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Lake County Wines Reach New a Pinnacle

November 14, 2020 by evebushman

KELSEYVILLE, Calif., PRNewswire — Lake County received the highest rating ever achieved by a wine from its region – receiving a 96 point rating for the 2016 Sol Rouge Petite Sirah from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Lake County, a small wine growing region directly north of Napa, used to be part of Napa County and was said to have grown as many grapes as Napa in the 1900s. However, the 1920 Prohibition brought an end to Lake County wine production as vines were removed and planted with other crops.

Lake County’s re-emergence in the wine industry began in the 1960s and grew from less than 100 acres in 1965 to nearly 10,000 acres today. Although large premium Napa Valley grape growers like Beringer and Beckstoffer Vineyards established themselves in the county, few wineries included “Lake County” on their labels, as most wine was often blended into that of Napa Valley and Sonoma wines.

In 2007, a dozen wineries in Lake County including Sol Rouge Winery, established the Lake County Winery Association to promote awareness. At the time, Lake County wines were relatively unknown or reviewed by the top wine magazines with only a few wines receiving a 90+ point rating. Most of these wines were made by Napa winemakers like Thomas Rivers Brown, maker of the Schrader Cellars Double Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon from Beckstoffer’s Amber Knolls Vineyard.

Today, the Lake County Winery Association has over three dozen vintners like Shannon Ridge, Gregory Graham, Brassfield, Hawk & Horse, and Obsidian Ridge, who commonly make wines in the 90-95 point range.  “We’ve seen a trend in higher ratings from all of our Lake County wineries and this rating is just another example of how wineries are producing world-class wines from Lake County,” said Helena Walsh, Director of Lake County Winery Association.

The 2016 Sol Rouge Petite Sirah put Lake County in a completely different league, scoring a 96 point rating by one of the top wine review magazines – the highest in the county’s 50+ year history of winemaking. “I actually never checked on how rare that rating was. I tasted the Sol Rouge Petite Sirah blind of course, along with a few other Petites from Lake and two other appellations, so when I scored it I didn’t know the AVA. It’s a magnificent wine and a great example of how good the Lake County terroir can be,” said Jim Gordon, Contributing Editor, Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

“When we planted the Sol Rouge Vineyard, we sought to grow the best possible grapes to make the finest wine we could,” said Bryan Kane, Co-Owner & Winemaker of Sol Rouge Vineyard & Winery. “When we came to Lake County, the highest rating from one of the Big 3 (Spectator, Enthusiast & Parker) was 92 points. So far, we’ve earned 90–94 points on 44 of our 51 Lake County wines, with the majority scoring 92-94 points.” Bryan attributes the higher scores amongst Lake County wines both improved winemaking and the excellent growing conditions.

“Lake County produces some of the most distinct winegrapes in the world, and over the years, we’ve seen a steady increase in recognition of the region’s wines,” said Debra Sommerfield, President of the Lake County Winegrape Commission. “This impressive rating further substantiates Lake County’s position as a top-tier winegrowing region.”

With all the recent devastation to the Napa and Sonoma wine growing regions caused by the Glass and LNU Lightning Complex fires, wineries have been looking to Lake County for grapes. Jim Smith of Case by Case Wine Brokers states, “We have been challenged as of late with the soaring demand of winegrapes from Lake County. I believe the work is out on what winemakers can expect from our wine growing region.”

“We are honored and excited to have received such a high rating on our 2016 Petite Sirah and expect that Sol Rouge and others will continue to aspire to make highly rated world class wines,” stated Jill Brothers, Sol Rouge Co-Owner and Winegrower.

ABOUT SOL ROUGE

Sol Rouge is a family estate located in the Mayacamas Mountains at elevations averaging over 1800 feet. North of Napa in the foothills of a dormant volcano which formed the North Coast wine country in the Red Hills Appellation of Lake County, this land contains rich, red volcanic soil and, from this unique profile, Sol Rouge derived its name – translating to “Red Soil” in French. This 70 acre estate is planted with Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, Counoise, Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc in a “high vine density” configuration allowing each vine to focus on fewer clusters of fruit, leading to greater complexity. Nestled between Mt. Konocti and Benson Ridge, this aggressive sight is all hillside with slopes up to 60% and is said to be the most aggressive and tightly planted vineyard in the Red Hills, with nearly 6000 vines per hectare in some blocks. For more information, see http://www.solrouge.com

2016 Sol Rouge Petite Sirah Wine Enthusiast Magazine Review: https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/sol-rouge-2016-petite-sirah-lake-county/

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: ava, blend, blind tasting, Cabernet Franc, cabernet sauvignon, California, Cinsault, counoise, fruit, Grenache, label, lake county, Mourvedre, Napa, Petite Sirah, points, prohibition, robert parker, sirah, soil, Sonoma, terroir, vines, vineyards, vintners, wine enthusiast, wine growing, wine ratings, wine spectator, winegrape, winemaking, wineries, Zinfandel

Vintage Eve Circa 1/2015: The Best Wine or Spirits Experience in 2014

April 3, 2018 by evebushman

Yep, it’s that time of year again. Forget about learning what your pesky new year resolutions were for 2015, I just wanted to know what your drinking epiphanies were in 2014! After learning what our Eve Wine 101 Facebook pals experienced, I’d have to say I have some new boozy goals for 2015:

tuscany-grape-field-nature-51947

Grape vineyards in Tuscany.

Scott E: At The Ace rooftop bar. A drink called the Mi Corazon. Fresno pepper infused cachaca, coconut, lime, nutmeg, served in a chilled metal cup.

Lisa B: Drinking shots of Russian Vodka with friends in St. Petersburg! We didn’t do it for long! It was the last day of our two-day tour and we begged our guide and driver to find us a place for that “Bucket List” experience. She found us a very nice restaurant and the servers and kitchen staff were so sweet to let us barge in and just do shots. It was a great experience! I highly recommend it! Just wish we could have stayed longer and tried some of their food. The restaurant looked very upscale. All the staff was young and gorgeous, polite and perfectly dressed. The food looked awesome!

Hope G: A 4-course Scotch dinner. Who knew the differences in Highland and Lowland Scotches were so pronounced and paired so well with oysters, game and beef. I did not expect to find a favorite in Dalwhinnie 25yr!

Barbara B: I simply liked discovering wines from areas under-represented here like the Xianomavro wines of the Naoussa region of Greece or the Slovenian wines fermented in ancient Amphorae…too cool and now planning wine visits to both countries!

Lee W: “The Black Dahlia” A toast to Elizabeth Short with Absolut Citron, Chambord and Kahlua, with an orange peel garnish at the Gallery Bar and Cognac Lounge in the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles. (The last place she was seen alive!!)

Wayne L: Chateau Montelena in Napa. Great venue and great wines.

Kelly B: Lunch at the Louis Roederer Champagne Family Home with Cristal, and other assorted favorite along with a 3 star Michelin Chef Prepared Meal and eating off Napoleon’s own gold eating utensils… or there is was the Zurich Wine Expo…nothing like drinking wine on a boat!

Theresa H: My 25th wedding anniversary trip to Napa. The castle hands down. Temecula was very enjoyable too. My first year in California has introduced me to so much fun… Oh oh wine tasting at The Jelly Belly Factory as well.

That is near Napa.

Lori R: Tequila at Solita.

Michelle T: We took our 10 and 12 year olds to Napa for the first time and took a winery tour at Frog’s Leap. Yep, we are those parents.

Jane S: Watching my husband sipping a glass or two or three of his special hand picked red wine every night.

Orlando R: Making shot glasses out of watermelon then freezing them with liquid nitrogen, and filling them with a habanero flavored vodka.

Ron C: Traveling to Willamette Valley in Oregon, staying in the Archery Summit winery guest house! Touring the winery and having an incredible experience with…great wine, great food and great friends!

Cathy M: Geeez, I was just happy to find original copper Moscow Mule mugs my parents had from the 1950s. Steve makes Alcatraz cocktails in them. You substitute vodka for tequila.

Melissa L: I must say that the adventures in Absinthe have been most enjoyable and filled with surprises. We evaluated 200 year old samples alongside the modern – like a liquid history lesson. Delicious.

Michael D: My favorite wine experience was during our trip to Italy last spring. The highlights for me were the driving tour through the Florence countryside in a classic Fiat 500 that ended with a wine tasting in a 15th century villa and drinking with the locals at the Cantina Do Mori in Venice… My favorite sprits experience was going to Bourbon and Branch in San Francisco for my 50th birthday. You have to love a place that won’t even ask you if you have a reservation unless you know the password and whose house rules include “Don’t even think of asking for a Cosmo”!

Michael M: Hands down the Henry Wine Group’s “Taste the World” event in Beverly Hills at the historic Beverly Hills Hotel. Loved meeting Elizabeth Spencer and trying her delicious Sirah. I think I met a few other cool people there too… (Eve Hammond Bushman)

Robin B: Had an amazing time with my partner-in-crime, Robin A., up in Paso Robles last August at one of Tobin James Winery’s annual barbeques. Got to taste a great array of wines (actually, it was more like glug it down to our heart’s content), eat fantastic food from local top chefs and listen to live music under the stars. Fun evening, and I will be going back.

Scott H: Finally getting 2 bottles of Alban Vineyards Syrah after being on the waiting list for 2 1/2 years. We opened one. It was worth the wait.

Dale G: Stagecoach wine tours in Solvang and Santa Barbara; day trip to winery in Lancaster surprisingly good. Still want to go to Temecula. Did Napa years ago.

Chris C: Hands down, getting married in a Vineyard in Temecula at Ponte in March, to my beautiful wife Jennie C. Boom!!

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 guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition.  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: absinthe, bourbon, champagne, chef, cognac, drink, eve wine 101, Facebook, food pairing, Greece, Italy, los angeles, moscow mule, Napa, Oregon, Paso Robles, red wine, restaurant, russia, san francisco, Santa Barbara, scotch, sirah, solita, solvang, Syrah, tasting, Temecula, tequila, vodka, willamette valley

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Eve Bushman, owner Eve’s Wine 101 and Eve Bushman Consulting.

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