Reviews of wines and spirits for the curious drinker.
Sanford Winery
Sanford, the first winery in Santa Barbara wine country, was established when the Sanford & Benedict vineyard was planted in 1971. Botanist Michael Benedict and his friend Richard Sanford were committed to finding a cool-climate location with just enough heat accumulation to ripen, but not over ripen, wine grapes. A place where they could plant and grow grapes and craft wines, where they hoped the quality might equal the best of Europe.
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.
Continue reading “Imagery Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay”
Domaine Chanson
Beaune, France, may be the wine capital of the Côte D’Or, if not all of Burgundy. It is home to important vineyards, as well as influential wine merchants, or négociants.
Much more than just a winery, Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley, California, has a long and rich history. When what is now California was a colony of Spain, the ranch was part of the lands bestowed to the Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo.
Dayton, Oregon, in the Dundee Hills AVA and 25 miles southwest of Portland, is home to Stoller Vineyards. Oregon started to become generally known for their wines, particularly Pinot Noir, only about 30 years ago. Stoller is even newer, bringing in their first wine in 2001.
Walt Wines, owned by Kathryn Hall and Craig Hall, is dedicated to the production of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Pacific Coast, spanning nearly 1000 miles and including Sta. Rita Hills, Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, Napa Valley, and the Willamette Valley. They strive to source top fruit from the most distinctive vineyards; practice precise, non-interventionist winemaking; and focus on limited production. The goal is to allow the wines to naturally and honestly express the character of the sites where the wines are grown.
Concannon Vineyard
The Concannon Vineyard story began in 1865 when James Concannon, then an 18-year-old boy, courageously set sail from the rocky coast of Ireland’s Aran Islands to seek opportunity in America.
Hey, man, check out this gnarly wine. Gnarly Head wine, actually.
Starting from San Francisco, go about 100 miles east and a bit north and you’ll reach Lodi, California, home of Gnarly Head Winery.
Byron Wines
Designated in 1981, the Santa Maria Valley AVA is located in the northernmost part of Santa Barbara County, just east of Santa Maria city. The east–west orientation of the wide, open valley means cool winds and fog flow in freely from the Pacific Ocean, settling most noticeably in lower-lying areas. This cool maritime influence lengthens the growing season (among the longest in the world), and contributes to the eventual sugar/acid balance in Santa Maria Valley’s wines.
Jack’s House Wines
Jack Nicklaus needs no introduction, of course. The Golden Bear is the winner of 18 major golf championships, a golf course designer, a tournament manager, a golf equipment manufacturer, a product endorser, an author, and a philanthropist.
The Federalist wines are produced by the somewhat mysterious 2Sons Winery, which is owned and managed by the Terlato Family wine empire. The vineyards and winery were founded in 1981. Three friends, John Grace, Mark Rafanelli, and Philip Staley (so why isn’t the winery named 3Sons? See? Mystery.), joined forces and purchased the site that was formerly the Alderbrook Estate. In 2000 the Terlatos were asked to develop a long-range plan to produce world-class wines and market 2Sons throughout the U. S. The Terlatos later purchased a majority share, and invested in both vineyard sources and winery to provide the winemaking team with the best grapes and equipment available. This has helped position the winery to produce single vineyard and estate wines with an on-going focus on Zinfandel.
Trapiche Broquel Winery
Come with us now to Argentina, famous for the tango, Che Guevara, gauchos, and, increasingly, wine. Like 85 percent of Argentina’s quality producers, Trapiche is located in Mendoza in the north-central part of the country near the eastern foothills of the Andes.
Cuvaison Winery
Established in 1969, Cuvaison (French for maceration, the period of time grape juice spends in contact with the skins and seeds) is an estate vineyard and winery that produces primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both grown exclusively in the Carneros AVA on the northern end of both Sonoma and Napa. When the winery was founded, the Carneros region was little known for grape growing, and much of the acreage was pastureland. But, the area’s cool bay breezes and frequent fog are ideal for wine, and it is now home to thirty-one wineries and an equal number of growers.
Migration Sonoma Chardonnay and Sonoma Pinot Noir
Duckhorn Portfolio is the umbrella corporation of an expanding wine mini-empire. First came the flagship Duckhorn Vineyards, established in 1976 by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn to pioneer and feature premium Napa Merlot. (Duckhorn has a “second growth” label named Decoy, as well.) Next came Paraduxx in 1994, specializing in Zinfandel-based blends. This was followed by Goldeneye, which began making Pinot Noir in 1996.
Cresta Blanca. Inglenook. Roma. Italian Swiss Colony. Christian Brothers. These are just a few of the pioneering and once-popular twentieth-century California wineries that are now long gone. From 1950 to 1989, the Christian Brothers produced their wines in the Greystone Cellars building, which was built in 1889 in St. Helena, California, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 1993, an earthquake-damaged Greystone was sold to The Culinary Institute of America, an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor’s and associate degrees in culinary arts, baking, and pastry arts, as well as certificate programs in culinary arts and professional wine studies. After $15 million in upgrades and renovations, in 1995 the CIA reopened Greystone as their California branch campus; the primary campus is in Hyde Park, New York.