Eve's Wine 101

Perlises Pick ForFriends Inn And Village

by

Very early in our wine journey, Santa Barbara Country was a focal point of our interest. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, there weren’t too many tasting options there yet. Memories can be hazy, but we have very fond ones, such as visiting The Brander Vineyard and tasting wines in the barn before the tasting room was even built.

As years went by, we expanded our domestic wine tasting horizons, venturing farther north to Paso Robles, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino and up to Washington. But, we had grown nostalgic for Santa Barbara County. Although we would visit occasionally, we recently decided that it was high time to pay more attention to the area.

When visiting a new wine region, or revisiting one after an extended hiatus, checking out the local vintners’ association is a good idea. The Santa Barbara Country Vintners’ Association (www.sbcountywines.com) is a great resource for member winery suggestions as well as lodging and dining. We really appreciate all of the help that SBCVA’s Director of Operations Philip Carpenter provided to us.

Our first order of business was deciding on lodging. We were looking for a place to stay a little removed from the bustle of Solvang and Los Olivos, but still with easy access to them as well as the surrounding wine regions. Close [but not too close] to the roundabout where Highways 154 and 246 meet, ForFriends Inn & Village fit this requirement perfectly, with the added benefit of being easy to get to the city of Santa Barbara if we wanted to explore the tasting rooms there.

But location was far from the only benefit of staying at FFI&V.

In 2012, two couples – Dave and Katie Pollock along with Jim and Debbie Campbell acquired the Edison Street Inn in Santa Ynez and turned it into the ForFriends Inn. The Campbells have since moved on, but the Pollocks have turned FFI into what felt to us like a home away from home; actually even better since we didn’t have to lift a finger. (By the way, Dave answered my unspoken question that the name was always For[not Four]Friends Inn, as the property was intended for all friends, new and old, to enjoy.)

But the Pollocks weren’t done.

Ten years later in 2022, ForFriends Village came online. Just a very short walk around the corner from the original Inn, the Village is made up of six “tiny inns” in their own little community. Greatly expanding capacity from the eight rooms at the Inn, these rooms can hold up to four occupants each, include a kitchenette and are ideal for those wanting additional privacy or for a larger traveling party. Indeed, all or parts of the entire property are available for large groups and even corporate retreats.

Your day can revolve around what FFI&V has to offer. Starting with a delicious breakfast, guests have an option of scrambled eggs with perfectly cooked bacon or a daily special, also served with bacon. On our visit, our choices included banana pancakes with homemade coffee whipped cream, tomato quiche and chorizo breakfast tacos. In addition to the main course, breakfast includes a fruit cup with yogurt and granola as a starter, along with coffee and an assortment of juices.  Rosemary popovers were also served.  For the record, one day it was sausage instead of bacon, but since the sausage was some of the best we’ve had, there were no complaints from us.  

But FFI&V doesn’t stop there. A Friendship Pass is provided to all guests, which enables them to take advantage of some great winery, shopping and dining discounts throughout the area. After a day of enjoying Santa Barbara County, don’t forget to come back to the Inn for the daily happy hour of charcuterie and local wine; if you’re lucky, you may even get to be entertained by Dave on his guitar.  Depending on the weather, you can enjoy your wine and hors d’oeuvres in the gardens at the front and back of the inn.  The front porch is convenient too. Your day with ForFriends isn’t done though – don’t forget to bring the Friendship Pass with you to dinner as some local restaurants participate in it as well. If you need something sweet before going to bed, FFI&V has cookies and dessert wine to enjoy. Then, you can finally retire to your luxurious room after a day well spent.  

The above all sounds pretty terrific, doesn’t it? But do you know what the best part of all this is? It’s the amazing team that the Pollocks have put together. We want to thank Dave and Katie, along with Kalin, Sandra, Vanessa, Ben and Spencer [who we didn’t meet but feel like we did] for making us feel like we were part of the ForFriends family.

ForFriends Inn & Village

www.forfriendsinn.com

1121 Edison Street, Santa Ynez, CA 93460

Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick Little Beast

by

Some time ago we had explored paying a visit to the restaurant Little Beast in Eagle Rock. Starting as a popup by Sean Lowenthal and Deborah Schwartz, it found its eventual permanent spot in 2013 in a historic craftsman home built in 1911.

Well, we never did make it over there. Then, we read last summer that the restaurant had new owners: Monique King and Paul Rosenbluh, who also own Fox’s in Altadena as well as Cindy’s which is just across the street from Little Beast. We remembered a long-ago wonderful dinner at their previous restaurant Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena and definitely planned to pay Little Beast a visit. Months slipped by though and what really got us off our butts to get over there was hearing from our friend Jason Zucker that he is now manager at Little Beast. Getting to see Jason again was the last little nudge we needed to drive down to Eagle Rock – okay, Jason also did tell Michael that they make a great burger!

Strolling to the entrance of Little Beast on the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Loleta Avenue, it felt like visiting a friend’s home for dinner. We enjoyed the ambiance of the patio, where it really did feel like we were at our own table at someone’s backyard dinner party.

If you check out the online menu [www.littlebeastrestaurant.com/menu], note that the in-person menu is a bit more extensive. Jason told us that the menu is seasonal and that the new owners are adding items regularly as they add their own touches while keeping customer favorites, such as the aforementioned Little Beast Burger, among others.

The wine list has some impressive offerings both by the glass and bottle, such as Carol Shelton Wines Wild Thing Viognier, Cass Winery Roussanne and Bedrock Old Vine Zinfandel, as well as Beer & Cider selections. Jason said that the wine list is being expanded as well. Corkage for you BYOBers is a very reasonable $18 per bottle. They also have a very interesting program of signature craft cocktails.

Now on to our meal… We started with the Chicken Liver mousse with “cherry-white port gelee, pickled shallots, crispy bacon, warm bread”, which was a terrine of creamy rich goodness. Karen ordered the Crispy Skin Striped Bass with “parsnip puree, black eyed pea salad, tomato oil, preserved lemon, charred kale’’.  She said it was cooked perfectly and along with a side of Little Beast Carrots with apple mustard BBQ and Fuji apples, she enjoyed the entrée immensely. Of course, Michael ordered, the Little Beast Burger [“dry aged prime beef, tomato onion jam, lettuce, rosemary 1,000 island, house pickles, aged cheddar served with organic greens or wedge potatoes”]. This made the short list of Michael’s favorite burgers, but he said he will need to have it a couple of more times to determine the exact ranking – hard work for sure. Dessert was the Butterscotch and Chocolate Pudding Duo, which was as good as it sounds.

Service manages to combine extreme professionalism and courtesy but zero level of stuffiness, preserving that feeling of visiting a friend’s home.

We are looking forward to visiting our new and old friends at Little Beast again very soon.  You know that the Perlises are into backyard dinners.

Little Beast

www.littlebeastrestaurant.com

1496 Colorado Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90041

Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick: The Tam O’Shanter Restaurant and Carol Shelton Wines

by

The Tam O’Shanter in Los Feliz has been one of our select go-to restaurants for a long time, even more so after the pandemic closures. While we can’t say we’ve been going since they opened over 100 years ago, we’ve been dining there much of the last twenty. At this Scottish-themed restaurant, service is consistently outstanding and you can always count on their classic dishes. Being a part of the Lawry’s family of restaurants, you know their prime rib is going to be excellent. In addition, recent addition Executive Chef JC Salazar has been trying out some new dishes, such as paella and seafood pasta, that have proven to be delicious.

So we were very excited to get an email from The Tam O’Shanter not too long ago promoting a Zinfandel Extravaganza Wine Dinner highlighting the food of their new EC paired with the wines from Carol Shelton Wines, with the Queen of Zinfandel herself to be in attendance.

Carol Shelton got her Bachelor’s Degree in Enology from UC Davis and worked her first harvest in 1978. Since then, she has had a wonderful career, having worked with legends Andre Tchelistcheff and Peter Lehmann among others as well as spending 19 years as winemaker for Windsor Vineyards. It was at Windsor that Carol developed her love of Zinfandel and, in the year 2000, she and her husband Mitch founded Carol Shelton Wines based in Santa Rosa. Carol sources grapes from all over California and is well known for being an exceptional winemaker and has been honored accordingly, especially [but not just] for Zinfandel.

Check out this menu for the wine dinner:

Eggplant Confit Salad / 2019 Carol Shelton Monga Zin, Cucamonga Valley

Five Spice Seared Duck Breast / 2018 Carol Shelton Pizazz Zin, Lodi

Braised Short Rib / 2019 Carol Shelton Rockpile Reserve Zin, Sonoma County

Chocolate Cake / 2019 Carol Shelton Wild Thing Zin, Mendocino County

But, sadly, we were unable to attend the event. Fortunately for us though, we did have the opportunity to try a couple of the wines featured in it –

The 2018 Pizazz Zin (97% Zinfandel and 3% Petite Sirah) is from the Piazza Vineyard in Lodi. This 80 acre vineyard was planted in 1973. Ripe plum aromas give way to chocolate milk and raspberry on the palate. This very quaffable wine makes you want to come back for more [and maybe some more after that!].

The 2019 Rockpile Reserve (80% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah and 5% Carignan) is from the acclaimed Florence Vineyard in the Rockpile AVA. Not sure what more we can say about this area that we haven’t already said pretty much every time we have a Rockpile. It’s just a very special AVA. This wine was a deep crimson color with excellent clarity. Notes of raisins and cloves and a big berry finish came through on this very well balanced wine.

One might ask: Why write about an event that we didn’t attend? That’s a fair question. The answer is twofold.

One, we wanted to remind people to pay The Tam O’Shanter a visit if they haven’t in a while [or maybe ever]. There are very few truly historic restaurants in the Los Angeles area, and those that are remaining deserve your attention, especially if they are doing as good of a job as “The Tam” does.  The Tam O’Shanter offers wine dinners several times a year so you should get on their email list or check out their website to see when the next one is. But you don’t have to wait for a wine dinner to go.

Secondly, small producers such as Carol Shelton Wines often get lost in the wealth of wine offerings that we are all presented with. Carol has been making great wine for a long time and has rightly earned the Queen of Zinfandel title. We definitely think you should seek out her wines. The next time we are in Sonoma County, we hope to pay her a visit. Unless, of course, we happen to see her at a wine dinner!

The Tam O’Shanter

www.lawrysonline.com/tam-o-shanter/

2980 Los Feliz Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90039

Carol Shelton Wines

www.carolshelton.com

3354-B Coffey Lane

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick St. Anne’s Crossing Winery

by

Driving on the Sonoma Highway just north of Kenwood, it would be virtually impossible to miss seeing St. Anne’s Crossing Winery, even if you weren’t looking for it. After all, how many other wineries have a 28-foot tall bear standing guard over their tasting room?

The Bear is a sculpture created by Sonoma County artist Bryan Tedrick, who is also responsible for two other large sculptures on Wilson Artisan Wineries properties – the Coyote at Wilson Winery in the Dry Creek Valley and Lord Snort, the giant wild boar at Soda Rock Winery in the Alexander Valley. In addition to its massive size, what contributes to the Bear’s uniqueness is that in addition to being constructed from recycled materials from various sources as is Bryan’s wont, some of the steel used came from the remains of the Soda Rock tasting room which was destroyed in the 2019 Kincade fire.

But the Bear is not the only thing that’s special about St. Anne’s Crossing. The property itself has a rich history. The Wilsons acquired the winery in 2012, which was the original site of St. Francis Winery and later Blackstone Winery. Chris Barrett, the winemaker at Pezzi King from our previous article, also makes the wine here. And remember that we mentioned awards? Well, read to the end of this article for some big news – and no peeking until you get to the end!

Tasting Room Associate Hailey Unger did a great job in tasting us through several of the St. Anne’s Crossing wines:

2020 Los Chamizal Pinot Noir – 100% Pinot Noir from the Los Chamizal vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA north of town of Sonoma. Delicate nose with hints of cherry notes. Gold Medal at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2020 Estate Merlot – 100% Merlot from the estate vineyard that was planted in the 1970s in the Sonoma Valley AVA. The vineyard was right behind us as we enjoyed our tasting. Great depth and a lingering smokiness on the finish.

2019 Five Saints Red Blend – Sonoma County, from Dry Creek and Sonoma Valley AVAs. A blend of the five major Bordeaux red varietals: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Fragrant white pepper on the nose and an abundance of stone fruit. Medium to long finish. 

2020 Shumahi Primitivo – 100% Primitivo, Sonoma Valley AVA. The vineyard is located in the hills near the town of Glen Ellen and is named for the vineyard owners’ German Shepherd dogs – Schultz, Max and Heidi.  Dark, ripe fruit notes with an effortless, elegant finish.

2020 Bacigalupi Zinfandel – 100% Zinfandel, Russian River AVA.  Touch of cranberry on the nose and brimming with satiny, buttery notes.  Full mouth feel and a long, sustained finish. 

2020 Five Valleys Zinfandel – 100% Zinfandel, Sonoma County (includes Rockpile, Los Chamizal and Bacigalupi vineyards, among others). Deep purple/blue fruit. Classic Zinfandel – huge and steady on the long finish. Gold Medal at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.        

2020 Rockpile Zinfandel – 100% Zinfandel, Rockpile AVA. White pepper on the nose, licorice notes, sense of finesse, long, luscious finish. A great example of why we love Rockpile! Gold Medal at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2020 Los Chamizal Malbec – 100% Malbec, Sonoma Valley AVA. Awash with ripe black cherry notes and a hint of cocoa on the very long smooth finish. We saved the big news on this wine to the end: It was the Red Sweepstakes Winner at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition! Check out this interview of winemaker Chris Barrett by Barbara Russack, DTC Sales Manager at St. Anne’s Crossing to learn more about this wine: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeKHdKVtBF8&t=29s.

Kudos to Chris, Barbara and the entire St. Anne’s Crossing team including the bear and many thanks for taking such great care of us.  The group of Wilson Artisan Wineries always delivers great wines and great experiences too.

St. Anne’s Crossing Winery

www.stannescrossing.com

8450 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood CA 95452Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick: Pezzi King Winery

by

We were first introduced to the group of Wilson Artisan Wineries in 2015 when we visited Antoine Favero at Mazzocco Sonoma. We’ve been back a few times to Mazzocco and have also visited a few other wineries in the group: Wilson, Soda Rock and Jaxon Keys. Antoine makes the wines at Jaxon Keys and Soda Rock while Diane Wilson makes the wines at Wilson Winery. The wines at all of these wineries are wonderful.

But, we had yet to taste the wines made by another superstar winemaker on the Wilson team – Chris Barrett.

Chris graduated from California State University, Chico, where he majored in biology and minored in chemistry. He worked as a biologist with the Department of Fish & Game before getting bitten by the proverbial wine bug. With his knowledge of chemistry and penchant for hard work, Chris moved up quickly in the wine world. He was eventually hired as assistant winemaker at Pezzi King Winery in the Dry Creek Valley and became head winemaker in 2007. The Wilsons acquired Pezzi King in 2012 and, fortunately for all of us, Chris is still winemaker there.

We had initially planned to visit with Chris at the winery property in the Dry Creek Valley, but weather conditions changed it to the Healdsburg tasting room. A little disappointing, but our disappointment was offset by being able to meet Pezzi King’s DTC General Manager Erica Otero as well as Tasting Room Associate AJ who did a great job with the wines and keeping us entertained. And Chris was able to break free from winery chores to meet with us at the Tasting Room as well, so all was good.

To call Pezzi King a Zin House would be an understatement. Perhaps a Zin Palace? At Pezzi King, Chris makes over 20 Zinfandels in addition to other varietals. We had the opportunity to taste through several of the Zins on our visit.

2019 Jester Zinfandel – 100% Zinfandel from the Dry Creek Valley. Fragrant white pepper on the nose with raspberry jam notes. Gold Medal at the 2021 Sonoma County Harvest Fair.

2020 Hales Zinfandel – from 60-70 year old vines in Dry Creek Valley AVA.  A classic Zinfandel with ripe, red raspberry fruit notes and a long, smooth finish. Gold Medal at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2020 Row 14 Reserve Zinfandel – 100% Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley AVA.   Full bodied, peppery style, luxurious. Gold Medal at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2020 Hunny Hill Reserve Zinfandel – from the Monte Rosso clone, these three blocks were planted in 1992 on a steep SE facing hillside in the Dry Creek Valley. Long, extended finish with very lush mouthfeel.  Double Gold Medal at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2020 Rockpile Reserve Zinfandel -100% Zinfandel from the Rockpile AVA. Distinct, unique, robust characteristics with smooth tannins and a hint of cocoa. At 2500 ft elevation, the extreme climate of this AVA might just be the best place to grow Zin. Double Gold Medal at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2018 Jon Vincent Estate Reserve Zinfandel – 100% Zinfandel from the Tripi Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, only two barrels were made of this special reserve. As per usual at the Wilson owned wineries, this bottling is one of three named after winery VIPs, in this case the Chief Financial Officer [which got a smile of appreciation out of co-writer Michael, the accountant]. Full bodied with a delicious impression of sweetness on the dry finish. The pewter label from the Ukraine makes the outside as good as the inside on this special occasion wine.

A few final impressions from our visit: Chris is making great wines here and they are worth seeking out. He is very vineyard block-oriented, giving the wines a true sense of place. And, yes, his wines, like the wines made by the other Wilson Artisan Wineries winemakers, get a helluva lot of medals. But, you ain’t seen nothing yet…

Pezzi King

www.pezziking.com

Downtown tastings: 412 Hudson St, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Estate tastings: 3225 W Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick: Comstock Wines

by

We recently had a bottle of the 2016 Comstock Rockpile Petite Sirah along with a few other wines. Petite Sirah is well known for often being dark, brooding, and taking a long time to come around to peak drinkability. This was just the opposite. It was bright, lively and downright elegant. It was the wine of that evening by far.

Elegance is a good way to describe Comstock winery itself – not hoity-toity snooty elegance, but comfortable modern elegance. The facility itself, completed in 2015, is a testament to modern wine country architecture. We first visited the property in 2014 when construction had barely started.

The last time we visited Comstock, our final email exchange with GM Kelly Comstock Ferris was that we needed to visit more often. Well, it took a little over two years, but we made it back. Hosted during our visit by Comstock’s Wine Club Manager Madeline Fuss, we were impressed by her wine knowledge as well as her skills in describing the wines in entertaining fashion. We learned later that Madeline has her WSET II credential and is working on her WSET III.

Madeline poured us a couple of glasses of the Comstock 2018 Blanc de Blanc Sparkling wine and invited us to stroll around a little and to let her know when we were ready for our seated, outdoor tasting. As we checked out the vineyard and the rest of the beautiful property, we enjoyed this 100% Chardonnay from the Dry Creek Valley AVA, picking up citrus notes and pleasant light and airy bubbles.

Here are our notes for the rest of the wines we tasted:

2020 Sauvignon Blanc – 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Dry Creek Valley AVA, this was aged in a combination of neutral oak, concrete egg and stainless steel. Lemon and cantaloupe notes with a whisper of oak on the finish.

2017 Chardonnay – 100% Chardonnay from the Sangiacomo Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast AVA’s Petulama Gap.  This wine underwent 40% malolactic fermentation and saw a touch of new French oak.  It was buttery and creamy, like French brioche and had a medium to long finish.  Gold Medal at 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Competition.

2018 Grenache – made from grapes sourced from the Bennett Valley AVA.  Ripe berry fruit and spice notes with a solid finish. 

2018 Zinfandel – Old Vine – from 122 year old Estate vines in the Dry Creek Valley AVA. Dried fruit component with raisin and fig notes, and hints of mocha and cocoa. 

2019 Zinfandel – Old Vine – from 117 year old vines in the Russian River Valley AVA.  The vineyard is owned by Comstock’s winemaker Chris Russi and is listed with the Historical Vineyard Society.  Luscious cherry, cranberry and plum notes, along with a touch of white pepper and clove. Well-rounded with a long, lingering finish.

2017 Merlot – Dry Creek Valley AVA. Deep garnet color with vanilla undertones and a medium finish. Double Gold Medal at 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Competition. 

2014 Cabernet Sauvignon – from the warm valley floor of the Alexander Valley AVA this wine saw 45% New French Oak. A tinge of espresso and elegant, smooth tannins. 

2018 Syrah – 94% Syrah, 6% Viognier, Bennett Valley AVA. Dark berry and ripe, stone fruit notes combine with a long, lush finish.

We did have a chance to catch up a little with Comstock’s GM, Kelly Comstock Ferris. She said things have been very busy at the winery. They have a lot of food-pairing tasting options thanks to the expertise of Estate Chef Jude Affronti. Events include, among others, an old-fashioned Easter egg hunt as well as full multi-course dining affairs. Their Sip & Mandala Dot Painting classes on recycled Comstock wine bottles are hugely popular with locals and visitors alike; look closely at pictures of a recent one on Comstock’s Facebook page and you’ll see the Queen of Zinfandel herself, Carol Shelton!

Kelly also told us that they have teamed up with Inspirato, a luxury travel club, which opens up Comstock’s rental house and winery to a whole other group of travelers looking for wonderful experiences.

If you are looking for a wonderful wine experience, please be sure to check out Comstock Wines the next time you are in the Dry Creek area. Their wines and hospitality are always exceptional.

Comstock Wines

www.comstockwines.com

1290 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick Roadtripping with Antoine Favero to Jaxon Keys for BRANDY

by

In our previous article, we mentioned that, while tasting wine with winemaker Antoine Favero at Mazzocco Sonoma, he suggested he had something special in mind for the next afternoon.

So, the next day, after our morning visit to St. Anne’s Crossing [which will be covered in a future article], Antoine picked us up at Mazzocco’s Briar Cottage in the Wilson Artisan Wineries van. The destination: Jaxon Keys Winery & Distillery in Hopland at the southern end of Mendocino County. The agenda: to taste the full lineup of Alambic brandy.

We’d visited Antoine at Jaxon Keys back in 2018 (http://www.evewine101.com/2018/12/01/perlis-picks-jaxon-keys-winery). At that time, our focus was mainly on the wines, although we did taste some brandy as well. This time, it was all about the brandy.

When the Wilsons purchased the old Jepson winery back in 2009, they not only acquired the winery, 1,200 acres of land and the historic House on the Hill, but also a large inventory of brandy and a vintage Alambic pot still that was built in Cognac, France in the 1900s. When we got to the winery, the first thing Antoine did was show us this copper still along with the barrels and barrels of brandy.

Then we walked up the looooong flight of stairs to the old House on the Hill, now restored as the Farmhouse Tasting Room. Sitting upstairs in the private tasting room on a beautiful clear day with the windows wide open to the fresh air, we could see the old French Colombard vines that produce the grapes from which the brandy is made.

Being brandy novices, Antoine gave us some insights into the process of brandy making as well as why the tulip shaped glass is ideal for “nosing” the brandy (which is why they are used by professionals), with different smells noticeable depending whether you sniff the brandy from the rim closest to you, in the middle of the glass or the far edge. Antoine explained that the renowned Hubert Germain-Robin had been heavily involved in the brandy-making process going back to the Jepson days. Now retired, while he still provides some input, Antoine took over the production responsibilities several years ago and is now expanding the line from three to a total of six brandies.

As we tasted, Antoine told us that brandy needs to be at 40% alcohol; any more would make the brandy too hot. He also explained that French Limousin oak barrels impart color and flavor.

Our tasting notes for the brandies we tasted (Scores, awards and notes from the 2022 Los Angeles Invitational Spirits Challenge are in italics – only the three brandies indicated had been released at that time.)

Rare: 5 years; straw, white flowers notes on the nose and taste. 98 points. Best of Class, Double Gold. Vanilla, pecan, nice maturity, refreshing.

Cornerstone: 7 years; caramel in color, more aromatic and flowery.

Old Stock: 10-15 years; stronger caramel taste, whiff of vanilla, mellowing, long finish. 91 points. Earthy, burning fruit, wood.

Barrel 10:  15 years; more oak and vanilla notes, lush finish, liquid sunshine.

Private Stock:  17 years; stronger vanilla and honey notes that flows on the nose and palate, start of nuttiness – macadamia, warm finish, roundness.

Signature Reserve:  17-30 years; 50 cases produced/one barrel, almond paste/marzipan sweet notes, amber/caramel color, mellow but complex at the same time, extremely long, lingering finish. 96 points. Dried citrus peel, vibrant.

All the brandies were delicious, but as we tasted from the youngest to oldest, we savored their increasing intricacies and structure. We can’t thank Antoine enough for providing us with this magical experience.   He is the consummate host – engaging, entertaining and enlightening. And remember, if a winemaker wants to take you on a road trip, go!

Jaxon Keys

www.jaxonkeys.com

10400 South Hwy 101

Hopland, CA 95449

Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick Wine at Mazzocco Sonoma and a Surprise from Winemaker Antoine Favero

by

As mentioned in our previous article, one of the benefits of staying at the Briar Cottage is that it made it that much easier to get to our scheduled visit with Mazzocco Sonoma winemaker, Antoine Favero. All it took was a short stroll over to the Mazzocco tasting room.

We were a little early, so Mazzocco’s tasting room attendant, Simon, got us started. His knowledge of the wines along with his droll humor helped to make the experience especially memorable. All of the wines described below except for the last two are single vineyard as designated in their names. Our visit was right after the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Mazzocco-Sonoma, as usual, won an amazing number of medals, as indicated below – some noted are from the 2022 competition.

2020 Stuhlmuller Reserve Chardonnay – 100% Chardonnay from the flats of the southwestern edge of the Alexander Valley AVA, near the Chalk Hill and the Russian River Valley appellation boundaries. This wine spent 22 months in French Oak and had a bouquet of fragrant white peach with notes of banana and apricot. Gold Medal winner at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2019 Aguilera Zinfandel – 79% Zinfandel, 21% Primitivo from the valley floor of the Dry Creek Valley AVA, next to Unti winery off Dry Creek Road. Fruit forward and very approachable with ripe raspberry notes from the Primitivo.  Gold Medal winner at the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2019 Stone Zinfandel – 100% Zinfandel from a vineyard at 350 feet elevation of the Alexander Valley AVA next to the Frances Ford Coppola winery in Geyserville, off Highway 101.  Pretty cranberry juice color, red berry and currant notes and a medium finish.

2019 Sullivan Zinfandel – 96% Zinfandel, 4% Petite Sirah – at 300-350 elevation, this 7 ½ acre vineyard from the Dry Creek Valley AVA is within view of the Mazzocco Sonoma winery. With dark red, blackberry notes and a medium to long finish, this wine was awarded a Double Gold Medal at the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

2019 Thomas Reserve Zinfandel – 96% Zinfandel, 4% Petite Sirah from the acclaimed Rockpile AVA, near Lake Sonoma at about 1,300 feet elevation. Deep garnet color, intense plum flavor. Very lush and fruit forward with a long finish. Gold Medal winner at the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2020 Pomo Reserve Zinfandel – 93% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah also from the Rockpile AVA, this vineyard is named for indigenous people. Huge notes of red berry and bing cherry, along with jam and a touch of chocolate. Still young but very good structure and an elegant finish. Gold Medal winner at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2020 Juan Rodriguez Reserve – 90% Zinfandel, 6% Primitivo, 4% Petite Sirah from the Dry Creek Valley AVA. One of the Los Tres Amigos Special Reserve bottlings. This one is named for Mazzocco’s vineyard manager. Only 3 barrels (75 cases) were produced of this truly special occasion wine. Smooth, full, rich with jammy notes and deep dark fruit.

2020 Caz – 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Zinfandel, a blend of fruit from several Dry Creek Valley vineyards. These two varietals complement each other very nicely, working in harmony to produce a rich well-balanced wine. Gold Medal winner at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

As always, Antoine’s wines are full-bodied and delicious, certain to please all levels of wine drinkers. Speaking of Antoine, somewhere in the middle of the tasting, he joined us. In the middle of catching up on matters both personal and wine-related, he got a certain gleam in his eyes. “What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?” he asked.

‘Nothing”, we replied.

Truthfully, we actually did have the next day’s afternoon open, although we might have changed our plans regardless if we had any.

Mazzocco Sonoma

www.mazzocco.com

1400 Lytton Springs Rd

Healdsburg, CA 95448

To be continued…

Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick – Lodging with the Wilson Artisan Wineries

by

When traveling, whether it be to wine country or elsewhere, there are typically a plethora of lodging choices. Where you stay can often “make or break” how much you enjoy the entire trip.

As we started planning for our upcoming trip to the Healdsburg area, we recalled that an old friend had mentioned that he had recently stayed at the Camellia Inn and had raved about it. As this is just one of the several properties under the umbrella of the Wilson Artisan Wineries, we checked out their website:

www.wilsonartisanwines.com/lodging

Besides the Camellia Inn, there are the Grape Leaf Inn, the Calderwood Inn and the Rockhouse Suites, all in Healdsburg, along with the Pinschower Inn just a little north in Cloverdale.

This is all watched over by Tim Polk, Certified Tourism Ambassador for Sonoma County and Reservations Supervisor for Wilson Artisan Wineries. Tim has lived in Sonoma County for over 25 years and loves to “guide folks to fantastic food, wine and touring experiences, based on their likes and desires.” He assists guests with finding the best Wilson housing option, then helps them with more concierge-related things such as: “suggesting local restaurants; guiding folks on how and where to make wine tasting appointments; giving recommendations for local wine tour companies/drivers; etc. I’ve helped folks plan four- and five-day trips that include picnics at Half Moon Bay to a day trip to Mendocino County to everything in between.”

Sometimes, though, you really want that wine country immersive experience of staying on a vineyard property. Who do you go to for that? Well, Tim Polk, of course.

The Wilsons have four vineyard properties from which to choose. The deLorimier Winery in Alexander Valley and Mazzocco Sonoma in the Dry Creek Valley both have three-bedroom cottages. Pezzi King, also in the Dry Creek Valley, has a four-bedroom guest house. Finally, and also in Dry Creek, is the two-bedroom KCV Estate (Kenneth Carl Vineyards Estate) House at what will soon to be the location of another Wilson project: the Kenneth Carl Winery (there is a story here to be told, for sure!).

Tim said “We don’t splash these around much online – we really want to make them most available to the Wilson winery club members…There is no online spot to check availability for the vineyard properties; you do have to reach out to us either via this email (reservations@wilsonartisanwines.com) or by calling us Mon- Fri at 707-395-0929, option 4.”

Still, they are definitely worth checking into – you might get lucky!

We had the good fortune recently to stay at Mazzocco Sonoma’s Briar Cottage and it definitely exceeded all of our expectations. It was a perfect base of operations for us, as we had already planned to spend some quality time with Mazzocco’s winemaker Antoine Favero [more on this to come] and was also conveniently located for us to explore the Dry Creek Valley and surrounding environs.

But you might not want to leave. Luxuriously appointed and with a beautiful patio facing the Briar vineyard, it is a great place to relax and take in the beauty of wine country.  It is a just short drive to Healdsburg with its many wonderful restaurants, or you can just load up on supplies at a convenient market and take advantage of the full kitchen, dining room, and that patio. The only problem with Briar Cottage is it may spoil you for staying anywhere else.

Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.

Perlises Pick – I. Brand and Family

by

The San Francisco Chronicle named Morgan Twain-Peterson and Tegan Passalacqua their co-winemakers of the year for 2015. Why does this matter, you may ask? Typically, we don’t pay too much attention to these kind of awards. But since Morgan and Tegan are two of our very favorite winemakers (Morgan for Bedrock Wine Company and Tegan for Turley Wine Cellars as well as Sandlands), this award made us sit up and take notice of who the Chronicle named going forward.

Fast forward to 2018. The Chronicle named their winemaker of the year to be – Ian Brand. “Who?”, you may ask (we did). But further research resulted in us resolving to visit Ian’s winery tasting room in the Carmel Valley as soon as practical. It took us a while, but we finally made it.

Ian sources grapes from all over Monterey and San Benito Counties. You may not be familiar with many of the grapes and the vineyard sites are often historic and underrepresented in a land where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are king and queen.

Ian actually produces wine under three labels: Le P’tit Paysan (The Little Peasant) would be considered entry level, inspired by French Village wines; La Marea (The Tide) focuses on Spanish varietals; and I. Brand, which are single vineyard, old vine bottlings. Total annual production is about 15,000 cases, with the premium I Brand label representing the lowest production.

We tasted some of the wines from the I. Brand label when we visited the tasting room in Carmel Valley Village. Note that most of these vineyards are registered with the Historic Vineyard Society (HVS), an organization near and dear to our hearts.

2021 Arneis –from the Vista Verde Vineyard in the Paicines AVA of San Benito County

Bright, Asian pear, lemon notes. Medium to full mouth feel, long fish.  Impression of very slight sweetness, distinct and structured.

2021 Pinot Gris – from the Eden Rift Vineyard in the Cienega Valley AVA of San Benito County.

Eden Rift was planted in the early 1850s by Theophile Vaché, a pioneer of the California wine industry. Light blush color, since it spent five days on its skins. Complex tannins, strawberry raspberry notes in the mouth and on the nose. Long finish.

2021 Pinot Noir – from the Enz Vineyard in the Lime Kiln Valley AVA of San Benito County. This vineyard is registered with the Historic Vineyard Society. Temperatures are warmer in this area compared to Monterey County so harvest is earlier. The soil is limestone versus the granite of Monterey County. Great fruit nose.  Stone fruit complexity, medium mouth feel, medium to long finish.

2019 Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache – from the Chalone Vineyard in the Chalone AVA of Monterey County. This is another vineyard registered with the HVS. A perfect blend of these three grapes (56%, 32% and 12% respectively), this elegant wine had a cherry nose, red, ripe fruit and rosemary notes.  A nice long finish.

2019 Cabernet Sauvignon – from the Massa Vineyard in the Carmel Valley AVA of Monterey County

This is oldest vineyard in Carmel Valley. It was previously owned by the Durneys and is now owned by the Massas and is HVS registered. The wine was obviously still very young but was very structured and layered, with pomegranate and white pepper notes.

Ian is making outstanding wines from these great old vineyards. You should definitely take the drive to the end of Carmel Valley Village to see and taste for yourself.  It makes for a very leisurely ride.    

With the three labels, there is a variety to choose from.   The tasting room is comfy and cozy.  We enjoyed sitting outside looking at the scenery, the beautiful mountains and the surrounding areas. It only added to the overall experience.

I. Brand & Family

www.ibrandwinery.com

19 East Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley Village, CA 93924Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.