Sparkling

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2012 Murgo, Brut Rose, Sicily $47 

 

For more than 100 years, the Scammacca del Murgo family has cared for olive and fruit trees from which they crafted fine olive oils and jams, and nurtured native Sicilian grapes under the looming shadow of the still active volcano, Mount Etna. Yet it’s only been since 1980 that the baron Emanuele Scammacca del Murgo transformed the farm into a modern agricultural estate. After a long and illustrious career as a diplomat with important postings as Italy’s ambassador to the Vatican, Brussels and Moscow as well as Assistant Secretary of State in Italy’s Foreign office, the baron came home to focus on his ancestral lands with the help of his eight sons, who are all involved in the family business. With 30 hectares of vineyards, located on three farms, Murgo saw its first bottling of Etna Rosso in 1982, and their first vintage of Brut sparkling in 1990.

 

Fresh and refined, this sparkling has aromas of small red berry, yellow wild flower, tangerine and baking spice. The creamy, thirst quenching palate doles out strawberry, red cherry and orange zest framed in crisp acidity and a lively, elegant finish.

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Rosé

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2016 Matthiasson, Rose, Napa Valley, California $36

 

One of Napa Valley’s top viticultural consultants, an expert on terroir and the life cycle of a vine, and Winemaker of the Year in 2014, Steve Matthiasson is an impressive person to say the least.  

 

An obsessed gardener and cook while studying philosophy in college, Steve dreamt of farming his entire life. In 1994, while in grad school at UC Davis for horticulture after three years as a bike messenger/wannabe farmer, he found a job in vineyards and orchards working for a small sustainable agriculture consulting firm. In 1999 he co-authored the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices. In 2002 he started consulting on vineyard practices in Napa.

 

Together he and his wife Jill, also a graduate of UC Davis and an integral part of the team responsible for running the business side of Matthiasson Wines, began to develop Matthiasson Wines in 2002 as way to truly showcase the important work in the vineyards by carrying it through to the end with the winemaking.

 

The 2016 Rosé is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre, and Counoise from the Windmill vineyard in the Dunnigan Hills, Syrah grapes from the Hurley Vineyard in Napa Valley, Grenache grapes from the Gibson Ranch in the McDowell Valley of Mendocino, and small amount of Sauvignon blanc from Ryan’s Vineyard in Napa Valley.  A delicate wine with citrusy aromas, this wine is an excellent way to begin the evening as well as a perfect complement to fresh farm fair.

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White

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2015 Petrussa Friulano, Friuli, Italy $34

 

Gianni and Paolo Petrussa, 4th generation of the Petrussa family,  both had the opportunity to work jobs with salaried positions upon coming of age.  Throwing caution to the wind, the brothers declined these jobs and instead followed in their parents’ footsteps. A decision initially not supported by their parents as they remembered the hard life spent in the fields and the economic difficulties they faced, the brothers set out to prove to their parents that they too had perseverance.   With passion, determination and investment, the brothers updated the winery equipment, replanted the vineyards and added the use of French oak barrels.  Today Petrussa is a leading producer in Friuli.  

 

Bright, pale yellow with greenish reflections, this wine has aromas of wildflowers and yellow apple with pleasant notes of bitter almond. Flavors of melon, citrus, almond and sage on the palate are wrapped with delicate but intense acidity and minerality.  

 

2015 Emmerich Knoll, Loibner Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Wachau, Austria $43

 

Weingut Emmerich Knoll is located in the village of Unterloiben at the far eastern corner of the Austrian wine-growing region of Wachau, located in the north east of Austria.   The winery is a little more than an hour from Vienna, by car. The Knoll family farms 15 hectares (37 acres) predominantly in the Wachau with one site, Pfaffenberg, in the neighboring Kremstal. Knoll is best known as one of Austria’s leading producers of single vineyard Grüner Veltliner and Rieslings and 95% of their production is dedicated to these two grapes.

 

Emmerich Knoll III is the third generation to oversee wine growing at the estate.  The Knolls have been in Unterloiben area for centuries; the 400 year old restaurant “Loibnerhof – Knoll” run by extended family members has a reputation as one of the best in the Wachau.   Work in the vineyards and in the cellar is a family affair.  Emmerich II and his wife Monika have only recently handed over the reigns to their sons Emmerich III, who oversees the cellar and August, who leads work in the vineyards.

 

The flagship grape of Austria, Grüner Veltliner accounts for almost 30% of all grapes planted with around 13,500 hectares under vine in the country.  The Austrian native has become an international sensation amongst sommeliers worldwide as the perfect food wine due to its high acidity.  In Austria, it is prized for the easy drinking wine it produces as well as its ability to wow the palate with complexity in the right winemaker’s hands. Displaying elements of green apple and a subtle peach fragrance lifted by nuances of herbal spices, wet stone, and an unmistakable white pepper spiciness, this is a wine to highlight fresh greens.  

 

 

2015 Domaine Eleni et Edouard Vocoret, Chablis “Bas de Chapelot”, Burgundy, France $65

 

Edouard and Eleni met while working the 2010 harvest in New Zealand but returned to Chablis to take over a small piece of Edouard's family domaine. Edouard's family owns Domaine Vocoret & Fils, a large and established domaine, with over 50 hectares planted. The couple’s primary focus with their first 4.9 hectares was farming. The first couple of vintages were sold off in bulk shortly after harvest as they converted the farming to lutte raisonnée (sustainable farming) and committed to hand harvesting. They are currently producing two wines: Chablis "Bas de Chapelot" and Chablis 1er Cru "Butteaux."

 

“Bas de Chapelot” (100% Chardonnay) comes from a 3.2ha parcel just beneath Montée de Tonnerre.   An abundance of stone fruits and citrus on the nose and palate with beautiful minerality and refreshing acidity, this wine is finely balanced with a steely finish.  

 

Both Eleni and Edouard exude passion and with already a couple of vintages under their belt, they have a very bright future ahead.

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Red

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2014 Rojac, Refosk, Slovenia $30

 

The Rojac family has been making traditional wine on the Slovenian coast since the 17th century. The property is located on the northern tip of the Istrian Peninsula bordering Karst and Friuli, other areas known for Refošk (or Refosco in Italian) wine.

 

Uroš, current winemaker for the estate, is the vivacious heir and wild child of famed winemaker, Bruno Rojac. He’s known for his playful antics and free spirit and has made a proud and enthusiastic protégée for his father who unexpectedly passed away in 2005.  

 

A delightful wine that will have you adjusting your wine compass to Slovenia, it is inky purple in color color, unfiltered, with aromas and flavors of blackberry, currant, leather, violets and vanilla.  It has a full bodied texture but with a delicious lift to the finish.  

 

2015 Martha Stoumen, Zinfandel/Nero D'Avola, Mendocino Benchlands, California $46

 

Martha Stoumen went to work in the vineyard, olive orchard, and winery of a small farm and learning center in Tuscany after studying traditional agricultural systems and Italian during her undergraduate degree. The majority of her farm work took place in the vineyard rather than the winery, so she entered the world of wine production through the lens of a vigneronne rather than a typical modern California winemaker who spends very little to no time in the vineyard. During this time she also worked with farm animals, bees, and vegetables, and to this day views growing grapes and making wine ideally as part of a larger system.

 

After her initial exposure to grape farming and winemaking in Tuscany, Martha began a series of apprenticeships, sandwiched around a Masters Degree at UC Davis. Many of these teachers have remained a part of her life as she has moved toward her own vision of making responsibly farmed, terroir-driven wines in the land that she holds so dear in her heart, California.

 

Inspired by her work at COS in Sicily and Broc Cellars in California, this is California’s wink at Cerasuolo. The wine is composed of 40% Venturi Vineyard Zinfandel, planted in 1948 and farmed by 3rd generation Larry Venturi and 60% Fox Hill Vineyard Nero d’Avola, planted in 1975 by owner, Lowell Stone, who pioneered many of the Italian varieties seen in CA today. Both components were fermented whole cluster with daily foot treading and a month long maceration. 18 months elevage in neutral oak barrels took place following fermentation.

 

The nose is full of dense blue fruit with elevated spice and salt-kissed sweet wild grapes. The palate has notes of  wild strawberry, blackberry and raspberry with a beautiful liqueur like brightness and depth and strong tannins.  

 

2013 Les Crêtes, Syrah 'Coteau la Tour', Valle d'Aosta, Italy $73 

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Originally from France, the Charrère family moved in the mid 1700s to what is now the Aosta Valley of Italy. Starting out as farmers and millers, the Charrères planted their first 2 hectares of grapes in 1955, focusing on making quality wines out of the indigenous vinifera varieties grown in the Aosta Valley. Located in northwest Italy, the Aosta Valley is Italy’s smallest and least populated region. It is an alpine valley with grape growing conditions typically associated with mountain elevations. Close to Mont Blanc and surrounded on three sides by the Italian, French and Swiss Alps, it is a beautiful and unique part of Italy.

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In 1989, the Charrère family enlarged the original estate and built the Les Crêtes winery. With 25 hectares (62 acres) of grapes dedicated to wine production, Les Crêtes is the largest privately held vineyard and winery operation in the Aosta Valley. Les Crêtes vineyards are planted with both indigenous vinifera varieties (Petite Arvine, Petit Rouge, Fumin, Mayolet, Cornalin) as well as the more traditional vinifera varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Muscat) which are also well adapted to the region’s climate and soil conditions.

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The ‘Coteau la Tour’ Syrah displays notes of fresh blueberries, clove spice, black pepper and a very slight touch of hazelnut on the nose. It is full and round on the palate with dark fruit and smoky cedar elements. A long finish with bright, fresh acidity and firm tannins, this wine is a lovely expression of Syrah.