Catching Up (Again) on Reviews

12 Tuesday Aug 2014

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My biggest downfall in maintaining a blog is getting wine reviews written. I prefer telling stories but the utility of at least quick thoughts on some good wines I’ve recently consumed seems like a part of the job I should NOT ignore..

I taste so much outstanding wine this summer the idea of reviewing some of the things I’ve sipped at home slips to the “I really need to do that” level and not get done.

So here we go! Some recent nice-drinking wines.

Grey PinoVentisquero Grey 2012 Pinot Noir – This was a nice surprise from Chile. Much of the Chilean Pinot Noir I’ve previously consumed had that nagging vegetal or green pepper hint that was not predominant in this wine. I liked its earthiness and sort of a damp wood quality. That make sense?

It’s so hard to find drinkable good Pinot under $20-$25 but this fits the category. It has a little spice, nice acidity and ultimately a very drinkable glass of wine.

Ventisquero Grey 2012 Pinot Noir, average price around $20, Recommended.

MiraMira 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet – Wow, this is good wine. I tasted a lot of bottles at a higher price point during my 10 days in Calfornia last month but only a few were better than this one.

The nifty blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Syrah worked well. That Cab Franc and Syrah gave the wine a nice rich and round mouth feel.

This wine had great balance and a perfect Cab finish – I got the tannins, sensed the oak but it was in balance with the nice Cabernet flavor.

Mira 2010 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, SRP $52 – but found online as low as $39, Highly Recommended.

Owen Roe 2010 Ex Umbris Syrah – This Columbia Valley Syrah, from one of the grape’s best producers, was extraordinary wine. It should be noted the ’09 vintage of this wine made Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 list.

owen_roe_ex_umbris_label__13161_stdI had tasted Roe’s value label Syrah – Lenore – around $17 so had to step up to this bottle at about twice the price. I wasn’t blown away but thought it was so much better than many West Coast Syrah offerings. It was tad thinner than I expected but did have lovely fruit and nice balance.

It had a very identifiable richness or velvety feel in the mouth. I’m a sucker for that type of experience every time. It’s just very well made wine. This wine got 90 points from Wine Spectator and Stephen Tanzer.

Owen Roe 2010 Ex Umbris Syrah, $29, Highly Recommended.

Cesar Toxqui 2005 Mendocino Zinfandel – I had the pleasure of sitting with Cesar Toxqui at a dinner in Mendocino, Ca., in 2011. He has a fascinating story of growing up in the wine business and worked his way up to his own label.

CesarLabelHe was working still then with a member of the Fetzer family at Jeriko Estate wines but aching to do more with his own label. We tasted a couple of his wines at dinner and I really was taken with his Zinfandel. Zin is a bit of a calling card for Mendocino producers.

I thought the wine had great fruit, depth, and finish. I had held onto this one since that trip and it was worth the wait. He is a very small production winery so finding it would be a big challenge. Still, it continues to reinforce my continuing theme of look for the small producers to find big surprises and great wine.

Cesar Toxqui 2005 Mendocino Zinfandel, around $25 (from memory), Very Highly Recommended – if you can find it.

Lange Calls Investment Validation

07 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by in Food & Travel, Oregon

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Oregon’s Willamette Valley has earned its place on the shelf. In the last 10-15 years. The  Pinot Noir wines from the Northwest have proven to be good enough to be compared to French Burgundy.

Grape Sense LogoCritics love the terroir-driven wines while consumers find an increasing selection of Oregon Pinot on wine shop shelves. The notoriety has made many Oregon wineries household names.
But modest beginnings rooted in the 1970s and 1980s has also drawn the attention of major players in the wine industry. An argument could be made that first happened when Burgundy’s Robert Drouhin bought land and started Domaine Drouhin in 1987. Arguably that gave Oregon Pinot the credibility to grow.

But the last two years has brought two more big names and has drawn the wine world’s attention. Kendall Jackson wines purchased the Solena Winery in Yamhill, in a sale estimated to be near $10 million, late last year. Then earlier this year the Jackson family made it clear they were going to be a major player with a 250-acre vineyard purchase in the Eola-Amity Hills region.
Long-time Willamette producers should look it as validation, said winemaker Jesse Lange of Lange Estate Winery.

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Jesse Lange chatting in early June at the winery tasting room.

“Jackson family wines is still privately owned and still highly regarded in the marketplace for making good wines,” he said in June. “They own a lot of really good vineyard sites. Plus, they command a lot of shelf space in a way not a lot of other companies do not. So for them a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a line extension. They’re not building a category, they’re taking advantage of a category and all they have to do is create the product.”

Lange’s pragmatic approach is one of positive thinking and confidence. “I think it’s a statement of where our region has been and where its going and what the potential is for our region,” the second generation winemaker said. “It’s sort of a natural evolution, I suppose, with today’s economics of a wine-growing region becoming mature. I think (the Willamette Valley) has developed respect across all wine shops and wine lists in the world. I’m not up in arms, ‘oh, the big companies are coming to Willamette.’ It was going to happen any way. Maybe it’s a referendum on the success we’ve achieved.”

But the investment doesn’t stop there. Louis Jadot, another equally famous Burgundy producer, purchased a 20-acre vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA last year. Jadot brought retired Burgundy winemaker Jacques Lardiere out of retirement to lead the Oregon effort beginning with the 2013 harvest. Observers are watching to see how the wines will be marketed and if the company makes more land purchases. Jadot controls more than 600 acres of vineyard in France.

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For my palate, Lange is one of Oregon’s consistent producers.

“I hope its just a new chapter on what we’ve done,” Lange said. “I hope some of the old timers see it as more of a validation than referendum but you never know. The Willamette wine industry has already created (a market) for our wines.”

The additional major players can only make the Willamette brand stronger. Lange’s approach on the new arrivals is a confident one as he brings new vineyards into production and builds on his established brand.

Pinot Noir lovers are in for exciting wines from Oregon for years to come.
Howard’s Pick: My favorite value-priced Oregon Pinot is Lange’s Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It consistently delivers well above its lower $20 price point.

BLOGGER NOTE: I have quite a bit more from Jesse Lange on his wines and exciting news about the future from his vineyards. I’ll have that up soon.

Uncork Puts Wine Fans In The Vineyard

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Indiana

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Grapes in Oliver's Creekbend Vineyard starting verasion - or ripening.

Grapes in Oliver’s Creekbend Vineyard starting verasion – or ripening.

Parker leading wine fans through Creekbend Pinot Grigio vines.

Parker leading wine fans through Creekbend Pinot Grigio vines.

BLOOMINGTON, IN. – Vintage Indiana brings nearly 30 Indiana wineries and 10,000 people to Indianapolis’ Military Park each June. It’s a great event. But if you want something a bit more intimate try the up and coming Uncork the Uplands held each summer in Southern Indiana.

Both events give wine fans an opportunity to taste a lot of Indiana wine. But the Uplands event is my pick for the intimacy of chatting with wine makers, owner, and vineyard managers and really taking advantage of a great educational experience beyond just sipping. The nine Uplands wineries in the new Uplands AVA host the event, now in its fourth year. Uplands draws about 300 people making it a more laid-back and intimate event.

The 2014 Uncork featured live music, food, plenty of wine, along with vineyard tours at Oliver’s Creekbend Vineyard. I’ve long been an advocate, as have many others, that you learn farm more walking a vineyard with a winemaker or vineyard manager than you can in a tasting room or just sipping wines. It’s, perhaps, one of the oldest cliché’s in winemaking. ‘Great wine is made in the vineyard and not the winery.’

That’s why a walk through Creekbend with Oliver vineyard manager Bernie Parker was so valuable to the 20-or-so I joined for a warm evening stroll through the grapes. Indiana’s frigid weather wreaked havoc in many vineyards across the state with low temperatures that damaged vines and will cost many a year of production. Parker noted he and his crews had to restart 9,000 of the 36,000 vines at Creekbend. I spent some time talking to Bruce Bordelon, Purdue University wine and grape team, along with several winery owners about the cold weather. The impact certainly varies cut hurt Indiana’s crop from about Bloomington on north, Bordelon said.

That will be an upcoming column or two in the next few weeks.

The event not only is a great education experience, but good food, music, and the opportunity to taste wine of the nine Uplands wineries. I tasted at least one wine from each and continue to be impressed how the quality across the board continues to improve in Indiana wine.

My real picks from hit-n-miss tasting were Winzerwald’s Vidal Blanc and Turtle Run’s Traminette. Both were really nice dry Indiana wines. I also liked Huber’s great 2010 vintage of Heritage (a traditional Bordeaux style blend) along with Oliver’s new Noir – a blend of Marahel Foch and Corot Noir.

But even the sweet wines, which are not to my taste but thousands of Hoosiers, were well-balanced and well-made wines. Put Uncork on your radar for next summer. It’s a great way to taste a wide range of Indiana wine – with out the crowds.

Good Wine Doesn’t Have to Cost $50

31 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in California

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What’s for dinner? A grilled, spiced pork chop.

I want wine. I search the wine rack and pull out a ‘suspect” cabernet from Central California. Now I can’t possibly like this wine. It’s going to be flabby, not taste like cab, no balance, no fruit or too much fruit. It’s going to be jammy. There won’t be any depth or meaningful seconed notes – or mid-palate if you prefer – to discern. The finish will be like water or if lucky maybe bitter.

437479-Royalty-Free-RF-Clip-Art-Illustration-Of-A-Cartoon-Male-Wine-TasterI can’t possibly like this wine and it’s going to be just awful because, you ask? This wine was not one of my $50 or $100 bottles.

Recently a number of wine bloggers had this nice little circle confab (blushes) that certainly summed it all up. “There is no such thing as great wines under $20.” Now, I’m not prepared to argue that particular premise. Those who take themselves and their wine writing way too seriously slugged it out.

While in California for 11 days in July, I tasted stunning Cab at Daou Vineyards atop a mountain in Paso Robles – $85 for the best bottle Then just a few days later I tasted Pride Mountain Cabs which retail at $90 and $135. I sipped Cab and Insigina at the icon Joselph Phelps winery – those bottles SRP at $65 and $250.

man-sniffing-wine copyI was lucky to get into Stags Leap where I tasted killer $85 Cab. Thanks to a good friend in the wine business, I got into Spottswoode Winery in St. Helena, where they only can take 60 visitors a week, and tasted its $70 and $150 Cabernet.

Now, I admit those were GREAT wines. Those were all really great wines.

But not everyone can afford those wines. And, I’d argue, many palates are not ready to appreciate those wines unless you’re really a big wine drinker.

So you wander to the wine shop, liquor or grocery store and try to find something you might like and can afford. That scenario is why I started the wine writing nearly seven years ago.

Yes, I bought a few bottles of high-end Cabernet to tuck away for a special event, retirement, or for some future self-indulgence. I’m a lucky guy.

But on Thursday nights at home with my grill, a pork chop and empty glass. I open wines which just aren’t supposed to be all that good if you listen to some writers.

Nonsense!

clayhouseMy $14 bottle of Cabernet tonight is NOT a great wine. But it is a good wine. First, my bottle of Clayhouse 2012 Estate Vineyard Cabernet tastes like Cabernet! (They all don’t, trust me.) Second, the fruit is not a mouthful of jam. Third, it’s an easy drinker. Fourth, it’s not very complex – but I’m pretty superficial guy anyway.

It’s tasty. It’s easy to drink. Ready? It’s suggested retail price is $14. I’ve certainly tasted worse Cabernet at higher prices. Clayhouse is widely distributed and a pretty consistent value wine maker.

“Drink what you like” and, perhaps “Drink what you can afford” remains the best wine advice I or anyone can ever give you!

Indiana Uplands’ Event one of Best

27 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by in Indiana

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Mingle with the winemakers - Turtle Run's Jim Pfeiffer, Ted Huber, and Jim Butler at last year's event.

Winemakers: Turtle Run’s Jim Pfeiffer, Ted Huber, and Jim Butler at last year’s event.

Indiana’s Uplands wineries will host one of the state’s premier wine events Saturday at Oliver Winery’s Creekbend Vineyard.

The fourth-annual Uncork the Uplands features nine Southern Indiana wineries located in the state’s only federally-designated AVA – or American Viticultural Area. The wineries will be pouring their wine with food pairings, vineyard tours, and a chance to get up close and personal with some of Indiana’s best winemakers.

The wineries will start pouring at 4 p.m. and keep it flowing until 8 p.m. Creekbend Vineyard is located across Indiana 37 from Oliver Winery. The address is 7508 N. Woodall Road. Tickets are $50 per person.

Creekbend Vineyard illustrates what Indiana can do with wine grapes.

Creekbend Vineyard illustrates what Indiana can do with wine grapes.

“Guests will have the opportunity to explore the Indiana Uplands’ unique terroir firsthand with guided tours of Oliver’s Creekbend Vineyard,” said Turtle Run Winery owner/winemaker Jim Pfeiffer. The Creekbend Vineyard covers 54 acres over rolling hills near Bloomington. More than 30,000 vines feature Indiana signature grapes like Traminette, Chambourcin, and Vignoles among others.

Admission includes opportunites to taste local cuisine and enjoy music from Art Four Sale, a Nashville, Tn., based instrumental quartet.

“Take a stroll, breathe in the summer air and sip your favorite Indiana wines while learning from the many winemakers who have helped build the Indiana wine industry with over 180 years of combined winemaking experience,” said Pfeiffer, chairman of the 2014 event. “This year, guests will even be able to purchase their favorite wine by the bottle to enjoy at home.”

This post was mostly written as a release for the newspapers which carry my column. I promote this event, over some others, because I find these wineries consistently deliver Indiana’s best wines. The three gentlemen above, lead the pack in top quality Indiana wine, along with host Bill Oliver.

The Indiana Uplands Wine Trail is located within the Indiana Uplands American Viticulture Area, a federally recognized grape-growing region established in 2013. The trail wineries include Best Vineyards Winery of Elizabeth; Brown County Winery of Nashville; Butler Winery of Bloomington; ; French Lick Winery of West Baden Springs; Huber’s Orchard, Winery and Vineyards of Starlight; Oliver Winery of Bloomington; Turtle Run Winery of Corydon and Winzerwald Winery of Bristow.

Antonella Charming Italian Hostess

25 Friday Jul 2014

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The Florence Enoteca Alessi has an incredible basement wine selection.
The upstairs enoteca is one block from Doumo
The charming Antonella pours for our group.
We tasted Vermentino, Chianti Classico, Brunello, Barolo, and Amorone
Antonella did a great job explaining Italy’s wine geography.
Antonella gets into it!

FLORENCE, Italy – With all of the summer travel, I have a lot of material I want to get up on the blog and some I’m holding back for my other wine writing.

One of the real delights of a two-week trip to Italy in mid June was discovering Enoteca Alissa right next to our hotel in the center of Florence, Italy.

Someone in our group took a phone shot that ended up on YELP!

Someone in our group took a phone shot that ended up on YELP!

I went there for a late afternoon glass of wine one day and met the enchanting Antonella. And I don’t use that word here very often – enchanting.  A second lunch visit convinced me I had to set up a tasting for interested members of our group.

Antonella did not disappoint later that afternoon. We tasted through five wines, plenty of cheese and Italian sausages, and lots of education and entertainment. Antonella used her boot.. up on a chair .. to explain Italy’s wine regions … drew a map …. ran around the room pouring, talking, and illustrating everything good about Italian wine.

When you travel, be sure to explore! This little spot was awesome.

 

Explore Those Smaller Wine Regions

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in California, Newspaper Column 2014

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Stunning sunset over the mountains/vineyards of Happy Canyon in Santa Barbara Co., Calif.

Stunning sunset over the mountains/vineyards of Happy Canyon in Santa Barbara Co., Calif.

NAPA/SONOMA Ca. – Repeating the familiar is an easy way to go through life as is taking the safe road. We all do that but find unexpected rewards when taking the path less traveled.

That little bit of philosophy applies to visiting wine country. You can visit Mondavi in Napa or Archery Summit in Oregon and you should. But if you limit yourself to those kind of stops you miss out on the real people and great wine you’ll never find back home.

Grape Sense LogoLet’s face it, you’re not going to run into the owner, winemaker, or much of anyone else at corporate wineries which make their wines by the trucker tank – or for this analogy let’s use the 100,000 case level.

A California trip July 9-19 taught me that lesson over again but can’t be repeated enough. A long weekend in Santa Barbara County resulted in tasting literally hundreds of wines at the 2014 Wine Blogger’s conference. There were several winery names I knew but the defining experience was a dinner trip to Happy Canyon at the far east end of the St. Ynez Valley.

A group of about 20 wine writers visited with six Happy Canyon wineries that most have never heard of before. Grassini, Sloan and more aren’t household names because they produce such small quantity of wine. One of the six was making just 700 cases!

They had good sauvignon blanc but crazy good Bordeaux varietal blends. The far east end, being the greatest distance from the Pacific, results in a warmer climate well suited for Cabernet, Merlot, Cab Franc, and the other French staples.

Having fun during the Wine Blogging Conference speed tasting event - crazy!

Having fun during the Wine Blogging Conference speed tasting event – crazy!

The red blends were fantastic wines. The price point was a $50-$80 a bottle but the quality suggested the tiny operations were on point. Obviously, you’re not going to find these wines in the Midwest. But the lesson is small can be good, and very, very good.

There isn’t a wine region in the world that does not have these type of producers. My experience has shown the prices will be a little higher but the wines are usually fantastic. And often the winemaker or owner is the one pouring the juice in your glass.

At those corporate wineries you might luck out and get a really good tasting room employee. But hearing how the wine was made and the inspiration to make it from the winemaker is priceless.

Let’s bring the concept closer to home. Who hasn’t tasted Oliver Winery’s sweet red and white wines? Bill Oliver’s small batch Creekbend Vineyard wines are some of the best you’ll find in Indiana. Better yet, make a trip to the far south and visit Indiana’s other powerhouse Huber Winery. But while there go another 10 miles and visit the quirky Turtle Run Winery near Corydon.
Regardless of the region of the world, wine made in small batches is almost always going to be something special. Think of it this way – would you rather have your soup made in a tub or small pot on grandma’s stove?

 

Driving the Pacific Coast Highway

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

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First stop along Hwy 1 was to visit the elephant seals
Molting season for the females, males arrive in three weeks.
The morning foggy view down the coast of Big Sur
A sculpture at Ragged Ridge framed the coast line nicely.
Wandering into the fog.
Finally, exiting Big Sur the skies cleared
“Our country Tis of Thee …

BIG SUR, Ca – This post has nothing to do with wine other than my selected route Tuesday from Paso Robles to Napa/Sonoma.

I had driven a small section of the north end of the Pacific Coast Highway south of Monterey a few years ago. But Monday was a chance to drive the extended distance and through Big Sur. If there is a more beautiful drive in the U.S. I’m not sure where it would be found.

It was foggy a good portion of the drive but it didn’t take away the majesty of the coast. The skies turned blue with bright sunshine the last 20 miles or so.

Oh, and those winding, mountain side roads aren’t as bad as some had warned me – but not for the faint of heart. I did find my hands occasionally squeeze the steering wheel pretty darn hard a few times. It does drain a lot of energy driving the winding, climbing roads at pretty slow speeds.

But never turn down the chance to make the drive if you wandering California.

I’m visiting Sonoma/Napa through Friday. This is really a bit of a vacation and I’m trying to keep it simple. That said, I’ve already got three stops planned today. I’m going to try to post most evenings.

 

 

A Day In Paso Wine Country

15 Tuesday Jul 2014

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PASO ROBLES, Ca. – It’s difficult to see and taste much in a vast wine region, featuring more than 200 wineries, like Paso Robles. But I managed to get in one of the best new names, an iconic name, and a brand new winery in one afternoon.

Daniel and George Daou own Daou Winery atop one of the highest peaks in the Paso Robles wine region. Sitting 2,250 feet above sea level, the views alone go way beyond spectacular! The tasting room is beautiful from the attention to every detail to the backlit onyx bar.

It’s clear from the first sip that winemaker Daniel trained in Bordeaux. The lines are Saint Emilion-like with a rich and silky mouth feel. He uses a free run method in wine making of heating and cooling the grapes till they burst and letting the juice run off naturally. The process minimize the tannins from the grape seeds.

The first two red blends were good wines, both at the $46 price point. The white blend was not to my palate. A tasty Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend stepped up as the first great wine on the tasting list for $56. Wine Advocate gave it 93 points. One of the best bottles was a 2011 Reserve Cab blend which was dry but smooth, and a reasonable 14.2 percent alcohol. The 100 percent Zin that followed was also a great bottle of wine with rare balance for a California Zin.

I finished with Daou’s signature Cab made in honor of their mother. The $85 wine was a 90-points plus wine in the previous vintage and it was easy to see why – rich, smooth, and beautiful finish. It was probably the best Paso cab I’ve ever tasted.

At 15,000 cases it’s hard to call Daou a ’boutique” winery, but with 100 percent handpicking, 100 percent French oak, and Daniei’s attention to detail – I thought the wines were spectacular. The juice equaled the views.

Next it was off to an icon of Paso Robles wine, Tablas Creek. I walked into the beautiful tasting room, tucked away in the rolling hills and mountains west of Paso, and owner Jason Haas was there. I tasted through the Rhone varietal blends that made TC famous and had a chance to chat briefly with the son of owner Robert Haas.

The interesting part of the conversation was a recent expansion with a land purchase and Jason’s work with much lesser known Rhone wine grapes that even most wine geeks have never heard of previously. Haas said he has “always considered it out mission to be the flab bearer for these Rhone varietals.” The top-end red blends mirror the best of CdP French wines.

My last stop of the day was down the mountain a bit at Brecon, at the recommendation of Paso’s Wine Wranger Coy Barnes. Owner/winemaker Damien just opened in March. The modern ubran-style tasting room is great. He has a bit of an unusual lineup of wine with Albarino, Syrah which comes from across the hill next to Saxum vineyards. The wines are all young but showed great potential. The native Welshman isn’t going to be a huge producer, but his extensive background in the wine business is promising.

Food Passion Highlights Bridlewood Visit

14 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by in California, Food & Travel, Wine Education/News/Updates

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Bridlewood Estate Winery
The wine bloggers enjoyed a lakeside picnic.
Across the lake a hillside Syrah vineyard
Inside the winery.
Winemaker Mark Williams
Bridlewood Chardonnay aged in cenment
Stephanie Mutz

BUELLTON, Ca. – The only wine word more over used than terroir is probably passion. A lot of people talk about it but it’s really special when you see it.

The final day of the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference featured morning sessions and wrapped up. Some of the nationwide bloggers signed up for afternoon excursions, including one to the stunning Bridlewood Estates Winery.

The passion came from a chef, hog farmer, fisherwoman, and a farming couple. The combination of food and wine is what makes and event like WBC special. And while the bloggers spent a weekend listening to passionate winemakers, it was the first opportunity to combine wine and food and see the passion of artisan craftsmanship in food sourcing.

The interesting thing for the story-telling bloggers is the passion came out of a discussion about social media and food regulations.

“It’s not about the money for any of us,” said Stephanie Mutz of Sea Stephanie Fish. “I’m here to provide a seafood source. I’m for regulations but they come at a cost. All of the regulations cost me a lot. I just want to go fishing.”

Mutz makes a weekly run to Newport Beach to sell her catch. She took the time to explain her relationship with Jeff Olsson, a local caterer and owner of Industrail Eats in Buellton. She uses social media to let people know about her catch.

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Francis, Valley Piggery

“I use Twitter and Instagram because there’s not a lot of people out there underwater or on a boat. I don’t do it a lot because I don’t want to be a marketer; I want to be a fisherman.”

The fresh food movement serves Mutz and others well. It’s created a demand somewhat for the unknown. “If Stephanie catches two Bluefin Tuna and that hits social media, I have four people within 10 minutes at the restaurant wanting to order,” Olsson said.

“Then when one of my chefs post something they’ve made from my product I have other chefs say, ‘I want that too,’ “ Olsson said. She provides seafood to several Los Angeles restaurants.

There is also a practical side to using modern technology even if business is good. “It’s hard to imagine running my business without email and social media,” said Jake Francis of Valley Piggery. “I don’t have a retail location. It’s what I call farming the desk and I wish I had more time to do it.”

The panelists showed a strong sense of working together. “We have a great sense of community,” Francis agreed. “We can go out and eat food sourced locally – and we know where it’s come from.”

Bridlewood Winemaker Mark Williams answered questions about his Chardonnay and Syrah served with small bites during the education segment of the winery visit. He gave his take on one of the most recent hot topics, literally – the weather. “The lack of rainfall the last two years is not just an agricultural problem,” he said. “We could see water rationing and other things.”

Williams noted his vineyards are irrigated by a well but he had early bud break this year and verasion is already underway for some grapes like Zinfandel.

The visit was highlighted by the panel a lunch by a small lake, and the aura of the stunning estate.