We were coming up to the end of the end of a great tasting managed by Julie Johnson the winemaker and owner of Tres Sabores Winery while she was visiting The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan. The winery is only five minutes from Highway 29, but it is in a quiet almost idyllic setting within the valley abutting the Mayacamas mountains and surrounded by other vineyards and native vegetation. I just have a feeling that Julie Johnson likes the slower pace on her estate versus the agitation and noise encountered by wineries that are along the “wine strip” of the valley.  Also, as a side note, she produces her own olive oil from her grove, as well as a Pomegranate Vinaigrette from her orchard.  

The penultimate wine of the tasting session was Tres Sabores Por Que No? California Red Wine Blend 2020.  Por Que No? translates to English as “Why Not,” and that is her philosophy of ingenuity.  When she had two-thousand-cases of wine that were being stored in a warehouse that was damaged by arson, she took the damaged wine and created Por Que No? Fire-Roasted Zinfandel Marinade.  This also set her to create a “salsa” wine that is affordable and easy drinking.  The wine is a blend of forty-nine percent Petite Sirah, thirty-nine percent Zinfandel, eleven percent Cabernet Sauvignon and one percent Petit Verdot.  The fruit was harvested from Rutherford, Sierra Foothills, and Mendocino County; hence the California AVA. The wine is a deep purple-ruby color that offers notes of dark and red fruits, mocha, espresso, and spices.  On the palate a robust wine with tones of plums and black cherries, pepper and full tannins followed by a finish of some terroir and fruit.  

The final wine of the tasting was Tres Sabores Petite Sirah Calistoga, Napa Valley 2020 and Petite Sirah is called Durif, named after its discoverer, Dr. Francois Durif.  The vines were planted in 1972. Petite Sirah produces very dark and inky colored wines, because of the high skin to juice ratio from the small berries, and this also causes a large concentration of tannins which leads to big, earthy flavors.  This very deep purple with garnet highlights wine offered notes of dark fruit, violets, pepper, and tea.  On the palate a big wine that grips and had tones of blueberry and plums, chocolate, leather, and full tannins that were quite balanced to the wine.