Greetings members and subscribers! We hope that you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and selected the perfect wines for your celebrations! We’ll be sending you our holiday wine-pairing recommendations shortly. For our Winter shipment this year, we’ve decided to highlight a couple of the “Young Guns” of winemaking. It’s great to see so many young owner/winemakers devoting themselves to making delicious wine.
Reminders – if you would like to purchase wine from us for the holidays, please let us know. We have special sales this month and can create the perfect gift package for family, friends, or clients!
Carucci Wines 2015 Syrah, Slide Hill Vineyard
· Owner and Winemaker: Eric Carucci
· Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Carucci Wines 2015 Grenache/Syrah
· Owner and Winemaker: Eric Carucci
· Edna Valley/Sta. Rita Hills AVAs
Ground Truth Wines, 2015 Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vineyard
· Owner and Winemaker: Garrett Gamache
· Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Eric Carucci of Carucci Wines just opened a little tasting room in Los Olivos, and we were impressed with the finesse and polish in crafting his wines right off the bat. He started making wine in 2009 in his parents’ garage, and he is truly a one-man show. You’ll find him in his tasting room on the weekends while simultaneously working on his laptop on his other job. Eric has a beautiful young family and states, “My family is a huge inspiration for the wines I produce, and their increased involvement every vintage brings me great joy. I hope that joy is noticeable in the wines.” We’re sharing some of Eric’s Rhone Varietals with you in this shipment. The Grenache in the Grenache/Syrah comes from a vineyard in Edna Valley. If you have not yet visited Edna Valley, we recommend it. It is a beautiful AVA just east of San Luis Obispo with a few vineyards nestled among rolling hills. The 60% Grenache (Murmur Vineyard)/40% Syrah (Duvarita Vineyard) blend was a favorite that is great on its own, and pairs well with many different main dishes.
As we’ve gotten to know Garrett Gamache of Ground Truth wines, we’ve realized that the name he chose for his business fits him perfectly. Garrett spends most of his time in the vineyards of Santa Ynez with vineyard management company “Chalky Ridge”. He selects his grapes from these vineyards that he knows so well and allows the grapes to speak their own truth in his wines without manipulation. His Pinot Noir is sourced from the renown “La Encantada” vineyard in the heart of Sta. Rita Hills. This land was hand selected and the grapes planted by the legendary Richard Sanford, one of the pioneers of this highly acclaimed AVA, who was recently elected to the Vintner’s Hall of Fame. The grapes for this wine were produced using certified organic farming practices. We think you’ll see this reflected in Garrett’s Pinot Noir, as we did. Only 120 cases produced!
Winemaker Notes: This fruit has expressed itself with gentle black cherry, blackberry and terra cotta notes. On the palate is a rich but silky texture with a hint of a mineral finish.
Thank you for supporting us, and we wish you the best in the holiday season.
Cheers! Mike and Mary