Winemaker Archives - Wine Country Getaways

Pepe Galante and Bodega Salentein

October 2, 2015 by Joe Becerra

Pepe Galante on the right with Matias Bauza Moreno

Meeting Jose Antonio “Pepe” Galante – winemaker at Bodega Salentein

One of the benefits of wine blogging is an occasional invitation to meet with winery owners and winemakers. This invitation was special. We were invited by Balzac Communications to a dinner with Pepe Galante. Pepe was here in the U.S. on tour to promote Bodega Salentein wines and to celebrate his 40 years of winemaking in Argentina. The dinner was held at the Osso Steakhouse on Nob Hill in San Francisco. How fitting to have a dinner with Pepe at a famous San Francisco steakhouse. We know how much Argentina loves its beef.

Janelle and I, along with blogger friends Mike and Mary, had the good fortunate to visit Bodega Salentein in the Uco Valley of Mendoza in March of 2009. That’s the harvest season in South America. We stayed in their wine lodge, Posada Salentein, for three nights. Salentein is a first-class winery and wine lodge, with amazing views of the vineyards against the Andes Mountains. We were treated to wonderful meals, wine, and a tour and tasting at Bodega Salentein. Salentein is owned by Mijndert Pon, a Dutchman who imported cars to Holland. The year after we visited Salentein, Pepe Galante was appointed as head winemaker at Bodega Salentein. Prior to that, Pepe had been the winemaker at the famous Bodega Catena Zapata winery in Mendoza, Argentina.

Our dinner at Osso was delicious, but more importantly was the chance to sit and talk with Pepe Galante. He indeed is one of the great Argentine winemakers and recognized for his skills throughout the world. He has an amazing passion for creating wines at Salentein and for teaching young winemakers what he has learned over the past 40 vintages. He left Catena because he felt he needed a change and a new challenge. When Pepe explored the Salentein Vineyards, he was greatly impressed with the soils of the land and the higher-elevation vineyards. He immediate saw the potential in the terroir. The Salentein wines were good in 2009 when we visited and, after tasting our dinner wines, what a difference a winemaker can make! These wines are absolutely delicious.

We were treated to four fantastic wines with our dinner. First was from the Killka label, a more affordable line of wines. This wine was a refreshing Torrontes from Mendoza. We were also served a 100% single-vineyard Chardonnay. Wow! What an amazing Chardonnay, and in so many ways like a White Burgundy wine. These two wines were paired with traditional San Francisco crab cakes. I will get back to the Chardonnay shortly. With our delicious Filet Mignon entrée, we were were served two reds. We had a 100% Malbec and a 100% Cabernet Franc, both from Salentein’s high-end line of wines. Both wines paired very well with the veggies and the wonderful, juicy filet. As we finished dinner, Pepe poured himself a small glass of the Chardonnay. He noticed that I was curious about this, so he offered me a glass and said, “You will notice something more.” The Chardonnay flavor virtually exploded in my mouth, along with a finish of great depth. Pepe said that there is something about this Chardonnay that finishes off a heavy meal. Delightful! I am always on the search for excellent wines at a value price. These Salentein wines are so much so. I have had good success locating Salentein’s Portillo, usually under $10, and Bodega Salentein Reserve labels under $20. The single-vineyard wines we tasted range in price from $35-$65. Use wine-searcher.com to find Bodega Salentein wines near you.

If you have the chance to travel the wine country of Argentina, you should consider a stay at the Posada Salentein (lodging and dining) and a tour and tasting at the winery, Bodega Salentein. Here is a little more information on Mendoza wine country of Argentina.

Our visit to Salentein

: Mary, Janelle, and Mike with tour guide

: Our private tasting room at Bodega Salentein

: Beef ribs on the Argentine grill

Green Manure at Cedarville Vineyard

March 6, 2015 by Joe Becerra

Green Manure at Cedarville Vineyard in El Dorado County

Green Manure Cover Crop Cedarville Vineyard – Zinfandel

Around this time of year, it is easy to spot the vineyards that are practicing sustainable and organic farming. The telltale signs are the rows of green plants growing in between the vines. These are called cover crops or green manure. Their purpose is to provide nitrogen to the soil, so the vineyard growers do not need to add chemical fertilizers. I aways wonder why this is not a practice among all vineyard managers and growers. We made our annual trip to Amador and El Dorado Counties last week. For the 12th year in succession, we visited Cedarville Vineyard in the Fair Play AVA. We always thoroughly enjoy a visit with the husband-wife team of Jonathan Lachs and Susan Marks. They met at the U.C. Davis Enology program and have been a great team since, producing delicious Cedarville Vineyard wines. They planted their vineyards in Fair Play in 1997 and in 2010 switched over to organic farming. A large part of their organic farming is the use of green manure. Janelle and I were astounded at the lush growth of cover crops thriving at Cedarville, and in particular amid the rows of the head-pruned Zinfandel. I recorded this short video of Jonathan explaining the use of the green manure. Not only does it provide fertilizer to the soil but, in these drought conditions, the manure also enhances the moisture retention in the soil. Watch and listen to Jonathan as he clearly describes the use of the cover crops and what plants make up his mix of green manure.

Cedarville Vineyard is one of 19 wineries in the Fair Play area. It is open by appointment, so call ahead if you don’t want to miss tasting Cedarville wines. Several other Fair Play wineries have visiting days and times, so you can make a day of tasting and enjoying the Fair Play AVA. Check the Fair Play Wine Route for additional winery information. We like to stay in Sutter Creek, so it is about a 45-minute drive northeast to Fair Play. The ride up to Fair Play is stunning this time of year.

Kokomo Winery at Timber Crest Farms

February 11, 2014 by Joe Becerra

Traveling along Dry Creek Road near Healdsburg, there are numerous wineries to explore on either side of the road. But there are a set of wineries hidden from view that are clustered at Timber Crest Farms. Drive five miles west on Dry Creek Road from the exit at Highway 101. Watch on the right for the Timber Crest sign and the names of wineries. Drive up the short hill. We had been here before at Timber Crest visiting Peterson, Papapietro and Amphora. This time we scheduled a visit to Kokomo Winery and an interview with owner and winemaker Erik Miller.

Kokomo Winery

Eric took us out to the Timber Crest Vineyards where he purchases most of his grapes. The vineyards are on the east side of Dry Creek and these particular vines sit on a geological bench. The Timber Crest vines are farmed and managed by Randy Peters. He has been at work at these vineyards and others for the past 40 years and farming is his passion. Perhaps even more so now, because he and Erik are partners in Kokomo Winery. Kokomo’s first vintage was in 2004.

Erik Miller at Timber Crest Vineyards

Eric indicates that this has been a most challenging start to the 2014 growing season. The drought and the record-breaking warm temperatures of January are something not seen in the California wine country in many a moon. Erik points to the cover crops growing between rows of vineyards. Ordinarily, the cover crops at this time of the year are two feet high. Instead, this crop is only about two inches high. The cover crop is always plowed under, providing nourishment to the vines. The unusual warm and sunny days in January have advanced the growing season, so now the big threat is frost. If bud break comes early, the threat of frost increases. One good thing is that the east bench is high, and cold air flows downhill to the valley below.

Racking Kokomo wine

Back at the tasting room, manager Ross James gives us the lowdown on the wines and why visitors keep coming back to purchase the wines of Kokomo. Ross is a veteran of the wine industry, having mostly worked with the Jackson Family Wines. He is a master sales guy and knows how to encourage folks to join the wine club. There are 1700 members, and that is very impressive for a winery that makes 8,000 to 10,000 cases a year. Ross does not have to push too much because the Kokomo wines do sell themselves. We enjoyed all seven wines we tasted, and the prices are fairly reasonable when compared to other nearby wineries. For example, the Dry Creek Zinfandel was delicious and priced at $28. Comparable Zinfandels in the Dry Creek area could be as high as $35 a bottle.

Kokomo Tasting Room

The interesting thing is that Erik makes so many wines each year, as many as 18 different labels. He says, “I have “ADD” when it comes to making wine. I make one wine and before I’m done, I think of another I should make.” The results are some interesting blends. Most of these are made is small case lots and go to the wine club. We quickly got hooked and joined the wine club. We love the Sauvignon Blanc, the Russian River Valley Chardonnay and the Dry Creek Zinfandel. The Pinot Noir is so delightful. My membership in a wine club is usually two years and then I move on to another. I like wine clubs that can offer me something unique and something not found in wine shops. Cheers to the Kokomo Winery! I think that overall their wines are excellent and, even better, value wines.

Tasting room is open daily from 11 to 4:30 pm. Nearby are many other wineries to visit. Check our Dry Creek Wine Trail for additional wineries in the area. You can also find information on nearby lodging and restaurants.

About the Tempranillo Grape of Rioja

December 16, 2013 by Joe Becerra

Rafael Vivanco on the Tempranillo grape

At the recent Digital Communications Conference held in Logrono, Spain, viticulturist and winemaker Rafael Vivanco addressed the conference attendees as we stood in his winery’s demonstration vineyard garden. Rafael and his brother Santiago are the third generation family members to run the historic Bodega Dinastia Vivanco. This Bodega is not only known for its outstanding wines but it has, what most wine experts agree, the greatest wine museum in the world. We moved among the grape varietals in the garden listening to Rafael speak about the most important grapes grown in the Rioja wine region. First up was Tempranillo, the most well-known and most-planted grape in Rioja. In this short slide video featuring Rafael Vivanco, he explains the origin of the Tempranillo grape, how it grows in the three areas of Rioja, and most importantly why this grape does so well in this region.

Dobra Zemlja Winery in Amador County

August 23, 2013 by Joe Becerra

At Dobra Zemlja – Croatian winemaker gone mad!

Here is a winery that will literally knock your socks off. The wines at Dobra Zemlja (Good Earth) Winery are big boys, high in alcohol, full-bodied and bold. The motto at Dobra Zemlja is “No Lightweights!” The winery is located on Steiner Road and quite a contrast from any of the other wineries along this charming little backroad in the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County.

If you are lucky enough, you might be able to spot Croatian winemaker Milan Matulich working in his vineyards or in the cellar. Just look for the guy with the flowing white hair and charismatic white mustache. He might also just be doing all his chores barefoot. Milan is a throwback to another era of winemaking. There is absolutely no “frou-frou” going on with Milan at Dobra Zemlja. What you see is what you get!

Milan with the Mason jar

We had a chance to meet Milan and taste his current release wines and some barrel samples. Indeed, Milan is quite a character and goes by his own set of rules. He loves the taste of big wines, so that’s what he’s going to produce for Dobra Zemlja. Never mind what the food critics say about high alcoholic wines, Milan thinks big wines mean big flavors and big enjoyment. The wines are all high in alcohol and one we tried even reached above 16%. The wines are smooth and do not have a “hot” aspect to them in aftertaste. Quite the contrary, the wines go down easily. Among the wines made are Viognier, Sangiovese, Barbera, Syrah and Zinfandel. The tasting room is in a cave that fits nicely under one of rolling hillsides on the estate. While we drank our wine samples out of beautiful stemware, Milan chose to drink out of a Mason jar. No doubt, a character in the world of winemaking.

Happy wine tasters at Dobra Zemlja

To get to Dobra Zemlja, take Shenandoah Road from Plymouth and turn left on Steiner Road. This is about a two-mile U shape backroad that ends back on Shenandoah Road. Along the way you will pass some other favorite wineries of ours, Renwood, Shenandoah Vineyards, Deaver Vineyards and Amador Foothill Winery. Any of these are worth a visit before you get to Dobra Zemlja.

The winery is open Monday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. It is one of the few wineries in the Amador wine country that is open daily throughout the year, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

For lodging information, best restaurants and other wineries in the area, visit our Shenandoah Valley Wineries section on Wine Country Getaways.

A conversation with Greg La Follette

July 30, 2013 by Joe Becerra

La Follette wines

Greg La Follette is one of the world’s most esteemed winemakers. He has mentored many winemakers, and his winemaking skills and expertise have been highly sought after. Case in point, the day before meeting Greg we were visiting the acclaimed Medlock Ames winery on Bell Mountain in the Alexander Valley. It turns out the Greg La Follette got this winery started back in 2002. He is perhaps most noted for his work at the Flowers Vineyard and Winery, which today is noted worldwide for its Pinot Noir. Yes, Greg La Follette is a man on a mission to make the very best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that he can possibly muster from vines that he sources in Sonoma County.

We met with Greg La Follette at his newly-opened tasting room at The Barlow in Sebastopol. The Barlow is a classy spot of artisan tasting rooms, breweries, and food purveyors. The Barlow was once an apple processing plant back in the day when the Russian River Valley wine region was largely apple orchards.

We tasted through the current releases of La Follette Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Greg La Follette spoke almost with reverence about each wine and how it was made. He talked about the differences in vintages and how he tended to the vines differently. The old adage, “Good wine is made in the vineyards,” is one often battered about but perhaps not often followed. But in the case of Greg La Follette, we can be sure that this is his guiding winemaking principle. He does not own any vineyards, but all the vines are managed to his specifications. Often he takes his family and friends out to the vineyards to do leaf management to make sure the vines can produce the finest in berries, given the various climate conditions. With his degrees in plant biology and chemistry, he works his magic in the vineyards to produce wines of great character and substance. He has 30 years of wine making experience and has worked some 60 vintages, having traveled to both ends of the planet. The experiences of these many vintages enable him to make intuitive judgments as the vines develop to maturity.

We enjoyed all the La Follette wines we tried. They are complete wines from start to finish and ones to be enjoyed with good food, family and friends. In this is short video, you get a glimpse of the respect that Greg La Follette has for the land and of his passion for making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

If you are a fan of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, put La Follette wines on your list and visit The Barlow. The Barlow is a fantastic place for the wine and food traveler. By this September, all the tenants should be in place. In addition to the La Follette tasting room, several other wineries have opened or will soon open tasting rooms. These include Kosta Browne, Miramar Torres and MacPhail Family Wines. The famed Zazu restaurant will soon locate to The Barlow.

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!

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.

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.

Winemaker Brian Maloney zips and dashes between DeLoach and Buena Vista wineries

September 13, 2012 by Joe Becerra

French open-top barrels

In 2003 Jean-Charles Boisset purchased DeLoach Vineyards and quickly revamped the winery, gaining certified biodynamic status, adding new wine making equipment, and most importantly hiring a young winemaker by the name of Brian Maloney. About a year ago Jean-Charles purchased Sonoma’s historic Buena Vista Winery, founded in 1857 and, as he did with Deloach, is making major changes and restoring the winery to its former glory. Brian Maloney was doing such a fine job as winemaker at DeLoach, it was an easy choice for Jean-Charles to make Brian the winemaker at Buena Vista as well.

I met with Brian at the DeLoach winery located on Olivet Road in the Russian River Valley near Santa Rosa, CA. He says the workdays are long but rewarding. On many days he travels to both wineries, plus the Raymond winery in the Napa Valley. The Raymond facility is where some of the wine for both DeLoach and Buena Vista is made. He says he is fortunate to have skilled assistant winemakers at each location, who can take over when he is not present.

The focus at both DeLoach and Buena Vista is to make top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, using wine making techniques that have been around for centuries. This means large wooden open-topped tanks where Pinot Noir ferments, where workers take turns punching down the fermenting grapes by hand. After fermentation, watchful barrel aging takes place. The key is in the vineyard, where organic and sustainable farming enables the terroir to fully represent itself in the wines.

I asked Brian if there will be any differences in the way the Pinot Noir from the DeLoach Russian River vineyards and the Carneros vineyards of Buena Vista will be made. Here is what he had to say:

At DeLoach 90,000 cases of wine are made annually. A large production of entry level wines is placed in many supermarkets and wine shops, while the second tier of wines is sold through the tasting room or offered on the wine list at select restaurants. Visitors can taste wines for a $10 tasting fee. Check the DeLoach Website for other tasting and tour options. Travelers can make a full day of wine tasting on Olivet Road. In addition to Deloach, on this three mile road, there are four other small and family-run wineries: Olivet Road Wine Trail.

Frey Vineyards Petite Sirah

August 23, 2008 by Joe Becerra

After attending the Commonwealth Meeting in San Francisco on “Wine: Sustainable, Organic, Biodynamic – What Does it All Mean?,” we purchased several bottles made by Frey Vineyards and Parducci Winery. Jonathan Frey of Frey Vineyards and Paul Dolan of Parducci were featured speakers at this Commonwealth Meeting.

We found the wines at Whole Foods in San Mateo on a shelf marked: “Eco Friendly Wines.” The first wine we tasted was the Frey Petite Sirah. We paired this wine with a pork tenderloin prepared with a spice rub and grilled on the BBQ. The Frey Petite Sirah was labeled “Organic Wine.” This means that the grapes were farmed organically and no sulfites were added to the wine. We like the big bold flavors of Petite Sirah. This wine was a little lighter than most Petite Sirahs. What we noticed most was a distinct aftertaste. It is hard to describe but it is definitely there and is a taste that I did not care for. I wonder if this aftertaste is common to “Organic Wines.” I also purchased the Frey Sangiovese, an organic wine as well, and I will try that next. We rate the Frey Vineyards Petite Sirah a 3.25 on our 5 point rating system.

Wine: Sustainable, Organic, Biodynamic. What Does it All Mean?

August 22, 2008 by Joe Becerra

Last night we had the opportunity be present at the Commonwealth Club meeting in San Francisco to hear winemakers Paul Dolan, Jonathan Frey, and Phil Larocca enlightened us on this very popular and important topic in the wine industry today. Each of these three individuals is considered to be a pioneer in the field of “green”practices in farming vineyards and making wine.

Paul Dolan is one of the most influential leaders in the field of sustainable and organic farming. Paul spent 27 years at Fetzer Vineyards and under his vision, Fetzer moved to organic and sustainable farming practices. Paul is currently one of the principal partners of the Parducci Winery and the Mendocino Wine Company. Parducci is the first and only winery to be designated as “Carbon Neutral.”

Winemaker Paul Dolan

Jonathan Frey and his family own Frey Vineyards also in Mendocino. They are the first winery in California to practice organic and Biodynamic farming. Frey Vineyards is one of the few wineries that are able to use “Organic Wine”on their label.

Phil Larocca is the owner and winemaker of Larocca Vineyards in Sutter County. Phil’s approach to his winemaking is to make wines that are healthy for the individual. This means the Larocca wines do not contain preservatives or chemical residues.

One thing is clear about each of these individuals. They care deeply about the environment and are very passionate about promoting their ideas to the wine community.

Some of the key points of the program:

Organically Certified and Biodynamic certified to carry the most stringent of regulations. Any winery that has achieved this designation must meet strict requirements and must be inspected annually.

Sustainability does not have a certification board and is a less-defined term. In general, the term means to farm so as not to deplete the soil and to sustain the land for future generations. Sustainable practices include the use of solar energy, biodiesel fuels, and organic farming. It also includes “green”packaging of the wine from the bottle to the box. Sustainable practices include the use of heavy composting. Composting gives back to the soil.

These three winemakers believe that farming organically provides better flavors in the grape, more nutritional value. and greater grape yields.

Frey Vineyards and Larocca Vineyards do not add any sulfites to their wines. Parducci farms the vineyards organically but adds sulfites in the winemaking process.

Less than 1 percent of the wineries in the world practice organic and sustainable farming. However, there is a growing awareness among the industry that these methods are important for the environment and it is the “right thing to do.”

The following day after this very informative program, we shopped at our local Whole Foods store. On a shelf in the wine section labeled “eco-friendly wines,” we found several of the wines from Parducci and Frey Vineyards. We purchased a few bottles of each and will try them out over the next couple of weeks.

If you would like to hear the entire program, the Commonwealth Club provides a podcast of this event. You can find it at the Commonwealth Web site.