When you think about your favorite wine regions, Arizona might not be the first state to come to mind! However, Arizona boasts a thriving wine industry dating back to the Spanish missionaries of the 16th century and features three prominent wine regions: Sonoita, Willcox, and Verde Valley. Not only have these regions produced award-winning wines receiving international acclaim, but some of their wines have also even been served in the White House.
● Sonoita, Willcox, and the Verde Valley have soil and climate conditions similar to those in parts of the South of France, Spain, and Southeastern Australia. Oenophiles can delight their senses with grape varieties native to Spain, Italy and the Rhone River Valley in France.
● Arizona is often associated with arid temperatures and cactus-spotted deserts; however, weather conditions are temperate, and the high elevations lend to near-perfect conditions for growing grapes. In the Willcox Region, vineyards are located high above the desert terrain and heat, surrounded by area mountain ranges. Here, 74% of Arizona’s wine grapes are harvested. In the Verde Valley Region, the ideal combination of elevation, volcanic soil, and diurnal swings (hot days and cooler nights) lend to more flavorful, full-bodied wines. The Sonoita region is Arizona’s first American Viticultural Area (AVA). This region boasts many similarities to the Italian “Super Tuscan” region, with unique climate and soil characteristics, and its distinctive ability to retain natural water.
● Wine grapes are considered a low-impact, specialty crop, which is defined as low acreage and high-density agriculture. Here, grapes are drought-tolerant and are predominantly grown using drip irrigation. For comparison, an acre of mature vines can use around 1.5 acre-feet of water per acre each year. Corn and alfalfa both use more than 4 acre-feet of water per acre each year, even up to as much as 6 acre-feet per year. As a result, wine grape crops offer an “added value” with economic benefits and sustainability techniques which save water and nutrients, thus minimizing the impact on natural resources. Some areas also use managing techniques such as mowing native grasses, which can help control weeds and tree/brush.
● Arizona’s native grapevine, Vitis arizonica, can be spotted growing in and around many wineries in Arizona. Vitis arizonica is one of approximately 60 grape species that are being studied extensively to improve wine grapes. Recent research has shown Arizona grapes are more resistant to Pierce’s disease than cultivated forms. UC Davis California, for instance, has created new grape varieties bred by Vitis arizonica that carry a single dominant gene for resistance to Pierce’s disease, (a disease caused by a bacterium spread by a group of insects called sharpshooters). Scientists hope that hybrids between Arizona and wine grapes will reduce the incidence of the disease.
● With road-tripping on the rise, Harvest Hosts offers an impressive and timely network of wineries, breweries, distilleries, farms, and attractions that invite RVers to stay in stunning campsites! Harvest Hosts offer a different way for RVers to meet other travelers, stay overnight in gorgeous settings, and create long-lasting memories. For a small annual membership price, members can stay overnight at any Harvest Hosts site, all of which are pet and family friendly. Please note that members are kindly invited to support their hosts by purchasing one of their local products with each stay.
In addition, local wineries have been holding virtual tastings and have recently released new varietals, more award-winning wine, including the 2018 Viognier from the SouthWest Wine Center (SWC) at Yavapai College. The SWC was established to fulfill the education and workforce development needs of a thriving Arizona wine industry and offers the only program of its kind. The academic program provides hands-on Viticulture experience in the vineyard and cellar, an experience that cannot be duplicated solely in a classroom setting!
Larkmead Vineyard Celebrates 125th Anniversary in Napa Valley
CALISTOGA, CALIF. (PRWEB) – Larkmead Vineyards (https://larkmead.com) is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, a milestone rivaled by few wineries in the United States. Founded as a wine estate in the late 1800s, Larkmead is now under the stewardship of proprietors Cam Baker and Kate Solari Baker, who have overseen Larkmead’s elevation to a world-class estate winery over the last two decades. Larkmead produces some of the Napa Valley’s top rated Cabernet Sauvignon under the guidance of celebrated winemaker Dan Petroski.
Photo credit: Jimmy Hayes Photography
“As we reflect on 125 years of history, we are also thinking about the future. Our family has had the great fortune to act as stewards of this great estate since it was purchased by Kate’s parents, Larry and Polly Solari, in 1948 and we have a responsibility to protect and preserve it for posterity,” said Cam Baker. “That means honoring the estate’s remarkable history and achieving the highest quality wines for its future.”
As a longstanding bastion of research and supporter of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve, Larkmead is at the forefront of viticulture and climate research. In August 2019, Larkmead announced the establishment of a research block, dedicating three acres of the estate to be planted to several different grape varieties, clones, and rootstocks for trial purposes as Napa Valley’s climate changes. The three-acre plot will be planted to California heritage varieties including Chenin Blanc, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel, alongside Mediterranean varieties such as Aglianico, Tempranillo, and Touriga Nacional.
This research endeavor is not the first to occur at Larkmead. In 1939, UC Davis professor and eminent grape geneticist, Dr. Harold P. Olmo, planted a clonal station at Larkmead with the purpose of understanding Cabernet Sauvignon and its place in Napa Valley’s terroir. In honor of the remarkable contributions Dr. Olmo made through his work at Larkmead and internationally, the Bakers made a recent gift to the UC Davis Library to fund the processing, cataloging, and digitization of the significant Dr. Harold Olmo Archival Collection at the UC Davis Library.
Through the spring of 2020, Larkmead will be launching a number of initiatives celebrating the anniversary, both at the winery and in markets across the US. At the winery, Larkmead will showcase the estate’s history through an exhibit of images and objects from significant milestones, open to guests with tasting appointments. Larkmead will also host a series of tasting events in several national markets and at the winery, by invitation.
A History Spanning Across Three Centuries
Larkmead was named by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, whose father, Dr. Charles M. Hitchcock, purchased 1,000 acres in Napa Valley in 1873 and subsequently gave a portion of the property to Lillie. Having spent the Civil War years in Paris, Lillie developed a bohemian lifestyle, and her home at Larkmead soon became a haven for famous artists, poets, and writers of her day.
A winery at Larkmead was leased by F. Salmina & Co. in 1895, now considered the year of Larkmead’s founding as a wine estate. In 1906, the Salmina family built a new winery and by 1915, Larkmead was winning awards at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, also known as the World’s Fair in San Francisco.
Prohibition brought Larkmead’s winemaking to a halt in 1920, but the Salmina family sustained their business by obtaining a license to produce sacramental wine, allowing production to continue. Following repeal in 1933, Larkmead was ready to sell wine by January 1934. In 1939, just after the start of World War II, Larkmead debuted their 1937 vintage wine – the first Larkmead wine to be sold under a vintage date. That same year, Larkmead wines were featured at a lunch with President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Treasure Island in San Francisco. More importantly for the future of Napa Valley and the American wine industry, Dr. Olmo – one of the 20th century’s most influential viticulturists – planted a clonal station at the Larkmead estate. In the 1940s, he developed the widely-planted Cabernet Sauvignon clone FPS 02. Commonly known as the “Oakville selection,” this clone was fundamental in establishing Cabernet Sauvignon as Napa Valley and California’s signature grape variety.
In 1948, Larry Solari, Manager of the Wine Grower’s Guild marketing collective, and his wife, Polly, purchased the Larkmead estate, marking the beginning of the Solari family stewardship. The Solari’s began a long tenure selling estate fruit to Napa Valley’s top wine producers and later wine under the name “Larkmead Vineyards.” During this period, Larry also served as President of United Vintners, which owned Italian Swiss Colony, Inglenook, and Beaulieu Vineyard.
Larkmead transitioned to the ownership of Cam and Kate in 1993, and they began the significant replanting of the entire vineyard property to the highest quality Bordeaux varietals that continues today.
“We knew that our vineyard produced some of the best fruit in Napa Valley, and we wanted Larkmead to be the great Napa Valley estate that it was destined to be,” said Kate Solari Baker. “Our first release in the new era was the 1995 vintage, and Larkmead is now producing the highest quality wines in the Napa Valley which will continue to get even better.”
Committed to Larkmead being a world-renowned wine estate, in 2005 Cam and Kate built the first phase of a new state-of-the-art winery on the property so that each vineyard block could have its own dedicated vinification tank. The production facility and a farmhouse-style hospitality building were designed by renowned architect and family friend, Howard Backen. In April 2006, a new tasting room opened to the public, and in 2013, the facility was expanded to enhance micro-lot fermentation and barrel aging. Under the direction of winemaker Dan Petroski, named 2017 Winemaker of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle, Larkmead’s wines have achieved numerous accolades, fulfilling the promise of this historic estate, and the best is yet to come.
For more information about Larkmead Vineyards, please visit https://larkmead.com/.
Follow Larkmead on Instagram via @larkmead_vineyards, Facebook via @larkmeadvineyards, or Twitter via @Larkmead.
Lusso Della Terra Cellars Wins Top People’s Choice
Lusso Della Terra Cellars won first place in the People’s Choice Award at the 21st annual Winemakers’ Cookoff in Paso Robles on August 10. It was the winery’s first year participating in the Paso Robles Rotary sponsored event, which was held at the Paso Robles Event Center.
The owner and winemaker, Edward Cholakian, helped serve up Texas Beef Sliders alongside Cali Grill chefs, Marlynna and Adam Farleas. The sliders featured Texas beef, bacon, cheddar, onion straws, house-made barbecue sauce, on a toasted brioche bun, served with Cali Grill’s famous waffle fries, and was paired with Lusso Della Terra Cellars’ 2016 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cholakian was proud to win the top award at the competition, which pits area winemakers in competition with each other, serving grilled masterpieces alongside their best wine in order to raise funds each year for local high school scholarships. “We were so thrilled to be apart of this amazing community event,” Cholakian said about participating. “We couldn’t have done it without our amazing staff and the staff from Cali Grill. They all worked hard to make this event unforgettable.”
The winemaker said he was also grateful to the event coordinators, who helped make their first year worthwhile. “This is an unforgettable event, we hope to continue participating in the future,” he said.
Lusso Della Terra Cellars is a boutique winery located in the Paso Robles AVA. Their small lot, specialty wines win competitions across the country and please wine connoisseurs from around the world. Their winery is located in San Miguel’s rolling hills, and they provide a luxurious experience for visitors, a space for private events, and vineyard backdrops for small, intimate weddings. Lusso Della Terra also provides full service Custom Crush to a variety of clients, and they work with winemakers from around the world, large and small.
Edward Cholakian is a Paso Robles area winemaker and has been making wine locally for over 10 years. A graduate from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Edward began his wine industry career on the accounting side of winery operations after graduation. He worked for an inspirational Italian winemaking family in the Russian River Valley that showed him the true wine industry lifestyle; he inevitably fell in love and the rest is history. Cholakian went to UC Davis and received a degree in Enology and named his winery Lusso Della Terra, Italian for luxury of the land, to honor their family.
Cali Grill is a family owned and operated restaurant and has been part of the Central Coast Community for over 40 years. Their home style Cooking is fresh and delicious, and the restaurant’s atmosphere is perfect for a business lunch, or a family dinner.
For more information on Lusso Della Terra Cellars, visit https://ldtcellars.com/.
For more information on Cali Grill, visit http://www.caligrillpaso.com/.
Vintage Eve Circa 4/2016: Revisiting Four Brix Winery
We’ve run news from Ventura’s Four Brix Winery over the years (Baubles party, announcing the opening of the winery and different events I was able to snag a brief tasting at.) But it‘s been since May 2010 that I’ve sat down to taste and review their wines. Via my pal Cori Solomon of #LAWineWriters a media visit was recently arranged, and I got to rectify that.
Gary Stewart
From that 2010 article I will share that “…wine tasting became a focused passion for the three couples (that own Four Brix Winery)…(Gary) Stewart is mostly self-taught, adding classes from UC Davis, and was mentored by winemaker Ryan Horn at the Vintner’s Vault in Paso; the other couples offered years of palate experience. I then offered up my own palate to try the swanky labels he had for Deductive (Zinfandel and Petite Syrah), Rhondevous (Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache) and my personal favorite, Scosso (Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot).
Fast-forward to today, and from co-owner Karen Stewart (who is most often found in the tasting room), I learned:
- They started out as garage winemakers.
- The winery has 4,000 more square feet just added, perfect for their larger “Brix Head” events.
- They recently added their first “estate-managed vineyard”, the Cani Amante Vineyard, in Ojai.
- They don’t have a Chardonnay, but plenty of other whites to tantalize you.
New Tasting (Aromas and flavors separated by “;”)
2013 Smitten
100% Viognier
Camp 4 Vineyard, Santa Ynez
HELLO PINEAPPLE, then came pear, wet steel and pebbles; in the mouth was that same big pineapple flavor (someone maybe liked Hawaiian Pineapple wine when they made this one?), lemon-lime, concrete and white peach. 90 Eve pts.
2013 Desirous
100% Grenache Blanc
Camp 4 Vineyard, Santa Ynez
Jasmine, cantaloupe and honeydew melon, talcum powder, perfumy and fresh; on the mouth I got distinct canned fruit cocktail, medium acid and slight oak elements. 89 Eve pts.
2014 Dry Riesling
Cani Amante Vineyard in Ojai, Estate property.
I don’t get CA Riesling often so I was looking forward to this one. Dried peach, anise, white pepper; followed by peaches in light syrup, lemon, limeade with an encouragingly pleasant mouthfeel. 89 Eve pts.
2012 Meritage
64% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
Paso Robles
Cigarette, red cherry, toast, jam and vanilla; dried cherry, black currant, cigar, oak, dark, strong tannins. 89 Eve pts.
2011 Temptress
85% Tempranillo, 12% Grenache, 3% Mourvedre
Dusty plum, mushroom, green peppercorn and black cherry; spices, black fruit, peppery with a long, dark finish. 89 Eve pts.
2011 Petite Sirah
Layers of blueberry and black cherry, musty, violets; then flavors of dark black fruit, black pepper, dry and dusty. 88 Eve pts.
2013 Scosso
Jammy nose with blue to black fruit, earth and mint; juicy at the start, dry at mid-palate, same fruit profile as found in the nose. 89 Eve pts.
2013 Cani Amante Block 4, Ojai
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Lovely berry fruit, milk chocolate and oak trees; very dry, pepper, black fruit, big, and chewy. WE gave it 90 pts., so who am I to disagree? 90 Eve pts.
Location
2290 EASTMAN AVE. SUITE 109
VENTURA, CA 93003
Call for hours Thursday through Sunday: Phone: (805) 256-6006
info@fourbrixwine.com
Website: http://www.fourbrixwine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourBrixWines/
Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com
Perlis Picks: Historic Vineyard Society 2018 Year in Review and Upcoming 2019 Events
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.
Copyright © 2018 Historic Vineyard Society, All rights reserved.
Blatty Wines…Take Me Away
I first met Mark Blatty of Byron Blatty Wines (same person but I understand he prefers to go by Mark) at Assistance League’s wildly successful Sunset in the Vineyard 10th Anniversary event last November. His tasting table was adjacent to the Pulchella Winery table and I quickly learned that Mark had joined other local winemakers at the Pulchella crush pad.
Then I tasted his wine and noted, I had to have more. In January I did a round up on what happens in our wineries in January and February for Elite magazine and Mark wrote, “In February Byron Blatty will be bottling at least two brand new wines for their spring release. A Rosé of Grenache that’s 100% LA County fruit as well as at least one new red blend that is Grenache, Syrah and Merlot (also LA County). It’s their unorthodox take on a GSM.” The “their” included winemakers Steve Lemley, Nate Hasper and assistant winemaker Joey Perry. (See below under “website” to learn more about the winemaking team.)
Those wines Mark referenced would prove to be the two wines I would be tasting for this article, and readers would also have a chance to maybe try them too at Wine On The Roof set for May 17.
Tasting
2017 Rosé, Los Angeles County
100% Grenache
14% alcohol
With an inviting color of rose gold I was drawn in to find aromas of ripe raspberry, lemon and lime zest, yellow peach and tropical fruit – made me think of Hawaii…and a beach…and a much needed vacation. Okay, back to the wine, I dove in (not to the ocean) for a taste. Luscious mouth coating viscosity and a hell of a lot of fruit, same as on the nose, lightly crisp and with medium acidity. As the length just went on and on, I thought how nice this would be in between bites of…just about anything that sounds good with a Rosé wine. 90 Eve pts.
2016 Tremor, Los Angeles County
65% Grenache, 30% Merlot and 5% Syrah
15.5% alcohol
Aged 18 months in French oak barrels
Dark garnet in color, with a honeyed edge that may be indicative of the time spent in oak, was my first observation. Then the spices on the nose hit me like a ton of bricks, well maybe not a ton of bricks, but the full spice rack! Along with dark plums, chocolate, red berry, blueberry – and then the two, the spices and the fruit, just melded perfectly together. Itching for a taste, you guessed it, I dove in again. A very full mouthfeel of pleasantly blended fruit, spice, a mild but welcome heat from the alcohol, toasted oak, length and a style that I wasn’t really familiar with. Maybe it was the blending Rhône with Bordeaux grapes that got my attention but I don’t care what it was, this renegade of a wine was delicious! Betting even better with a little aging or decanting. 92 Eve pts.
From The Website
Mark & Jenny Blatty, Proprietors – Mark and Jenny founded Byron Blatty Wines in 2014, after a visit to Napa Valley. Inspired by the story of Napa’s original vintners, who challenged the French with their determination to create world-class wines in a previously unproven region, the Blattys had only one rule that would guide them on their endeavor to start a commercial winery: The wines had to be from their hometown of Los Angeles. Initially they intended to plant a small vineyard on their hillside property, but soon realized that the space was not large enough, nor was it right for the varietals they had in mind. Undeterred, they began to search for vineyards in LA County from which to source their grapes. Despite the area’s rich wine history, established vineyards in LA are few and far between, and it took the couple nearly a year to discover just the right sites, tucked away in the far corners of the county.
In addition to being vintners, the Blattys also have careers in television. Mark is a Los Angeles native, and Jenny relocated from Chicago in 2001. Their first child, Oliver Byron Blatty, was born in January 2017.
Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper, Winemakers – Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper are the winemakers for Byron Blatty Wines. With more than thirty-five years of combined winemaking experience, as well as formal training at UC Davis, the pair melds a deep knowledge of modern techniques with the finesse and feel one only acquires through firsthand experience with multiple vintages. With an almost fanatical approach, they work hand in hand with our growers and in the winery to push the fruit to the absolute limits for maximum flavor and color extraction, while retaining each varietal’s nuances and subtleties. The result is bold, powerfully styled wines that stand out from the crowd.
Joey Perry, Assistant Winemaker –Joey Perry became Byron Blatty’s assistant winemaker for the 2015 vintage—his third overall—and he manages all winery operations for Lemley and Hasper. The SoCal native got his MBA from the University of Laverne and had his sights set on a career on Wall Street before a wine course at College of the Canyons in Valencia altered his path. Perry decided the trading life was not going to be for him and instead immersed himself in wine, going to work full time for Lemley and Hasper after graduation. He married his wife, Kristine, in 2015 and lives in Santa Clarita with her and their two dogs.
Website: http://www.byronblatty.com
Email: info@byronblatty.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byronblattywines/
Instagram: @byronblattywines
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com
Vintage Eve 10/2014 Sonoma Part One: First Time at Ramey and Mazzocco
I haven’t been to Sonoma in over five years. It’s a large wine area to cover and this time I focused on Healdsburg wineries that had created a buzz: Ramey Wine Cellars, Mazzocco Sonoma Vineyards and Winery, Seghesio Family Vineyards, and Mauritson Family Winery. (2018 update: Part Two, on Seghesio Family Vineyards and Mauritson Family Winery, will run in my column on next Tuesday 2/27/18.)
Ramey Wine Cellars
David Ramey, winemaker and proprietor, shoveled his first grapes in 1978, after attending UC Santa Cruz and then later to Davis for a masters in enology. Ramey’s first harvests were in Sonoma in ‘78 and France in ‘79 at Jean-Pierre Moueix. (Petrus was one the wineries also managed by Moueix.) Ramey came back in ‘80 and then spent the next 22 years at Simi, Matanzas Creek, Château Petrus again, Chalk Hill, Dominus and Rudd.
In ‘96 Ramey had the opportunity to make his own wine, a Chardonnay from Hyde Vineyard. Once his wife agreed, he made 260 cases in his first vintage. Today Ramey has released the 2011 from the exact same vineyard. Ramey Wine Cellars makes 40,000 cases, in what Ramey calls a “large small winery.” Co-owned with his wife, Ramey has no partners or investors.
Ramey told us that he purchased a vineyard with an old “Hop Kiln” on the property. He plans on converting the hop kiln into a tasting room and building caves for a winery. The property sits along the Russian River and is called Westside Farms. It has 42 acres planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. He is working on the permitting process now and would like to complete the project by 2017.
In 1987 at Matanzas Creek Winery, Ramey was one of the first winemakers in California to whole cluster press Chardonnay grapes, and he is considered a legend in the industry. His Chardonnays are made in a French Burgundian style and flavor, and he goes for more “lift” with California ripening grapes. None of the wines are filtered; they are fined using traditional French methods.
Communications Director Alexandra O’Gorman led us through a tasting of four whites and four reds.
(Aroma and flavor notes separated by 😉
2012 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (2012 – 2014 all drought years*)
The only one that was cloudy, definitely due to being unfiltered; oak, butter, crisp apple; tart apples, white pepper, nice bite with a long acidic finish. Like a Sauvignon Blanc with some oak notes.
2012 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Lemon lime, grapefruit, vanilla; toasted oak, same fruit, not as acidic a finish, more balanced.
2011 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay
Pear, cinnamon, creamy; tart, acidic, oak more prominent on palate, nice balanced finish.
2011 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay
Rose gardens, butterscotch, medium toasted oak; more oak, moist yet dry, tart Granny Smith apples.
2012 Sonoma Coast Syrah (Make 2 different Syrahs per year)
Pungent plums, juicy blackberry and black cherry, spice rack, mulled wine notes; beautiful, stemmy, lots of black pepper and dried dark fruit. ‘
2012 Claret
Bright red to blue fruits, black pepper, smoke; Exceptional blend of fruit from all over Napa Valley, dry, cigar, dark chocolate. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot. ‘
2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Ramey makes four different Cabernet Sauvignon based wines per year.)
Balanced fruit and spice on the nose, including cherry, menthol; great dark drying fruit, not too peppery, ready to drink.
2011 Annum Cabernet Sauvignon (25% Cabernet Franc)
Velvety rose, plum, cigar box; deep and dark fruit, not too much pepper, lovely balance.
*As far as any issues caused by the drought, in 2014 Ramey received 20% more fruit than anticipated.
Mazzocco Sonoma
Touring the outdoor winery with our charming winemaker, Antoine Favero, proved to be a hoot! Favero’s wit and charm got me past any fear of climbing stair after to stair to get a view of sweet bubbling fermenting grape juice, the local Sonoma airport and piles of reusable grape compost. We also tasted sun-sweetened Cabernet grapes in their clusters fresh from harvest!
Most of the harvested grapes are only fermented via natural yeast according to Favero. The winery was built in the ‘80s and is one of the rare ones that is all outdoors. The barrel room didn’t have any electric cooling units; instead the unique ceiling was built to bring in the cool air, and, as an added gift, it was beautiful to look up at.
After my travel pal Claudia Sheridan practiced the art of “punch down” we returned to the tasting room to sample a few award winning wines (see tasting notes below) and later, enjoy a picnic lunch with Favero.
Best of Class and Double Gold medals
2012 Stuhlmuller Reserve Chardonnay
Oak, cream and butter aroma notes followed by tart lemon lime and creamy finish.
2012 Zinfandel, Briar
Red cherries, mint; spicy, light tannins, long finish.
2012 Zinfandel, Sullivan
More mature darker fruit, bursting cherries, dusty plums, charred oak; pungent dark fruit, greet-me-in-the-face spice and pepper.
2012 Zinfandel, Pony Reserve
Red, blue and black fruit, black pepper, dark dry chocolate; blue fruit, chocolate again.
2012 Zinfandel, Maple Reserve
Milk chocolate, cracked green pepper, spicy; Nice balance of fruit and spice, drink now with or without food, just go for it.
2012 Zinfandel, Smith Orchard Reserve
Perfumy nose, flower garden, dark fruit, cracked black pepper; intense, spicy, very good.
2012 Antoine Philippe Reserve (Zinfandel blend)
The most balanced nose with notes of dust, crushed spices, good and fruity; milk to dark chocolate, incredible balance, smooth – shoot me that is good. (Favero sent us home with a bottle and an ice chest; this bottle, opened and in the car most of the time, lasted three days and could’ve gone longer.)
Facebook album link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10204030874999605.1073741881.1455706632&type=1&l=ef858e481a
More From Napa: Phifer Pavitt, Tank Garage Winery, Larkmead, Joseph Phelps and Switchback Ridge
This is the last article in my series on the Napa Valley for 2017. Today we will have a virtual taste from Phifer Pavitt, Tank Garage Winery, Larkmead and Joseph Phelps.
Phifer Pavitt
We met with Luke Speer, the Director of Hospitality, for our tasting. Phifer Pavitt is known (written up in Wine Spectator 13 times so far) for their “Date Night” Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. New for them: the XRoads Cabernet Sauvignon. A sparkling has recently been added but, woe is me, none was available for tasting during our visit.
We began with the 2016 Phifer Pavitt Sauvignon Blanc – fresh, crisp, lemon-lime, fleshy peach with low acid and a long finish. I’m partial to this wine as I’ve known the winemaker before he made commercial wine and have been a longtime fan: Gary Warburton. Next we tried the 2013 Date Night – It was big, dry and tannic with exceptional plump blue to black fruit, fig, smoke, aromatic and perfumy. Their red winemaker Ted Osborne always does a great job. Now onto the 2014 Date Night – I got a bit brighter fruit than I did from the 2013, but with the same plumpness. Very well done. The 2014 XRoads Cab had great fruit from the valley floor: red fruit, dried blueberry, black cherry, and very balanced with the tannins. Destined to be a hit.
Tank Garage Winery: Completely Out of the Tasting Room Box
Can’t recall exactly where I heard about the Tank Garage Winery, but it was either via a wine trade or marketing magazine. I had read it was a unique space with a unique brand. What I discovered is that this is a must stop for those looking for a different experience, or those new to wine looking for some fun.
Several out-of-the-box ideas flew at me:
- Turned a 1930s era filling station into a tasting room and…a cozy Speakeasy in the back for members only.
- The wines are all one and done. Each release is an all new blend, name and package.
- The official motto is actually “Never Dream Alone” and they’ve “found a ton of amazing people to dream” with them.
- All of their wines are in fact small batch. At one point, they were all under 125 cases, but as they’ve grown, some are as large as 500 cases, like their brand new Chrome Dreams.
- They have four wines that are distributed at larger production including a Rosé, Chardonnay, Cab and Red Blend called All or Nothing, which is primarily Zin, Cab and Petite Sirah.
- The Wine Club has three levels, 3-Bottle, 6-Bottle and 12-Bottle. The Half-Tank and Full-Tank options are just for purchases in the tasting room.
The wines we quickly tasted through (I didn’t make an appointment and had another coming up) included a 2016 “California Stroke” White Wine, California, 92% Vermentino with 8% Verdelho, skin fermented; 2015 “Nothing Gold Can Stay” 100% Chardonnay, Napa Valley, 40% new oak and 60% neutral; 2015 “Like You Stole It” Red Wine, Contra Costa County, blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Carignane; 2015 “Take It Easy” Red Wine, Sonoma County, a blend of 96% Zinfandel, 3% Petite Sirah and 1% Carignane; 2014 “The Heavy” Red Wine, Napa Valley – the only label that stays with each vintage – and a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc.
Larkmead Vineyards
Jeff Smith from Hourglass suggested we make a reservation to taste at Larkmead. Beautiful tasting areas both inside and out, we snagged a couch and settled in for a few tastes. We did learn that the vineyards were established back in the 1800s and the first vintage came in 1930s! Look up Lillie Hitchcock Coit (yes, of Coit Tower fame) to sleuth around more. Lillie had a wild life before she died in 1929. She was the first female volunteer firefighter and sold grapes to churches during prohibition – among other things.
The wines are “heavily allocated” to loyal members. Though all from the valley floor the vineyards have a diversity of soils and gravel. One vineyard, the Dr. Olmo, is named after the famed UC Davis Dr. Olmo that is credited for fighting Phylloxera. We tasted three wines: 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon was all mature developed fruit, velvety soft, pepper and nicely balanced black currant, black plum and black currant with crushed black pepper and spice. The 2014 Dr. Olmos started with that barnyard nose with the addition of dark chocolate and blackberry while the taste was dry with layered black fruit and tasted oak. The final wine, the 2014 Solari Cab had that barnyard funk, prune, ripe berries, dusty, mint and tannin. The lingering length on this one made it our favorite.
Joseph Phelps Vineyards
The benefits of membership: calling to make an appointment as you park the car in their lot! We had just received our allocation but my hubby wanted to taste the new Insignia before we put it away for a few years. We got to try more than that, and as I wasn’t “covering” the winery I just wanted to at least give their wines a shout out, sans tasting notes, as I’ve never ever been disappointed with Joseph Phelps: 2014 Pinot Noir, Pastorale Vineyard, Sonoma Coast; 2014 Pinot Noir, Quarter Moon Vineyard, Sonoma Coast; 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley; 2012 INSIGNIA, Napa Valley (I did note this one as “perfect”); 2014 INSIGNIA, Napa Valley; and a 2015 INSIGNIA, Napa Valley, barrel sample.
Switchback Ridge
Last but not least we had the opportunity to try another winery new to us: Switchback Ridge. Their 2014 Switchback Ridge Merlot gave off that interesting funky barnyard nose, saddle leather at first. Some of that blew off and I got good dark fruit while the 2014 Switchback Ridge Cabernet had pungent thick fruit that softened in the glass, a bit of mint and licorice on the nose as well. In the mouth I tasted layers of blackberry, black cherry, cigar, oak and tannin. Bob Foley makes these two wines.
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com
Vintage Eve Circa 8/2013: Tasting, and Learning, from Louie Lucas of Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards
Walking into the Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards tasting room on the popular Copenhagen Drive in Solvang, I was pleased to have my winery appointment set up with Louie Lucas himself. Before we even sat down he started giving us some history of his winery.
Louie Lucas is on the far right, with his hands on his award-winning grapes. Photo from Facebook.
With 400 acres, and four different properties, Lucas and Lewellen grows 25 grape varietals. The tasting room had been open for 10 years – serving up to 25 wines. The planting began in 1970 and Lucas has been in the area for 40 years.
The current winemaker for the last five years is Megan McGrath Gates, who went to UC Davis for her wine credentials.
Wining Awards For Others
Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards has a long history of selling grapes to Napa wineries as well as more local winemakers. So, his grapes “win awards for others”. And he also makes wines for others, like actress Jane Seymour. Amongst his list is Chardonnay to Kendall Jackson, more goes to Jed Steele of Steele wines, Muscat to Napa’s Castello di Amorosa, Gewurztraminer to V. Sattui and Syrah to winemaking legend Heidi Barrett.
I asked Lucas if I could mention this in my article, he hesitated for two seconds and then agreed, saying, “Its too late for them to get me!”
Lucas’ father and grandfather were grape growers, and what they produced had to be perfect and blemish free, even the stems had to be cured. “You grow good grapes,” Lucas said. “And you get good wine.”
“Today we buy from catalogs when shopping for root stocks,” Lucas said in regards to how things have changed in 40 years. “So many more variations then we had before, and all are supposed to be resistant to disease, we shall see.”
Lucas and Lewellen has 1200 French oak barrels, and buys both new and used. They added 300 new barrels last year and are experimenting with hybrid barrels that are made from half American and half French oak.
Tasting
2011 Blanc de Noirs Brut Sparkling wine, 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
Juicy fruit strawberry and peach on the nose, nice toast and jam on the palate. They don’t make the wine, instead they use a sparkling wine facility to make it, and only use their handpicked grapes. Outstanding.
Viognier 2012
A touch of stainless steel, followed by peach, kiwi, candied ginger and pear on the nose. Very balanced on the taste. Perfect.
2009 Chenin Blanc
White peaches, lime, green grapes, green grass. Great viscosity, mouth coating, not acidic.
Gewurztraminer 2011
Lemons, earth, peppermint on nose. Same gentle mouthfeel and low acid.
2011 Old Vine Moscato
2% residual sugar. Candied orange, wet wood, cloves.
2012 Pinot Noir Rose (100% Pinot)
Cherry, stems, rose petals…again, that nice balance and viscosity.
2009 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, Estate
New clones since the “movie” (a nod to “Sideways”), and now making outstanding Pinot Noir wines from 10 different clones.
Good dark cherries, dry, green peppercorns.
2010 High Nine Pinot 667 clone, Santa Maria.
Smokey, charred, bright red fruit, long finish.
Malbec 2010
Blue and red fruit, dry, medium length. A favorite.
2007 Petit Verdot
Inky black color, blue fruit, blueberry jam rolled up in a pancake on the nose. Mature and tannic on the palate. Another fave.
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Cote del Sol (means “The Sun side”)
Balanced red and blue fruit and tannins, very good, long finish.
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Valley View
83 cab percent and all other Bordeaux grapes
Balanced, dusty, plums bell pepper.
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 6
Dark purple, jammy, dry toast, plums.
Tasting Room: 1645 Copenhagen Dr., Solvang, CA 93463
Announcing the Mendocino Coast’s Premier Food & Wine Event – WINESONG
FORT BRAGG, CA – Tickets are now on sale for the 33rd Annual Winesong event — a spectacular weekend of award winning wine, fabulous food, fine art, music, merriment, and charitable giving. Produced by the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation, the main event takes place at the gorgeous Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens on Saturday, September 9th, with A Pinot Noir Celebration at the nearby Little River Inn on Friday, September 8th. In addition, Winesong has just announced key honorees at this year’s event: Wine pioneer Nils Venge of famed Saddleback Cellars has been named Honored Vintner, Wine writer and aficionado Dan Berger and photographer and former wine industry executive George Rose have been named Auction Chairs, and local Anderson Valley Artist Rebecca Johnson has been named the 2017 Artist of the Year. The Hospital Foundation is thrilled to honor these individuals who have been incredibly supportive of Winesong and our goals to help with the equipment needs of the Mendocino Coast District Hospital.
Winesong allows attendees the opportunity to explore lauded wines from Mendocino County and around the world, all while sampling culinary delights from locally-based purveyors, as well as a selection of local brews and spirits. World-class artwork is also on display, all set against a backdrop of the stunning Botanical Gardens and the majestic Pacific Ocean. Winesong aims to create harmony between one of the most breathtaking vistas on earth and all of your other senses, all while raising money for our rural hospital.
This year’s Honored Vintner, Nils Venge, is universally regarded as one of the foremost pioneers of the Napa Valley wine industry. Born to Danish immigrants, Venge’s exposure to wine came at an early age, as his parents operated a wine and liquor import and distribution company in Southern California. Venge continued his pursuit of wine at the University of California in Davis where he earned a BS in Viticulture in 1967. Following a tour of duty in Vietnam as a Navy Reservist, Venge moved to the Napa Valley to pursue his interest in winemaking. In the subsequent years, Venge worked for the notable wineries Charles Krug, Sterling, Villa Mount Eden and Groth. During his tenure at Groth, Venge became the first American winemaker to receive a perfect 100 point rating from Wine Critic Robert Parker Jr. The 1985 Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon catapulted Venge to a venerated position in the California wine industry. Nils Venge continues to produce outstanding wines at his Oakville facility, Saddleback Cellars.
Auction Chair Dan Berger is a former Los Angeles Times Wine Columnist and a lifelong journalist who spent ten years as a general assignment reporter and editor for The Associated Press. He began writing about wine in 1976 and has been nationally syndicated since 1979. He and his wife, Juliann Savage, publish a private weekly wine newsletter, Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences, which began in February 1996. He has contributed articles to Wines & Vines, Decanter Magazine in London, Wine Press Northwest, Tasters’ Guild Journal, Sommelier Guild Journal, the privately published California Grapevine, trade journals Cheers and Beverage Dynamics, and numerous others. He has been a keynote speaker at wine marketing seminars and has been asked to judge several wine competitions over the years. Dan has also garnered many awards, including Wines and Vines magazine’s “Wine Writer of the Year.” In 2010, Mr. Berger was inducted into the Wine Media Guild Hall of Fame in New York. He is on the board of directors of the International Riesling Foundation. He is an aficionado of Napa and Sonoma wines.
More than 40 years ago, Auction Chair George Rose began his long career as a photographer. Throughout the years, he has traveled a long and winding road through the elite world of popular music, film, news, politics, and sports, eventually leading him to California’s Wine Country. During his prolific years as a Los Angeles-based photojournalist, Rose developed a remarkable and historic body of photographic work focused on popular culture. His independent assignments, focused primarily on the entertainment industry, have been published in USA Today, Time, Newsweek and Rolling Stone. Over 40 vintage prints of his are in the permanent collection of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In 1987, Rose won a World Press Photo Award for news, and was named California “Newspaper Photographer of the Year” in 1976 by the University of Missouri, School of Journalism. The Los Angeles Times twice nominated him (1979 and 1980) for a Pulitzer Prize. For the past 25 years, Rose was a wine industry executive communications director at four successful wine companies: Fetzer Vineyards, Allied Domecq Wines USA, Kendall-Jackson, and J Vineyards & Winery. During this time, he continued to pursue his passion of photography. In 2015, Rose moved to Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley. Much of his time is devoted to documenting the natural environment of the county as well as top vineyard estates up and down the coast of California. He is also a contributing photographer with Getty Images.
2017 Artist of the Year Rebecca Johnson grew up in an art-centric family in rural Hopewell, New Jersey. Her parents were designers, artists and art educators. “Life is art” was the family credo. This philosophy enriched and continues to inform Rebecca’s art and career. As a young artist Rebecca embraced the path of the successful professional. She received her BFA from Tyler School of Art and her MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She studied bronze casting at the Johnson Atelier in New Jersey and stone carving in quarries in Vermont. A fulcrum of change occurred when The British American Arts Council awarded her a three-month fellowship to work in Northwest Wales. In this land of stonewalls, craggy mountains, wild coast and rich folkloric history Rebecca’s ideas gestated. Time and solitude created space for her to thoroughly see and imbibe the light, color and form of the land. Her exterior and interior visions integrated and enhanced each other. Rebecca discovered a new degree of courage and conviction to follow her work to its true ultimate power, rural nature and a poetic vision. Rebecca now lives and works in Northern California, Mendocino County, a place of raw elemental forces. Her studio is located in the Anderson Valley, where inside a large renovated barn she creates paintings. The doors of the studio open to a hillside meadow filled with her stone sculpture. The calm beauty of this rural place resonates in her work.
Below is a quick overview of what you can expect at this year’s Winesong event. Tickets to each event are available for purchase at: http://winesong.org/events/purchase-tickets/.
A Pinot Noir Celebration: Meet the Winemakers
Friday, September 8, 2017 | 1 to 4 p.m.
The weekend kicks off with a prestigious Pinot Noir tasting, presented by Winesong and hosted by Little River Inn. Attendees will enjoy Pinot Noir from renowned Anderson Valley, along with wines from other award-winning pinot regions, alongside tastes of Little River Inn’s finest culinary offerings. General Admission Tickets for A Pinot Noir Celebration: Meet the Winemakers are $75 per person.
Wine & Food Grand Tasting in the Gardens
Saturday, September 9, 2017 | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Stroll through the lush Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens while enjoying vintages poured by world-class wineries from Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and beyond. Sample beer, spirits, and food from 50 of Mendocino County’s finest purveyors. The tasting is accented by various musical groups performing a variety of styles including jazz, classical, blues, calypso and folk rock. General Admission Tickets with festival seating at auction and access to wine and food tasting are $125 per person for Early Responders; $150 per person after June 1st.
Silent & Live Charity Auctions
Saturday, September 9, 2017 | SILENT: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; LIVE: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The centerpiece of Winesong weekend is the Charity Auction, featuring both a silent and live auction. Nearly 200 lots will be on offer, featuring spectacular wines from the world’s most prestigious wine producers, rare vintages, large format bottles and special vertical and horizontal collections, as well as original art from acclaimed California artists and highly coveted international and domestic vacation packages. Auction Reserve Tickets with assigned seating under the auction tent (w/catered lunch) and access to wine and food tasting are $225 per person for Early Responders; $250 per person after June 1st.
For further information, please visit http://winesong.org/events/purchase-tickets or call (707) 961-4688.
About Winesong & the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation
Winesong is produced by the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for the Mendocino Coast District Hospital. Its mission is to help the small rural Hospital provide the best possible medical care to residents as well as the many visitors to the Mendocino Coast. Winesong proceeds have enabled the Hospital to purchase chemotherapy equipment, portable ultrasound machines for the Emergency Room as well as a state-of-the-art Diagnostic Imaging Center, Cardiology Equipment, a Bedside Medicine Verification System and most recently, a Nurse Call System and a Patient Monitor Alert & Telemetry System.
