Is it just me or are the wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains getting better? And better.
A few months ago, for example, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, awarded 30 gold medals – including four “Best of Class” awards – to SCM wines. Thirteen of these golds went to local Pinot Noirs. Yes, it is a big deal. A record 4,736 wines were entered by wineries from all over the United States. (more…)
What prompted winemaker Jeff Emery, award-winning winemaker for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, to start up yet another line of varietals called Quinta Cruz?
“Two trips to Portugal,” Emery responds without missing a beat. “I fell in love with the wines, and by chance I saw a listing for these Iberian grapes,” grapes with melodious names like Touriga, Tinta Cão, and Tempranillo. A recent planting of these Portuguese varietals in Monterey’s San Antonio Valley now powers these intriguing, aromatic and immediately accessible new wines.
The distinctive label for the new Quinta Cruz line — which includes a 2005 Tempranillo, a 2006 blend of two Touriga varieties, and a voluptuous Douro-style blend called Concertina — shows a sepia-tinted drawing of a graceful rabelo sailing ship. Rabelo boats (more…)
Unti – a label to remember. This blush creation of grenache and mourvedre is crisp, complex, spicy and somehow ethereally robust. It’s made from Dry Creek Valley grapes and you can sample it at Gabriella. Nothing less than a complete revelation.
Imagine a cross between a blanc de noir and sunrise over the Sierras. Yes. Like that.
Come meet winemaker Bradley Brown, of Big Basin Vineyards, and sample some of the assertive, engaging, terroir-driven Pinot Noirs he is creating up in the mountains above Boulder Creek.
Here he is working his way through 50 SC Mtn pinot noirs. Brown joined a dozen of his oeno-colleagues last week at an all-pinot noir tasting and vetting at the historic one-room schoolhouse-turned-winery, Burrell School Vineyards.
At Soif’s new Local Winemaker Tasting Series, Brown will pour his newly-released Big Basin vintages on Saturday March 28, 5:30-7pm. The event happens upstairs where there will be appetizers of crostini, salami and cheese as well. $20/person, with a $10 refund when you purchase, oh and you will, $60 or more.
Reservations are strongly recommended, call (831)423-2020 or e-mail luke@soifwine.com to sign up. Soif is still located at 105 Walnut Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz.
Once upon a time a great American filmmaker named Alfred Hitchcock owned a 19th century estate on acres high above Scotts Valley. Today that same rugged land is home to Heart O’The Mountain winery, where Bob Brassfield, and his son Brandon, craft some mighty examples of Santa Cruz Mountains terroir.
The very first vintage of Heart pinot noir was 2005, and the 2006 is tasting incredible. A half hour after opening, this big wine offered black cherry, redwood bark, granite and a backbone of cloves, sitting smoothly (if tightly) in a web of tannins. By the second day, the Heart O’The Mountain 2006 Estate Pinot Noir had opened into a sumptuous middle of loganberry, perfumed by old roses.
Trivia factoid: Bob Brassfield was one of the original (more…)
Actually, John Locke — the uncommonly erudite raconteur du vin — is doing the honors with this duo of wine intensives at Soif Wine Bar spotlighting the noble grape of Burgundy (ta dah!), Pinot Noir.
John has scheduled two wine classes focused exclusively on the much-venerated Pinot Noir. Each class will feature different wines and a fresh pedagogical approach. Every class will cover basics such as wine and tasting terms, explanation of flavors and the mysteries of winemaking. I’ve already placed my own reservations.
Pinot Noir I – Sunday, March 1
Pinot Noir II – Sunday, March 8
Classes begin at 6:00 pm and last approximately 90 minutes. Each evening runs $40.00 per class or $75.00 when registering for the pair (tax included). Classes will include 4 to 6 wines, a cheese selected to highlight the wines, plus extremely helpful educational handouts.
Participants will receive an additional 5% discount on these wines [5% on individual bottles and 15% on mixed or whole cases].
To sign-up, call or email: 831-423-2020 or Luke@SoifWine.com. Vitement!
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