Perlis Picks: Mazzocco Sonoma

June 24, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

When we last visited winemaker Antoine Favero at Mazzocco Sonoma, he made the gracious offer of taking us to visit a vineyard or two on our next visit.

Not one to forget that kind of opportunity, I checked with Antoine as we planned our upcoming Dry Creek Valley trip. I almost expected him to be too busy, as he is not only winemaker for Mazzocco but also for Jaxon Keys and Soda Rock, as well as sharing winemaking duties with Diane Wilson at deLorimier. But Antoine was true to his word and suggested an excursion to Rockpile.

Antoine Favero of Mazzocco Sonoma Winery at Rockpile Ranch

I’ve loved wines from the Rockpile AVA for some time and have always considered it a very special place, but have never visited, until now. I was surprised to learn that this area only obtained its official AVA status in 2002, as it seems like I’ve been drinking Rockpile wines for longer than that.

That being said, Karen and I hopped into the Wilson Artisan Wineries tour bus and, with Antoine at the wheel, we drove to the far western reaches of the Dry Creek Valley and into the Rockpile AVA.

Our first stop was Florence Ranch. Antoine, who gets grapes from this vineyard, explained that Jack Florence Sr. was one of the growers who helped to spearhead the recognition of the Rockpile AVA. The AVA is over 15,000 acres, but less than 200 are planted.

We then continued deep into the wilderness of Rockpile until we reached the Mazzocco Rockpile Ranch property, which is only 800 acres with 25 of them planted. Along the way, we marveled at how difficult it must be to just get the ripened grapes back to the winery, given the ruggedness of the terrain.

Finally arriving at Rockpile Ranch, Antoine needed to let us into the locked gateway to the property. When we got to the vineyard, it was easy to see why this vineyard was kept under lock and key. I love visiting vineyards – where the magic starts – but certain ones seem more magical that others. And this one definitely ranks very high on that list, capped off by Antoine opening a bottle of the 2014 Mazzocco Rockpile Zinfandel for us to enjoy at the vineyard from which it came. Perfection!

Alas, while we have the hard job of writing about wine, Antoine has the much harder job of actually making the stuff. And he had to get back to work! So, he drove us back to the winery and left us in the hands of the very capable, knowledgeable and hospitable Mazzocco tasting room staff.

Much like Mazzocco’s sister winery Wilson, there are so many great wines on the list to try, again mostly Zins, some Petites and a few others as well. My notes say that some of my favorites were…

2014 Zinfandel Maria

2014 Zinfandel Rockpile Reserve [of course!]

2013 Zinfandel Warm Springs Ranch

And, similar to Wilson Winery, Mazzocco has three wines in their premier collection, named after the vineyard manager, winemaker and proprietor, respectively. Truly outstanding special occasion wines that any Zin fan should seek out…

The Tres Amigos

2013 Zinfandel Juan Rodriguez Reserve

2013 Zinfandel Antoine Philippe Reserve

2013 Zinfandel Kenneth Carl Reserve

I can’t thank Antoine enough for taking the time to play tour guide for us. While that kind of experience might not happen often, anyone can [and should] visit Mazzocco and experience their wonderful wines. Definitely a must-visit for any wine lover, especially Zin fans.

Mazzocco Sonoma

1400 Lytton Springs Road

Healdsburg, CA 95448

See photos of our visit with Antoine and others from our trip here: Sonoma County Series.

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

Vintage Eve Circa 8/2013: Tasting, and Learning, from Louie Lucas of Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards

June 20, 2017 by evebushman Leave a Comment

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.

http://www.llwine.com

Tasting Room: 1645 Copenhagen Dr., Solvang, CA 93463

Perlis Picks: Wilson Artisan Wineries – Wilson Winery

June 17, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Diane and Ken Wilson now own nine wineries that fall under the umbrella of Wilson Artisan Wineries. Truthfully, one could spend a day or two or three [depending on your speed and capacity] just visiting the Wilson-owned wineries and no others and have a wonderful wine country experience, traveling through Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley and Valley of the Moon, as well as into Mendocino County.

On our latest visit to Dry Creek Valley, Karen and I chose two – their eponymous Wilson Winery as well as a revisit to Mazzocco Sonoma.

Wilson Winery

We had some good reasons to want to visit Wilson Winery. I’ve tasted some of their wines before, and was looking forward to trying the latest releases of their legendary Zinfandels as well as their (perhaps even better) Petite Sirahs. But the factor that guaranteed we were going to visit was to see our good friend Rick Fraga.

Rick Fraga is the wine expert that I aspire to be. We met several years ago at a restaurant in Las Vegas and quickly bonded over wine. We always try to visit him every time we come to the Sonoma area. Now that he is wine educator at Wilson…well, that was even more of a reason for us to go there.

Lest you think the owners are hands-off investors in a winery vanity project, Diane Wilson has been winemaker at Wilson Winery since its inception. Founded in the early 1990s, the property’s history goes back a lot farther than that, with the winery facility operating in a restored and modernized century-old barn. The Wilsons are also growers in the Dry Creek Valley, naming their vineyards first after their children and later ones after their parents. Wilson Winery has nine estate vineyards as well as sourcing grapes from other high quality growers.

Diane’s winemaking skills were evident from the beginning as even with no formal training her wines immediately began racking up the accolades and awards, a trend that continues to this day. And she makes a lot of different wines at Wilson Winery.

As I said, a lot of different wines, mostly vineyard designate Zinfandels with a few Petite Sirahs and others mixed in for good measure. The order form lists a couple dozen or so wines to choose from. With so many delicious choices, it was really hard to pick favorites, but my notes indicate that I especially enjoyed the 2014 Botticelli Zinfandel, the 2013 Molly’s Reserve Petite Sirah and the 2013 Sydney Petite Sirah.

Diane also designates certain Zinfandel as “barrel select”, four, as a matter of fact. While they’d be considered for most of us as special occasion wines, the 2013 Diane Marie Reserve and the 2013 Victoria Johannah Reserve [the two we tasted] were both amazing full-bodied representatives of Zinfandel and worthy of a place in your cellar.

Wilson Winery

1960 Dry Creek Rd

Healdsburg, CA 95448

Perlis Picks: Comstock Wines

June 10, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

While I’ve known of and appreciated the great wines of the Dry Creek Valley for many years, it has only been over the last few that I’ve given them the attention they deserve. It is hard to believe that it took me so long, given the quality of the wines, especially those Zinfandels!

But I do owe a debt of gratitude to Kelly Comstock Ferris, General Manager of Comstock Wines for opening my eyes a little wider to appreciate what I’d been missing.

In early 2014, we first met Kelly at an event in Beverly Hills called Sonoma In The City, a traveling roadshow showcasing the AVAs of Sonoma County. I had just gotten there and I recall expressing to Kelly something to the effect that I was concerned that the event was going to be primarily showcasing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, given their popularity. She quickly put my mind at ease by pouring me the first release from her family’s winery – a 2012 Zinfandel that was just outstanding.

Kelly, after years of experience in the hospitality industry, took on the General Manager role of Comstock Wines when her family decided to go beyond farming the grapes from the vineyard they had owned since 2002 and start making wine.

Later that same year, we had the opportunity to visit with Kelly at the family’s gorgeous new state of the art winery. Actually, we met in the construction trailer and had fun tasting through the wines and seeing the plans for the soon to be built winery and tasting room. We left, promising to be back when construction was complete.

Well, somehow we managed to wait two years for our next visit. Was the wait worth it? You betcha.

Let me start by saying that if you have an opportunity to stay a night or two at a winery’s guest house, you should definitely do so. There is no better way to totally immerse oneself in wine country. And, you’d be hard pressed to find a better one than The Residence at Comstock Wines. My wife Karen and I had the pleasure of staying there on our visit.

Just a short walk to the winery tasting room, The Residence provides complete luxury while at the same time is a totally immersive wine country experience, right in the middle of the vineyard property. With four master suites, the huge house also has a full kitchen as well as a living room and media room. In one direction, you can drive to the gourmet restaurants in Healdsburg in just a few minutes and in the other direction are all the wineries and vineyards of the Dry Creek Valley.

And speaking of wineries, the winery at Comstock is a beautiful state of the art building wherein winemaker Chris Russi uses his years of experience and knowledge of the various Sonoma County AVAs and their varietals to “create wines that speak to regional uniqueness.” The winery’s capacity far exceeds Comstock’s production, so they also provide custom crush services to other wineries. I found especially cool the ability to cordon off various sections of the winery to provide for the unique needs of client wineries. And the automated punch-down equipment was really fascinating to me.

All that being said, at the end of the day it is all about the wine, right? Wonderful as this property is, if the wine isn’t up to the same standards…well, it would be hard for me to write this article.

Fortunately, the wines do live up to expectations. Some of our favorites were…

2015 Sauvignon Blanc / Dry Creek Valley – acid on Sauvignon Blanc can sometimes be overwhelming. Not here. Nice tropical fruit flavors with just enough zing on the palate.

2013 Chardonnay / Sonoma Coast – a really clean refreshing Chard. Nice bright flavors.

2013 Zinfandel / Dry Creek Valley and 2012 Zinfandel / Dry Creek Valley – had these side-by-side. The 2012 was the first Comstock wine I had tasted a couple of years early and was drinking beautifully. The 2013, which after our visit won a well-deserved Gold Medal at the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Competition, was drinking great as well, showing off that wonderful Dry Creek Valley fruit.

2013 Zinfandel / Old Vine / Dry Creek Valley and 2013 Zinfandel / Old Vine / Russian River Valley – another side-by side tasting, and a really interesting one. At first, the upfront fruit of the Dry Creek Valley bottling really got my attention. As I continued to taste each wine, the RRV Zin showed a little more complexity and rewarded a little extra attention. You wouldn’t go wrong with either of these.

2013 Zinfandel / Rockpile – there are a lot of great sites for growing Zinfandel, but I have to say that the Rockpile AVA has always held a special place in my heart [and on my palate]. No surprise here, just a beautiful, jammy, delicious wine.

I’d like to say a big thank you to Erin Bush [Residence Manager & Winery Concierge] and Tracy Bidia [Hospitality Director] as well as everyone else we encountered at Comstock for making our stay so enjoyable. Sadly, Kelly Comstock Ferris was out of town so we were not able to connect this time, so we are really looking forward to seeing her on our next visit to Comstock.

Comstock Wines

1290 Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448

See photos of our visit to Comstock Wines and others from our trip here: Sonoma County Series.

National Association of Professional Women Inducts Eugenia Romeo, Owner of Romeo Vineyards & Cellars/Blue Heron Vineyards, Into VIP Professional Woman of the Year Circle

June 8, 2017 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Garden City, NY (PRWEB) – The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) honors Eugenia Romeo as a 2017-2018 inductee into its VIP Woman of the Year Circle. She is recognized with this prestigious distinction for leadership in entrepreneurship. NAPW is the nation’s leading networking organization exclusively for professional women, boasting more than 850,000 members, a thriving eChapter and over 200 operating Local Chapters.

“I’m pleased to welcome Eugenia into this exceptional group of professional women,” said NAPW President Star Jones. “Her knowledge and experience in her industry are valuable assets to her company and community.”

In 1997, Eugenia Romeo and her husband purchased land with a vineyard in downtown Calistoga, CA, in the heart of the Napa Valley. According to the company’s website, “Romeo Vineyards produces elegant and enduring wines from vines forty- two years old…” The vineyard has 25 acres, 16.5 of which were planted in 1971.

Originally from Manhattan, Ms. Romeo’s rich family history goes back 14 generations to Ireland. As winemakers, she and her husband are respectful not only of the vineyard land but of the wildlife who call it home. Blue Heron Vineyard is named for a blue heron that was killed by a poacher on the property years ago. Today, two herons roam freely on the vineyard.

The vineyard’s wine label is called “Sempre Vive,” which in Latin means “Always Alive.” Among the many award-winning wines produced at the vineyard are whites, roses and reds. Customers may enjoy these wines at the on-site tasting room that was opened in 2014. There is plenty of outdoor seating and people can reserve the space for catered events. The tasting room also features a pizza oven and portable bar. Discounts are available to military personnel as well as members of the vineyard’s exclusive wine club.

Awards & Accomplishments:
Ed.D., College of Notre Dame; member of Wine Association, Family Wine Makers and California CA Grape Growers

About NAPW
NAPW’s mission is to provide an exclusive, highly advanced networking forum to successful women executives, professionals and entrepreneurs where they can aspire, connect and achieve. Through innovative resources, unique tools and progressive benefits, professional women interact, exchange ideas, advance their knowledge and empower each other.

Garagiste Wine Festival Brings Hidden Winemaking Gems to Hidden Architectural Gem

June 5, 2017 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Paso Robles, CA (PRWEB) – Garagiste Events Inc., producers of the renowned Garagiste Festivals, has announced that tickets are now on sale for The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, which returns to Los Angeles County on July 15th, at a stunning new historic location in Santa Monica, just a few blocks from the ocean (and close to the Expo Line).

Celebrating its fourth anniversary in Los Angeles, the festival features 50 micro-production, craft wineries from across California – including Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and SLO counties; Livermore, Mendocino, Napa, Paso Robles, and Sonoma – and is the only wine event on the Los Angeles calendar to exclusively feature high quality, hand-crafted wines from commercial California ‘garagiste*’ winemakers.

“The great thing about our Urban Exposure festival is that Angelenos can discover these hard-to-find wineries, taste hundreds of their wines, and meet the winemakers all under one roof — for less than the cost of gas for a trip to wine country,” said Doug Minnick, Co-Founder of The Garagiste Festival. “Besides, the majority of these under-the-radar wineries do not have tasting rooms, are not on “wine country” maps, and are very difficult to find. But we bring them all together for our guests to discover at the Garagiste Festival. There’s nothing else like it.”

“And, in keeping with our tradition of unique venues with character, this year our attendees have an opportunity to discover hidden wine gems in a hidden architectural gem: a 100+ year-old Historic Landmark Classical Revival building in downtown Santa Monica,” continued Minnick. “Take the train, take in the ocean air and taste some of the best wines of your life. What’s not to love?”

Dubbed “one of wine’s premier events…fun and exuberant…not to be missed” by the Los Angeles Times, the Garagiste Festival is renowned for its ‘crazy thrill of discovery,’ one-on-one interactions with winemakers, fun ‘no-snobs-allowed’ atmosphere and interesting and intimate venues.

Time and Place: The Garagiste Wine Festival: Urban Exposure Grand Tasting will take place from 3pm – 6pm on Saturday, July 15th, with the Rare and Reserve tasting at 2pm, all at the ballroom and balcony at 1210 Fourth Street, right in the heart of Santa Monica. The event is a short stroll from the ocean and easily accessible by train via the Expo Line, which stops at Colorado and Fourth Street. And, for your designated driver, there is plentiful parking in the many public parking structures close by.

Winemakers: Among the fifty winemakers already scheduled to pour are Alta Colina Vineyards, Anglim Winery, Ann Albert Wines, Ascension Cellars, Bodega de Edgar/Hug Cellars, Brophy Clark, Burning Bench Winery, Caldera Cuvee, Caliza Winery, Carucci Wines, Chenoweth Wines, Cholame Vineyards, Cloak & Dagger Wines, Coruce Vineyards, Cutruzzola Vineyards, Deno Wine, El Lugar Wines, Enoteca Five, Golden Star Vineyards, Golden Triangle, Halcyon Wines, Hoi Polloi, Hoyt Family Vineyard, JPIII Wines, Kaena Winery, Kaleidos Winery, Loubud Wines, Malibu Ridge Wines, March Wines, MCV Wines, Metrick Wines, Monochrome Wines, Nowell-Smith Wines, Olsen Perri Wines, Pagter Brothers, Penville Wines, Press Gang Cellars, Prizm Winery, Pulchella Winery, Rendarrio, Ryan Cochrane Wines, SLYD Wines, Starfield Vineyards, Tao Winery, The Farm Winery, Theopolis Vineyards, Two Shepherds Wines, and Vinemark Cellars.

Tickets: To preserve an intimate experience with one-on-one interaction with winemakers, tickets are very limited for the Garagiste Festivals and always sell out. Tickets are available at http://garagistefestival.com. For special discounts and updates on Urban Exposure, Taste of Garagiste mini-tastings and other Garagiste Festival events and news, sign up for The Dirt at http://garagistefestival.com/sign-up/, or follow us on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook (http://on.fb.me/1rgBC80).

Festival Sponsors: ETS, Glenn Burdette, Bidwell Insurance, Farm Credit, Laffort, Digital Dogma, mWEBB Communications, Travel Paso, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. For sponsorship info, email info(at)garagistefestival(dot)com.

About The Garagiste Wine Festivals
The Garagiste Wine Festivals (http://www.garagistefestival.com) are the first and only wine festivals dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan ‘garagiste’ producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Founded by fellow garagistes Stewart McLennan and Douglas Minnick, the Garagiste Festivals are committed to discovering the best and most innovative limited-production winemakers and promoting and showcasing them to a broad audience of discerning wine consumers. In addition to its flagship annual festival in Paso Robles, CA, the Garagiste Festival line-up includes Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, featuring Santa Ynez Valley garagistes; the Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, in Los Angeles; the Garagiste Festial, Northern Exposure, in the Bay Area; garagiste mini-tastings presented from So Cal to Tahoe; winemaker dinners, a newsletter, garagiste profiles and more.

The festivals were named one of the ‘Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations’ in the world by ABC News,* “one of the premier wine events of the year,” by the LA Times and “Best Festival” by Sunset Magazine’s ‘Best of the West.’ The festivals are produced by Garagiste Events, a non-profit dedicated to furthering the education of future winemakers and those training for employment within the wine industry. Proceeds from the festivals support the Garagiste Festival Scholarship fund of the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Wine and Viticulture Department.

*Garagistes (garage-east) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their “garages” (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the “rules,” and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. The Garagiste Festivals were the first to shine a light on the American garagiste winemaker in 2011. Since then, the festival has helped thousands of consumers discover the remarkable wines of hundreds of true garagistes, who handcraft under 1,500 cases a year and pay close, hands-on attention to every wine they make.

Perlis Picks: Limerick Lane

June 3, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Limerick Lane, while it has been around for a long time, really burst onto the scene when Jake Bilbro acquired the property in 2011 from the Collins Family. The story of the timing of the escrow closing coinciding with bringing in harvest and then the destemmer breaking down is legendary enough that the annual Limerick Lane Hail Mary Syrah is named after it.

Jake Bilbro of Limerick Lane Cellars.

Bursting on the scene is what happened though, with immediate recognition from major wine publications that continue to happen, maybe even at an accelerated rate. Not unexpectedly though, as making great wine seems to run in Jake’s family. Starting with Marietta Cellars, which Jake’s dad Chris named after his great aunt, Jake and his brother Scot have long worked with their father to make delicious affordable wines that everyone can enjoy, growing the winery to 100,000 cases.

[Jake’s other brother Sam, who also worked with father Chris, owns Idlewild Wines, devoted to Italian varietals – I am looking forward to visiting during my next trip to the area. Yet another brother, Lucas, did not get bitten by the wine bug and pursues his own passion as a ballet dancer.]

When Karen and I last visited with Jake, there were not many wines to taste. Success will do that, especially when you are a small winery of only about 4,000 cases. I asked Jake if he planned to expand production given the demand for the Limerick Lane wines, especially with his involvement in last year’s Historic Vineyard Society event and his obvious connection to the great vineyards the organization works to protect. Jake respond that he greatly respects the work that people like Mike Officer of Carlisle and Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock are doing with regard to preserving and sourcing from California great old vineyards. However, notwithstanding the fact that these guys all sell a certain amount of grapes to each other, showcasing the special nature of the Limerick Lane vineyard and the wines it produces is his driving passion and that will be the focus of his time, at least for the foreseeable future.

The vineyards actually consists of fourteen blocks, the oldest dating back to 1910. The Zinfandel blocks are true field blends that also include Alicante Bouschet, Peloursin, Negrette, Mourvedre, Carignane, Syrah and Petite Sirah.

The Russian River Valley sprawls over a large area, and Limerick Lane is at the Northeast corner of it, with hills providing southern and western exposure. The soil is clay and rock, with the clay holding water and the rock providing space for the vines to dig deep. Cool nights and foggy mornings keep the acidity high and the wines vibrant while the warm afternoons allow the development of intense flavors.

Initially planted by the Del Fava family, the property was later purchased by the Collins Brothers in the 1970s. When Mike Collins was ready to sell, he wanted the property to be in good hands, which is why he approached Jake Bilbro. Escrow closed just the day before harvest in 2011. And, to complicate matters, as harvest was wrapping up a few weeks later, the winery’s destemmer broke, with 7 tons of Syrah still to crush. With rain on the way, Jake threw a “Hail Mary” and dumped the grapes, stems attached, into two open top fermenters and hoped for the best.

Personally, I love the complexity that stem inclusion can bring, especially to Syrah. And the Hail Mary bottlings from Limerick Lane live up to this trait. From that year on, Jake has made a Syrah labeled Hail Mary to pay homage to that first vintage. We got to taste the 2014 during our visit and it was great as always.

We also got to taste a few other wines during our visit…

2014 Russian River Zinfandel – from the original vines planted over a hundred years ago. Not your ordinary Zin, the field blend aspect makes this is a complex delicious wine.

2014 Syrah Grenache – it was the 2011 version of this that I raved about along with the RR Zin when I attended Sonoma In The City back a couple of years ago. This continued that tradition.

1910 Block Zin [2014] – You’ll rarely see specific tasting notes from me, but in this case it was just too obvious; it was just like fresh blueberries! Wonderful wine!

2014 Rocky Knoll Zinfandel – another field blend, with Mourvedre and Petite Sirah that give this wine wonderful structure.

These wines get very high scores from the wine publications. Production is small and the wines are very hard to find outside of the tasting room or the mailing list.

I asked Jake what he would like people to know about Limerick Lane. This would have been a perfect opportunity to talk about their great wines and brag about all their great scores and accolades. Instead, he said “Tell them that we’re really nice people. We’re small so we can’t have a lot of people stop by all at once so visitors have to make appointments. But we really do want to see them.”

Go see them. There should be new releases to taste, but don’t wait too long.

Limerick Lane

1023 Limerick Lane
Healdsburg, CA 95448

See photos of our visit to Limerick Lane and others from our trip here: Sonoma County Series.

Tasting and Getting to Know: Chateau Angelus

June 2, 2017 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Getting to meet the newest (8th Generation) Estate Director and third female Director in the history of Chateau Angelus, Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, was a huge treat for me. Add that we would meet over dinner at Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air – and taste at least five different vintages – and I was over the top with delight.

What I Learned

In 2012 Chateau Angelus, a Premier Grand Cru, was awarded a “class A” distinction.

The 2012 vintage bottle is completely different looking from the others with gold embossing instead of a front label. You can read more about it in this Forbes article.

The bell shown on the label does exist, and rings three times daily. You can hear it yourself without traveling to Saint-Emilion here. There is now a chip hidden in that bell to avoid counterfeiting.

The name Angelus is in reference to a Catholic prayer.

The estate vineyards are predominantly Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

Prices, between $350 to $450, can increase 100% after release. (The restaurant had one vintage for $880.)

The Wine

Stéphanie was enchanting, the venue and food lovely – all eclipsed by some remarkable vintages that were chosen to show us the range and depth of the wines. We tasted in this order:

2014: (Bottled September 2016, this latest release marks the 30^th vintage with a banner on the bottle). Ripe and dark with black fruit as well as raspberry, earth and smoke. Remarkably open and ready to drink. 94 Eve pts.

2012: (With a gold embossed bottle in honor of the new class A distinction.) Great fruit flavors like plum and blueberry were followed by mushroom, spice and had a great backbone. This was my favorite. 97 Eve pts.

2007: (Stéphanie said she loved this one.) Big fruit that included black plums, blackberry, a bit softer on the spice, cigar and dark tannins that were starting to soften. The red fruit really opened up in the mouth. 94 Eve pts.

2006: The fruit – red to black – had aged perfectly; the wine was dry, mildly spiced and held a perfect balance. 97 Eve pts.

2010: (Thought to be the most outstanding.) Bolder fruit, peppery, tannic, Stéphanie said it was opulent, one of the best they’ve produced, and my second favorite. 97 Eve pts.

http://www.angelus.com/en/

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https://www.facebook.com/chateauAngelus

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

Lawer Estates to Construct an Art, Wine and Event Center in the City of Calistoga

May 31, 2017 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Calistoga, Calif. (PRWEB) – Lawer Estates, a sustainably farmed, limited production winery, has submitted an application with the city of Calistoga to construct an art, wine and event center located at 1207 and 1215 Lincoln Avenue in Calistoga. Lawer Estates expects to open the center in 2019.

Betsy and David Lawer started Lawer Estates in 2003. The Lawers are from Alaska and were drawn to Calistoga for its familiar small-town feel. Over the past few years, the husband and wife team began searching for a space that would allow them to expand their local presence. They were drawn to the Lincoln Avenue site by the beauty and significance of several historic Magnolia trees. The trees were planted to honor three of Calistoga’s WWI soldiers who didn’t make it home. Each man’s story carries a unique significance for the Lawers.

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Photo from the Lawer Estates Facebook page.

“As we were told, one of the young men was from Franz Valley, where we have our vineyard; one was from Calistoga, where the event center will be built; and one had previously left Calistoga and started a business in Alaska, but returned to town to enlist,” Betsy Lawer said. “With those connections, the property seemed like it was meant for us.”

The Lawers are adamant in preserving the magnolia trees and designing a center that enhances the corner lot and respects the scale of the neighborhood. Lawer Estates plans to hire locally for the design, build and day-to-day running of its center and has hired renowned Napa Valley-based architect firm Backen, Gillam & Kroeger to lead the design.

“There is nothing more important to us than supporting the local community, and we are thrilled at the prospect of bringing our family business to downtown Calistoga,” said Betsy Lawer. “My small-town upbringing taught me that relationships and the local community are paramount, and we will apply this to all aspects of the design and building of this project.”

Currently the two addresses, located at the south end of Lincoln Avenue, are vacant lots with mature trees and a rustic grass area. The center will draw pedestrians “over the bridge,” adding further liveliness and attractiveness to the south end business district. The lots are within walking distance of all local Calistoga hotels, restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts. The Lawer family intends the center to be a showcase for their limited production wines made from grapes grown with sustainable farming practices.

While specific design details are forthcoming, the initial design submitted to the city for approval calls for a tasting room, event glass roofed conservatory and retail space that is designed with respect to the scale of the neighborhood. The center will draw on local restaurants for catering services and plans to employ four full-time employees and 10 to 15 part-time employees, depending on customer traffic and the number of events.

About Lawer Estates

Lawer Estates is a family-owned, sustainably farmed limited production winery based in Calistoga, California. Betsy Lawer is a third generation Alaskan banker who has proven that helping people succeed in the community is not only the right thing to do, but is the right approach to business. Betsy and her husband David started their winery in 2003 with the goal of applying these core values to their family-run winery. David and Betsy who work closely with their experienced team, to produce limited production terroir-driven wines. For more information visit LawerEstates.com.

Perlis Picks: Elevating Zinfandel 2017

May 27, 2017 by Michael Perlis 1 Comment

A few days prior to attending Ian Blackburn’s wineLA Elevating Zinfandel event with my wife Karen, I happened across a video that had been posted on Facebook by ZAP [Zinfandel Advocates and Producers – the organization “dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history”] featuring Joel Peterson, founder of Ravenswood winery and often called “the Godfather of Zinfandel.” Joel really gave a great explanation of why Zinfandel is considered America’s Heritage grape, given that it truly found its greatness here in California versus, for example, Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux and Pinot Noir in Burgundy.

This greatness was evident at Elevating Zinfandel, where more than a dozen of California’s best producers of Zinfandel showed up to La Brea Bakery to pour their wines for a group of very appreciative tasters.

VIP attendees got to start their tasting an hour early as well as getting an opportunity to taste some special wines reserved just for them. [Obligatory note – when a VIP option is available, always go for it!]

The wineries pouring:

Beekeeper Vineyards

Bedrock Wine Co

Bella Vineyards

Robert Biale Vineyards

Brown Estate

Carol Shelton Wines

Gamba Vineyards and Winery

J Dusi Wines

Mauritson Wines

Ottimino

Peter Franus Wine Co

Quivera Vineyards

Seghesio Family Vineyards

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

There were absolutely no losers here. Every winery on this list was pouring some outstanding Zinfandels. I could easily end this article here by just saying you should go buy wines from any of these producers and you will be happy. But, that would make for a pretty short article. So, let me expand on some wines that really stood out for me.

When people in Southern California think about Zin, especially those of us in Northern LA County, Paso Robles may come to mind more than any other region. At this tasting, Paso was represented by J Dusi. I knew that Janell Dusi would be up to this task, having made wine from her family’s Dante Dusi vineyard for about 10 years now. The Dusi Vineyard is one of my favorites anywhere for Zinfandel [not just Paso], so I was happy when Janell started making a small amount of wine from the family property, later expanding into other varietals as well. The 2014 Dante Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel and the 2014 Escandalosa blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Mourvedre were two of my favorite wines of the evening.

The rest of the wineries were based farther North – in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Since people tend to think of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Sonoma Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, I thought it was great that the Zinfandels from these areas were being highlighted. Here are few of our favorites…

Bedrock Wine Co. & Under The Wire – winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson [son of the aforementioned Joel Peterson], along with partner Chris Cottrell, has been making wine since he was 5-years old [although he started out with Pinot just to piss off his dad]. The 2013 Under The Wire Bedrock Vineyard Sparkling Old Vine Zinfandel was stellar, and the two 2015 Heritage [historic vineyards – field blends] wines being poured – the Evangelho [Contra Costa County] and Pagani [Sonoma Valley] were great examples of what I think Morgan does best.

Ian Blackburn’s Beekeeper Cellars has been getting well deserved rave reviews. Based in Dry Creek Valley, my favorite was the 2014 Secret Stones, Madrone Spring Vineyard, Rockpile, Sonoma County. Not surprising – Rockpile is a favorite AVA of ours; more wines from there will appear later in this article.

Another Dry Creek Valley winery, Bella Vineyards, impressed us with their Westphall, Rockpile, Sonoma County 2013.

We first tasted Brown Estate Vineyards Zinfandel several years ago at a restaurant in Las Vegas called Rosemary’s. We ended up ordering a second bottle, it was so good. Sadly, Rosemary’s is gone but Brown Estate is still making great wine in Napa Valley, especially for us the Napa Valley, Chiles Valley District 2015.

Not sure where to begin with Carol Shelton Wines. We were just really impressed with her whole lineup. Based in Santa Rosa, she sources from various places. Nice of her to share a 2014 Carignane [loved that she snuck that one in] along with her Zins. And a big shout out for making a Zin from Southern California’s Cucamonga Valley.

When I first tasted the Zins from Gamba Vineyard and Winery many years ago, they seemed too big, even for me. I’m happy to report that they are doing it right. Luscious lip-smacking wines across the board from this Windsor based winery.

You can’t really talk about Dry Creek Valley, especially Rockpile, without mentioning Mauritson Wines. Clay Mauritson was pouring a few wines – favorite by a nose was the Rockpile Ridge Vineyard.

Ottimino is a new winery to me. Really cool to taste a 2001 Zin from them as well as their current releases. Based in Sebastopol in Sonoma County, the 2014 Ottimino Estate Russian River Valley Zin was great.

Robert Biale Vineyards – an old favorite of ours. I did not make it back to their table after the VIP portion of the event, but the 2009 Black Chicken Zinfandel that winemaker Tres Goetting had poured me at that time was excellent.

Turley Wine Cellars – while many people associate Turley with Paso, and rightfully so, the winery is actually headquartered in Napa Valley. Christina Turley was on hand to pour a few of the winery’s delicious Zins. I’ve made no secret of how much I like this winery. This time, the 2015 Duarte Contra Costa County earned top marks for me.

I apologize for the wineries I missed mentioning. As I said, all of the wineries represented are worthy of your attention.

Big thank you to La Brea Bakery for hosting the event and serving some delicious food.

Thanks to Ian Blackburn and his great staff at wineLA for putting on another great wine tasting. Check out his website and sign up so you don’t miss anything.