Event

The Wines!!

Spann Vineyards Betsy’s Backacher, California Lot 11 $17.99
  
  
40% Syrah, 32% Zinfandel, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Barbera
The syrah, zinfandel and barbera are 2011 vintage from Amador County while the cabernet sauvignon and a portion of the merlot are 2007 vintage from Sonoma County. The remainder of the merlot is 2010 vintage from Napa Valley and the cabernet franc is 2010 vintage from Lake County.

Winemakers Notes:
Betsy's Backacher is dark red/black in color, has a rustic nose of black licorice, red cherries and plums and a taste that follows: juicy red cherries and black licorice. Yum!
We love to create interesting blends and our multi-varietal, multi-vintage Backacher gives us the freedom to explore all possibilities. We start with the lighter-bodied, earlier maturing barrels that don't fit into our fuller bodied blends and add richness by blending in syrah. From there we experiment with small portions of other grape varieties to add complexity. Each Backacher lot is a slightly different blend but the idea is the same, an eminently enjoyable, richly flavored, fruit- forward wine.
The older vintage wine in this blend gives complexity and smoothness while the younger lots add bright fruit aromas and flavors.

Spann Vineyards Mo Zin 2012 $20.99
60% Zinfandel, 18% Mourve`dre, 10% Cinsault, 8% Petite Sirah & 4% Syrah
Mourve`dre adds bursts of raspberry and palate coating richness to the ripe blackberry flavors of Zinfandel. Cinsault adds strawberry and white pepper    notes while Petite Sirah and Syrah add black plum and spice, to this food-friendly Zinfandel blend.
THIS IS A FOOD FRIENDLY ZIN!!

Spann Vineyards Yin-Yang, Sonoma County 2013 $20.99
60% chardonnay and 40% viognier

The chardonnay came from the Carneros district in southern Sonoma County while the viognier was sourced from Alexander Valley in the warmer, northeast end of the county.

Winemakers Notes:    
Viognier has voluptuous aromas and flavors of dried apricots and peaches plus a round, rich mouth feel.  Chardonnay  adds crisp acidity to make this well balanced, food friendly  blend.   Both  varietals were barrel fermented and aged for six months in older French oak barrels to enhance the mouth feel.

Food Pairings:
This can handle foods that are often difficult to pair with wine, like spicy dishes, vegetables or ones that incorporate vegetables such as oriental stir-frys. It also works well with most seafood, shellfish, chicken or turkey dishes and we especially recommend it with Thanksgiving dinner as it can handle all the myriad flavors on the table.

Joseph Swan 2012 Pinot Noir ~ Cuvée de Trois $34.9

"Tasting notes: As with most 2012’s it shows darker, richer, more obvious fruit. An intoxicating aroma of ripe berries mixed with stone fruit, a bit of red licorice and a faint hint of shitake mushroom lead to a lush mouth with enough acidity to keep it bright and fresh. While the 2011 won wine drinkers over with its almost laser like focus, the 2012 will seduce with its lush texture and restrained yet rich fruit.

Since its birth with the 1999 vintage, this has proved to be our most popular wine. It is poured in top restaurants across the country, in Canada, the UK and has even shown up on the lists of a top restaurant group In Australia. (I have no idea how it got to Australia). We produce more of it than any other wine we make, by far, but it never seems to be enough. The reason for its success is pretty simple. We make all of our pinot noirs with the same goal in mind: to be the best that they can be. Just before bottling we taste through all of the barrels, grade them and write tasting notes. The results are put into a spreadsheet (my writing is so miserable even I can’t read it most of the time) and then make decisions on what might be the best vineyard blends. However it is not just about quality. The vineyard wines must reflect the terroir (voice) of each site. Sometimes the best barrels have such a loud voice that they drown out the other elements. This often leaves a large number of barrels without a home. This becomes the theoretical base for the C3. After numerous blending trials a happy medium is usually reached. The best possible C3, which has to represent the Russian River Valley as a whole rather than the unique expressions of the more idiosyncratic vineyard wines. The vineyard wines should uniquely express their terroir. The C3 has more latitude. The one thing that they have in common is that that have to be the best that they can be. Nothing is made to go into the C3, thus the cost to produce it is no less than the vineyard wines." Rod Berglund, Owner & Winemaker


La Jara Pinot Grigio Spumante Rosado BRUT
This Sparkling wine is made from Organic PINOT GRIGIO grapes. 

A touch of skin contact turns this irresistible bubbly into a salmon/copper tinged beauty.   Beckoningly yeasty, the elegant bubbles dance with strawberry, meyer lemon and grapefruit nuances.  Unique and so much fun!

SPUMANTE ROSE’ is light pink, brilliant, refined and therefore, attractive. Its bouquet is elegant, with hints of strawberry and grapefruit. It is fresh, fruity, with soft and persistent foam.
Coupling: perfect with shellfish, smoked salmon and fish starters such as, tuna tartare, Sushi e Sashimi.
It should be served at 6-8° C. Uncorked at the last minute, just before drinking it.