Livermore, California, is located on the eastern border of the San Francisco Bay area. Since 1952, Livermore has been the home to the critically important and federally funded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.  The labratory is dedicated to both nuclear and national security research.

Livermore, California is also the home to dozens of wineries including Murrieta’s Well.

Murrieta’s Well is one of the oldest wineries in California. It began in 1884 through the efforts of Louis Mel and his wife. The land offered gravelly soils very like Bordeaux, and elevations that would be ideal for well-drained vineyards, and ultimately for the development of a gravity fed winery. And, fortunately, Mel’s wife was friendly with the owner of Chateau d’Yquem and was able to obtain cuttings from this extraordinary winery noted for the production of the some of the world’s most expensive dessert wines. Mel also acquired cuttings from the equally extraordinary Bordeaux producer, Chateau Margaux. Margaux and d’Yquem…both excellent ‘starters’ for the development of some ‘new world’ wines.

The Mel family held onto the winery through Prohibition, but in 1940 they sold the property to winemaker Ernest Wente. The Wente family ownership continues. Ironically, Wente’s forefathers had been in the wine business even longer than Mel…they formed Wente Brothers on 47 acres in Livermore a year earlier than Louis Mel and his wife had established their effort. Carl Wente, the 1883 Livermore founder, learned his wine skills while working for the iconic Charles Krug in Napa Valley.

Wente renamed the winery Murrieta’s Well, “paying homage to Joaquin Murrieta, a gold rush bandit, who discovered the estate in the early 1800s”.

Murrieta’s Well now has more than 500 acres planted three different soils, and elevations that supports 21 grape varieties. The winery is a ‘Certified California Sustainable Winery’, and “focuses on all estate, small-batch and small lot wines”. Current winemaker Robbie Meyer indicates that “each varietal is allowed to develop to its peak potential in the vineyard, and then, through blending, is able to put an artistic touch on the winemaking process”.

One of the excellent blends created by Meyer is 2017’s, The Spur. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates this classic Bordeaux blend, but Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Petite Verdot also contribute to the final product. Each of the varietals are fermented individually at cool temperatures in stainless steel. To guarantee “the full fruit expression of the vineyard”, each of the varietals are pumped over three times.

The blending is completed soon after harvest and the blended juice is then aged for 24 months in French Oak (40% new oak, 40% second use, and 20% third use).

This is a deep and dark wine that offers blueberry elements with hints of blackberry and ripe cherry that begins on the nose and extends through the palate. The winemaker suggests that you could also find elements of graham cracker…you just might. The Spur is velvety on the palate and would be an excellent accompaniment for your holiday meal. The ABV is high enough for beef, but the flavor package is soft enough to work with pork and poultry.

There are nearly 10,000 cases of the Spur produced, and it is available nationwide in the $20 range.

This is the final post of 2019. It has been a pleasure to share wines, spirits, and views on the industry with, through more than 60 posts, over this past year. I look forward to the search for new wines and spirts (as well as some conversation about the industry and laws associate with it) to share with you in 2020.

Have a wonderful holiday season from The Vine and Spirits Report. We raise a glass in toast to you in celebration of good cheer and good drink during this holiday season.

Americans have long enjoyed sparkling wine. In fact, recent reports suggest that Americans appear to be really enjoying sparkling wines. In the past decade there has been a 50% increase in the consumption of all sparkling wine. Following that trend, 2018 sales showed a 5% increase in sparkling bottles/cans sold. Sparkling wine now claims nearly 7% of all U.S. wine consumption. And, consumers have clearly decided that sparklers can be enjoyed year-round.

This growth is remarkable, especially given the ‘reports’ of physical risks associated with the opening of sparkling wine bottles. In fact, there are ‘internet stories’ indicating that as many as 24 individuals have been killed by corks propelled by Carbon Dioxide released by opening a sparkling wine. Such carnage perpetrated by the simple act of opening a bottle should be very big news…if it was true. Nope…it is not true. Don’t believe everything you read on the ‘internet of all things’.

There is significant pressure within a sparkling wine bottle (that is why they are so thick) created by the Carbon Dioxide that are also responsible for those attractive bubbles. There is 70-90 PSI generated inside that thick bottle. A sparkling wine cork can be propelled at nearly 24 MPH. However, there is no credible evidence that anyone has lost their life through an unfortunate interaction with a sparkling cork (including the recent report of a Chinese ‘robber barons’ demise). Nevertheless, you should be cautious when opening a bottle of sparkling wine. Grip the the cork firmly, and slowly turn the bottle. And, be sure to hold the bottle at an angle away from you…and, of course, away from all breakable items.

Risks and warnings aside, this post is dedicated to Crémants, and specifically a Crémant de Bordeaux. Sparkling wine from Bordeaux?Yep. The home of the world’s most expensive Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends is ironically the home to reasonably priced and very approachable sparkling wines.

Let’s start with the concept of Crémant. Although the term originated in the Champagne region, since 1985 the term is no longer used on ‘Champagne’. And, non-Champagne produced sparkling wines, prompted by lobbying by Champagne region producers, are no longer to permitted to include the terms Champagne or ‘methode champenoise’ on their labels.  You may find a few non-European producers (those who do not export sparkling wine to the European Union) continuing to print ‘methode champenoise’, or the Champagne on their label. There are very few vintners still using the terms.

Back to Crémant, “From 1985 on, the word designates sparkling wines from other French regions made using the traditional second fermentation in bottle method”.

There are eight regions of France permitted to produce Crémant. And, there are common regulations required of producers including hand harvesting; restricting the quantity of juice to 100 liters from pressing 150 kg of grapes; limitations on dosage; and aging for a minimum for nine months on lees, followed by three months before release to market.

Alsace produces more than 50% of French Crémant, but most consumers are surprised that Bordeaux is one of the eight producing regions. There are, however, only 250 acres of Bordeaux vineyards devoted to the vinification of sparkling wines. And, although Crémant has been produced in Bordeaux since the early 19^th century, the appellation was only recognized in 1990.

There is no restriction on the grapes used to produce Crémant, and most regions use vinifera successfully grown in that region. Bordeaux, not surprisingly, ferments Merlot “along with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, Petite Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and/or Muscadelle”.

The term Crémant is French for ‘creamy’. Known for tight and persistent bubbles, you will find many of the mineral and floral aromas that you have come to enjoy in Champagne.

Our friends at Accent on Wine recently hosted an excellent tasting (at the spectacular Woodlands in Summerville). They introduced us to the Bordeaux Crémant, Castel’s Cru de la Maqueline. The price was excellent ($14) and so was the wine.

There are only 6,000 bottles in the first vintage of Cru de la Maqueline available, but it is worth tracking down one of them. The Maqueline is blended primarily from Merlot, with the addition of a little Petit Verdot. The bubbles are tight, you will find floral hints on the nose, and bright fruit through the palate and the finish.  Again, an excellent wine at an excellent value.

The producers plan on a significant increase in production…we certainly hope they do.

Another option.

One of our…and I suspect many of you… enjoy Gruet, a sparkling wine produced in New Mexico (yes…New Mexico!) .  Gruet has created a custom label…Jacqueline Leonne Rose. This is a wine that you will usually find only at Total Wines. There are a few clever retailers who can secure this sparkler. You should find it for less than $15.

The fruit is soft, the bubbles tight, the price is right…a great wine with which to welcome the New Year (or a celebration of the old).

Even if you can’t find a Crémant from Bordeaux, there are other excellent versions of this sparkler. Ask your favorite retailer.

The Etruscans introduced wine to the region, and the Romans continued to grow and produce excellent wine, but for many of us Chianti conjures memories of a squat straw covered bottle. In the early 1970s the package was much more interesting than the wine. However, the bottle did make a marvelous candleholder.

There are a few Chianti producers that continue to utilize the straw ‘basket’ (officially called a fiasco). Total Wines offers Bellini Chianti, and you can still find Opici Chianti in a few retail settings.

Obviously, regardless of the bottle’s appearance, the focus of this post is the rich red wine that originates in Chianti wine region of central Tuscany. And, although the first wine labeled Chianti was first produced in the early 18^th century, it was not until the middle of the 19^th century that the Baron Bettino Ricasoli codified the Chianti ‘recipe’ with the focus on Sangiovese. By the 1930s the style had become so popular that the Chianti region was divided into seven ‘sub-regions’ to better identify quality.

The largest of these newly defined regions was Chianti Classico.  Chianti Classico became so popular that the region developed a ‘personal mascot’…the black rooster. The rooster’s origins are rooted in the Medieval period, during a struggle between the city-states of Florence and Siena (these two cities disliked each other so intensely that they fought wars) over territorial expansion and control.

A race between horseback riders (the Florentine rider was awakened by a black rooster) resulted in Florence acquiring a larger share of the territory. That territory included Chianti. Thus…the black rooster gained status as the mascot of both the region and its wine. You will find the black rooster prominently displayed on the neck tax label attached to bottles of Chianti Classico.

The Baron Ricasoli’s original formula for Chianti has varied little over the past 175 years. Any wine labeled Chianti must now contain at least 80% Sangiovese and aged for four to seven months In 1995 it became legal to produce a Chianti from 100% Sangiovese. For a wine to have ‘Riserva’ attached it must be aged for a minimum of 38 months. You may run across a few wines labeled Chianti Superiore…these wines meet more rigorous standards of “lower yield and higher alcohol”.

And, then there are the Super Tuscans. Piero Antinori developed a wine labeled Tignanello (Sangiovese with some non-indigenous grapes Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc). The wine was an immediately hit with consumers and now commands north of $120. Not surprisingly, many other winemakers followed suit. The ‘Super Tuscan’ is an unofficial Italian wine category, but it is the most expensive expression of Sangiovese.

As much as I enjoy Super Tuscans (the inclusion of Cabernet Sauvignon appeals to my ‘sweet spot’), the focus of this post is an old Chianti friend, Monsanto.

Aldo Bianchi is a native of San Gimignano. San Gimignano is a beautiful walled city located in the Tuscan province of Siena. With a population of less than 8,000 San Gimignano has been long noted for the production of a dry and crisp white wine vinified from Vernaccia.

Bianchi left for the northern regions of Italy before World War II but returned in 1960 for a wedding and fell in love with Castello di Monsanto and its views of the towers of San Gimignano. Aldo may have enjoyed the views, but his son Fabrizio enjoyed the regions wines. In 1962 Fabrizio created the first Monsanto Chianti Classico.

Through the next half century Monsanto led Chianti to embrace innovations in vinification and vineyard management. They employed stainless steel fermenters, Slovenian oak replaced Chestnut, and recently the increased use of truncated cones for fermentation.

I would strongly recommend that you track down the 2015 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva. Rated at 92-96 points, you will enjoy a full bodied and dark wine with a wonderful mouthfeel and tannins that would benefit from some softening in the glass. Look for red cherry and earth tones on the nose, joined by black current on the palate and through the lingering finish.

You can find the Monsanto for around $20 nationwide. If you are seeking a less expensive option, consider the 2017 Castello di Querceto Chianti Classico for less than $15.