The last bottle that I pulled out from my shipment from “A Taste of Monterey” is Comanche Cellars Tempranillo San Antonio Valley 2020.  This will be the third bottle of wine that I have received from them.  The first was a Pinot Noir with a production of one-hundred-thirty-five-cases.  The second was a Petite Sirah with a production of eighty-nine cases.  I think that is a major plus from this club, because on occasions there are some really small production wines that would never find their way to Michigan.  

Michael Simons, in his own words started as a love affair and turned it into a passion for producing small lots of very handcrafted wines from neighboring vineyards.  The winery is now up to a production of eighteen-hundred-cases of wine.  Comanche was the name of the horse, he used to ride when he was ten years old.  Now, he laments that he hardly has time to ride a bicycle.  But he enjoyed his time with Comanche that much, that he has his name and shoes on every bottle of wine.  Since he is on the Monterey Peninsula, he has had the good fortune to have friendships and contracts with many vineyards: Pierce Family Vineyards in San Antonio Valley (Monterey), Chareva Vineyards above the Arroyo Seco, Mesa del Sol Vineyards in Arroyo Seco, Cedar Lane in Monterey, Siletto Ranch in Monterey, Hahn Family Vineyards in Santa Lucia Highlands, Chateau Pinette in the Sierra Foothills, Graziano Vineyard in Mendocino County,  Massa Estate (formerly Heller Estate) in Carmel Valley,  Tondre Grapefield in Santa Lucia  Highlands and Zabala Vineyard in Mendocino County.

Comanche Cellars Tempranillo San Antonio Valley 2020 is a wine that I will look forward to.  The fruit came from the Pierce Ranch Vineyards, a small family-owned operation in southern Monterey’s San Antonio Valley AVA.  San Antonio Valley received their AVA designation in 2007.  The fruit was aged for twenty-eight months in French Oak, of which thirty-five percent was new.  There were thirty-three cases produced.  The tasting notes for this famed “Spanish grape starts with bold, spicy cranberry on the nose.  With its wonderfully smooth mouthfeel, this single varietal brings aromas of tart cherry, smoked meats and a long satisfying finish that creates a beautifully balance glass of wine.”