About Chalone Vineyard: “Perched in the remote Gavilan Mountain Range, 1,800 feet above California’s Salinas Valley, this rugged vineyard sits at the base of an extinct volcano bordering the Pinnacles National Park. Chalone Vineyard is one of the few wineries in the U.S. growing grapes in limestone-based soils, the same as in Burgundy…”
2018 I. Brand & Family Grenache/Syrah, Chalone Vineyard, Chalone AVA, Monterey County, 13.6% ABV, $42 (#151*) 72% Grenache, 28% Syrah
The grapes for this I. Brand & Family wine are sourced from the Chalone Vineyard.
My Review: Transluscent cherry in color. Sweet warm berries on the nose with a big burst of raspberry and cherry on the palate, yet light and refreshing, with subtle tannins enveloped in light caramel on the finish. A little SweeTart with a toasted marshmallow finish. September 2020
I Brand is open for outside porch tastings by reservation only – email them at HELLO@IBRANDWINERY.COM to order wines or reserve a tasting.
*Refers to wines tasted while sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
I belong to a virtual wine class with my Washington DC friends and a recent class was focused on Syrah – from anywhere. I was at Andronico’s and found this 2018 Morgan Syrah G17 on sale for $23. I don’t know Morgan wines as well as I should, so I picked one up to try.
Distilled from Morgan’s website: Dan Morgan Lee was first “…hired as winemaker at Jekel Winery in Monterey County. After serving his apprenticeship at Jekel, Dan moved up the road to Durney Vineyard where he continued to make Monterey wines…Dan aspired to craft his own label. It was at a meeting of the Monterey County Winegrowers Association that he shared his vision with a banker. In addition to becoming his business advisor, that banker would also become Dan’s wife…
After initial success and many awards, “…Dan eventually turned more of his attention to the Santa Lucia Highlands and single vineyard releases. Dan and Donna invested in their belief in the Highlands with the purchase of the Double L Vineyard in 1996. Today the Double L is one of the best known vineyards in California. Dan’s leadership and expertise in the district led to his being named the first Board President of the newly formed Santa Lucia Highlands’ winegrowers association in 2005.”
2018 Morgan Syrah G17, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, 14.5% ABV, $25 (#111*)94% Syrah, 3% Grenache, 3% Tempranillo
According to Morgan Winery: The Morgan G17 “…is sourced primarily from the Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco Appellations of Monterey County. Cool to moderate daytime temperatures are mitigated by ocean breezes and cool nights – fostering acidity and balance. Here the fog burns off early, allowing ample sunshine to warm temperatures to the mid 80’s during the summer and fall. The warm air draws cool winds from Monterey Bay in the late afternoon. By night time, temperatures cool to the mid 50’s.”
While Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in SLH, I was delighted to see this Morgan Syrah made with grapes from these SLH and Arroyo Seco AVA vineyards: Paraiso, Double L, Tondré (SLH AVA); Griva and Ventana (Arroyo Seco AVA).
This wine is named cleverly after G17, the California route number for River Road and beyond!
Winemaker’s Notes: “This Rhone-style blend has a garnet color, highlighted with purple edges. Blackberry, white pepper, graphite, and hints of smoked meat jump out of the glass. The wine is medium-full bodied with fine grained tannins, offering a mouthful of crème de violette and black fruit. Its weight and balance make it a perfect pairing with anything off the grill.” It spent 10 months in 20% new French oak.
Wine Enthusiast rated this wine 94 Points: “Lively aromas of black raspberry jam on French toast, dark hibiscus, tar and lavender show on the cool-climate nose of this bottling, which includes 3% each of Grenache and Tempranillo. The palate is vibrant with flavors of pepper, lavender and lilac, set against the richer black-raspberry and black-plum backdrop.” Matt Kettmann, July 2020
My Review: Deep ruby in color, with a vibrant nose of dark berries and pepper. A smooth, intense, deep palate of dark plum and blackberry, almost like an older wine in flavor, with a peppery menthol and leather finish. To me, the spiciness is more reminiscent of some of the Shiraz wines I used to drink decades ago, a bit of a contrast to other Syrahs I’ve had from the Monterey (Salinas Valley floor), Arroyo Seco and Carmel Valley AVAs. July 2020
Morgan is open for patio tastings at the Crossroads Shopping Center in Carmel: Thursday – Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. For more information on making a tasting reservation, click here. You can find this wine on the winery webpage above or at our local Andronico’s and perhaps elsewhere locally. You can also find it on www.wine.com and at K&L Wine Merchants.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
My early September wine class wanted to do a bubbly. I did a quick search on line for a Monterey sparkling wine. As soon as I saw Scratch on the list, I had to have it – I wanted to present this wine! I ran over to their tasting room in Carmel-By-The-Sea and picked up a bottle. I have been curious about Scratch, a woman-owned winery by Sabrine Rodems, the winemaker for Wrath since 2006, another favorite. What’s not to like?
The Scratch Tasting Room is mid-block on Dolores Between 7th and Ocean.
According to the Scratch Website, “Scratch is a project of Winemaker Sabrine Rodems producing small-lot Riesling, Grenache, Pinot Noir and Cabernet from Monterey, Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Cruz Mountains AVA’s.” Sabrine Rodems says: “What I love most about Monterey, the Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highland and the Santa Cruz Mountains is that I have four geologically different sites at my fingertips. Getting to work with bench Pinot Noir and river bed Riesling and Grenach, and Coastal Cabernet makes my work exciting and the wine exciting as well. Winemaking is the best of both worlds the amalgamation of science and art.”
I wanted to learn more about Sabrine Rodems and quickly saw there are many articles about this locally reknown winemaker. One of my favorites is this one in Edible MontereySabrine Rodems On Exhibit Scratch Coming to Carmel in which she talks about experimenting with Falanghina in clay in the ancient Roman method for Wrath. She also states her favorite wine growing region is Monterey, due to its long growing season (no pressure!) and coastal climate. And explains why she likes the name Scratch (no one else had it, edgy, and hard to pin down).
Edgy Photos in the Scratch Tasting Room.
2018 Scratch Blanc de Blanc Sparkling, San Saba Vineyard, Monterey AVA, 12.2% ABV, $45 (#136*):
The 2018 Scratch Blanc de Blanc Extra Brut is a crisp and delicious bubbly.
From the Scratch Website : “The excitment has been killing us!!! Our new baby, Sparkling Blanc de Blanc made from Chardonnay off of San Saba Vineyards, which is the home vineyard of Wrath Wines. High acid Clone 17 Chardonnay in an Extra Brut style. Crisp citrus, flowers and a hint of guava with a clean finish and amazing bubbles!” 100% Chardonnay, Methode Champenoise, Extra Brut
Wine Enthusiast Review of the 2017 Vintage: “This wine features a label design by artist Eddie Colla. It shows strong aromas of pear, pineapple and tropical fruit on the nose. The palate displays flavors of lime, lemongrass and green apple, enveloped in an aggressive mousse.” 91 points. Matt Kettmann, April 2019
My Review: Pale golden in color, we detected pear notes on the nose, clean and crisp pear on the palate, finishing with lemongrass and lime. I like a good Brut bubbly, so Extra Brut made it even more special. My fellow classmates did ask, “What does an aggressive mousse taste like?” I’ll have to ask Matt. September 2020
Check out their current releases on their website. Also, you can visit their outdoor tasting room 7 days a week at in the middle of the block of Dolores between Ocean and 7th in Carmel-By-The-Sea – now that is bold!
Scratch has a very cute, well designed outdoor tasting area for guests to safely taste their wines. Photo of tasters published with their permission.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
When my DC wine class suggested we do a Grüner Veltliner a few weeks ago, my reaction was “A what?” It was explained to me that it is an Austrian varietal. I replied, “I’ll never find an Austrian wine here.” One of my friends suggested that this grape is probably grown in California. Lo and behold! 100 acres are planted right here in Monterey County! I learned Scheid is one of the growers and a quick check of their web page confirmed a current release! I placed my order over the phone and picked up the order at their Carmel-By-The-Sea tasting room.
The Beautiful Scheid Tasting Room in Carmel-By-The-Sea
We’ve been acquainted with Scheid wines for some time. You can’t drive down 101 through the Salinas Valley without seeing acre after acre of Scheid grapes – all the way down to the San Luis Obispo border (at least that’s what it seems!). In fact, according to their website, they own “12 estate vineyards located along a 70-mile stretch of the Salinas Valley.”
Condensed from Scheid Vineyards: Al Scheid was a pioneer in the Monterey wine industry, planting vineyards back in 1972. With investment partners and known as the Monterey Farming Corporation, they sold 100% of their grapes. In the early 1990s, they decided to replant and produce wines under their own label.
From Scheid Vineyards “Grüner Veltliner accounts for approximately one-third of all the wine grapes grown in Austria, and is widely planted in the Czech Republic and Slovakia as well, but just under 100 acres are estimated to be planted in California. We planted our first Grüner vines in 2010 because, truthfully, our winemaking team wanted it. See, they’re wine geeks. And wine geeks love Grüner because it has a wonderful spicy minerality combined with pop rock acidity, it’s über aromatic, and it’s a great wine to pair with food. So their wish was granted (they are a hard team to say ‘no’ to) and 2018 marks our sixth vintage of this delicious varietal…”
Satisfying the curiosity of Scheid’s wine geeks results in a Monterey-style Grüner Veltliner.
The winemaking: “The handpicked grapes were whole cluster pressed and the juice was then lightly pressed. The juice was then cold settled to remove the excess pulp, which prevents the yeast from being stressed and allows for a clean fermentation. The juice was slowly fermented entirely in stainless steel at a very cold temperature to enhance the fruit esters and preserve the varietal aromatics. It was aged in 100% stainless steel for 3 months. The result is a refreshing, fruit-packed wine with a medium-bodied finish bursting with citrus and lively acidity.” 139 cases.
The label says: “The cool climate of our Riverview Vineyard allows for slow ripening and preserves the intense fruit flavors and loads of bright citrus with tropical fruit and honey notes that lead into a clean, crisp finish.” 88 points, Vinous
My Review: The Scheid version of this varietal is reminiscent to me of a Viognier. Magnolia on the nose, honey and lemony/grapefruit on the palate, with a slight lime zest finish. This wine is both sweet and tart. The 14.5% alcohol means this is a bigger, sweeter version of a Grüner Veltliner than you would ever find in Austria. August 2020
You can order Scheid wines directly from their webpage. Their tasting rooms have been open daily for outdoor tasting. Please be sure to call them to confirm. You can make a reservation and get more info here: Visit Scheid
The wine class theme my DC friends picked for our late August virtual class was White Burgundy or unoaked Chardonnay, if we can’t get our hands on the real deal. Since we are limiting our trips out, I hunted in the fridge and found this Arroyo Seco wine from J. Lohr. I had picked up this wine a while back as one of the Wine Spectator’s Top Value California Chardonnays. Perfect. Except my research told me it is oaked. A rule-follower by day, I still like to color outside the lines when I can.
About J. Johr from its website: “Four decades ago, the California Central Coast had not yet emerged as one of North America’s world-class winegrowing regions. With little history or viticultural precedent, planting on the Central Coast was a gamble. One of an handful of early pioneers, Jerry Lohr was among the first to realize the inherent potential of Monterey and Paso Robles for producing high quality grapes and superb wines…After Jerry Lohr’s nearly decade-long search for the right place to plant his first vineyard, he chose a site in Monterey County that was to become the heart of the Arroyo Seco appellation. Jerry planted the winery’s first 280 acres in 1972 in Greenfield.”
The J. Lohr 2018 Riverstone Chardonnay makes Wine Spectator Top Value list!
Winemaker Notes: “The 2018 Riverstone Chardonnay exhibits youthful hues of light straw. The enticing aromas are reminiscent of white peach, apricot, ripe orange, and cocoa, and complemented by the palate flavors of citrus cream and nectarine. The rich texture and balance on the palate from aging sur lie gives way to flavors of vanilla, crème brûlée, and a touch of oak can be found on the long finish.” Kristen Barnhisel, winemaker, white wine. She made a video about this wine: 2018 Riverstone Chardonnay Video. According to the video, it is made in a style that combines both Old World and New World techniques. She used 3 different kinds of oak barrels, each attributing different characteristics to the wine: American (baking spices), Hungarian (a little sweetness), and French (vanilla and mocha). This wine is the number one AVA-labeled Chardonnay in the U.S.! 100% Chardonnay.
Wine Spectator Review: “Plush green apple, pear and white peach flavors are supported by fresh acidity. The well-framed finish offers a flurry of spice details, with hints of honey. Drink now through 2023. 564,000 cases made.” 89 points, Best Value KM
My Review: Pale yellow and almost a green in color, this wine swirls with a beutiful viscosity. A classic Chardonnay nose of oak, butter and hints of pineapple and bitter citrus. Flavor explodes on the palate with intense pineapple and citrus, with butter, honey and vanilla notes. Lingering finish of all those flavors and a touch of bitter citrus. Despite the higher alcohol, it still drinks lean. This wine is overall balanced in flavors – not too oaky or buttery for those who prefer an unoaked Chardonnay and not too overwhelmingly citrus or acidic. August 2020
J. Lohr is not currently open for tastings in either its Paso Robles or San Jose locations. I found this wine in my local grocery store. It should be widely available.
Many wineries source grapes from other vineyards and regions. Some don’t even have their own vineyards and produce amazing wines through innovative sourcing. Parsonage grows Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot on its 7-acre estate vineyard. So where does this Carmel Valley winery get its other varietals – or grapes to supplement in the 2016 Soberanes Fire vintage? From Chesebro’s Cedar Lane Vineyard in Arroyo Seco – a great alternative!
From Parsonage Wine: “Parsonage is a boutique, family-run vineyard and winery located in the heart of Carmel Valley. We produce big, bold, red wines at a small scale. We named our wine Parsonage because the Parsonage is where the Parson and his family live. We’d love to meet you on your next Carmel Valley wine tasting and are open Thursdays through Mondays by appointment.”
Inside and Outside the Parsonage Winery, April 2019
I’m presenting three wines which Parsonage sources from the Arroyo Seco AVA: the 2018 Grenache Rosé, the 2016 Grenache-Syrah, and their 2016 Cyrano Red Wine. We tasted these wines with friends as we helped Parsonage test out their reopening operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parsonage says they learned a lot from our trial run. 😊
2018 Parsonage Grenache Rosé – Light and Refreshing
From Parsonage Wine: “A perennial warm weather favorite. And a surprise to everyone who thinks they don’t like Rosé! Made with Grenache grapes. Refreshing and dry. We get raspberry and strawberry with back notes of spice and stone fruit. These elements play out on the palate with a delightful fullness and a crisp finish.”
My Review: The grapes for this wine comes from Mark Chesebro’s Cedar Lane vineyard in Arroyo Seco. Very light in color, almost golden. Peach and apricot – a very light and refreshing Rosé. June 2020
The Parsonage Grenache-Syrah has frequently been a favorite. The Parsonage Village Vineyard is quite small yet powerful. They grow no Grenache and, with the Soberanes fire in the summer of 2016, their Syrah also needed to be sourced from another AVA. Fortunately for us, their long-standing relationship with Mark Chesebro’s Cedar Lane Vineyard in Arroyo Seco provided them the capability to produce this vintage from a year that was extremely hard for Carmel Valley wineries. This wine is on their Premium Tasting list – a big wine to start with right off the bat.
This is a classic Southern Rhone wine from Parsonage Wines: “This easy drinker pairs nicely with cheese & crackers. We joke that we should re-name it the “universal donor” even though that isn’t the perfect analogy. But you get the gist of it – this wine seems to be universally loved, no matter what your favorite varietal is. 70 percent Grenache and 30 percent Syrah. Fully dry. Medium-bodied but rich. Notes of black, red and blue fruit with a hint of spice on the finish..”
My Review: Dark fruit and a bit of alcohol on the nose. Black tea, chai, white pepper and cinnamon on the palate. A bit brash, but we liked it. For a medium-bodied wine, it is a big one. Must be that 15% alcohol on top of the fruit. I re-tasted this wine in August and detected no brashness right out of the bottle – it was just a yummy wine. I need to get more of this vintage, if possible!! June 2020 and August 2020
Another Parsonage – this time an everyday wine and a favorite. For a long time, this wine was called “Snosrap” (Parsons spelled backwards). The label was a beautiful Mary Ellen Parsons quilt of Cyrano smelling a glass of wine. A marketing expert suggested they simply call this red blend “Cyrano.” Thus, the current naming of this wine.
From Parsonage Wine: “Our versatile red table wine easily pairs with a variety of different foods. We think it goes especially well with pizza and spaghetti with red sauce. This vintage is full bodied. A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Syrah. Rich, ripe and voluptous. The Cyrano is one of our best sellers.”
My Review: Slight brownish tint, inky and “Camembert” on the nose. The palate is smooth with bold, intense fruit, with herbal notes. This vintage is particularly delicious. Recommending snapping up some – great wine at a value price.
Once we are on the other side of this fire emergency, you can obtain these wines directly from the winery: They offer flat rate ground shipping for $14.99. Join their wine club for 20% off. You can also visit their tasting room by appointment only in Carmel Valley Village (“the village”) Thursdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. You can make a reservation from their home page:Parsonage Wine.
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