In 1895, Samuele Sebastiani left his native Tuscany for America. Eventually arriving in Sonoma, California, he worked hauling paving stones for a local quarry that were used to build the streets of San Francisco. Perhaps looking for less demanding work, in 1904 he purchased winemaking equipment and made his first 500 gallons of wine. Just five years later, he had enough financial success to purchase the Sonoma Mission vineyard (planted in 1825 for sacramental wines), the site the Sebastiani winery occupies to this day.
Sebastiani was the only winery in Sonoma County to continue operations during Prohibition by making a small amount of sacramental and medicinal wines. This and fruit growing were the only ways wineries were able to survive. Nearly ten years after Prohibition was enacted, the Great Depression added to the struggle. Sebastiani initiated major projects at the winery to help keep people employed by canning peaches, nectarines, and pears. When there weren’t enough jobs at the winery, he built a skating rink, theater, motel, and meeting hall at the Catholic Church.
Samuele Sebastiani
Following the repeal of the scourge of Prohibition, Samuele’s youngest son, August, joined the family business as winemaker. August purchased the winery from his late father’s estate in 1944. He expanded the business and began to sell name-branded wines.
In 1980, with August’s death the winery was passed down to his three children. The oldest, Sam, became CEO and President, and began to shift production from lower-cost products to upscale varietals. He left the company in 1986 to start his own business, and August’s youngest son, Don, ascended to control. During his first ten years, he increased production by 300%. In 2001 he established Don Sebastiani & Sons, a beverage holding company that includes wine, spirits, and water. Ironically, the portfolio does not include the original business, Sebastiani Vineyards, which was sold to the Foley Wine Group in 2008, which also owns Firestone Vineyards in Santa Barbara, Merus in Napa, and Three Rivers Winery in Washington state.
Smoking Loon Steelbird Rosé 2018
Smoking Loon, however, is one of the Don Sebastiani & Sons brands. The blend is 60% Barbera, 27% Syrah, and 13% Grenache, with an ABV of 12%. It is a petal pink color in the glass, and opens with fragrant aromas of strawberry, plum and cantaloupe. The palate features a lovely watermelon flavor, followed by tart rhubarb and finally juicy, fruit flavors of apricot, and strawberry. This well-balanced wine has good acidity and a fresh, crisp finish.
Smoking Loon claims “the label activates PINK when [the] wine is a perfectly chilled 50ºF.” but I didn’t see it.
Jean-Marc Burgaud was born into a family of generations of wine growers. After obtaining his diploma in oenology and wine-growing, he started his eponymous winery with his wife and partner Christine in 1989. He owns all of the vineyards he farms, with the majority (32 acres / 13 hectares) being in Morgon’s famed Cotes du Py, in the heart of the Beaujolais crus. He also owns an even tinier amount of Regnie (2.5 acres / 1 hectare) and Beaujolais Villages (10.3 acres / 4.2 hectares), from which this wine comes. Burgaud believes that the current total of his vineyards is the maximum area he can cultivate while still producing the quality he is after.
In the vineyards, Burgaud has been farming using organic principles for over 10 years (although without certification), and when nurturing the vines he follows his family’s traditions which he grew up with. The gobelet-pruned* vines are an average of 60 years old, and are planted at a high density (10,000 per 2.5 acres/hectare). All vineyard work is done by hand, with help from two employees and a horse (The use of horses is becoming increasingly popular throughout Burgundy. Although more labor intensive than mechanization, it leaves the soil much looser and less compacted.). He believes, “To make a ‘grand vin,’ the vigneron has to know his terroirs and how to farm to obtain the most beautiful grapes as possible, and it is from this harmony that ‘grandes bouteilles’ are born.”
In the cellar, Burgaud vinifies his wines with traditional Burgundian methods: whole cluster maceration in vats for variable durations according to the vintage and the appellation. Only indigenous yeasts are used in the cellar, and with the exception of sulfur at bottling, nothing is added during the vinification process in order to obtain wines typical of the terroir. The wines are aged in either concrete or barrique (for the Reserve) for several months before bottling. To respect the balance of his vineyards, some cuvées before bottling are lightly filtered, while others are not.
Jean-Marc Burgaud
Burgaud makes all of his wines with the stems. “I never destem,” he says. Instead, the difference between the wines is the time on the skins, which ranges from seven days for the Villages, 10 days for the Morgon Charmes, and 15 days for the Côte du Py. He learned the importance of maceration time from this work with the Charmes. “In the past, my idea of Morgon was a rich wine with a lot of tannin to keep for a long time,” he reflects. “In Les Charmes, if you have a long maceration you lose the fruit and get a green taste. It was a big problem for me for 10 to 15 years.” He has since worked to achieve as much balance in his wines as possible.
He is a hands-on winemaker, and spends 80% of his time in the vineyard and the cellar. “It’s important that if you write your name on the label that you work in the vineyard,” he says.
Jean-Marc Burgaud Les Vignes de Lantignié Beaujolais Villages 2017
This wine hails from a tiny village called Lantignié, known for its serious and fruity wines. The soil is sand over granite, typical of the region. Burgaud’s solely-owned vineyard is named Thulon.
After whole berry, semi-carbonic maceration (the grapes are not crushed, but allowed to ferment under their own weight), the wine is aged in concrete tank for six months prior to bottling. This occurred at the Château de Thulon, built in the 12th century, and owned by Burgaud’s great aunt.
This Beaujolais is a bright transparent red. It has a fresh and fruity nose, predominantly dark cherry. There is tart cherry on the palate, with plenty of astringency and zippy acidity. The tannins are mild, and there is just a hint of bitterness on the focused finish. Like almost all Beaujolais, this wine is best drunk when young, within two to four years after release.
*Gobelet-pruning, also known as bush-vine pruning, originated as far back as the Roman Empire. With the “gobelet” pruning method, four branches are formed around a central base to distribute and aerate the clusters. This creates an open structure, allowing a slight air current to circulate through the leaves and clusters, thus ensuring a healthy environment. In addition, the vegetation forms a canopy that protects the berries from too much sun.
In 1973, newlyweds Mike and Mary Benziger drove west and permanently settled in Northern California. Seven years later, Mike and and his brother Bruno Benziger purchased the historic Wegener Ranch on Sonoma Mountain in Glen Ellen, California. Hearing the Sirens’ call of the Golden State, over the next six years the four remaining siblings — Bob, Joe, Jerry, and Patsy, with their spouses — made their way to California.
In 1986, winemaker Joe Benziger first partnered with artist Bob Nugent to launch the Imagery Series of wines. This pairing of wine and art continues to this day, and permeates every aspect of Imagery Winery, including unique artwork replicated on every label. (Except for the wines shown here. More on that below.) The dedicated on-site art gallery features label artwork commissioned from some of the world’s most notable contemporary artists, and includes over 500 works by over 300 artists. Currently, around 60 pieces are on view in the gallery.
At any given time, as many as 35 artists are working on pieces that will appear on future Imagery wine labels. The artists are not limited by size, medium, or content.
Joe Benziger has dedicated his career to crafting rare wines from uncommon varietals such as Malbec, Tempranillo, and Lagrein. These limited-production wines are available to wine club members only.
However, that doesn’t mean Imagery is inaccessible. Following in her father Joe’s footsteps, middle-daughter Jamie Benziger is the winemaker in charge of Imagery’s relatively new and more popularly-priced collection of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. The label is characterized with a “drip” motif, suggestive of both wine and paint.
Imagery Sauvignon Blanc 2019
This is quite pale yellow in the glass. It presents initial aromas of citrus, lemon zest, and honeysuckle. It . It greets the palate with those flavors and adds a nice dose of cantaloupe and a bit of apricot. There is none of the grassiness or cat pee that often characterize (or even mar) this varietal. Good acidity balances a surprisingly full mouthfeel. A hint of dry Muscat lends refinement and softness. The finish is bright and fresh, but short.
This wine would work well with Stir Fry Pork Cubes with Mushrooms and Corn, Sea Scallops Marinated in Citronette (a lemon and oil vinaigrette), or Indonesian-style Grilled Pompano.
Imagery Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
This Cab starts out with a nose of plums, prunes, and vanilla. Then come the flavors of blackberries and tart cherries, and cocoa. The wine is dry, but there is some of bing cherry sweetness. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Petite Sirah, the latter lending a hint of spice and pepper. The wine is fruit forward and velvety soft, with moderate tannins and medium acidity.
Serve this easy-going red with Pancetta-wrapped Sausages, Finger-lickin’ Ribs, or Saffron Roast Lamb with StickyGarlic Potatoes.
In my over forty years of drinking wine, I’ve had excellent bottles, bottles I’ve poured down the drain after drinking half a glass, and, mostly, everything in between. But over all of those years and thousands of wines, two have eluded me, my so-called “unicorn” wines.
I first learned of the Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon in the mid-’70s when a normally generous acquaintance was showing off an unopened bottle, with obviously no intention of sharing. Martha’s Vineyard was selling for about $30 at release then, far more than I could afford, so I wasn’t going to be enjoying it any time soon. But the desire was established.
On a winery tour through Napa valley in the mid-1990s, I stopped at Heitz’s “tasting room,” at least on that visit literally a windowless construction trailer parked by the side of the road. I was about halfway through the tasting when I heard a car grind to a halt outside on the gravel. The door burst open, and the driver demanded, “I want to try the Martha’s Vineyard!” The bartender calmly responded, “We don’t pour the Martha’s Vineyard here.” (A fact I, sadly, already knew.) The door slammed shut, and he was off. Denied.
Many of the wines here on Winervana are graciously supplied by producers in exchange for the review (although I am always free to write what I want without constraint). But, sometimes I buy the wine myself, which was the case here. Martha’s Vineyard is now selling for $250 on release, and, really, I still can’t afford it. And it is certainly not a “wine for the casual wine drinker.” But during these uncertain times, I thought, “What the hell. I may never get a chance to drink this wine I’ve been lusting after for so long.” So here it is.
Born in Princeton, Illinois, Joe Heitz served in the Army Air Force during World War II, and moonlighted during off hours at a winery near Fresno. After the war ended, Heitz began taking classes at UC Davis, achieving a bachelor’s and then a master’s degree in viticulture and enology in 1951. in the first graduating class of just seven people. Heitz found employment at two wine industry extremes, first at Gallo, and then with the famous André Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyard as an assistant winemaker, where he worked for nearly ten years.
Heitz Cellar was established in 1961, when, after serving his “apprenticeship,” in 1961 Heitz and his wife Alice bought a small 8.5 acre (3.4 ha) vineyard from Leon Brendel in St. Helena, California, named “The One & Only,” for $5,000, and went into business for himself. At the time, there were only about two dozen Napa Valley wineries, the lowest number since Prohibition. (Today there are over 1,700 registered wineries in Napa, but “only” about 500 have tasting rooms.) This pioneering winery even preceeded Robert Mondavi‘s 1966 start in nearby Oakville.
Photo: Jeremy Baines
In 1963, Heitz bought several barrels of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma, the last vintages of James D. Zellerbach’s pursuit of Burgundian excellence and auctioned off by his widow. Heitz blended and sold the wines to lucrative acclaim.
One of his stated strategies for ongoing success was to pay growers, “what their grapes were worth,” in turn increasing the standard of the product he was receiving. In 1964, Heitz acquired an 1898 stone winery with its 160 acre (65 ha) ranch property, which became the Heitz winery and home.
Photo: Darcy K.
Since 1965, Heitz has held an exclusive agreement with Tom and Martha May, owners of the 34 acre (14 ha) Martha’s Vineyard in the Oakville AVA. He immediately recognized the quality of the grapes, and the very next year Heitz vinified the fruit separately from his other production, and designated the vineyard on the label. (Rather subtly, though. Many of Heitz’s red-wine labels, unchanged for decades, look almost identical. “Martha’s Vineyard” only appears in a small oval in the lower left corner.)
Martha’s Vineyard
“Standing in Martha’s Vineyard, you quickly realize why this site consistently produces a remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard receives gentle morning and early afternoon sunlight and is sheltered from the heat of the late afternoon sun by the mountains. This allows for longer hang time and Martha’s Vineyard is, historically, one of the last vineyards we pick. This ability to leave the fruit on the vine longer than other sites allows for concentration of flavor and softening of tannin to produce a wine so pure in its expression of place. The consistency in showcasing Martha’s Vineyard’s unique mint, bay leaf, dark berry and chocolate notes year after year is a reminder of why this vineyard has commanded a faithful following since the 1966 vintage.” –Brittany Sherwood, Winemaker
Heitz is considered the first to champion the single vineyard designation in the U.S. The 1968 vintage received attention for its quality, widely considered the greatest wine made in America up to that time. It was fermented in 1,000-US-gallon (38 hL) American oak vats, and then transferred to Limousin oak barrels where it aged for an additional two years. Frank J. Prial, the wine columnist for The New York Times from 1972 until 2004, contended the wine remained “the benchmark by which California Cabernets were judged” for more than two decades. (The 1970 vintage placed seventh at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the Judgment of Paris.)
Following a review by Robert Parker where he wrote that Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon “lacked aroma, ” Heitz sent Parker a box of linen handkerchiefs, insinuating to the critic that he ought to clear his nose.
Joe Heitz suffered a stroke in 1996 which left him frail though lucid. He died on December 16, 2000, aged 81. He was described by Warren Winiarski, founder and former proprietor of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, as the first of the Napa Valley artisans and the first to grasp the single vineyard concept.
David Heitz succeeded his father as winemaker in the late 1970s, having worked at the estate for many years. In 1984, the estate purchased the Trailside Vineyard in Rutherford, having previously purchased fruit from the site, and introduced a single vineyard bottling in 1989.
In the early ’90s, phylloxera afflicted Martha’s Vineyard, and no vintages were made in the mid-1990s.
Heitz Cellar annually produces approximately 40,000 cases (3,600 hL) of wine. The estate’s vines are grown certified CCOF organic, with a move towards biodynamic farming planned eventually. In addition to several vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings that are often aged in oak for three and half years, Heitz also produces varietal-labeled wines from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, and Grignolino. (This is a rare variety in California, but was the dominant planting of the original estate vineyard. Heitz is still considered the premier producer.)
In April, 2018, Heitz Cellar was sold to Gaylon Lawrence Jr., whose Arkansas-based family owns one of the country’s largest agricultural businesses.
This aged wine spent three years in 100% new French oak, one in neutral oak, and an additional year in bottle. It is medium ruby to purple in the glass. While I disagree that it “lacks aroma,” the nose is subtle, and predominantly of cherries. It is incredibly smooth on the palate, with flavors of classic black currant, cocoa, tart cherry, and a hint of dust. The tannins and acid are in perfect balance, and it al ends in a medium-long finish. One thing I didn’t get: Heitz Martha’s Vineyard is famous for a minty overlay, especially when it’s this young. While I wouldn’t find that a problem, I just wasn’t tasting it. Regardless, Joe Heitz went to great pains to consistently deny that the minty notes had anything to do with the eucalyptus tress planted on the edge of the vineyard.
So, was the forty-five year wait worth it? Well … yes … but. This is an excellent wine, worthy of its iconic status. But for me, it was simply too elegant, especially for the price. At this stratosphere, I’m looking for something more boisterous, like a Louis Martini Monte Rosso, a Palmaz, or a Kathryn Hall.
And the other wine of my fantasy? That would be Penfold’s Grange, the legendary Australian Shiraz. That one is selling for about $850 on release these days, so it may elude me forever.
Justin Baldwin founded his eponymous winery in Paso Robles, California, in 1981 on 160 acres. His vision was to make world-class Bordeaux-style blends. Befitting such ambition, The winery is invested in the French idea of terroir, that a wine must reflect its place, especially soil and climate.
Justin’s soil is largely fossilized limestone from eons of marine deposit. The limestone stresses the vines, producing grapes that, ideally, completely express their varietal character.
Paso Robles’ distinctive microclimate offers the widest day to night temperature swings of any grape-growing region in California. The hot days allow the grapes to develop intense flavor, while the cool nights create structure and balance.
Justin combines traditional Old World methods—like hand-harvesting and small-barrel aging in French oak—with New World technology.
Justin’s offerings include Bordeaux-style blends, of course, and other red blends. These are joined by single varietal (or nearly so) Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Viognier. At the top of the range is the famous Isosceles, their flagship wine (and a registered trademark). Reflecting Isosceles’ prominence, much of Justin’s branding, marketing, and naming play off the right-angle triangle theme.
The Founder’s Vineyard
In addition to the Founder’s Vineyard, Justin also farms the Adelaida Road Vineyard, one of the highest in the Paso Robles AVA; the Creston Road Vineyard, located in the Templeton Gap that enjoys cooling breezes from the Pacific; and the steeply-sloped DeBro Vineyard that sits on a variety of soil types.
There is also an inn and restaurant on the property.
Billionaire Stewart Resnick bought Justin Vineyards and Winery in late 2010. Resnick also controls Fiji Water, Pom Wonderful, and Teleflora. Resnick also owns the Sonoma County wineries Landmark and Hop Kiln.
Justin Baldwin is still casually involved with the winery, but the winemaking falls to Napa Valley veteran Scott Shirley, who has maintained and even expanded Justin’s quality and reputation. Justin was named the 2015 American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is purple-ruby in the glass. It features aromas of ripe black and red cherry. Flavors of black currant abound on the palate, with cocoa and a hint of dust. The wine is full-bodied and dry, with a moderately long finish. There is a mild acidity and balanced tannins. It was barrel aged for 13 months in American oak (25% new) and has an ABV of 14.5%.
Enjoy this wine with Spencer Steaks with Red-wine Shiitake Sauce, Pork Chops in Balsamic Cherry Sauce, or East-West Barbecued Chicken.
Coq au Vin is a classic French dish of chicken in wine with onions, mushrooms, and bacon. It is usually made with red wine, but I think white wine makes for better color and flavor. In France, the only side is usually parsley potatoes, but you can add buttered green peas as well. This recipe comes from volume 1 of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Serves 4 to 6
4 oz. bacon
Cut bacon into 1/4″ x 1″ rectangles. Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Rinse and dry.
2 Tb butter
Saute the bacon in a large skillet on low heat in butter until very lightly browned
A cut-up frying chicken
Brown in the fat used to cook the bacon
1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper
Season the chicken. Return bacon to skillet, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Turn chicken once.
1/4 cup brandy or cognac
Uncover, and pour in the brandy. Carefully ignite the brandy. Shake skillet for several seconds until the flames subside.
3 cups of dry white or rose wine 1 to 2 cups of chicken stock 1/2 Tb. tomato paste 4 cloves mashed garlic thyme (I like to use about 2 Tbs. fresh) 1 bay leaf
Pour the wine into the skillet. Add just enough stock to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Cover and simmer on low for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees. Remove the chicken and keep warm.
Boil and reduce the liquid to about 2-1/4 cups. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf.
3 Tb. flour 2 Tb. softened butter
Blend the butter and flour together into a smooth paste. Beat the paste into the hot liquid with a whisk. Simmer for a minute or two.
Arrange the chicken in the skillet, surround with onions and mushrooms, and baste with the sauce. Cover and simmer on low for 4 to 5 minutes to reheat the chicken and serve decorated with sprigs of parsley.
Crafted in close cooperation with Dave Scheurich, one of the world’s most respected master distillers and winner of the Whisky Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award, Boondocks American Whiskey Cask Strength 127 has an ultra-smooth finish, with distinctive aromas of rich caramel and vanilla. A robust and pleasantly aggressive palate is highlighted by fall spices and oak. This expression received a Gold Medal/91 points in the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition 2016 and Best of Category in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2016
The Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America (aka Tsubaki America Jinja) is the first Shinto shrine built in the mainland United States after World War II. It was erected in 1986 in Stockton, California, and moved to its current location next to the Pilchuck River in Granite Falls, Washington, in 2001.
The Gosaijin (enshrined spirits) of Tsubaki Grand Shrine are Sarutahiko-no-Ōkami, ancestor of all earthly spirits; and his wife Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, spirit of arts and entertainment, harmony, meditation, and joy. Also enshrined are Amaterasu Ōmikami (spirit of the sun), Ugamitama-no-Ōkami (spirit of foodstuffs and things to sustain human life), America Kokudo Kunitama-no-Kami (protector of the North American continent) and Ama-no-Murakumo-Kuki-Samuhara-Ryu-O (spirit of Aikido).
Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America is a branch of Tsubaki Ōkami Yashiro, one of the oldest and most notable shrines in Japan.
Photo: Magus Dethen
Photo: Alexander Kushi-Willis
Junmai
Junmai is pure rice wine, with no added alcohol). Until recently, at least 30% of the rice used for Junmai sake had to be milled away, but Junmai no longer requires a specified milling rate.
Ginjo
Ginjo designates that at least 40% of the rice has been polished away. If a bottle is labeled just Ginjo, distilled alcohol was added; if it is labeled Junmai Ginjo, no alcohol was added.
Genshu
Genshu is undiluted saké (literally, “original” (base) sake) which has not been diluted after pressing. However, saké which has had water added within a range that reduces the alcohol content by less than 1% is also considered genshu.
Saké
Saké, the national alcoholic beverage of Japan, is often called rice wine, but this is a misnomer. While it is a beverage made by fermentation, the production process more closely resembles that of beer, and it is made from grain (rice, of course), not fruit. To make saké, the starch of freshly steamed glutinous rice is converted to sugar and then fermented to alcohol. Once fermented, the liquid is filtered and usually pasteurized. Sakés can range from dry to sweet, but even the driest retain a hint of sweetness.
Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America Junmai Ginjo Genshu Saké
This saké is a domestic product from SakéOne saké brewery in Forest Grove, Oregon. The company began as a saké importer in 1992, and in 1997 they expanded the operation and began brewing saké.
SakéOne’s modest tasting room.
In premium saké, water composition matters a great deal. SakéOne’s founder chose Oregon because he believed that the best-quality water for saké brewing is in the Northwest.
The other crucial component is rice, and SakéOne sources its Calrose rice from the Sacramento Valley. Calrose is derived from Japanese saké rice and has several qualities that produce saké with more body, higher viscosity, and a long finish.
This saké is the personal selection of Reverend Koichi Barrish and is a fundraiser for the Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Granite Falls, Washington, over which he presides. 20% of sales go to support the shrine.
This is a dryish, full-bodied saké with hints of spices and caramel. The ABV is on the higher end at 18%, and the SMV* is +6.5.. The rice has a polish of 58%, so 42% of the rice has been removed. Serve this chilled with poached clams, steamed asparagus, or lemon-baked salmon.
SakéOne also offers: Yomi, g, Momokawa, and Moonstone.
Yomi was the first canned sake available in the United States. Yomi is junmai ginjo saké, with a lower acidity and a medium body. It is 13% ABV.
g saké is genshu, undiluted sake. There are two varieties of g saké, g fifty genshu and g joy genshu, which have different taste profiles. Both are 18% ABV.
The Momokawa junmai ginjo saké line is about 14% ABV. Momokawa Silver is dry and crisp, while Momokawa Organic Nigori is lush, smooth, fruity, and floral.
Moonstone is SakéOne’s premium junmai ginjo saké .
**An important gauge of saké is the SMV (Saké Meter Value). This measures the density of saké relative to water, and is the method for determining the dryness or sweetness of saké. The higher the SMV, the drier the saké. The range is -15 to +15.
Wine is ancient, relatively simple (i.e. you can make wine at home, but not a cell phone), essential for wine lovers like us, but also highly competitive, perhaps now more than ever. So, marketing is essential for producers to differentiate themselves.
Marketing roughly covers four areas: labels, advertising, influencers, and other channels.
But first, some history. I’m a new world wine guy, so I’m going to focus on California for examples, but much of this applies elsewhere as well, of course.
Thomas Jefferson was an early American proponent of wine (indeed, perhaps the first American wine snob). He was dedicated to French culture, and was particularly in favor of French and Italian wine. He rejected “the strong wines of Portugal and Spain” and selected somewhat lighter wines to accompany meals in his pursuit of what he perceived as European taste and sophistication. Wine-making and drinking were part of his vision of agrarian ideals, as well. Whether by coincidence or intent, wine marketing has tended to pursue these same ideas. In 1769, nearly coinciding with the revolution, wine cultivation came into California from Mexico and wine making became the state’s oldest industry.
The U.S. experienced waves of immigration during the nineteenth century, including people from northern Europe, German, and Italy. These immigrants brought a culture of wine consumption with them, and identified fertile wine growing possibilities in various regions, including New York, Ohio, and California, particularly Napa Valley. They and their descendants began developing better-quality domestic wines with new technologies and grape varieties.
Sadly, progress in wine development was halted by the scourge of Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 to 1933. The number of licensed wineries in California plummeted from 917 in 1920 to 268 by the repeal in 1933. The wineries that survived did so by growing wine grapes for home winemakers, table grapes, and other fruits. Thousands of acres of grape vines were ripped out to make way for these other crops. (As a side note, possession of alcohol was never illegal, only buying, selling, or distributing it, hence the interest in grapes for home use.) Some fortunate wineries, including Beringer, Inglenook, Louis Martini, Wente, and others had special dispensations for producing sacramental and medicinal wines.
A no-doubt devout Jewish gentleman preparing for the Sabbath
However, the general decimation of the industry was so great that for a number of years after the repeal, there were few trained winemakers, little usable equipment, little aged wine, and no distribution channels
In the wake of this destruction, publicist and journalist Leon Adams joined with a number of winery executives to found the Wine Institute, an advocacy group for the California wine industry, in 1934. (The Institute flourishes to this day.) Even with improved quality, in the decades prior to prohibition many American wine drinkers preferred sweet wines with alcohol added, so-called fortified wines, which include ports and sherries. The Institute lobbied the federal government to amend regulations to prohibit the use of the word “fortified” in any advertising or labeling. By replacing the term “fortified wine” with “dessert wine,” producers aimed to eliminate the general association of wine at the time with low-quality booze and excess consumption. Dessert wine was defined as wine with more than 14 percent alcohol content, and at the same time proposed the term “table wine” to designate non-sparkling wine with not over 14 percent alcohol. The table wine was also intended to associate wine drinking with dining, rather than consumption for its own sake.
Although the regulations were changed, even by the mid-1950s a market study found that 90 percent of the American public still associated California wines with inexpensive jug wines and cooking wine. That was soon to change. (By the way, never cook with a wine that you wouldn’t drink on its own. Cooking wine is loaded with salt and is made from the absolutely worst quality wine.)
Wine producers have traditionally, and perhaps accurately, seen their customers as having limited expertise, and are frustrated that buyers demonstrate inconsistent and difficult-to-predict preferences. This is why, beginning in the 1960s, rather than seeking out and responding to consumer input, they endeavored to to guide consumer tastes directly.
This either coincided with, or perhaps drove, a remarkable growth of wine consumption in the United States. The U.S. is now the largest wine consuming nation in the world, exceeding the wine-producing European countries such as France and Italy, which had for centuries had dominated world markets.
On many levels, the late 1960s and 1970s were the major turning point in the U.S. wine industry, with businesses reinventing the image of wine from a cheap and very alcoholic beverage to a sophisticated natural product, and an accompaniment for gourmet food. More and more, wine was promoted as a symbol of social status. (It became a reinforcer of social and class divisions as well but that’s a discussion for another day.)
A Gallo advertisement from the 1960s promoting wine as an essential part of elegant living.
The development of American wine culture during these years saw the birth and growth of a symbiotic relationship between industry advocacy groups, wine companies, grape farmers, newspaper and magazine journalists, and consumers.
The first and most obvious marketing tool is the wine label
In the tomb of King Tutankhamen wine jars were discovered that had markings with enough details to allegedly meet some present day countries’ existing wine label laws.
The oldest paper wine label on record was from French monk Pierre Perignon, he of champagne Dom Perignon fame. (Dom Perignon isn’t a champagne house, it’s a brand. The producer is Moet & Chandon.) His wine label was made of parchment and was tied to the neck of the bottle with a simple piece of string.
By the early 1700s, with the wide-spread introduction of glass bottles and the multiple varieties of wine being produced, there was a need to identify wines by their origin and their quality. This was the birth of the modern wine label.
But wine labels really got going in 1798. This was the year Czechoslovakian Alois Senefelder invented lithography, which is the basis of all modern printing presses. Suddenly, lithography allowed for printing wine labels in mass quantities, with intricate detail, and multiple colors. Most wine producers preferred wine labels in a rectangular shape that allowed room for increased information about the wine, and it is still the most common format today. It’s also the easiest and most efficient way to get multiple labels out of a single large sheet.
A wine label can and frequently does communicate many different types of information. Obviously, it can be a document of its contents and nature. It can communicate the principles, and competency of a winemaker. It can express a winery’s philosophy or concept. It can honor the history of the wine. It can signal whether the wine is fun or serious.
In addition to the traditional label content, some wineries have begun to use a “QR code” which can store all kinds of additional information and interesting facts consumers may like to know about the product.
Wine – now more than ever via social-media – supports a very special form of bragging rights, and the label is crucial to this. Is it selfie ready? Is it beautiful? Is it something no one has seen before? Does it look like something made in small volume or from a single-vineyard, thus signaling the drinker is in on something rare and exclusive?
The typical wine buyer wants to be confident they are making a good decision in the selection of a product, and they want to trust that their judgment in their selection is sound, and a well-designed label will reinforce this desire.
In the 1970s Ridge Vineyards offered plenty of information on their labels from both the winemaker and the winery.Although some wineries use the same label for decades (much like Ridge), Estancia has tweaked its labels repeatedly over the last 20 years.The Rabble Wine Company has the most radical labels I’ve ever seen. Not only are they full-color and heavily embossed, an app is available for mobile devices that will animate the image by using augmented reality. It’s not 100% reliable, but when it works it’s quite dramatic.
Next, the role of advertising and media.
In the ’60s and ’70s, many wine advertisements tried to serve as buying manuals for consumers, instructing them in which part of a label provided what kind of information. These advertisements also drove a specific brand name to look for at a store, of course, while sometimes downplaying intricate information such as vintage year and grape varietals.
An educational effort in the 1960s from Chateau Souverain.A much more recent ad from Markham using the same approach.
Advertisements thus told consumers explicitly to look for their labels, often suggesting that the producer’s brand name was at least as important as the taste of a particular type of wine, so the buyer would be freed from error when making a purchase.
Here, B&G boldly eliminated the bottle entirely.Paul Masson retained Orson Wells for one of the most high-profile wine advertising campaigns of all time. Although the slogan, “We will sell no wine before its time” was ubiquitous, it was also widely satirized.A Beringer headline intended to remove any doubt in the buyer’s mind.
Especially after Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, some Americans increasingly became conscious about environmental issues. In addition, consumer rights and counter-cultural movements attacked endless economic growth, industrialization, and materialism. In emphasizing the relations between wine and natural resources, wine companies sought to create a popular image of wine as a product of nature. In so doing, in their advertising they presented themselves as defenders of a Jeffersonian, pastoral ideal, perhaps somewhat cynically even as much of the American wine industry became ever more industrialized.
Brother Timothy loving tending the Christian Brothers vines.A faux Art Nouveau ad from Almaden celebrating their environmental stewardship.
In what is perhaps the single most important media event in American wine history, on June 7, 1976, Time magazine correspondent George Taber reported the triumph of California wines at the Paris Wine Tasting in his article entitled the “Judgment of Paris.” At this blind tasting contest of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from France and California, presided over by an all-French judging panel, California wines rated best in each category.
New York City’s Acker Merrall & Condit claims to be “America’s oldest wine shop.” By noon of the day after Taber’s story appeared, the store sold out of the five cases of wine it had from Chateau Montelena and Freemark Abbey, the two California wineries that had participated in the Paris Tasting in the white wine section. The former had ranked first and the latter winery seventh out of ten participants, forever altering the American wine industry and igniting the boom in American interest in wine that continues to this day. (By the way, Stag’s Leap won the red wine category. The 2008 movie Bottle Shock dramatized this contest, and I recommend it. As of this post, It’s on Amazon Prime if you have a subscription, or for $3 on youtube,)
Building on this success and recognition, Napa Valley winery owners were among the first to make a wine-growing area a tourist destination, developing yet another seductive marketing tool. Shrewdly, they began selling more than just a beverage—they were selling the place, the lifestyle, and the connection with sociability and good food.
Welcome to Napa Valley!
Predictably, this also led to an investment boom in California vineyards. (Remember, there were 268 wineries in the state by the repeal in 1933. That number had fallen to 240 in 1970, still a more or less steady figure for 37 years. In 1983, just 13 years later, the number of producers had grown to 550, more than doubling. Now, 37 years after that, there are 3,674 wineries, or a growth rate of 1430% in 50 years. (Total U.S. wineries are now 8,702, so the dominance of California is quite apparent.)
The promise of profits drew large diverse companies from outside the wine industry. For instance, Heublein bought inglenook and Beaulieu, Coca-Cola bought Sterling), Pillsbury acquired Chateau Souverain, and and Nestle purchased Beringer. As these and other companies started to invest in California wine, they reinforced business strategies that focused on brands, advertising and marketing campaigns, and hoped-for stable and high returns. (However, almost all of these corporations have since left the wine business. There is an old maxim: if you want to make a million dollars by making wine, the first thing you need to do is spend a million dollars. And winemakers are often driven as much by passion, a quality lacking in large corporations, as they are profits)
Influencers (like journalists and bloggers)
Wine producers, like many other businesses, have often attempted to shape and direct markets themselves, and continue to do so. They build influential relationships with industry movers and shakers. They educate these experts in their histories, winemakers, and visions for the future, and thus hope to gain some control over their stories that reach the public. They provide the language and knowledge needed to help people discover and appreciate their wines.
Naturally, consumers looking to buy a bottle of wine confront thousands of choices. In fact, in surveys many wine shoppers describe the experience as stressful; they are fearful of making a poor choice and looking ignorant or of missing an opportunity to make an evening more special. To navigate a sea of wine, they invariably turn to those experts that the wineries have worked so hard to enlist.
John Gordon is here to guide you.
There are serious questions about the objectivity of wine scores and how they are arrived at (that’s why there are none here at Winervana). Regardless, critics still have a profound influence on the behavior of retail and hospitality buyers and consumers. One retailer conducted an experiment in which he displayed two comparably-priced California Chardonnays next to each other on the shelf, and prominently posted their Wine Advocate scores and tasting notes below the bottles. The bottle with a score of 92 outsold the bottle with a score of 85 by ten to one. In a later match-up, when the same wines were displayed with tasting notes only, sales were roughly even.
Other channels
Wine Clubs
Nearly every major winery offers a wine club, where members commit to purchasing a set number bottles of wine on a regular basis, in exchange for a significant discount, invitations to members-only events, access to members-only selections, and unlimited free tastings at the winery. Wine clubs cultivate repeat business and provide sustainable cash flow that can be counted on throughout the year.
Wine club sales reportedly make up 33% of the average winery’s income, and that number increases for wineries that make fewer than 2,500 cases of wine each year. Consumers spent more than $3 billion in direct shipments in 2018, according to the 2019 Direct-to-Consumer Wine Shipping Report, from a company which helps wineries maintain Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) operations,
Event Hosting
Although temporarily suspended due to Covid-19 obviously, many wineries host business events, weddings, and summer concert series on their properties, and no doubt will again once it is safe to do so These events are a great way to increase exposure as well as revenue.
Finally, there is the entire spectrum of Social Media
According to the aforementioned D2C consulting company, “Social media represents a direct line of communication to consumers to tell the sort of behind-the-scenes story that can forge a lasting, personal connection. Instagram, in particular, can help wineries virtually extend the tasting room experience to drive demand for both online shipments and in-person visits. Creating strong content that audiences can engage with raises brand awareness and affinity with consumers, and sophisticated marketers can use online ads to engage recent website visitors and even past customers that are less engaged.”
Over many years, wine enthusiasts, the wine industry, and the wine press have worked together to position wine as something chic and sophisticated, and have largely succeeded.
But it’s important to remember wine is also, at its core, just part of any good meal and for enjoying time with friends.
The origins of Emilio Lustau S.A. date back to 1896, when José Ruiz-Berdejo, a secretary to the Court of Justice, started cultivating the vines of the family’s estate, Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza, in his spare time. In these modest beginnings he made wines which were then sold to larger sherry producers. This activity was known as being an almacenista or stockeeper.
In 1931, his daughter, María Ruiz-Berdejo Alberti, acquired a small winery closer to the center of Jerez de la Frontera, and moved all the preexisting solera there, gaining notoriety and visibility.
In the early ’40s, Maria’s husband, Emilio Lustau Ortega moved the winery to the old Santiago district, in the historic quarter of Jerez. There, in buildings that were part of the historic Moorish walls of the city, he slowly began to expand the business, still as an almacenista.
In 1945 Lustau began to focus on the promotion of its own brands: Papirusa, Jarana, Escuadrilla, Emperatriz Eugenia, and Cinta de Oro were some of them. In 1950, the company began exporting its sherries.
The 1980s were a quite prosperous decade for the Lustau enterprise. In 1981 Solera Familiar was introduced, as well as the first Almacenista bottlings. In 1988 Lustau adopted a new bottle design for its wines. This dark bottle with sloping shoulders is exclusive to the company, distinguishing Lustau from the other Jerez wineries. Lustau started to age the Vintage Series in 1989.
In 1990 Lustau’s destiny changed when it merged with a Spanish family-owned company prominent within the wine and spirits business: Luis Caballero. This milestone in Lustau’s history meant important financial support and the possibility of further expansion and development.
In 2000, Lustau acquired six 19th century bodega buildings in the center of Jerez. These picturesque buildings were restored to their original glory and today house the principal ageing bodegas of Lustau.
Lustau has two vineyards in the so-called Sherry Triangle, Viña Montegilillo, with white clay soils (albariza) that are very appropriate for the cultivation of Palomino. From this variety they produce manzanilla, fino, amontillado, and oloroso wines. Viña Las Cruces, near the coast, features sandy soils suitable for Muscatel and Pedro Ximénez, which they use for the production of sweet wines.
Lustau’s awards include Best Spanish Winery in 2011, and Best Sherry Producer in 2014 and 2016 awarded by the International Wine & Spirit Competition. Lustau has also been awarded two consecutive times (first winery in history) the Len Evans Trophy to consistency in 2011 and 2016 by the International Wine Challenge.
Lustau Pedro Ximénez San Emilio Sherry
This wine is made from 100% Pedro Ximénez grapes instead of the usual Palomino used for sherry. They are sun-dried until they are practically raisins. After fermentation, the wine is aged for 12 years in American oak in the traditional solera system.
The word “unctious” could have been coined just to describe this sherry, which has an ultra-rich velvety mouthfeel. This wine is as dark as Kahlua, and with even more viscosity. Predictably, the taste is dominated by raisins, followed by dates, brown sugar, baking spices, and molasses. It is extremely sweet, for sure, but very well balanced with just the right amount of acidity, and ends with a very long finish.
Enjoy this luxurious wine on its own, or pair it with blue cheese, nut-based desserts, chocolate, or sweet desserts
Winter is behind us for yet another year, and even under quarantine, thoughts turn to relaxed evenings on the deck or patio, steaks or shrimp sizzling on the Weber, and something cool and refreshing in the glass. A crisp Chardonnay or ice-cold beer are nice, of course, but it’s hard to beat a well-made Margarita (no sweet-and-sour mix!) when the weather gets pleasant. And, of course, Cinco de Mayo is just a couple of days away as I write this.
A good Margarita is only as good as the tequila it’s made from, and the best tequila is 100-percent blue agave. Blue agave is a smooth-leafed succulent plant (a cactus-type plant with no needles). The unique blue cast of the plant’s leaves gave it its English name. Agave is native to the central Mexican state of Jalisco; it was there in 1761 that the Spanish-immigrant Camarena family co-founded the town of Arandas (approximately 280 miles east of Puerto Vallarta). In 1860 the Camarenas began cultivating blue agave for tequila, becoming one of Mexico’s top growers. Today, the family grows more than three million agave plants, some at an altitude of 7,700 feet, in the Los Altos Highlands, the world’s highest agave fields. Here, the mineral-rich volcanic soil, low rainfall, and temperate climate support plants of greater flavor maturity.
In 1938, the Camarenas began making their own tequila. The process starts when the seven- to ten-year old plants are hand-harvested by the field workers, the jimadores. The jimadores use sharp spades called coas to remove the spiky leaves from the agave. What remains is a trimmed central piña, often weighing more than 100 pounds.
The piñas are then slow-roasted for two days in ovens made of volcanic sandstone, to convert the agave’s fructose to fermentable sugar. Next, the cooked agaves are passed through a shredding mill to separate the juice from the pulp. A special wine yeast is added to the juice, or wort, to create a mildly alcoholic liquid called mosto. The mosto is then distilled using traditional, small pot stills. Apparently, Camarena goes a step further. According to their Web site, “we use a proprietary method which blends traditional ovens and modern techniques. This allows us to consistently produce one of the smoothest and best-tasting tequilas around.” Indeed, both of Camarena’s tequilas are exceptionally smooth and appealing, and they are excellent values. (There is also an Anejo, which I didn’t have a chance to try.)
E.&J. Gallo (yes, that Gallo) inked an exclusive deal to distribute Camarena in the U.S. in 2010, which is why the brand appeared nearly everywhere seemingly instantly.
To help get your summer started, here’s my personal Killer Margarita recipe: combine 4 oz. tequila, 2 oz. triple sec, and 3 oz. Rose’s lime juice with 1 cup crushed ice. Stir or shake until ice is nearly melted. Pour into salted-rim (I like to use a mix of 3-parts kosher salt to 1-part tajin seasoning) glasses half filled with ice cubes. Garnish with a fresh lime slice.
Camarena 100% Agave Silver
Camarena 100% Blue Agave Silver Tequila rests for several months after distillation to integrate flavors before it is bottled at 40% alcohol. This unaged tequila is completely clear, and exhibits hints of sweet vanilla and black pepper. Substitute it for vodka in a Bloody Maria.
Camarena 100% Agave Reposado
Camarena 100% Blue Agave Reposado Tequila is aged for two months in American oak barrels. The wood aging imparts a golden color, and brings out additional roundness to the flavor, as well as the natural agave sweetness. Substitute it for bourbon in a Mexican Manhattan.
In 1894, Gaspare Indelicato was born in the small village of Campobello di Mazara in the province of Trapani, Sicily. In 1911, at the tender age of 16, he emigrated to the United States through Ellis Island, New York.
Eventually, Gaspare and his wife Caterina settled in the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley, east of San Francisco. In 1924, Gaspare and his brother-in-law Sebastiano made a bold decision to purchase an old dairy farm, planted grapes, and shipped them by train to home winemakers in the Chicago area during Prohibittion.
When “The Noble Experiment” was repealed in 1933, selling grapes to home winemakers was no longer profitable. Sebastiano and Gaspare decided the only way to salvage their grape crop was to make wine. In May of 1935, they opened their winery in a converted hay barn and called it Sam-Jasper Winery after the Americanized versions of their first names. Production began with 3,451 gallons (about 100 cases) of red wine which was sold to local farmers and friends.
As the business grew, Gaspare’s three sons, Frank, Anthony, and Vincent, joined the family winery in the 1950s. At that time, Frank was cellarmaster, Tony was winemaker, and Vince was the entire sales department.
Today, Delicato Family Wines is still family-owned by the heirs of Gaspare and Caterina’s three sons. The third and fourth generations of the Indelicato family are actively involved in the wine business and continue the tradition of producing and importing fine wines.
The Indelicato family is devoted to its California winemaking heritage of family farming, environmentally sensitive winegrowing practices, and economically sustainable principles.
“‘Family farmed’ encompasses the firmly-held belief that we are responsible for tending the earth and protecting its inhabitants,” explains Jay Indelicato. “This responsibility not only includes using environmentally sensitive farming practices, but also maintaining the highest ethical standards in our business dealings. My family has relationships with growers, banks, employees, and consumers that span decades. By thinking of ourselves as a “family farmed” company, it is a reminder that we have a responsibility to preserve and sustain the things that matter most.”
Here’s the legend of Three Finger Jack. Make of it what you will: He was a notorious desperado who roamed the Sierras and the land east of Sacramento in the closing days of the Old West. Nobody knows where he came from, how he lost two fingers, or where he died. But his legend still lives on today in Lodi, California.
Lodi sits at the foothills of California Gold Country, 75 miles east of San Francisco. Pioneers knew that Lodi made superb wine country; so they planted vines there more than a century ago. Its hot days are cooled by breezes from a vast river delta, and it’s home to soils that force vines to dig deep into the ground. Most of the Lodi region has deep, loamy soil. However, up on the east side, the soil is more rocky, with cobblestones and soil low in nutrients.
Three Finger Jack is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petite Sirah, 8% Malbec, 6% Merlot, and 1% other red varieties. Part of the wine is aged in American and French oak with the rest in stainless steel.
Pouring from a unique squat bottle, TFJ is a transparent dark red in the glass. It features a robust 15% ABV, with aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis, and vanilla.. These and tastes of leather and cocoa follow, supported by good tannins and mild acidity. It ends in a relatively short finish.
Pair this substantial wine with Lemon-Pepper Barbeque Ribs, Lamb Kabobs with Mustard Marinade, or Double Peanut-Crusted Pork Chops.
As you enter Sonoma county from the south on California 121, one of the first wineries you encounter is Cline Cellars, and there could hardly be a better introduction to the Carneros AVA.
Even as a young teenager, Fred Cline learned to make wine from his grandfather, Valeriano Jacuzzi (yes, he of the hydrotherapy tub, as well as many other innovations). With a $9000 inheritance from Valeriano, in 1981 Cline founded the eponymous Cline Cellars in Oakley, California.
Berry Bros. & Rudd is a family-run British merchant founded in London in 1698. Since then, the company has grown from a small coffee shop into an international business with six offices worldwide.
The company started out selling coffee, and then diversified into cocoa, tea, snuff, spices, and other exotic goods, becoming one of London’s most fashionable grocers. Its West End location and close proximity to St James’s Palace also contributed to its growing popularity.
No.3 St James’s Street
Today, the company offers an extensive range of wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône and Italy. Berry Bros. & Rudd has been the official wine supplier to the British Royal Family since the reign of King George III. They received their first Royal Warrant of Appointment in 1903 when they formulated a ginger liqueur to revive Edward VII from cold car journeys, still sold as The King’s Ginger. Queen Elizabeth II granted the company her royal warrant in 1995, and Charles, Prince of Wales granted his in 1998.
The company also offers wine investment opportunities, wine storage, wine tastings, event,s and educational courses.
From 1923 to 2010 Berry Bros. & Rudd controlled Cutty Sark Scotch whisky, whose yellow label is famous the world over.
Once Berry Bros. & Rudd decided to try their hand at gin, it took a team of spirit specialists 730 days to refine and create No. 3 Gin.
The key prominently displayed on the bottle is a replica of that to The Parlour, one of the oldest rooms in the Berry Bros. shop. Chairman Simon Berry says that the key is a symbol of trust; a promise, as it were, that the gin is what customers would expect from such an establishment. The high-shouldered green bottle is inspired from the open pontil gin bottles that date back to 17th century.
Dr David Clutton – the only person in the world with a PhD in Gin.
Each batch is presided over by distiller Dr. Clutton, who starts by weighing and blending the six botanicals (grapefruit peel, orange peel, coriander, cardamom, juniper berries, and angelica root) in the recipe. They are then added to the still and steeped for over 16 hours in pure grain spirit. The next day, the distillation begins and lasts over seven hours. The ‘heart’ of the distillate is then collected. Finally, No. 3 is diluted to 46% ABV (the producer claims this is “the ideal amount”), and bottled.
No. 3’s unique 100-year-old, brick-encased copper pot still in Holland, the home of gin.
This gin opens with crisp and fresh grapefruit, with forest-like juniper. The piney juniper continues on the palate, correctly, supported by floral notes and hints of spicy cardamom. There’s plenty of citrus ‘zing’ complemented by the gingery spiciness of the coriander. It all ends with the earthy dryness of angelica. The whole package is quite smooth and balanced. But remember that 46% ABV, and drink responsibly. This is high-octane stuff, and that smoothness can fool you if you’re not careful.
In 1895, Samuele Sebastiani left his native Tuscany for America. Eventually arriving in Sonoma, California, he worked hauling paving stones for a local quarry that were used to build the streets of San Francisco. Perhaps looking for less demanding work, in 1904 he purchased winemaking equipment and made his first 500 gallons of wine. Just five years later, he had enough financial success to purchase the Sonoma Mission vineyard (planted in 1825 for sacramental wines), the site the Sebastiani winery occupies to this day.
Jean-Marc Burgaud was born into a family of generations of wine growers. After obtaining his diploma in oenology and wine-growing, he started his eponymous winery with his wife and partner Christine in 1989. He owns all of the vineyards he farms, with the majority (32 acres / 13 hectares) being in Morgon’s famed Cotes du Py, in the heart of the Beaujolais crus. He also owns an even tinier amount of Regnie (2.5 acres / 1 hectare) and Beaujolais Villages (10.3 acres / 4.2 hectares), from which this wine comes. Burgaud believes that the current total of his vineyards is the maximum area he can cultivate while still producing the quality he is after.
Jean-Marc Burgaud
In 1973, newlyweds Mike and Mary Benziger drove west and permanently settled in Northern California. Seven years later, Mike and and his brother Bruno Benziger purchased the historic Wegener Ranch on Sonoma Mountain in Glen Ellen, California. Hearing the Sirens’ call of the Golden State, over the next six years the four remaining siblings — Bob, Joe, Jerry, and Patsy, with their spouses — made their way to California.
In my over forty years of drinking wine, I’ve had excellent bottles, bottles I’ve poured down the drain after drinking half a glass, and, mostly, everything in between. But over all of those years and thousands of wines, two have eluded me, my so-called “unicorn” wines.
owners of the 34 acre (14 ha) Martha’s Vineyard in the Oakville 
Justin Baldwin founded his eponymous winery in 
That’s quite a title there, isn’t it?
The origins of Emilio Lustau S.A. date back to 1896, when José Ruiz-Berdejo, a secretary to the Court of Justice, started cultivating the vines of the family’s estate, Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza, in his spare time. In these modest beginnings he made wines which were then sold to larger sherry producers. This activity was known as being an almacenista or stockeeper.
Winter is behind us for yet another year, and even under quarantine, thoughts turn to relaxed evenings on the deck or patio, steaks or shrimp sizzling on the Weber, and something cool and refreshing in the glass. A crisp Chardonnay or ice-cold beer are nice, of course, but it’s hard to beat a well-made Margarita (no sweet-and-sour mix!) when the weather gets pleasant. And, of course, Cinco de Mayo is just a couple of days away as I write this.
In 1894, Gaspare Indelicato was born in the small village of Campobello di Mazara in the province of Trapani, Sicily. In 1911, at the tender age of 16, he emigrated to the United States through Ellis Island, New York.
As the business grew, Gaspare’s three sons, Frank, Anthony, and Vincent, joined the family winery in the 1950s. At that time, Frank was cellarmaster, Tony was winemaker, and Vince was the entire sales department.
