Have Wine Will Travel Radio

Wehave another great audio feature for you all today!daryl Groom Will join me as we open his great Zinfandel.First we look at his website and fill you in on his great career in the winemaking industry.

Daryl Groom has been involved in the wine industry in both the USA and Australia for more than 30 years. Currently he is engaged in a number of wine- related projects in both countries. He is the Owner/ Winemaker for Groom Wines in Australia, a very successful ultra premium brand focusing on Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc.

His other great joy is his newest brand Colby Red Wine, a wine initiated and inspired by his son Colby Groom who underwent back to back open heart surgeries. Proceeds from this wine go to charities across the USA that promote heart health (www.colbyred.com). The Groom Family has raised over $900,000 for heart charities including the American Heart Association and The Children's Heart Foundation.

Prior to his current ventures, Daryl was Senior Winemaker for Penfolds in Australia where he oversaw the making of Penfolds famed red wine, Grange. He was the Executive Winemaker for Peak Wines International that owned both Geyser Peak and Wildhorse Wineries (1990-2005) and then Senior VP of Operations and Winemaking for Beam Wine Estates (2006/2007).

Daryl's passion for wine sees him judging at 8 international wine shows annually. He has also been a repeat guest on E television and also appeared on the NBC Today Show. He also partners and is Chief Judge at the North Coast Wine Challenge Wine Competetion and is partner with well known Chef Charlie Palmer in the prestigious and highly successful Charlie Palmers Pigs and Pinot. Pigs and Pinot is an annual 2 day event that raises over $150,000 for local and national charities.

Zinfandel is a grape variety whose origins are believed to be from Europe, possibly Croatia, where it was traded to Italy and referred to as Primativo. Zinfandel’s success is primarily related to California where it has been grown for 150 years. It is produced by many wineries and receives cult status among wine lovers. Many believe this variety is to California what shiraz is to Australia.

Zinfandel is a hearty variety. It produces its best wines in areas where the grapevine needs to work hard. Our Kalimna shiraz vineyard has just the micro-climate to experiment with this variety to endeavour to produce wines that match California’s best.

It is no secret that the best California Zinfandels are from old vines, grown head-trained (aka bush vines). With this principle in mind we decided to plant and train our vines to this method. More time consuming, less yield but hopefully high quality. Our 8 acres of bush vines have been designated the “Bush Block”.

This first release is a solid wine displaying very typical zinfandel hallmarks. Brick red in colour, a very spicy, raisiny aroma and a rich medium weighted palate with some apparent sweetness, although the wine is dry. This sweetness in taste comes from the higher alcohol and raisining of some of the grapes.

This wine can be very much enjoyed with pasta or red meat, and will be fantastic with cheese to end a meal. Please join us by clicking on the link below,and enjoy our great audio feature with Daryl Groom1 Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great wines and food.

We have a treat for you! I recently sat down with Daryl Groom,and opened three of his wines.Truly a Pleasure to talk with this world class winemaker. First we will look at his recent press and a little from his website)(groomwines.com) and on the wines to be featured. Prior to his current ventures, Daryl was Senior Winemaker for Penfolds in Australia where he oversaw the making of Penfolds famed red wine, Grange. He was the Executive Winemaker for Peak Wines International that owned both Geyser Peak and Wildhorse Wineries (1990-2005) and then Senior VP of Operations and Winemaking for Beam Wine Estates (2006/2007).

Daryl's passion for wine sees him judging at 8 international wine shows annually. He has also been a repeat guest on E television and also appeared on the NBC Today Show. He also partners and is Chief Judge at the North Coast Wine Challenge Wine Competetion and is partner with well known Chef Charlie Palmer in the prestigious and highly successful Charlie Palmers Pigs and Pinot. Pigs and Pinot is an annual 2 day event that raises over $150,000 for local and national charities. We have three amazing wines starting with a beautiful Sav Blanc.

Lenswood, in the Adelaide Hills appellation of South Australia, is where our Sauvignon Blanc is grown. It is a very cool climate with relatively high winter rainfall. Our Lenswood vineyard is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc and is producing stunning Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Daryl says that the vineyard conditions are so perfect that all he has to do is harvest at the right moment and then get out of the way and not muck things up!

What emerges from this clean, uncomplicated winemaking approach is a wine with brilliant acidity and flavors that balance citrus with floral. Brighter than California Sauvignon Blanc, and a little less pungent than New Zealand, this wine exemplifies the Adelaide Hills appellation as a world class Sauvignon Blanc producing region. Our wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc fruit, 100% stainless steel fermented with no oak contact and 0% malolactic fermentation. Daryl’s aim is to get the incredible, intense fruit flavors from the vine into the glass. This wine showcases pure Sauvignon fruit at its very best. Links to vintage specific technical information for each vintage. This wine is all a Sav Blanc wants to be,purely perfect and in fact a food and wine pairing in your very near future. Our next wine has become an instant favorite of mine!

The Barossa Valley is the source of our Shiraz. With it’s hot, dry conditions and fairly level valley floor and undulating hills, this appellation is generally recognized as the best red wine district in Australia. Our Kalimna property is located next door to the traditional Penfolds Grange “mother source” vineyard. The unforgiving soils of this area are well known to produce very low yields, loose clusters and extremely small berries. Classic, ultra premium Shiraz territory!

Daryl looks for a little less wood in his Shiraz than is typical of Australian Shiraz. He wants a wine that is rich, but not overly jammy, tannic, or oaky in flavor so that it can show off the spicy, anise, berry flavors - true varietal characters in the grape. He is looking for a firm, fleshy structure and a fine texture. Daryl achieves his results by traditional and gentle winemaking methods: fermentation is small batches, punched down in open-top vessels; a skin maceration of only 6 days; minimal handling throughout and aging in American oak (half new, half 1 year old). Careful barrel selection increases the quality and consistency of our Shiraz. In the very near future we will discuss and feature his Zinfandel. for now please click on the links be low,and join me as we introduce you to one of the great winemakers of our current times... Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great wines and food. Click here and join us as we enjoy great wines and food.

Today we will try three new wines from Ra Ra Wine Co. Healdsburg California is trulu a wine hub now,offering great wines from many different wine regions surounding this great little town. I met this amazing lady at Valette Healdsburg,and now will enjoy this great story and adventure with her great wines. We will look at the webiste,and tasting notes,but first,a little back ground. Kara Marie Wines began in 2018 with a passion for great wine made in a lively, fruit forward style. 100 cases of rosé later, and so began an unexpectedly epic journey! Trained and mentored (not to mention raised!) by a winemaker whose philosophy is to let the fruit do the talking, I’ve done exactly that…with my own spin of course! Fast forward to 2023, and I am proud to offer a full line up of wines I am passionate about making and drinking! Kara Marie Wines has now evolved into two brands, Ra Ra Wine Co. and Little Ra Ra Ferments. Both platforms allow me to craft limited production wines of excellent quality­ and top-notch drinkability. Kara Groom

Six harvests across three continents and it was time to come home to Sonoma County. Now following my passion for food & wine (aka eating and drinking), I’m crafting beautiful wines and delicious dishes to accompany them." We have two great audio features and three wines. 1. 2023 DRY RIESLING 2.2023 MELON DE BOURGOGNE 3. 2023 ROSÉ OF GRENACHE Please go to Karamariewines.com to learn more! We will also get together with Kara and pair some great dishes from local chefs...in the very near future. So please clickon the links below,and join us as we discuss these great wines. Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great wines and food.

Today we will try three new wines from Ra Ra Wine Co. Healdsburg California is trulu a wine hub now,offering great wines from many different wine regions surounding this great little town. I met this amazing lady at Valette Healdsburg,and now will enjoy this great story and adventure with her great wines. We will look at the webiste,and tasting notes,but first,a little back ground. Kara Marie Wines began in 2018 with a passion for great wine made in a lively, fruit forward style. 100 cases of rosé later, and so began an unexpectedly epic journey! Trained and mentored (not to mention raised!) by a winemaker whose philosophy is to let the fruit do the talking, I’ve done exactly that…with my own spin of course! Fast forward to 2023, and I am proud to offer a full line up of wines I am passionate about making and drinking! Kara Marie Wines has now evolved into two brands, Ra Ra Wine Co. and Little Ra Ra Ferments. Both platforms allow me to craft limited production wines of excellent quality­ and top-notch drinkability. Kara Groom

Six harvests across three continents and it was time to come home to Sonoma County. Now following my passion for food & wine (aka eating and drinking), I’m crafting beautiful wines and delicious dishes to accompany them." We have two great audio features and three wines. 1. 2023 DRY RIESLING 2.2023 MELON DE BOURGOGNE 3. 2023 ROSÉ OF GRENACHE Please go to Karamariewines.com to learn more! We will also get together with Kara and pair some great dishes from local chefs...in the very near future. So please clickon the links below,and join us as we discuss these great wines. Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

Yes it's that time of year!I love it! Today we have a great new feature with Don Wallace and plenty of single vineyard Zinfandels really and opened.First let's look at their website,and the tasting notes on our featured Zinfandels from Dry Creek Vineyard. 2020 Wallace Ranch Zinfandel

Dry Creek Valley

Winemaker Notes:

Our Wallace Ranch Zinfandel is a shining example of the preservation of iconic old vine Zinfandel. This incredible vineyard is on the home property of Proprietors Kim and Don Wallace, and it was the first to be planted using the Heritage Clone in 1994. To develop this clone, we grafted budwood from a pre-Prohibition vineyard onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock in our estate Wallace Ranch vineyard, forever preserving the heritage of the old vines and crafting a "young vine" wine with "old vine" characteristics. Initially, the aromas express fruit-forward tones of black cherry, blackberry and raspberry. In the background, subtle notes of coriander, white pepper and cumin emerge after several minutes of airing. On the palate, flavors of cranberry and boysenberry pie mix with soft undertones of cardamom, nutmeg and mocha. The wine is supple with tremendous complexity and symmetry between fruit, alcohol, tannin and acid. yes I did say three.....our second wine today is

2020 Vogensen Ranch Zinfandel

Dry Creek Valley

Winemaker Notes:

Rising more than 800 feet off the valley floor, Vogensen Ranch is located on the back of Bradford Mountain and is one of the more extreme growing sites in all of Dry Creek Valley. We have isolated a steeply sloped, well-draining area of the vineyard called “Barn Block” to create this bottling for our single vineyard series. The undulating nature of the terrain and east-facing sun exposure provide grapes that are beautifully ripened and lead to a wine that is silky, textured and well-balanced. Aromas of blueberry, blackberry and black cherry jump from the glass and intermix with spicy nuances of nutmeg, cinnamon and white pepper. Juicy, rich dark flavors of brambleberries and plum come forward, combined with deeper notes of black pepper and marzipan. The silky, seamless tannins flesh out the vibrant finish of black and white pepper, all framed by refreshing acidity and superb roundness. Tasting these wines reminds me ...I like to eat!!... Our third wine today is 2020 Farmhouse Vineyard Zinfandel

Russian River Valley

Winemaker Notes:

This delicious bottling is the sixth vintage of Zinfandel produced from our Farmhouse Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The vines in our Farmhouse Vineyard were among the first to be planted using the Heritage budwood concept to preserve the heritage of iconic old vine Zinfandel vineyards! Cuttings from a pre-Prohibition era vineyard were grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock to create a “young vine” wine with “old vine” Zinfandel characteristics. Initially, the aromas show fruit-forward tones of black and red cherries, cranberry and blackberry. Subtle notes of mocha, rose and earthy nuances come forward after several minutes of airing. On the palate, flavors of plum and strawberry mix with soft undertones of coriander, toffee, toasty cedar and roasted almonds. The wine is supple with tremendous complexity and silky tannins. The finish is pure with a slight spiciness and refined elegance. The stage is set! Please click on the link,at the bottom of this feature.please enjoy this great new audio feature with Don Wallace.all music is my original music...performed by...Yours truly.Enjoy.Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

We have two perfect wines for your holiday feast!Are you ready. First the 2020 Spencer's Hill Petite Sirah

Dry Creek Valley

Winemaker Notes:

The Petite Sirah varietal has traditionally played an important role in producing our world-class Zinfandel wines. In certain vintages, we decide to bottle a small amount of Petite Sirah to more fully express this incredible variety. From the first moments of airing, this Petite Sirah exudes aromas of blackberry and ripe plum with nuances of nutmeg, coriander and fine leather. The palate is defined by flavors of black cherry, white pepper. cinnamon and mocha. The tannins are firm, but well integrated with a long and lingering finish. Notes of pie crust and dried herbs emerge along a deep and rich mouthfeel filled with supple tannins and a smooth texture. This wine is a huge and beautiful wine,and moved straight to the top of my favorite wines! Until we opened the 2020 Historic Blocks Zinfandel

Dry Creek Valley

Winemaker Notes:

Our Historic Blocks Zinfandel is a tribute to the legacy vineyards of Dry Creek Valley and our family winery’s enduring commitment to preserve the extraordinary heritage of Zinfandel. Located primarily along the eastern bench of the valley, specific blocks of old vine Zinfandel were selected as the backbone of this robust and luxurious wine. These century-old, gnarled vines are still tended to by hand, preserving this beloved tradition and living testament to the remarkable history of our home appellation. This vintage presents inviting aromatics of boysenberry, blackberry and plum with notes of orange peel, baking spice and toasty cedar. On the palate, layers of black cherry, cranberry and raspberry come forward with nuances of coriander, whit pepper, mocha and rose petal. The wine is full-bodied, with deep richness and impeccable balance. Its tannins are slightly firm and lend a plush mouthfeel. Both wines will be on the table for my next birthday the day after Christmas! Don wallace will tell us more about these wines,and we have agreat audio feature which you can access by clicking on the link below. Please join us!AND Happy holidays! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

I recently traveled into the Dry Creek Valley and sat down with Don Wallace,at Dry Creek Vineyard. We did new features on some of the amazing red wines. Today we have three wines .We will start with the Pinot Noir. Winemaker Notes:

The Russian River Valley is perhaps the finest region for growing world-class Pinot Noir in all of California. The coastal climate is ideal with daily heating and cooling cycles that create the perfect conditions to cultivate this delicate grape. We produce just a small amount of Pinot Noir, hand selecting the most optimal fruit from our vineyard. Aged in small French oak barrels, this beautiful wine displays pure varietal characteristics and earthy nuances, true to the terroir of the Russian River Valley appellation. This 2021 vintage displays wonderful aromatics of black cherry, blueberry and rhubarb. Several more minutes of airing reveal notes of black tea, rose and cocoa. On the palate, flavors of raspberry and cranberry integrate with hints of baking spices, orange peel and toasty cedar. The tannins are fine with a delicate mouthfeel and beautiful complexity. This delicious Pinot Noir is flavorful and balanced with naturally high acidity and a long lingering finish. We also opened the beautiful Merlot. Winemaker Notes:

We have crafted this classic Bordeaux varietal since 1974. Our first vintage of Merlot was released in 1974, and we have produced this classic Bordeaux varietal ever since. In fact, the Dry Creek Vineyard 1991 Reserve Merlot won the prestigious “Grand Prix d’Honneur” at the 1995 Challenge International Du Vin in Bordeaux, France — much to the surprise of the French! This delicious varietal adds bright aromatics and a velvety mouthfeel as a blending component for our Bordeaux program, but it is outstanding as the dominant varietal as well. In our 2019 vintage, aromas of black cherry, plum and black currant immediately fill the senses. A few more moments reveal notes of nutmeg, cocoa and black and white pepper. The palate is full of wonderful complexity, combining flavors of blackberry and boysenberry. This wine features deep undertones of coriander, bay leaf and mocha with a bright finish and silky tannins. This beautiful wine has excellent structure and balance with a lush, round quality that lingers. these are the tasting notes from their great website. today we will feature a third wine. 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon "Iron Slopes"

Dry Creek Valley

Winemaker Notes:

This high-elevation Cabernet Sauvignon was inspired by our decades of working with Bordeaux varietals planted in the different districts and vineyards within Dry Creek Valley. This exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon showcases some of the more extreme growing sites that lie on the western hillsides of Dry Creek Valley. The undulating nature of the terrain provides grapes that are beautifully ripened and lead to a wine that is silky, textured and complex. Juicy aromas of plum and blueberry come forward initially. Additional airing reveals notes of cedar, cinnamon, thyme and coriander. The palate is bold and luxurious with luscious yet earthy flavors of black cherry, fine leather, mocha and white truffle. The finish lingers with notes of white pepper, caramel and oregano. Chewy tannins frame this full-bodied and rich expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. We have two new audio features.Please click on the link at the bottom of this feature,and join Don Wallace and i as we discuss these incredible wines. In the up coming weeks we will have many new audio features with this world class winery and Don Wallace. Cheers!! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

recently Don Wallace and I enjoyed four courses at the Matheson in Healdsburg. It's always a great time when Don Wallace and I get together. We have 4 wines and 4 courses to share with you today. First let's look at the tasting notes and the great websites of Dry Creek Vineyard and The Matheson. Open Tuesday through Sunday at 5:00 PM.

Bar Open at 4pm.

A Love Letter to Sonoma County

Our menu is a modern ode to Healdsburg’s micro-seasonal ingredients,

exploring the possibilities of a locally foraged fungi from a secret stand on the slopes of rolling forest, or the range of a Purple Heart tomato cultivated from a farm within walking distance to the restaurant. For Chef Nate Davis and team, finding the limitlessness in the specific moment is a play of craft and passion. The downstairs bar menu is a culmination of both classic cocktails and their modern twists. The back bar is made of suspended cold steel and is stocked with sought-after brown spirits and other rarities. The Matheson’s sake cellar, includes a range of the major styles of sake, listed on our digital wine list. The Wine Wall features 88 wines on tap, allowing curious drinkers splashes of multiple selections without over-commitment, or those who know what they like a half or full glass. “We are able to share pours of the most extraordinary wines, often hard to find and when found, only by the bottle,” said Beverage Director Jon McCarthy. Design your own flight of fancy, exploring a region, a varietal, a vintage, or a hunch. No reservations necessary, stop by before or after your dining experience - or on your exploration of the Healdsburg Square. We have opened four great wines from Dry Creek Vineyard . Winemaker Notes:

For over 50 years, Dry Creek Vineyard has been a leader in Sauvignon Blanc in California. Winery founder David S. Stare was the first person to plant the Sauvignon Blanc varietal in the Dry Creek Valley in our DCV3 Vineyard, against the advice of many viticultural experts. Many years later, Sauvignon Blanc is now the most widely planted white variety in the Dry Creek Valley! With 16 acres under vine, our DCV3 Vineyard is the backbone of our Sauvignon Blanc program. Our 2022 vintage of DCV3 Sauvignon Blanc displays intense aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit and passion fruit. After a few more minutes of airing, softer herbal nuances of jasmine, thyme and chamomile come forward. The palate is bursting with vibrant flavors of Meyer lemon and nectarine with striking hints of cucumber, jalapeño and white pepper. The bright acidity of this crisp and refreshing wine is preserved by stainless steel fermentation. Enjoy this lively wine now in its youth, or age for a few years if desired. 2020 Farmhouse Vineyard Zinfandel

Russian River Valley

Winemaker Notes:

This delicious bottling is the sixth vintage of Zinfandel produced from our Farmhouse Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The vines in our Farmhouse Vineyard were among the first to be planted using the Heritage budwood concept to preserve the heritage of iconic old vine Zinfandel vineyards! Cuttings from a pre-Prohibition era vineyard were grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock to create a “young vine” wine with “old vine” Zinfandel characteristics. Initially, the aromas show fruit-forward tones of black and red cherries, cranberry and blackberry. Subtle notes of mocha, rose and earthy nuances come forward after several minutes of airing. On the palate, flavors of plum and strawberry mix with soft undertones of coriander, toffee, toasty cedar and roasted almonds. The wine is supple with tremendous complexity and silky tannins. The finish is pure with a slight spiciness and refined elegance.

2019 Merlot

Dry Creek Valley

90 Points – Wine & Spirits

92 Points – Wine & Spirits

Winemaker Notes:

We have crafted this classic Bordeaux varietal since 1974. Our first vintage of Merlot was released in 1974, and we have produced this classic Bordeaux varietal ever since. In fact, the Dry Creek Vineyard 1991 Reserve Merlot won the prestigious “Grand Prix d’Honneur” at the 1995 Challenge International Du Vin in Bordeaux, France — much to the surprise of the French! This delicious varietal adds bright aromatics and a velvety mouthfeel as a blending component for our Bordeaux program, but it is outstanding as the dominant varietal as well. In our 2019 vintage, aromas of black cherry, plum and black currant immediately fill the senses. A few more moments reveal notes of nutmeg, cocoa and black and white pepper. The palate is full of wonderful complexity, combining flavors of blackberry and boysenberry. This wine features deep undertones of coriander, bay leaf and mocha with a bright finish and silky tannins. This beautiful wine has excellent structure and balance with a lush, round quality that lingers.

2018 Meritage "Alluvial Gap"

Dry Creek Valley

Winemaker Notes:

This exquisite Meritage was inspired by almost five decades of working with Bordeaux varietals planted in the different districts and vineyards of Dry Creek Valley. This experience provided us with knowledge of which properties grow the best fruit our region can offer. This delicious blend features fruit from specific vineyard sites within the Lytton Springs district of Dry Creek Valley, including our iconic Endeavour Vineyard. The blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon, with three additional Bordeaux varietals for complexity and depth. At first swirl, the wine displays powerful aromas of black currant, plum sauce and cranberry. Several more minutes reveal hints of clove, sage and chai. The palate is full and rich with flavors of black cherry, black currant and blueberry pie, with notes of fine leather, dried herbs de Provence and toasty oak. The tannins are firm yet supple, with a round, plush texture and a rich, lingering finish. We have four features to share. Please click on the links below and joinus as we play the audio for these great features. Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . Now onto our second feature. Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . please click on the next link and join us. Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . We are still hungry,join us! cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

Recently Don Wallace and I got together and recorded many great feature on the wines of Dry Creek Vineyard. We have decided to meet at the great local restaurant and pair up some of these incredible wines with the world class menu from Valette Healdsburg. Valette was born from two brothers’ lifelong dream of creating a unique dining experience in our hometown of Healdsburg. Our goal is to provide a canvas for local farmers, winemakers and artisans to showcase their crafts. The dream of Valette began nearly two decades ago between two brothers. While enjoying a glass of wine on their father's porch overlooking the beautiful Alexander Valley vineyards of Sonoma County, Dustin Valette and Aaron Garzini envisioned opening a restaurant together which would provide a canvas for Sonoma County farmers, winemakers and artisans to showcase their craft. The restaurant would be located in Healdsburg, the heart of Sonoma County – and the location where their great-grandfather operated bakeries. They would serve high quality, yet honest food; offer warm and impeccable service; and house a collection of boutique, small production wines. At the time, Aaron was establishing himself as a dynamic server and sommelier in Sonoma County and Dustin was in New York learning the culinary craft that would be his lifelong passion. They never lost sight of their dream. In 2015, Valette Restaurant opened its doors to the public, showcasing the brothers’ combined forty-seven years of restaurant experience and a deep dedication to Sonoma County, its food, and its wine community. Please click on the three links below,and join us for all the amazing courses we enjoyed. Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

We have another amazing feature with Don Wallace and Dry Creek Vineyard! This wine is even older than I am...well, the vines are... A beautiful vineyard and indeed a world class Zinfandel. We always look at the tasting notes and other information from their great website. drycreekvineyard.com Winemaker Notes:

Planted in the late 1800s, Beeson Ranch is one of Dry Creek Valley’s oldest and most prized vineyards. The old gnarled vines, first planted by Italian immigrants, provide us with some of our most intriguing Zinfandel grapes. The initial aromatics of the wine are refined and elegant with underlying elements of raspberry, plum and black cherry. After several minutes of airing, hints of cinnamon and cedar waft from the glass. The full palate is supple and rich with notes of boysenberry, blackberry, black tea and wild sage. The wine’s earthy complexity and fine tannins help support a smooth and silky texture. BLEND:

91% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah

FERMENTATION:

12–16 days in fermenters at 82–88˚F; pumped over twice daily

BARREL AGING:

17 months in French, Hungarian and American oak; 25% new oak

HARVEST DATE:

September 24–30, 2019

SOIL:

Iron-rich, reddish soils

VINE AGE:

100+ years The story of Dry Creek Vineyard and the Stare Wallace family isn’t one of fairy tales. There is no corporate mogul writing checks every month, or a day job in a lucrative industry to fund the winery. Our story is this: one dedicated family working day and night for five decades to turn what many considered an idealistic pipedream, into a reality that revolutionized the California wine industry.

Founder David S. Stare always had a dream to live overseas, so after he completed his degree in Civil Engineering at MIT and his MBA at Northwestern, he moved to Germany. While living there, he visited many of the wineries and started to develop an interest in wine. He returned to Boston in the spring of 1969 firmly bitten by the wine bug and enrolled in a wine appreciation class. In June of 1970, Dave and his family spent two weeks in France, where he fell in love with French wines, specifically the wines of the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Shortly after returning from the trip, he read an article in the Wall Street Journal about what a great future California had for making world-class wines. After a trip to California, he packed up his wife and kids in a mint green station wagon to carve out his path in the wine industry. Dave’s daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, was literally raised among the vines in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. Throughout her childhood she watched as her father established the first new winery to be built in the region following Prohibition and champion Dry Creek Valley as a world-class winegrowing appellation. As a teen, Kim worked in the office, cellar and on the bottling line, as well as accompanying her parents on countless sales trips, business dinners and wine tastings. From the very beginning, she grew up with a passion and understanding of the wine industry.

Despite her upbringing, Kim always swore that she would never work for the winery and began a career in the fashion industry after college. Ultimately, the pull of the family business was too great and her father convinced her to come back to the winery as Director of Marketing in 1987. Kim’s husband, Don Wallace, joined the winery managing ranch operations in 1990. In the mid-nineties, Kim and Don took on increased responsibilities, becoming involved in all decisions affecting the quality of the Dry Creek Vineyard experience and winery operations . Please clcik on the link and join us for this great feature on this amazing Zinfandel. Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .