity winery project; the place looks that cool.

It turns out I was totally wrong, as the owners of Zialena have deep roots in the area, being one of those “becoming-rare-like-a-unicorn” families that Scot Bilbro alluded to in my previous article.

In fact, the Mazzoni family’s story in Geyserville goes back to the early 1900s when Giuseppe Mazzoni emigrated from Italy. He became a grape farmer and winemaker with Italian Swiss Colony. Giuseppe’s sons produced wine commercially until the 1970s (look for the old barn off the 101 with the Dr. Pierce’s sign on it) after which grandson Mike established Mazzoni Vineyards.

As often happens, Mike’s kids Lisa and Mark wanted to get the family back into the winemaking business, and Zialena (with Mark as winemaker and Lisa as General Manager) was born, naming it after their aunt (“Zia” in Italian) Lena. The winery and tasting room buildings that I found to be so cool were designed to showcase the family property as well as highlight the modern aspects of the winery itself. The centerpiece of the winery are several open-top concrete fermentation tanks which are emblazoned with what I had initially thought to be a starburst pattern but turned out to be the pattern of Zia Lena’s ravioli stamp, which is the logo of the winery.

Tasting is available in the tasting room or on the patio. As the weather was great, we opted for the patio and tasted through some of the current releases:

2016 Sauvignon Blanc

2017 Rose of Sangiovese

2014 Capella

2013 Zinfandel

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon

2015 Zinfandel

This was a very tasty selection. The Sauvignon Blanc and the Rose of Sangiovese were both very refreshing, the Sangio in particular picking up that grape’s complexity. The 2013 Cabernet showcases the fruit that makes Sonoma County my favorite destination for Cab. The 2014 Cappela is a true Zinfandel-based field blend that is an homage to the family history and is delicious.

Speaking of Zins, those for me were the shining stars, not to mention having an interesting story behind them.

It wasn’t until Mark and Lisa had already started making wine at Zialena that their father Mike happened to mention the Mazzoni clone of Zinfandel.

This is how Reece explained it:

In the drafting process of the vineyard map with varietals and acreage breakdown Mike mentions very nonchalantly “….. and this is planted with Mazzoni clone Zinfandel.” Both Mark and Lisa immediately ask, “Wait what? Mazzoni clone Zinfandel? What is that?” Mike then tells the story of how Duff Bevill of Bevill Vineyard Management came across Giuseppe’s original vineyard at the location of the Doctor Pierce’s barn. Eventually Duff came over to talk to Mike about it because he was the only family member who knew about the old home ranch. They decided to find out more about the Zinfandel on the property by taking bud wood to UC Davis for analysis. Sure enough Davis had not seen this Zinfandel before! It was then registered by Davis as the Bevill/Mazzoni clone of Zinfandel. It is a heritage pre-prohibition clone. Mark and Lisa are very proud to be the fourth generation to grow the clone and to make a 100% single vineyard, single clone Zinfandel out of it.

This story was especially meaningful to us, as we are deeply interested in California’s heritage grapes and vineyards.

Zialena has a bright future ahead. The current winery was only completed a couple of years ago (previous vintages were made at a custom crush), so one has to feel that as good as the wines are now, the best is yet to come.

Zialena

21112 River Road

Geyserville, CA 95441