The last bottle that I pulled out of the carton from my wine club “A Taste of Monterey” made me smile. On one of our trips to Carmel-by-the-Sea we had the pleasure of going to Bernardus Lodge and Spa in Carmel Valley. We were treated like royalty while we were there, especially in the wine tasting room and at the Marinus Restaurant. We stocked up that day, and we have since bought more courtesy of our wine club.
Bernardus Winery and Vineyards was founded by Ben Marinus Pon about twenty-five years ago with the intention of creating premier wines in the Carmel Valley. His intent was to produce single vineyard designated wines and a Bordeaux blended wine. Bernardus has three estate vineyards: Marinus planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec; Featherbow planted with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon; and Ingrid’s Vineyard planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. All fifty-four acres of estate vineyards are in the Carmel Valley AVA. To compliment the estate vineyards Bernardus also has contracts with vineyards the Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands and others in the Monterey County.
The Bernardus Soberanes Vineyard Chardonnay 2016 is a single vineyard
designated wine from the Santa Lucia Highlands, which in my humble opinion is
one of the best Burgundian districts in California and to date, I haven’t had a
mediocre Chardonnay or Pinot Noir from this AVA. Soberanes Vineyard is a joint venture of two
famed growers Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni in the Santa Lucia Highlands. There were no winemaker’s notes about this
wine or production numbers, other than an aging potential of five to six
years. The tasting notes state “fresh,
ripe white fruits along with subtle toasty oak notes. Typical of this fine vineyard, the palate is
very intense, with bright ripe fruit flavors supported by a rich, crisp finish.”
I feel confident that we will be extremely happy with this wine, when it comes
time to open it.
It is fun to open up the carton of wine from “A Taste of Monterey” and then to try to do some research beyond what the brochure that they send with the wines. This wine club that we discovered has not yet disappointed us and we have been with them for around twenty years. I think what originally sold us on the club, was that they could legitimately ship us wines to Michigan, back when we were considered a “felony state” and our governor at the time was sued and the state lost, and that former governor left the state, hopefully for good.
The second bottle that I pulled out of the carton was Mesa Del Sol Prima Rosso Arroyo Seco 2013. Mesa Del Sol is located on an upland promontory at the junction of three major watersheds. A couple of the buildings on the property date back to the 1800’s when it was believed to be a stage stop to Carmel Valley. It became a health center, because of the hot dry air of the Arroyo Seco Highlands, and was a haven for patients suffering from tuberculosis and other similar diseases, and Teddy Roosevelt stayed there at one time. After a cure for tuberculosis was discovered, most sanitoriums and spas suffered, and this location was purchased by a California Senator for his family and the family stayed there until 1945. It has changed hands a few times and has now been fully restored as well as the fourteen-acre vineyard. The estate also grows Provence Lavender that is now used for lotions, oils and sachets.
The estate
practices organic farming techniques and the land is irrigated by an onsite thriving
trout pond. This wine is made for the
resort by Chualar Canyon Winery in Salinas, California. The wine is a blend of fifty percent
Zinfandel, twenty-five percent Syrah and the balance are twenty-five percent Sangiovese
and all are estate grown. There is no
winemaking information given, nor production quantities, though the wine is
also distributed through a tasting room in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. The wine is described as having “an intricate structure, full-bodied,
fun nose; with notes of pepper earthiness, anise, pomegranate and chocolate. Great with barbecued meats and spicy Asian
food.” There is a suggested aging potential for this
wine of eight to ten years.
It is that time of the year again, when I get to be like a little kid and open up the carton from my wine club “A Taste of Monterey.” I was upstairs doing some Raconteur work, when I heard a pounding on the front door, and I guess United Parcel Service feels that knocking is better than using the doorbell, either way I went down to see who was at the door. After signing for the parcel, since there wasn’t an adult around to sign for it, I hastily went and got a razor knife to open the package to see what treasures awaited me. There on top of the engineered pressed cardboard to keep the bottles from bouncing and breaking was the pamphlet and the lead article was “Zinfandel – the Survivor Varietal.” There was also a recipe for making steak sandwiches, a discussion on the varietal Pinot Blanc and an article on Camembert cheese.
The first wine that I picked up was Mission Trail Vineyards Zinfandel Carmel Valley 2017. This is now the third wine from the club that I have received from this winery and the first red wine from them. Mission Trail Vineyards takes their name from the Mustard plants that can still be found, as the seeds were spread out by the Franciscan Friars around two-hundred-thirty years ago as they planted the original vineyards in the area. Those original vineyards are long gone, but there are plenty of vineyards in Monterey, so those Friars recognized good land back then. In Monterey County there are about forty different varieties of grapes being grown. Ken and Robyn Rauh created Mission Trail Vineyards on the premise of featuring small lots of hand-crafted wines, from different locations throughout the county. There goal is to produce robust and fruit forward wines featuring Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Grenache, Syrah, Zinfandel and a Meritage.
There was
very little information about the winemaking procedure for this wine. They stated that extended barrel aging and
cellar time has transformed this medium-to full bodied wine that is “elegant and silky.” The wine is promised to have aromas
of black cherry, rhubarb, leather and both black and white pepper, while
delivering black cherry, dark plum, cloves and cocoa. The tannins are said to be refined, making
for a well-balance wine with aging potential of eight to ten years. With a high proof rating, I have a couple of
people that I think would be potential guests with us to try it.
I am part of the Social Media craze, and I enjoy it. I have met many people over the years, some that I would enjoy meeting some day and others, just in the real world, I am not crazy about. My “friends” list is relatively low in numbers, part of which is because I do not ask people to be “friends” and yet people find me. Then I started writing The Wine Raconteur and I slowly went to other sites of Social Media to advertise my writing. Then my “friend” list began to grow, especially internationally. Some people I have become “friends” with on multiple platforms, and others probably wonder what I am doing. One of the many people that I have encountered and that I enjoy, because she understands the concept of quid pro quo is Nathalie Coipel Cordonnier.
Nathalie along with John-Baptiste Cordonnier manage Chateau Anthonic located in Moulis-en-Medoc a Commune located next to Listrac and both of these are between two Communes that are famous from the 1855 Classification and that is Margaux and Saint Julien. Chateau Anthonic is one of the oldest estates in Moulis and were first recorded in 1850 in Guide Feret, then known as Puy de Minjon (Hugon). It has continued to be esteemed and in the 1932 classification of the Crus Bourgeois of the Medoc is was granted “Cru Bourgeois Supereiur.” The Chateau is now some thirty hectares in size and has two unique soils that add to the terroir of the Commune, one is the clay-limestone of the Moulis plateau and the other is the Garonne gravel. The estate has had several names since Puy de Minjon, and then Graves de Queytignan, Le Maliney and then Chateau Antonic in the 1920’s under the stewardship of Antonic Hugon and his son Andre; and then it became Chateau Anthonic, with the addition of the “h” to make it more Anglicized for their largest market at the time. The logo of two eagles fighting over a cluster of grapes, is considered an allegory of the enmity between négociants and the vine growers. The estate also has a second label “Les Aigles d’Anthonic” or the Wings of Anthonic. Pierre Cordonnier bought Chateau Anthonic from the Hugon family in 1977, and John-Baptiste Cordonnier took over in 1993. The estate grows Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. In 2016 they became organic and sustainable and a natural haven for bees, butterflies, reptiles and mammals that are common for the area, they also have orchids growing along the vines and waterways, which make it very unique and picturesque.
By now, some of you are probably scratching
your heads and wondering why I am writing all of this, and it is because
Nathalie one day asked me, if I had ever had their wine, and I told her that I
had never encountered it, so I had presumed that it may not be imported in
Michigan, with the Byzantium structure of wine importation here. I didn’t hear anything more about it, so I
had presumed that I was right, but actually I was wrong and she sent me the
name of the importer that they deal with in Michigan. I could not just call the importer, because I
do not have a license, so I asked my local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source and
they knew the owner of the house and the winery itself and they did it as a
favor to me. I had to send a selfie to
Nathalie to show her that I had the wine, and a reminder to myself that I take the
world’s worst
selfies, in fact I may have to start wondering about men that can take good
selfies. So, I now have Chateau Anthonic
Moulis en Medoc 2015, blend of seventy-one percent Merlot, twenty-seven percent
Cabernet Sauvignon and two percent Cabernet Franc. The winery does a soft press and allow twelve
months in barrel, and over years they have discovered that around thirty
percent new oak works best for them for maintaining the taste that they are
after. They also suggest three hours of
decanting especially for their young wines.
I am looking forward to trying this wine out soon, so I can give my own
notes for this wine.
Here we are attending another graduation party and it was way out in the country, well at least it was the country when I was young. With the Orange Cone Season underway in Michigan, Federal projects, not the promised State ones, it was like driving in the old days prior to having freeways. I must say, it was very scenic and rather peaceful, except for the jerks who try to make two lanes out of one, because some people are too important to respect traffic signs. Here we were driving all over the country, and my poor Bride had just gotten back from a business trip where she had to cover all of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan after getting there, and then the drive back. She is one of those “road warriors” you hear about, now and then. Actually, where the party was, is no longer considered out in the country or the boondocks, because of urban migration, but at one time, a huge outdoor arena was built out there, when there was nothing else there, and it was called Pine Knob, I think it is still Pine Knob to my generation, though I think that it just had its third name change and we actually drove past two of the roads to get to the arena, including the one that was recently changed to Bob Seger Road, which I thought was cool and deferential.
I am surprised at the punctuality of most of
the guests that arrive for the graduation parties of today. There was a crowd almost immediately and they
had a big pavilion style tent installed on the front yard, and the garage was
set up as a buffet line. Somewhere along
the way, and I may have missed it, the world became Gluten Free and when I see
those two words, I immediately know that I can sidestep that food and it was
all salads, so that was easy for me, though my Bride went on and on about the
salads. There was an assortment of
dishes that were catered in by a Middle Eastern restaurant, but more Persian
than Lebanese. There was also a tray of
homemade Pulled-Barbecued Pork and I thought it was the winner of the day. There were also plenty of desserts, a very
nice way to spend the afternoon.
Our leather wine bag is getting a good work out
this season. Actually, the day of the
party was also Rosé Day and one
year I tried to write about all of the wine days, but it just felt like me
trying to emulate other writers, so I just write in my own manner. Though, the first wine of the day was a Rosé, but we have been drinking more
wines like that, and the weather was going to be in the eighties. The first wine is Klinker Brick Winery “Bricks & Roses” 2017 from the sub district of
Lodi-Mokelumne River of Lodi AVA. I have become a great fan of Lodi and Klinker
Brick Winery is one that I have actually tried seven of their wines and all
were winners. Klinker Brick Winery is into its Sixth Generation, but they began
as grape farmers and would sell their fruit originally to the home wine makers
and Zinfandel was the main crop in this area. Eventually they began selling the
crops in the latter part of the 1900’s to other wine makers and eventually they took the plunge themselves as
there was a strong demand for their crops. They have about sixteen plots of
land mostly along what is known as the Lodi-Mokelumne River as well as some in
the Clements Foothills. They produced their first bottle of Zinfandel in 2000,
and their first Syrah in 2001. This wine
is a blend of Grenache, Carignane, Syrah and Mourvedre and while I could not
find any production notes, I will venture to say that it was done in Stainless
Steel to maintain the freshness and crispness of the grapes. While I did not do a tasting of
either wine from the club, I noticed that this wine has a beautiful salmon
color, and the nose harkened summer fruits, and the wine had a clean taste with
light acidity, an excellent Rosé. The second wine that we opened up was a
Michigan wine, and I am very impressed with the quality and dedication of the
wines here, as I have been observing over the decades. Verterra Winery we have
been to in the Leelanau Peninsula and Verterra is a named cobbled together by
the owner meaning “True to the
Land.” The winery started in 2006 with an acre and a
half and the winemaking fever took hold and now they have forty plus acres of
land, cultivated on the slopes and undulations of the Leelanau Peninsula. The Leelanau Peninsula AVA
basically encompasses the entire Leelanau County and the peninsula takes
advantage of the lake effects to keep the grounds cool during the hot summers,
and allows the snow to cover the vines and for the most part prevents them from
freezing, because this is Michigan. The
Verterra Reserve Red 2016 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It had a “smoky” finish to it, and I think a few
years in the cellar will bring out this wine, at least this is what we said to
ourselves while we were making our purchases and after the initial
tasting. After being in the cellar, most
of the smokiness and the tannins have softened and it was just an easy drinking
wine that worked especially in this casual setting. There will be more parties of this nature
coming.
Most restaurants have multiple entrée choices, but what happens when you go some place where they offer two distinct gourmet ethnic concepts. I mean when you go to a steak house, you only have to choose from the different cuts of meat. You go to a nice bistro and you choose from some French dishes that they are preparing. My Bride wanted to go to El Barzon for dinner after we saw the Star Trek exhibit at The Henry Ford. I had no problem with her choice, the problem was which menu should we choose from. The owner and chef at El Barzon is steeped in the culinary arts of his region in Mexico, but he was also a chef at a lauded Italian restaurant Il Posto that I have written an article about. You see when you go to El Barzon half of the menu has Mexican dishes, and not the typical Tex-Mex choices that most people associate as being Mexican, and the other half is Italian, and not just a pasta-house. First you have to decide which menu and then you have to decide on the one of the tempting choices. Trust me, I know how eclectic it sounds. I was telling our waiter that I grew up just a few miles from El Barzon and he said that he gets quite a few diners that were originally from the area. He told me how he had moved his family to the area near the restaurant as they were from Chicago, and I told him how the area at one time was all Polish-Americans, way back when the immigrants came to America to find a job and a new life, they settled in pockets around Detroit, where the soon to become second language was their first language. He was telling me that the church his family attends in the neighborhood performs a mass in English, a mass in Spanish and still a mass in Polish. El Barzon is in the perfect setting.
I am not sure what the building the restaurant is in, was originally designed for, but they have taken advantage of it, and have a perfect semi-enclosed large patio area which is also great for the barbecue and for some big parties. We were taken into the main restaurant and once seated we were given a bowl of freshly prepared nacho chips with two distinct bowls of salsa. So maybe for the neighborhood, the one menu takes precedence. We both decided that we wanted to choose from the Italian menu, especially since they had some interesting wines on the carte, that tickled our fancy over the unique selection of Tequila that they offered. My Bride had an Italian version of Surf & Turf, a Filet with Prawns in a Red-wine reduction sauce. I had one of the specials of the evening veal done in a Barolo Sauce. Both of our dishes came with Broccoli and Parmesan Roasted Potatoes. How many fancy restaurants, let alone neighborhood eateries also offer fresh truffles to compliment the dishes? I was in heaven. We finished with some Cappuccino and a very rich slice of Chocolate cake that we shared.
I had already mentioned that we had passed on
the exotic Tequila drinks and had settled on having wine with our dinner. We went with a bottle from Masi Agricola a
wine producer of note in the Veneto region of northern Italy. They are known for their Valpolicella and
especially their Amarone wines. The
Boscaini family named the estate after the Vaio de Masi valley that was part of
the original holdings. They now own
property in several different districts and an assortment of different wine
styles. They also began in the 1950’s of creating single “cru” vineyards for some of their Amarone
wines. They are also known to be
experimental with fermentation, oak barrels and different clones, just to see
what they can do. We had the Masi
Campofiorin Rosso del Veronese IGT 2014, this wine is usually listed as Ripasso,
but this was their special Fiftieth Anniversary. This wine was originally created as a “Supervenetian” in 1964, inspired by the same
production methods used for Amarone. The wine is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella
and Molinara. A pretty dark red wine
that offered cherries and spice and then delivered the same with soft tannins
and a nice long finish; a perfect wine for both of our dinners.
I think “Beam Me Up, Scotty” is a quotation that most of the Western World would know, and I would even venture to say that the Millennials can identify it. I am not a fan of television and haven’t watched it for at least thirty years, but even I know that line, from my youth. So, I think of the great wooden actor and major emoter from Canada for his work in Judgement in Nuremberg and the classic The Twilight Zone episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” but my Bride is a “Trekkie.” She may be a low key one, as she doesn’t dress in the costumes, but she knows all of the shows and movies. I knew that I wouldn’t have to repeat my words, when I told her that there was going to be a new exhibit at The Henry Ford. The Henry Ford is the new name for one of the greatest tourist attractions in Michigan, it is The Henry Ford, Museum and Greenfield Village, plus all the other auxiliary tours and cinemas on the grounds. The exhibit Star Wars: Exploring New Worlds got her attention immediately. I love museums and when I was a kid, a friend and I would ride our bicycles from our homes in Detroit to the grounds on plenty of Saturdays during Summer vacation and we would either tour the museum or the village each time. This exhibit was for my Bride, but I enjoyed it as well.
This exhibit was up there for her, like the time that I waited on Robert Picardo that played a Hologram Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager and he gave me an autographed publicity photo for her. I am a movie fan and I enjoy the gadgets and the memorabilia that was exhibited, and most of it was one man’s collection that was on loan to the museum. I mean looking at some of the original phasers, tri-corders and uniforms, and parts of the sets, all looked rather cheesy, but I guess that was part of the allure and glamor that made everyone watch the show every week. While she was exclaiming that most of the actors must not have been big in size, looking at the tunics, I was mesmerized by the uniform of “Seven of Nine” and I guess that makes me a bit of a pervert, and I can live with it. While there were Tribbles, there was only mention of my favorite kind of regular returning role of Harry Mudd. There was even a booth where one could go and scream “Khan” for all of you die hard fans, and my Bride showed decorum and passed on the booth, though I think she watched some others do it. We actually made a video of us teleporting, but she didn’t want me posting it, so I have a photo of me in a Borg “regeneration cell” and she knew what it was.
All of this fun, required a little refreshment as we were getting parched, so we ventured into the Michigan Café in the museum building, and as you can surmise the food centers on Michigan products. We decided to have some white wine, actually that was the only wine being offered that day, though there were a couple of Michigan craft-beers being offered. We had the Black Star Farms Red House White NV from the Leelanau Peninsula. Black Star Farms began in 1998 and was originally an equestrian facility of 160 acres. Not only is there a winery and tasting room, they have an Inn, a café and a dinner restaurant and they are also a popular venue for weddings. This particular wine was a new one for us, and we have been to the winery. This wine is a blend of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc and was a very easy drinking white with some stone fruit flavor and a finish that would be termed off dry. I could see it with any of the classic versions of White Fish that can be found in Michigan and it was a good wine to have a chat with, as we were doing, because we were going out for dinner later that evening. “Live long and prosper.”
Can you imagine having two distinct Napa Valley Cabernets and one was from the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard? I was enjoying my time at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and they were having a tasting and presentation of the wine of Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard. Here is a winery that has all the potential of being a cult wine, because the winery is interesting in making stellar wines and small production. The principal of the company amassed his money in numismatics, fell in love with Bordeaux and is interested in duplicating that Gallic interpretation in the Napa Valley. He has surrounded himself with key people that share his enthusiasm, and the tasting was conducted by his National Sales Manager Brian Wallace.
Brian Wallace began his career in wine as an assistant general manager/sommelier at a private country club in the Midwest and was told to absorb all the knowledge that could be gleaned from Robert Parker’s “Burgundy.” As he acquired assorted multiple certifications, he left the life at the country club and began working in the industry in distribution and he specialized in prestigious allocated brands. He went from representing several small wineries to now handling Arrow & Branch while still maintaining residency in the Chicago area. It was a pleasure to listen to him discuss the brand, and we still had time to discuss other wines, because this old Raconteur does kind of gets off track at time, especially wandering around wines.
The first Cabernet Sauvignon was from the Black
Label series. The Arrow & Branch
Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, while sounding like any wine from the valley
had a dash of Merlot and a couple of dashes of Petit Verdot. The fruit came from the Lewelling and the
Criscione Vineyards and carries a St. Helena appellation. This wine was aged for twenty months in French
Oak, of which sixty percent was new. The
wine was a deep and intense in color, a good nose and dark berry fruits and
spice, and the finish was long and supple, and you knew tasting it, that it was
not going to be easy to find after the fact, as there was a production of two-hundred-twenty-five
cases made. The final wine of the
tasting was from the famed and awe-inspiring vineyard that almost requires
genuflecting when one comes into contact with it. We ended with the Arrow & Branch Cabernet
Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane 2014. In
1858, the Napa pioneer Dr. George Belden Crane planted what is now referred to as
Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard and is located in St. Helena. The property was acquired by Beckstoffer
Vineyards in 1997; in 1998 the vineyard was planted with multiple clones of Cabernet
Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc exclusively for Arrow &
Branch. The first vintage from this site
was 2012. Here is a wine that is pure
Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for twenty months in French Oak, of which
eighty-five percent was new. A deep
purple wine that was hedonistic in its delivery, without being a jammy wine
enticing and delivering dark berries and black cherries and a touch of
chocolate. I knew it was the last wine
of the tasting, so I lingered and played with the wine to enjoy the rich long
finish, because I did not want it to end.
With only one-hundred-twenty cases produced, if I could have bought
some, it would want it to cellar for at least ten to fifteen years and I think
thirty years would not be too much to expect from it, if only I could hold out
for another thirty. This is a winery
that truly requires your attention, if you would like to lay some wine down, to
forget about.
There I was getting ready to try two different vintages of Arrow & Branch Red Blend wines while I was at Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan. I mean how can you not enjoy yourself when you are tasting some wines that are from Napa Valley, but are made to emulate the wines of Bordeaux. Not the big jammy wines that are being produced to curry the favors and the numbers of some of the big names that write about wines. Arrow & Branch are marching to their own drummer, and doing a fine job of it. They have a winemaker by the name of Jennifer Williams who is helping to make this wine and their vision a reality.
Jennifer Williams began as a harvest intern and split her time between Araujo and Spottswoode. She grew up outside of San Diego and had originally planned on being a veterinarian. She caught the call of viticulture and she hasn’t looked back. She worked as an Enologist at Trefethen Family Vineyards and even worked a harvest in Spain’s Rioja Alavesa region. She became the Vineyard Manager and then the Winemaker at Spottswoode from 2006 to 2011. She now works very closely with the Vineyard Manager at Arrow & Branch to make sure the soil and the vines are healthy at all of their vineyards, with the goal of making the wine that the owners want and at the expense of big production.
I am hard pressed to write about the two wines
that we tasted, as they were not made to be mirror images of each other, but
the wine maker was driven to evoke that Right Bank Blend. The two wines were the Arrow & Branch Red
Blend 2013 and the 2014 vintage. The
wines were a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit
Verdot; the 2013 was fifty-nine percent Cabernet Franc and the 2014 was
fifty-five percent Cabernet Franc. The
fruit was all harvested from the Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard, the
Lewelling and the Stagecoach Vineyards and carries the Coombsville St. Helena
AVA. They were barrel aged for twenty
months in French Oak, of which seventy-five percent was new. The winery produces two-hundred-fifty cases of
this wine each year, definitely not a bulk wine. The wines both showed the
pedigree of being family and I could notice the difference between the two
wines, but I could not claim a marked preference of one vintage over the other,
and I think that is the talent of the Winemaker to make two wines that are not
clones of each other, but wines that you wouldn’t mind having. I find that the Cabernet Franc offers more
red fruit to the taste of the wine, and I think the tannins are more subdued
and truly regal, and both of these wines gave a nice long finish. I didn’t buy any, but I am sure that ten to
twenty years in the cellar will really make these wines a real bargain.
Once in a while my schedule and the Fine Wine Source coincides like the recent day when I was able to do a tasting of wines from Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard of Napa Valley. The winery pays homage to the Contursi family’s success in the rare coin business. They are famed numismatists that have handled most of the fabled coins of the United States of America, and the ones that they haven’t are basically residing in permanent museum collections across the country. The name refers to the eagle found on the obverse of most of the original coin design who is grasping arrows and an olive branch in its talons and it symbolizes that America is a peace-loving nation that is willing to defend itself in times of need. The winery also pays homage to Benjamin Franklin, the first Renaissance Man of America, who helped draft the papers of the country, instituted the Postal System for British North America and was the first Ambassador to France. Steve and Seanne Contursi fell in love with the wines of Bordeaux and decided that they wanted to make that style of wines in Napa Valley, especially wines showcasing Cabernet Franc as they fell in love with Chateau Cheval Blanc, and who could blame them.
They were out looking for property and everything fell in place when they were able to buy the Etude Wines estate of Tony Soter who was famed for his “Little Creek” Cabernet Franc wine. The Contursis now had the ability to live both in Laguna Beach and on their new vineyard, and they were able to have the key element of their liking of a classic Cabernet Franc, as they felt the other varietals would fall into place. They have a passion and a commitment to create the best Bordeaux style wine regardless of time and money, and that includes diminishing crop output if need be to ensure the best fruit is harvested. The vineyards that they use are considered the top in the valley. The Estate Vineyard is in Coombsville, while in Carneros there is Cuvasion Vineyard, Atlas Peak has the Stagecoach Vineyard, Oakville has the Vine Hill Ranch and in St. Helena they avail themselves from the Criscione Vineyard, the Lewelling Vineyard, the Wheeler Farms Winery and the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane.
The first wine of the tasting was the Arrow
& Branch Sauvignon 2017. Some people
will automatically cry foul, that here is a winery that wants to emulate Bordeaux
and the first wine is a Sauvignon Blanc, and for some odd reason the white
wines of the region are forgotten about except for the classic dessert wines of
Sauternes and Barsac, but who would turn their nose at a white Graves like
Chateau Haut-Brion. The Sauvignon Blanc
from Graves is totally different from what is normally found in California, and
in the Pacific Islands. This wine is pure
Sauvignon Blanc made entirely from the Stagecoach Vineyard from rootstock and
clones that were planted five years ago, specifically for Arrow &
Branch. The wine is Barrel Fermented and
then aged on fine lees for six months in a mix of Stainless Steel and French
Oak (both one year old and neutral). The
bright acidity is what just jumps out at you, when tasting this wine, it is not
a meek and mild wine, as this wine wants to be recognized for its own
personality and it was very refreshing. I
couldn’t wait to try
the other wines.
The Wine Raconteur 