4 Bottles of Wine for Your Post-Pandemic Patio Party!

Name of Winery: Vintone; Farmstrong; Olema; Poseidon Vineyard

Bottle Size: 750ml

Number of Bottles: 4 bottles

Varietal: Chenin Blanc; White Blend; Rose; Chardonnay

Vintage: 2017; 2017; 2019; 2018

Appellation: Mendocino County; Suisan Valley; Côtes de Provence, Village of Vidauban; Los Carneros

Vintone 2017 Sterling Ranch Mendocino County Chenin Blanc, 1 bottle 

Sterling Ranch is located in an eastern section of the Ukiah Valley, referred to as the Talmage bench. Planted in 1980 on well-drained and gently sloping Pinole soils at an elevation 690 feet.

Production: 220 cases

Alcohol: 11.8% by volume

Vintone aims to craft wines with a purity of expression that tell a unique story of the vineyard site and the season. Winemaker Sean Foster has been crafting wines of exceptional quality for 25 years, wines which he is very proud of. Sean has grown extremely fond of the individuality of a vineyard site in each and every vintage. This has led to the development of his own personal winemaking style, where these qualities are the focus of his wines and shared as Vintone.

vintonewines.com

Farmstrong 2017 Suisun Valley Field White, 1 bottle

The Farmstrong White Field blend is fragrant yet a little mysterious, a mélange of white peach, star fruit, Mirabelle plum and even a shiso/Meyer lemon tart. It’s fresh, vibrant and alive - a dancing lemon drop enjoyed under the light of a full moon.

This wine is a year round white wine, pretty and inviting on the nose, round and full mid palate, while still being light on her feet, she is easy to get along with and super well rounded.

Winemakers Notes: The 2017 is a blend of Grenache Blanc (41%) from Roger King’s Ledgewood Vineyard, and Albariño (35%) and Verdelho (24%) from Babcock Vineyard, both located in Suisun Valley.   

Both vineyards and all three varieties were picked and pressed as one lot to add complexity and integrate the components for a dynamic blend. 

The lot was a native fermentation and it was carried out at cool temperatures allowing for a slow and steady fermentation that lasted over a month.  After dryness the wine was aged in neutral French oak and received lees stirring. The wine was then left to settle until it was bottled in the summer.   

These vineyards sites and varieties all play an important role in forming this blend. Kings site allows the Grenache Blanc to fully mature at lower ripeness, thus developing complex aromatics and soft tannins while retaining vibrancy. The Babcock site has a large diurnal shift which allows for incredible acid retention in the Albariño along with that maritime influence so important in classic Albariño sites. The site also provides enough daytime sunshine to ripen the Verdelho to express its tropical and stone fruit side while maintaining vibrancy and focus.

In addition, I am picking each variety at markedly different ripeness levels, using my favorite characteristics of each variety to work together achieve harmony and depth as a blend.

Farmstrong Wines

Olema 2019 Rosé Côtes de Provence, 1 bottle

Made in the Côtes de Provence in the village of Vidauban in a true Provence Rosé style, this wine is crisp, dry and has the perfect balance of color, body and bouquet. Soaring aromatics of watermelon, strawberry, raspberry and rose petal jump from the glass. Flavors of cherry, watermelon and hints of kirsch lead to a wonderful burst of refreshing acidity on the finish.

Tasting notes:

"Aromas of raspberries, lemon rind and hot stones"
Soaring aromas of fresh strawberry, cranberry, watermelon rind and honeysuckle lead into flavors of white peach, Meyer lemon, Kafir lime and hints of jasmine on the palate. 

Blend: 40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, 2.5% Carignan, 2.5% Mourvèdre

91 points from JAMES SUCKLING

Olema Wines: Delicious Wines from Dedicated People

The vision behind every Olema wine is to capture one vibrant place inside a delicious bottle, all while working to show the world that outstanding wines can come at an everyday-drinking price. This wouldn't be possible without the people behind Olema wines, who sample grapes, taste fermentations and craft blends with unrivaled intention and passion. We also think they're pretty cool people, and we're thrilled to introduce them to you.

https://olemawines.com/about

Poseidon Vineyard 2018 "The Bench" Los Carneros Chardonnay, 1 bottle

TASTING NOTES

The Bench Chardonnay routinely strikes a balance between ripe fruit character with a subtle brush of oak and the bright, natural acidity that Chardonnay grown in a cool spot exhibits. The 2018 rendition captures this part of our vineyard perfectly, with aromas of apples and lemon and a touch of tropical star fruit. In the mouth, the texture is zippy, with a balanced, bright acidity and flavors that reflect the aromatics plus a touch of spice: star anise and cinnamon. Medium-long length leads to a clean finish.

HISTORY

The maritime environment of the Carneros grape-growing region delivers cool, foggy mornings followed by warm days that slowly nurture ripening. This seaside influence is particularly acute at our Poseidon Vineyard; one can see the masts of boats bobbing in the water just a few steps to the south. The prominent feature of our vineyard is the gravelly, geological "Bench" -- the elevated, rocky, former riverbank of Carneros Creek -- that runs serpentine through the center of the site. From this unique geological feature spring some of our most distinct, small-production wines.

VINTAGE

As the impact of the 2011-2017 drought continued to fade, the growing season was characterized by moderate temperatures. Fruit development was gradual, without stress, and uniform. But as harvest got underway, temperatures varied dramatically, creating a nerve-wracking stop-start, wait-versus-race dynamic for the crews and cellar. Attention and experience in the vineyard proved critical during this stretch. While wildfires created havoc in other parts of the state, the Poseidon Vineyard was entirely unaffected. The harvest was one of the most generous and flavorful crops in recent memory.

WINEMAKING

The fruit was pressed whole-cluster in small batches and then barrel-fermented in 20% new, 300-liter barrels that were lightly toasted specifically for this wine. These special, larger-format barrels provided all the good things that barrel fermentation brings to Chardonnay: full body and sweeter flavors. The unique low toast of the barrels ensured that the fruit aromas and flavors would shine through. A special yeast strain was used to promote a long fermentation, adding a new level of complexity to this wine. Lees stirring after Malolactic fermentation was employed to boost the smooth, elegant texture.

Farming the extremes. In 1973, we planted Poseidon Vineyard on what had been grazing land since the time of the missionaries. We were among the first to farm the southern extreme of Napa Carneros, which at the time was considered too cool to ripen wine grapes.

Poseidon Vineyard is the heritage wine project of Obsidian Wine Co. We seek and farm the extremes of the North Coast. This is our story.

Where vineyard meets the bay. Poseidon Vineyard lies at the confluence of Carneros Creek and the Napa River. At high tide the river tastes of salt, a reminder of the sea’s proximity. Pacific wind brings fog and cooler temperatures to balance the intensity of the California sun, while clay and gravel soil provide ideal drainage for our vines.

We exclusively use barrels made from tight-grained Tokaj oak by Kádár Hungary, the cooperage we have owned for three decades. This is one of a handful of places in the world where Quercus Petraea, an oak species highly prized for its enticing aromas and subtle oak influence, is grown.

A balanced approach. Through four decades of growing, three decades of coopering, and two decades of winemaking, we have created our own unique
expressions of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

www.poseidonvineyard.com