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Wines from Santa Clara Valley

Wines from Santa Clara Valley

Santa Clara Valley Wines

Mention Santa Clara, and it is usually a conversation about a Silicon Valley company or maybe about the stadium where the San Francisco Forty Niners play football. There is another thriving industry in Santa Clara: Wine. Tucked away in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and other areas are twenty-six small wineries. Santa Clara Valley is an AVA or wine appellation. That means unique soil and climate conditions. We know the area is known for crops like garlic, peppers and strawberries,  but the terroir is also conducive to grape growing. Most of the wineries in the Santa Clara Valley are open on weekends, but some are open daily. Check the Association’s Website to find specific times for tasting.  Santa Clara Valley Wines also has a Passport Weekend. The 2017 event will be held on October 13, 14, and 15.

I recently received a set of wine samples from the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley.  I decided it would be best to taste these wines with a group of my wine friends, the Vintage Wine Tasters.  It is a good group for judging wine. We vary greatly in the type and style of wine we prefer. The members are brutally honest. None of us are experts, but we are daily wine drinkers and have a lot of consumer wine experience.

Tasting Notes on Santa Clara Wines

Overall, we enjoyed all of the Santa Clara Valley wines we tasted. The majority of the Vintage Wine Tasters had not previously tasted a Santa Clara Valley wine in recent times. Perhaps in our college days we tasted some Paul Masson or Mirassou wines.

2014 Sarah’s Vineyard Pinot Noir

A spicy Pinot Noir with a great mouthfeel. A little on the heavy side compared to cool climate Pinot Noirs from Russian River Valley or Carneros. Aroma not as strong as we would like, but Pinot Noir characteristic abounds on the palate. List – $44

2013 La Vie Dansante Rehearsal (80% Syrah, 20% Carignane)

Very food friendly and medium bodied. Very Southern Rhone-like in style. Small aftertaste and a bit tannic. List – $28

2013 Fortino Charbono

A very rich and compelling aroma. Medium bodied with a great mouthfeel. A good balance of acidity and tannins. Great finish. Reminded one of our tasters of being in Italy.  One of the favorites of our group.  List – $44

2013 Seeker Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

We found the wine to be very young with fresh fruit characters. Needs more time to age and mellow.  List – $42

2012 Jason Stephens Syrah

Big, bold and very flavorful from nose to the finish. Great dark fruit flavors.  List – $26

2014 Stefania Syrah

This wine was the pick of the Vintage Wine Tasters.  Nice spice and fruit flavors. Elegant and smooth, and an amazingly long and lingering finish. At $24, it is the best value in the lineup.

If you drive to Morgan Hill, stop in at the Nob Hill Market. Nob Hill has a terrific wine selection of local wines. Take the Tennant Avenue exit from Highway 101 and head west. Nob Hill is at 451 Town Center. You will find that the local wines are heavily discounted.

I have previously visited two Santa Clara Valley wineries and both are impressive. My favorite winery in this AVA is the Guglielmo Family Winery.  I also enjoy the beautiful tasting room and the grounds at Clos La Chance winery.

Morgan Hill Wineries – Guglielmo Family Winery Since 1925

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Few wine lovers know that the Morgan Hill area in Santa Clara County was long ago a California hotbed of vineyards and wineries. Prohibition and the Great Depression changed the winery landscape in Morgan Hill, but one of the few wineries that still exists from that era is Guglielmo Family Winery. Imagine that back then you could send a postcard to Guglielmo Family Winery and have your wine delivered to your home, restaurant, or place of business. It was jug wines then, four one-gallon jugs to a case. Amazingly, Guglielmo still delivers to a handful of customers. Today the Guglielmo Family Winery is one of 24 wineries revitalizing the wine industry in the Morgan Hill area and the Santa Clara wine appellation.

We have a connection to Morgan Hill; this is where our son and his family make their home. Whenever the opportunity strikes we visit them and perhaps take a side trip to a Morgan Hill winery. Last Thursday we visited Guglielmo Family Winery for the first time. Their location is directly across the street from Morgan Hill’s Live Oak High School, where prune orchards once flourished. Guglielmo has been in this same spot since it originated in 1925. Brothers George, Gary, and Gene Guglielmo, the third generation of family, are the team that runs the winery. George Guglielmo has been the winemaker and seven years ago added Alan DeWitt to the team as co-winemaker. The winery has shifted emphasis from the height of the jug wine business in the 60’s to their Reserve label of varietal wines. The goal is to make high-quality wines but keep them in the affordable price range of less than $20. We tasted several excellent wines, and our favorites were the Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and an interesting Rosé. The dry Rosé wine is called Rosatello and is made from Grignolino grapes. It is dry and flavorful, and immediately we thought what a fantastic choice this wine would make for our Thanksgiving dinner. It will go well with a variety of foods.

Owner and Winemaker George Guglielmo

As we wandered around the winery, we spotted bins of fermenting grapes. Alan DeWitt explained to us that these grapes are Charbono. Have you heard of Charbono? Unlikely, but this varietal once was very popular in California. Now only a handful of wineries in California makes a Charbono. This will be the first try for Guglielmo, and we can’t wait to try this wine. We fell in love with this wine when we visited Argentina. This grape in Argentina is known as Bonarda. It is the number one varietal grown in Argentina. Yes, more so than Malbec.

If you are in the Morgan Hill area, stop by the Guglielmo Family Winery and experience the history of this wine region. It is just east of Highway 101 near the East Dunne exit. You’ll find the wines delightful and reasonably priced and the staff very welcoming.

There are Wineries in Morgan Hill, CA

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You may have heard of Clos LaChance Winery but how about Castillos’s, Guglielmo, Leal, Martin Ranch, Kirgin, Fernwood or Sycamore Creek? Mostly likely not, but these are the names of wineries that make their home in the Morgan Hill area. There are many more than this, but these wineries were pouring at a fundraising event we attended this past weekend. The event was hosted by the Chiala Family and proceeds will benefit the creation of a new Urgent Care Center in Morgan Hill. It was a lively celebration of fine art, food and wine.

Morgan Hill is just south of the city of San Jose and almost everyone drives through Morgan Hill on Highway 101 on their way south to Gilroy and Monterey, or north to San Jose and San Francisco. For wine country lovers, this is a spot you might think about visiting.

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Boutique Winery in Morgan Hill, CA

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We knew that there were several good-sized wineries around Morgan Hill but we were very surprised to discover one small winery called Monte Verde Vineyards. Todd and Alexia Johnson own this winery on their home property where they grow small plots of vines including Tempranillo, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Johnsons started out making wine as a hobby. The compliments on their wine began to roll in from family and friends and today that hobby has turned into a small boutique winery, producing 300 cases of wine per year. Alexia does the bulk of the winemaking along with taking care of their three children while Todd continues to work his day job.

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