It is always a pleasure watching a winemaker pour their wines and work a crowd, and Julie Johnson of Tres Sabores was working her magic enthralling all the eager wine devotees at The Fine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The theme that day was “Women Winemakers.”  You could definitely tell that this was not the first rodeo for either of the two ladies, as they were pouring wines and relating stories and enjoying the moment, and wine should always enhance the moment or raconteurs may be out of a job.

Julie Johnson poured us tastes of Tres Sabores “Ingrid & Julia” Rosé Napa Valley 2022.  The label looks out of focus, but that is the front label, the back label has all the information. The wine is named after two “named” roses; Ingrid Bergman and Julia Child.  This wine has a Napa Valley appellation and is a blend of two-thirds Rutherford Zinfandel and one-third Calistoga Petite Sirah.  The Zinfandel is from the estate and is dry-farmed, organic and sustainable.  The Petite Sirah is from the Guarino Vineyard.  Domenic Guarino, retired and purchase eight acres and the vineyard is planted predominately in Petite Sirah, his favorite grape, and his sons have maintained that growth. The fruit is picked early and whole cluster-pressed to capture just a tinge of skin color.  I am sure that Fermentation and aging are done in Stainless-Steel and maybe six months of aging (just my guess).  There were six-hundred-cases made of this wine.  A very pale-pink wine offering notes of fresh strawberries.  On the palate there are tones of ripe peaches and watermelon and a tinge of grapefruit to balance the sweetness, a refreshing dry wine with perfect acidity and reminds me of a beautiful wine from Provence.

We followed the Rosé wine with Tres Sabores Cabernet Franc North Coast 2020.  This wine carries a North Coast appellation as the fruit comes from two distinct mountain districts, and mountain wines have a different feel and taste that is all their own. At about 700 feet, on MountVeeder AVA the vineyards are planted on rocky, clay-rich, ancient seabeds, that require hand-harvesting. Mount Veeder is in Napa Valley, but it seperates Napa from Sonoma. Further north and further up, at 2,400 feet on Pine Mountain AVA is a very vertical series of vineyards and it is the apex of Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino Counties.  Both sets of vineyards are sustainably farmed.  The wine is aged for twenty-two months in French Oak.  This deep ruby wine offered notes of dark cherry, leather, and spice.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine offered tones of black cherry, cranberry and some licorice and had a nice medium count finish with some terroir.