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| Highlights from the Family Winemakers Tasting, San Francisco 2010 |
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| Tasting Event |
| Written by Fred Swan |
| Sunday, 29 August 2010 00:00 |
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The Family Winemakers of California held their annual San Francisco tasting this past weekend (August 22-23, 2010) at Fort Mason. I attended both days and spent almost ten hours tasting new releases and talking with winemakers and proprietors. There were literally thousands of wines available to try. My focus was on trying things from wineries I wasn't very familiar with and completely new offerings from some of my favorite producers. I tasted a ridiculous amount of wines, well over 170, but still only a small portion of what was available. Don't assume the worst for wines I don't mention. Also be aware that the tasting conditions at these mass tastings aren't scientific, so your experience with the wines I recommend may differ from mine. Over time, I will try to bring many of the better ones in for blind tasting in a controlled environment. C.G. Di Arie was a new “discovery” for me, though they are likely well-known to those of you who spend time at wineries in the Sierra Foothills. They are based near the town of Mt. Aukum in the Shenandoah Valley, about 90 minutes east of Sacramento. The proprietors, Chaim and Elisheva Gur-Arieh have a 209 acre estate there, 47 of which are under vine. They’ve got at least 11 varieties planted and produce up to 15,000 cases per year. As do many wineries with a wine club focus, C. G. Di Arie produces a lot of different wines (thirty-one in this case). Often that can lead to mediocrity. It’s really hard to produce many different wines and keep quality high. However, I tasted eight of the C. G. Di Arie wines on Sunday and can give seven of them solid recommendations. (The lone outlier was good, but not exceptional.) That’s an impressive showing. I was also pleased by the overall winemaking style: elegant, varietally correct and very moderate in alcohol and application of oak. I’m looking forward to visiting their winery, which includes two art galleries and a great view from their 1,700 foot elevation, soon so I can try more of the wines. Here are the ones I recommend for now: There were a number of other wineries whose wines I don't recall having tasted previously but am now happy to recommend: Two of the best wines at the tasting were not new releases. In fact, one of them isn’t even from this decade. Calera was pouring two wines from their library along with recent releases. Calera’s Pinot Noir is widely considered to be among the most age-worthy in California. The 1997 and 2000 vintages of Calera Mills Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir strongly supported that view — both were excellent. Fortunately for you, these library wines weren’t just being poured for as references for aging potential. The winery has released a number of bottles from their library for sale now and the 2000 appears to be available. [Great palates think alike. You can also read about the 1997 Calera Mills Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot at Vinography.] Don’t overlook the new wines from Calera though. The eight I tasted were all very good: Without respect to vintage or winery history, here are the best of the wines, by varietal, that I tried at the 2010 Family Winemakers Tasting: Sauvignon Blanc Red Wines Grenache Merlot Petite Sirah Pinot Noir Syrah Zinfandel If you enjoyed this article, please share it! Icons for popular sharing services are at the right above and also below. Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check outour comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery. This article is original to NorCalWine.com. Copyright 2010 NorCal Wine. All rights reserved. |
Craig makes this comment
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Craig makes this comment
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Fred Swan makes this comment
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
phornlyla makes this comment
Saturday, 06 August 2011