I hope you enjoyed your holidays and tried some new wines or revisited familiar favorites. I would love to hear from you: Which Central Coast wines did you open over the holidays and how were they? Please comment below!
Our traditional dinner table had far fewer place settings than usual. We also experienced new ways to celebrate – socially distant around a beautiful, warm fire on a chilly Monterey Bay night.
We enjoyed wines from around the world – France, Italy, Washington, Napa, Carmel Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains and Paso Robles.
Here are the Central Coast wines we tasted over the holidays (reviews to come!):
In addition to some of our favorite big reds from Carmel Valley, we branched out and tried some new brands from Paso Robles and the Santa Cruz Mountains!
2011 Bernardus Marinus, Carmel Valley, with our Christmas dinner
2018 Samuel Louis Smith Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains
2007 Parsonage Tanner Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmel Valley on New Year’s Eve
2006 Bear Cave Cellars Reserve Syrah, Paso Robles, also on New Year’s Eve
And, once again, which Central Coast wines did you open over the holidays – what did you think of them? I look forward to hearing from you!
One of the things Ian Brand is known for is sourcing grapes wherever he can find them to create his wines. In this blog post, I am reviewing 3 of their I. Brand & Family wines – each from a different county in the Central Coast. This post prepares us for our next move into Central Coast-labeled wines.
2018 I. Brand & Family Pinot Gris, Eden Rift Vineyard, Cienega Valley AVA, San Benito County, 13.2% ABV, $30 (#86*)
This unique 2018 Pinot Gris is lovely in color and flavors.
We pulled this wine out in June for a farewell for our daughter as she headed off on another adventure. I had looked at this bottle earlier in the week for a Rosé class, but there was nothing on it to say it was one. Except the wax over the cork was orange instead of yellow, as is the case in Ian Brand’s whites. And that is because Pinot Gris will naturally give you an orange wine. Who knew?
From grapelive.com – 92 points: “…Coming from the low yielding terraces at Eden Rift in Cienega Valley, not far from Calera in San Benito County, Brand’s Pinot Gris is wonderfully textural and charming on the palate with juicy peach, red apple skin, citrus and passion fruit leading the way along with a touch of mineral, mountain herb, orange zest, clove, a hint of apple better and wet chalk…”
Wine Enthusiast Review – 92 points: “With dynamic and complex expressions like this, it’s a wonder why people started stripping the naturally pink hue that Pinot Gris provides. The pinkish orange wine delivers aromas of strawberry sorbet and rosebuds and then opens onto a palate of light raspberry and watermelon. There is ample tannic tension as well.” Matt Kettmann 12/2019
My Review: Bellini pink, peach 🍑 in color, sweet peach on the nose, a balance of sweet and tart mid palate, with a refreshing finish. September 2020
2016 I. Brand & Family Old Vine Grenache, Besson Vineyard, Santa Clara AVA, 14.6% ABV, $42 (#4*)
2016 Old Vines Grenache.
Made from grapes from 100-year old vines, this wine spent about 20 months in 20% new wood barrels, making this a bigger than average Grenache.
My Review: The 2016 Old Vines Grenache is a beautiful cherry red color with bright fruit on nose and palate. Very balanced and tasty, with lingering flavors on the palate. This was more enjoyable on the second day. Enjoy now or hold for a bit.
2016 I. Brand & Family Cabernet Franc Bates Ranch, Santa Cruz Mountains, 12.7% ABV, $42 (#80*)
2016 Cabernet Franc, Bates Ranch.
I. Brand & Family makes 2 Cabernet Francs: a Chinon-style one from Paicines, which I presented at my Fall 2019 Washington Wine & Cheese Seminar, and this one – Bates Ranch – a richer, Bordeaux-style wine from the Santa Cruz Mountains. They are both terrific wines, yet I much prefer the style of the Bates Ranch.
From I. Brand via www.unionsquarewines.com: “In our opinion, Bates Ranch is the least known of the holy trinity of Bordeaux varietal sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The other two, Monte Bello and Mt. Eden, are among the most revered vineyards in California. We first became aware of Bates Ranch through the amazing, and amazingly ageworthy, 70s and 80s bottlings from classic Santa Cruz Mountain produces like Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards and Ahlgren Vineyards. Bates Ranch is located in the extreme southeastern end of the appellation, on Redwood Retreat Road. We are honored to receive the fruit from half of a small block of Cabernet France planted in 1978 for this bottling. Soils in this section of vineyard are the red Franciscan series of volcanic influenced sedimentary rocks that runs along the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Fermented whole berry with native yeasts and a three week maceration. Aged in a neutral puncheon, a neutral barrel and a once used barrel for 20 months. 94 cases produced.”
My Review: Ian Brand makes his wines lean, lower alcohol and less fruitiness than in most California wines. What this means is you can get to the true expression of the fruit. The 2016 Cabernet Franc Bates Ranch is still a somewhat lean Cabernet Franc. The palate is bold and fruity with bright acidity and cranberry/cherry tartness. Would love to try it with a cheese plate.
You can find I. Brand & Family wines directly from the winery – email them at brandfamilywinery@gmail.com. If you want to taste their wines, they are open Thurs. – Sun. 12pm – 6pm for tastings with limited hosted seatings. Please contact: hello@ibrandwinery.com to make a reservation.
*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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