Vinum55 Hosted an Informative Cabernet Franc Presentation & Tasting This Week
Chris Jeffers from a local wine distributor, The Natural Wine Company, gave both a presentation and brought some tasty wines to augment the session. Chris was very well versed in his French Cabernet Franc’s wine starting with the lighter and airy versions coming from Chinon and progressing to USA with Pride Mountain Cabernet Franc. The presentation focused more on “ripeness” and “pyrazines’ especially with the French wines from a cooler climate. Below is an ancestral lineage of the Loire Valley.
Up next was a discussion on the Chinon & Bourgueil terroir and how the wines from these regions key taste characteristics.
The first two slides focused on “cool climate Cabernet Franc’s” and then he explained “warm climate expressions” especially with oak aging.
The last slide was a quick summary of global style comparisons of France, Italy and USA. Here he went into a brief chemistry lesson and discerning acidity, tannins and alcohol levels. This is a great guide for the novice/intermediate wine aficionado wanting to understand the key differences and tastes with this universally planted grape varietal.
The first wine up for the evening was the 2022 Manoir de la Tete Rouge, Sammur “Bagatelle” (redhead) being the least ripe grape. First the color in the glass was radiant and semi-transparent with noticeable pyrazines.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Following was the 2024 Bernard Baudry, “Les Granges” Chinon aged in concrete on the valley floor.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Next up was perhaps the “most attractive wine at the dance”, in my opinion, the 2021 Ampeleia IGT from the western side of Tuscany with some seaside influence. On this both neutral oak and concrete are used. The fruit picked was ripe from this warmer climate and possesses a bit more tannins. This wine hit on all four of my ratings on the eyes, the aroma, the taste and finish. It received my highest ratings of the evening.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
We moved to the 2023 Olga Raffault, Chinon Les Barnabes. Right away a shade darker coloring using neutral oak and concrete but with a light pepper taste.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
We ended the tasting with 2023 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc. Those unfamiliar with the winery need to understand its geography uniqueness. Half the vineyard residents in Napa Valley and half in Sonoma County perched on top of Spring Mountain. This came in at 14.6% alcohol, the highest of the tastings. Using oak barrels produced a “savoriness” with a nice balance of tannins. This received my second highest score of the evening. Notice the color is much deeper.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
That concluded an informative and engaging presentation within the allotted time frame for the evening. Thanks Chris Jeffers and Vinum55 for holding this tasting.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2019 Aridus Syrah from Wilcox, Arizona
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
Right up front, most people don’t think of Arizona as a “winery state”! Turns out Arizona has over 159 wineries scattered throughout the state. Aridus is in southeastern Arizona in Willcox, about 85 miles east of Tucson in Cochise County. The town of Willcox has 14 different tasting rooms!
(Picture from City of Willcox)
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
It had been five months since I last tasted this wine which I keep stocked in the cellar. This Syrah came from two vineyards located next to each other on the Willcox Bench. This bottle is 100% Syrah. Only 220 cases were produced, and it sells for $60/bottle. A unique characteristic of this wine was that it was aged 30 months in French oak barrels, 73% second-fill French oak, and 27% neutral oak.
First on the eyes, a dark radiant and enticing purple/magenta hue. On the nose, lavender and blueberry waft into the senses. On the palate, raspberry, sweet vanilla and cinnamon bounce joyfully from side to side expressing fullness in the mouth. A hint of mocha and light roasted coffee are present on the enticing finish beckoning yet another sip. Lacking fruit, but still savory flavors. To say I was both pleasantly shocked and excited tasting this wine from Arizona is an understatement!
Typical well-balanced Syrah from the known regions of France, California, Chile, South Africa and Australia, but this wine from the lesser known Willcox, Arizona region was delightful.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine was pulled from the cellar to enjoy this evening with beef Teriyaki with sugar snow peas and green onions. Ingredients besides the tenderized flank steak cut into 2 to 3 inch-wide slices, were Teriyaki sauce, snow peas, minced fresh ginger, beef stock, dry sherry, ground Asian red chili pepper, stir fry oil, sliced white mushrooms, green onions sliced lengthwise and green onion cut into small pieces. This was a delicious Teriyaki dish. Accompanied by cauliflower rice sauteed in soy sauce with pre-cooked bacon pieces and green cut onions. A fresh salad with bacon was prepared. An excellent food and wine pairing with the spices and smokiness of the Syrah to stand up to the beef. The overall meal was an excellent food and wine pairing!
The Winery
Scott and Joan Dahmer founded Aridus Wine Company in 2012, just outside the city of Willcox. The name Aridus comes from the Latin word meaning “dry or arid”, most appropriate for most people’s idea of Arizona.
(Tasting room in Willcox. Picture from Aridus Wine Company)
The winery/crush facility and tasting room are located in two different locations in Willcox. They also have another tasting room in Scottsdale on Main Street. Their yearly production is approximately 2,500 cases. They have an amazing lineup of different varietals available: whites including Malvasia Bianca, Viognier, Chardonnay, Fume Blanc and Muscat. Reds include Merlot, Mourvèdre, Graciano, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Petite Verdot and Montepulciano, as well as several Rosés.
(Tasting room in Scottsdale. Picture from Aridus Wine Company)
The winemaker, Lisa Strid has produced wine for the last seven years at the winery. During this time, she has produced 183 wines from five different growing regions in Arizona, New Mexico and California. Since 2020, Aridus is now making wine exclusively from its estate vineyard.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
https://arizonawinesandwineries.com
Sekai Sushi Restaurant with Sashimi and Sake Last Night
Photo from Sekai Sushi website
Had a wonderful meal last evening at Sekai Sushi in Mesa with my sister. The restaurant is located at 1017 S Gilbert Road and their tag line is “Authentic Japanese Food”. Started out with spicy garlic Edamame, followed by complementary Miso soup. While it might seem strange having Miso soup in 110-degree weather, it was one of the best I have tasted as most are too “salty” but this was extremely flavorful.
The meal consisted of three sashimi fish presentations of Hamachi (Yellowtail tuna), Saba (Mackerel) and a chef’s special of beautiful Maguro (Blue Fin Tuna). All were delicious and fresh.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Wanted some wine with the meal but they only had a “generic” Chardonnay being offered. This was the only thing that detracted from the dining experience. However, the waitress suggested a cold Sake that saved the day!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Thus, a twist on the phrase when in Rome do as the Romans, this was while having Japanese foods, do as the Japanese. This sake is called Sho Chiku Bai “Shirakabegura” Tokubetsu Junmai sake. “Shirakabegura” translates to “White wall cellar” which is a renown craft brewery located in the Nada region of Hyogo Prefecture in Japan.
The label “Tokubetsu Junmai” means Special Pure Rice sake. It is strictly brewed sake with rice, water, yeast and koji with no added distilled alcohol and meets a regulated production standard using premium sake rice. The flavor characteristic was balanced and extremely smooth with surprisingly a full-body mouth feel. Key were the notes of melon, pear and rich umami.
While personally not thinking it added to the food/sake pairing overall, the sake came to life with the fresh ginger and created a wonderous pairing.
In the end it was a great meal and now may be more inclined to try sake with sashimi.
Kanpai,
Michael Kelly
2023 Wood Family Vineyards GSM – Fruit Forward With Spices and Sufficent Acidity
Background on GSM
Photo ©Michael Kelly
GSM in the wine world stands for Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre – three important grapes grown in the Côtes du Rhône region of France. Today, it is universally produced around the world. Why blend these three wines? The blend produces great complex red fruit flavors and is age worthy. Typically, GSM wines are bright, with in-your-face aromas of ripe fruit, sage, herbs and can range from smooth to edgy tannins. By changing the percentages of each varietal in the GSM, a winemaker can significantly change the flavor profile. By adding more Grenache, the lighter of the three grapes, the outcome will be a lighter wine. Adding more Syrah, the outcome is a stronger and bolder wine. Mourvèdre a strong grape varietal, is typically added in small amounts. The result of each winemakers’ blend, when a bright and fruity Grenache is blended with deep and peppery Syrah and Mourvèdre, is like an artist creating a masterpiece to their liking. GSM, with three distinctly different grapes, can run the gamut of coloring and flavor profiles.
Many have only tasted a weak GSM, while desired more flavor and written off the entire classification of GSM wines. One size does not fit all with GSM percentages varying from winemaker to winemaker.
As I was preparing the wine to go with this evening meal, I was thinking that I normally am not a fan of GSM wine from any winery. However, I opened it up and was so surprised! I could not have imagined that this wine would possess such an impactful flavor and spice. So now I believe GSM also stands for “Get Some More” wine!
The Winery
Wood Family Vineyards, located in eastern Livermore Valley with Rhonda Wood owner & winemaker, has been producing award winning wines for over two decades. You can read more on her background from airline pilot to award winning winemaker at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/10/wood-family-vineyards-2
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Immediately pouring the wine you are taken back with a semi-transparent magenta coloring with traces of purple and violet coloring and medium viscosity. On the nose and palate is where you are awakened to something beautiful and appealing. On the nose, pepper, strawberry, and blackberry waft into the senses. On the palate is where the “masterpiece is painted” with the soft and yet spicy berry notes from the Grenache, the dark fruit of the Syrah and coloring, tannins and earthy notes of the Mourvèdre. All of these components provide beautiful and compatible flavors of strawberry, blackberry, and dark plum while still providing a bright fruit on the palate. The finish is long and satisfying with firm tannins and acidity which was surprisingly welcomed after the fruit, adding structure and complexity to a robust conclusion. One of the best GSM’s tasted in recent memory and Rhonda Wood’s winemaking strikes gold again!
This 2022 GSM will be available on May 2nd at their Q2 release party at the winery. This vintage blend is 57% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 8% Mourvèdre with 26 barrels being produced. The wine comes in at 14.6% alcohol. The grapes are from various site locations in Livermore.
This wine will also make my annual Best Wines tasted for 2026 in this year’s report.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine this evening was chosen to go with a new recipe called Mongolian Beef Noodles. This is similar but a bit different than previous recipes. This called for noodles (chose our favorite Pancit Canton Chow Mein noodles), cut up flank steak to bite-size pieces, cornstarch, canola oil, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar and served with chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Accompanied by a fresh garden salad.
Wanted a fruit-forward, low-tannin red wine with good acidity so grabbed a bottle of Wood Family GSM. This wine complemented the ginger, beef and onions without clashing harshly with it.
The refreshing Wood GSM helped to surround the flavorful entrée and yet still provide the spiciness of the wine as previously described. The savory and pepper notes of the GSM matched the herbaceous savory flavors of the beef dish. A very good food and wine pairing.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2024 Starfield Vineyards Marsanne – With Scallops a Perfect Food/Wine Pairing
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine as seen in the picture is a very light golden color with a medium viscosity. But don’t be deceived as this a huge MOUTHFULL and MOUTH FEELING wine. On the nose faint hints of stone fruits and floral notes of honeysuckle. On the palate a delicate vanilla and almond flavors bounced side to side in the mouth. The finish was a bit abbreviated with a slight sweet and savory note mixed with minerality.
The wine is made with 95% Marsanne and 5% Roussane coming in at 12.9% alcohol. Only 72 cases were produced.
The other note on the finish was the “Sierra Spice” which Starfield Vineyards describes as being its sense of place amongst the trees on the property of “Ponderosa Pine, Cedar, Douglas Fir and combined with the mountain air of resin, bark and needles” from the trees.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with seared scallops with a mango salsa. The mango salsa included chopped mangoes, chopped bell peppers, chopped jalapeno pepper, chopped red onion, lime juice, chili powder and minced cilantro. Served with fresh asparagus and risotto. Add the mango salsa to the rice and that enhanced the rice tremendously.
Marsanne with seared scallop is a classic and luxurious pairing. The rich texturally full body and stone fruit flavors paired nicely with natural sweetness and buttery weight of scallops. The wine with its waxy mouthfeel mirrored the dense and tender bites of the seared scallops. Additionally, the acidity cut through the scallop preparations.
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The winery was founded in 2012 by Tom and Rob Sinton with plantings of 31 acres on the hillsides east of Placerville, California in El Dorado County. They are located at 2759 Jacquier Road.
Map courtesy of https://uscountymaps.com/el-dorado-county-map-california/
The names of the wines, especially their new labels starting with the 2023 vintages, highlight the history of the region from the Gold Rush with wine names as Miner’s Inch and Rising Hope. These two are for a nearby mine.
The winery produces 17 varieties of wines comprising of mostly Rhone varieties (66%) and Italian (30%) and a few Spanish varieties. The vineyards have been farmed using sustainable and fish-friendly farming since their inception.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The winery’s name Starfield refers to “Star Fields”, sites where in their words “fruit develops the optimal balance of aroma, flavor and texture”. They also consider what they refer to as Sierra Spice, the aroma and taste characteristics that come from the western facing forests surrounding the vineyards. The local trees are Ponderosa Pines, Cedars and Douglas Firs and their oils provide earthy and woodsy forest aromatics from their oils.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2022 Smith-Madrone Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon – An Excellent Wine and a Great Value
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
Opened this bottle last evening to enjoy a special meal. What transpired was a wine that exceeded my already high expectations. 2022 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon was fragrant, fruit forward and soft going on to the palate, yet once there, burst forth with intense dark fruit flavors and brute strength with perfectly enjoyable tannins – a joyous surprise.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
On the eyes a deep penetrating purple and crimson coloring. In the glass, medium heavy viscosity. Then on the nose fresh red cherries burst in the olfactory senses with a violet scent. Once on the palate, luscious and impactful red and black berries filled the mouth with a bold and brawny yet caressing flavor with a secondary note of blueberries and light vanilla pipe tobacco. At the finish, strong bold tannins showed the pedigree of this vineyard with their angularness and robustness. The minerality was also noted. This is why I believe this youthful wine will appreciate and improve with aging over the next 12-15 years. The complexity of this wine is astonishing with flavor and character.
The wine consists of 81.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18.5% of their award-winning Cabernet Franc. The wine is grown on their hillside estate being non-tilled and sustainably farmed. The wine was aged for 18 months in 50% new French oak. The wine came in at 14.2% alcohol with only 1518 cases being produced and priced at $70/bottle, a remarkable bargain for this quality.
This wine just made my annual list Best Wines Tasted for 2026. Only 2-3% of the 1800 wines tasted during the year make the list which comes out in December each year. My suggestion is to garner 4 or more bottles and have one now and every 2-3 years open another, if you can wait that long!
While I have my own internal rating system, judging the wine on its merits only and this being rated with my second highest score, the best being “perfect”, it is by far one of the best value wines in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines at any price point.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with a prime filet mignon from Nebraska that we discovered at a local meat market called Chuck’s Fine Meats. The steak was seasoned with Applewood salt, mesquite, roasted garlic powder and Chuck’s Fine Meat Steak Seasoning. It was seared at 1500 degrees and served medium rare. Accompanied by a baked Russet potato and sauteed broccoli. A delicious meal and the wine was spot on with its fruit and tannins.
Here is where the Smith-Madrone shined with its fruit forwardness making it a wonderful flavor to complement the BBQ steak with strength and boldness enough with tannins to “cut through” the meat, making it a delightful meal.
This wine made my annual Best Wines Tasted for 2026.
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine is their second Cabernet Sauvignon vintage since the Glass Fire in 2020 during which they produced no Cabernet Sauvignon. A story truly reminiscent of The Phoenix!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
In the picture you can see the Glass Fire burning right up against their property line.
The views from atop Spring Mountain are breathtaking overlooking Napa Valley.
Photo from vineyards looking east with Napa Valley below and Howell Mtn across the valley. Photo ©Michael Kelly
Smith-Madrone Vineyards is located on 200 acres on top of Spring Mountain west of St. Helena with 38 acres planted in vineyards. The vineyard elevation ranges from 1,300 to 2,000 feet.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The founder, managing partner and enologist is Stuart Smith (center), Charles Smith (left) is the winemaker, and the associate winemaker is François Bugué (right). Truly a family affair! All the wines are estate and dry-farmed on top of the mountain. Currently their production is approximately 6,000 cases a year. They produce Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and their iconic Cooks Flat (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc).
Photo ©Michael Kelly
For detailed information on the winery and unique trellis system, you can read the story from a previous visit at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/08/14/smith-madrone-vineyards-paradise-found/
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2016 Alaya Tierra is One of Our Favorite Wines for the Last Twelve Years
The 2016 Alaya Tierra is a HUGH, powerful and deep colored red wine. It is produced by Bodegas Atalaya and comes from the Almansa region of Spain in the southeastern portion.
The wine is made from 100% old-vine Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and comes in at 16% alcohol. Garnacha Tintorera grapes, both the skin and flesh are predominantly a violet radiant color. The old vineyards of Garnacha Tintorera, being 50+ years old, are located at 1,000 meters producing low yields and small berries. The wine is aged 15 months in mostly French oak with a few being American oak barrels all being 100% new.
First on the eyes with the dark skin produces a cavernous dark brooding quality, void of color. On the nose a range of bouquets with black fruits of prunes and dates bursting forth from the glass. On the palate this unique wine lays out to the imbiber flint, faint charred toasted oak, spices, dark chocolate and a brushy earthen quality. Secondary flavors include black cherry, blackberry and licorice. At the finish, this powerful and bold wine is balanced with a velvety texture with strong but not sharp tannins being present. It finishes with a modicum of sweetness which is welcomed from such strong wine.
This wine typically goes for between $40 to $45/bottle and is always stocked in cellar. We enjoy heavy, bold and big wines with or without food. Food pairings include grilled or roasted meats (tri tip, flank steak, carne asada), barbequed beef and smoked sausages and hard cheeses.
If you enjoy hearty and robust red wines, pick up a bottle of Alaya Tierra and you will be surprised.
Sláinte,
Michael
2023 LVVC Blend from Wood Family Vineyards – Specific Aromas and Flavors
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
What is LVVC? LVVC stands for Livermore Valley Vintners Collective a group of winemakers in Livermore Valley who showcase what can be achieved solely with Livermore grapes. Each year a “framework” of grape selections and percentages are announced. Each of the participating wineries make their wines according to the strict framework (usually one varietal with a percentage) and up to several grapes with a minimum and maximum percentage. This allows each winery to have “similar expressions” of the blend yet allowing individual creativity.
The requirements for 2023 were that that between 30-40% had to be Cabernet Sauvignon and the winemakers could use anything they wished with no one varietal being more than 25%.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
2023 Wood Family Vineyards blend is 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 25% Grenache, 16% Syrah and 4% Mourvèdre. All the blends this year were a combination of Bordeaux and Rhone varieties which proved interesting to pair with food. More below on that subject.
In previous vintages, it was very easy to taste and disseminate each varietal, but this year was a bit more difficult. The Cabernet Sauvignon was easy enough to root out with its tannins and fruits, but the Merlot put a blanket on it to keep it in check. The Grenache was light and its berry driven fruit was tucked away behind the bolder Cabernet Sauvignon. The Syrah provided body and dark fruits of blackberries and blueberries. The Mourvèdre with its thicker skins added both a boldness and chewy mouthfeel to the finish.
A very enjoyable drinking wine with both boldness and subtle nuances to be discovered in each sip.
The 2023 LVVC from Wood Family currently goes for $45/bottle. It came in at 14.9% alcohol and was aged in 25% new French oak barrels, 3% new Hungarian oak and the balance neutral for 26 months. A wine to be consumed stand alone or with very selective meals. Only 192 cases were produced. It will be released on August 22nd and 23rd at their Third Quarter Club Release Party.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with chicken enchiladas prepared with whole wheat tortilla shells, cut pieces of chicken breasts, salted butter, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, chopped red onion, chili powder, ground cumin, kosher salt, chopped cilantro, red enchilada sauce and cheddar cheese. Topped off with fresh Pico de Gallo and served with toasted corn.
The wine with its variety of grapes worked wonderfully with the grapes of bold flavors and the fruit surrounding each bite with a great counterbalance.
The Winery
Photo from Wood Family Vineyards
Many stories on Wood Family Vineyards have been written, and I would suggest the following links to get a better understanding of the winery and wines offered.
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2025/01/20/2022-wood-family-vineyards-big-wood-zinfandel/
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/08/23/2022-wood-family-vineyards-chardonnay/
These links will help provide you the breath, scope and award-winning wines offered by Wood Family Vineyards.
Sláinte,
Michael
Concannon Vineyards & Winery – A Grand Vision for Growth by Tom Lemmons
Photo of Concannon Vineyard
On a recent visit to northern California, I was asked to visit Concannon Vineyards & Winery for several reasons. One of the reasons is that they recently acquired Cuda Ridge Wines and the other is that Harrison Miller, their DTC Marketing & eCommerce Manager, had requested that I stop by on my next visit.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The meeting was set up with Tom Lemmons, the CEO of Concannon Vineyards & Winery, Larry Dino, the winemaker of Cuda Ridge Wines, Kevin Baskin, VP of Lemmon Family Vineyards & Concannon Vineyard and Harrison Miller. After a brief introduction to Tom & Kevin, we embarked on a golf cart tour of the facility. Tom took over the facility in from The Wine Group.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine Group previously expanded and used Concannon site to do many things beyond Concannon production. For example, The Wine Group was bottling around 34,000 cases per day on two of their fully automated bottling lines. This allowed them to bottle 25 million cases a year. These lines are still “in place” but have been decommissioned for they are far beyond the current Concannon and Cuda Ridge production levels.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Currently they are expecting around 30,000+ cases to be produced in 2026. This includes a wide range of wines. The current varietals being produced are Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Grüner Veltliner, Albariño, Viognier, Zinfandel, Syrah Mourvèdre and Grenache Noir. There are so many additional creative blends, far too many to list, and would direct you to their website. Today the total acres under vine is 136 and the potential is around 232 total acres.
Along the drive around the property, various stops were made to where they have cleared the land for a new Olive Grove Lawn area opening in Spring of 2027. This will be a large area for wedding ceremonies and private parties. Adjacent and already built are office spaces for winemaking staff, lab area and a few private rooms that could accommodate weddings or small corporate events.
Tom’s vision is at times breathtaking as he has a myriad of ideas and wants them all implemented as soon as possible. He is a visionary not just for Concannon but for Livermore in general. His goals include specialty stores, a boutique hotel and even perhaps another wine brand on the property. With additional space Harrison mentioned ideas like aroma therapy and mindful movement yoga. Tom wants Concannon to be a focal point for the Livermore Wine community as well as growing their wine business. They have already implemented on site a Pedego Electric bike rental which one can easily meander via bike paths to other wineries and downtown restaurants.
Photo by Concannon Vineyard
One of the more interesting projects is the inside remodeling of the Victorian House founded by James Concannon in 1883 and is a California Historical Landmark #641. Leaving the exterior in its pristine condition, Tom has embarked on hiring wood working craftsmen to upgrade the interior. What I saw will leave you speechless with the intricate woodworking designs. Kevin and Tom have a few other “special ideas” they are also implementing but will let them divulge when appropriate.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
To increase production, the team is in discussions with regional and national wholesale distribution to broaden their status beyond a 100% DTC winery.
Back to the tour seeing their interior barrel room which is beautifully decorated in wood and can be rented for various events.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The amount of land both under vine and acres just recently replanted is astonishing as viewed in this picture.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
One of the more interesting rooms was viewing their state-of-the-art laboratory. Winemaker Brett Fikse has at his disposal just about all the tools needed for in-house information on the development of each batch of grapes and wine. This includes almost everything that is needed to be measured without any wet chemistry or manual titrating. Here is just some of the equipment:
- GC gas chromatography machine
- A spectrophotometer for wine color determination and measuring phenolic compounds
- An automatic alkalizer and density meter
- A Chemwell automated lab analyzer to run enzymatic tests for residual sugars, volatile acidity, malic acid, etc
- An Oenofoss for rapid analysis using infrared spectroscopy
- A turbidity meter to measure the wine’s clarity or cloudiness
Photo ©Michael Kelly
At the conclusion of the tour we settled back at the Historic Wine Library and tasted a few of the Concannon wines and Cuda Ridge Wines.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
We started out with the 2024 Chardonnay Reserve that frankly was spectacular and tasty. I have for years purchased a lot of Livermore Chardonnay and this is one of the best! Aromas and flavors of honey suckle blossoms, caramel and stone fruit blend together to provide a gentle buttery and brioche finish. This wine won Best of Class at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and Vine Pair awarded it 93 points. This wine is listed at $45/bottle.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Following the Chardonnay was their 2025 Cabernet Franc Blanc in keeping Livermore Valley focused on Cabernet Franc. This wine provided the nose and refreshment of a light Cabernet Franc with the juices providing a peach dimension. Aged in stainless steel for three months and coming in at 13.5% for a great summer treat. Priced at $35/bottle and rated at 93 points by Wine Enthusiast.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
We then switched our attention to the red wine offerings starting off with the 2021 Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon (74%) and Cabernet Franc (26%) blend. When you can combine two strong wines and produce one of the smoothest wines you have discovered the recipe! Combining Cabernet Franc’s herbaceous quality and the fruit medley of Cabernet Sauvignon it was close to being heaven sent. Blueberries and blackberries swirled merrily on the palate with excitement. An excellent wine at $55/bottle. The current release is the 2022 vintage and is listed at $50/bottle.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Next up was an opportunity to compare two excellent Cabernet Sauvignon wines side by side. The first being a Cuda Ridge Wines Black Label with French & American oak treatment that was strong and with present and appropriate edgy tannins perfect for a juicy ribeye steak. This wine goes for $45. The second wine is called the Mother Vine named for their 1893 vine still located on the property. This is root stock of 7,8 and 11 and used in Chateau Margaux. An extremely silky-smooth Cabernet Sauvignon on the finish. $55/bottle
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Here is the picture of Mother Vine on the property that is planted on the estate.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
All these wines received my ratings as the Best Wines Tasted in 2026! It was amazing that these wines rated so highly at one sitting, which seldom happens. Only 2-3% of all the 1800-2000 wines I taste yearly make my annual Best Wines Tasted list.
The last wine tasted was the 2023 Captain Joe’s Petite Sirah made with 100% Petite Sirah estate grapes. Dark and brooding with black fruit and plum flavors. A “masculine wine” with strong tannins and a “feminine side” finish with baking spices and vanilla. The 2023 is the current vintage and aged 16 months in both American and French oak. The wine is listed at $50/bottle with 14% alcohol.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This concluded the tasting portion of the visit with Larry and Harrison.
It has been some time since I had tasted several of the Concannon wines and appreciated the opportunity to taste some of these exciting wines.
If you should be in Livermore Valley tasting, which there are many solid wineries, Concannon should be on your list to visit. Today with their existing facilities and tomorrow with Tom’s vision, this can only get better.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
Enjoyed Guests Saturday Evening With Foods and Some Exquisite Wines – Napa Valley, Livermore Valley, New Zealand, Sonoma and Germany
Photo ©Michael Kelly
With temperatures hitting 113 degrees in the afternoon, three refreshing white wines were opened and one Rosé to match some of the first rounds of foods. The three white wines chosen were a 2023 Oyster Bay (New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc, 2024 Dr. Heideidmanns-Bergweiler Riesling (Germany) and a surprisingly solid Kirkland Sonoma County Chardonnay.
Photos ©Michael Kelly
The Rosé was a 2023 Wood Family Vineyards “The Pearl” Rosé. These were the best wine pairing with the first round of foods being marina and puffy bread cheese with Marinara sauce, pot stickers with Gyoza sauce, garlic toast, corn chips with a mango, jalapeño sauce, deviled eggs and a few other delights.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Those wines once exhausted the gathering wanted to go with red wines. Managed to find a few nice red wines such as the 2010 Husic Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, the 2011 Dunn Vineyards from Howell Mountain in Napa Valley and the paramount wine being the 2006 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve.
Those wines went especially well with Castelvetrano olives, a charcuterie plater of cheeses and salami, a jalapeño dip, and a few other dishes. The dessert was a prepared small bowl of freshly cut peaches, Burrata cheese, fresh basil, prosciutto and drizzled with Balsamic glaze. Picture below was from a previous dish I had prepared as I forgot to take a picture of it last evening.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Those wines only lasted just so long and back to the cellar to pick up a few more including a 2023 Cuda Ridge Wines Carmenere from Livermore Valley. As the evening slowed down the group went with one more white wine: 2024 Wood Family Vineyards Chardonnay (Livermore Valley). More nibbles came out of crackers and assorted treats but again no pictures.
It was great to see friends we hadn’t seen for over a year. Lots of laughs and comradery between all of us. Towards the end of the evening, our eldest daughter/son-in-law stopped by and we continued the conversations around a myriad of subjects. When they left and we cleaned up, we hopped into bed just after midnight. Not bad for the gathering that started at 4 pm!
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
https://californiawinesandwines.com
https://woodfamilyvineyards.com
https://www.cudaridgewines.com
https://www.husicvineyards.com/
https://robertmondaviwinery.com
https://www.oysterbaywines.com/us