Club Corner
Red Rogues Quarter 1: Kira Ballotta
For our first release of the year we will be focusing on the wines of Kira Ballotta. A fifth generation Californian from Sacramento, Kira’s love for economics and dream of working on Wall Street led her to the University of Washington, where she interned with Goldman Sachs and received a degree in finance. After graduation, she developed an interest in wine while analyzing winery M&A projects for an investment bank. This curiosity regarding the “goings-on” (in Kira’s words) behind the spreadsheet numbers led to a job with Constellation Brands, the parent company of labels such as The Prisoner, Booker, Sea Smoke, Lingua Franca, and Robert Mondavi Winery. While initially still on the finance side, Kira spent her spare time in Napa, doing cellar work with David Mahaffey for his small label, Olivia Brion. She grew to love the winemaking side, and quit her job to work harvest for The Prisoner, which led to an internship at Quintessa. She also studied microbiology and organic chemistry at UC Berkeley, and worked harvest abroad with Mollydooker in Australia. Upon returning from the latter, she landed a job at Alpha Omega as a production assistant, helping to kickstart the Two Squared line of wines. As Mahaffey planned his retirement, Kira took over the brand fully in 2019, and in 2021 she started her own brand Cantadora. She found that, while people enjoyed the stories of important women from the past that were told through Olivia Brion, she wanted to celebrate the achievements of modern trailblazing women. For the inaugural Cantadora bottling, Kira chose Sonia Melara, co-founder of La Casa Los Madres, the oldest domestic violence shelter in California (and a place where Kira had done volunteer work), as inspiration and label subject. She also donated 10% of the wine’s sales to the organization, a tradition that continues with every wine, woman and organization in the line. This, along with her focus on organically farmed sites, led to Kira’s inclusion in the Imbibe Magazine’s list, “75 Who Will Determine Food & Drinks in 2024 and Beyond”. Cheers! - Justin Malesheetz, Fillmore Wine Buyer Olivia Brion 2021 Willowside Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Region/Country of Origin: Russian River Valley AVA, CA About the Winemaking: 100% Pinot Noir from Willowside Vineyard west of Santa Rosa. Aged for 21 months in a combination of 20% new French oak and 80% neutral French oak. Tasting Notes: Medium ruby in the glass, with a heady nose of pomegranate, mushrooms, cola, and dark cherry. Full bodied with silky tannins and balanced acidity, this is a dark fruited and immediately enjoyable wine that still has the complexity to pair well with food. Flavors of dark cherry, pomegranate, and cocoa with a licorice note on the ripe dark fruited finish. Winemaker: Kira Ballotta Price per bottle: $49.99+tax Suggested Food Pairing: Roast chicken or duck, smoked ham, teriyaki miso salmon Olivia Brion 2022 “Vie d’Espionnage” Shake Ridge Ranch Mourvedre Region/Country of Origin: Amador County AVA, CA About the vineyards: Organically farmed Shake Ridge Ranch sits at 1500 feet elevation in the Sierra Foothills, northeast of Sacramento. This site experiences warm days and very cool nights with an Alpine Influence dominating. The soil is a blend of Volcanic, Quarzite and Alluvial. The site is farmed by Ann Kraemer, a renowned viticulturist with over 25 years of experience managing vineyards and consulting for such wineries as Domaine Chandon, Cain, Calera, Hobbs, and Shafer before buying 34 acres in Amador County in the early 00’s and planting Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Barbera, Tempranillo, and Rhone varieties in 2003 and an additional 12 acres planted in 2009. About the Winemaking: 100% Mourvedre aged for 21 months in neutral French oak Tasting Notes: A deep ruby in the glass with a dark savory nose bringing to mind red plum, fresh dark berries, and meaty iron notes. On the fuller side of medium bodied with firm tannins and bright acidity, this wine sings with fresh red and black fruit flavors along with a dark mineral character rounded out with savory herb and meaty notes on the finish. Winemaker: Kira Ballotta Price per bottle: $38.99+tax Suggested Food Pairing: sauteed mushrooms, pot roast, smoked cheddar, baba ganoush, lentils Cantadora 2021 “The Energizer for the Ages” Shake Ridge Ranch Rhone Blend Region/Country of Origin: Amador County AVA, CA About the Vineyards: Organically farmed Shake Ridge Ranch sits at 1500 feet elevation in the Sierra Foothills, northeast of Sacramento. This site experiences warm days and very cool nights with an Alpine Influence dominating. The soil is a blend of Volcanic, Quarzite and Alluvial. The site is farmed by Ann Kraemer, a renowned viticulturist with over 25 years of experience managing vineyards and consulting for such wineries as Domaine Chandon, Cain, Calera, Hobbs, and Shafer before buying 34 acres in Amador County in the early 00’s and planting Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Barbera, Tempranillo, and Rhone varieties in 2003 and an additional 12 acres planted in 2009. About the Winemaking: 40% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah aged for 20 months in 20% new French oak. Tasting Notes: Deep violet with a nose of garrigue, graphite , black plum, and dark berries. Medium bodied and plush with firm tannins and balanced acidity frame flavors of black plum, chocolate covered berries, and a savory finish. Winemaker: Kira Ballotta Price per bottle: $39.99+tax Suggested Food Pairing: carnitas, roasted peppers, beef stew,
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October Wine of the Month Club: Mediterranean Varietals in California
California Mediterranean Varietals The origins of California wine are rooted in Spanish history. Spanish grapes first arrived in what was then Alta California with the Franciscan padres, including Father Junipero Serra, in the late 1700s. They planted Listán Prieto (aka the Mission grape) throughout Southern and Central California. As Catholics, the Spanish valued grapes and red wine as essential symbols in both their rituals and culture. The padres became known for cultivating drought-tolerant, hedge-pruned vines, and their viticultural techniques and tools were passed down to California’s early grape growers. While the Mission grape fared poorly in the cooler areas around Mission San José and Mission Santa Cruz, it thrived in the warmer regions of the Central Valley and Sonoma. By the mid-19th century, nurseries were propagating vines from across Europe. Italian and Spanish varieties flourished in the state’s warm, Mediterranean climate. The Gold Rush brought waves of immigrants eager to slake their thirst with the oceans of wine produced in Santa Clara, Napa, the Central Valley, and Sonoma. Between 1850 and 1890, wine production ramped up across the state as settlers and viticultural pioneers began importing cuttings. Italian immigrants, one of the largest groups to arrive during this period, brought agricultural expertise and found the climate similar to that of their homeland. As a result, wineries sprang up throughout the state in the late 19th century. Prohibition, enforced by the Volstead Act beginning in January 1920, forced nearly all of California’s wineries to shut down. Although the 18th Amendment was ratified in 1919, the nationwide ban on alcohol sales took effect the following year. Yet vineyard acreage grew in some regions, as grape concentrate was shipped nationwide and sacramental wine continued to be produced for the Catholic Church. These measures kept the industry alive, though vastly diminished. By the time Prohibition ended in 1933, the number of wineries in California had plummeted from about 700 to just 40. Following the repeal of Prohibition, the wine industry emphasized quantity. Once again, a sea of cheap, sweet wine flowed from the Central Valley. By 1952, Mission was still the fourth most planted red grape, and Palomino led among white varieties. Wines of many types were generically labeled “Burgundy,” “Chablis,” and the like, and although most California “Chablis” was made of Chardonnay, the “Burgundies” were made from blends of Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Syrah, Petite Verdot, Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon; little to no Pinot Noir was included. Although the 1970s and 1980s saw a rise in Mediterranean plantings used for quality winemaking, it wasn’t until the 1990s and early 2000s that winemakers and enthusiasts began to rediscover the hidden gems scattered throughout the state. While Spanish varieties are steadily gaining attention, they still make up only a small portion of California’s vineyards compared to classic grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay—so we’re especially excited to share this month’s selections with you. Cheers! Justin Malesheetz Fillmore Wine Buyer 2023 Orixe Sotelo “Soto” Godello Region / Country of Origin: Sonoma, CA USA About the winery: Orixe Sotelo is the passion project of husband and wife team Gustavo and Jackie Sotelo. Originally from Mexico City, Gustavo has spent over 15 years working in such wineries as Etude, Mumm, Bodegas Mauro (the personal project of Mariano Garcia, who had been winemaker at the legendary Vega Sicilia for 30 years), and finally Scribe, where he is the current Director of Winemaking. Jackie, a UC Berkeley graduate with a certificate from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has spent an equal amount of time working on the marketing and sales side of wine with such wineries as Ashes & Diamonds and Bedrock Wine Co. Their focus is on Spanish varietals as they believe these grapes are best suited for the climate of California. About the winemaking: 100% Godello, the first planted in the state, from Birdland Vineyard at the base of Sonoma Mountain in the town of Glen Ellen. After a light crushing and sitting on the skins for three hours, the grapes were pressed and transferred to 500-liter puncheon where it underwent primary fermentation but not malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged 10 months on its lees. Tasting Notes: Pale gold in the glass with a nose of fresh grapefruit, lime, menthol, and dried herbs. Vibrant acidity on the palate with a waxy roundness and flavors of ripe green citrus with a long dry mineral finish. Winemaker: Gustavo Sotelo Price: $25.99 btl/$280.69 cs Suggested Food Pairing: Smoked salmon, sushi, grilled seafood 2022 Perlegos Winery Duetto Red Blend Region / Country of Origin: Clement Hills, Lodi, CA USA About the Winery: John and Jeff Perlegos' family has been farming in Lodi since the 1950s. 1st generation Americans born of Greek immigrants, they grew up on a vineyard and helped their parents with irrigation work and at their general store during summer. While they only started making wine in 2020, the grapes from their vineyard have been used by such wineries as Bedrock Wine Co, Sabelli Frisch, and Maître de Chai. About the winemaking: 50% Nero d’Avola from Fernow Ranch, an organic, no till vineyard in the northern end of Lodi near the town of Acampo, and 50% Zinfandel from the Perlegos own Stampede Vineyard in the Clement Hills AVA of Lodi that was planted in the 1920s. Grapes the vineyards were destemmed and fermented separately with ambient yeasts. The wines are then aged for 16 months in neutral French oak before being blended at bottling. Tasting Notes: Deep garnet in color with a nose of dark cherry, potpourri, and fresh red and black bramble fruit. On the lighter side of medium bodied with refreshing acidity and fine grained tannins with flavors of dark cocoa, raspberries, and tart black fruit with a dry, long earthy finish. Winemaker: John and Jeff Perlegos Price: $24.99 btl/$269.89 cs Suggested Food Pairing: Lamb, barbacoa, grilled pork chops, carne asada, barbecue chicken
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Q3 2025 Gin Club: Pacific House Seaside Gin
Pacific House Seaside Gin The Bay Area is arguably the epicenter of Craft Distilling in the United States–from stalwarts like St. George and Hotaling & Co. (formerly known as Anchor Distilling), to upstarts like Common Ground (previously featured in this club) and Wright & Brown. This quarter’s club features a gin from another new Bay Area distillery, Pacific House. Cheers! Sam Crocker Resident Ginthusiast Pacific House Seaside Gin Origin: Alameda, CA Pacific House Gin is hand-crafted with eleven coastal botanicals on Alameda, in the heart of the San Francisco Bay. The distillery is housed in a repurposed naval hangar at the north end of Alameda Island, the former home of Hangar One Vodka, and the brand also operates a full bar and tasting room on Treasure Island. Master Distiller Montgomery Paulsen produces four different gins, each vapor-infused to highlight select notes, giving distinctive aromas and flavors. The name Pacific House takes inspiration from the ‘Pageant of the Pacific’ – the International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1939. An exhibit hall of artworks depicting the flora and fauna living within the Pacific rim, located near the Treasure Island facility, was aptly named the Pacific House. Tasting Notes: Nose: fresh ocean breeze, hint of citrus Palate: classic juniper, herbal spice Finish: Clean, smooth, refreshing Price: $37.99/750mL Botanicals: Juniper, blood orange, grains of paradise, grapefruit peel, coriander seed, lime, cubeb berries Seaside G&T 1.5 oz Pacific House Seaside Gin 5 oz Premium Tonic water Fresh lime Dash of sea salt Pour Seaside gin and tonic into a glass filled with ice. Squeeze fresh lime and add a dash of sea salt as garnish. Stir and enjoy! Marine Layer (Recipe by Bay Area Mixologist Eli Ewing) 2 oz Pacific House Seaside gin ¾ oz simple syrup ¾ oz fresh lemon juice ¼ oz creme de violette (optional) 1 egg white Small pinch of finishing salt and zested lemon Blend or shake very well with ice until frothy. Serve in a chilled cocktail glass with a light sprinkling of lemon zest across the foam.
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Red Rogues Q3 2025: Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountain AVA The Santa Cruz Mountains comprise some of the most important places in California wine history. While Napa and Sonoma are more famous today, this rugged, alpine region, with vineyards planted above the fogline, has long crafted some of the best juice the Golden State can produce. There’s even a plausible alternate timeline where the area takes center stage from the start: Count Agostin Harazthy, often called “the father of California Wine”, planted his original vineyard up there. He broke ground too far north though, and when the cold foggy weather prevented his grapes from fully ripening, he sold the land, relocated to Sonoma and started Buena Vista Winery in the early 1860s. The rest is the history that you can read on the Buena Vista website or visit in their museum. Viticulture in the area dates back to the beginning of the 19th century - the first grapes were planted in Mission Santa Cruz between 1804 and 1807, just east of UC Santa Cruz - but these initial attempts did not yield the best results. The Mission grape, a descendent of the Listan Prieto varietal from La Mancha, now grown mostly in the Canary Islands and South America, turned out harsh, bitter wines in the cool climate. Most of the mountains were not planted to vine until the 1850s, when large swathes of redwood were cut down and farmers moved in, planting vegetables and fruits, with grapes being favored for their ability to adapt to the rugged mountain terrain. The first commercial vineyards were established in 1853 by Scottish immigrant Jon Burns, who named his plot Ben Lomond after an old wine district in Scotland. Along with John and George Jarvis in nearby Scotts Valley, he became a pillar of the county's wine industry, which by 1875 was pumping out 70,000 gallons of wine, mostly derived from the Mission grape, and bottled young so it could be rushed to market. This lack of quality control, along with the global depression triggered by the Panic of 1873, and the spread of Phylloxera throughout Europe and California, led to a global crash of the wine market, forcing many wineries in California and elsewhere to close and uproot vineyards. The mid 1880s saw the rise of multiple figures who would help bring a focus on quality farming and winemaking to the region. Emmet H. Rixford, Professor of Surgery at Stanford University, planted 37 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon in Woodside, CA overlooking Redwood City and wrote the seminal guide The Wine Press and the Cellar: A Manual for the Wine-Maker and the Cellar-Man in 1883, detailing techniques used in Europe used to produce high quality wine like Château Margaux. Henry and Nellie Mel were French immigrants who bought one of the properties owned by the Jarvis brothers and planted the state's first Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Dr. John A. Stewart, a Scotsman who came to the area in 1883, replicated the practices of the best French vineyards of the time by blending varietals, something that at this point was a fairly new concept in California. Then there was Paul Masson. Born into a well-heeled winemaking family near Beaune, he moved to California after Phylloxera devastated the French wine industry to work with Charles LeFranc at the Almaden Winery in nearby San Jose. LeFranc himself worked at Almaden and married into the family of founder Etienne Thee and is credited with planting the first cuttings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon in California, brought over from France. Masson married Charles' eldest daughter and became famous for the sparkling “Champagne” made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from vineyards in Saratoga. Wines from the area started to gain international acclaim, winning awards at the World’s Fairs throughout the 1890s and into the early 1900s. Prohibition brought a halt to all of this, with vineyards uprooted (again!) and most wineries were forced to shutter their doors or make sacramental wine. The seeds of the area's history were able to live on thanks largely to the work of a protégée of Paul Masson, the infamous Martin Ray. As the late LA wine writer and educator Roy Brady wrote of Ray, “Martin was a colorful character when California badly needed one. He was a boon to the industry, though many in it would have preferred him to have been a boon elsewhere. He was flamboyant, vocal, outrageous, bombastic, imperious, opinionated, unreasonable.” Indeed, Martin was dogmatic in his quest for quality, keeping yields low and refusing to irrigate in the vineyard; he barrel fermented and aged the wines in oak before bottling unfined and unfiltered; he held bottles back until he believed they were ready for sale. This kind of iconoclasm didn’t endear him to many, but was crucial to achieving his goal of producing world class wine to rival the best of Europe and recall Santa Cruz’s prior fin de siècle apogee. In 1943, having already worked, bought and sold Paul Masson’s vineyard, Ray purchased the first parcel of what would be Mount Eden Vineyards, 2000 ft up above the Santa Clara Valley. There, he planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines from cuttings taken from Masson's La Cresta Vineyard, (which itself had been planted from Burgundian cuttings said to have been taken from Paul Masson’s friend Louis Latour) as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from the La Questa Vineyard originally planted by Emmet Rixford in Woodside. Around the same time period, Dr. William Short bought and revamped a vineyard near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the 1940s that had originally been planted in 1885. By the late 1940s he had replanted several parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon, which three engineers from the Stanford Research Institute, who had recently purchased the property, used to make the first Ridge “Estate” Cabernet. These efforts set the stage for a renaissance for the region in the 1960’s and 70’s, as new growers and winemakers in the region like Dr. David Bruce and Kathryn Kennedy brought worldwide recognition to the area. In 1976 at the famous ‘Judgement of Paris’, two of the 11 wines chosen to represent California's best were from the Santa Cruz Mountains, and placed 5th (Ridge) and 10th (David Bruce.) Then, at a re-tasting held in 2006, the 1971 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon took the #1 spot. Even with all the acclaim, the AVA remains something of a hermit by California wine standards. Though it covers over 100 miles and 400,000 acres, from Half Moon Bay in the north to the peak of Mount Madonna in the south, only 1,500 of the latter are planted to vine, farmed by just 90 growers and wineries, most of which are 20 or more miles away from each other. (Paso Robles has over 200, by comparison.) Viticulture here continues to be a very high-risk/high reward venture. The challenges, including and on top of the cold weather, are numerous: Irrigation water is very limited or nonexistent; birds (all vineyards must be netted), deer (all vineyards must be fenced) and gophers are ever-present; the ever present risk of fires - the CZU Lightning Complex fire of 2020 destroyed over 86,500 acres of land between Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties; with the skilled labor is hard to find; and disease pressure, particularly downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis is ever-present. Historically, grapes ripened in only three out of every ten vintages. The land, being so close to Silicon Valley, is also very expensive, which raises the prices of grapes and winemaking facilities in the region as well. The rewards are (hopefully) self-evident in your glasses this go round, and the result of extremely unique, ‘unicorn’ terroir created by eons of geologic upheaval, that is very much ongoing. The San Andreas Fault in particular, has churned up and exposed marine sediment at the edge of the Pacific Plate which would be otherwise inaccessible. The diverse soils and various micro-climates allow for the growing of Burgundian and Bordeaux varietals alike, and yield elegant and subtle wines, lower in alcohol and with more expressive minerality than the familiar Napa and Sonoma archetypes. These days, both the old guard and the new school are up to awesome things, and we have examples of each here to show why this region - remote and yet so close to home - deserves our respect and attention. Cheers, Justin Malesheetz - Wine Buyer, Fillmore 2021 McHenry Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir “Swan Clone” Region / Country of Origin: Ben Lomond Mountain AVA, CA USA About the winery: Founded in the early 1970s with the goal of planting a vineyard as near as they could get to where UC Davis scientists had discovered an area ideal for growing Pinot Noir, UC Santa Cruz's founding Chancellor, Dean E. McHenry, along with his wife Jane, son Henry, and daughter-in-law Linda planted 4 acres. Linda, a trained viticulturist from UC Davis, tended the vineyard while Henry, a Paleontologist and retired professor at UC Davis, learned winemaking from his colleagues. The vineyard and winery are now run by the third generation with their daughter Annalisa McHenry, a schoolteacher in Oakland, and her partner Brandon Blanchard, along with their cousins Ian McHenry and Henry. About the Vineyard: The former Christmas tree farm sits 5 miles east and 1,800 ft. above the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Cruz Mountains, just north of the small town of Bonny Doon, CA. The dry-farmed vineyard is on a sandy slope, surrounded by redwood forest. About the Winemaking: 100% Pinot Noir from a block planted from cuttings taken from Joseph Swan’s vineyard in the Russian River Valley aged for almost 2 years in 60 gallon French oak. Tasting Notes: Pale dark crimson in the glass with an earthy savory nose swirling with notes of rhubarb, mushroom, wild strawberry, red cherry, and blood orange. The wine is built for the long haul, with a spine of vibrant acidity and grippy tannins and flavors of cherry liquor, cranberry, and long herbaceously floral finish. Decant an hour before drinking. Winemaker: Henry McHenry Price per bottle / Price per case: $40.99 per bottle Suggested Food Pairing: Deep fried turkey, roast chicken, seared tuna 2021 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Zayante Vineyard Syrah Region / Country of Origin: Santa Cruz Mountain AVA, CA USA About the winery: Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard was founded by Ken Burnap, a Texan with a love of wine who had moved to Southern California and spent his free time traveling around Northern California looking for the best places for Pinot Noir to grow. In 1974, he believed he had found one such place and purchased a vineyard in Santa Cruz County with the goal of making a world-class pinot. For 2 years, he commuted between Orange County and Santa Cruz before pulling up stakes and committing fully to making wine, at first only making Pinot Noir, but eventually expanding to Cabernet Sauvignon and. In 2002, Ken retired and passed the business on to his longtime apprentice and collaborator, Jeff Emery. About the vineyards: Planted at nearly 1200 ft elevation and certified organic, Zayante is a small family owned vineyard that has been producing grapes for over 140 years. For the last 45 years it has been producing Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera and Grenache from own-rooted and dry farmed vines grown on rolling sandstone hills. About the Winemaking: 100% Syrah destemmed and aged for 2 years and 7 months in a combination of new and used French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Tasting Notes: A deep violet in the glass with a rich savory nose evocative of classic Northern Rhone syrah with a nose of candied violets, peppery charcuterie, graphite, fresh potting soil, and eucalyptus. A bright, expressive medium bodied wine on the palate with vibrant acidity and grippy tannins framing waves of dusty black plum and fresh dark berries finishing with a long, richly floral dry finish. Winemaker: Jeff Emery Price per bottle / Price per case: $43.99 per bottle Suggested Food Pairing: Lamb shanks, kabab koobideh 2016 Lexington Wine Co. Gist Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Region / Country of Origin: Santa Cruz Mountain AVA, CA USA About the winery: Originally envisioned by Thomas Fogarty and Michael Martella out of a love for the Bordeaux styled wines made by Ridge and Mount Eden in the 1970s, they knew the land they were working with was too cold to do the varieties justice, but vowed to one day plant a vineyard to the classic Bordeaux grapes. In 2000 Thomas Fogarty Jr. and current winemaker Nathan Kandler accomplished this goal. About the vineyard: Gist Ranch vineyard is located on the Pacific Plate in Santa Cruz County at an elevation of 2,400ft 17 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Planted by the Fogarty family in 2000, the vines are densely planted, decreasing the spacing between vines to make the vines compete for resources which can create smaller more concentrated berries, and utilise organic and sustainable farming practices. Tasting Notes: A deep ruby with aromas of tobacco, truffle, licorice, baking chocolate, and a melange of fresh and dried dark fruit. While the nose prepares you for a dense powerful wine, the palate is surprisingly fresh and lithe, which feels a good deal lighter than its stated 14.5%. Bright acidity with tannins that while softened with age still have a persistence to them are accompanied by flavors of fresh blackberries, black cherry, and plum on a long fresh berry finish. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc. Winemaker: Nathan Kandler Price per bottle / Price per case: $90 per bottle from the winery. Click here and enter the word fogarty to see special pricing Suggested Food Pairing: Steak of any kind, roast duck
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November 2024 Rosé Club
Cold Weather Rosés Drinking rosé wine in the winter can be a delightful experience! While rosé is often associated with warm summer days, its versatility makes it an excellent choice year-round. This time of year, we look for fuller-bodied rosés with deeper flavors. Rosé pairs surprisingly well with hearty winter dishes. Try it with roasted chicken, creamy pastas, or vegetable-based soups. It also complements charcuterie boards with cured meats and aged cheeses. We like to serve it slightly warmer than usual (but still chilled). Aim for about 50–55°F (10–13°C), which allows the flavors to shine without feeling out of season. This month we’re featuring two natural rosés from some of California’s natural wine pioneers who source grapes from several California AVAs and vineyards. Adam Sabelli-Frisch of sabelli-Frisch makes wine from low-impact vineyards, with a focus on rare, forgotten, under-appreciated, or historic grape varieties. In his own words: “I try to make them in an elegant Old World way here in the New World. I tend to go for more restrained oak usage for best expression, but not at all opposed to oak if the wine demands it (and some do). My wines are normally bone dry, fermented naturally, contain no added chemicals, low in sulfites. I try not to filter and I try not to fine. I also don’t rush them to market, I prefer to let them age in the winery for at least a year and half or more. I find it really helps them develop and refine, as well as prepare them for further aging.” You’ll notice his rosé is from 2021, but it still has all of the freshness and acidity a current vintage rosé would. Vinca Minor was founded in 2013 by Jason Edward Charles, who has spent the greater portion of the past two decades making the world his classroom. His post-collegiate years found Charles taking photographs of everything from street life in Mexico City to the gorgeous Spanish countryside. After Europe, Charles moved to New York and waited tables in the Manhattan restaurant industry, where he was hostage to the good fortune of being surrounded by passionate wine experts. His interest ablaze, Charles landed a harvest internship and promptly moved to Northern California, where he worked the fields to learn every possible aspect of the winemaking craft. From there, Charles headed to France to further his studies at Château Haut Goujon in Lalande de Pomerol. After serving the soil, grape and sun in France, Charles returned to work at some of Napa’s most renowned wineries, formally establishing Vinca Minor in 2013. Charles's bold handling of the old-vine Mendocino Carignan grape helped make it an emerging star and placed him at the forefront of California's natural wine movement. Vinca Minor's philosophy is straightforward: they believe that exceptional wine originates from exceptional farming practices. This belief has led them to establish partnerships with historic vineyards and families across Northern California—families deeply rooted in the land, who have tended to these vines for generations. Think Pink, Carrie Upson Vinca Minor Rosé 2023 Region/Country of Origin: Mendocino, California About the Vineyard: Hawkeye Ranch was planted in the early 1900’s and sits at 722 feet elevation and is located in the upper reaches of the Russian River drainage in Mendocino County. The soil type is Pinole Gravelly Loam, which provides excellent drainage and promotes low vigor. This vineyard has warm daytime temperatures and cool evenings giving a large diurnal temperature shift often of 50 degrees; providing excellent fruit maturation while maintaining balance. Farmed organically and fish-friendly. About the Winemaking: Field blend of Zinfandel & Carignan. Grapes were hand harvested in late October at peak ripeness. Once in the winery, the juice was separated from the skins and fermented naturally in a stainless steel tank. Tasting Notes: Bright, lifted and textural. Notes of watermelon, citrus (like grapefruit and meyer lemon), as well as a salty minerality. A beautiful wine to drink now. Winemaker: Jason Edward Charles Price per bottle / Price per case: $24.99 btl/ $269.89 cs Suggested Food Pairing: Tacos al pastor, dark meat turkey, sausage stuffing, charcuterie boards. Sabelli-Frisch Eserra Rosé of Zinfandel 2021 Region/Country of Origin: Jahant AVA, Lodi, CA About the Wine: White Zinfandel has had a pretty bad reputation for decades amongst wine lovers. And rightly so. But this is not your grandparents mass-market, porch-pounding sweet and cloying White Zinfandel of the past - this is something completely different. I see a great future for dry White Zinfandel here in California again, aromatic in style, leaving the old shackles of sweet artificialness behind. Zinfandel really makes excellent white wines and it’s time we rediscover it. About the Vineyard: Steve Lauchland has been farming his predominantly Zinfandel vineyard since the 70’s. Most of his vines were planted in the 80’s, making them not quite historic of age, but certainly older vines. Naturally fermented and made with minimal intervention. Tasting Notes: A very dry rosé wine, slightly reductive gunflint notes, full of fruit vigor, acid that dances on your tongue, yet with all the complexities that Zinfandel can bring. Winemaker: Adam Sabelli-Frisch Price per bottle / Price per case: $16.99/ inquire Suggested Food Pairing: Egg bake with sausage, BBQ pork buns, chicken tikka masala and saag paneer, grilled branzino.
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Beer of the Month Club July 2024: Break Even Beermakers
BREAK EVEN BEERMAKERS This month we have an ambitious new project based out of a tiny city up in gold country. Originally founder Kevin Carter was looking for a place close to San Francisco to relocate his father from the Pacific Northwest. This eventually led him to Amador City, where he purchased a building that at the time was a beer house and BBQ restaurant as well as 40 acres nearby. Once he decided to open a small brewery in the space he was connected with Aaron Wittman who had started his brewing career at Rare Barrel after spending time in academia, went on to Cellarmaker, and was working with Berkeley Yeast designing beers to test newly engineered yeast to be used for commercial brewing before going over to help start Break Even. The pair started work in 2020, with an eye towards using local and sustainable ingredients from like minded companies close to home, like Admiral Maltings for grain and hops from California Farmers, going only as far as the Pacific Northwest for other needed varieties. They use a Copper 10 barrel system to make 2 to 3 Beers a month with a focus on high quality sessionable beers. They pride themselves in doing everything as hyper regional as possible, even planting an acre of hops along with an orchard with olive trees and apricots. All of this extra care shows in the beers, which are well balanced and expressive. Cheers! Justin Malesheetz Beer Buyer Break Even Beermakers Chasm Black Lager Amador City, CA Brilliantly clear black with a fluffy foam that quickly dissipates. Rich toasty nose with notes of vietnamese coffee, chocolate biscuit, graham cracker, toasted brioche, and a touch of vanilla. Dry on the palate while still feeling rich and showing some coffee fruitiness and a light pleasing bitterness on the long finish. $6.99 per 16 oz can / $26.99 per 4pk Break Even Beermakers Poppy Pedal Hoppy Lager Amador City, CA Pale gold, with a thick fluffy foam. Very floral and citrusy on the nose, with notes of bread flour, white peach, grapefruit, green apple. Moderate hop bitterness on the soft palate with a round maltiness and a more tropical flavor with notes of pineapple and mango. Perfect for when you want all the flavor of an IPA, but without the heaviness. $6.99 per 16 oz can / $26.99 per 4pk Break Even Beermakers The Head of Joaquin Murieta Hazy IPA Amador City, CA Slightly hazy straw with moderately fluffy foam. Bright and tropical on the nose with notes of pineapple, key lime, guava, and new world riesling. On the palate the lush fruit is accompanied by notes of cotton candy, banana, and a slight bread flour like malt character balanced by moderate hop bitterness and a dry finish. $6.99 per 16 oz can / $26.99 per 4pk
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March 2024 Wine of the Month Club
Beyond Napa and Sonoma It is often overlooked that California wine extends far beyond the AVAs of Napa and Sonoma. This month, we aim to highlight the diverse offerings of other wine regions in California. American Viticultural Areas (AVA) are officially designated regions for growing wine grapes in the United States. The boundaries of an AVA are determined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), based on geographic characteristics. California currently boasts 149 AVAs, with Napa Valley AVA being the very first, established in January 1981. (Fun fact: The first AVA in the United States was actually in Augusta, Missouri, and there are currently a total of 269 AVAs in the United States). Presently, Napa Valley encompasses 16 sub-appellations, while Santa Barbara County is home to seven distinct AVAs. Santa Maria Valley, established in the autumn of 1981, was the second AVA to be recognized in California. Santa Barbara County has a history of wine making and wine grape growing stretching back more than 200 years to before California was a State. From the Mission Era of early California through the Ranchero and Pueblo Era, struggling through Prohibition to the beginning of the modern era of wine making that started in the 60’s, Santa Barbara County continues to combine traditional, hand-made techniques, with the latest innovations in grape growing and wine making. Our Santa Barbara wine comes from Curran Wines. Utilizing 50 years of combined winemaking experience, Bruno D’Alfonso and Kris Curran, a husband-and-wife team, offer a collection of exceptional wines and unique varietals under four different labels. The Curran label, which was the first label Kris established in 1997, concentrates mainly on vineyard-designated Spanish varietals including Grenache, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, and Tempranillo. Kris & Bruno have developed long-standing relationships with some of the best vineyards located in Santa Barbara County. Currently, they source from several highly reputable vineyards, as well as a few that they would like to keep secret. The second wine we selected is produced from grapes cultivated in Lodi, which obtained its AVA status on 2/13/1986. Lodi, much like the rest of California, has a historical connection to the Gold Rush. As aspiring miners rushed to seek their fortunes, settlements emerged in nearby regions. Lodi was conveniently located within a day's journey from the bustling activity. Early inhabitants characterized Lodi as a fertile grazing land, adorned with clusters of wild grapes hanging from the trees. Despite the seemingly divine indication, wine grapes were not originally the primary crop in Lodi. In the beginning, growers took a chance on wheat, then watermelons, before ultimately settling on one of Lodi's most reliable crops - grapes. With its vast size and high productivity, Lodi stands out as a prominent AVA in California. Lodi surpasses both Napa and Sonoma in terms of grape cultivation, accounting for approximately 20% of California's wine grape production. While commonly grouped with warmer wine regions, Lodi's climate resembles that of Paso Robles or Healdsburg. The region experiences warm summer temperatures, which are moderated by the pleasant Delta Breeze - a cool coastal air flow that delicately sweeps through the Carquinez Strait during peak daytime heat. A curious soul with creative inclinations, Jay Nunez of No Love Lost found himself infatuated with the vinification process, sustainable agriculture and the Napa Valley wine community. This infatuation turned into obsession, filling his home with wine projects while working two jobs and going to school. Those wine projects as well as exposure to the heart of the American wine industry slowly showed him less is more, which led him into his current minimal interventionist perspective on winemaking. While production is in Napa Valley and grapes are sourced from a limited number of vineyards in the valley, many of their bottlings are also sourced from small family-owned vineyards from other regions within Northern California. Cheers! Carrie Upson - General Manager and Wine Buyer No Love Lost Counoise Region / Country of Origin: Lodi, California About the vineyard: Harvested from the Claypool vineyard, an organic site on the west side or Lodi, a fascinating story unfolds. In 2016, the Zinfandel vines were pruned and replaced with Counoise scions, igniting a new movement. This small yet remarkable site is characterized by sandy loam soil and a Mediterranean climate that imbues it with unique qualities and character. About the winemaking: The fruit was carefully placed into a closed-top fermentation tank, sealed and then allowed to sit for a few weeks. After allowing fermentation to begin indigenously intracellularly via carbonic maceration, the fruit was foot tread and then pressed off. Fermentation was completed in all neutral French oak. Tasting Notes: 2022 was a year that saw a bit more natural extraction for this Counoise. Still not dark by any means but hue and savory notes were heightened in this growing season. Still carbonic and still poppy fresh, this is Jay’s favorite wine. The resulting wine is light, airy, and bouquet drive with notes of light plum, strawberry, pepper and licorice. The electric hue of this wine is as fun to look at as it is to drink. Served best at cellar temperature or slightly chilled. Enologist: Jay Nunez Special Club member price: $27.99 btl/$302.29 cs $40 retail on No Love Lost’s site! Suggested Food Pairing: Grilled or BBQ Poultry, Cheeses like Pecorino, cheddar and gouda, Grilled Salmon, Mushroom Risotto. Curran Grenache Blanc 2022 Region / Country of Origin: Santa Barbara County, CA About the Winemaker: Kris Curran continues to fulfill her innovative standing as the first Californian vintner to popularize Grenache Blanc which she started making in 2003. Her love for Spanish varieties prompted her to take up the challenge of mastering different production techniques: “I have come to appreciate the unique personality of each variety with which I work. I combine this understanding with my scientific knowledge in pursuit of crafting the best wine possible.” About the winemaking: Hand-sorted fruit was whole cluster pressed. The juice then settled for 2 days at 30°F before it was racked cleanly and inoculated for primary fermentation. It was maintained at 60-62°F in Stainless Steel Tanks until fermentation was complete; this wine was not allowed to undergo Malolactic fermentation. Tasting Notes: A clean and fruity, dry white wine with notes of ripe mango, white peaches, and hints of passion fruit and elderflowers. Medium bodied, with balanced acidity, firm tannins, and a clean, crisp finish. Enologist: Kris Curran Price: $23.99 btl/$259.09 Suggested Food Pairing: Perfect as a “patio” wine, to sip by itself, it also pairs extremely well with spicy foods including Mexican, Thai and Indian cuisines.
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June Beer of the Month- Mad Fritz
Mad Fritz- One Valley; Two Passions “There is an old saying that ‘it takes a lot of beer to make great wines….’ Well, we can attest to it! After nearly 25 years of home brewing to quench our thirst, we decided to go-pro. The stack of recipes are too many to count. These recipes and their styling are often layered with a culinary perspective along with visions of a cold frothy beer at the end of a long day of winemaking. In 2012 we began to turn this passion into reality. We reached out to the community around us, the barrel suppliers, equipment manufacturers and our local farmers to literally test the waters. We pulled barrels and equipment from our wineries and began building a custom brewing system. In 2014, we found a small space in St Helena, received a use permit and began creating our beers….Wow! How did that happen? A lot of sweat, determination and of course help from our family, friends, and colleagues…Did we say wine! Yes, it’s only fitting that “it takes a lot of wine to make great beer!” We craft ales and lagers with an emphasis on controlling the raw materials furthering the expression of a time, pleace and the people who make it happen. The best beers are always crafted while including the community. The Napa Valley is an incredible place that inspires us to grow, ferment, and create; wine, food, and beer! We have an endless number of skilled farmers, viticulturalists, and just fun people to work with that love the dirt. At the end of the day, beer is kind of like people…..we are distinctive, complex, diversified, and prone to be interpreted in many different ways.”- Nile Zacherle & Whitney Fisher Cheers to Beers! Mad Fritz Brewing The Peacock and Jupiter White Ale Origin: Napa, CA This White Ale or a Belgian Wit-bier was created from an earlier rendition that we had worked on with our even smaller pilot system. We called it Whit’s Wit after my wife Whitney, for obvious reasons! We brew the base with Scarlet variety barley from Alamosa CO and 33% White Wheat, then with a light bittering hand of hops and aroma infuse Cardamom, Coriander, Lemongrass and Mandarin rinds at the end of the kettle. We used a new selection of yeast for primary in stainless then racked to neutral white wine barrels for one month of aging. We usually see another pick up in fermentation from a house yeast, then rack to bottling and natural fermentation in the bottle/keg for carbonation. This beer is a foamy delight in the summer. Its 5.6 to 6.5% ABV is hidden by explosive spice characters that almost seem like a citrus soda on the palate; clean and crisp. Price: $34.99 btl Beer style: Wit-bier Water Source: Calistoga Grain Source: Alamosa, CO Variety: Scarlet (Craft Malted) Adjuncts: White Wheat 30% Hop Source: Yakima, WA Hops: Hallerton IBUs: 19 Barrel: French Oak Botanicals: Coriander, Lemongrass, Cardamom, Mandarin
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Wine of the Month Club - February 2023
February 2023 While the winemakers themselves rightly receive the most credit for their creations, it definitely took a vineyard, likely several, to raise whatever you might have in your glass at the moment. And with land being so expensive, especially in California, most winemakers do not own vineyards. Instead, they depend on close, complicated, symbiotic and sometimes fraught relationships with growers. Some of the latter, like Andy Beckstoffer, are as famous and powerful as any of the vintners they supply; many are tiny, single farmer operations. All contribute crucial ingredients to one of the twenty million or so bottles the state produces each year. This month we are trellising two excellent outgrowths of these relationships. Cadre Winery in Edna Valley and Elevated Surfaces in Healdsburg each produce idiosyncratic, highly personal labors of love and memory made possible by close collaboration with their vineyards partners. They also both work with some traditionally Austrian and German varietals which, like so many other non-native grapes, can flourish here given the right Golden State micro-climate. Gruner Veltliner (which literally means ‘green grape from the village of Veltlin in the Tirol' in German) is Austria’s most widely planted varietal, and in recent years has come to rival Riesling on wine lists and store shelves around the world. This popularity is pretty easy to understand; it’s hard to make a bad Gruner, and at its best, the grape is age-worthy, capable of wonderful complexity and regional distinctiveness, and pairs well with difficult food matches like artichokes and asparagus. California’s Edna Valley in San Luis Obispo County is the coolest climate AVA in the state, with one of the longest growing seasons on the west coast - ideal conditions for great Gruner. Cadre owner John Niven’s roots in the area run deep; his grandfather Jack was a pioneer of Edna Valley viticulture, planting the iconic Paragon Vineyard shortly after John was born. Though his family sold the vineyard, John has continued to work with the manager there and the nearby Jack Ranch Vineyard to produce ‘Band of Stones’, a wonderfully ripe and flavorful New World Gruner that retains all the vital acidity of its Old World inspiration. Elevated Surface’s Stefan Daniels grew up in the German wine growing region of the Palatinate, and studied Viticulture and Oenology in Weisberg, Germany, before moving to California some 40 years ago to work in the wine business. He is the owner of Kelter wines in Healdsburg, and a Sales and Field Representative for Duarte Nursery, one of the world’s largest permanent crop nurseries, located in the Central Valley. He started Elevated Surfaces with the twin goals of producing uniquely flavor driven wines from some of California’s best appellations and supporting students in need of financial assistance, via the Claire Daniels Memorial Fund, so named for Stefan’s late daughter, and to which proceeds from the wines are donated. The Cuvee Laurent Noir comes from the Ricci vineyard in Carneros, which features the only plantings in the state of Saint Laurent, a highly aromatic, dark-skinned grape that is cross between Pinot Noir and another unidentified grape variety, possibly Savagin. Fittingly, Ricci’s vines were seeded by a rare St. Laurent clone originating in Kallstadt, a town in Stefan’s native Palatinate. His bottling is a fine example of this varietal’s distinctive but approachable and food-friendly charms. Cheers, The PlumpJack Wine Buying Team Cadre ‘Band of Stones’ Gruner Veltliner 2021 Region / Country of Origin: Edna Valley, California About the winemaking: This Grüner comes from three different SIP Certified Sustainable vineyards in the extreme cool climate of the Edna Valley. The majority of this wine hails from block 168 of the Paragon Vineyard. The block is made up of well drained soils with flecks of limestone and an underlying layer of residual material weathered from sandstone, shale, and mudstone. In 2020, Cadre started to work with Grüner from the Jack Ranch vineyard located on the northwest edge of the AVA lines as well. The vines are planted on one of the steepest sites in the Edna Valley and is made up of some of the sandiest soils in the region. This vintage adds a new site with the Morro View Vineyard. This vineyard is a few miles deeper into the valley and lays on a small knoll wide open to the ever present coastal winds. Tasting Notes: Aromatically this wine leads with a salty citrus edge and white pepper earth tones. Spice defines the vintage and definitely leads the aromatics. It is backed by floral notes of orange blossom and white flowers. The palate features a harmonious balance of ripeness, verve and energy. A base of salty citrus, ginger and white pepper mingle with grapefruit that all lead to a savory zesty finish drenched in minerality. This wine touches both sides of the Grüner spectrum, bright, fresh and vibrant along with texture and a fullness that showcases what makes Edna Valley white wines unique. Winemaker: John Niven/Shanna Vanderstoel Price: $24 btl/$259.20 Suggested Food Pairing: Artichokes, Grilled Asparagus, Fish And Chips Vietnamese Turmeric Fish with dill Chicken with Herb Crusting Elevated Surface Cuvée Laurent Noir 2019 Region / Country of Origin: Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, California About the winery: Elevated Surface is a small production brand of Kelter Wines, founded in 2017 by Stefan Daniels. With over 40 years of experience in the California wine industry, Stefan has a wealth of knowledge in vine growing and winemaking. From the very start of his career, he believed that "great winemaking starts in the vineyard." For this reason, Stefan sources the grapes for his wines from the Ricci Vineyard, situated south of Sonoma in the Los Carneros region overlooking San Pablo Bay. Working closely with the owner, Dale Ricci, Stefan can ensure that the highest quality grapes are grown for his winemaking. Cold mornings and cool daytime temperatures, combined with loam and alluvial clay soils, create the perfect conditions for Elevated Surface's Saint Laurent, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. About the winemaking: The grapes ripened very late in the year, in October, a welcome development. Unfortunately, upon the arrival of the grapes, the winery lost power for five days, necessitating hand sorting and whole cluster transfer to the fermentation bins. This fermentation method, also known as semi-carbonic maceration, occurs from the inside out of the grape berry. The result is an aromatic, elegant wine with lovely spice tones. After a long and slow fermentation, the wine was gently pressed and transferred to the barrel for 14 months of aging. Tasting Notes: Bright, aromatic with fresh, dark cherries, plum, violets aromas and a hint of five-spice powder note. Soft round tannins with elegant structure and balanced acidity. Winemaker: Stefan Daniels Price: $26 Suggested Food Pairings: Roast Duck, Mushroom Risotto, Tuna Steak in Lemon and Tomato Sauce Glazed BBQ Pork Ribs
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