Podcast appearances and mentions of rodney strong

In today's episode, we continue our Phil Merson inspired, Wine is Like Music series. Maybe our most challenging, this episode is with drummer, Kevin Olsonberg who is with Odom Corporation, one of the area's largest wine distributor. This is a fun one for sure even with the background noise that comes from a bar! #HappyFriday! #ItsWineTime! #Cheersing #PleasingAstringency #MoreBass #GiveMeMyTotsWines this episode:2019 Sauvion Sancerre ($43 at Pilgrim's Market)2020 Termes España ($41 at Pilgrim's Market)2021 Olianas Cannonau ($22 at Pilgrim's Market)A HUGE thanks to our sponsors: Terraza Waterfront Grill, Naked Wines and J. Bookwalter Wines!Terraza Waterfront Grill is serving up global-inspired dishes in a vibrant atmosphere. With a focus on fresh ingredients and unmatched culinary excellence, Terraza offers something for every taste. Come experience exceptional food, cozy ambiance and top-notch service at this stunning waterfront grill. Visit https://terrazacda.com/ for more information or call 208-758-0111.Naked Wines: Straight from the winemaker right to your door, premium wine without the premium pricing is what Naked Wines is all about. Save big on wines from the world's best winemakers! Visit https://us.nakedwines.com/winetimefridays to get $100 off your first 6 pack case. With Naked Wines, discovering new wines is truly risk-free!J. Bookwalter: Celebrating their 40th year of producing award-winning wines crafted from the finest Columbia Valley vineyards, J. Bookwalter wines bring excellence and quality to every glass. Visit https://www.bookwalterwines.com for more information or simply call or 509-627-5000.And of course, a HUGE thank you to Tod Hornby who wrote and recorded our official Wine Time Fridays theme music. Please visit https://todhornby.com to see what Tod is up to!The Elsom Cellars Wine Words of the Week - Timbre In Music: In music, timbre (pronounced "tam-ber") refers to the unique tone color or "voice" of a musical instrument or sound, including drums. In Wine: When describing wine, timbre refers to the unique tone or "voice" of a wine. It's a poetic way to capture the distinctive character or personality of a wine.At Elsom Cellars, goood times are meant to be shared and so are great wines! Since 2006, Elsom Cellars has been producing brilliant Washington wines. For more information about Elsom Wines, please visit http://www.elsomcellars.com Some wines we've enjoyed this week: Castelli del Grevepesa Clemente VII Rosso di Toscana, Tenimenti d'Alessandro Vioginer, Waterbrook Chardonnay, Krutz Chardonnay and Artesa Cabernet Sauvignon.Mentions: Moose Lounge North, Phil Mershon, Tod Hornby, Barry Aiken, Chris Cochran, Theresa Edwards Band, DeLille Cellars, Le Dessein (formally Métier), Sara Lane, John Cleese, Robert Mondavi, Rodney Strong, Michel Rolland, Vicino Pizza Neapolitan Style Pizzeria, Naomi Boutz, Elvin Jones, Daniel Glass, John Bonham, Phil Collins, Bonnie Raitt and John Freeman.Please find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WineTimeFridays), Twitter (@VintageTweets), Instagram (@WineTimeFridays) on our YouTube Channel, https://www.youtube.com/@winetimefridays and on Threads, which is @winetimefridays. You can also “Follow” Phil on Vivino. His profile name is Phil Anderson and will probably “Follow” you back! © 2025 Wine Time Fridays - All Rights Reserved

Dennis McCarter, owner and winemaker of McCarter Cellars, is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. This is his second time as a guest on CWC, the last time was this episode back in January of this year. Dan Berger is away again this week and Melissa Galliani joins us in the studio. Dennis tells about having taken a course at SRJC about pairing wine and food, which left him with the desire to start making wine. He started by making five gallons of Barbera in his garage. As he continued to make wine, he started winning awards, so he decided to go pro. That coincided with his transition out of the insurance business. The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc came from Rogers vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. The location is on the cooler side of the area. Dennis eventually finished enology studies at SRJC. His wines started winning awards right away. They continue to win recently. The inaugural Pinot Noir earned 98 points and took best of class at the North Coast Wine Challenge, sponsored by the Press Democrat and his Gewürztraminer took silver there. His Rosé, Pinkish, took a gold medal at Experience Rosé challenge. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines.   Dennis is involved in a group of American Vintners that meets quarterly. He is also on the board of the Sonoma Library Foundation, to do fund raising. With them, he helped organize Tasting Diversity, where they hosted events to raise exposure for African-American owned wineries. For more information about Tasting Diversity, visit this page at the Sonoma Library Foundation and scroll down to the middle of the page where it is listed among their other events. Discount Code There is a discount code WINERADIO for listeners to get 15% off. Dennis has accomplished a lot as a winemaker after only two years. His Gewurtztraminer is tasty and Dennis attributes its success to his method that includes he and his wife pressing the grapes with their own feet. His favorite wines to make are Pinot Noir and Zin, and aromatic whites like Gewurtztraminer. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. McCarter Cellars will have a tasting room by the end of the year, in a location across from where Carol Shelton Wines is located. Wait for news by the end of harvest season. That is starting to get busy now.

Dan, Janice and Jamie. Janis McDonald and Jamie Peters are here to talk about Winesong! 2024 on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Winesong! takes place Sept. 6-7, 2024 at the Little River Inn. It is the annual fund raiser for the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation. First, Dan Berger has brought a cellar wine, as he usually does. This is a 2007 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc. He normally doesn't age this wine so long, but at 17 years it is "yummy" with a little green apple flavor. Usually a SV will age 6 or 7 years.The event this year is at the Little River Inn. It is two days of wine tasting, auctions and music, over the weekend of September 6 and 7. Winesong! Began in 1985 as a small wine tasting in a parking lot and grew year after year. It has always been a benefit for health care on the north coast. Winesong! is a Spectacular Scene Dan Berger has been going to this event for a long time. The wineries that participate are specialized in making very high quality wine. The scenery is also spectacular on the site and all around in the area. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. For several years Winesong has been in the botanical garden. That location is being reorganized and they hope to return there as early as next year. There is a strong sense of community at this event. Friends see each other there every year. Everyone enjoys supporting the Mendocino hospital and health care facilities. There are two musical groups. Tenor Madness, a jazz band, plays Friday. On Saturday a rock cover band called the Casper Kings will play hits from the 80s and later. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Dan Berger notes that over the last 5 years, Anderson Valley wines have improved tremendously. So have Mendocino wines, generally, in the last decade. The tasting and the music, the food, all on Saturday. But Friday afternoon is the Pinot Noir celebration. It used to be just Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs but since 2015 they have opened it to other regions that make Pinot Noir, like Willamette, the Sonoma Coast and Central Coast. One thing that Dan appreciates about Winesong is that you get a chance to taste excellent wines from producers that you have never heard of before.

Winemaker Carol Shelton is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. CWC co-host Dan Berger is away this week. Carol is one of our most distinguished winemakers and a regular on this show. Her last time here was last January, in this episode with Dan Berger and with Harry Duke sitting in for Steve Jaxon. Carol Shelton graduated from UC Davis in 1978. This year will be her 48th harvest, and her 25th harvest for her own brand. There were a few years where she worked on two harvests in a year, in the northern and southern hemisphere. Carol Shelton worked for Mondavi, in Australia, in the Central Valley, for Rodney Strong for 20 years, for the Windsor Wines label. Zinfandel is her favorite varietal. It makes up about 70% of her production now. She wanted to show the world that Zin could be as noble a grape as Pinot and Cab. Old vines of Zin have a unique concentration of flavor. Wild Thing Carol Shelton Wines is located in a business park on Coffey Lane. This weekend she will be bottling a port that has been in the barrels since 2015. She calls it Tawny Sonoma. You can't use the name Port anymore. That is the same as other geographical names that are protected like Sherry and Burgundy. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. The name Wild Thing for her Zinfandel made with naturally occurring yeast, happened almost accidentally. There was one barrel that was not inoculated with yeast, and they put the words “wild thing” on the barrel. When they put it on a bottle, it sold like hotcakes. So that is how the brand was born. It was in the Top 100 Wines in the Wine Spectator, along with two other of her wines. There is also a 2023 Wild Thing Chardonnay which they are tasting. There is a little Viogner blended in, to give it some tropical notes. It is unusual, in that it is neither the steely type nor the buttery type. There are actually about 8 yeasts, each one brings some different flavors and she blends them all together before bottling. They even source some fruit from Southern California, from Cucamonga. Their vines are over 100 years old. They are old vines that are knee high with roots running 50 feet down. Coquille Blanc They also taste a Coquille Blanc, which is named for shellfish, and reflects her family coat of arms which has shells on it, for the name Shelton. The fruit all comes from Paso Robles. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. Carol describes a game that her mother played with her. She set up blind tastings of different herbs and she had to describe the flavors and identify them. She liked the combination of art and science in winemaking. Then they taste the Rendez-Vous 2023 Rosé. "My Rosé is not one of those wimpy pale ones." All the flavor is in the skin and this one spends 2 days on the skins. It is a rather dark red, for a Rosé and goes well with any kind of food.  Modeled after a French Tavel Rosé, it is made of Carignane grapes.

Winemaker Dan Barwick with Melissa Galliani. Winemaker Dan Barwick is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Dan is the winemaker at Trecini Winery. He has been on CWC before, the most recent was this other episode recorded on Aug. 25, 2023. Our regular co-host Dan Berger is on vacation this week. Right away Steve Jaxon is loving Dan Barwick's Sauvignon Blanc. It's made with all Sonoma County fruit, mostly Russian River. It has rich flavors of apricot and mango. "Easy to drink," says Dan. Trecini has been bottling wine for 25 years. Dan took several courses at UC Davis and at Santa Rosa Junior College in winemaking including courses from Rich Thomas. He was at the forefront of changing viticulture in Sonoma County in ways which improved the quality of Sonoma County wines. He taught that you had to be in the vineyard to get to understand the vines. This helps him make decisions about pruning and harvesting. Sauvignon Blanc Dan says that Sauvignon Blanc is his favorite wine to make. He can make blends with fruit from different vineyards, to assemble the flavors he wants. It's hard to believe that such a good wine sells for $15. In addition to Sauvignon Blanc, Trecini also makes Chardonnay, Russian River Pinot Noir and Merlot, too. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Dan Barwick recently visited Croatia, staying in a town called Rovinj. The wine and food and the whole scene was incredibly beautiful. Dan suggests everyone put Croatia on the bucket list. It is on the coast so there is a lot of seafood. The local olive oil is very fine. A delicious glass of local wine will cost 2 or 3 dollars. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. Dan Barwick talks about his early experience working in the food hall at Harrod's in London, where he was exposed to all the best of everything, including wine. The chocolates were right next to the wine department. He worked there from the age of 18 to 27.

Williams Selyem winemaker Jeff Mangahas is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Jeff has been on CWC as recently as last February on this episode, and previously here in 2021 and before that, on this episode from 2018. Wine Country Radio GM Melissa Galliani has brought a bottle of Dry Creek Chenin Blanc. Dry Creek is a sponsor of the KRSH Backyard Concert Series and their Chenin Blanc is a popular favorite. “Really refreshing,” says Jeff. Williams Selyem has a rich history as one of the original Russian River Valley producers. Their first commercial release was in 1981. They have been making interesting, small-production wines in Russian River Valley and other nearby regions. Williams Selyem: Russian River Valley Pioneers Williams Selyem worked with the growers in Russian River Valley, such as the Rocchioli and Martinelli vineyards. They produce 52 different wines, in small lots. The are not easy to get so the way to buy them is through the website. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. Jeff Mangahas joined Williams Selyem in 2011 and took over winemaking and viticulture in 2014. This year is his 24th vintage. They taste the 2022 Estate Chardonnay. They are also well-known for Pinot Noir and Zin. This Chardonnay is unique because it has 20 different Chardonnay clones all planted together in the field. It presents all the different flavors that are present in the different clones and it makes for a complex wine. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Jeff's history as a winemaker started with his interest in science and biology. He majored in molecular and cellular biology at University of Washington. He was interested in research science and worked in cancer research. Wine was a hobby. He moved back east to Princeton University to work in the molecular biology department there. The change to wine as a profession was a romantic idea that he made happen by going to UC Davis for a Masters in Enology. Dan Berger would keep this wine for no more than 2 or 3 years to get it in the glass before the fruit flavors fade. Jeff tells about how they still use foot treading to press some grapes because there is no better method to get the results that he wants.

Melissa Galliani, Dan Berger & Justin Seidenfeld. Justin Seidenfeld, Rodney Strong head winemaker, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Justin Seidenfeld has been on CWC a few times, most recently on this episode of April 27, 2022. They begin tasting a brand new wine that they just launched on June 1st. It is a single vineyard 2023 Sauvignon Blanc from one of their estate vineyards called Bud's Ranch. Justin modelled this wine after a Bordeaux style, it is richer than the usual SV. 55% made in large oak barrels, then the rest is done in stainless steel. Dan says it is aimed at being ready to drink now and also to be held in the cellar. 2023 was an interesting vintage, it was cooler than average, which gives the wines structure without being tart. There is just enough acidity to have balance. They also use a rotating egg-shaped vessel for mixing during fermentation, which gives it lees contact. Justin started in 2005 at Iron Horse Vineyards while still going to school at UC Davis. Then he worked at Robert Mondavi before coming to Rodney Strong. Rodney Strong had the thirteenth bonded winery in California. He did a lot of firsts, like planting Chardonnay in Chalk Hill and makin the first Alexander Valley single vineyard Cabernet. He was also a founder of the Russian River Valley and Chalk Hill AVAs. Justin Seidenfeld helped drive the approval of the Petaluma Gap AVA. Dan Berger started writing about wine in 1976, working for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. He had a very informative 2-hour lunch interview with Rodney Strong that year. 1158 Acres of Vineyards Rodney Strong winery is now owned by the Klein family and now owns 12 vineyard sites with 1158 acres total. It is critical to their success to have control over the vineyards as well as production. Dan Berger notices the flavor of fresh-cut new-mown hay in this Sauvignon Blanc which makes it unique. Rodney Strong is famous for its Cabernets and for its Chalk Hill Chardonnay. They also make a very good Pinot Noir, all from Russian River Valley. Their Alexander Valley Estate Cabernet retails for about $20. Justin says it punches above its weight, at that price. They literally buy their barrels as trees in France. That and the fact that they own their vineyards means their retail price is modest, they can focus on quality and evolve. They have just finished rennovating their vineyards and are ready for generations in the future. August 24 is the Single Vineyard Dinner, when they release their top wines. They taste one that is a 2019 100% single vineyard Cabernet, which is a demonstration of terroir. The 3 wines to be revealed on August 24 are similar except for their vineyard location so they taste differently. As Justin describes, Rodney Strong's intention is to surprise and delight.

Dan and Darryl. Darryl Miller, Dehlinger Winery rep, is back in the studio on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today. He has been a guest on CWC twice before, on this episode on August 26, 2020 and again on July 20, 2022. Dan Berger describes Darryl Miller as, "...one of the good guys." Darry has been in the wine business for more than 50 years. The Dehlinger winery has been around since the 1970s. It was one of the first vineyards to be planted in western Sonoma County in 1975 in an area that was mostly apple orchards. Tom Dehlinger is still involved in the winery but his daughters are running it. Darryl was hired to represent Dehlinger in the marketplace. It is rare to find wines that have such character, says Dan Berger. The area was cooler in the 1970s than today. Tom Dehlinger worked carefully in the vineyard in order to keep high acidity in the wines, so they are consistent. Almost all the Chardonnay planted on the Dehlinger vineyard is the Wente clone. They begin tasting the 2021 estate Chardonnay. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. Dehlinger Chardonnay The Chardonnay is deep and rich, with acidity in the aftertaste and has a long finish. A lot of other Chards are sweeter. Dehlinger Winery has control over all aspects of the farming and production. Darryl Miller started in Seattle in the restaurant business 50 years ago where he was working as a waiter. Their wine steward suggested that he knew enough about wine to be successful in wine sales. He started working nights in the restaurant and days "on the street." Then in 1981 he started his own company as a broker and he worked with some of the greatest brands at the time. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Dan Berger knows that property and describes it as being on a slight hill. The soils do change from place to place. In one area, there is gray Goldridge soil. In another area, there is brown Altamont soil. They are one of the few areas that has some Altamont soil. Every block ripens at a different pace.  Every vine has a number and they harvest individual areas to make sure each vine is harvested at the right time. Dehlinger was also one of the first wineries to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in Sonoma County.

Dan, Joey and Mark. Mark Mathewson and Joey Stockton from Kendall-Jackson, join Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Joey Stockton is the winemaker in charge of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay and Mark Methewson is VP of Hospitality. CWC has featured KJ before, on this episode recorded on October 19, 2016, when KJ winemaster Randy Ullom was our guest. KJ is the official NBA wine partner. This began during the pandemic when NBA players were confined to hotels and some of them complained about the poor wine selection available to them. When the folks at KJ heard about that, they sent 50 cases of their wine, which really got people's attention and led to the official sponsorship deal. However this is not KJ's first foray into sports sponsorships. Dan Berger did a speaking engagement at the opening of Jacobs Field in Cleveland. He was in Ohio for another reason, and Randy Ullom invited Dan to Cleveland to talk about KJ wines, which were going to be the exclusive wine supplier to the luxury boxes at Jacobs Field. Climate Ride, coming in August KJ is hosting a fund raising event called The Climate Ride on August 17. Julia Jackson is a climate philanthropist who has funded an organization called Grounded, which funds high-impact climate solutions. She wanted to do a fund raiser, so they started a collaboration with Climate Ride. The ride starts and finishes at KJ. There are 4 routes to choose from, from short to long, for riders of every level of endurance. The most ambitious one is 81 miles with 4700 feet of elevation. We will have more about Climate Ride in the weeks before the event, on this show. There will be wines from KJ, beers from Seismic Brewing and cider from Golden State, along with music and food from the KJ culinary team. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Speaking of events, tomorrow is the Sonoma County Vintners' annual Taste of Sonoma event, also at KJ. Dan Berger will be wearing his Argentine straw hat. Joey Stockton started his career in wine in Washington state, then worked in Napa Valley and started at KJ when they started in 2011. Now he is the Chardonnay winemaker. KJ Dry Riesling The first wine they taste is a 2022 dry Riesling. They saw a quote from Dan Berger that there is not enough dry Riesling out there. Back in 2018 they had the same idea and started making it. They made it in a concrete egg, a ceramic egg and stainless steel. When the ceramic egg broke, they had to work with the concrete egg and steel. Dan says it has just a trace of sugar and it is perfectly balanced and has perfect varietal aroma. Next they taste the KJ Chardonnay. Dan has written about how complicated it is to make this high quality wine consistently year after year, with a high production volume. The grapes all come from Mendocino, Monterey and Santa Barbara, all coastal regions, and cool surf towns. As time goes by, the KJ approach to Chardonnay has evolved and today shows better acidity than before. This wine has tastes of White Burgundy. It is not sweet. They do “surly aging” meaning they age the wine on the lees and they stir the barrels monthly. Mark Matthewson is VP of Hospitality (not Operations, as originally stated). KJ has a property in Tuscany that Dan says is amazing.

Winemaker Bob Cabral. Winemaker Bob Cabral is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger, after a long time. His last appearance on the show was this episode on October 20, 2021. This 2024 harvest will be Bob Cabral's 45th harvest in the wine business. Bob Cabral Wines is his label now. He grew up in Central California where his parents were growers of red wine grapes and almonds. Bob pronounces almonds “amands” with the short A, which is a pronunciation unique to the California central valley where they grow. (This pronunciation is close to the form and pronunciation of the French word for almonds, “amands”.) He studied winemaking at Fresno State and got a Master's in Biochemistry, moving to Sonoma County in 1986. Bob has travelled the world for his business. He worked for DeLoach vineyards under Randy Ullom, who is now at Kendall-Jackson. He just celebrated thirty years there. Then he went to Kente, worked for some consulting winemakers, then Alderbrook, now owned by the Orsi family. 2011 Winemaker of the Year Back in 2011 Wine Enthusiast magazine named Bob Cabral its Winemaker of the Year. Now they are tasting Bob's 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Bob tells about how he is getting ready to move to Paradise Ridge. He will lease half of their winery and he will make his wines while Paradise Ridge will also continue to make wine. It should be open in July. Paradise Ridge will also be open for visitors. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. Next they taste a 2021 Rosé called American Girl, a Rosé of Pinot Noir. He first made it this way in 2016, but he stopped making it until 2021 again. “It may be a pain to make but it's not a pain to taste!” Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Dan Berger says it has a little of the richness of a white wine but also some of the structure of a red. Steve Jaxon declares that it is one of the best Rosés he has ever tasted. Dan suggests it would go perfectly with Steak Tartare. “An explosion of flavor in your mouth,” in Bob Cabral's words.

André Mark Tchelistcheff is also here today with Bob Cabral on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. He is the grand-nephew of André Tchelistcheff, the great winemaker. He is the author of a film "André, The Voice of Wine," a documentary about André's influential career and his love of wine. André's enduring legacy is primarily in the many other great winemakers that he trained. There was great wine coming from California even in the late 1800s. After Prohibition, André was perhaps the one most influential winemaker in California after his arrival in late 1938. Dan Berger mentions that André made Riesling, just as Dan does now. The first dry Riesling that Dan really liked was one that André had made at Beaulieu Vineyards. The Bob Cabral Riesling they are tasting is a 2018 called Meadowfoam. This one is completely dry with no residual sugar. It is made in a concrete egg-shaped vessel. Concrete is neutral, especially when treated with tartaric acid. Dan says it is a longer and more difficult process but is worth it. The proof is that at 5 years old, this wine has not reached its peak yet. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. You can see Mark's documentary at the film's website, called André The Voice of Wine dot com.  Mark talks about how Georges de Latour (a French winemaker who had settled in California) hired André after Prohibition. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. Mark goes on to talk about how Georges de Latour (a French winemaker who had settled in California) hired André after Prohibition. The rest of the show is a combination of stories about André and tasting some more of Bob Cabral's wines.

Quady Winery co-founder Andy Quady is our guest today on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. The Quady Winery is located in Madera in the San Joaquin Valley. Their website shows an exotic version of a Margarita and also an idea for Sangria made with Moscato. Most of what they make is Muscat grapes, or Moscato. Orange Muscat is also called Moscato Fior d'arancio (Italian for Orange Flower Muscat). They also use Muscat Hamburg, also called Black Muscat. Muscat Canelli (so-called in California) is Moscato Bianco, used in all the Italian Moscato wines. The first Quady Winery vintage was 1975. They made their first Vermouth in 1999. He graduated from UC Davis and spent a lot of time in southern France. He saw that in Marseille they have a habit of drinking a vermouth as an aperitif. Its combination of bitterness and sweetness works well at that moment of the day, before a meal. Dan Berger explains how quality vermouth should be treated, which is not the way it is treated here in the US. People open a vermouth and use some, then put it away. The wine oxidizes and loses flavor. In Europe people don't have that problem because they drink more of it and it doesn't hang around. Quady makes three vermouths, dry, extra dry and sweet. Vya is the name of their line of Vermouth and Andy has a good story of its origin. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. In the US we use vermouth as a cocktail ingredient but in Europe people drink it straight, mostly on the rocks, as an aperitif. In Italy, people drink white or red vermouth over ice, before dinner.  Andy started making vermouth because he had a customer who ran a restaurant where the customers didn't want old stale crummy vermouth in their drinks. The extra dry vermouth would go with a gin martini, and the Whisper would go with vodka. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. The label includes the plants (or "botanicals" if you prefer) that go into flavoring the vermouth. People drink vodka martinis because they don't like gin, so the vermouth shouldn't suggest a gin martini either, which is a result that Andy can achieve with his highly perfumed and delicately flavored vermouth. Other vermouth brands treat their recipe like a family secret or a state secret. Dan pronounces the aromatics, "captivating but delicate." Beefeater gin is made only with juniper flavor. This makes a classic martini when mixed with a vermouth that matches and compliments the juniper flavor.

Evan Damiano (center) with (l-r) Dan, Melissa and Chris. Evan Damiano, winemaker at Marchelle Wines, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country today. Marchelle Wines is Greg La Follette's label and he was on CWC earlier this year on February 9, on this epiode. Also in the studio today are Melissa Galliani, GM of Wine Country Radio and Chris DiMatteo, producer of this podcast, who has brought and uncorked a 1985 Barolo he has been holding for thirty years. Evan Damiano started working with wine in 2010 when he worked a harvest in Oregon, then in Australia, at Balletto and then he took a “sojourn” to Milwaukee to try brewing, but that didn't work out. While living in Milwaukee, he sold high end Cabernets to restaurants, including some prestigious Napa Valley names. The pandemic wrecked his business when everything closed. He wanted to get back into wine and got an offer from Pride Mountain Vineyards. But in 2020, the fires affected them so much that there was no wine to be made. Evan emailed his friend Greg La Follette. Evan had met Greg when he worked selling wine, Greg's wines were in his portfolio. He got a job in another winery and in the evening he was helping out at Greg's winery. Evan got to do more and more under Greg's supervision and eventually became assistant winemaker then fully titled winemaker. J&H Estates, Marchelle Wines and Evan's winemaking lineage Evan is making some wines now where he is making the picking decisions as well as doing the winemaking. They did a whole-cluster press into new barrels. J & H Estates is owned by two African-American women partners. Evan has brought a bottle of Chardonnay that he made for their label. Greg La Follette's label is Marchelle Wines, where Evan is the winemaker now. Greg was the last apprentice of André Tchelitscheff and Evan is the last apprentice of Greg La Follette. Evan is proud of this lineage. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Dan Berger has brought a bottle of his now award-winning Bahl Fratty Riesling. This 2022 has just won a Gold Medal at the Sunset International Wine Competition. They ask Chris to describe it in Italian, which he does. “Proprio secco!” means “really dry!” Quanto costa? (How much does it cost?) Dan Berger answers, $38, having understood the Italian question. Bravo Dan!   Click the logo to visit our sponsor Davis Bynum Wines. The 1985 Barolo Chris has brought a bottle of Barolo from 1985, so at 39 years, one of the oldest wines, if not the oldest wine we have ever tasted on this show. Dan Berger waxes eloquent to describe it. Barolo is known for being able to last this long and this one has survived its 39 years with deep complex flavors. Chris does a jazz radio show called This is Jazz broadcast on Radio Morcote International and this week's show is a Steve Jaxon tribute show. Steve Jaxon did a show called Swingin' with Sinatra and Chris' show this week uses some of Steve Jaxon's voice work and music programming. You can listen to the weekly one-hour This is Jazz show here at the Radio Morcote International site's "podcast" page, scroll down to the third item. Find the dropdown menu for several weeks of older shows. Evan will be pouring Marchelle Wines at Big West Vine Fest at Solar Punk Farms in Guerneville this weekend. It is a new wine festival that is attracting a young crowd. And Dan will be there too pouring his Riesling. Taste of Sonoma is happening Saturday June 22, 2024. Here is a link to the radio report on CWC from the 2023 Taste of Sonoma. Evan pours a barrel sample of a Cab that he is about to bottle. Then Dan opens a California Barbera. It's different than the Italian Barberas. It is good, but in a different way. Piedmont is cooler so the local Barbera isn't as strong as this California one. It's warmer here so the Barbera is stronger than the usual common everyday Italian Barbera.  

California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger celebrates World Chardonnay Day with a selection of Chards and Rosés. Dan has brought two Chardonnays, three Rosés and a mystery wine from Dan's cellar. The first tasting is called Samur, and it's a 2022 Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley. The producer is Arnaud Lambert. It is on the sweet side, a “patio wine” says Dan. The region is south-east of Paris. It starts on the Atlantic coast and follows the river east over 100 miles. Next, they taste a 2022 Knuttel Family Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley. Bill Knuttel was the winemaker at Dry Creek Vineyards for a long time. This wine won a gold medal at the recent Press Democrat wine competition. It has a bit of both rich and tart flavors. “Sonoma County makes better Chardonnay than just about any American wine region.” -Dan Berger. There are so many sub-regions of Sonoma County that produce different styles of Chardonnay. The Wine Market Right Now Wine sales are down. Why, everyone asks? Is it because millennials have more options for beverages than ever before? Within the last 6 months, the craft brewing industry has collapsed, and sales of wine are flat but not off. It is more seasonal than beer. Beer sells year-round, but wine has summertime specialties like Rosés. When the weather turns hot, everybody wants Rosé. Red wine is not a summertime wine, although Pinot Noir is “going nuts” while zinfandel sales are flat. Maybe that's because people are backing off the high alcohol wines. Other varietals are getting more attention, relatively speaking, such as Syrah, Grenache and many more. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Dan describes Chardonnay as kind of neutral flavored, as a grape, it really doesn't have a lot of flavor. It is sort of citrussy and fresh, but not always. If harvested late, it can be rich and bold. But it is a clean canvas for a winemaker. Since Chardonnay doesn't have very much by itself, if it is properly treated in the vineyard and in the winery, then in the barrel, everything you do can change the wine. From year to year, what style does mother nature allow a winemaker to make that year?  Dan notes three types, from three Sonoma County regions, Petaluma Gap, Russian River Valley and Bennet Valley. Petaluma Gap has wind and Russian River Valley has fog. Both conditions slow the ripening so the grape stay on the vines a bit longer. This is also true of Bennet Valley, in Sonoma County. Dry Creek Valley can also produce some great Chardonnay, although it is better known for other varietals. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. A German Chardonnay Next is a 2021 Chardonnay from Germany. Chardonnay has appeared in Germany only in the last ten years, as climate change has made Germany warmer. In the future some vineyards that produce Riesling will probably be converted to Chardonnay. They are even making Chapagne-style wines in England now, which was impossible before the warming of the climate. Rosés too, today Rosés became popular after stainless steel tanks were developed that allowed winemakers to keep the temperature down during winemaking. The first tasting is Campuget, a Rosé from France, very dry with a trace of sugar. Another is a 2022 Mas de Gourgonnier. (Mas is an old French word for a farm. -ed. note)

Clark Smith has a Noam Chomsky story to tell. Clark Smith is in the studio for California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Today he tells his MIT stories and more. The Clark Smith MIT story begins with his first two years of college, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This podcast episode is from the portion of the live show where Clark tells his personal story. Clark' last appearance on CWC was this episode of last March. The rest of Clark's conversation with Steve and Dan is about the wines he brought in today, so that has its own podcast episode, here. Clark Smith dropped out of MIT after two years and we finally hear the story today. At MIT, the senior faculty teach the Freshman courses. So he had Noam Chomsky for Linguistics, Francis Crick for microbiology, and several others. The trouble came when he had to declare a major at the beginning of his junior year, after earning straight As his first two years. He wanted to create his own major that combined science and art in some way. Today, that is a common practice in universities but at that time, he was not able to do it. So he dropped out thinking he would take a year to figure it out. The One-Way Cross Country Trip That is when Clark and a friend drove across the country and he ended up getting a job in a wine shop in Oakland. Someone asked him about a bottle of Paul Masson Emerald Dry wine. He didn't have the answer, so he started tasting the wines, eventually all of them. There were 250 wineries in the US and he visited a lot of them, maybe “all” of them. One day while visiting a winery he told his wife, that this was his calling. He is happy to have found the art plus science angle he was looking for. After that, he completed the BS and MS programs at UC Davis. Then he helped found RH Philips winery and he started his WineSmith consultancy. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. When he was working for Benziger, their owner needed to find non-alcoholic wine. So he bought a reverse osmosis machine. One of the big problems of winemaking up to the 1970 was how to get rid of VA, Volatile Acidity, i.e. vinegar. In 1960 the average wine in California was 18.5% ABV, mostly Port and Sherry but that was before enough people learned how to really do it. There is great wine coming from places like South Africa and Australia, but most of the best product stays in the country of origin. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Visit Clark's website to see the section about Forgeries and Oddities. Forgeries are wines that he makes exactly like wines from other places. His Cabernet Franc is Bordeaux style, made like a St. Emillion, and his Cabernet Sauvignon is made like a Pomerol. The Oddities are wines made from rare grapes you've never heard of, like Norton. Enter the promo code IKNOWCLARK all caps no spaces, for a 20% discount.

Dan Berger and Clark Smith, WineSmith. WineSmith Clark Smith has brought four unique wines on to California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today. Clark Smith's last appearance on CWC was this episode of last March, when he talked about pairing wine with music. WineSmith is Clark's label for personal projects. This live show ran a bit long, so the portion of the conversation dealing with Clark Smith's early career, from MIT to starting in the wine business, is here on this other podcast episode. The wine marketplace is in serious downturn. Dan Berger notes that every ten to fifteen years or so there is a recurrence of Prohibitionist thinking, people saying not to drink anything. A former Yale professor wrote about this phenomenon. Dan notes another factor, which is alternative beverage which are giving consumer more choice. Clark Smith explains that there are really two wine industries. 95% of the market is for mass market consumption and is not very good. It is meant to be “run of the mill” and not excellent. The other five percent of wineries are struggling to make wines that are “interesting.” Clark's market is the consumer who is interested is something other than the kind of inexpensive wines found in supermarkets. This is even true about the beer industry. Take the example of Russian River Brewing Co. which makes beers that are “interesting” which are driving their success. Today's Cellar Wine Tasting Today's cellar wine is a 2022 White Haven Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It did not have sufficient acidity and has not aged particularly well. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. They turn to a WineSmith sparkling wine made of Grenache. A lot of champagne used to be really sweet. The Grenache taste of strawberries and the vineyard character of honeydew melon. Grenache is usually made into a red or rosé. You typically don't see white sparkling Grenache, like this. A little baked bread component in the nose, and some minerality in the aftertaste. Even with Dom Perignon so-called brut has 1.5% sugar. Brut Champagne was made to respond to English market demand for less sweet wines. One Champagne maker supposedly said that only brutes would like it that way, hence the name “brut” which has stuck around. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. WineSmith owns no vineyards but Clark Smith has good long-standing relations with many growers. His website states that growing great grapes is a full time job so he is happy to let others do it. Everything WineSmith makes is experimental, says Clark. With the market the way it is, with people looking for something different, Clark is well positioned to provide the novelty that demanding consumers want. No New Oak for Clark Clark also owns no barrels that are less than 20 years old. The new oak adds too much oak flavor. That's when people can say that the wine tastes like wooden furniture. Words of wisdom from Clark: "Wine is fundamentally mysterious. Understanding wine is the booby prize." One of Clark's labels has content that can only be seen under a black light. It costs $75 so with the purchase they throw in a black like flashlight. Dan Berger wants to write a book on wine myths. It's complicated because there are PhDs who believe in myths. Since Clark knows the.chemistry, where Dan does not, they might have to collaborate on the book. Clark uses the technical term "out to lunch" to describe some examples of that. Dan is writing a book about American wine regions. There are great wines coming from states that were never known for wine, especially cold climate wines. Michigan is an example. Dan mentions Iowa too. Iowa also produces La Quercia prosciutto, which Clark says is excellent. Clark uggests we find a documentary film out there called Wine Diamonds, that tells the story of five American families that are producing interesting wine.

Baran Ziegler and Steve Dveris in the CWC studio. We have two guests from the 2024 Healdsburg WFE - Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience – on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Dan has brought a cellar wine for tasting, a Sauvignon Blanc that Steve calls "spectacular." It's a 2018 Benziger Estate Paradiso de Maria. Dan has been holding it for five years. Steve Dveris is back, to describe the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience. And Baran Ziegler is here, he has Valkyrie Selections and Marine Layer Wines. The 2024 Healdsburg WFE is a four-day event, between May 16-19, 2024. It is the favorite wine event on the calendar for many people who have attended. This is its third annual edition. There are still  tickets available for the big tasting event on May 18 featuring 125 wineries and 30 chefs, plus beverages galore. Wine Enthusiast magazine voted the HWFE as one of the 10 best wine events in the country. That's a great achievement for the event which is only on its third annual edition. Baran worked in wine retail in college and has been in the industry for 25 years. His company Valkyrie Selections is an importer of wines from Spain and France. His first company was Banshee wines, which he started 20 years ago. Marine Layer is the name of his current winery. The weather in the western part of Sonoma County has a strong marine influence, which makes the area perfect for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Marine Layer tasting room is in downtown Healdsburg. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. Valkyrie Selections Among the wines that Valkyrie Selections imports is an English producer of sparkling wine. On the southern coast, the chalky soils are the same soil formation present across the Channel in Champagne, France. Climate change has warmed England by 5-6 degrees which is enough to allow grapes to grow. 20-30 years ago it wasn't possible. Valkyrie Selections imports 212 wines from 42 growers in Spain. They sell almost 500 wines, as a company. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Most of their wine is sold direct to consumer on their website. In the future, some store distribution is a goal. They have a 3000-square-foot tasting room.

William Weese, Merriam Vineyards winemaker, is our guest with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Melissa Galliani, GM of Wine Country Radio is also in the studio. The last time William Weese was on CWC was this episode on March 15, 2023. Today he has brought a Cabernet Franc, a Merlot and a Chardonnay. The Merriam family started with one vineyard called Windacre in 1998 that produced Merlot. They built a winery and planted more vineyards in 2008 with Cabernet Franc and Malbec and Merlot, in their present location off East Side Road, directly below Shone Farm. Dan says the Merriam project has been under the radar but it has become one of the most beautiful wineries in Sonoma County. They have been certified organic in the vineyard for many years and and now also the winery, recently. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. The Cabernet Franc is “spectacular” says Dan. In the Russian River AVA Pinot Noir is dominant but Cabernet Franc and Merlot deserve more attention. They are open daily from 10 to 5. Reservations are encouraged but not required. They have all kinds of tastings and tours. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. William Weese, Merriam Vineyards winemaker learned winemaking by working in New Zealand, France, Chile and Napa Valley, after some study at Cal State at Chico and at UC Davis. The Sonoma County Barrel Auction Dan Berger and William were at the Sonoma County Barrel Auction today where the variety of production in Sonoma County was on display. Dan notices that a lot of the buyers here are people who want a personal affiliation with the winery. It is also a great place to get to know other wineries and winemakers. There are people who know wine who appreciate special products. They pour the 2021 Cabernet Franc, one of their favorites that comes from a small block in the vineyard. It is a slow-ripening grape so they let it hang for a long time. It is smooth and silky. It has some of the personality of Cabernet Sauvignon, but more floral and less astringent. The winery and tasting room are located a few minutes outside of Healdsburg.

Rodney Strong Vineyards was founded in 1959 when Rodney Strong chose Sonoma County in California as the ideal place to produce some of the best-known wines in the world. Three decades after its founding, Rodney Strong Vineyards' management shifted to the Klein family, and today, their leadership continues the tradition of developing premium wines while prioritizing sustainability efforts.    Vineyard location is critical, and land is carefully selected. At present, the brand owns 12 estate vineyards in Sonoma County, and Rodney Strong itself is right in the middle of the Russian River Valley. The marketing team at Rodney Strong Vineyards is involved in everything from advertising to strategy to social media, packaging, and brand creation. Marketing also works closely with sales and hospitality. Initiatives not only include luxury events drawing wine lovers to Sonoma but also promotions designed to highlight Rodney Strong's commitment to sustainability.  Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Erica Odden, VP of Marketing for Rodney Strong, about the brand's sustainability sweepstakes, meaningful customer engagement, and creating an environment for emotional loyalty to flourish. Read the full article on Loyalty360 here: https://loyalty360.org/content-gallery/in-depth-exclusives/rodney-strong-sustainability-efforts-engage-consumers-and-cultivate-emotional-loyalty

Dan Berger and Don Chigazola. Don Chigazola has brought wines from Colle Ciocco winery run by the Spacchetti family in Italy, to taste on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Chigazola Merchants is Don's company. a micro-importer of fine wines from small producers in Italy. The Spacchetti family are new suppliers to Don's import business. Don has been on CWC several times before, the last time was this episode in November of 2023, with wines from the Friuli region in northeastern Italy. Don has told his story on the show several times before and again for today's audience. He started his business about 12 years ago. He and his wife Debbie and his son Tony drive around the provinces in Italy to visit small local producers. They are farmers who have been making wine for generations. They choose the best ones to import for distribution to their private wine club members and to some restaurants and wine shops in the local area. The Chigazola Merchants Method Don's favorite way of finding wine is to go to the center of town and ask the men assembled in the square who makes the best wine locally. In this case he found the Spacchetti family in the town of Montefalco, in the Umbria region. They tasted their wines at the Vinitaly show in Verona and now they have their first delivery. But first, they visited the 40-acre vineyard located just outside the old stone walls of Montefalco, to meet the family and walk the vineyard. Today Chigazola Merchants imports wine from 13 different families in 12 regions. Colle Ciocco means "Cho-ko" Hill Colle Ciocco is the name of the Spacchetti family winery. Pronounced “coll-eh CHOE-koe” it means “Ciocco Hill” in Italian. The first wine they taste is a red, a 2022 Colle Ciocco Grechetto, made of 85% Grechetto grapes, plus 15% Viogner in the blend. That blend makes it smoother. Dan has noticed that the wines from this region have improved a lot in the last few decades. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Next they taste a classic Umbrian red blend Montefalco Rosso, 70% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot and 15% Sagrantino. This is a 2019 and is their current release. “It has massive amounts of fruit,” says Dan. It has good structure but it's light. Aged one year in oak and two years in the bottle before it is released. It has the structure of a Pinot Noir but not the flavor. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. The Sagrantino is big like a Barolo from Piemonte, but it is only grown in Umbria. The 2018 is the current release and it is till a baby. It is such a tannic varietal that it is not even approachable for the first six years. It can hold up 10 years in the bottle. Finally, the Trebbiano, is a white wine that is delightful and does not remind you of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, the two

Dan Berger and Alan Baker The co-founder of Cartograph Wines, Alan Baker, is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. He has been on CWC four previous times, the last time was this episode recorded on November 23. 2022. In each of his appearances we hear how he came to California from Minnesota and used to work in radio. Dan Berger brought a 2016 MacRostie Chardonnay, from Wildcat Mountain, one of the eastern areas of Sonoma Coast. Dan declares, “These wines are really bullet-proof for several years,” meaning it's delicious and has good structure. Alan Baker and Serena Lourie founded Cartograph in Healdsburg in 2009. Read their story on this page of the Cartograph Wines website. Alan Baker used to work in public radio, in Minnesota. He grew up in Iowa, majored in music in college and worked as a recording engineer and producer. In 2005 he moved to Healdsburg and “started knocking on doors.” His partner Serena was an adolescent psych nurse, then went into program design and then into venture capital. They met making wine at Crush Pad. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for info on the 2024 Summer Concert series. Cartograph Wines has a tasting room in downtown Healdsburg. That's where AV Films is holding its festival. There is a lot to do and see in Healdsburg. Click the logo to visit Davis Bynum Wines. They taste the Cartograph 2023 Rosé, which has a salmon color, rather than pink, and has a lively finish. After that they taste a Riesling. Friday August 9, 2024 there will be a special anniversary edition of California Wine Country for the 16th anniversary of The Drive. Save the date, location to be announced soon.

Dan and Greg. Davis Bynum winemaker Greg Morthole is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Harry Duke, who is sitting in for Steve Jaxon. Katie Lalonde, Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Davis Bynum, is also in today. Greg has been on CWC a few times, most recently on this episode of December 1, 2021. Today Dan Berger has brought another wine from his vast collection, only this time it is not a cellar wine. Instead, it is a 2022 Chardonnay from Jesse's Grove Winery in Lodi, made with no oak at all. Dan calls it a drink-it-now wine. They make Carignane, Sinsault, Zinfandel, Petit Syrah, a lot of red wine. The winemaker is Greg Burns and he is also the owner of the property. They sell grapes to winemakers all over California and are gaining a reputation for their own wines too. Davis Bynum, wine pioneer First, Greg Morthole tells the story of Davis Bynum Winery, one of Sonoma County's historic labels. Davis Bynum started making wine commercially in Albany, California, in 1965. Later he purchased a vineyard in Napa Valley and got to know all the original winemakers there. In late 1972 he tasted a bottle of. Russian River Valley Pinot Noir that reminded him of Burgundy. It made such an impression on him that he began making it. He purchased the River Bend property and made the first single vintage Pinot Noir from grapes grown by Joe Rocchioli. Dan says it is rare to have moved from Napa to Sonoma. Davis Bynum was the first to care about Pinot Noir from Russian River, which put him ahead of almost everyone else. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. Greg tells his story and background as a winemaker. He grew up in different places including Wyoming, where he attended college and took a degree in sciences. Art was also important to him. He got a job in a wine lab in Sonoma County. Then he got an opportunity to work for Rodney Strong in 2005, which was interesting because of the many varieties they produce. He got to know Davis Bynum when he was in his 80s. As Greg remembers him, Davis Bynum was inquisitive about both the art and the science in wine. He too likes leaning into both of those aspects of winemaking. Katie Lalonde We also get to meet Katie Lalonde. She is the Marketing and Communication Coordinator for Davis Bynum . They have finished their 2023 program of events so they are planning the 2024 schedule now. The most recent event was a wine blending session with winemaker Greg Morthole. That was a lot of fun and they plan to do another one next year. Greg also remembers how Davis Bynum loved balance in his wines and he strives for that too. The rest of this episode is a tasting and discussion of Greg's two Chardonnays and two Pinot Noirs.

Dan celebrates, evaluates and appreciates the wines of winter, 2023, long with Purple Banter Network's Katia Dragotis and Kaitlyn Harrah, wine director for the Citrin and Melissa Hospitality Group. Recorded on location at Dear Jane's in Marina Del Rey, California. Wines featured on this episode include Bottega Vinaia Pinot Grigio ($22), Landmark Vineyards Hop Kiln Estate 2021 Pinot Noir ($50), J.O. Sullivan Rutherford Estate Founders Reserve Merlot 2020 ($310), Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($35), Rodney Strong 2017 Symmetry ($70), Paso-D'Oro Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) and Graham's 10 Year Old tawny Port ($42). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Berger and Barry Herbst. Barry Herbst is in the studio on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger, with 2023 Harvest Fair winners at Bottle Barn. Dan Berger was also on this episode back on October 2, with a first report on this year's Harvest Fair winners. Barry Herbst says that the public tasting at Bottle Barn last Saturday was well-attended. Almost all the winning wines from the 2023 Harvest Fair are there, in the middle of the store. It will stay up on display through the end of the year, although some of the wines may sell out before then. Instead of his usual cellar wine, Dan Berger has brought a bottle of wine that he has just purchased that comes from Victoria, Australia. The Australians are doing a big promotion to change Americans' perception of Australian wine. Victoria is a cool region that grows a lot of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This Little Yering Chardonnay is crisp and bright and sells for $18. The problem for the Australian wines is that the low-cost Barefoot brand from Australia has miseducated the American public that Aussie wines should only sell for $8. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. A Rosé of Aglianico They begin by tasting the La Certosa Rosé that won Best of Class was made from Aglianico grapes. It is an Italian red variety that makes red wine but that has almost no color. It makes a light colored Rosé too. Next they taste the Best of Class Chardonnay, a 2022 from the Miro label, made by Miro Tcholokov, who appeared on California Wine Country on this episode recorded on September 2, 2020. It's a single vineyard Chardonnay that has a lot of fruit taste. Dan thinks it might take only about a year in the cellar. Miro is the winemaker at Trentadue Winery and he also produces some of his own labels. Dan says that Miro's Chardonnay has a little bit of Burgundian character, in that they have the aftertaste of a European Chard, with its notable acidity. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for up-to-date info on concerts and other events. The next wine is a Grenache Blanc. Dan calls it “all-purpose” because the flavors are all about the fruit but it also has a nice minerality in its aftertaste. Grenache Blanc is only lightly planted in the US. Then finally they taste a Grenache Rouge. Barry discovered this producer because it won Best of Class Grenache in its price range. Alexander Valley, 2019. The tannins that it has are fruit tannins so they are softer. Barry compares it to a Spanish Grenache.

Dan Berger and Jordan Kunde Jason Kunde from Kunde Family Winery joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger in the studio today on California Wine Country. Jason's father Jeff was a guest on California Wine Country on this episode back on May 31, 2017. Dan Berger has brought another bottle from his gigantic collection, but this time not from the cellar, because he has just bought it. It is a 2022 Riesling, from Donnhoff in Germany that has some residual sugar, but the wine is not sweet. It has that slate aroma with dried pear and other fruits that Dan likes in this wine. Riesling doesn't take a lot of time in the bottle, necessarily, but if you lose some bottles in your cellar and let it age, Riesling can reward you with magnificent flavors. It comes from the Nahe region, which is a new Riesling production zone. It is available at Bottle Barn at a very favorable price. One of the oldest vineyards in California There have been grapes on the property since the mid 1800s. The first vines that were identified were probably around 1850 and the first Cabernet produced anywhere in the United States that was recognized from a single property dates from 1877, says Dan. The Drummond family was the wealthiest family in the region and they produced the Dunfillan Cabernet. The movie Bottle Shock, about the 1976 Judgement of Paris, was filmed on the Dunfillan property, although the story takes place in France. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. Jason has brought a Chardonnay, which they all agree is "bright." He also brought a reserve Chardonnay. The first is a 2021 Sonoma Valley Chardonnay. Served at room temperature this wine shows a beautiful expansive mid-palette. If chilled, it would have a different flavor. The Kunde Estate The Kunde property is a beautiful estate and Jason knows he is fortunate. He is happy now that his parents made him work all the time and learn each aspect of the operation. His house was 100 yards from the vineyard. He and his brother would play roller hockey in the wine cave. To play they would turn off all the power and the game was flashlight tag. The game was also to elude the staff who came to get them for making trouble. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for up-to-date info on concerts and other events. They did want each sibling to get some experience outside the family company. He worked for two wineries in Calistoga. When he came back, he had some experience to offer. Dan describes the Kunde property, 750 contiguous acres of great looking vineyards, beautifully farmed. Dan notes that it is consistent from block to block. Dan's compliment is that they are a family of farmers who later got into wine. They sell about 70% of their grapes on contract and they keep about 30% to make their own wine. Many of their wines are made in small lots and are only available in the tasting room. The black label 2021 Reserve Chardonnay that they are tasting is a good example of that.

Mark Beaman Kenwood Vineyards winemaker Mark Beaman joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger in the studio today on California Wine Country. The last time Kenwood Vineyards was on CWC was this episode of July 19, 2018, with the previous winemaker Pat Henderson. Dan Berger has brought another cellar wine today for tasting, a 2002 Riesling. It shows how Rieslings can age well. They are fresh and fruity when they are young but they also age very well and this wine is a good example of that. Mark Beaman begins by telling the story of Kenwood Vineyards. There have been vines on the property since 1906. He describes how the Pastore family made wine there until 1970. The wine library at Kenwood goes back to the 1970s. The present owner, Pernod-Ricard, purchased the property in 2014. Of course, Mark has brought a Chardonnay. They open a Six Ridges Chardonnay, from Russian River AVA. It is a late ripening Chardonnay location. The wine has “big mineral character” and “racy acidity.” The acidity is strong enough to make a rich mid-palette and a wine that will go well with food. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. The harvest this year seems late but Mark remembers other years beyond the last several years, with a similar timeline. This year reminds him of 2019 when he was picking Sonoma Valley Cabernet well into October It also reminds him of 2010. From eastern Washington to Tanzania, Hawaii and Sonoma Co. Mark Beaman grew up in agriculture in southeastern Washington. They grew alfalfa and wheat and had cattle. He went to college up there and got a degree in Geology. He joined the Peace Corps and lived in East Africa, in Tanzania, for about two and a half years, in a small village. He learned to speak Swahili. He also got introduced to fermentation science there, when he knew someone who made mead. After he came back, he worked for Columbia Crest winery “low on the totem pole.” They moved him to California, to a facility in Hopland. He learned viticulture and got into the laboratory. Then he worked for Parducci wines, making organic, biodynamic and sustainable wines. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for up-to-date info on concerts and other events. After that, he decided it was time for another adventure, so he moved his young family to Hawaii where he made wine from both grapes and pineapple. He was there for close to three years. He enjoys the atmosphere of Sonoma County where there are a lot of other winemakers who share ideas and motivation. He liked it as a combination of the wildness of Mendocino and the pressures of Napa. He worked at Valley of the Moon winery, then Sebastiani, and now, since April, at Kenwood. He is also attracted to the great number of varietals grown in Sonoma County, since he loves to experiment. Kenwood Vineyard is open seven days a week for tastings by reservation only, 10 am to 5 pm.

Dan Berger is in the studio today with Steve Jaxon on California Wine Country to talk about the Sonoma County Harvest Fair 2023 winners. Dan Berger is in the studio today with Steve Jaxon on California Wine Country to talk about the Sonoma County Harvest Fair 2023 winners. The winners have been announced at the Harvest Fair website and in the PD. Dan explains that it is a competition all for wines made from grapes grown in Sonoma County. It is also an opportunity to examine the differences present in the county's different regions like Petaluma Gap. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. Family-Owned Winery Winners Some family-owned wineries won big. Wilson Winery of Healdsburg won the red category and Fritz Underground Winery in Cloverdale has won in the white category. Clay Fritz who owns Fritz Underground Winery is the brother of Jay Fritz who owns Lynmar Estate. He was on this show the week before last. A 2021 Russian River Valley Chardonnay from Fritz winery was the big winner. Wilson is on Dry Creek Road; their winemaker is Antoine Favero who makes intense and deeply flavored Zinfandels. It was a 2021 Zinfandel that won the red category. Dry Creek is cool enough to capture the black berry fruits but warm enough to produce some of the exotic notes. 2021 was a relatively warm year but not hot, which is ideal. 2021 was a very good vintage, says Dan, and the 2021 and 2022 are worth comparing to see the difference. Dan likes to buy a 2020 and a 2021 Pinot Gris from the same producer, to compare them. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for up-to-date info on concerts and other events. Healdsburg's De La Montanya Vineyards & Winery won the Specialty category with its 2020 Twisted Jill Blanc de Blanc from Russian River Valley, made by winemaker Andrew Schwendeman. Dan Berger also runs The Dan Berger International Wine Competition every year, and this will be his 42nd consecutive year, on December 8, this year. All of the judges in his competition are winemakers. Visit our sponsor Davis Bynum Wines for news from the vineyard and the cellar. Harvest Fair had 964 entries this year. The judges at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair like to award Zinfandel for excellence, because of its importance in the county's overall wine production.

Dan Berger and Pete Soergel Pete Soergel, winemaker for Lynmar Estate Wines, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country today. Dan Berger has brought another bottle of wine from his gigantic cellar. Recently he has brought in a lot of well-aged Sauvignon Blancs. But this is a 2019 white Pinot Noir from Aniello in the Patagonia region of Argentina. This wine is four and a half years old. It was made to be consumed earlier and is still good. To make white Pinot Noir, you get the juice before the red skins can give the juice color. It's also reasonably priced at $15. Lynmar Estate is a family owned winery located in Sebastopol in the Russian River AVA where the Goldridge soil is. Dan mentions that it is a very cool region and you have to plant the right variety for the right location. The family began with one parcel in 1980 and now has about 100 acres where they grow the grapes, make wine and live in Russian River AVA. The Lynmar website's Vineyards page (please scroll all the way down) describes their "...full-time crew of benefitted employees that work year-round to cultivate each block's individual growing cycle. This level of expertise has a direct impact on the quality of Lynmar wine, and our ability to produce a portfolio of unique and nuanced wines." Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for up-to-date info on concerts and other events. Pete Soergel grew up in Pittsburgh, PA on an apple farm and wanted to try making wine after getting a degree in Horticulture at Virginia Tech. He did his first internship in 2006 at Landmark vineyard. After that, he got a job at Kosta-Browne in Sebastopol in around 2007, which led him to Lynmar in 2012. Burgundian Character in Russian River Valley Dan describes how the southern part of Russian River Valley seemed very cool for grapes, and it took some risk to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which have done very well there. Other varieties like Syrah and Riesling may also do well there. As the climate gets warmer, you might have to adapt and plant other varietals that like a warmer climate. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. More wineries are putting vineyard names on bottles of Pinot Noir, says Dan. The AVA and the vineyard are both important. Lynmar wines are primarily available through the wine club. They make about 12,000 cases per year and 90% goes to the wine club. They are also in a few local restaurants and have been in Bottle Barn occasionally. Their tasting room is open from Thursday to Monday, by appointment only for hosted tastings at 11am and 2 pm.

Mike Martini, winemaker at Taft Street Winery, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. His last time on the show was last year around this time, on this episode of August 24, 2022. Taft Street is open Friday through Sunday 11:00 am to 4:30 pm. They are a relatively small operation so they made a decision not to run a big room, but guests are welcome and encouraged to bring a picnic and beverages and they are very dog-friendly. Taft Street Winery also has bocce courts. Steve Jaxon remembers playing bocce with his family at his uncle's house in the summer. The winery holds a bocce tournament with the Sonoma County Alliances Education Committee, to raise money to buy books for the schools. The beauty of bocce as a game is it is something you can compete with and you never have to put down your wine glass. – Mike Martini. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for up-to-date info on concerts and other events. Dan Berger tells how Mike has started making a Beaujolais style wine in Sonoma County, with Pinot Noir grapes, instead of Gamay grapes. They make their Beaujolais the same way as in France. That means closing up the whole clusters before pressing, with carbon dioxide to keep any oxygen out, so it's anaerobic. This starts a fermentation inside the berries, before the juice is pressed. It makes a very fruit-forward wine that is ready to drink early. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. Georges Duboeuf and Beaujolais Mike tells how the French wine merchant Georges Duboeuf (1933-2020) figured out ways to make Beaujolais Nouveau into a special event in France, by holding it until the release date and making its arrival in Paris on the third Thursday of November into a dramatic and newsworthy event. The release of Beaujolais Nouveau is still a big deal in France every November. When Mike's son took over the company three vintages ago, they decided to start making Beaujolais from Pinot Noir. They only make 56 cases, using the same Pinot Noir grapes as they use for the Rosé, because it has lower sugar and higher acidity. His goal is to sell it all by New Year's Day. The grapes are coming into the winery on Monday. They will be making both the Rosé and the Beaujolais again this year.

Dennis Hill, co-founder of Langhart and Hill wines, joins Steve Jaxon on California Wine Country. Larry Van Aalst is in for Dan Berger, who is travelling this weekend. Larry has had a long career in wine, he was an educator and a Sommelier and worked in the university and junior college and with PBS, all related to wine. He even worked in the prune harvest back when that was the dominant fruit in Sonoma County. This 2023 vintage is Dennis' 51st as a professional winemaker. His first job in winemaking was working for the late Ed Seghesio. He grew up on his family's property just south of Healdsburg, on the border between Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley AVAs. It was a prune and apple farm but in the 1970s they replaced most of the prunes and apples with wine grapes. Rosés made of Bordeaux Grapes are Great They are tasting a Rosé made of Merlot, which Larry really likes. Dennis calls is “racy” and it has a deeper color than most Rosés these days. He wanted his to have a little more depth of flavor, so he leaves it on the skins and uses Merlot.  Rosé is not just seasonal anymore, They are also tasting a Chardonnay is about the flavors of the fruit, not the oak. It's all older and neutral wood. It is complex and without any of that annoying buttery oaky flavors. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. These wines are available at Bottle Barn. They don't have a tasting room and are just building their sales in the marketplace. They only make about 350-400 cases per year, mostly to restaurants and selected local retail, including Bottle Barn. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for the latest on the winery and event calendar. They also make another line of wines called Rumplestiltskin, which is dedicated to unusual varieties not usually encountered. They make an orange wine and an Appassimento, and a Croatian variety called Dobricic. The Appassimento is very interesting. It is a northern Italian style where they dry the grapes before pressing them, which makes a unique flavor. Amarone is the name of one kind of wine made this way.

Dan and Janice Winesong, Mendocino's unique celebration, is the subject today. On Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, Janice MacDonald visited California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger, to talk about the 38th edition of Winesong for 2023, set to take place on Sept. 8 & 9, a week later. Unfortunately, due to a technical glitch, there we no recording made of that episode. The show notes below refer to that lost Sept. 1, 2023 show. But for the audio portion of this podcast episode, here is a repeat of the July 12, 2017 episode which is all about the then-upcoming 33rd edition of Winesong. FYI here is a link to that original episode, with its own show notes. The descriptions of the event and the location are as true as ever, and so is Dan Berger's enthusiasm for the event. So please enjoy this encore presentation about Winesong.  Janice MacDonald from Winesong 2023 joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger in the studio for California Wine Country today. Winesong is an important annual fund raiser for the Mendocino Coast Health Care Foundation which operates the largest and best hospital in the area. . All the top wine producers are the really high w restaurants serving their iconic dishes The event takes place in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden. It's a large garden park with different vista everywhere you look. Janice has brought wines illustrating the event. Handley Pinot Blanc is a white wine with a flavor that is not as rustic as Pinot Gris. Dan says it is beautifully structured and would hold up to seafood. This wine is about its fruit and tropical character. Handley Cellars is located in Anderson Valley Each area of Winesong will have its own music. The big tent hosts a wine and art auction that raises money for the hospital. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. A Very Special Auction Lot One lot up for auction this year is a 30-year vertical of Joseph Phelps Insignia. The Joseph Phelps winery was producing blended red wines in the 1970s. In about '85 they started Insignia. They are very expensive and hard to come by. This lot is from 1990 and you'll never see a collection like this anywhere. Fort Bragg is home of the Skunk Train that goes up into the redwoods. The Side Deal is a band from LA that will play there. Dan likes Winesong because you can plan 3 days including Sunday to visit wineries. You can find lodging up and down the coast. Dan says if you go once you will want to go again. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for the latest on the winery and event calendar. This is a cool year so harvest won't begin in full until about a week after wine song. They are tasting a Foursight Pinot Noir from Foursight Wines, which is located in Booneville. Foursight Wines is a small producer in the town of Booneville. It is a stylish wine that has just enough oak to carry the fruit character. It is a 2020 and could handle about three more years but longer than that might not bring any particular benefit. Foursight is known for making wines of delicacy not power. Dan Berger says the Mendocino Botanical Garden is an amazing place and is by itself worth the price of admission to Winesong.

Dan Barwick Dan Barwick, Trecini Winery winemaker, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine C0untry, back on the air after summer vacation. Today California Wine Country returns to live radio on a new day, Friday, and on our new station, Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM in Sonoma County. The Drive with Steve Jaxon is back on the air, weekdays from 3:00-6:00 PM on Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM and also streaming live online at TheDrive955.com. Dan Barwick, winemaker at Trecini Wines, has been a guest on California Wine Country an average of once a year since we began this podcast in 2017. His first episode in the podcast series is from May 17, 2017. It's an interesting episode for many reasons. For one, Dan Berger mentions that he was starting to hear more and more about Rosé wines. Something was starting to happen there that kept on going. Also, Dan Barwick was the winemaker at Paradise Ridge at the time and talks about that. This July 29, 2020 episode is also interesting since he talks about how Paradise Ridge had rebuilt since the fires that struck Sonoma County in October 2018. His last time on CWC was November 16, 2022, after he had been at Trecini for some time. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. They begin by tasting a wine that comes from Dan Berger's enormous personal cellar. This is a 2016 Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc. Most people drink their Sauvignon Blanc quickly so they rarely get a chance to age. This is seven years old and is delicious. Dan says that SV is interesting because when it gets a chance to age, it is great. This is his last bottle of the 2016 but he still has one of the 2017. Dan Barwick made his first wine for Trecini in 1999. He has brought a Grenache Blanc from Rockpile vineyard which reminds him of some fruit he used twenty years ago. Grenache Blanc is a white grape from the Rhone region of France. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for the latest on the winery and event calendar. Dan Barwick came from England in 1991 for a harvest, when he was working in wine sales. One harvest just led to another and another. Previously he lived in France, South Africa and later in Australia. He did a harvest in the Barossa Valley, in south Australia. Just like Steve Jaxon, once he came to Sonoma County for work, he decided to stay. The Trecini tasting room is no longer open. (The website may need to be updated). One of the co-founders passed away last year and they are keeping the winery going. Harvest is approaching and both Dans report that expectations are high for this year. It resembles 2011, which was great. It may be average for quantity. Dan Berger says that the acidity in the vineyards is good this year which means this is a promising year. Dan Berger writes a weekly column about wine and recently he has written some articles looking back at what he wrote many years ago. The next wine tasted is a 2022 Russian River Chardonnay, a Trecini pre-release. Dan Berger wrote an article about balance in Chardonnay, and Dan Barwick has brought this particular wine to reply to that. No malolactic, fermented in large used French barrels. He has been trying to make a Chardonnay with this much balance for twenty years. There are grapes from two different vineyards in it.

Outside, a simple sign. Inside, wow! This is the second-to-last week of Summer vacation for The Drive and California Wine Country. In 2 weeks, starting Monday August 21, The Drive returns to live radio on Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM, Mon-Fri. 3-6pm. California Wine Country will be moving to Fridays. Our first new live show of the Fall season will be Friday, August 25. This podcast episode features Jason Schneider, Bottle Barn spirits chief and also the GM, along with Lauren Patz from Redwood Empire Whiskey. Cheers! Jason Schneider, Bottle Barn Spirits chief, and Lauren Patz join Steve Jaxon, Harry Duke and Dan Berger today on California Wine Country. Lauren Patz runs Redwood Empire Whiskey and Jason is the GM of Bottle Barn, where he is also in charge of the Spirits section. He wants the shop to have all the kinds of spirits that people want in addition to wine. They have also expanded the website, even if they can only ship spirits within the state of California. Redwood Empire Whiskey is part of a larger company called Purple Brands. They make Raeburn Chardonnay and Scattered Peaks wines. The distillery was started in 2013 and whiskey started going into barrels in 2015. They started releasing in 2019. Bottled in Bond For a whiskey to be labeled “Bottled in Bond” it has to come from a single distillery, a single distilling season, has to be at least 100 proof and be aged 4 years. It was the first consumer protection act in the US. Dan Berger has brought a bottle of wine from his cellar, usually it's a well-aged wine but this is a 2019 Kite Trail Chardonnay. Generous and soft with some Carneros characteristics. He also brought a 2016 Ricardo Santos Semillon from Argentina. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. Wine Enthusiast magazine has named Bottle Barn one of the top wine retailers in the country. Dan Berger's Wine of the Week in his weekly article in the Napa Register is usually one that is available at Bottle Barn. Jason Schneider tells that Redwood Empire is the top selling local brand of whiskey, because of its high quality for its price. For a young distiller, the quality is very high already. Join the Rodney Strong mailing list to receive special offers, information on new releases, and more. Redwood Empire Bourbon They taste a Redwood Empire Bourbon which they say has real personality, with a good finish. Even if this is wine country, and a wine show, Sonoma County has a lot of craft beer and spirits too. The local spirit industry has flourished along with winemaking and craft beer in successive waves of new distillers. Due to the several years time required for the first bottling to be ready, most of the distilleries in Sonoma County started with vodka and gin. That way, they have product early on to sell, before the whiskey can come on line. Then they taste their Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey. It is a four-grain rye, but also some wheat, malted barley and 3% corn, which she says, you can't taste it but you can feel it.

This week on our Vino Lingo segment we feature Justin Seidenfeld, Sr. Vice President of Winemaking & Winegrowing, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Sonoma, defining the term “Leadership”.  Learn more by visiting www.rodneystrong.com

This time around I find myself in Chicago visiting with Justin Seidenfeld, Sr, Vice President of Winemaking & Winegrowing at Rodney Strong Vineyards in Sonoma. In town for a wine event, Justin has had a lot going on since our last interview back in October, 2016, including Rowen Wines and Cooley Ranch. As Justin knows, [...]

In Part 2 of our annual ode to warm weather wine, Dan is once again joined by Claire Coppi of SOMM TV to present five more delicious bottles of wine including Malene 2022 Rose, Kendall-Jackson 2021 Vintner's Reserve Rose, Eleven Eleven 2022 Beckstoffer Sauvignon Blanc, JUSTIN 2022 Sauvignon Blanc and Rodney Strong 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Recorded on location at the Michelin-starred Culver City eatery, Hatchet Hall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Berger and Carol Shelton. Carol Shelton makes varietals beside Zin, although she is known as the Queen of Zinfandel, and she is back on California Wine Country today, with Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and Harry Duke. She has been on California Wine Country several times, most recently on this episode of February 15, 2023. Dan Berger introduces Carol Shelton by saying that every time she enters a competition she wins gold medals. She just entered the North of the Gate competition and won 6 double golds and best of classes, best of show red and Carol was named winemaker of the competition. Every grape entered has to have been grown north of the Golden Gate. Dan likes the competition because it's a smaller more local competition and the judges all know each other. What is Wild Thing? They are tasting Carol's 2022 Wild Thing Chardonnay. Wild Thing was originally the name of her Zinfandel, because she adds no yeast to what is there naturally. Dan says that it has good structure due to its acidity. It has tropical fruit in the aroma, but it is tart and will go with food. Carol says that the fruit profile comes from some Viognier and some Roussanne which she blended in. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Rodney Strong for the latest on the 2022 Summer Concert series. Next tasting is another gold medal, her signature wine called Wild Thing Zinfandel. Mendocino has some of the oldest Zinfandel in California. In the Ukiah area, it is warm but not too hot. This wine has explosive blackberry fruit. It is blended with some Carignane and Petit Syrah that is also grown on the property. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. Carol came to California in high school and attended UC Davis. Her mother encouraged her to follow her interest in sciences and to look into food sciences. She took the Introduction to Wine class and found the connections to history, culture, food, sensory data, chemistry, microbiology were everything she loved. Eventually she got her degree in Fermentation Science in 1978. (The degree is called Enology today.) Their tasting room is at 3354 Coffee Lane, they are in the back behind a few others, in the same business park with Moonlight Brewing. They are open daily from 11 am to 4 pm. Mention California Wine Country on The Drive to get a free tasting in Santa Rosa. Barbera d'Oakley They make Barbera d'Alba or Barbera d'Asti, different blends made in different towns in Piedmont. Barbera is a dry red wine popular in northern Italy. The vineyard is in Oakley, California, it is at the edge of the delta, at the San Joaquin River. The vines are over 100 years old. 75% Barbera, 10% Zin, 10% Merlot, and 5% Carignanne. It won a slew of medals. It has a dark color and vibrant aroma. The next tasting is Coquille Rouge, which is all red Rhone varieties, grown at Oakley. Mourvedre, Grenache Noir and Petit Syrah, Carignane and Alicante Bouchet.

In Part 1 of our annual ode to warm weather wine, Dan is joined by Claire Coppi of SOMM TV. Get out your pens and paper and take some notes, because Claire and Dan deliver the goods on five wonderful wines including Chamisal Vineyards 2021 SLO Chardonnay, Kendall-Jackson 2021 Low Calorie Chardonnay and 2021 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, Banshee Ten of Cups Brut Non Vintage and Rodney Strong 2020 Chalk Hill Chardonnay. Recorded on location at the Michelin-starred Culver City eatery, Hatchet Hall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than 25 years, University of Minnesota's M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital has been bringing wine makers from around the world here to raise money. We talk with Justin Seidenfeld, Vice President of Wine Making and Growing for Rodney Strong, Austin Johnson, National Sales Manager for Napa Valley's Dakota Shy, and Allison Steltzner from Steltzner Vineyards in the Stag's Leap District. Plus Nick Engbloom from M Health Fairview reflects on $20+ million in donations raised through WineFest.

Steve Dveris of The Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, Domenica Catelli from Catelli's in Geyserville and Leslie Sbrocco, host of Check Please Bay Area on local PBS television, are all in studio today for California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and Tom Simoneau. Barry Herbst, the wine buyer at Bottle Barn, is also in. This is the second annual edition of the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, May 18-21, and it is bigger than it was last year. They have 140 wineries that have signed up. The Grand Tasting on Saturday May 20 (from 12-4pm) is the largest one that Steve has seen in thirty years of organizing such festivities. Tom Simoneau says that if you're going to attend only one event of this kind this year, this would be the one. Click the logo to visit our sponsor Bottle Barn online for the coolest bargains on wine, beer and spirits. There will be live music, cocktails, a beer garden and lots of local producers featured. There are several levels of tickets including several a-la-carte events. On Friday after noon at 4pm, there is a craft cocktail event with some famous bartenders. On Saturday there is a concert at Rodney Strong as well. Dan Berger's Cellar Wine of the Week Dan Berger has brought a wine from his personal collection, for tasting. This a 2021 Sicilian white wine varietal called Grillo from Tenuta Regaliale. Dan describes it as having a similar structure to Chardonnay but also with the flavor of a Pinot Blanc with kumquat and citrus notes. Domenica Catelli represents the third generation operating Catelli's restaurant. Her grandparents started it in 1936. Her father took over in the late 60s then for a while the family was not involved in it, but 13 years ago she and her brother took over. For a while the restaurant was known as The Rex and it's still the "silent name" of the place. Leslie Sbrocco describes how her career covering food and wine began, when she created Wine Today dot com, through the Press Democrat. From there she started to write books and started doing TV. Check Please Bay Area is now in its 18th season. She also hosts show on national PBS called 100 Days, Drinks, Dishes and Destinations. She will be speaking at the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience. Zinfandel and more On Sunday, Leslie will be hosting the Zinfandel Live Experience with a list of 30 Zinfandel producers. She is also the author of a book about wine for women, her second book is The Simple and Savvy Wine Guide, a Guide to Buying, Pairing and Sharing and a third book is in the works. Leslie will also be pairing music with wine at the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience. Steve Dveris mentions that the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience is the first festival of its kind in Sonoma County that invites wines from all over the world, even Napa Valley! Leslie Sbrocco has brought two more wines as teasers for her Sunday Zinfandel seminar, each one representing a musical genre. The Rodney Strong 2019 Old Vine Zinfandel has the Zinfandel spice component of raspberry and spices, says Dan Berger. This is her jazzy wine, she associates it with Ella Fitzgerald. The last tasting is the Robert Biale Zinfandel, a 2021 Black Chicken label. Leslie associates it with blues music. Dan Berger suggests two more years in the bottle for this wine.

We continue the Sonoma County Winemaker series today in the company of Justin Seidenfeld of Rodney Strong Vineyards​ Episode intro Justin Seidenfeld origin Story Rodney Strong deep dive Understanding their consumers Changes in packaging Geographical location in Sonoma County Sustainability deep dive Offsetting climate change  Winemaking Vintage variation Rodney Strong Co-ordinates If you know someone who would enjoy this episode please share the direct link: www.interpretingwine.com/499 If you really enjoyed it please leave the episode an iTunes review on the same link. Thanks!

We have three great new features. We will look at the great website and click on the links at the bottom of this page,and join us with these great new features. We have our first feature with the wines of Davis Bynum. These wines are incredible and the fruit sourcing is amazing. The first to produce single vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir in 1973, Davis Bynum was instrumental in bringing the prestige to Russian River Valley vineyards, still acclaimed as one of California's finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir growing regions. Today, almost 50 years later, the heritage of Davis Bynum lives on through the hand-crafted creation of wines grown exclusively in Russian River Valley. We will also feature the wines of Rodney Strong Vineyards. Our story begins over 60 years ago, when a celebrated American dancer named Rod Strong settled in Sonoma County to pursue a second lifelong creative passion: winemaking. Rodney Strong Vineyards was the 13th winery bonded in the newly discovered Sonoma County wine industry. A trio of winemaking paths crossed when Rick Sayre joined the team as Winemaker in 1979, and again when the Klein Family, 4th generation California farmers, purchased the winery in 1989 and initiated a renewed commitment of modern artisan winemaking. Through the years, Rodney Strong Vineyards has earned the reputation for critically acclaimed Single Vineyard and Reserve wines, stand out Estate releases and best-in-class Sonoma County varietal wine. Our third feature is on the wines of Upshot and Rodney Strong Vineyards. These wines are blends and very good. The end result of our winemaker's passion for blending flavorful, deeply nuanced and unique wines. Exclusively from vineyards in California's best wine growing regions, our blends offer a sumptuous, almost magical outcome of the growing season and winemaking process. Greg Morthole and I will save you a seat and expect you very soon. 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 .

Rodney Strong Symmetry In this episode, Rob and Scott drink an Alexander Valley classic Meritage in the Rodney Strong Symmetry.  Further, they provide their thoughts on the Wine Spectator Top 10.  So come join us, on The Wine Vault.

We have arrived at The Matheson.A great new restaurant in Healdsburg,California. Chef Valette's kitchen is a place of creative collaboration. The menu is an ever-changing reflection of our micro-season's offerings. Prepared with finesse, each dish celebrates the land and the moment. Chef Matt Brimer's 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 Brimer and team, finding the limitlessness in the specific moment is a play of craft and passion. This will be my first time at The Matheson and will be joined by Greg Morthale winemaker for Davis Bynum and Rodney Strong vineyards. Greg Morthole started working for Rodney Strong Vineyards in 2005, when he accepted a job as lab director. His acumen for winemaking became immediately clear and he quickly ascended to associate winemaker in late 2007. In the spring of 2010, Greg was promoted to Davis Bynum Winemaker, overseeing all aspects operations and winemaking. Morthole first met Davis Bynum in the fall of 2010 and their relationship became a real friendship with regular lunch dates where they talked about a wide range of topics. “Davis was always gentleman and we grew to have a great relationship.” We will have three great features for you today,and please click on the links at the bottom to enjoy the audio features. The first to produce single vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir in 1973, Davis Bynum was instrumental in bringing the prestige to Russian River Valley vineyards, still acclaimed as one of California's finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir growing regions. Today, almost 50 years later, the heritage of Davis Bynum lives on through the hand-crafted creation of wines grown exclusively in Russian River Valley. Please join us as we open a few great wines and enjoy the great dishes at The Matheson. 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 two great wines today and have decided to drive down to Valette Healdsburg.Harry Bryan has joined us and we will enjoy a couple amazing pairings with the wines of Rodney Strong Vineyards. First we will check out the tasting notes on the wines and then please joinus by clicking on the links at the bottom of this feature. You will then join us for two great audio features! The 2017 ROWEN red blend is a lush and elegant wine consisting of wonderful high elevation, mountain fruit. Early winter showers were followed by a warm, dry beginning to the new growing season, setting the stage for an early bud break. Alternating overcast days and heat waves continued through spring and summer, with a particularly hot period in late June, and an unseasonal rain in July. We harvested the grapes at peak ripeness from September 28 through October 7 under ideal conditions. Bordeaux varietals thrive on steep terrain and volcanic soil and, our Cooley Ranch is precisely the kind of landscape they love, with elevations ranging from 500 to 2,040 feet. Cooley Ranch is blessed with a bright red, volcanic-based soil that is sought after for its high-quality grape-growing potential. Also, due to being above the fog line, Cooley warms up during harvest to allow for hotter growing temperatures and extra tannin development. All of this provides beautifully ripened fruit and balanced acidity. This wine is extremely special and the blend is one of the best I have recently tasted. Symmetry 2017 Red Blend The 2017 vintage will not be soon forgotten. The all-time precipitation record was set by mid-April as rain swept like waves over the North Coast, filling all the lakes, ponds and reservoirs. As the rain clouds subsided and the sun appeared, the vineyards in Sonoma County endured six different heat waves at or above 100F including a memorable 110F on Labor Day. We harvested the fruit from September 16th - October 13th to make this beautiful red wine. Symmetry is, at its heart, an artfully blended wine. It is also a wine from a specific region, the Alexander Valley, and part of our goal when making Symmetry is to capture the essence of this AVA. The precise blend will vary each vintage, but with over 40 years of experience growing classic French grape varieties in Alexander Valley, only the best is selected for the final blend. The name "Symmetry" means balance, and our winemakers' ultimate goal is to craft a blend that is harmonious, intensely flavored and elegant. Having an incredible passion for memorable food and beverage experiences, Harry Bryan is the perfect addition to work alongside executive chef, Nathan Davis and owners Aaron Garzini and Dustin Valette. Harry re-joins the Valette team as General Manager with over 20 years of professional experience in the hospitality industry. Harry comes to the property from award winning Timber Cove Resort on the Sonoma Coast where he was the Food & Beverage Director. His management experience also includes positions as Bar Manager with Heartland Brewery in New York City, Bar Manager and Floor Captain of the Versace House in Miami Beach, and General Manager of Mateo's Cocina Latina in Healdsburg. We have 2 audio features.Please click on the links at the bottom of this feature,and join us! 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 .

Today we will enjoy the cuisine of Chef carlos at Guiso latin Fusion! Let's check out the tasting notes on our two feature wines and then enjoy Chef Carlos's Pairing off his great menu! Our first wine is the Old Vine Zinfandel from Rodney strong Vineyards! Fresh, bright berry fruit form our heritage Russian River vineyard, combined with the ripe, peppery jam from our Alexander Valley and Dry Creek vineyards, make for a wonderful diversity of flavor, showcasing the best that Zinfandel can offer. This wine boasts notes of blackberry, plum and boysenberry with a touch of red fruit jam and creamy vanilla. Enjoy this Zinfandel now with spiced short ribs, pulled pork sandwiches or a barbeque chicken pizza. I love this wine and it is a perfect food wine for this amazing cuisine. When Rod Strong first acquired benchland acreage on Westside Road just behind the winery, he wisely chose to leave untouched, the 15 acres of old, gnarled Zinfandel vines that had been thriving since 1904. Today, we still harvest Zinfandel from those same old vines, along with a handful of vineyards we farm to the north in Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. Next we will open the great Syrah from Balletto Vineyards and Winery. This is a single vineyard wine and really aperfect wine for Chef carlos's dishes. the BCD Syrah is a work of art! This Syrah opens with classic-cool climate aromatics. The first impression is lightly smoked bacon, earth and savory spices. A core of dark fruit follows and holds the wine together without overstepping. it's complex and elegant. Then there's a tart blackberry foundation that runs from start to finish and is a reminder that this wine is grown in a cool site. It has medium viscosity and finishes with notable, just-strong-enough tannins that lengthen the finish and pull for the next sip. With just enough of everything tightly balanced together, the wine shows its seriousness and the potential to age well. It should develop in the bottle for the next five (or more) years. “The goal of the Russian River Valley ‘neighborhood initiative' is to showcase the diversity and uniqueness of the Russian River AVA...We are seeking to explain the varying complex and sophisticated wine profiles coming out of this special region.” we have two great wines and the pairings are truly incredible! We refuse to compromise on quality in our restaurant. That's why we source our fresh ingredients from local farmers' markets. Guiso Latin Fusion is a family owned bistro style restaurant serving authentic Latin American and Caribbean dishes . I have really enjoyed these first features with Chef carlos and look forward to many new features in the very near future! Now jioin us as we click on the link below and listen to this great new feature with two of Sonoma County's best wineries and a local chef super star! Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

In the final installment from the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, Justin Seidenfeld shares his passion for winemaker and sustainability. Justin is the senior vice president of winemaking and winegrowing for Rodney Strong Vineyards, the iconic Sonoma County Winery founded in 1959 by namesake Rodney Strong. Justin's winemaking career began in Sebastopol, California, where he was an intern at Iron Horse winery in 2005. He quickly rose from cellar hand to taking on winemaking responsibilities which in 2006 led him to the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley. As a harvest enologist at Mondavi, Seidenfeld gained a comprehensive understanding of quality land and viticulture. He took that experience as he supervised the winemaking at Estancia, Clos du Bois, Simi, and others within the Constellation portfolio. Justin graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2006 with a B.S. in viticulture and enology. He lives in Santa Rosa with his wife Dena and their three daughters Madison, Lila and Reagan.

Wine Road Podcast BONUS Episode Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience Sponsored by Ron Rubin Winery Bonus Episode | Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience--with Karissa Kruse, President Sonoma County Winegrowers Karissa Kruse, President Sonoma County Winegrowers joins us to tell us all about the Healdsburg Food and Wine Experience May 20-22, 2022. Wine of the Day CAST Blanc de Noirs Sparkling. Fast Five Recipe: Apple Cider Pulled Chicken from Elizabeth at Dutton Estate Winery. Wine of the Day: CAST Blanc de Noirs Sparkling Wine Fast Five: Apple Cider Pulled Chicken from Elizabeth at Dutton Estate Winery Podcast Sponsor: Ron Rubin Winery SHOW NOTES 1:07 Wine of the Day CAST wines Blanc de Noirs Sparkling. Wine Road will have a Bubble Tent at the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience. The Inaugural Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience is happening May 20-22, 2022 in Healdsburg with a choose you own adventure format over three days of tastings, food and wine experiences, music, cooking demonstrations and seminars. Wines featured will be local and international. Saturday May 21st is the Grand Tasting with over 100 wineries from around the world. Benefit Concert at Rodney Strong with The Band Perry proceeds will go to the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation and support the new component of the foundation the Leadership Academy for vineyard employees. Choose from a variety of events including Luncheons, Educational Seminars, Cooking Demonstrations & Sunday Truck Tours followed by Dutton Ranch Barbecue. Visit the website https://www.healdsburgwineandfood.com/ for tickets and details on event schedule, lodging and more. USE CODE HWFEWINEROAD for special ticket pricing. 14:21 Fast Five Recipe – Apple Cider Pulled Chicken from Elizabeth at Dutton Estate Winery Ingredients:Apples, Onion, Salt, Dutton Estate Hard Apple Cider, Boneless chicken breast or thighs. Directions: Place the apples, onion, and chicken at the bottom of slow cooker. Brown the chicken beforehand if you desire. Pour half a cup of the hard apple cider on top and let it sit in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours. Remove the chicken and shred it. Put shredded chicken back in the cooker and pour the remaining cider over the top and let it cook for another hour. Serve with the Dutton Estate Hard Cider or Chardonnay or even Pinot Noir. 16:30 SPECIAL PROMO CODE!! for Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience tickets-- Use code HWFEWINEROAD to get 10% off the VIP package and 15% off the Grand Tasting General Admission tickets. 17:50 New Wine Road Insider seminars coming up in June– The Neighborhoods Tasting of Pinot Noir of Russian River Valley -- $30 for Insider Club Members and $60 for Non Members Check Wine Road website for details. All Seminars are 50% for Insider Club Members. 18:24 Best Note ever from fan Deb Hayes! Thank you Deb! Links Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience May 20-22, 2022 Dutton Estate Podcast Sponsor: Ron Rubin Winery https://ronrubinwinery.com/ Wine Road https://www.wineroad.com Wine Road Podcast Instagram -- @wineroadpodcast Credits:The Wine Road podcast is mixed and mastered at Threshold Studios Sebastopol, CA. http://thresholdstudios.info/

AmyJo Short – or “AJ” – as her colleagues know her, has been an executive assistant in Northern California for over twenty years. She is currently the executive assistant to Carmen Castaldi, president of Rodney Strong Wine Estates.In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, AJ talks about how she became an assistant, tips for new assistants, and advice on event planning and coordination. AJ is also a member of the Leader Assistant Premium Membership Community. I trust you'll enjoy our conversation!Sponsor -> leaderassistant.com/goodyShow Notes -> leaderassistant.com/163Book -> leaderassistantbook.comPremium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membershipEvents -> leaderassistantlive.comFree Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

Today let me introduce you to Rebecca Gilbert of CRŪ Winery and Jason Smith of Valley Farm Management.   Rebecca Gilbert is CRŪ Winery's Marketing Director.  Rebecca has been living, working and playing in wine country for the past 15 years. Attending college in Sonoma County, she quickly fell in love with the area and pursued a career in wine marketing. She started her wine career at Jackson Family wines and during her tenure worked on their portfolio of luxury brands including Stonestreet, Matanzas Creek, and La Crema before spending time at Rodney Strong as Brand Manager and Senior Brand Manager at The Family Coppola.    Valley Farm Management president and CEO, Jason, is the second-generation grape grower in the Smith family. Like any son who loves to go to work with his dad, Jason grew up on the farm and was always excited to help. He did just about every job in the vineyard – from pulling weeds and fixing trellises, to driving tractors and changing oil. Over the years, besides realizing a true passion for sustainable vineyard farming, Jason developed into a visionary businessman and natural leader.   Let's dive into their wine story!   [00:01 - 14:00] Opening Segment    I introduce our guests for this episode Rebecca and Jason share their CRŪ Winery story  A quick history class about Monterey County with Jason How Rebecca and Jason got into wine and winemaking   [14:01 - 24:14] Wine: Paradoxically Romantic   What makes wine paradoxical and romantic CRŪ is deeply rooted in friends and family and offers great opportunities, even the underrepresented Jason tackles the relationship between vineyards and wineries [24:15 - 38:41] Climbing to New Heights of Pinot Noir A Year at the Vineyard and Winery  Rebecca talks about wine algorithms Flavor profiles out of your wine glasses You've got 2 choices: Drink the wine now or let it age more What are clones and how do we use them?   [38:42 - 45:24] Closing Segment    Favorite Wine Pinot Noir Favorite Go-to Pairing Like Snack Charcuterie and Pinot Noir Albarino and goat cheese Pinot Noir and ribeye steak Wine and Vineyard Resources Wine Folly Santa Lucia Highlands   Connect with Rebecca through Instagram, Facebook, and CRŪ Winery Reach Jason through Valley Farm Management   Special Offer!  10% off and free shipping on purchases of 4 bottles or more with code PODCAST    Let's continue the Everyday Wine Conversations and connect with me through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or feel free to shoot me an email at kris@krislevy.co. You can also check out my website at ​www.​klevywineco.com.   TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! LEAVE A REVIEW + help us get the word out there! Share this podcast to someone who wants to join the wine conversations. Go ahead and take a screenshot, share this to your stories, and tag me on Instagram!    JOIN THE CLUB through this link and handpick wines every month, from up and coming wineries, winemaker owned brands and wineries with unique stories while supporting those wineries directly. You can also join our Facebook Group to connect with other wine lovers, get special tips and tricks, and take your wine knowledge to a whole new level.   Tweetable Quotes:   “One of the great things about St. Lucia is that you can drink the wine, but you can also hold on to it for a few years because just going to get even better.”  - Rebecca Gilbert   “That's the beauty of wine.  Every vintage is going to be different at the same time you're making something for a consumer that's expecting something unique.”  - Jason Smith   “With us solely grape growers, our success is when the wineries are successful.”