France produces the most wine of any country and for generations it was the standard bearer for high-end wines, particularly Grand Cru Bordeaux. A certain snobbery in French wine circles existed until the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 where California wines won a blind tasting competition judged by the premiere wine experts at the time, beating wines from the top Grand Cru chateaus of France. Suddenly, the United States was front and center on the wine stage. Our wine industry has grown astronomically since then, both in terms of volume produced, number of wineries and accolades. Top American schools like UC Davis have been on the forefront of research on viticulture and viniculture, bringing a scientific backbone to the passion, intuition and experience of the best winemakers.
But, modernity is balanced with history as the French Bordeaux tradition of blending red grape varietals has been embraced by top American wine producers. A single varietal wine is like a solo musician. A blended wine is like a symphony with each varietal bringing its "voice"--a unique flavor profile, texture and color--to the mix. The winemaker can fine tune a blend like a conductor masterfully creates a well-balanced and intriguing composition.
Bordeaux wines are roughly divided according to the wineries' position relative to the river Garonne. "Right bank" Bordeaux like Saint-Émilion and Pomerol use primarily Merlot, with the other Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère taking a smaller role. The 2010 Geoff Tate Insania Red from Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla wine country of Washington state is such a wine. A full-bodied Bordeaux blend sporting ripe blackberries, black pepper and cured meat in the nose, it was awarded 91 Points by Wine Enthusiast!
Another food friendly example is the 2007 Langtry "Old Soldier Road" Propriety Red, Tephra Ridge Vineyard from the Guenoc Valley of Lake County, just over Howell Mountain from Napa Valley. The wine is blended from selected barrels of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec from highest quality fruit grown on the hillside vineyard of acclaimed Tephra Ridge. Heady aromas of ripe strawberry jam, rhubarb, and spice lead to a silky soft entry. The tannins are soft, with the balanced acidity enjoy a long finish while making it food friendly.
The "left bank" Bordeaux blends, such as Château Haut-Brion and Château Latour, highlight Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2010 Foley Johnson Handmade Red Blend from the Santa Ynez Valley lets the richness of Cabernet Sauvignon predominate in a wine that features red raspberry tones dancing at the higher end of the spectrum with hints of leather and sandalwood as well as vanilla and dusty earth. Individual barrels from special lots are blended to create this noble blend.
Wine Spectator liked the 2007 Three Rivers Svelte from the Columbia Valley so well they gave it 90 Points! Deep, dense, thick, and concentrated, it is an absolute blockbuster from the stellar 2007 growing season. Three Rivers Winery's flagship red blend, this profound wine is created after every barrel in their cellar is rated for color, aromatics, flavors, varietal and site accuracy, balance, intensity and complexity--then individually selected and blended.
For a very special occasion, the 1.5 liter magnum of the 2008 Chalk Hill Red Blend delivers the ultimate expression of the famed Chalk Hill estate winery. The fruit is from low yielding, exposed, rocky, hillside estate vineyards that produce intense, extracted flavor in the grapes. Each lot was harvested and vinified separately-- a labor-intensive and costly procedure that yields a superior wine.
Zinfandel is commonly thought of as "California's wine grape" due to its popularity in the Golden State and long history that dates back to the Spanish missions. You can sample this "New World" blend in the 2011 Roth Heritage Red that spotlights beautiful notes of blueberry pie, cherries and vanilla in a well-structured wine or the 2010 Sebastiani Heritage Red from Sonoma County, redolent with aromas of black olive, Earl Grey tea, black pepper, dark cherry and cedar/oak overtones. It's a fruit-forward blend with flavors of blackberries, blueberries and a blast of caramel/coconut oak.
The Foley Food & Wine Society encompasses a wide range of red blends, perfect for pairing with a great meal or for a red blend tasting party! Browse our selection of red blends HERE.
Winemaker/owner Milla Handley has also won countless gold medals and high ratings for her wines, including 95 points for her Mendocino County Pinot Noir and 93 points for her Pinot Gris. We loved these varietals she poured for us, plus her Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Noir Rosé. She also has ridge-top old-vine Zinfandel with great character. As she commented, "You can taste it in the vines all the way through to the wine...these wines have intensity, they have a story."
Touring &; Tasting President Paul Arganbright and I chose to start our Happy Canyon winery visits at the farthest end of the AVA. 
The gravity flow winery was designed to minimize handling of the grapes and juice. The massive winery is set into the side of the mountain with a ramping drive up the back to the third floor where trucks can unload the grape harvest. Grapes are pressed on the third floor, flow down to tanks on the second floor, then down to the ground floor for bottling. The 
Vogelzang had a charming outdoor setting next to their vineyard for the tasting, pouring their highly-rated Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier. Michelle described to us how the Vogelzangs found their property. They were looking for loamy clay soil with a shallow pan--that is, poor soil that was not too deep, because both of those factors favor concentration of flavor in the grapes. They also were looking for land with native mustard and brush rather than land covered with trees and bushes because the latter means the soil will produce a more vegetative taste to the wine. Another factor was ample well water, a very important factor in the Santa Ynez Valley where the higher elevations can have low water tables. On good advice from their vineyard manager, they entered a contract to sell their grapes for the first eight years before making their own wine, helping to amortize the cost of startup. Today, Vogelzang's premium grapes are purchased by other notable wineries such as Fiddlehead, Foxen, Dragonette, Andrew Murray, Ken Brown, Rusack, 
When we turned into 
The winery has the feeling of a tenuto in Italy, complete with the friendliness of the family and staff. Account Manager Paul Azdril was pouring their well-balanced Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blend. Mandy, one of the lovely Grassini daughters, showed off her Rhodesian ridgeback. We also had a peek at their wine caves, reminiscent of those in "the old country" and ideal for maintaining temperature and humidity levels.
Crown Point Vineyard encompasses Westerly Vineyards, bought by proprietor Roger Bower last year and the former Cimarone/Three Creek Vineyard he purchased last year that will yield the grapes for the first Crown Point wines, due to be released in 2017. The utmost care is being put into the vineyard and winery practices, with promises of ultra-premium wines. The pretty and vivacious Sara Bush was pouring the Westerly Cab, Syrah, and Merlot, plus pinot from the Sta. Rita Hills. She recently joined Crown Point after being with KCOY and KEYT and was excited about her new career path. We chatted with news reporter John Palmintieri, who was at Crown Point to cover the trade event, and enjoyed some nice catered food, live music and the spectacular panoramic view of Happy Canyon from the expansive deck.
Handley Cellars
Allan Green has been producing wine in Anderson Valley since 1980. Since that time 
Along an adjacent wall in the stylish space is a row of high-tech wine dispensers offering pours of 15 highly-acclaimed wineries like Ken Brown, Hitching Post and Sort This Out Cellars. Behind-the-scenes, argon tanks are connected to each wine bottle, with the neutral gas preventing oxygen from contacting the surface of the wine, keeping it as fresh as newly opened wine. On weekends, Avant Tapas is so busy, there is one employee who just switches out wine bottles!
The sun smiled on the 10th Annual California Wine Festival--three days of ocean front wine, music, and food. We were able to stop in briefly to the Sunset Rare & Reserve tasting on Friday, July 19th. With the colorful antique Carousel as a backdrop, the Sunset Rare & Reserve tasting offered proprietor's reserves, end-of-vintage and award-winning wines, along with live jazz and appetizers from local restaurants. My favorites: the spoons of lobster bisque from Fish Enterprise and the juicy nuggets of beef from Holdren's.
At the Festival entrance, Leticia Vineyard & Winery was pouring their Brut Cuvée, their finest reserve bottling of their méthode champenoise sparkling wine. Among the wonderful wines we tasted were those of 
Among the many other wineries of note, wonderful wines were being poured from Hearst Ranch Winery, whose east-side Paso Robles vineyards and winery have been producing wines with big scores, like their 95 Point 2010 "Pico Creek" Merlot. Also, 
Refugio Ranch hosted a wine biz party last Thursday at their bucolic Santa Ynez ranch. Refugio Ranch owners Kevin and Niki Gleason were the generous hosts, providing a spit-roasted Berkshire pig, watermelon-and-tomato salad, cornbread, bread-and-butter pickles, and baked beans to pair with their portfolio of luscious wines. Wine industry folk enjoyed live music, great wine and the opportunity to soak in the views of the 415-acre estate, which were particularly compelling with the golden summer sun slanting across the vineyards.
In March, Inside Wine Santa Barbara hosted a picnic at the view point of Refugio Ranch (read 
Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Rousanne are planted along the river on the warmer valley floor. Sangiovese, Petite Sirah and two blocks of Syrah are planted on the hills near the largest pond. Four blocks of Syrah, Grenache, Malvasia Bianca and another block of Roussanne surround the ranch house, beautifully laid out to enhance the vegetation and curves of the natural landscape. The vineyards are meticulously tended by Vineyard Manager Ruben Solorzano; the grapes are hand-harvested in the cool of night, hand-selected, then crafted into wines of finesse by winemaker Ryan Deovlet.
We had the chance to talk with winemaker Ryan, who was talking technique with winemaker Michael Roth of Martian Winery. We also were given a tour of the living quarters by Kevin Gleason, including the oil paintings of his son Max, Creative Director of Refugio Ranch and a professional artist, who designs the labels for Refugio Ranch wines. The master bedroom on the second floor and the kitchen look out to this panorama--a pretty nice place to sit and enjoy a glass of Refugio Ranch Barbareño!
2012 Agua Dulce de Refugio (100% Malvasia Bianca), light and refreshing, with a bit of spritz
As a slight evening chill began to set in, a fire was lit and we made our own s'mores. Nicole Carnevale, Refugio Ranch Sales Manager, brought out a special treat to pair with dessert--the Refugio Ranch 2012 Nectár. A dessert wine made from hand selected clusters of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Malvasia Bianca with a small amount of residual sugar, the wine is lightly sweet, aromatic, with a long finish. The wine is made with the Vin de Paille or passito method, where the grapes are dried for about 2 1/2 weeks on straw mats to concentrate their flavor. This wine is normally only available at the tasting room.
The next day, we stopped by the Refugio Ranch tasting room conveniently located in Los Olivos at 2990 Grand Avenue. The historic building dates back to the 1880s. Much of the construction material was re-purposed from the original building, keeping the rustic feel even with the modern updating.