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.
I recently had a marvelous isolation birthday. Beautiful walks, swimming, mahjongg on the patio, all followed by appetizers and a gourmet meal prepared by my favorite chef in my own home. A wine was decanted – to my delight it was the 2015 Wrath Syrah. Yum. A few days later was Cinco de Mayo and we had a little party planned – takeout from Mando’s, our local Mexican joint, and margaritas! Right before dinner, the UPS man arrived with our order of the 2016 Wrath Syrah and, for science, we had to taste it – but after our party.
We are venturing out of Arroyo Seco AVA and to the north to the Monterey AVA – the heart of the Salinas Valley. According to the Monterey Vintners and Growers Association Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, the Monterey AVA was established 1984. Thanks to the local climate, it enjoys one of the longest growing seasons in the world, with a wide range of microclimates influenced by the Monterey Bay. The afternoon winds cool down the vineyards and the maritime fog keeps the temperatures from falling too low. Over 50% of the grapes grown are Chardonnay.
This area has been suffering the fires and smoke from the ongoing River Fire and I expect we will hear reporting soon from the damage.
The Vineyards of the Monterey AVA from the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association Webpage
We got to know Wrath years ago, as one of their tasting rooms is centrally located in the Carmel Shopping Plaza right off Ocean Avenue in quaint Carmel-By-The-Sea. It was always a fun place to drop in to taste some great wines. In the Spring of 2019, we took a family road trip down the River Road Wine Trail through the Salinas Valley to their winery and main tasting room in Soledad – it was the highlight of our trip. The plan was to go back there in March 2020 with our new friends and have a picnic there. Sigh…someday. While their Syrah has always been one of my favorites, they make great Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, and I featured their delicious 2017 EX Sauvignon Blanc in my Fall 2019 Northern Virginia AWS class.
About Wrath Wines from their website: “Wrath is in the wall of maritime fog that rolls into the Salinas Valley and the relentless afternoon winds that scream through our grape trellises. Wrath wines represent a nexus of nature and an unbridled passion for winemaking.” This description refers to the harsh conditions created by the cold waters of the Monterey Bay and the afternoon winds that come screaming even down my street and fog (like the heavy bank which rolled in last evening), reminding me daily that those winds and fog serve a purpose – to help us make great wine.
San Saba Vineyard Photo from our March 2019 Visit
A bit about the San Saba Vineyard from Wrath: “Our Estate San Saba Vineyard is set in a sheltered nook just below the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. The estate consists of 72 acres of which 67.75 are planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Falanghina. This is a cool site with little rainfall and one of the longest growing seasons in the world. Our soils, Arroyo Gravelly Loam and Hanford Gravely Sandy Loam, provide a low-vigor, well-draining, disease- and pest-free medium for our vines. They also impart a subtle mineral quality to our wines…”
2017 Wrath EX Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey AVA, 13% ABV $20
This Sauvignon Blanc represented Monterey white wines very well for my Northern Virginia AWS class. Product photo from Wrath website.
About the EX Label: “Wrath is proud to announce the release of EX wines, our updated label that replaces the Ex Anima series. With a name meaning “out of” in Latin, EX speaks to our focus on expressing the personality and characteristics of our Certified Sustainable (SIP) estate vineyard. We harvest grapes at two different ripeness levels and then blend lots together to create a wine that encapsulates the best qualities of each lot. fermentation and aging take place in stainless tanks.”
The 2017 EX Sauvignon Blanc is bright and vibrant with pronounced guava and gooseberries. 1023 cases produced.
Wine Enthusiast Review: ” Freshly cut lawn, wet cement, sour lime rinds, and kelp combine for a very unique and compelling nose on this bottling. The nose extends to the palate, where white pepper and crushed white-rock flavors make for a memorable sip.” 90 pts, Matt Kettmann, November 2018
2015Wrath Syrah San Saba Vineyard, Monterey AVA, 14.7% ABV, $39 (#38*)
The 2015 Wrath Syrah San Saba Vineyard is a big, chewy wine, rated 90 points.
Review by Lisa Perrotti-Brown of The Wine Advocate: “Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Syrah San Saba Vineyard has a beguiling seaweed, dried Provence herbs and green tea nose over a core of black and red cherries, mulberries and garrigue. Full-bodied and firmly structured with chewy tannins, it has loads of earthy appeal and a long pepper and herbs-laced finish.” 90 points
My Review: This is one of our favorite Monterey wines and this vintage was excellent. The color was incredibly dense and the flavors match the look. IMHO, this wine deserves a higher rating!
2016 Wrath Syrah San Saba Vineyard, Monterey AVA, 14.7% ABV, $39 (#41*)
The 2016 Wrath Syrah from the San Saba Vineyard received a well-deserved 95 point rating!
From Wrath Wines regarding the Wrath 2016 Syrah: “Grapes are hand harvested and hand sorted. Clonal lots are kept separate during fermentation. All our single vineyard syrahs use a similar whole cluster fermentation (20%) and oak regimen. This helps highlight the individual personality of each vineyard. After on-site bottling, the wine rests for another 12 months of bottle aging before release.” 100% French oak, 45% new. 298 cases were produced.
Wrath says this about the 2016 Syrah San Saba Vineyard: “Powerful and elegant, aromatics include blackberry, leather and peppercorns; the palate is rich and concentrated with graphite, cassis, and a hint of smoke.” Jeb Dunnuck rated this wine 95 points! I would have to agree!!
My Review: We found the 2016 Syrah to be similar to the 2015 in taste – very dense red with blueberry and blackberry on the nose. Delicious smooth palate of alcohol-laced, dancing bright and dark fruits – berries and plums, lingering finish. I highly recommend this wine if you are a Syrah fan.
Wrath offers free ground shipping on case purchases of its wine, which you can purchase from its website.
The San Francisco Chronicle published a list of the Top 10 Things to do in Monterey and Wrath’s tasting room is included in that list. For more information on tasting Wrath wines, click here. According to Wrath’s website, as of September 5th: “Inside tastings may be banned for now but at the winery tasting room, we have a large outdoor patio that is perfect for safe spacing and sampling our wines while enjoying the views. We are 5 minutes west of Hwy 101 and 20 minutes south of Salinas, off River Road. In Carmel, we have moved our tasting room outside onto the center courtyard of Carmel Plaza (Ocean & Mission). We don’t have a large amount of seating but we do have a nice fire pit to stay cozy on those foggy days that Carmel is so famous for.”
Please give them a call to confirm, especially during these times of COVID and the River Fire – 831-620-1909.
*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.
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