Last week, I had the opportunity to present Monterey wines to my old wine group one more time. It is always an honor to be asked back. I do this class about once a year and am always glad to see my old wine friends. What I didn’t expect was almost a full house! There were a lot of new faces in the room – including my daughter and a few of her friends.
But – before I go on, Decanting Monterey has hit another milestone: 10,000 views! This is huge! I have each and every one of my readers to thank for this achievement. I appreciate you so much.
What do I look for in a local wine to present? First of all, quality – it has to be a very tasty, good quality wine. But, right along with taste is its price. The wine budgets for these nonprofit classes are always tight. As wine and shipping prices rise, these get harder and harder to pull off. You see, I don’t want to present them grocery store wines. And I don’t just want to present good value wines. Rather, I like to present delicious wines from wineries I know directly. I like the personal aspect of developing relationships and sharing stories. And I like the challenge of the hunt to find the very best wines to fit the budget. This time, I presented two Gold Medal wines – the audience really loved that. And the fact that most of our local wineries will ship out of state is a plus – the audience can go directly to the winery and order more.
Our local wineries are always quite generous to me. They give me steep discounts on their wine (sometimes they donate wine, even!) in return for me giving their wines visibility to a new audience. I’m so grateful. Shipping was probably the biggest wildcard this year. It varied from a winery that could give me a deal ($30) on shipping to those who can’t catch a break (over $70!). I considered checking out a big box store there to see what they carry, but that runs counter to my m.o. I also keep the audience in mind: I don’t like presenting an expensive class, but the high attendance last week for the most expensive class I have presented to date shows I should worry less about this.
I’m already starting to think how I will put together another class for them next year. I am watching the sales and shipping bargains. It is too soon and too hot to ship now, but the wheels are turning. Readers: Got any recommendations?? Please comment!
THE CLASS ITSELF
I start these classes by ensuring everyone knows where Monterey County is – about 2 hours south of San Francisco and just north of the Paso Robles wine growing area. I talk about the fact we are a cool wine growing region, thanks to the influence of the frigid and deep Monterey Bay. I talk about the Thermal Rainbow® – our grapevines which expeirence high valley temperatures during the summer days are brought relief by the afternoon winds coming off the bay which both stress and cool the vines – with accompanying fog to keep them from getting too cold overnight.
I give them our stats, which I obtain from the Monterey Vintners and Growers Association website – my go-to website for everything Monterey wine. I also read the crop reports myself (funny, no one else in the room reads crop reports 😊). I noted our grape-growing acreage has dropped a bit (perhaps from the wildfires?), dropping us to the 5th largest in the state, just behind Napa. And that we remain the largest producer of Chardonnay in the U.S. and the largest producer of Pinot Noir in California. I mentioned the recent Santa Lucia Highlands Sun, Wind & Wine Festival event and highlighted how many of the wineries present were from outside the county (more to come on that event in the upcoming weeks). Some 50% of our grapes are purchased from outside the county.
I like to present wines from our different Monterey County American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). For the first time I presented one from San Antonio Valley AVA, which gave me a great launching point on our wine growing origins starting in the 1770s with the Franciscan missionaries. And, from there, our history as to how we got to modern winemaking in the region.
In the last couple of years, I have added a section on climate change to my presentations. We talk about the devastating impact of the wildfires in 2020, the heat spike just before harvest in 2022, and all that rain this past winter. It’s real, folks.
I highlight the ease and affordability of coming to Monterey to taste wine. Armed with our tasting room brochures provided by Kim Stemler of the Monterey Vintners and Growers Association, I invite them all to visit.
In this class, I focused on three wine growing areas in the county: Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley, and one “technically” from Monterey. Much of the information below is distilled from the AVA website above.
I have presented Arroyo Seco AVA wines to them many times before, which literally means “dry riverbed.” With maps available on the tables, I was able to describe the steep, narrow gorge, where Bordeaux varietals prosper, opening out to the Salinas Valley floor, more appropriate for Burgundian varietals. Arroyo Seco experiences harsh weather conditions varying from warm days to windy, foggy and cold nights. I mostly enjoy the white wines from Arroyo Seco, but I have been pleasantly surprised by bold and big reds produced from grapes in the gorge as well as from the valley floor. In this class, I presented wines from Chesebro, Corral, and Shale Canyon – both from the valley floor and the gorge.
It was my pleasure to be able to bring them a wine from the San Antonio Valley AVA for the first time. Although it is one of the oldest wine growing areas in California, it is one of the youngest AVAs in Monterey County, established in 2006. A mere 25 miles north of Paso Robles, it is in the southern part of the county, nestled in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Range. It has great variance in elevation – from 580 to 2800 feet, and its soils are primarily gravelly loam and clay. Due to its warmer climate, it is an excellent growing area for full-bodied Rhône, Bordeaux, as well as Portuguese & Spanish, varietals.
The last wine growing area I presented was the Monterey AVA, in this case a bit of a catch-all. As vintner Mark Bunter is quoted as saying, “In one of the many examples of AVA nonsense, this vineyard, a mile outside Carmel Valley Village, isn’t in the Carmel Valley AVA, although vineyards 10 miles away, in Cachagua valley, are. So legally it’s not Carmel Valley wine, it’s Monterey wine. Whatever.” A new Carmel Coast AVA is coming soon to capture this gap!
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WINES!
In today’s post, I will showcase the 5 wines presented in my class. Winery notes come from their tasting sheets, the bottles, and/or their websites. My notes are from my previous tastings of these wines. Any errors are mine and mine alone.
CHESEBRO: “With lots of 300 cases or less, and a penchant for offbeat, as well as mainstream varietals, Chesebro’s production may be small, but the effort is prolific. We are passionate about true varietal expression, as well as preserving the unique voice of each vineyard site, from soil to glass. All of our wines are made solely from our vineyards in the Arroyo Seco and Carmel Valley AVA’s.
“This connection to every every aspect from vine to bottle allows us to keep our quality high and prices affordable. Our commitment to wines of distinction will be evident from your first visit to our casual and welcoming tasting room in beautiful Carmel Valley Village. Come find out what artisan wines, lovingly farmed and made by hand, truly taste like.”
2020 Chesebro Vermentino, Cedar Lane Vineyard, Arroyo Seco AVA, 13.1 ABV, $23 (#991)
Winery Notes: “A unique Italian (and French) white variety typically found in Corsica, Sardina and Liguira. Smooth and light on the palate with mouthwatering acidity. It is aromatically complex with citrus, herbal and often floral notes. Versatile and fresh it can be a great pairing with many lighter dishes such as poultry, fish, vegetables and fresh cheeses.”
My Notes: Straw in the glass. Perfume of apricot and citrus blossom on the nose. Crisp palate with apple and pear flavors with a slightly bitter grapefruit/lime twist on the finish. (March 2023)
CORRAL WINE CO: “Corral Wine Company is a production of Bell Family Vineyards. In 2017, in a barn in Corral de Tierra, California, we barreled our first batch of estate Pinot Noir. We’re still in that same barn, but we’ve made even more varietals from some of the best grapes on the Central Coast.”
2020 Corral Sauvignon Blanc, Zabala Vineyard, Arroyo Seco AVA, 13.4% ABV, $28 (#943)
Winery Notes: “Vibrant aromas of guava & grapefruit dominate with fresh cut hay, lemon blossom and wet stone. Racing acidity with a pleasant minerality.”
My Review: Golden and viscous in the glass. Grilled pineapple, citrus blossom and guava on the fragrant nose. Rich palate of tropical flavors, a touch of sweetness, with minerality on the finish – very nice. February 2023 (At the event itself, we experienced bottle variation. I have used this wine in other classes before with no issues. I have tasted this wine subsequent to this class and it was perfectly fine.)
SHALE CANYON WINES: Current production is ~1000+ cases/year. Arroyo Seco. They grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah & Mourvèdre. Making classic and unique blends, such as our current favorite ZSM: Zinfandel, Syrah & Mourvèdre.
2017 Shale Canyon Cabernet Franc, Arroyo Seco AVA, 14.2% ABV, $35 (#948)
Winery Notes: “Best of Class and Best of Show for $31 to $50 range at the 2023 4th annual International Cabernet Franc Competition! Our 2017 Estate Cabernet Franc starts with aromas of dark fruit, slight oak and a touch of floral. A complex wine with flavors of dark cherry, dark berry and cassis. A finish of vanilla with a hint of leather and medium firm tannins.
“Cabernet Franc is one of the world’s top 20 most popular grape varieties. Recent DNA testing has proven it to be an ancestor to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère and Malbec. It is so popular that is has its own “wine” holiday, International Cabernet Day is celebrated August 30th.”
My Review: Dark ruby in the glass. A sweet blackberry nose. Smooth and yummy palate of dark, lean fruit. Very balanced. This wine was a huge hit in the wine class, including my own daughter asking that we ship her a case! I’m working on it. March 2023
PIERCE RANCH VINEYARDS: “The story behind Pierce Ranch Vineyards is a love story of wine shared amongst friends and our beloved community. It starts in the iconic vineyards of southern Monterey County’s San Antonio Valley appellation in the year 2000. There is a depth to the terrain that exposes the remarkable quality of the region. A small, family-owned affair, we bring a sentimental spirit to viniculture, to honoring the land, and to cultivating and harvesting the grapes in the late summer and fall. The romanticism of crush and the sweeping vineyards flows into our cozy tasting room. What began as a cottage house built in 1915 has become a space where our community meets in the magical garden and rustic indoor setting to taste the ambrosial wine with a unique focus on Portuguese and Spanish varieties. It’s a love story that never ends, poetry in a bottle that starts with respect of the land and the community by never using herbicides and only using native yeasts with minimal intervention. It is a dedication to the vines and attention to the grapes so they continue to thrive with the years.”
2017 Pierce Ranch Tempranillo, San Antonio Valley AVA, 13.1% ABV, $28 (#236)
Winery Notes: “Native of the Rioja, product of our Panhandle and Y Ranch Vineyard plantings. Received a Gold/Best Tempranillo award in Monterey County.”
My Review: Beautiful garnet in the glass with plum and violet notes. Has come into its time: rich finish of dark fruit, coca cola, licorice and cassis. While not the biggest Tempranillo around, it is delicious and drinking very well. I should have presented this wine before the Cabernet Franc, as it was overshadowed by that huge wine. March 2023
BUNTER SPRING WINERY: “Bunter Spring Winery is a small family operated winery in the Coombsville AVA in the southeast corner of Napa Valley. We also have some production in Monterey. Most vintages we make a few hundred cases of wine, mostly for ourselves, but also for sale to friends on our mailing list, and a few restaurants and wine shops. Why make wine? We just don’t care for many of the wines sold today. We make the kind of wine we want to drink: balanced, interesting, made with few or no additives, and low or no sulfite. We list all ingredients, the actual sulfite level, and the actual alcohol level on every label. Incredibly, NO OTHER WINERY DOES THAT…”
2018 Spring “Pizza Wine,” Highlands Vineyard, Monterey AVA, 14.96% ABV, $24 (#757)65% Zinfandel, 35% Syrah
Winery Notes: “You can drink this with burgers, too, or with nothing at all, but it’s really good with pizza and spicy pasta. Aged sixteen months in American oak barrels. Ingredients: grapes, water, yeast, tartaric acid, sulfite. Not filtered, not fined. At bottling: total sulfite 52 ppm, residual sugar 0.3 g/l (dry).”
“In this vineyard, rows marked “Zinfandel” are promiscuously punctuated with Syrah and other varieties. Monterey is hardly a byword to Zin groupies, and the wine struck me as intensely fruit punchy but otherwise didn’t remind me much of Zinfandel, so I finished the job they started in the vineyard, and blended in more Syrah, to get a deeper, darker wine, with fuller body yet less alcohol. Yes, less alcohol. Believe it or not.” 16 months in once-used American oak barrels.
My Review: Very dark in color. Sweet dark fruit and perfume on the nose. Jammy dark berries and a touch of alcohol on the palate. This wine was favorably received by the class and is one of my favorites. It’s not as sophisticated as some of his other wines, but, as a ‘Zin groupie” living in Monterey, I appreciate it. I have presented this wine in 2 of my DC-area classes. June 2022
© Decanting Monterey 2023
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