There it was, proudly denominated in the tasting program,
“Appellation: El Dorado”. More wineries
than ever before featured wines made from El Dorado grapes. With a tradition of
families involved in El Dorado wine grape growing (see recent blogposts on this
topic), it just seems right that they’d
be pouring their wines at the Family Winemakers of California tasting. Among the El Dorado wine grape growers/winemakers
who featured their wines were Auriga Wine Cellars, Lava Cap Winery, and Madroña Vineyards.
And then there were the sleepers. Taste taste taste and then I’d make an
inquiry: “Did you use any El Dorado
grapes to make this wine?” The El
Dorado sense of place is distinct, flavorful and unmistakable. Kudos to the winemakers at Frog’sTooth Vineyards, and Urban Legend
Cellars, among others.
FEATURED WINES from El Dorado Grapes
Diane Stading, Auriga |
Diane Stading of Auriga Wine Cellars poured their 2010
Zinfandel among other wines. This wine,
made from grapes grown on 35 year old vines on the ridge of the Sumu Kaw Vineyard
near Placerville, features an intense fruitiness. The Stadings work closely with the Sumu Kaw Vineyard
manager, Diane noted. David and Sheila Bush, also El Dorado WineGrape Growers Association members, own this well-known vineyard. The Auriga 2010 Zinfandel is $24 the bottle.
Charlie Jones, LavaCap |
Charlie Jones of Lava Cap found that their Petite Syrah and
Grenache were popular with tasters.
Richard and Paul Bush, Madrona |
Among the Madroña wines poured by Paul and Richard Bush was
the 2012 Riesling “Hillside Collection”.
A delicious wine, just introduced.
At $14 a bottle, it was a hit with the crowd.
Larry Aderman and taster, Frog's Tooth |
Larry Aderman of Frog’s Tooth Vineyards, Murphys, CA, poured
the 2010 Zinfandel made from grapes sourced from El Dorado’s Gold Hill
Vineyards. $26/bottle. He also sources grapes for his Barbera from
Gold Hill Vineyards…but this is sold out. “I like the grapes from El Dorado,”
Aderman said. “The volcanic component of
the soil gives them a dramatic flavor.”
Marilee Shaffer, Urban Legend Winery |
Marilee Shaffer of Urban Legend Winery poured a 2010
Dolcetto made with grapes from the LBS Ranch/Lava Cap vineyards. The first Urban Legend Dolcetto made with El
Dorado grapes was the 2009 vintage. This
2010 Dolcetto, of which 125 cases were produced, sells at $25 a bottle.
The Family Winemakers of California annual tasting in San
Francisco is a first-class tasting event, with many good contacts made and old
friends greeted. I even saw a bottle of
Lava Cap Barbera pass over the table en route to a late summer Taste-Off at the
Wine Coop with members of the Bay Area Wine
Society. I bet they will be
thrilled.
p.s. I particularly
enjoyed the quip shared with me by an out-of-county winemaker who employs a harp
player for events. Said harpist has a
trucker husband who hauls grapes during crush.
The trucker said: ”There’s a lot of El Dorado Old Vine Zinfandel that
turns into Napa Old Vine Zinfandel as soon as it crosses the county line.” Sounds like magic to me!
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