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My Fave Wines From 2020: The Year When Drinking Wine Became Everyone’s Favorite Pastime

February 12, 2021 by evebushman

Lots pop into our heads when we think of 2020, and of course we aren’t out of the woods yet, or even close, so far for 2021. For me it was a windfall of wines sent for review, often accompanied by a Zoom tasting led by the winemaker. I (virtually) traveled to Germany, Spain, Argentina, France, Italy and more in those meetings and via my own cellar. And before Covid shut things down I did have quick trips to Los Olivos, Paso Robles and the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. Below is a collection of some of my favorite wines from 2020. If any of this sounds good to you, go find these wines!

It turns out that I had about 50 wine tastings, if not more, in 2020. These shout-outs are from EveWine101 website articles: the 2020 Gambero Rosso Master Class, 2017 Bordeaux presented by the Union des Grand Crus, Vega Sicilia collectors dinner with Pablo Alvarez, Fontanafredda Barolo, wine from New Zealand’s Waipapa Bay, Folded Hills Winery with winemaker Angela Osborne, California Wine STARS 2020, LA County Wines (Byron Blatty, Acri Wine Company, Angeleno Wine Company and Cavaletti Vineyards), Zoom tasting with Suzanne Phifer Pavitt and their 2012 Date Night Cabernet, Camins 2 Dreams, Gary Farrell single vineyard Pinots with winemaker Theresa Heredia, revisiting Montemar, catching up with winemaker Mark Cargasacchi and Jalama wines, also visiting Ampelos and Zotovich in Lompoc, Switchback Ridge via the Grand Reserves Reward Master Card, tasting from family-owned wineries with Dr. Laura Catena, Anne Trimbach, Laure Colombo and Alessia Collauto Travaglini, great wines that stole my palate but not my wallet from Guarachi Wine Partners, reviewing DAOU’s Soul of a Lion, Tenuta Montemagno sparkling Barbera, Castello di Fonterutoli with Giovanni Mazzei, Paul Kornell Sparkling…

In SCV Elite Magazine this year I got to write about wine tasting in Paso Robles just before the shutdown. Had exceptional experiences at Thacher Winery, Tablas Creek Vineyard, Derby Wine Estates, Steinbeck Wines, Cass Wines, Eberle Winery, Oso Libre Winery, HammerSky vineyards and the Allegretto Vineyard Resort.

January started out great with my first, and last, visit and dinner at Marstons with my VP/BFF Michael Perlis, our wonderful spouses, all over lots of wine ($10 corkage!) including 2013 Audacious Grenache/Syrah/Cab blend by Law Estate, 2013 Comstock Rockpile/Sonoma County Zinfandel, 2009 Regusci Zinfandel Napa Valley…

At Wine 661: Lucas And Lewellen tasting where we sampled five of their Santa Barbara County wines, including a Rose of Pinot and a Bordeaux blend. Had a couple of wines off of the Happy Hour menu. This was not the last time I went to Wine 661 in 2020…

Now some single bottle shout outs:

Vinos Zanzonico 2017 Syrah Reserva: 100% Syrah, 13.5% alcohol, from the Valle de la Grulla area of Baja. With a regal dark purple color, I was drawn in to fantastic aromas of sweet black cherry, plum, tri-color peppercorns, layers of rich bark, milk chocolate…all very welcoming. I went in for a taste and was rewarded with a very rich and layered mouthfeel, with dark and dry blue to black fruit, grilled mushrooms, peppery spicy goodness and tannins that held my back palate at attention for a length that just would…not…quit. 99 Eve points.

2014 Old Vine Zichichi Family Vineyard Zinfandel from the Dry Creek Valley: The 14.8% alcohol didn’t translate at all to a hot wine on the palate, instead it delivered incredible substance. It started with a nose full of sweet dark plums, pipe tobacco, black licorice, toasted oak, black pepper and popcorn kernel. Going in for a taste my mouth was filled with delicious dried blueberry and blackberry, that same black pepper, tannins that held firm, and a great balance of the dark fruit and tannins to keep it lingering a long time on the palate. This was a new Zin discovery for me, will definitely be looking for it again!

Entourage by Two Papas Wine barrel fermented (1) and stainless steel (2) 2019 Chardonnay, Thompson Vineyard, Santa Barbara County: 1. Barrel: Designated by a gold wax top (the stainless has a silver wax top) I was amazed that this was a young 2019 vintage! It had lovely notes of creamy butter, pineapple, golden delicious apple and popcorn kernel that morphed into caramel apple on the palate, mild acidity, with a long, balanced and lush finish. 2. No barrel: Our stainless sibling gave off nicely scented whiffs of Meyer lemon, both cantaloupe and honeydew melon, and a little unsalted butter. When I tasted the wine I got homemade fruit cocktail, wet pebbles, low acidity and a medium finish.

2018 Kindred Rose of Pinot Noir: The color of rose gold, complete with sparkles! Then on the nose I found pink grapefruit, lemon pith, French Toast, Creme Brûlée, and Mandarin orange = all very inviting! In for a taste next, there is a very round mouthfeel, and the same citrus fruits I found on the nose – grapefruit, lemon and orange – with a medium acidity. Enjoy now, with or without food IMO! 

2015 Phifer Pavitt XRoads Cabernet Sauvignon: Crushed dark cherry, wet forest floor, grilled steak and mushrooms, dark chocolate, black licorice, pipe tobacco, toasted oak, a hint of sweet cream and more all on the nose. Flavors included that same black cherry as well as blackberry, blueberry, a gamut of spices, velvety and firm drying tannins that of course require that you go back in for another sip…and another.

2012 Regusci Patriarch Proprietary Red: aroma: dark berries, dried leaves, figs, toasted oak and a bit o’ mint. Some of the same aromas in the flavors with the addition of dark chocolate.

2001 Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia, a Nebbiolo from Barolo, Piedmont…I  looked for the roses, tar, licorice and red berries (notes from a professional critic) and also found tart berries, spice and tannins after decanting for 7 hours. So interesting.

Have you tried Guentota, aka the “Soul of Cuyo”, a “100-YR-OLD-VINE PREMIUM 2016 MALBEC” from Mendoza, Argentina? It’s from Belasco De Baqueano and was awarded 91 points from James Suckling. And I was far too busy lapping it up to make any tasting notes. But find it at Newhall Press Room. (Truth be told I had a LOT of wine from Newhall Press in 2020!)

2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia, I have no notes as I was also too busy drinking to take any. A stellar wine as it’s been proven vintage after vintage.

1999 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo: The nose and taste had really changed and mellowed over the 7 hours, with aromas of dried dark fruit, grilled mushroom, balsamic, dust and oak; on the palate I got both bright and dark fruit in a very fine balance.

From my local Pulchella Winery we had: Suspect sparkling wine, 2019 Latitude Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier blend, 2017 Mercenary Zinfandel blend, 2018 Witness Grenache…among others!

A note on Los Olivos: this was a non-press trip so no notes were taken. With that in mind we loved: Barbieri and Kempe are “Boutique wines made by Master Sommelier Paolo Barbieri” along with his wife Erin Kempe = bought a case! The second, Bella Cavailli Farms and Vineyard, produces some amazing wines against a backdrop of a working horse ranch, as well as some fun distilled spirits from Dorwood Distillery. Jeff Lockwood is the winemaker and his brother Jay the head distiller. We left there with both wine and spirts to enjoy at home.

A note from Wine on the Porch: During the summer months we enjoyed Hanzell Chardonnay, Saintsbury Chardonnay, Parhelion Cellars Light Pillar Chardonnay, St Supery Virtu Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blend, Pagter Brothers 2018 Viognier, and from Hoi Polloi I snatched up their 2018 Rose of Grenache and Double-Gold Best-Of-Class 2018 Chardonnay!

A note about spirits: Yea, I wrote a lot about spirits this year too, stay tuned for a roundup of those next!

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 (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Filed Under: Eve Bushman Tagged With: Barolo, Bordeaux, Chardonnay, Chile, dry creek, elite magazine, France, gambero rosso, Germany, guarachi, Happy Hour, Italy, la county wine, lompoc, lompoc wine ghetto, los olivos, Napa Valley, nebbiolo, New Zealand, newhall press room, Paso Robles, Phifer Pavitt, Pinot Noir, pulchella winery, rockpile, Rose, Santa Barbara, semillon, spain, Sparkling wine, stars of california, Syrah, union Des Grands Cru, vineyard, Viognier, wine 661, Wine tasting, winemaker, Zanzonico, Zinfandel, zoom

Vintage Eve 7/2018: What Did I Find at The Latest Garagiste “Urban Exposure” in Santa Monica?

February 9, 2021 by evebushman

Garagiste festival co-founders Stewart McLennan and Doug Minnick (locals know Doug from his shared wine tasting room in Downtown Newhall, Double Trouble) as well as countless experienced volunteers, succeeded once again to bring nearly 50 small producing wineries under one roof – Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club – to be discovered by wine lovers.

Left to right: Erik Siering, Mark Wasserman, me, Paul Quinn and James Schreiner.

(Photo: My favorite people – and wine – at Vinemark Cellars and TW Ferm Co! — left to right: Erik Siering, Mark Wasserman, me, Paul Quinn and James Schreiner.)

Urban Exposure features artisan winemakers from across California, including Paso Robles, Santa Barbara County, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Los Angeles County and more. The Garagiste Festival is Los Angeles’ only wine festival that exclusively features high quality wines from commercial California ‘garagiste’ winemakers, offering Angelenos a unique opportunity to discover hard-to-find wineries, taste hundreds of their wines, and meet the winemakers…Over 70% of the wineries pouring at the festival do not have tasting rooms, and most are not on “wine country” maps and difficult to find except at the Garagiste Festival.

Pretty sure I’ve covered every Garagiste event that has been produced in Los Angeles for the past five years, as well as a couple in Paso Robles. I look forward to trying the new vintages from wineries we’ve discovered before, and wines from new wineries added to the event. This year I tried to taste as many Rare and Reserve offerings as I could as well, before palate fatigue set in.

Will now share a few of my take-aways (oh how I wish I could’ve taken some of the wine home with me!) from the event. (Too thirsty to read on? Shoot over here to see the event photos.)

Wineries Tastes (I have only noted the wines I enjoyed – keep in mind I did not try every wine that was offered at every winery table.) 

Bellante Family Winery: 2016 Viognier, Los Olivos, Camp 4 Vineyard, and 14.9% alcohol.

Betwixt Wines: 2012 Grenache, Boer Vineyard, Sonoma (sold out) and 2010 Syrah.

Byron Blatty: Mark’s brand new Rose of Grenache, LA County, $27 and 2016 Tremor blend of Grenache, Syrah and Merlot, LA County, $58.

Caliza Vineyards: 2013 Estate Grenache, Paso Robles, only 50 cases made, $75

Cutruzzola Vineyards: 2012 Riesling, Riven Rock Vineyard Estate, San Luis Obispo County, 12.5% alcohol, 450 cases, $28 and the 2015 Riesling with 128 cases and $30. 

Dusty Nabor: “K” Super Secret Syrah, Ballard Canyon, 27 cases, $45 and 2016 Super Secret Grenache, Ballard Canyon, 27 cases, $45. 

Frisco Cellars: 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, Yattes and DiPietro Vineyards, $56.

Gordenker Wines: 2012 Sylvia Drive Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $68. (Parker gave this wine 93 points.)

Hoi Polloi: Everything: Pinot Noirs and Syrah! Love Minnick and happy to support local business! 

Kaleidos Wines: 2014 Praying Mantis, 100% Syrah, Paso Robles, 88 cases, 15.6% alcohol, $65.

Leverage: 2014 Trajectory, GSM, Paso Robles, 85 cases, $60.

Parmeson: 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, 149 cases, $60.

Pulchella Winery: My all-time favorite local winery was serving up their Rose of Tannat, “Rogue Rose of Tannat”, Bella Colina Vineyards, 120 cases, $35 as well as six 2016 releases. 

Record Family Wines: 2013 Reserve Merlot, Paso Robles, 100 cases, $35. 

Siela Wines: 2015 Chardonnay Dry Creek Valley. (SF Chronicle Wine Competition gave this a Silver in 2017, I would’ve given it a Gold.)

TW Fermentations: 2014 “Cultivator” Bordeaux Blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Paso Robles, 14.7% alcohol, $68 and a Malbec with 14.9% alcohol.

Vinemark Cellars: All 2014s: Reserve Pinot, $41; Cabernet Sauvignon, $32; “Mezzanotte” Primitivo/Petite Sirah blend, $32. 

Volatus Wine: 2015 White Rhone Blend, $25; 2016 Bolter Rose blend of Tannat, Grenache and Viognier, $14; and Reserve Red blend of Syrah and Malbec, Paso Robles, 65 cases, $45.

All Wineries

Alma Sol+, Ann Albert, Ascension Cellars+, Bellante Family Winery+*, Betwixt Wines, Brophy Clark, Byron Blatty+, Caliza Vineyards, Cavelletti Vineyards, Cloak & Dagger+, Cutruzzola Vineyards, Domaine Kreger, El Lugar Wines, Frisco Cellars*, Golden Triangle, Gordenker Wines, Hoi Polloi+, In Vino Musicas+*, Kaleidos Wines, Kitson Wines*, LA Wine Project+, Lavender Oak Ranch+*, Magna Vita Cellars, Malibu Ridge+*, Marin’s Vineyard, Mastro Scheidt, Metrick Wines+, Monochrome Wines, Murder Ridge, On Your Left, Pulchella Winery+, Record Family Wines*, Siela Wines*, Stolo Family Winery, Sweezter Cellars+, Sycamore Ranch+, The Blending Lab+*, Tlo Winery, Torch Wines, TW Fermentations, Vinemark Cellars+, Volatus Wine, Wildwood Oak Winery* (*First time pouring at the festival, +Based in LA County)

Festival Sponsors: ETS, Glenn Burdette,, Farm Credit, Laffort, Digital Dogma, mWEBB Communications, Travel Paso, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. For sponsorship info, email info@garagistefestival.com.

Keep track of where the next Garagiste festival will be offered here: 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/,

Follow on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook (http://on.fb.me/1rgBC80).

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 (over 15k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Filed Under: Eve Bushman Tagged With: alcohol, artisan, cabernet sauvignon, California, Chardonnay, double trouble wine room, dry creek, garagiste, Grenache, gsm, los angeles, los olivos, Malbec, mendocino, Merlot, Napa, newhall, Paso Robles, petit sirah, Pinot Noir, primitivo, Riesling, Rose, san luis obispo, Santa Barbara, santa monica, Sonoma, Syrah, Tannat, Viognier, wine event, Wine tasting, winemaker

Vintage Eve Circa 6/2016: Can’t Get Enough…STARS of California Part Two

July 30, 2019 by evebushman

This is a continuation from my story last week, and we had left off tasting some stellar Stars of California vintages at a WineLA.com tasting event. This is the slideshow for those that want to skip ahead.

The Pour List (continued) at Press Time, my notes are in italics:

MIURA VINEYARDS
Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir, St. Lucia Highlands 2012
Pinot Noir, St. Lucia Highlands 2014
Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2013
Antiqvs Syrah, Garys Vineyard, St. Lucia Highlands 2009

NEAL FAMILY
Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2012
2015 Sauvignon Blanc, Howell Mountain, Napa 2015
Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Dust Vineyards 2006
Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, Napa 2007

PAX MAHLE WINES
‘The Hermit’ Pax Syrah, North Coast 2013
Grenache, James Berry Vineyard, 2012
Syrah, Castelli-Knight Ranch, Russian River 2011
Loved The Hermit for its dainty floral finish, unexpected for me in a Syrah, and the Castelli-Knight Ranch Syrah for its earthiness.

POMAR JUNCTION
Viognier, Paso Robles 2015
Cotes De Pomar Blanc, Paso Robles 2015
GSM, Paso Robles 2013
Merlot, Paso Robles 2013

ROUND POND ESTATE
Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford 2015
‘Kith and Kin’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2014
Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Estate 2013

Another fave I had already tasted recently. Especially the Kith and Kin that was gifted to me by a fellow wine lover.

RUED WINES
Pinot Noir, Russian River 2012
Zinfandel, Dry Creek 2013
Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek 2015
Chardonnay, Russian River 2015

TOLOSA
Rosé of Pinot Noir, Tolosa Vineyards, Edna Valley 2014
‘Pure’ Chardonnay, Tolosa Vineyards, Edna Valley 2014
‘1772’ Pinot Noir, Tolosa Vineyards, Edna Valley 2014
‘Marley Anne’ Pinot Noir, Tolosa Vineyards, Edna Valley 2014

VINEMARK CELLARS
Primitivo, Paso Robles 2013
‘Mezzanotte’ Red Blend, Paso Robles 2013
Cabernet Franc, Paso Robles 2013
Buona Miscela, Paso Robles 2014

A favorite from my judging stint for the Long Beach Grand Cru. A 2013 Petite Sirah was an add-in and simply awesome, as well as a 2014 Port-style Petite Sirah. The showstopper was the Buona Miscela Sangiovese from Monterey – look for that one too.

WESTERLY WINES
Bentrock Chardonnay, Santa Barbara 2014
Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills 2012
Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Barbara 2012
Côte Blonde, Santa Barbara 2012

I’ve only tasted Westerly wines once before, at Pour d’Vino in Lancaster, this time I became a fan of their Cab (Santa Barbara!) and Côte Blonde, which is a Syrah with a little Viognier.

WORKMAN/AYER
“De Facto” Red Wine, Central Coast 2012
“Ipso Facto” Viognier, Central Coast 2014

Wonderful reconnecting with Michel Ayer – first met and tasted with this cool winemaker at a Garagiste event in Union Station – his wines are always so wonderfully balanced. This time the Viognier was lovely, no high acid to take over, just brilliant fruit that had benefitted by stainless steel and no malolactic fermentation. The Red blend was all chocolate and violet. Need to order both.

YATES FAMILY
Viognier, Mount Veeder 2014
‘Fleur de Veeder’ Merlot, Mount Veeder 2013
‘Cheval’ Cabernet Franc, Mount Veeder 2013
‘Alden Perry Reserve’ Red Blend, Mount Veeder 2012

Paso Robles CAB Collective

I have to admit that this was my all-time favorite table. Love that the Cab Collective members sent their best bottles for sampling.

Adelaida
Viking Red Wine 2013 – Quite well done, liked the dry finish.

Ancient Peaks
Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Calcareous
Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 – Lots of chocolate layers to enjoy.

Cass
Signature Cabernet 2013

Chateau Margene
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles 2013 – I had met Michael Mooney a few years back, and then again when the Cab Collective had just begun. He impressed me when he showed a map of where he sourced his grapes – throughout many sub-AVAs of Paso – and at this tasting I learned, from his son Jon, that they have removed some old vineyards and planted their own. So soon we will be seeing a Chateau Margene Estate wine. The Cab today was perfectly balanced, with nice dark notes on the back palate for the finish.

DAOU
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles 2013 – Who isn’t a fan of DAOU? This reserve Cab was all tobacco, dark and dry and good to go.

Eberle
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles 2013

J Lohr
Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles 2013 – Thanks again for another great Hilltop Cab! Bringing on the spice and the fruit, I was ready!

San Antonio
San Simeon Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles 2012

Sextant
Kamal, Paso Robles 2013 – a very well done Paso blend.

The Farm Winery
LPF 2012

Vina Robles
Suendero 2012 – Big, just the way I like it, thanks again to winemaker Kevin Willenborg.

Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association

I skipped this section as I had been to Carmel tasting not too long ago.

Blair Estate 
Chardonnay, Delfina’s Vineyard, Arroyo Seco 2013
Rose of Pinot Noir, Delfina’s Vineyard, Arroyo Seco 2014
Pinot Noir, Delfina’s Vineyard, Arroyo Seco 2012

Carmel Ridge Winery 
Merlot, Monterey County 2012
Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2013
Pinot Noir, Sonoma 2012

Carmel Road 
Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2014
Barrymore Pinot Grigio 2014
Drew’s Blend Pinot Noir 2013

Cima Collina
Antle Chalone Pinot Blanc  2013
Lockwood Oaks Meritage San Antonio Valley 2010
Antle Chalone Pinot Noir 2011

De Tierra Vineyards
Vindegard Chardonnay, De Tierra Vineyards 2013
Russell Estate Pinot Noir, De Tierra Vineyards 2012
Russell Estate Pinot Noir Mesa Del Sol Syrah 2013

Scheid Vineyards
Metz Road Chardonnay 2013
Reserve Monterey Pinot Noir 2012
VDR 2013

Wrath
‘Fermata’ Chardonnay 2013
‘Tondre’ Grapefield Pinot Noir 2013
KW Ranch Syrah 2013

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), 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.

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: cabernet sauvignon, dry creek, Grenache, gsm, Merlot, Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Pinot Noir, Rose, Russian River Valley, santa lucia highlands, Sauvignon Blanc, stars of california, Syrah, vineyards, Viognier, Wine tasting, wineries

Vintage Eve Circa 5/2016: Elevating Zinfandel via Winela.com

April 30, 2019 by evebushman

Elevating Zinfandel was a tasting event I attended, once again put on by WineLa.com, in which the guest could not only sample an array of California “Zin” (the common abbreviation), but by doing so elevate the senses as only one can that attends a single varietal tasting.

Eve and WineLA.com founder Ian Blackburn

For wine 101ers I’ve found one of the best way to educate the palate is to either taste through a flight or more of the same variety, or in tastings organized by entities such as WineLA to taste similar wines, like their (now past) Burgundy vs. Pinot Noir on 5/28. The taster then has an opportunity to learn and then discern the differences in terroir (the common term denoting where the wine was made, so as to include weather, soil, terrain, etc.) as their palate adjusts.

Though host Ian Blackburn may have chosen the term “elevate” as he had chosen some of the finest expressions of Zin, the lesson is still learned:

WineLA has teamed up with some of the worlds best Zinfandel Producers to bring you “Elevating Zinfandel”! An event geared on showcasing the “Crème de la crème” of the Zinfandel community in one fabulous location. With beautiful breads and snacks provided by La Brea Bakery Cafe, you will have the chance to meet with the wine producers as well as purchase some of these exclusive wines.

For me in this tasting, though I bow to the wealth of experience tasting Zin that my Contributing Editor Michael Perlis has had as he is the true Zin Fan (as his email, MichaelTheZinFan@aol.com, suggests) and knew many of the winemakers Blackburn rallied for the event, the subtle differences I could pick out (dark fruit, earth, mouthfeel and spice) helped me select my favorites in bold below.

Wine List 

Bedrock (most of these wines, all blends, started with at least 40% Zin.)

Evangelho Vineyard Heritage Wine 2014

Bedrock Vineyards Heritage Wine 2014

Nervo Ranch Heritage Wine 2014

Old Vine Zinfandel 2014

Beekeeper (Ian Blackburn’s own wine made alongside winemaker Clay Mauritson who was also in attendance pouring his own label.)

Zinfandel, Madrone Spring Vineyard, Rockpile 2013
Zinfandel, Montecillo Vineyard, Sonoma Valley 2014

Robert Biale Vineyards (I’ve seen this label frequently during my staff lunches…brought by Michael Perlis)

Black Chicken Zinfandel Napa Valley 2014
Founding Farmers Zinfandel Napa Valley 2014
Grande Vineyard Zinfandel Napa Valley 2013
Old Kraft Vineyard Zinfandel St. Helena 2013

Brown Estates

Zinfandel, Napa Valley 2014
Mickey’s Block Zinfandel, Napa Valley 2014

Zinfandel Rosé 2015 (a crowd fave, and a great palate refresher for me.)

Chase Cellars

Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel-St Helena, Napa Valley 2013
Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel-St Helena, Napa Valley 2012

Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel-St Helena, Napa Valley 2011

Hendry

Hendry Blocks 7 & 22 Zinfandel
Hendry Block 28 Zinfandel
Mike & Molly Zinfandel

Jeff Cohn Cellars

Zinfandel, Shake Ridge Vineyard 2013
Zinfandel, St. Peter’s Church 2013
Zinfandel, Hayne Vineyard 2013
Zinfandel, Sweetwater Springs 2012

Martinelli (Another Perlis fave and was often covered for Eve’s Wine 101 by contributor Rick Fraga during his tenure with the winery.)

Giuseppe & Luisa Zinfandel 2014
Lolita Ranch, Russian River Valley, Zinfandel 2012
Vellutini Ranch Zinfandel 2012

Mauritson

Rockpile “Rockpile Ridge Vineyard” Zinfandel 2014
Rockpile “Cemetery Vineyard” Zinfandel 2014

Quivira (wine creek)

Black Boar Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2013
Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2013

Rafanelli

Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2013

Ridge Wines

Geyserville Zinfandel Blend, Alexander Valley 2014
Zinfandel, Dusi Ranch, Paso Robles 2014
Zinfandel Blend, Lytton Springs, Dry Creek Valley 2013

East Bench Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2014

Seghesio (A Wine Spectator previous designate of wine – a Zin – of the year.)

Cortina Zinfandel 2013
Old Vine Zinfandel 2013
Rockpile Zinfandel 2013

Turley (Not usual to find Turley “cult” wines at an event, or the lovely Director of Sales and Marketing Christina Turley pouring them, this was a real treat for me that I thoroughly enjoyed. And yet another wine that Perlis introduced me to years ago.)

Juvenile Zinfandel, California 2014
Kirschenmann Vineyard Zinfandel, Lodi 2014
Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel, Paso Robles 2014
Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel, Howell Mountain 2014

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), 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

Filed Under: Eve Bushman Tagged With: California, dry creek, fruit, howell mountain, mouthfeel, Napa Valley, old vine, palate, rockpile, Russian River Valley, soil, Sonoma, spice, st. helena, terroir, vineyard, weather, wine 101, winela, Zinfandel

Vintage Eve Circa Nov. 2015: A Favorite Again! Rhone Rangers LA!

December 18, 2018 by evebushman

Rhone Rangers, one of the first annual events I was turned onto when I “dedicated myself to wine” in 2007, is still one of my favorites. Not only for its focus on Rhone varietals* like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre (aka the grapes in a a “GSM” blend), Petite Sirah, Viognier and Roussane – delicious wines made famous in France’s Rhone Valley but produced in California – but also for a chance to see favorite winemakers, wineries, old friends and making new ones.

Ed Clark and Eddie Bushman at RR.

We started by being greeted at the door by long-time Executive Director Cheryl Quist, #LAWineWriters organizer Cori Solomon, Cori’s favorite side kick, her mom, and fellow wine writer Shawn Burgert. Then we grabbed a wine glass, a program, and headed off into the tasting. (For a 90-second snapshot of the tasting check out my YouTube video here.)

This year the Rhone Rangers Los Angeles event took place at The Reef, in downtown Los Angeles. Guests had an opportunity to sample over 200 wines from over 50 wineries. There was also active bidding available on wine and wine-related items in the silent auction where a portion of the proceeds benefitted the Rhone Rangers Scholarship Fund.

Prior to the Grand Tasting guests could also take advantage of wine dinners and seminars. I haven’t done that yet but I did meet a woman that had enjoyed, and learned a lot from, Vines on The Marycrest winemaker Victor Abascal’s seminar on Grenache. Mental note to take a class next time!

We also checked out the silent auction; lots of generosity from the wineries showed in the magnums and library wines offered. Not to mention where I spent the first hour, with the library and limited release wines offered below. (my notes, are in italics. If we missed a winery, it wasn’t by choice, there is just so much that it’s impossible to do it all!)

LIBRARY and LIMITED RELEASE WINES

ADELAIDA

2013 White Blend, “Finder”

2012 Estate Grenache

2012 Red Blend, “Keeper”

Winemaker: Jeremy Weintraub

The two I had and enjoyed were 2012s both from Anna’s Vineyard, the Syrah Reserve and Mourvedre Reserve.

 

CHACEWATER

2010 Red Blend, “Astel”

Winemaker: Mark Burch

150 Cases

A new winery for me to discover, with vineyards in the Sierra Foothills, we enjoyed the 2014 Rose, 2013 Syrah, 2012 Petite Sirah and 2010 Astel Petite Sirah.

 

ECLUSE WINES

2010 Syrah, Lock Vineyard, Paso Robles

Winemaker: Steve Lock

500 Cases

 

FIELD STONE WINERY

Six Vintage Vertical 2000—2005

Petite Sirah, State Family Reserve, Estate

Winemaker: Patrick Murray

250 Cases in Each Vintage

100+ Year Old Vines

We did a vertical tasting of Petite Sirahs from 121 year-old vines. The 2010 was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker, while we enjoyed the entire lineup from 2000 through 2005. We also tried the 2013 Trinite red blend and Petite Sirah, but sadly didn’t make it beck for the Vintage Port!

 

KITA WINES

2012 Red Blend, “Spe’y,” Camp 4 Vineyard

Santa Ynez Valley

Winemaker: Tara Gomez

352 Cases

53% Grenache, 27% Syrah, 20% Carignane

 

LAW ESTATE WINES

2010 Syrah, “Intrepid”

Winemaker: Scott Hawley

350 Cases

Besides the 2010 “Intrepid”, and this being one of my fave Paso wineries, we also loved all of the 2012’s that General Manager Oliver Esparham was pouring starting with the “Beyond Category” blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre and Petite Sirah – one of our faves of the day. Then, in heady succession came the “Intrepid” blend of Syrah (95%) and Grenache (5%); “Audacious” blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache; “Sagacious” blend of Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache; and finally “The Nines” 100% Grenache.

 

LIGHTNING WINES

2011 Grenache, Kick Ranch, Sonoma

Winemaker: Randy Hester

36 Cases

 

MOUNTS FAMILY WINERY

2007 Petite Sirah, “Petasera,”

Dry Creek Valley, Estate

Winemaker: David Mounts

110 Cases

Sommelier George Skorka’s pick of the day was the Mounts 2013 Viognier, so we simply had to get over there. Very refreshing. Which we then followed with the 2012 Carignane, 2012 Grenache and the 2007 Petasera. We loved their single varietals.

 

POMAR JUNCTION

2011 Red Blend, “The Crossing”

2011 Red Blend, “Train Wreck”

Winemaker: Jim Shumate

180 Cases Each

 

SUMMERWOOD WINERY

2011 Red Blend, “Diosa”

Winemaker: Mauricio Marchant

260 Cases

Voted “Best in Class” in Sunset IWC

The “Diosa” was a very tasty blend!

 

TABLAS CREEK

2010 White Blend, “Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc”

4400 Cases

2010 Red Blend, “Esprit de Beaucastel”

2100 Cases

Winemaker: Neil Collins

Honestly? If you only had one table to visit for Rhônes I don’t think (and yes you can correct me if I’m wrong) anyone else has more at their table to taste. We had the two library wines mentioned above, stellar, and we could barely get back to the table later to taste their entire lineup. Make sure you do!

 

TERCERO

2006 Grenache Blanc, Camp 4 Vineyard

Winemaker: Larry Schaffer

50 Cases

Winemaker’s First Wine Made

Manned as usual by affable winemaker Larry Schaffer, also a Rhone Rangers board member, we adored a great barrel sample of his next Rose and his 2006 – his very first – Grenache Blanc that had aged beautifully. Find Larry at his tasting room in Los Olivos.

 

TWO SHEPHERDS

2011 Red Blend, Syrah-Mourvedre

Winemaker: William Allen

50 Cases

 

VINA ROBLES

2012 Petite Sirah, Creston Valley Vineyard, Paso Robles

Winemaker: Kevin Willenborg

363 Cases

 

VINES ON THE MARYCREST

2013 Mourvedre

Winemaker: Victor Abascal

100 Cases

We love everything that Victor Abascal makes. Don’t ever miss visiting with him and his wife Jennifer at their table.

 

PARTICIPATING WINERIES (at press time)

My notes are again in italics below.

Adelaida, Andrew Murray, Bernat,

Bonny Doon Vineyard – Say yes to the 2014 Vin Gris de Cigare, aka Pink Wine of the Earth rose blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Carignane, Cinsaut, Marsanne and Counoise. Made even more special as Keith Shulsky – who used to be with Michael-David Winery – is now their National Sales Manager. Some of you may remember Keith from the wine dinner he organized at New Moon in Valencia years ago!

Burbank Ranch, Burt Street Cellars, Cadaretta, Campovida, Chacewater, Clayhouse Wines, Cornerstone Cellars, Derby Wine Estates, Eberle Winery, Ecluse Wines, Epiphany, Field Stone Winery, Halter Ranch Vineyard,

Kaleidos served up a killer 100% Syrah, the” Praying Mantis”, and I was sorry I didn’t make it back to the table to try more from them.

Kenneth Volk Vineyards, Kita Wines, kukkula, Law Estate Wines, Lightning Wines, Lone Madrone, Margerum Wine Company, Michael-David Winery,

Mitchella was a new winery for us as well. We enjoyed the 2012 Shameless GSM blend and 2012 Syrah from Paso Robles.

Morgan Winery, Mounts Family Winery,

ONX Wines is another favorite of ours, and not to be confused with a wine similarly named at Trader Joe’s. We dug Reckoning (Petite Sirah red blend), Crux (GSM with a bit of Alicante Bouschet) and Mad Crush (GSM with a nice amount of Tempranillo) poured by Associate Winemaker Jeff Strekas and Hospitality Leader Annie Bowsky.

Petrichor Vineyards, Pipestone Vineyards, Pomar Junction, Proulx Wines, Quivira, Qupe,

Ridge Vineyards had an excellent 2013 Carignane and 2011 Syrah.

Seven Oxen, Estate Wines, Summerwood Winery, Tablas Creek Vineyard, Tercero Wines, Terre Rouge, Thacher Winery, Treana & Hope Family Wines,

Two Shepherds had another stellar lineup from winemaker, and Rhone Rangers Board Member, William Allen. His t-shirt (seen here in the video) got kudos as well for helping people pronounce Rhone correctly as it read, “Are you Rhônely tonight?”

Venteux Vineyards,

Vina Robles served up their awesome 2010 Syree blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah as well as their 2012 RED4 blend.

Vines on the Marycrest and Westwood Estate Wine.

*The Rhone grape varietals, from the Rhone Rangers website:

Red Grapes: The most common red Rhone varietals are Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre, with Syrah predominant in the Northern Rhone and Grenache in the Southern Rhone.  Other relatively common red grapes include Cinsault, Carignan, and Petite Sirah.  Finally, the list includes some grapes that are found only in trace amounts even in France, and are just beginning to be explored in the United States, including Counoise, Muscardin, Picpoul Noir, Vaccarese, and Terret Noir.  For the sticklers out there, the Rhone Rangers have adopted Petite Sirah, a French cross also known as Durif, due to its extensive interplanting with traditional Rhone varietals in California. Learn more about these red Rhone grape varieties!

White Grapes: The principal white Rhone varietals are Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne, each found throughout the Rhone Valley, with Grenache Blanc a widely planted but less well known contributor in the Southern Rhone.  The other white grapes include Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanc, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Picardin, Picpoul/Piquepoul Blanc, and Ugni Blanc.  Learn more about these white Rhone grape varieties.

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

Filed Under: Eve Bushman Tagged With: auction, blend, California, dry creek, France, Grenache, library wines, los angeles, Mourvedre, Oak, Paso Robles, Petite Sirah, Rhone, rhone rangers, Roussanne, sierra foothill, Sonoma, Syrah, Viognier, wine dinner, wine education, Wine tasting, winemaker, wineries

Wine Road Kicks Off Event Season With 20th Annual Wine & Food Affair

October 31, 2018 by evebushman

HEALDSBURG, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — Wine Road, an association of wineries and lodgings in Northern Sonoma County, announces their upcoming 2018 – 2019 event season featuring three signature annual events: Wine & Food Affair, Winter WINEland and Barrel Tasting. All three events allow guests to visit participating wineries stretching across Sonoma County’s Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys throughout the event weekend.

Photo: Wine Road Facebook page.

Wine Road’s event season kicks off with the 20th Annual Wine & Food Affair, November 3-4, 2018, 11am – 4pm, featuring two full days of tantalizing food and wine pairings along the Wine Road. Each participating winery offers a taste of gourmet cuisine prepared by a local culinary artist paired with the wine of their choice. Popular pairings in past years include Bacon Fudge Brownies with Syrah Port; New England Clam Chowder with Chardonnay; Mac & Cheese with Pulled Ham paired with Pinot Noir; and Braised Meatball Sliders and Zinfandel. Advance tickets are now on sale online for the weekend ($80), Sunday only ($60), and Designated Driver ($30).

After the hectic holidays, the first event of 2019 is Winter WINEland, January 19-20. This “all about the wine” event that provides the perfect winter escape in which visitors can enjoy a less crowded wine country tasting adventure. Advance tickets will begin online on November 6, 2018 and are $45 for the weekend, $35 for Sunday only, and $5 for designated drivers.

Lastly, Wine Road will host their 42nd annual Barrel Tasting Weekends, March 1-3 and 8-10. The event offers two weekends of barrel sampling and the opportunity to purchase “futures,” essentially a chance to buy, often at a discount, a wine that is still aging in the barrel. Advance tickets to Barrel Tasting will go on sale online Sunday October 7, 2018 and are $50 for the weekend, $40 for Sunday only, $5 for designated drivers.

ABOUT WINE ROAD NORTHERN SONOMA COUNTY:

The Wine Road is a travel resource for those looking to visit the region, which is famous for its renowned wine producers and cuisine, scenic beauty, and wine country lifestyle. Made up of 200 wineries and 54 lodgings throughout the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River valleys in Sonoma County, something is always going on along the Wine Road.

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: alexander Valley, Barrel, Chardonnay, cuisine, culinary, dry creek, food event, food pairing, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, sonoma county, wine event, wine pairing, Wine tasting, wineries, Zinfandel

Trek Travel Unveils A Limited Availability SingleThread Farm California Weekend Bike Tour

August 14, 2017 by evebushman

Madison, WI (PRWEB) – Trek Travel, a bicycle vacation leader, unveils a singular culinary and luxury travel experience in its limited availability SingleThread California Weekend Bike Tour taking place October 23-26.

16CWL0828_DEdwards0108-1600x670The award-winning cycling tour outfitter explores California’s Sonoma and legendary Dry Creek Valley on the world’s best bikes while indulging in the Zen-inspired SingleThread.

The captivating farm-restaurant-inn is garnering worldwide acclaim for offering experiences based on “omotenashi,” the Japanese concept of hospitality whereby “guests are entertained wholeheartedly,”

“Every detail is meticulously considered at SingleThread,” says Trek Travel President, Tania Burke. “It’s five guestrooms are luxuriously timeless, dinner in its James Beard award-winning restaurant is flawless, and a tour of private farm is enchanting.”

All are part of the four-day, three night SingleThread California Weekend Bike Tour that begins and ends in Healdsburg, California.

Guests will cycle through the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys, passing Lake Sonoma and 1,400 year-old redwoods in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.

They’ll experience an elaborate 11-course, wine- or sake-paired tasting menu in the 2017 James Beard Award-winning dining room which The New York Times calls “serene” with “panache.” (The San Francisco Chronicle describes as a “flawless four star experience”).

A family-style, traditional Japanese donabe dinner in the SingleThread private study and private tour of a local farm, surrounded by Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay vines, are additional trip highlights.

The limited availability of this four-day, three-night trip is offered from October 23 – 26, 2017. Priced from $4,799 per person, the trip begins and ends in Healdsburg, California. Guests stay at SingleThread. Rides from 11 to 40 miles with up to 2,400 of climbing. For further information contact Trek Travel at 1-866-464-8735 or visit trektravel.com.

About Trek Travel:

Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Trek Travel is an award-winning cycling vacation company offering cycling tours around the globe for cyclists of all abilities. Each vacation includes the use of the latest Trek bicycles like the Domane SL 7 or XM700+ electric assist, featuring Garmin GPS devices and Di2 electronic shifting; with an option to upgrade to the Emonda SLR, the lightest production road bike available; boutique accommodations; most meals; snacks and drinks for each day’s ride; daily route support; social hours; entrance fees to group events; transportation during the tour; complimentary Trek Travel merchandise, and more.

Trek Travel was formed in 2002 as the luxury bicycle touring arm of Trek Bicycles, one of the world’s largest bicycle manufacturers. Voted a 2016 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Tour Operator, they’re a team of globetrotters, world-travelers and dreamers who know how to inspire the memories guests have for the rest of their life. They find the best roads, hotels, towns, food, routes and attractions, and introduce them to people looking for adventure. All on bikes they’re guaranteed to love with unrivaled customer service at every step.

About SingleThread:

SingleThread is Farm-Restaurant-Inn located in Healdsburg, California. SingleThread Farm is situated on five acres between the Russian River and the historic San Lorenzo Ranch. The property consists of a greenhouse, shade structures, loamy fields, chicken coops, an heirloom fruit orchard, olive trees, bee hives, and a cattle paddock all surrounded by Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay vines. The farm supplies vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, honey, eggs, and olive oil to our restaurant kitchen.

The dining room offers an eleven-course tasting menu customized to our guests’ dietary preferences and restrictions. Tucked away on the second floor, the inn has five thoughtfully appointed guestrooms featuring an assortment of well-curated amenities and includes a multi-course breakfast.

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: cabernet sauvignon, California, Chardonnay, dry creek, farming, food pairing, Healdsburg, restaurant, sake, san francisco, Sonoma, wine pairing, wine tour, Zinfandel

Passport to Dry Creek Valley Celebrates 28th Annual Weekend

March 4, 2017 by evebushman

Healdsburg, Calif. (PRWEB) – Tickets sales opened on February 1 for the 28th Annual Passport to Dry Creek Valley, hosted by the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley (WDCV). New this year are several VIP ticket add-ons, offering guests opportunities for intimate vineyard designate tasting experiences, meals with winemakers and vineyard tours.

14883577_10154868025022334_7309897388748262376_oAt 45 participating wineries throughout Dry Creek Valley, guests will enjoy elaborate themed parties with exquisite food and wine pairings. Guests can meet Sonoma County’s most renowned chefs, including Michelin-starred Chef Charlie Palmer, Diavola Chef/Owner Dino Bugica, Bistro 29 Chef/Owner Brian Anderson and other culinary stars, savoring their inspired culinary creations alongside newly released and limited edition wines. Wineries taking part range from the internationally-acclaimed Ridge Vineyards and Ferrari-Carano, to boutique wineries like Nalle and Talty, that produce fewer than 2,000 cases per year.

Live entertainment and activities support the wineries’ unique themes. Music will include a Beatles cover band, bluegrass, jazz, Hawaiian music from Maile Swing, funk from The Jacktones and more. At Quivira Vineyards, guests will have the chance to blend their own custom herb salts from biodynamically-grown estate herbs. Winery themes range from the glamorous (think Prohibition-era speakeasy) to the goofy (think Caddyshack), with unforgettable food and wine at each stop.

WHEN:
Friday, April 28, 2017 — Prelude to Passport
Saturday & Sunday, April 29 & 30, 2017 from 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Dry Creek Valley is located in the heart of Sonoma County, just 15 minutes from Sonoma County Airport (STS) and 70 miles north of San Francisco and Bay Area international airports SFO and OAK. Direct flights into STS are available on Alaska Airlines from Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle and Portland; visitors on these flights can check a case of wine for free on their flight home. American Airlines flies from Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) to STS. Festivities take place at 45+ Dry Creek Valley wineries. A complete list of lodging options can be found at http://www.drycreekvalley.org.

TICKETS:
General Admission Price: $135.00 for a 2-Day Passport or $80.00 for Sunday-only Passport. $55.00 for Daily Designated Driver Tickets. Tickets go on sale online at http://www.drycreekvalley.org on February 1, 2017 at 10:00 am PST.

Add-Ons:
$200 – First Class Upgrade – Includes one Prelude Dinner & our new Vineyard Designate Experience
$130 – Frequent Flier Upgrade – Includes one Prelude Lunch & our new Vineyard Designate Experience
$25 – Vineyard Tour – Attend a vineyard tour the morning of Passport, offered Saturday & Sunday
Prelude to Passport Price: $75.00 for a Friday Lunch Ticket; $150.00 for a Friday Dinner Ticket

Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. VIP add-on experiences are highly limited.

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Hashtags: #DCVPassport, #DryCreekValley
Facebook: facebook.com/drycreekvalley
Twitter: @drycreekvalley
Instagram: @drycreekvalleywines

About Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley:

Dry Creek Valley is a premium winegrowing region in northern Sonoma County, California, anchored by the charming town of Healdsburg. Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley® (WDCV) is a 501c6 non-profit trade association of over 60 wineries and 150 winegrape growers. Formed in 1989, the association represents a multi-generational family community of vintners and growers committed to growing high-quality fruit, producing world-class wines, and welcoming visitors to experience Wine Paired with Life®. Being good stewards of the land means that we are preserving the quality of our wines and the unparalleled beauty of Dry Creek Valley for future generations to discover. For more information, visit http://www.drycreekvalley.org.

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: chef, culinary, dry creek, food pairing, Healdsburg, los angeles, michelin, Sonoma, vineyard, wine event, wine pairing, winegrower, winemaker

Oakland Urban Wine Trail, by Barbara Barrielle

April 25, 2016 by evebushman

Little known but fast emerging on the ultra-hot Oakland food and drinks scene is the Oakland Urban Wine Trail. As the name suggests, these are not tasting rooms surrounded by acres of vineyards because they exist in the confines of Oakland, California.

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In this case of tasting rooms popping up among restaurants, hotels and boutiques, the vineyards, or rather the wines produced from these fields of vines, have been brought to the consumer. And these are good wines sourced from some of the finest wine-growing areas on the West Coast.

One of the best ways to dip your toe in the water of the Oakland Wine Trail is to get a guided tour from Savor Oakland. This first rate walking tour around Jack London Square stops at many traditional restaurants (chicken and waffles) as well as the trendy wood-fired pizza place, Forge, and hip Pan-American eatery, Bocanova. And Savor Oakland takes you into the warm and inviting Rosenblum Wines tasting room.

As we approached, it was fun to see a bunch of moms with their toddlers playing on Rosenblum’s outside terrace. Moms, wine in hand, gossiped while keeping an eye on the kids who wandered in the protected terrace. Inside, a wall of wines as well as a highly-trained staff greeted us and we tried through an array of Zinfandels, the varietal that Rosenblum became known for when Kent Rosenblum was sourcing fruit from Sonoma County and making wines in Alameda. I was thrilled to try the Rosenblum, Rockpile Vineyard, from one of the newest AVAs located high above Lake Sonoma.

Rosenblum is also known for their events and music that keep Jack London Square hopping.
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   Also on the Oakland Wine Trail, in the blocks that make up the Jack London Square area, is much-heralded Jeff Cohn Cellars with his award-winning Rhone wines.   In the same area, find Cerrutti Cellars, Urban Legend Cellars, Dashe Cellars and Brooklyn West Winery.

A little farther away but worth the drive is the CampoVida urban outlet of their beautiful ranch and events area in Hopland. This CampoVida looks out over the shipping canal and is adjacent to a lively restaurant. We liked playing Connect Four while tasting their excellent wines in the back room.

We had the opportunity to stop by Two Mile Wines in an emerging arts and design area on 25 street and, while the wines are excellent, especially the Dry Creek Syrah, it was exciting to taste the first gins being made in their Oakland Spirits distillery. With as much aroma definition as well-made wines, these Oakland Spirits gins are fragrant as well as tasty. And I don’t usually like gin!

Other wineries on the Oakland Urban Wine include Irish Monkey, Stage Left and Periscope. Stay at the Waterfront Hotel and walk wherever you need to go during the day and relax on your balcony (with a bottle of wine you found on the Trail) while watching the ships go by.

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2015 HARVEST: DRY CREEK VALLEY WINEGRAPE GROWERS ANTICIPATE SMALLER YIELDS, EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY

September 3, 2015 by evebushman

Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley kick off this harvest season with a positive forecast amidst California’s ongoing drought.

7qsV0PT3nh6oHQHFN9r3CcOvrgD4evfnViagtns1-1hnNoY4wFaOHDRlStGYHzU6Hn9vDKtZ-tSZrKj8i-ifA9JeJuDQmX3aMdrnBd4kdMDxgE1qJDgAFsKsLqwj2EsY7J-2gpk

HEALDSBURG, Calif. – AUGUST 18 – Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley (WDCV) expect the 2015 winegrape harvest to yield exceptional quality fruit in smaller quantities than the last three vintages, which were larger than normal throughout most of the state of California. Picking began earlier than usual this year, with David Coffaro Estate and Amista Vineyards harvesting grapes for their sparkling wines on July 29 and August 3, respectively. In 2014, Amista Vineyards harvested for their blanc de blanc two days later on August 5.

For still wines, many white grapes have already become ripe for picking. Preston Farm and Winery began harvesting sauvignon blanc on Tuesday, August 11. Pedroncelli Winery will harvest their sauvignon blanc this week. “This is within a few days of last year’s harvest,” says Montse Reece, winemaker at Pedroncelli Winery.

Cameron Mauritson, Manager of Mauritson Farms and President of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, anticipates starting to harvest in the middle of August, about 10-14 days ahead of last year. “We have been blessed with wonderful California weather that has sped things up. The crop looks beautiful with looser clusters than normal and small berries that should yield robust flavors. Winemakers should have the weather patterns to produce stylistic wines,” he says.

Ridge Vineyards reported their earliest zinfandel harvest on record in their East Bench Vineyard. “The dry, warm weather we had from February through April led to a very early bloom and thus the record start to the harvest,” says Will Thomas, Ridge Vineyards’ Sonoma County Viticulturist.

The harvest season will continue for the next two months, with the harvest of Bordeaux varieties including merlot and cabernet sauvignon in September and late-ripening grapes like mourvedre grapes and late-harvest zinfandel in October.

Several years of drought in California affected farmers all over the state, but Dry Creek Valley winegrowers seize the opportunity to learn from the challenges they face. Mauritson explains, “The drought has been an opportunity for many growers to look closely at their soil health and make sure they are maximizing the available water holding capacity of the vineyard site so vines can survive as long as possible by natural rainfall.
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”

Tim Bell, winemaker at Dry Creek Vineyard, says that last year at the winery’s Endeavour Vineyard, they cut back on the number of vine shoots and grape clusters to reduce water demand, but were pleased to find out that they could get by with even less water than they planned for.

Despite the resilience of the grapes and their growers, many expressed hope for some relief from the drought.
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“We’re praying that the El Niño predictions for a wet winter play out in the right way: plenty of rain spread out over time and cold enough storms to pack the Sierras with snow,” says Bell.

About Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley

The Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley® (WDCV) is an association of more than 60 wineries and 150 growers, of which more than 95 percent are small, family-owned operations. WDCV is dedicated to advancing the recognition, enhancement and preservation of Dry Creek Valley as a premium winegrowing region. Anchored by the charming town of Healdsburg, the Dry Creek Valley appellation was officially designated in 1983. Known as a premier zinfandel growing region, Dry Creek Valley is one of California’s oldest wine producing regions and is home to many heritage vineyards ranging in age from 50 to 120 years. To preserve this history and the valley’s pristine beauty, the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley supports sustainable viticulture and low-impact farming practices. www.drycreekvalley.org/

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: blanc, Bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon, California, drought, dry creek, farming, fruit, grape, harvest, Healdsburg, late harvest, Merlot, Mourvedre, Sauvignon Blanc, soil, Sonoma, vines, vineyard, vintage, viticulture, white wine, wine grower, Zinfandel

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