Quick Take
In Part 2 of this week's column, Laurie Love tabs a local chardonnay as her Wine of the Week, answers a reader question on dealing with wax seals on wine bottles and goes gifting in Wine 101.
Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of this week’s Laurie Love on Wine column, with Laurie’s Wine of the Week pick and her Wine 101 lesson. Click here for Part 1, covering wine news and events.
Welcome to Laurie Love on Wine! I am Laurie Love, a professional wine writer and educator based in Santa Cruz. In this column, I share my wine passion, knowledge, and experience with Lookout readers. Follow me on my wine blog, Laurie Loves Wine, and on Instagram at LaurieLoveOnWine. I love email from readers! Stay in touch: Email me at laurie@lookoutlocal.com. Join me as we journey together through the wonderful world of wine.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Each column, I highlight a particular wine that I’m enjoying now. The Wine of the Week this week is …
2021 Sandar & Hem Santa Cruz Mountains Bald Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay ($56)
Lest you might think I like only deep, bold red wines like cabs and Bordeaux blends, I’ve got news for you. My favorite wine this week is this stunning chardonnay from the skilled hands of Robert Bergstrom, winemaker at Sandar & Hem Wines. The fruit comes from the iconic Bald Mountain Vineyard situated at 1,000 feet in elevation just 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean on unique limestone and white sandy Zayante soil in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vines were planted own-rooted (not grafted) more than 30 years ago and are farmed sustainably.
Bergstrom and his wife, Recha, started Sandar & Hem in 2018 with the intention of producing wines that tell the story of our diverse terroir. Bergstrom sources chardonnay from heritage vineyards across the Santa Cruz Mountains American Viticultural Area (AVA). “We believe that chardonnay captures the wide breadth of expressions and great heights possible from the rugged and geologically diverse sites with wildly varying microclimates of our region,” explained Bergstrom.
This chardonnay is elegant and shows its origin beautifully, with good acidity and minerality. The wine was fermented and aged 12 months sur lie (on the lees) with 20% new French oak and six months in stainless steel. On the palate, the wine dances with citrus, stone fruit and white floral notes, and ocean spray salinity, reflecting proximity to the Pacific. It’s powerful yet racy. The long finish is refreshing and satisfying and leaves you wanting more. This wine would make an outstanding partner to a holiday dinner featuring fresh crab or any other type of seafood. It’s one of the best chardonnays from the Santa Cruz Mountains I have ever tasted. Trust me, you will love it.
WINE Q&A
Got wine questions? I’ve got answers. Email me your wine-related questions at laurie@lookoutlocal.com.
Question: I purchased a bottle of wine that has a wax seal over the top. Can you tell me the best way to open it? Thanks for your help.
Anne P.
Laurie’s reply: Great question! I am seeing more wax-sealed wine bottles on the market than ever before. The wax seal replaces the foil capsule we often see on the top of wine bottles, giving the bottle a more elegant look. Wax gives a tighter seal than foil and can be more cost-effective for wineries. It can be daunting to know how to open these, though. A first instinct is to try to remove the wax from the outside of the bottle before taking out the cork. But this can create a mess and is not necessary. The best way to open a wax-sealed wine bottle is to use a regular wine key (corkscrew) and insert the worm (the spiral metal part) directly into the top and through the wax and cork as you would a regular wine cork. When you pull out the cork, the part of the wax sitting on the top of it will just pop off along with the cork. Voilà!
WINE 101
Whether you’re a wine novice or seasoned expert, I offer you something new to learn in the wide and wild world of wine.
Following on from my story from the previous column about shopping locally for Santa Cruz AVA wines, here’s a curated list of local wineries’ holiday specials and packs that are perfect for gifting or sharing with friends and family during seasonal festivities. Purchase directly through the winery’s website or from their tasting rooms. (Listed in alphabetical order for your reference.)
Bottle Jack Winery has curated Holiday Bundle six-bottle packs on special. The Variety pack includes viognier, rosé, grenache, zinfandel, tempranillo and pinot noir. The Red Only pack includes six bold red wines: tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, the newly released syrah-grenache-mourvèdre, JJ’s Cuvée and malbec. It’s $195 for each six-pack ($165 for club members). Bottle Jack is also offering an incredible discount on shipping: 50% off shipping on purchases of six bottles or more. This sounds like a no-brainer for sending wine gifts to friends and relatives.
Cooper-Garrod Winery has several holiday bundle specials available (find them here), including an intriguing three-pack featuring its red blend Test Pilot and white blend Black Widow for $121.50.
At Ferrari Ranch Wines, you can save $25 on its Holiday Trio Gift Set. For $110, you get the 2021 Estate Pinot Noir, 2021 Estate Chardonnay and 2022 Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. Click here for more info.
Kathryn Kennedy Winery is offering its Premier Holiday three-bottle Estate Cabernet Vertical for $400 ($65 savings). This set includes vintages 2006, 2011 and 2014 of its best-selling and highly acclaimed Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery also has a Holiday Sampler four-pack for $125 ($47 savings): one bottle each of 2022 Gruner Veltliner, 2019 Lateral (Bordeaux red blend), 2021 Small Lot Cabernet Sauvignon and 2022 Godello. Find the specials here.
House Family Vineyard is featuring special pricing on rare library wines and magnums this month, such as several vintages of its highly rated estate cabernets starting at $95 for the 2013. The winery also has special holiday packs, including a vertical of its Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (2013, 2014 and 2015) for $200, and a trio of 2018 pinot noir from Monterey County, Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains for $150. Contact House Family Vineyard for more info.
Lester Estate Wines has a holiday four-pack for $160.80 (regularly $201), which includes its 2021 Sparkling Rosé, 2020 Heritage Pinot Noir, 2020 Domingo Pinot Noir and 2019 Estate Syrah.
Sandar & Hem Wines is offering 10% off a purchase of three or more bottles with code HOLIDAY2023. It is also featuring its holiday special three-pack ($134): 2022 Grenache Rosé, 2021 Mountain Winery Chardonnay and 2021 Deerheart Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard has special gift packs of its Grand Cru cabernets. The Staiger Vineyard cab was my wine of the week last time, and I highly recommend it. Since then, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard has released three wines in its “Grand Cru” project and has a special website dedicated to these wines. Check it out here. Wines are $150 per bottle, specials are $275 for two-bottle packs and $400 for three-bottle packs. Very limited quantities, while supplies last. SCMV has also discounted many of its other wines by 10 to 25% – see those specials here.
Silver Mountain Vineyards has several specials happening through the holidays. Highlighting a few here: An intriguing gift set of its 2010 Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir and Skyport, its port-style wine, is available for $99, as is its three-bottle vertical of Alloy including the amazing 2013 vintage, which was my Wine of the Week a few weeks back. Silver Mountain winemaker Tony Craig’s label, Sonnet Wine Cellars, has a great deal on “The Tondré Grapefield Duo,” featuring the 2018 Chardonnay and 2021 Pinot Noir for $65 (regularly $86). These deals are available only for in-person purchase at the winery or its Westside tasting room.
And finally, a screaming deal on a fantastic wine for sale at Shopper’s Corner in Santa Cruz. The 2018 Soquel Vineyards Merlot, which won a Double Gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle wine competition in 2021, is available for $9.99 (regularly $24.99). Grab this gem while you can.
Until next time!
Cheers, Laurie
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