My local wine shop, the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan was having a special event of a wine tasting, featuring two female winemakers and I will discuss each of the women, their winery, and their wines in sequence.  As always in the shop they like to feature Old World and New World and now it was time to meet a female owner and winemaker of the New World.  Julie Johnson represents her Tre Sabores Winery, nestled into the western Rutherford bench land of Napa Valley. Tres Sabores (“three tastes”) was founded in 1999 to explore “three savory flavors” in every glass of wine; the taste of the vine, the terroir and the good company at the table. Besides grapes, in her words; she also grows pomegranates, lemons, olives, her children, Golden Retrievers, Guinea Hens, and sheep.

Julie Johnson, a graduate of Bowdoin College and the Columbia University School of Nursing and Public Health, was originally a mother of three, a nurse and a successful wine marketer, when she arrived in Napa Valley.  With her first husband John Williams, and partner Larry Turley, she founded and owned Frog’s Leap Winery.  In partnership with Mihaela Rodeno, founding CEO at St. Supery Winery, she founded “Women for Wine Sense.” And now she is owner and winemaker at Tres Sabores, not to mention the leading publicist for the winery at tastings where ever they are being held.

The first wine of the tasting with Julie Johnson was her Tres Sabores Farina Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma Mountain/Sonoma County 2022.  She has had a long history with the Farina Family and their vineyard in Sonoma County and they practice organic viticulture.  Sonoma Mountain was designated in 1985 and the soils are mostly volcanic, made up from old lava flows and ash from millions of years ago and largely devoid of organic materials and perfectly suited for vines.  There are sixteen rows of Sauvignon Blanc planted in the Farina Vineyard on a sun-swept hillside.  This was such a refreshing wine, I am sure that I can state that the juice went through Initial Fermentation, Maceration, Malolactic Fermentation, and aging in Stainless-Steel; and three-hundred-fifty cases were produced.  The pale straw yellow wine offered notes of stone fruit and white florals.  On the palate a crisp and fresh wine offering tones of apples and nectarines and lemongrass, supple and well-balanced with a creamy finish.