Laurie Love on Wine: Cab and views at Premier Cruz, Wine Enthusiast honors locals and events aplenty

Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of this week’s Laurie Love on Wine column, covering wine news and events. Click here for Part 2, with Laurie’s Wine of the Week pick and her Wine 101 lesson.

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 NEWS

Premier Cruz — Where cab is king

On a starry night on top of the world overlooking Silicon Valley, I attended the Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains’ popular annual event, Premier Cruz. The event, which was held this year at Vidovich Vineyards at the end of Montebello Road in Cupertino, featured cabernet sauvignon and Bordeaux-blend wines from over 18 Santa Cruz Mountains winemakers.

As if the view wasn’t intoxicating enough (not to mention the drive up to the top), the evening started with a fabulous walk-around tasting of current and rare library wines — most poured by the winemakers themselves — paired with hors d’oeuvres served on the panoramic patio of Vidovich and inside its cozy tasting room. This was followed by a lavish sit-down four-course dinner prepared by chef Ross Hanson of Oak & Rye and paired with many outstanding local cabernet and cabernet-blend wines.

Here are some of my favorites of the evening, wines I highly recommend no matter the season.

Nicolas Vonderheyden, winegrower and winemaker at Maison Areion (located above Woodside), poured his 2016 and 2018 Chaine d’Or Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2018 vintage saw 50% new oak (with half and half French and American), and tasted generous and inviting with fruit, herbs and oak spice. On the other hand, the 2016 was made without any oak contact whatsoever using native yeast, so super low intervention with focus on terroir. The wine was fresh with good acidity, soft tannin and a nice long fruity finish. What a unique experience to taste a cabernet (especially a California cab) without any oak treatment! “When I took over management of the vineyard and winery, I wanted to get a feeling for the true nature of the fruit,” said Vonderheyden. To do this, he made his wine in stainless steel only. “This allowed me to explore different oak programs [type and size of barrel and aging time] in the following years. I am still to this day experimenting. Tasting the 2016 cab seven years later makes me want to reduce the oak input. I love the freshness it shows. It feels pure.” I totally agree!

An interesting and tasty wine was Mount Madonna-based Left Bend Winery’s “Mashup” — 50% cabernet sauvignon, 40% syrah, and the rest is petit verdot and cabernet franc. Made in the solera method of fractional blending from 10 vintages spanning 2010 to 2019, the wine was very rich and concentrated while the tannin was soft and well-integrated. Richard Hanke, winegrower, explained that in the mountains, cab grapes grow in smaller clusters with smaller berries which have higher tannin and lower yields (1 to 1½ tons per acre). Making the wine in this way allows the younger vintages in the blend to bring brighter fruit notes and the older ones to provide softer tannins.

As usual, Kathryn Kennedy Winery (Saratoga) did not disappoint. Its 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon tasted so fresh with the fruit and soft tannins still present after 14 years. Lucious blackberry, blueberry, cassis, mint, jalapeño, tobacco, leather, chocolate aromas and flavors. The 2005 vintage was sublime as well.

The oldest wine of the tasting was the Cooper-Garrod (Saratoga) 2000 Lone Oak Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged to perfection, this 23-year-old cab was so well-balanced with integrated soft tannin and notes of blackberry, black cherry, coffee, toffee, chocolate and mint.

A couple of other big, rich, ripe cabernets showcased the quality of fruit from Gilroy: Fernwood Cellars 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, made with 100% French oak, and Dorcich Family Vineyards 2017 Vidovich Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.

Lexington Wine Co. (Woodside), a sister brand from Thomas Fogarty Winery, offered its 2018 Cabernet Franc, perhaps the only cabernet franc-only bottling being poured that evening. It showed fresh black fruit and floral aromas with a soft, silky tannin expression and long finish.

At dinner, we were lucky to sample two Beauregard Vineyards (Bonny Doon) cabs from magnum large-format bottles. Ryan Beauregard, owner and winemaker, poured the 2017 Estate Beauregard Ranch at table. This wine has lower alcohol levels (12.5%), making it extremely food-friendly. An elegant wine, it showed mountain fruit (berries), redwood notes and well-integrated fine-grain oak tannin. Equally elegant and even more refined, his 2012 Estate Beauregard Ranch showcases the unique terroir of the Beauregard Ranch estate vineyard (sitting at 1,800 feet above the fog line, with sandy loam soil) and offers aromas and flavors of mountain berries, wild blackberry, graphite, brown spice, redwood and saline.

And finally, also at dinner, Jeff Emery, owner and winemaker at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard (Westside Santa Cruz), poured a gorgeous, soon-to-be-released cabernet sauvignon from his new “Grand Cru” project: Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard 2017 Staiger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The first word in my tasting notes was “Wow!” Stay tuned for more on this outstanding wine and Jeff’s fascinating project honoring historic Santa Cruz Mountains vineyards.

Premier Cruz was founded by Matt Oetinger (Fernwood Cellars), Marty Mathis (Kathryn Kennedy Winery), Jeffrey Patterson (Mount Eden Vineyards) and Donn Reisen (Ridge Vineyards) about 15 years ago. Since then, it is hosted by the Wines of Santa Cruz Mountains organization and takes place every year at different venues around our appellation showcasing the rich history of our highly acclaimed Santa Cruz Mountains cabernet.

Local wines score big in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100

Wine Enthusiast magazine recently announced its “Top 100 Cellar Selections” for 2023, and three of our local Santa Cruz wines made the list. Wine Enthusiast selects wines for this list based on their ability to improve with age in your cellar (or wherever your wine rack resides), and this year’s list features many unique wines that are more modestly priced.

At No. 16 on the list, the top-scoring local wine was Ridge Vineyards 2021 East Bench Funsten Ranch Zinfandel ($45). Ridge zinfandels are some of my favorite wines because they taste great upon release, age well and are outstanding quality for value. The Silicon Valley view from Ridge Vineyards’ Monte Bello estate is incredible, and Ridge offers a wine club for zinfandel lovers, which I highly recommend.

Ryan Alfaro, winemaker at Alfaro Family Vineyards, has his ownsmall production project called Farm Cottage Wines, which won a spot on the Wine Enthusiast list as well. At No. 93 is the Farm Cottage 2021 Trout Gulch Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains ($42). This is a wine with great citrus and mineral notes made with native yeast fermentation, and was sourced from a special vineyard that was planted in 1980 up Trout Gulch Road near Aptos.

And coming in at No. 99 is Birichino 2022 Central Coast Old Vines Besson Vineyard Grenache ($30). This is an incredibly delicious and refreshing grenache made from a historic vineyard that was planted in 1910. Still young, the wine will cellar for many years thanks to its acidity, chalky tannins and old-vine heritage. Click here to find out more about Besson Vineyard.

Kudos to these winemakers for making this prestigious list! Access the full list here of Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Cellar Selections.

Wine & Roses event raises over $100K for charity

The Wine & Roses fundraising event held in Watsonville in early November, which I attended and reported on in a recent column, raised an incredible $117,000 to benefit the Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley. Lookout was a media sponsor. Of that, $106,000 were in-kind contributions from over 170 local businesses. The funds raised this year support the health and equity of health care in the Pajaro Valley, a region that was particularly hard hit during last winter’s storms. Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley continues to accept donations through its website. Consider donating to help our community members in the Pajaro Valley.

UPCOMING WINE EVENTS

Each column I highlight some of the wine events happening around our region. If you are a winery or organization that has an upcoming wine event, email me with the details at laurie@lookoutlocal.com.

As the holidays approach, here is a curated list of holiday-themed wine events to enjoy this coming month.

Bargetto Winery (3535 N. Main St., Soquel) holds its 31st annual Art in the Cellars event this weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Enjoy a weekend of wine and fine art with over 30 local artists and food vendors selling their wares. Free admission; wine tasting is $20 ($15 for wine club members) and includes a festival glass. More info here.

On Saturday, Dec. 9, two fun and festive back-to-back wine events are not to be missed. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., enjoy the Aptos Wine Wander in Aptos Village. Taste wines from more than 15 participating wineries as you do some holiday shopping at this year’s makers market and surrounding local businesses. Tickets are $45 in advance, $50 day-of, but don’t wait as this event always sells out.

And from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, is Staff of Life’s annual Winter Wine Stroll, a seasonal tasting event held at its Santa Cruz location (1266 Soquel Ave.). This is a great event featuring French Champagne and wines, Italian wines, local wines (from Alfaro Winery, Windy Oaks, Kathryn Kennedy, Soquel Vineyards, I. Brand Wines, Integrity Wines and more), ciders and specialty cheeses, meats, and sweets from around the world. Advanced ticket purchase ($25) is highly recommended for this popular event that also benefits Hospice of Santa Cruz County. Purchase tickets and get more info via Eventbrite.

Staff of Life also has ongoing free wine tastings happening weekly at both its Santa Cruz and Watsonville locations, featuring local and global wines, and cheese tastings plus 10% off featured wines. Wine Down Wednesdays are every Wednesday in Watsonville, and Thirsty Thursdays are every Thursday in Santa Cruz. Both events are from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and run through the end of the year. This Wednesday it’s French wines from importer Martine Wines in Watsonville, and Thursday in Santa Cruz it’s wines from Santa Barbara and Beaujolais, France. Did I mention it’s free?!

A pleasant drive south of town takes you to the northern edge of nearby Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands American Viticultural Area (AVA), another region like our own known for quality chardonnay and pinot noir. On Saturday, Dec. 16, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. you can attend Odonata Winery’s “Blanc de Blanc” party at 645 River Rd. in Salinas. The event features Odonata’s new 2018 Blanc de Blanc, a 100% chardonnay sparkling wine, as well as an oyster bar, po’boy sandwiches, a French fry station and grazing table. For pricing, info and tickets, click here.

Tune in Friday for my Wine of the Week (any guesses?) and Wine 101, where this week I share tips for shopping for local wines.

Until next time!

Cheers, Laurie

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.