Monthly Archive: February 2023

The Bargetto Tasting Room is Right Here in Cannery Row!

In our early days in Monterey back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, we occasionally tried Bargetto wines down on Cannery Row.  Way back then, we remember their sweeter wines – mead and dessert-style wines – not really our thing. As we were seeking an emergency location for the Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society, I popped into Bargetto to see what they are offering these many decades later. 

I asked – what was the big change that took the winery from those sweeter wines (which they still do make) to these higher-end, higher quality, medal winning wines?  The short answer: When Lawrence Bargetto passed away in 1993, they hired an outside winemaker, who transformed their winemaking techniques. In addition, the Regan Vineyard has become one whose grapes are sought after by other local vintners for their wines. And my bottom line is: Get down to Cannery Row and give Bargetto a try!

With three different tasting menus, there is something for everyone here.  Whites, reds, meads and ports. I was able to mix them up by doing a reserve tasting ($25) with one of their high-end La Vita vintages swapped for their delicious, every day Syrah. Yeah, I’m a little crazy.

I did a previous writeup of Bargetto here: https://decantingmonterey.com/bargetto-scores-a-silver-medal-for-its-dolcetto/.

About Bargetto: “The Bargetto winemaking heritage began with brothers Phillip and John Bargetto who from Castelnuovo Don Bosco, a small town in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. They brought with them years of winegrowing experience when they established BARGETTO WINERY on the banks of Soquel Creek in California…The original Bargetto family winery was located in San Francisco from 1910-1917. The name of this winery was South Montebello Vineyard and Wine Company. With Prohibition on the horizon the winery was closed and the brothers moved to Soquel in 1917…The third generation of Bargettos now direct the operation of the winery. BARGETTO WINERY represents the oldest continuous-operation winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Their pioneering spirit continued with the establishment of Bargetto Regan Estate Vineyards, near Corralitos, California in 1992. Here, cool-climate varietals like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio are carefully nurtured to produce BARGETTO WINERY’s estate wines. In keeping with the family heritage, the winery also incorporates northern Italian varietals from its Estate Vineyard into its flagship LA VITA wine.”

As always, winery notes come from their website, the tasting sheet, or conversations with tasting room staff.  Any errors are mine and mine alone.

2021 Bargetto Reserve  Chardonnay, Regan Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, 13.5% ABV, $37 (#924)

Winemaker’s Notes: “A blend of both clones grown at our estate vineyard, this reserve blend is the very best of Regan Chardonnay.  The Mount Eden Clone expresses minerality and vibrant acidity, while the Clone 4 brings rich, ripe fruit.  Pleasant aromas of butterscotch and lemon zest dominate the nose, with notes of green apple and stone fruits underneath.  Luxurious and well-integrated French oak elevates the wine beautifully.” 

My Review:  Rose gold in the glass. Cinnamon perfume on the nose. White Peach, white nectarine on the palate and a touch of buttery oak on the finish. January 2023

2020 Bargetto Mount Eden Clone Pinot Noir, Regan Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, 13.7% ABV, $60 (#925)

Winemaker’s Notes: “This unfined, unfiltered 2020 Mount Eden clone Pinot Noir is fruit forward yet complex, with a delectable richness on the palate. Ripe red and black fruit aromas are complemented beautifully by elegant French oak. Intense flavors of black cherry, blackberry, and boysenberry dominate the palate. This is a rich and full-bodied Pinot Noir, as is typical of the famed Mount Eden clone. Tannins are elegant and smooth, giving it a wonderfully plush mouthfeel.” 

My Review:  Cloudy medium ruby in color. Cherry cranberry on the nose. Smoky and tart on the palate. January 2023

2018 Bargetto Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, 13.9% ABV, $60 (#926)

Winemaker’s Notes: “Dark fruit flavors are met with a notes of spice, sweet and smoky oak, black licorice, and potpourri. This wine is full-bodied with firmly structured tannins. 20 months in 40% new French and American oak barrels. Gold/93pts – Beverage Testing Institute, 92pts – Wine Enthusiast.” 

My Review:  Rich ruby in the glass. Intense dark berry on the nose like a really good Cab should smell. Mouth filling palate with berry and mint on the finish. January 2023

2019 Bargetto Syrah, Nelson Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, 14% ABV, $25 (#927)

Winemaker’s Notes: “This 2019 Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah from Nelson Vineyard is beautifully purple and inky in color.  It opens with aromas of black pepper, black licorice, and floral potpourri.  More subtle aromas of blueberry, blackberry, and baking spice follow as the wine opens up.  On the palate dark fruit and peppery spice flavors are married nicely with sweet and toasty oak.” 

My Review:  Deep dark ruby. Very dark berry fruit on the nose. Intense. Rich and smooth – I like this wine. A great bargain. Would pair well with barbecue or charcuterie. January 2023

2018 Bargetto La Vita Refosco, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Regan Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, 13.5% ABV, $60 (#928)

Winemaker’s Notes: “A blend of three Northern Italian varietals, the 2018 La Vita has Refosco leading the way, followed by Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. Notes of black plum and cranberry are met with black pepper, licorice, and savory spice.  32 months of barrel aging have allowed this wine’s firm tannins to soften up beautifully. 98pts/Double Gold/Best of Region – CA State Fair.” 

My Review:  Nice dark ruby. Cherry on the nose. Complex, dry, lean. Might need to open up. Will age nicely. The best wine of the day. January 2023

You can purchase Bargetto wines here:  https://bargetto.com/ or visit them at their tasting room (open daily!) at 700-G Cannery Row, Monterey, or their historic winery and tasting room in Soquel.  Click here for more details!

© Decanting Monterey 2023

Make a Donation!

Decanting Monterey is a non-profit wine education effort to promote our Monterey wineries through social media and classes. If you would like to donate to the cause, please click the PayPal button below or visit the Decanting Monterey Make a Donation page for more information. All monies received will be used to defray the expenses of operating this website and offset travel expenses for Central Coast wine education classes.


tèr·ra·ve·nos – Wine Experimentation and Production at Home!

Last June, the Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society hosted its first AWS National Tasting Project by collectively tasting and rating Sicilian wines. This was one of the first AWS activities we had attended in person and were excited to learn something new. We were seated at the table next to Erin O’Reilly, a budding local winemaker. Her friends and she were chatting about obscure wine facts and figures related to our wines. After getting to know each other there, we started a little wine education co-conspiracy – planning nerdy outings to wineries to explore some specific aspect of wine making and assisting each other with social media, wine reviews, etc. (She is my mentor for social media, my new donation button, and affiliate links, which I’m experimenting with today.)

Erin and me at a Monterey AWS event at Scratch

Erin O’Reilly is serious about wine. Adapted from her wine education website tèr·ra·ve·nos: Erin has completed the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) program levels 1-3, and just earned her WSET Wine Diploma. In addition, she holds the Spanish Wine Scholar certification, along with the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) credential through the Society of Wine Educators. She has completed the Wine Studies and Wine Marketing Program through Santa Rosa Junior College. And, like me, she is a member of the lively Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society.  As Erin says, if you’re local, join us!

While wine is not (yet!) her day job, she is “…a garagista crafting very drinkable wines for close friends and family going on nine harvests with fruit sourced from the Central Coast’s bounty…” She even won a Silver Medal in a recent home winemakers’ competition for the first wine I am presenting today! She sets modest but challenging, singular-focused, annual goals for herself, including such things as finding a yeast that she likes, improving color extraction (too cold in her coastal garage to get the fermentation hot enough to get the color out of the grapes), and reaching the level of 3-barrel production.

I visited Erin a few weeks ago to see her garage operation.  She showed me her hand crank crusher and her tanks, how she adds oak spirals to get the oakiness a barrel would provide, etc.  We even experimented with an antique “veritable ebulliometre” to determine the alcohol level in her wine.  While it didn’t seem to work that day, it was fun to play with fire and boil a little wine to determine its steady boiling temperature. We’ll try again.

Here is the tèr·ra·ve·nos (earth + wine) philosophy: 

“Wine Infused Living: You’ve heard of the term ‘balance’ in both the vineyard and in wine, but here is a concept that benefits from further introspection. Balance transposes itself onto our own lives – personal, professional, and spiritual. Winegrowers and producers fundamentally understand the dichotomy of transience and timelessness in their craft. Nature’s cycles mirror our own chapters over a lifetime.

“I, like generations before, find myself drawn to the vineyards, wrapped in the reassuring magic of fermentation, and comforted by the rhythms of winegrowing and winemaking through seasonal cycles that have endured for over eight millennia.

“And so Terravenos was born as a space to share a wine-infused life. Join me on this journey of equal parts personal learning, sensory exploration, and treatise to humankind’s greatest travel companion – the humble grape.”

Her wine education blog Trellis is chock full of “…DIY wine education and wine-infused living…” information.  I learned about discerning and describing tannin in a wine there! You can sign up for her blog and follow her on Instagram: @terravenos and on Facebook: Erin O. Terravenos.

My review is a little different today.  It was a “mystery wine” – she did not tell us in advance the grapes – we could discern some of it anyway.  And we tasted it over several days with a couple of viewpoints to ensure we had given it an in-depth tasting with the benefit of a little aeration. And I have an untrained palate and am challenged to reflect the nuances of aromas and flavors, so you are witnessing the process here. And I have added a second wine – a sherry – which we tasted at her house.

Winery notes come from Erin directly. Any errors are mine and mine alone. 

2021 Terravenos Plentitude Red Blend, Central Coast AVA, (#922) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

Winemaker’s Notes: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon – sourced from San Antonio Valley, 34% Petit Verdot and 19% Merlot – both from Almaden Valley. In this wine, she used a mix of yeasts to get the flavor profile she likes. Color extraction was a bit weak (see notes above), yet this wine won a Silver Medal in a recent home winemakers’ competition!

My Review: Dark purple in color.

Day 1:

  • Upon opening: A clean smell, yeast (a musty cocoa powder), green veggies like celery and bell pepper and spice – cinnamon and clove, and black pepper – like arugula. Blackberry and red plum round out the vegetal/spicy notes, bringing primarily black fruits in the mix. My spouse adds stewed fruit.
  • Poured into a new glass. Spice and berries on the nose. Tasty, yet slightly sweet, palate of stewed fruits – cherry, some berries and plum, with a touch of menthol. A little acidic and tannic, with a dry finish. We think we pick up some Petit Verdot on the finish. Very drinkable!

Day 2: Let’s skip day 2. It wasn’t showing great on this day – maybe something I ate – we let it be.

Day 3: Better – if not the best – tasting day! Lots of dark cherry and berries on the lean palate wrapping with tart cherry wrapped in mocha notes. Menthol and mint mid palate and some banana on the front. Licorice notes on the finish. To me, it tasted a little more Merlot tonight. December 2022

2019 Terravenos Orange Sherry (#923)

Winemaker’s Notes: Made from Malaga grapes and orange peel.

My Review: Sweet clove, orange oil and white blossoms on the nose. Full-bodied, balanced palate of mild orange.  Not too sweet – just right. Very nice!

If this article has you curious about making your own wines at home, here’s an easy starter kit! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. https://amzn.to/3DELjMz

Keep an eye out for Erin’s wines, as she continues to refine her techniques, expand her production, and win more awards! 

© Decanting Monterey 2023

Make a Donation!

Decanting Monterey is a non-profit wine education effort to promote our Monterey wineries through social media and classes. If you would like to donate to the cause, please click the PayPal button below or visit the Decanting Monterey Make a Donation page for more information. All monies received will be used to defray the expenses of operating this website and offset travel expenses for Central Coast wine education classes.


Late Arrival Leads to More Rainy Day Wines!

Last week, I posted about a rainy day Idle Hour tasting. In addition to Idle Hour, Mark Bunter of Bunter Spring Winery (finally) showed up with his wines and Lenora Carey of Big Sur Vineyards also poured some of hers – including a limited release Pinot Noir made by…Mark Bunter!  We had arrived early for Idle Hour and were just about ready to leave when these wineries showed up, so I only have 3 wines to present today. In addition, we re-tasted Bunter’s 2018 Hippie Syrah – it was meaty and delicious, as I previously reported here:  Interesting Showing of Central Coast Wines at the Dome Reunion! 

Some of my notes are amplified by budding winemaker Erin and Jacqueline, the President of our Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society. As always, winery notes come from the tasting sheet, website, or conversations with the winery.  Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Mark raises the point in his writeup of the Palisades Vineyard Pinot Noir below that not all vineyards in Carmel Valley are in the Carmel Valley AVA – but now there is a brand new Carmel Coastal AVA which you can read about in Matt Kettmann’s article here: Is the Carmel Coast California’s Next Pinot Noir Star? I hope this new AVA addresses his issue!!

2019 Spring Pinot Noir Palisades Vineyard Carmel Valley, Monterey County, 12.84% ABV, $30.  (#919)

Winemaker’s Notes: “Owner John Stafsnes spares no amount of trouble or expense on his vineyard. In one of the many examples of AVA nonsense, Palisades, smack dab in the center of Carmel Valley, isn’t in the Carmel Valley AVA, although vineyards many miles away, and over the ridge, in tributary Cachagua valley, are.  So legally it’s not Carmel Valley wine, it’s Monterey wine. Whatever.  It is subtle but complex, a wine to savor and consider at length with good food. Low alcohol with medium body, spicy, leafy, earthy aromas, tart red cherry and red currant flavors finishing with lingering cinnamon-like tannins. Can you taste the $1300 French barrel? Hope so!  Ingredients: grapes, water, yeast, sulfite.  Not fined, reverse osmosis filtered.  At bottling: total SO2 69 ppm, residual sugar 0.3 g/L (dry).” 50 cases produced.

My Review: We had already tasted plenty of wine, so our notes on this one are a bit skimpy. This is a lighter style, food wine with plenty of expected cherry notes for a Monterey Pinot Noir. December 2022

2021 Spring Saignée Rosé, (Pre-release) (#920)

This wine is pre-release and not yet posted to their website.  Made from 50-year-old vines and spent 4 hours on the skins.  About 20 cases produced. If you want to read more about saignée, I found this Decanter Magazine article, “What does ‘saignée’ mean in rosé wine?”

My Review:  Pale salmon in the glass, more floral, like a rosé from Provence with some tart notes on the palate. Would be a great patio wine on a warm afternoon. December 2022

2021 Big Sur Vineyards Limited Release Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, 13.8% ABV,$42 (#921)  50/50 Pommard Clone/667 Clone

Winemaker’s Notes: “Our 2021 Pinot Noir Reserve, handcrafted by winemaker Mark Bunter is light, bright and a classic Monterey County Pinot noir. Mark blended two Dijon clones; Pommard with its vevety style and soft tannins, and 667 with aromas of dark fruit and black tea. The result is a beautifully fresh, vividly ruby wine in the glass and layers of raspberry, plum, dark cherry and a hint of “Christmas spices.” It is rich and elegant on the palate while at the same time bursting with aromas and flavors, leaving you with a lasting impression of a well-crafted wine.”

My Review assisted by Erin & Jacqueline: Cherry deliciousness on the palate.  This is going to be a great wine – balanced. I’m not a big Pinot fan, but I liked this wine.  December 2022

You can check their respective websites for how to purchase their wines.  Thanks to the cooperation of Idle Hour, Bunter Spring and Big Sur Vineyards, you can sometimes find a pop-up tasting by Mark Bunter in the Idle Hour tasting space inside the Big Sur Vineyards tasting room in Carmel Valley Village. Check out the Bunter Spring Winery Facebook Page and the Bunter Spring Winery Instagram page for more information.

© Decanting Monterey 2023

Make a Donation!

Decanting Monterey is a non-profit wine education effort to promote our Monterey wineries through social media and classes. If you would like to donate to the cause, please click the PayPal button below or visit the Decanting Monterey Make a Donation page for more information. All monies received will be used to defray the expenses of operating this website and offset travel expenses for Central Coast wine education classes.


Idle Hour Pop Up Tasting Room Event – A Better Way to Spend a Rainy Day

In December, I received a text from Anna Marie dos Remedios that she would be in town, pouring wines in her Idle Hour tasting room in Carmel Valley Village. We hadn’t seen Anna Marie and her partner Mindy since our trip to Portugal and Spain last Spring. We put it on our calendar and invited our friend, Erin O from Terravenos. We thought it would be great to introduce budding winemaker Erin to Anna Marie.  We also invited the Monterey AWS and were pleased Jacqueline and Dominic Van Nes came!  Both Erin and Jacqueline contributed to some of my notes.

We enjoyed an afternoon of wine tasting, delciious cheese board and chorizo, and winemaking story telling.  And some wild story telling there was – especially about her innovations and challenges making the Sauvignon Blanc Pet Nat – would make a great podcast. 

I have written about Idle Hour wines several times – just type “Idle Hour” in the search bar to find them.  You can read more about their winemaking approach and history here. 

Today I am presenting 7 Idle Hour wines.  As always, winery notes come from the tasting sheet, website, or conversations with the winery.  Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.

2021 Idle Hour Petillant Naturel Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Madera, 10.6% ABV, $28 (#912)

Winemaker’s Notes: This comes from the Clement Hills Vineyard.  44 cases produced.

My Review assisted by Erin: Refreshing – like a spritzer – a yeasty beer-wine. Gentle bubbles in the glass.  Pear and white flower blossom on the nose. Earth, lemon zest, sweet spring grass and a touch of green apple on the palate. December 2022

2022 Idle Hour Petillant Naturel Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Madera, (Pre-release) (#913)

This wine is not yet posted to her website.  Making this wine was a grand adventure, as described above – would make a great podcast on the challenges and innovative thinking required in winemaking. 80 cases produced.

My Review assisted by Erin:  Foamy, a little cloudy in the glass. Sweet, ripe stone fruit, honeysuckle and peach, creamy and aggressive, on the nose. Sweet and delicious with a bigger mouthfeel. A slight bitterness on the finish.  Pithy.  Lay this down a bit. December 2022

2021 Idle Hour Grenache Blanc, Central Coast, 14.2% ABV, $28 (#914)

Winemaker’s Notes: This wine comes from Sarah’s Vineyard in Gilroy. “Aromatics of brioche and lychee, mild fusel oil viscosity with pear in the lingering mid palate with key lime acidity on the bright and dry finish.”

My Review assisted by Erin & Jacqueline: A sweet nose with grassy honeysuckle.  Medium bodied. A smoky front palate like a gouda with brioche and lychee mid-palate and lime zest on the finish. December 2022

2019 Idle Hour Malbec, Madera, 13.8% ABV, $30 (#915)

Winemaker’s Notes: “Bright blueberry and violet with a deep garnet color and the perfect bing cherry finish to pair with a pork tenderloin and cherry gastrique.”

My Review assisted by Erin: Inky in the glass. Violets, blueberry and dusty notes on the nose. Super bright fruit. Medium ripe tannings, a tiny bit grippy. Pair with risotto and skirt steak.  I liked this wine. December 2022

2019 Idle Hour Alicante Bouschet, Heringer Estate Vineyards, Clarksburg AVA, 14.1% ABV, $36 (#728)

We had tasted this wine on our cruise with Idle Hour last spring, but I had not captured tasting notes.

Winery Notes: 75 cases produced.

My Review: Dark ruby, a bit purple in the glass.  Smokey, dusty nose.  Very dark, crushed fruit on the palate. Chalky tannins with anchovy notes on the finish. December 2022

2019 Idle Hour Vin Rouge, Clarksburg AVA, 14.2% ABV, $30 (#916) Petite Sirah >50%, Cabernet Franc <50%

Winemaker’s Notes: N/A

My Review: Inky in the glass. A lovely, velvety palate with violet and oak notes.  One of her tastiest wines. Serve with chorizo. December 2022

2019 Idle Hour Cuvee Rouge, Clarksburg AVA, 14.5% ABV, $36 (#917) Tannat, Malbec, Petite Sirah

Winery Notes: N/A

My Review: Smooth, rich fruit and a touch of caramel on the nose. Vibrant flavors of rose, cherry, and blackberry. Bing cherry on the finish. This is all juice – we like it! December 2022

You can purchase their wines from the Idle Hour website here. Check out how to visit them in Oakhurst here. Their tasting room in Carmel Valley Village is nestled inside the Big Sur Vineyards tasting room. Big Sur is kind enough to pour Idle Hour wines upon request!  And Anna Marie comes down here sporadically to do tastings and talk about her wines. Check their Facebook page Idle Hour Tasting Room @IdleHourWine for the latest info!

© Decanting Monterey 2023

Make a Donation!

Decanting Monterey is a non-profit wine education effort to promote our Monterey wineries through social media and classes. If you would like to donate to the cause, please click the PayPal button below or visit the Decanting Monterey Make a Donation page for more information. All monies received will be used to defray the expenses of operating this website and offset travel expenses for Central Coast wine education classes.


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