Charming Californians
Free tasting | Saturday, February 1, 2020 | 4-6PM
We’ve received some new Californian wine recently and, man, are they charming. Perhaps charming like Brad Pitt’s awards speeches as of late, or charming like Greta Gerwigs's remake of Little Women (she was robbed for no Best Director nom, amiright??). The newest ‘Amber’ Queen of the Sierra is a Muscat/Chardonnay/Vermentino blend from Matthew Rorick at Forlorn Hope and its charismatic as hell, as is the Green & Red Zinfandel from Napa that we can’t keep on the shelves. Come taste a few of these cool Californinans with us on Saturday. It’s February 1st AND Oscar season! Let’s get PUMPED.
Charming Californians:
Whoa, amber is the color of your energy…
2018 Forlorn Hope, Queen of the Sierra, Amber Wine
Who: Matthew Rorick and his incredible winemaking team!
What: A blend of Muscat, Chardonnay and Vermentino
Where: Sierra Foothills, California
How: These grapes went through spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel.
Farming Method: Biodynamic
Fun Fact: “Forlorn Hope as a name has its origins in the Dutch phrase verloren hoop, meaning literally "lost troop." This was mistranslated into Forlorn Hope as far back as the English Civil War as the name given to the band of soldiers who volunteered to lead the charge directly into enemy defenses or who were positioned in an exposed outpost.” COOL!! And so poetic.
What It Tastes Like: Smells like clementines and apricots. Tannins like black tea. So freaking good.
Picpoul calls for Disco!
2017 Lone Madrone, Picpoul Blanc Paso Robles
Who: Winemaker Neil Collins
What: Picpoul Blanc
Where: Paso Robles, California
How: All of Neil’s wines are fermented with native yeasts and native malolactic bacteria then aged in predominantly neutral oak barrels.
Farming Method: Dry farmed wines from the Adelaida and Willow Creek AVA
Fun Fact: The Lone Madrone wine label was founded in 1996 atop vineyard sites sitting upon rugged limestone hills on the west side of Paso Robles.
What It Tastes Like: Full-bodied, unctuous. A bit like Chardonnay but higher acidity and saltiness. Pair with seared scallops - yum yum!
NV Field Recordings, TANG Piquette
Who: Andrew Jones
What: Blend of Pinot Gris and Chenin Blanc
Where: Paso Robles, California
How: SEEN on back label of TANG: “Our latest experiment? Literally turning water into wine. Piquette began as a way to meet the needs of the people during the 1800s wine blight in France. It starts as a wine tea - we take the presses skins and rehydrate them with well water, soaking up all that flavor from the dried skins. After re-pressing a week later, we get a light, refreshing, low-alcohol elixir. Then we add a bit of our finished table wine for acidity and stability, bottle, and let the leftover sugars and native yeast work their magic and give the finished juice a nice sparkle.”
Farming Method: All sourced fruit, and some estate I think, is organic.
Fun Fact: Andrew’s winery is located at 3070 LIMESTONE WAY, PASO ROBLES, CA, 93446 - so if you want to send him a postcard, now you can.
What It Tastes Like: Clementine and juicy. Tangy and bright. You would never think it was just 7.1% ABV!
2018 Forlorn Hope ‘Queen of the Sierra’ Rosé
Who: Matthew Rorick loves to drink pink
What: A blend of Barbera and Zinfandel grapes
Where: Sierra Foothills, California
How: Grapes are grown on limestone and schist soil at an elevation of 2000 feet before being hand-harvested and fermenting with native yeasts.
Farming Method: Biodynamic
Fun Fact: After graduating from the prestigious UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program, Rorick set out to create wine that connected his love of history and terroir.
What It Tastes Like: This watermelon-pink rosé is crisp and tart with notes of green apples and nectarines.
2016 Green & Red Vineyard, Zinfandel ‘Chiles Canyon' Vineyard
Who: Green & Red Vineyard was founded in 1977 by Jay Heminway (who passed away in June 2019, leaving the winery to be run by his wife Pam and daughter Tobin)
What: 100% Napa Zinfandel, baby
Where: Napa Valley, California
How: The Green & Red Vineyard, which overlooks Napa’s Chiles Valley, is notable for its iron-rich red soils veined with slick green serpentine. This Zinfandel was aged for 14 months in a combination of 70% American oak (20% new) and 30% French oak.
Farming Method: Practicing Organic
Fun Fact: When Jay purchased his winery in 1977 there were only about 30 wineries in operation in the Napa Valley (the limited numbers of wineries in the valley were a direct result of Prohibition which ended some 46 years earlier). Today there are more than 1000+ operations producing wine and 500+ physical wineries. Talk about inflation!!
What It Tastes Like: Plummy, raspberry flavors explode from the glass. A deep, sultry taste with slight funk and peppercorn. Pair with lentil stew on a chilly evening and say aahhhhhh.