Friday, November 20, 2015

Best Santa Cruz Mountains Value Pinots (Under $30) - Round 2

We were joined by our friends to taste the second batch of 6 random Santa Cruz Mountains Pinots under $30 on a brisk Fall night. Unfortunately, some of the usuals were unable to attend: Bob and Carolyn, with Carolyn's knee still healing, and Jose, who was recovering from a couple of weeks in Bolivia. We hope to see them all next time. Given the smaller number of participants, we were able to provide a glass for each wines being tasted, a treat for sure.

Sue set us up inside, moving the couch back a couple of feet and the rug into another room. Everything looked great! I hoped our friends wouldn't look down and notice any of the spots the rug had covered.

All Set Up and Ready to Taste

Sue decorated a little, setting out some Christmas lights. Ted, who normally would have objected to Christmas lights before Thanksgiving, claimed the NyQuil, that was helping him recover from a cold, kept him from complaining.

Christmas Lights Already?

While we waited for everyone to arrive we enjoyed a Picchetti, Brut Rose and a Vine Cliff, Chardonnay. At seven we poured the wines and started rating as we discussed music, video games, politics, and more. I tried to play topical music, but started off with AWOLNATION and Meg Myers, who we had just seen with Ted and Shannon at Live 105's Fright Fest. Paul and Jennifer arrived as we started D, E, and F. We joked that we were just about ready to divvy up their A, B, and C. A glass per wine makes a world of difference in a tasting. It allows all the wines to be revisited, contrasted, and compared.

I was sure D was the oldest based on its appearance. Ted disagreed and bet $20 it was F. Ted was right, but I will point out we had chosen the two oldest wines.

Results



Top to Bottom from Left to Right

All the wines tasted really good; all but one averaged above a three (I liked it).

F - 2010 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, Bailey’s Branciforte Ridge, Santa Cruz Mountains came in first place with an average of 3.79.

It is amazing that every time a Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Pinot has participated in one of our blind tastings, it has won:


E - 2013 La Honda Winery, Sequence, Santa Cruz Mountains came in second place with an average of 3.31.

A - 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains, Estate came in third place with an average of 3.16.

D - 2011 Rexford, Santa Cruz Mountains came in forth place with an average of 3.11.

B - 2013 Sante Arcangeli, Split Rail Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains came in fifth place with an average of 3.10.

C - 2012 Savannah Chanelle Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains came in last place with an average of 2.90.



We retried our favorites and a French wine Michel brought: 2013 Bourgogne.

2013 Bourgogne

Sue served a standing rib roast, fingerling potatoes, and sautéed brussel sprouts for dinner. She ended the evening with warm cookies. A great time was had by all.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Friday Night Malbecs for Jose

We have been acquiring Malbecs from the wineries we've visited in order to share them with our good friend Jose. Malbecs seem to be more popular these days. We were told in Napa that many wineries were tearing out there Syrahs to put in Malbec. Who knows if it's true.

Jose was free on Friday so I made the date and filled in the table. John decided to say yes, which is a rarity - my guess is the allure of conversations with Jose convinced him. Paul and Jennifer surprised us by being available at a last minutes notice.

Since we were only six, I decided to give each wine a glass. It was a mismatch of glasses for sure, but made comparisons in the tasting easy.

Everything is Ready

The Aftermath

We tasted, ate, and enjoyed each other's company.

Results



Top to Bottom from Left to Right

E - 2011 Kuleto Estate, Napa Valley came in first place with an average of 3.08. It cost $55. We picked this up at the winery on our Wine Train inspired trip to Napa. Sue has loved India Ink, now renamed El Coyote, from Kuleto since she discovered it at Taste of the Town years ago with Bob and Carolynn in San Francisco. We took the opportunity to visit this beautiful place before going on the Wine Train.

View from Kuleto


B - 2012 Picchetti, Shoemaker Vineyards, Paso Robles came in second place with an average of 3.00. It cost $30. We picked this up at Picchetti, where we are club members.

The 2010 of this won the last Malbec tasting we had a couple of years back: I'm Dreaming of a Malbec Christmas.

D - 2009 Thomas Fogarty, Gist Ranch, Santa Cruz Mountains came in third place with an average of 2.75. It cost $52. We purchased this from Fogarty when we were members as part of a club shipment.

A - 2011 Capataz, Mendoza, Argentina came in fourth place with an average of 2.62. It cost $35. We picked this up in Napa at Dariush.

C - 2011 Chalk Hill, Sonoma County came in fifth place with an average of 2.58. It cost $45. We picked this up at the winery. The Chalk Hill AVA is a region of the AVA of Russian River AVA. I wanted to give it a try the last time we went to Sonoma.

F - 2013 Chilensis Reserve, Chile came in last place with an average of 2.45. It cost $8. John brought. He picked it up at Bevmo where they recommended a Chilean and Argentinian Malbec.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Best Santa Cruz Mountains Value Pinots (Under $30) - Round 1

Our friends joined us on a hot Friday evening to taste the first batch of 6 random Santa Cruz Mountains Pinots under $30. Gusts of wind helped cool things down and added a tinge of excitement: Falling grapefruit. Everyone would cringe when a gust came and a few grapefruit would fall, but none of them landed anywhere near us. In the past three years of entertaining under the giant grapefruit tree only Parker has been hit by a falling grapefruit, right on the noggin. The wind calmed down as the evening cooled.

I tried to keep the loud political discussions out of the neighbors windows by asking everyone to avoid the topic. While this didn't exactly put an end to these discussions or the surrounding bets, I don't think the neighbors heard any of it. Instead we serenaded them with Kenny Roger's Lucille and The Gambler. The lyrics to Lucille are still endlessly repeating through my head. I wonder which they would have preferred.

We started off with some nice whites. When everyone arrived I poured the first wine and we tasted.

Results



Top to Bottom from Left to Right

A - 2010 Dancing Creek Winery, Santa Cruz Mountains, Legato came in first place with an average of 3.30.

F - 2012 Radonich Brothers Vineyards, Estate came in second place with an average of 2.91.

E - 2012 McHenry Vineyard, Estate Santa Cruz Mountains came in third place with an average of 2.82.

B - 2012 Roudon-Smith Winery, Santa Cruz Mountains Private Reserve came in fourth place with an average of 2.73.

C - 2012 Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains came in fifth place with an average of 2.68.

D - 2011 Pelican Ranch Winery, Santa Cruz Mts., Meadowridge Vineyard came in last place with an average of 2.36.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Best Santa Cruz Mountains Value Pinots (Under $30) - Planning Part 2

Sue and I spent the last couple of months scouring the Santa Cruz Mountains for the Pinots, often joined by the Fosters. We had a great time visiting so many different places, some for the first time! We spent $830 gathering a single bottle of each of the wines. When visiting wineries, we left with at least 3 bottles and sometimes as much as a case. Our wine budget is depleted, our cellars are overflowing, and we're ready for a break. Is it time to taste yet?

Preparing for the Tasting


I put them all together for this money shot.

Under $30 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinots

I removed all the foil, wrapped them in K&L bags, and stored them.

All Wrapped and Ready to Taste

The Final List (28)


WineryWineRetailBest Price
Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery2013 Alfaro "A" Estate$25.00$25.00
Bargetto Winery2013 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir, Regan Estate Vineyards$35.00$28.00
2013 Pinot Noir, Regan Estate Vineyards$28.00$22.40
Burrell School Vineyards & Winery2010 Estate Pinot Noir$39.00$29.00
Byington Vineyard & Winery2012 Pinot Noir, Estate$39.00$29.25
Dancing Creek Winery2010 Santa Cruz Mountains Legato, Pinot Noir$28.00$28.00
MJA Vineyards2011 Davine Cellars Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$38.00$26.60
2012 Reagen$38.00$26.60
Domenico Winery2009 Santa Cruz Pinot Noir$35.00$28.00
La Honda Winery2013 SEQUENCE, Pinot Noir$28.00$28.00
McHenry Vineyard2012 "Swan Clone - Estate" Pinot Noir$38.00$28.99
2012 Estate Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$34.00$25.99
Muns Vineyard2010 Estate Pinot Noir$40.00$28.00
Nicholson Vineyards2012 Pinot Noir, Cuvee$30.00$25.50
Pelican Ranch Winery2011 Santa Cruz Mts., Meadowridge Vineyard$35.00$29.75
2010 Santa Cruz Mts., Amaya Ridge Vineyard$35.00$29.75
Perrucci Family Vineyard2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$34.00$23.80
Radonich Brothers Vineyards2012 Estate$27.99$27.99
Rexford Winery2011 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains$25.00$20.00
Roudon-Smith Winery2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Private Reserve Pinot Noir$30.00$26.40
Russian Ridge Winery2012 Russian Ridge Pinot Noir$30.00$25.50
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard2010 Pinot Noir Bailey’s Branciforte Ridge Vineyard$32.00$29.00
Sante Arcangeli Family Wines2013 Pinot Noir, Split Rail Vineyard, Corralitos$36.00$28.80
Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$36.00$28.80
Ser Winery2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$33.00$28.00
Silvertip Vineyards2012 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, Estate$32.00$24.00
Soquel Vineyards2013 Estate Pinot Noir$33.00$29.70
Storrs Winery2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$36.00$28.80
Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$35.00$29.75
Trout Gulch Vineyards2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$28.00$28.00
Villa del Monte Winery2013 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains$34.00$28.90
2013 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyards Martini Clone$32.00$27.20
2013 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Pommard Clone$32.00$27.20
2012 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyard$32.00$27.20
Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery2013 Terra Narro Estate Pinot Noir$29.00$23.00


Things I've Learned


There are a lot of Great People Out There


Those that responded were very helpful. They shared information, helped pick wines and vintages, and went out of there way to deliver or make it easy for me to pick up the wine. Thank you all.

Always Check the Bottles Before you Leave


If you don't, you might find that sometimes you won't have what you came for when you get home. Thankfully wineries are usually super flexible about making exchanges, even on days they aren't normally open.

Be Specific with the Rules


The purpose of this was to find the best readily available, under $30 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot. In some cases enthusiasts would have to go to extremes to get the price. In other cases the wine was no longer even made. If I ever do something like this again, I'll make the rules more restrictive.

Never do Something Like this Again


This was a little too aggressive. 28 wines is a lot. They were costly and time consuming to gather. They are going to take months to taste 6 or 7 at a time.

Good Luck!


I've met and interacted with so many great wine producers.  I'm rooting for all of them. If I wasn't confident we use an objective process I would be worried these interactions could sway the results.

The first tasting will hopefully be in August. I'll post results as I get them.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition Santa Cruz Mountains Gold+ Pinot Winners

When the results of the San Francisco Wine Competition come out, my mind races with ideas to try them - yes I'm that kind of wine enthusiast. Not surprising to anyone that knows me, I decided to blind taste all the Gold and up Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot winners. I tend towards Pinots and while we enjoy wine from different regions, I favor the Santa Cruz Mountains given its local and has an endless supply of great wine.

We managed to get all but one of the winners:
  • 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Estate - Gold 
  • 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Lester Family Vineyards - Double Gold 
  • 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Partner's Reserve - Double Gold 
  • 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Library Selection - Gold 
  • 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Coast Grade Vineyard - Gold 
  • 2012 Villa del Monte Winery, William Vincent - Gold 
  • 2011 Storrs Winery and Vineyards, Christie Vineyard - Best of Class 
  • 2012 Woodenhead, Lester Family - Gold 

Unfortunately I was unable to find a bottle of the 2012 Savannah Chanelle Vineyards, Muns Vineyard - Gold. Next year I promise to react more quickly to the results. Medal winning helps wines sell out.

The Tasting


The wines were opened an hour before the tasting began, which hopefully helped them open up a little; they were a little young to drink.

Sue took the opportunity to change the look of the backyard. My initial thoughts are typically resistive, as Sue has learned to expect and justifiably ignore, but in the end I usually come around. The updated look was pretty impressive, complete with firefly lights.


The usuals all showed up. We tasted, discussed, rated, and loudly discussed politics some.

Results



Top to Bottom from Left to Right

A - 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Lester Family Vineyards came in first place with an average of 3.60. It cost $39. We picked up all of the Soquel on a trip to the winery with Bob and Carolyn. The Soquel winery is a lovely place, a seeming oasis given the surroundings. They were serving pizza fresh out of their pizza oven, which was a nice treat. I always wonder why we don't belong when we leave.



E - 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Partner's Reserve came in second place with an average of 3.14. It cost $39.

H - 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Estate came in third place with an average of 3.11. It cost $33. We'll be trying this again in the < $30 tasting.

F - 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Coast Grade Vineyard came in fourth place with an average of 3.06. It cost $39.

G - 2011 Storrs Winery and Vineyards, Christie Vineyard came in fifth place with an average of 2.96. We thought we had picked this up on a trip to the winery, but when I checked the year I realized we had picked up 2009. Thankfully, I was able to order the correct vintage from the web site and it arrived in time.

D - 2012 Woodenhead, Lester Family came in sixth place with an average of 2.82. It cost $42. The winery was sold out of this; they tried to find me a bottle when they heard what we were doing, but they could not. Luckily, I found this at The Wine House via wine-searcher.

C - 2013 Soquel Vineyards, Partner's Reserve, Library Selection came in seventh place with an average of 2.75. It cost $56.

B - 2012 Villa del Monte Winery, William Vincent came in last place with an average of 2.60. It cost $37. The winery was sold out of this wine, but after looking around they found me a double magnum.


3L of William Vincent

They even graciously signed it for me when I picked it up. Thank you Neil and John.



I wasn't about to use this bottle for a tasting. I was prepared to apologize about not putting it in the tasting, or possibly using a different vintage, but I luckily found a bottle down the street from the winery at Summit Store.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

2015 Silicon Valley Wine Auction

Sue and I attended the first ever Silicon Valley Wine Auction's Grand Wine & Food Tasting, an event benefiting the Silicon Valley Education Foundation.

Tickets were $150, but if you belonged to a Santa Cruz Mountains winery then you received a coupon for $50 off. $100 a head is not inexpensive by any means but is inline with the other two Santa Cruz Mountains winery events, Pinot Paradise at $85 and Premier Cruz at $150.

The event took place at the impressive and beautiful Levi Stadium in the 501 club. We were told it was going to be outside and had prepared with sun block and hats. It was apparently moved inside due to the stage set up. This was probably a good thing. It's hard to imagine that it would have been as impressive outside in the heat; the 501 club was very spacious and cool climate wise. 

Silicon Valley Wine Auction

Two patios were open to view the stadium. According to the friendly staff, workers were setting up the stage for 2 shows of The Grateful Dead the following weekend. One can only imagine the cloud that will be hovering over the stadium.

Preparing for the Dead

Food was very nice, a good selection of cheese and charcuterie along with 3 different types of sliders.

The wine was excellent, as you can expect from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Over 50 wineries were serving tastings of their best. When encountering this many wineries you have to pick and choose very carefully, otherwise they'll be pouring you out of the place. I could learn to taste and spit, but what fun would that be; I'm an enthusiast, not a professional. We usually start with wines we're less familiar with or have never tried and then pick and choose at our whims.

We got a chance to try some wineries we've never tried:

  • Armitage Wines
    • They shared 3 Pinots, the Santa Cruz Mountains Mt. Roberta Vineyard being our favorite.
    • Their tasting room is in Aptos, we're going to have to make it down there.
    • Coincidently we picked up a bottle of their Chalone when visiting the Summit Store looking for < $30 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinots. Curtis was recommending it.
  • Frederick William
    • He shared a nice Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah with us.
    • He is a very small producer, 75 - 150 cases a year, mostly selling to restaurants.
  • Ghostwriter
    • Their Ahlgren/Mt. Madonna Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot was very nice.
    • They cleared up the mystery of Santa Cruz County which means the wine doesn't qualify for the < $30 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot tasting. We'll be forced to enjoy it at our leisure.
  • Mindego Ridge Vineyard
    • Their 2013 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot was their first vintage and was very nice.
    • They do not have a tasting room, but are available via their website or at local retailers.
Many of our favorites were there.
  • Burrell School
    • Dave and Katrina were pouring their Chard, Pinot, Syrah, and Merlot.
    • We enjoyed a taste of their Pinot.
    • Dave had a 5L of something on the silent auction. We couldn't find it on the table and their weren't any details on the web site, so we had to ask. He got it cleared up on the site. I hope they found the bottle.
  • Cinnabar Winery
    • We tried their Lester Family Vineyard. It was very nice. We had been meaning to hit Cinnabar ever since this had been recommended when we visited Sante Arcangeli a couple of weeks back.
  • House Family Vineyards
    • We enjoyed their cab.
    • Dave House still hasn't enjoyed the nebuchadnezzar  of Premier Cruz cuvee from a few years ago. I still think about that bottle.
  • Kathryn Kennedy
    • We enjoyed some of their luscious Estate Cabernet. It's always a treat.
  • Kings Mountain
    • We enjoyed their 2010 Pinot.
    • They also are now offering a more Californian styled Pinot, the Bacchus. I'm uncertain on this. Perhaps more tasting is in order to convince me.
  • Lexington
    • Tom Fogarty Jr served us their excellent Cab Franc and Apex. We've been waiting for the Apex to show up on the market so we can pick up a bottle for our good friend Mark Romano, who had really liked it at Premier Cruz. Tom said it was going to happen in 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Villa Del Monte
    • We had a fun chat with Neil as we enjoyed some of their Pinot and Cab.
  • Windy Oaks
    • Judy treated us to some wonderful Dianne's block Pinot.

Silicon Valley Wine Auction Tasting Under the Levis

Silicon Valley Wine Auction Tastings

Silicon Valley Wine Auction

The auction was fun. There was a good selection of large format bottles and cases. Although some of the minimum bids for the cases seemed a bit hefty, there were definitely deals to be had. The auction was run by GiveSmart. They used a web site to run the auction. You could monitor your bids from your phone. It was convenient and pretty cool to boot.


Overall we had a great time. I would probably attend again.

We didn't attend the $550 a head Wine Dinner and Live Auction, but because I had participated in the tasting auction I was able to see the silent auction items and bids. I'm pretty sure it was a tad above my pay grade.



The San Jose Mercury News reports they raised over $600,000.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Santa Cruz County Designation?

I purchased a 2013 Ghostwriter Pinot thinking it qualified for my < $30 SCM Pinot tasting. When I picked up the bottle I noticed it is designated Santa Cruz County. I don't see this listed as an AVA for California. Any ideas?

2013 Ghostwriter Front

2013 Ghostwriter Back

At the Silicon Valley Wine Action today we got a chance to talk with Ghostwriter. She explained that this was a cuvee and two of the sourcing vineyards were not consider Santa Cruz Mountains because of their elevation.


Saturday, April 25, 2015

Best Santa Cruz Mountains Value Pinots (Under $30) - Planning

We are blessed with an abundance of great Pinot Noirs in the Santa Cruz Mountains. A lot of these Pinots are $30 and up. I decided to try and find the best Pinots under $30. I knew of a couple, but would love to find more.

I went through all the wineries on the Santa Cruz Mountains Winery Association website and searched their websites for wines that were less than $30. This dollar amount could be due to club or case discount, if I could easily figure these out. After scanning the websites for hours I came to the conclusion that it might be easier just to ask the wineries.

So I started sending out this email:

Hello.

I am a local Santa Cruz Mountains wine enthusiast. I have visited most of the Santa Cruz Mountains wineries and am a club member of many.

I like to put together blind tastings to enjoy with my friends. I typically blog our findings.

I want to put together a blind tastings of reasonably priced Santa Cruz Mountains Pinots. The Pinot must be from the Santa Cruz Mountains region and must be available for under $30 before tax. The under $30 price can be reached via club membership and/or case discount; it can also be reached via a reseller.

Do you have any wines that meet these requirements? Please note that I’m not asking for you to send me the wines, just looking for a list. I tried to figure out this list myself via http://scmwa.com/wineries/ and navigating everyone’s website, but in the end I thought it more fair just to ask; so as not to miss any.

If you do have any, please reply with the name of the wine and how the <$30 price was reached.

Regards,
Rod Magnuson
Accidental Wine Snob
http://www.accidentalwinesnob.com/

After reviewing the list, I realized some of the wineries I was familiar with were not in the Santa Cruz Mountains Winery Association. I added everyone to the list I knew or could find by scouring google maps for wineries.

Sue guessed we would get 30 and could name the tasting 30 under $30. I guessed we would get closer to 15.

As the list of wines grew, I realized that this was going to be a major undertaking and I had to start making some tough decisions if i was ever going to complete it. I decided the following:

  • Wines had to be below $30. Some wines were really close to $30.
  • Only one vintage of a wine. A number of wineries had different vintages of their wine. I chose to only allow one, preferring 09 - 12.
  • Only one wine per winery. Some wineries had more than one qualifying wine. I chose to only allow one, asking the winery which they would prefer.

I attempted to contact 84 wineries via form submissions and email.

I received a lot of encouragement and informative replies.

Judy Schultze from Windy Oaks provided me with this insight on price:

"A few of the reasons it’s under $30/bottle:
  • Not aged as long as our other pinots (but still ~16-17 months)
  • Not a block designate
  • No single fermentation (but still total fermentation time of 30-40 days)
  • Not as much new French oak as our other pinots"


Wineries


Here's the list of wineries I attempted to contact. Am I missing anyone?

WineryContactSCMWA
Ahlgren Vineyard
Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winerymail@alfarowine.com*
Bargetto Winerycustomerservice@bargetto.com*
Barterra Winerybarterrawines@gmail.com
Beauregard VineyardsWeb Site Form*
Big Basin VineyardsMatt@BigBasinVineyards.com*
Black Ridge Vineyardsinfo@blackridgevineyards.com
Bonny Doon Vineyardorders@bonnydoonvineyard.com*
Bottle Jack Wineryinfo@bottlejackwines.com*
Bruzzone Family Vineyardberna@bruzzonevineyards.com*
Burrell School Vineyards & Wineryinfo@burrellschool.com*
Byington Vineyard & Wineryevents@byington.com*
Cinnabar Wineryinfo@cinnabarwinery.com*
Clos de la TechInfo@closdelatech.com*
Clos LaChance Winesadmin@clos.com*
Clos Tita Winery*
Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyardsquestions@cgv.com*
Coterie Cellarsinfo@coteriecellars.com
Dancing Creek Wineryinfo@dancingcreekwinery.com*
David Bruce Wineryinfo@davidbrucewinery.com
Domenico Winerymichael@domenicowinery.com*
Equinoxequinoxwine@gmail.com*
Fellom Ranch Vineyardsbfellom@sbcglobal.net*
Four Gates Winerybc@fourgateswine.com
Hallcrest Vineyardsmarketing@hallcrestvineyards.com
Heart O' the Mountainwine@heartothemountain.com
House Family VineyardsWeb Site Form*
Hunter Hill Vineyard & Wineryinfo@hunterhillwines.com*
J. Lohr Vineyards & Winessjwinecenter@jlohr.com
Kathryn Kennedy Winerycabernet@kathrynkennedywinery.com*
Kings Mountain Wineryhello@kingsmountainvineyards.com*
La Honda Wineryinfo@lahondawinery.com*
La Nebbia Wineryinfo@lanebbiawinery.com
La Rusticana Vineyardssaralarusticana@aol.com*
Left Bend Wineryinfo@leftbend.com*
Loma Prieta WineryLomaPrietaWinery@aol.com*
McCarthy Family Estate VineyardsForm Submission Failed*
McHenry Vineyardcontact@mchenryvineyard.com*
Michael Martella Winesmartellawine@gmail.com*
Mindego Ridgestacey@mindegoridge.com*
MJA Vineyardsaloha@mjavineyards.com*
Mount Eden Vineyardsinfo@mounteden.com*
Muccigrosso Vineyardswineplease@muccigrosso.com*
Muns Vineyardinfo@munsvineyard.com*
Myka CellarsWeb Site Form
Naumann Vineyardsinfo@naumannvineyards.com*
Nicholson Vineyardsinfo@nicholsonvineyards.com*
Odonatadenis@odonatawines.com*
Pelican Ranch WineryWeb Site Form
Perrucci Family VineyardWeb Site Form
Picchetti WineryWeb Site Form
Pleasant Valley Vineyardsinfo@pvvines.com
P M Staigerpmstaiger@msn.com*
Poetic Cellarsinfo@poeticcellars.com*
Portola Vineyardslen@portolavineyards.com*
Radonich Brothers Vineyardsinfo@radonichbrothers.com*
Regale Winery and Vineyardswineclub@regalewine.com
Rexford Wineryinfo@rexfordwinery.com
Rhys Vineyardsinfo@rhysvineyards.com*
Ridge Vineyardswine@ridgewine.com*
River Run VintnersWeb Site Form
Roudon-Smith Winerysales@roudonsmith.com*
Russian Ridge WineryWeb Site Form*
Salamandre Wine Cellarsnewt@cruzio.com
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyardinfo@SANTACRUZMOUNTAINVINEYARD.COM*
Sante Arcangeli Family Winesjb@santewinery.com*
Savannah-Chanelle VineyardsWeb Site Form*
Sernicole@serwinery.com*
Silver Mountain Vineyardsinfo@silvermtn.com*
Silvertip VineyardsWeb Site Form*
Sones Cellarssones@cruzio.com
Soquel VineyardsWeb Site Form
Stockwell Cellarseric@stockwellcellars.com*
Storrs WineryWeb Site Form*
Testarossa WineryWeb Site Form
The Mountain Wineryjmontenegro@mountainwinery.com*
Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyardsinfo@fogartywinery.com*
Travieso Wineryelrey@traviesowinery.com
Trojak~Knier Wineinfo@trojakknier.com
Trout Gulch VineyardsWeb Site Form
Villa del Monte Wineryinfo@villadelmontewinery.com*
Vino TabiInfo@vino-tabi-wine.com
Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & WineryProprietor@windyoaksestate.com*
Woodside Vineyardsinfo@woodsidevineyards.com*
Wrights Station Vineyard & Winerydan@wrightsstation.com*
Zayante Vineyardskathleen@zayantevineyards.com*

Wines Under $30


Here are the wines I have so far on the list. If you see more than one from a winery, it just means I haven't made the call on which one to taste yet.

WineryWineRetailBest Price
Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery2013 Alfaro "A" Estate$25.00?
Bargetto Winery2013 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir, Regan Estate Vineyards$35.00$28.00
2013 Pinot Noir, Regan Estate Vineyards$28.00$22.40
Burrell School Vineyards & Winery2010 Estate Pinot Noir$39.00$29.00
Byington Vineyard & Winery2012 Pinot Noir, Estate$39.00$29.25
Clos Tita WineryPinot Noir Cuvee$26.00
Dancing Creek Winery2010 Santa Cruz Mountains Legato, Pinot Noir$28.00$28.00
Domenico Winery2009 Santa Cruz Pinot Noir$35.00$28.00
Ghostwriter2013 Ghostwriter??
Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery2012 Estate Pinot Noir$40.00?
La Honda Winery2013 SEQUENCE, Pinot Noir$28.00$28.00
McHenry Vineyard2012 "Swan Clone - Estate" Pinot Noir$38.00$28.99
2012 Estate Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$34.00$25.99
Muns Vineyard2010 Estate Pinot Noir$40.00$28.00
Nicholson Vineyards2012 Pinot Noir, Cuvee$30.00$25.50
Pelican Ranch Winery2011 Santa Cruz Mts., Meadowridge Vineyard$35.00$29.75
2010 Santa Cruz Mts., Amaya Ridge Vineyard$35.00$29.75
Perrucci Family Vineyard2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$34.00$23.80
Radonich Brothers Vineyards2012 Estate$27.99$27.99
Rexford Winery2011 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains$25.00$20.00
River Run Vintners2013 Pinot Noir$25.00$20.00
Roudon-Smith Winery2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Private Reserve Pinot Noir$30.00$26.40
Russian Ridge Winery2012 Russian Ridge Pinot Noir$30.00$25.50
Salamandre Wine Cellars???
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard2010 Pinot Noir Bailey’s Branciforte Ridge Vineyard$32.00$29.00
Sante Arcangeli Family Wines2013 Pinot Noir, Split Rail Vineyard, Corralitos$36.00$28.80
Sarah's Vineyard2013 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$36.00$28.80
Ser2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$33.00$28.00
Silvertip Vineyards2012 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, Estate$32.00$24.00
Soquel Vineyards2013 Estate Pinot Noir$33.00$29.70
Storrs Winery2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$36.00$28.80
Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$35.00$29.75
Trout Gulch Vineyards2012 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir$28.00$28.00
Villa del Monte Winery2013 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains$34.00$28.90
2013 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyards Martini Clone$32.00$27.20
2013 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Pommard Clone$32.00$27.20
2012 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyard$32.00$27.20
Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery2013 Terra Narro Estate Pinot Noir$29.00$23.00

Tasting Plan

  1. I acquire all of the wines.
  2. I randomly divide them into tastings of 6 to 8 wines.
  3. We will host as many tasting that are necessary in which 6 to 12 of my wine enthusiast (no wine professionals here) friends will blind taste them, rating them from 1 to 5, decimals allowed. I will blog on each of these.
  4. I hopefully have a final tasting of the winners or the highest rated.

I'm guessing this is going to take months, if not the whole summer. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. :)

I'll try to keep this up to date as I get more replies.