Month: January 2026
2022 Maritana Vineyards “La Rivière” Chardonnay – Always Delivers and Is Praiseworthy
The Wine 2022 Maritana Chardonnay “La Rivière” – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The specific goals for all his wines are to have beautiful floral aromas, stabilized and permanent bright coloring to the eye. Lofty and elegant goals to be sure but he is implementing creative and imaginative techniques to achieve his desired outcome. He definitely hit his mark with this Chardonnay. I knew from previous tastings this wine was going to be outstanding. “La Rivière” means “the River” referring to Russian River AVA where the vineyards are located.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
First on the eyes, the clarity and brightness were ethereal straw, golden yellow and a heavy viscosity (not normally found in Chardonnay). On the nose, predominate aromas of almonds and pears. On the palate is where this wine is exceptional full mouth-filling essence with light lemon and fresh brioche. A slightly sweet finish with flavors of caramel, counterbalanced with a modicum of minerality. What the net effect provides is an elegant layered and slightly creamy Chardonnay. This spectrum of quality is generally found in wines costing closer to $100 and up. The most recent price I remember was $42/bottle and comes in at 13.5% alcohol level.
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
Pulled this wine from the cellar to enjoy this evening with fresh Petrale sole. Prepared on a skillet with fresh parsley, lemons, lemon juice, Italian seasoning and capers. Cooked in butter and white wine. Accompanied by small halved roasted potatoes. The food and wine pairing was spot on as the delicate fish and the wine with minerality, lemon and brioche was complementary.
This wine has been an on-going favorite and continues to be a great wine. This vintage will again make my annual Best Wines tasted for 2026.
The Winery
I originally interviewed Donald Patz in his living room back in 2018. He was just starting out his venture with Maritana Vineyards, a project for developing and producing the highest quality of grapes for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Here Donald is implementing his strategy to develop a more balanced and “elegant and perfumed version to show through” with choices of grapes with selected aged barrels. On his Pinot Noir, he has secured three vineyards in the Russian River AVA. For this varietal he is using approximately 60% new oak barrels. The wines for Maritana Vineyards will be his Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2017, “Le Russe”; the Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2017 “La Rivière”; Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2017 “Dutton Ranch/Hansen Hill Vineyard” and his Russian River Chardonnay 2017 “Dutton Ranch/Shop Block 1967”. The last using vines planted in 1967 and using 50-year-old vines in his Chardonnay production!
Fast forward some seven years and today with four decades of experience and intricate knowledge of the vineyards, he has three specific labels. They are:
MARITANA VINEYARDS – Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
SECRET DOOR WINERY – Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
TERMINIM – Mendocino County Marsanne/Roussanne and Syrah
Recently all his wines received scores in mid-90’s (seven with 95 points), which shows his dedication and artisan effort with his craft.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2020 Mineral Wines Cabernet Franc and The Winery is Relocated to Idaho!
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Brett Keller and his wife Andrea own Mineral Wines formerly located in Murphys, California. Brett started out in Hospitality Management but eventually went back to school earning his degree in Viticulture and Enology in 2003. When Brett and Andrea moved back to Angels Camp (Calaveras County), Brett took over management of Andrea’s family 4-acre Cherokee Creek Vineyard. Initially this property grew exclusively Merlot, but subsequently Brett grafted three acres of vineyard to Roussanne, Viognier and Petite Sirah. These are the main stay and define Mineral Wines. In addition, they produce Zinfandel, Malbec, and various Meritage blends, Tempranillo, Barbera, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in the Sierra foothills.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
More recently Brett and family moved to Eagle, Idaho. There he is amid setting up his new winery location, still being called Mineral Wines. He has established himself with local folks assisting in yearly crushes. While still having some varieties of grapes from the Sierra foothills, he has begun making Idaho based wines, specifically Malbec and Syrah. In 2022 he made a Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage blend all from the Snake River Valley. The most recent vintage is his 2023 Syrah and a Merlot from a local vineyard just outside of Eagle, Idaho. On their 10-acre estate in Eagle, they have completed their plans for the winery and are currently heading for permitting it to start in early Spring.
In a conversation with Brett one very interesting fact is that Idaho was declared the leading consuming state is the US by per capita by VinePair (https://vinepair.com/articles/map-states-drink-wine-america-2020/)
When they open their doors, Mineral Wines will hit the road at full speed with over 30 Gold and Double Medals to win the hearts and palates of those in Eagle Foothills AVA on the edge of Treasure Valley in Idaho.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The 2020 Mineral Wine Cabernet Franc is a deep crimson color on the eyes and medium viscosity. On the nose aromas of violets, black fruits and black cherry abound. On the palate, blackberry, cigar tobacco, balanced with a subtle vanilla spice presents a very drinkable Cabernet Franc. The finish has the typical pyrazine (green bell pepper) but it is in the background providing a smooth finish. The tannins are tame and enjoyable. Unfortunately, this was their last release as the vineyard where they were getting the grapes was ripped out.
Note on the label the Fluorite ‘Alien Eye’ with Aquamarine ‘lashes’ – Erongo Mountain, Namibia.
The current release of 2020 Mineral Wines Cabernet Franc, along with the limited release 20217 and 2019 vintages can be viewed at www.mineralwines.com and are available by calling Brett directly at 209-743-4100.
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
Pulled this wine from the cellar to pair with a wonderful “wintertime” comfort food this evening. It was Jalapeno Meat Loaf, perfect for a damp and rainy evening. Ingredients included panko breadcrumbs, egg, minced jalapeno peppers, minced garlic, shredded cheddar cheese, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, honey and chili powder. A slight change this evening was the addition of a modicum of Flatiron Pepper Company’s Hatch Valley Green pepper combination spice. It included Hatch Valley Green for bright chili flavor, Jalapeno for classic flavor and moderate heat and Habanero as an extra kicker! This provided the right amount of spice, flavor and heat to complete the meat loaf. Accompanied by a baked Russet potato and roasted Brussel sprouts drizzled with Balsamic.
The food and wine pairing was spectacular with the combination of spice in the meal and the fruit in the wine.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2022 ITER Cellars Sauvignon Blanc – A Journey to New Beginnings
Photo from ITER Cellars
Background
While traveling during the holiday season visiting family, our daughter and son-in-law have a family tradition of Chinese food on Christmas Eve. While I brought some wines for Christmas dinner to be served with prime rib, I did not bring a good wine to pair with Chinese food. So off we drove to a local wine store chain and picked up this bottle for dinner. This wine was recommended by of the managers who assisted me. I had never heard of ITER Cellars but decided to go with his recommendation.
The Winery
The name Iter from the Latin primarily means “journey, road, path or passage”. This description is on the back of the bottle.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
As previously mentioned, this wine was recommended to me without knowing any background on the winery. As it turns out, it is a family run business with the owners being Stefano Migotto and Valentina Guolo. Fior di Sole (flower of the sun) is an operated wine company located in the heart of Napa Valley, producing an array of wines from Napa and throughout California.
The company is committed to minimizing their impact on the environment and promoting sustainable practices. Their bottling line facility is CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). I will be exploring what other aspects of their operations are CCOF as this is a noteworthy achievement.
This is a very large-scale operation with forty-one brands under the Fior di Sole ownership. Wine labels for example include Four Stars, Anthony Rami Family Winery, Ancient Gate Cellars, Harris Parker, Long Barn, etc. Their warehouse for finish goods has a capacity of 1.1 million cases! Their operation includes in-house filtration, quality control and laboratory services. Picking up a quick bottle of wine has lead to uncovering a vast enterprise. Look forward to understanding and perhaps tasting some of their other wines. Iter does appear to be a long path to be discovered.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo from ITER Cellars
A clean and glistening light golden color in the glass. On the nose, lemon grass and grapefruit aromas are dominant. On the palate a combination of citrus primarily of lemon and bountiful herbaceous flavors. It is crisp and clean providing a lovely finish with a hint of minerality. Their winemaker states that their Sauvignon Blanc “tastes like it feels to walk through a meadow on a dewy spring morning”.
The wine goes for a modest $13/bottle on retail shelves and is a remarkable bargain!
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
One of the more difficult meals to pair a wine with is Chinese as generally so many different assortments of dishes are ordered to please a group. Tonight was no exception with pork fried rice, chicken fried rice, pot stickers, lemon chicken, honey walnut prawns, orange chicken, beef broccoli, Mongolian beef, and chow Mein. I am sure a few others escaped my memory!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I have generally gone with Sauvignon Blanc as it tends to go with many Chinese dishes. As you can see a lot of delicious dishes were ordered for the 17 people attending Christmas Eve dinner (not all foods are shown)!
Sláinte,
Michael
Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Estate Dry Riesling – A New Wine for me!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
While traveling during the holiday season visiting family, my wife prepared a meal of Pad Thai for the family. While in California my favorite and go to wine for this dish is Smith-Madrone Riesling from Spring Mountain. However, I did not find one in Arizona, so I picked up this bottle at a local wine store chain and was very impressed.
The Winery
Photo from Dr Heidemanns-Bergweiler Winery
The Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Estate has approximately 30 acres of Riesling vineyards in the steeply sloped Middle-Mosel area. More than 75% of their vineyards are marked as “Steillage” (German for steep slope or incline). The vineyard soils are mostly Devon slate residual soils with varying parts of topsoil and mineral stone. The slate gives the wines a delicate and cool minerality which is typical for a Moselle Riesling. The combination of cool climate, slate and Riesling makes their wines unique.
They currently produce Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, Ice-wine, Sparkling and a variety of Rieslings ranging from dry to sweet. Most of their wines scored in the low to mid-90’s from Wine Enthusiast and others, all being noted for complexity and depth.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This dry Riesling from Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler has a refreshing and intense aromas of Jasimine that exudes significant power. The taste is marked by a distinctive acidity. It is dry and possesses mango and guava flavors with a tinge of citrus, notably lime. Medium viscosity packing a lively punch. The finish provides earthy stoniness and slate-like hints.
Generally found around $20/bottle.
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
Duck, Pork, Bacon, Chicken, Shrimp, and Crab are suggested foods for Riesling. Chose this wine to pair with one of my favorite dishes, Chicken Pad Thai. The Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Riesling was purchased for this meal due to spiciness of the Chicken Pad Thai or at least the way we prepare it! Last evening went with a much more flavorful and spicier recipe. The ingredients were fresh whole wheat noodles, virgin olive oil, minced garlic, cooked chicken, eggs, bean sprouts, sliced red bell pepper, green onions, peanuts and lime juice. The Pad Thai sauce included fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, Momofuku Chili Crunch and creamy peanut butter! The Riesling being very dry was spot on for this meal.
Limes were plated to squeeze the juice over the top of the dish as well as ground peanuts, cilantro and green onion slices. Accompanying the meal was a fresh garden salad. The meal was packed with a punch of flavor and warmth! The 2024 Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler pinched hit perfectly for the meal. The wine was refreshing and quenched the palate.
The 2024 Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Riesling just made the Best Wines tasted in 2026 (mid-Dec 2025 to mid-Dec 2026) in the under $50/category. I would like to taste their single vineyard Riesling’s in the future.
Sláinte,
Michael
2022 Wood Family Vineyards Syrah – A Masterpiece
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Winery
Photo from Wood Family Vineyards website
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
Some of the most recent awards are as follows, but not all are listed.
2019 Cabernet Franc – Double Gold
2021 Malbec – Double Gold
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon “Clone 30” – Double Gold
2021 El Loco Rojo Red Blend – Double Gold
2021 Captain Red Blend – Double Gold
2022 Chardonnay – Gold
Their 2019 was awarded 95 points & won Double Gold at the Orange County Wine Fair. 2022 is surely destined to win awards also.
For a complete listing see their website listed below.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine is destined to be one of the Wood Family Vineyards quick sellers. First on the eyes, a deep almost “blackish” color but with a rim of mesmerizing magenta/purple hue and medium heavy viscosity. On the nose, dark berries and violets are the predominant aromas that waft into your senses. But on the palate are robust, dense and lively blackberry and blueberry flavors, along with red plums engulfing the mouth with the fruit and black pepper. Tertiary flavors of clove and cherry cola are present. On the finish, velvety texture and very subtle tannins caress the back of the mouth to provide a long-lasting enjoyable tasting. Listed at $38/bottle and only 60 cases produced. The wine was aged 18 months in a mixture of French and Hungarian oak with 30% being new oak, 20% Hungarian and 10% French. 100% Syrah varietal from the Clark vineyard in East Livermore.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine will make my annual Best Wines Tasted in the year for 2026.
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 slow cooker Birria Tacos were cooked 8 ½ hours. Besides chuck roast, ingredients included chopped yellow onion, garlic cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, cumin, Hatch Valley green peppers, cinnamon, chipotle in adobo, crushed fire roasted tomatoes, beef broth, white vinegar, kosher salt, bay leaves, shredded Oaxaca cheese and chopped fresh cilantro. Dipping sauce was on the side. This recipe was much easier than previous ones especially having to find all the fresh ingredients (see previous story at: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2023/08/05/2020-jessies-grove-winery-fancy-quest-old-vine-zinfandel-and-birria-tacos-and-sauce/ .
Sláinte,
Michael
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