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You are here: Home / Archives for Livermore

Livermore wine country on the move

November 16, 2015 by Joe Becerra

Livermore Valley – the wine gap
John Concannon
Karl Wente

Collin Cranor

Livermore wine country on the move with Bordeaux and Rhones

Despite the fact that the Livermore wine country has made historic contributions to the California wine scene, it has remained a small and little recognized wine and food destination. Some recent developments in the Livermore Valley indicate that Livermore as a wine region is on the rise. It will attract new wineries, vineyards and more foodies. I base this primarily on a recent wine tasting and seminar we attended at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. Called “Sip & Discover Livermore Valley,” 15 wineries, along with their winemakers, showcased their best Livermore wines.

It has been a couple of years since our last extended visit to the Livermore Valley. During the walk-around tasting at the St.Regis, we were surprised at the number of new wineries. It’s a new breed of winemakers adding life and vitality to the area. The old guard wineries, Wente and Concannon, are also part of the Livermore revitalization. As the younger generations of these historic families take charge, Karl Wente and John Concannon specifically, we see more quality in these wineries established in the late 1800’s.

We were very impressed with many of the wines we tasted, more so in the red wines. Only a few wineries had whites to pour; the focus was on the Bordeaux style wines and Rhone style wines of Livermore. Bordeaux wines have been key in the Livermore Valley, and Steven Kent Mirassou has been instrumental in leading the charge. His Lineage Bordeaux blend is a beautiful and elegant example of what can be done in the Livermore Valley. At the McGrail table, the Cabernet Sauvignon was balanced and exciting. At the Cuda Ridge table, the Petit Verdot was a joy.

Many of the new breed of winemakers are gravitating toward Rhone style wines. The winery that impressed us the most was the Vasco Urbano Wine Company. Young winemaker Collin Cranor has something wonderful in his style, and Janelle and I loved all his wines. Fun, and ready to drink and enjoy, was our experience. We also liked the Syrah from both the Occasion and Dante Robere wineries. What we discovered from the tasting of these Livermore Valley wines was the balance and elegance of the wines. No notes of too much oak, tannins or acidity;  just very nice wines to enjoy.

Livermore Valley Terroir

If you visit the Livermore area in the summer, you feel the heat. By the late afternoon, a daily flow of cooling winds comes from the San Francisco Bay waters. Additionally, fog often makes a morning visit to the vineyards. And then there is the gravelly sandy loam soil that encompasses the valley. According to the Livermore folks, the Livermore area has the terroir that is similar in part to Bordeaux and the Rhone regions of France.

Livermore Valley’s Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

At the “Sip & Discover Livermore Valley” seminar were Karl Wente and John Concannon, who each gave very passionate descriptions of their family history that is responsible for many of the wonderful vineyards we now have in California. In 1883, Carl H. Wente and James Concannon founded their wineries in Livermore. In 1889, people began to take notice of Livermore wines when Charles Wetmore’s dry white wine won the Grand Prix at the International Paris Exposition. These early settlers could tell that Livermore was a perfect place for farming. From Karl Wente, we learned that in 1912 Wente planted the first Chardonnay in California. The Chardonnay came from budwood from the Montpellier area in the South of France. Wente was the first winery to put “Chardonnay” on their label. Today, 80% of the Chardonnay in California has a direct relationship with the Wente Chardonnay clone. John Concannon spoke about his grandfather who brought cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon to California from Chateau Margaux. “There are 80,000 acres of Cab in California and 75 percent of it is the Concannon clone. The mother vine comes from our cabernet vineyard.” The final touch of their presentation was a taste of a Chardonnay and a Caberenet Sauvignon from vineyards of the mother clone. What a treat!

I’m looking forward to more great wines coming from the Livermore Valley. Currently there are 50 wineries in Livermore, but that number is increasing and so is the vineyard acreage. I am hoping that the wines from Livermore will be fairly priced. Yes, Napa Valley and Sonoma can ask a higher price point because of their reputation. They can sell a bottle of wine that we consider to be overpriced. Consumers need to get to know the fine quality of Livermore wines and, if they are priced fairly, people will give them a try.

Livermore Valley wine country

The Livermore Valley wine country

Filed Under: Livermore Tagged With: Concannon winery, Karl Wente, Wente winery

Wente Vineyards: A tour de force in Livermore

April 6, 2014 by Joe Becerra

It has been a long time since we last visited Wente Vineyards. So long in fact that it was then called Wente Bros. When fouth generation family member Carolyn Wente became the CEO, the winery’s name changed to reflect the fact the Wente woman were fully involved with winery operations. Wente boasts that they are the oldest continuously family-run winery in California, with a starting date of 1883. I will have to dig into that. I was under the impression that Gundlach Bundschu in Sonoma Valley (1868) had that distinction. Wente certainly has one important claim to distinction. They were the first to plant Chardonnay in California. In fact, the Wente Clone Chardonnay flourishes today in many California vineyards. Wente’s Website has a complete timeline of its history of introducing and working with Chardonnay.

Tasting at Wente Vineyards

If you head out to Livermore wine country and explore the area you will discover that Wente Vineyards has two tourist destinations. On Tesla Road is the winemaking facility, a very busy tasting room called the Estate Tasting Room, an outdoor area and garden, and a Bocce Court. Over on Arroyo Road is another tasting room called the Vineyard Tasting Room. In addition, this venue has a golf course, a wedding site, a gourmet restaurant and a concert center. We took a look at both places last Saturday afternoon and each venue was packed. A steady stream of wine country tourists was so large that we had to wait to get up to the tasting bar. The tastings are very reasonable, including a $5 tasting and a more elaborate $10 tasting.

wente-tesla

We opted for the $5 tasting and found all the five wines we tasted to be very enjoyable. We tasted a Pinot Noir Rose that was absolutely delicious. Only 300 cases are made and within a few months of release the wine is sold out. We also enjoyed the Reliz Creek Pinot Noir, a very tasty Pinot Noir from Wente’s Arroyo Seco vineyard in Monterey County. We also recommend the Rivas Chardonnay from Arroyo Seco. It is a very popular Chardonnay, nice on the oak, but with enough fruit to be a moderate Chardonnay and very food friendly. 90,000 cases of the Rivas are made and the wine is distributed widely. It’s $22 at the winery, but Costco and Trader Joe’s carry the wine for much less. By the way, all the vineyards at Wente’s Livermore and Arroyo Seco locations are sustainably farmed.

At the Wente Tesla center, soon to open on May 15th, will be the Winemakers’ Studio. It will be a cooking school and a wine-blending center. The blending activity will be by appointment only and promises to be very enjoyable. Guests will have seven different red wines they can experiment with and make into their own blend. In other words, each guest can be a winemaker for the day.

There are many other wineries to visit in the area. The Spring and Fall are the best times to visit; the Valley is usually cool and comfortable during these seasons. Check our Livermore wine section for wine trails, lodging, restaurants, and things to do in the Livermore area.

The two Wente Vineyards tasting rooms are open daily 11 to 5 pm. The Estate Tasting room on Tesla has free tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. One can also arrange for a private cave tour. Check the Wente Website for compete visitor information.

Filed Under: Livermore, Wine Information, Wine Tourism Tagged With: Arroyo Seco vineyard, Carol Wente, Reliz Creek Pinot Noir, Rivas Chardonnay, Wente

Steven Kent Mirassou Talks Cabernet

July 14, 2013 by Joe Becerra

A Conversation and Tasting with Steven Kent Mirassou

We met with vintner Steven Kent Mirassou at his winery in Livermore and spent an hour with him tasting and discussing his wines. Steven Kent Mirassou is the 6th generation of the Mirassou Family to make wine in California. Steven has two wineries side by side in the Livermore Valley, La Rochelle Winery and the Steven Kent Winery.

At the La Rochelle Winery, the focus is Pinot Noir. This has been somewhat a carry-over project after the family sold the Monterey County Mirassou Winery to the Gallo Family in 2002. None of the La Rochelle Pinot Noir comes from the Livermore wine region. All the grapes for the varied lineup of wines come from the cool climate areas of Anderson Valley, Carneros, Monterey and the like.

The Steven Kent Winery is all about Bordeaux varietals, estate grown in their Livermore vineyards. Steven Kent Mirassou has a passion for Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux Blends. His mission as a winemaker at Steven Kent is to make “the best Cabernet Sauvignon wine and Bordeaux Blend in the world.” He is not slightly hesitant about his commitment to accomplish this lofty goal.

Listen to Steven in this two-minute video as he talks about Livermore as the ideal wine region for Bordeaux grapes and about his quest to make the best Cabernet and Bordeaux blend.

The Tasting

We tasted five wines, three from La Rochelle, the Steven Kent Premier Cabernet and the Bordeaux blend, Lineage. The La Rochelle sparkling wine is 100% Pinot Noir and delicious from start to finish. It’s the type of sparkling wine one longs for at an outdoor wedding or event. It’s fruity and enticing in the mouth!

image of La Rochelle pinot noir

La Rochelle Pinot Noir

We tasted two high-end Pinot Noir wines side-by-side, one from Carneros, the other from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Both of these wines are excellent and well made, elegant in the mouth, and thrilling wines indeed in our estimation. The Carneros had more spice, while Santa Lucia was loaded with red fruit flavors. These wines are at the expensive end of the scale, each priced at $75. Although both delicious, we would choose the Santa Lucia Highlands over the Carneros.

image of Lineage bordeaux blend

Bordeaux Blend

Now to the Cabernet and the Lineage wines. These are both 2010 vintages. The Premier Cab is 100% Cabernet from the best four barrels of the Cabernet 2010 vintage. The juice comes from three different estate vineyards made up of three different clones of Cabernet. The wine is aged in French oak. The Lineage is a Bordeaux blend with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest Cab Franc, Merlot, and a small amount of Petite Verdot and Malbec. Both the Cabernet and Lineage are splendid wines with great complexity and an elegant feel in the mouth. It is what I would expect from wines costing $100 and $140, respectively. Since we don’t often drink wines above the $50 range, it is difficult to compare these wines to others in this price range. They are very popular at the winery, where they are sold mostly to wine club members.

Time will tell if Steven Kent Mirassou will achieve his dream of making the best Cabernet and the best Bordeaux blend in the world. This will be an interesting adventure to follow and we will keep tabs.

Filed Under: Livermore, Wine Information, Winemaker Tagged With: La Rochelle, Lineage, Steven Kent Cabernet, Steven Kent Mirassou

Wine Adventures in Livermore – A little bit of everything

March 14, 2012 by Joe Becerra

There are 50 wineries in the Livermore Valley and they offer a little bit of everything for the wine country traveler. Outside of the two big and historic wineries of Wente and Concannon, these Livermore wineries are mostly small and family-run wineries, running the gamut of boutique to outright funky and bizarre in some cases. We spent a few days in the Livermore wine country this past weekend. This is our third trip to Livermore in recent times, visiting the majority of wineries to create a Livermore wine trail for our Wine Country Getaways website. We have been anxious to add the Livermore wine country to the nine California wine regions we have detailed on Wine Country Getaways.

Here are a few of the wineries we visited on this last trip that offer some impressive experiences with good wines and hospitality.

Read More »

Filed Under: Livermore Tagged With: Livermore wineries, McGrail Vineyards, Page Mill winery, Thomas Coyne

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