McGrail Vineyards and Winery – Meeting with Mark Clarin, the Winemaker
Photo from McGrail Website
Met with Mark in mid-July when in California. He is the winemaker at McGrail Vineyards located at 5600 Greenville Road in Livermore, California. Heather McGrail was unfortunately tied up with family members but spending a few hours with Mark provided a lot of information and a few laughs! Had stopped by when they first opened in 2008 and they had one wine to pour, their Cabernet Sauvignon. As they say, time marches and on this day, I had to circle their large parking lot three times to find a parking space as they had so many guests!
We sat out on the patio while McGrail Vineyards was having their Bubbly & Beats event, but we were able to find a reasonably quiet table to converse. We started our discussion with a taste of their Sauvignon Blanc grown at a vineyard just down the street. This was an excellent wine crisp, light and airy grapefruit and on this warm day a perfect “patio pounder” at 13.2% alcohol. This received my highest rating along with the next wine.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
While we discussed various business topics like production volumes, number of varieties produced, Mark’s background, etc., he asked which wines I was interested in tasting. Their wine list is extensive and opted to focus on just a couple even though so many were desirable. First up was the 2022 “A JÓ ÉLET meaning “the good life”. Made with 100% Hungarian barrels and aged for 30 months. Mark mentioned the cost of these selected Hungarian barrels ran about $5,900 each! The wine was dark red in color and well balanced with lots of black fruits (cherries, blackberries), with baking species wafting into the senses. A great Cabernet Sauvignon and sells it for $59/bottle. This and one other wine rated my highest scores for the day!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The next wine we sipped on was 2022 Shamus Patrick Red Blend. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in classic Bordeaux Blend style. On the eyes a royal purple in coloring, aromas of plum and “Christmas spices” abounded. On the palate, an ultra-smooth drinking wine, with the pedigree of each grape varietal leaving a pleasing impression. The finish provided caressing tannins and made for a soft conclusion on each sip.
For the record, any wine named Shamus, the name of one of our previous West Highland Terriers, automatically made it a shoe in for being an excellent wine!
Continuing the Irish wine tasting, tried the Slainte Red Blend. While not revealing all the mix, one thing Mark mentioned was that it contained 23% of Touriga National which is something that is unique in violet floral aroma and strong tart earthy notes and dark fruit. Touriga is a great wine and very much underappreciated in the United States.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The balance of the conversation center around Mark’s background. He started in 1979 at Wente and by 1989 was Cellar Master. He then traveled to Europe in 2002 and picked up more traits on winemaking. In 2006 he attended University of Davis which landed him a job at Bonnie Doon Winery in Santa Cruz. In 2009 he officially joined McGrail Vineyards and Winery. Today their current lineup includes six white and Rosé wines and ten red wines and red blends. They also have a sparkling wine. Mark’s background and use of vineyards and barrel treatments showed tremendous creativity for his art form of making many delicious wines.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
At this point we were running short on time but managed to sneak in their 2022 Cabernet Franc that was entered into the 7th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition in 2026 in the $61 to $70 Category. It received Double Gold Medal from the People’s Choice Judges and Best of Category! It also received a Silver Medal from the Professional Judges. A very smooth and silky Cabernet Franc and one that could easily be enjoyed by itself sitting next to an evening outdoor firepit or with selected foods.
The last topic, in which he referred me to Heather, was specifically how they were addressing and enticing the younger generations of wine drinkers. More to come on that topic later.
At the conclusion of the time, I was amazed by what was accomplished at McGrail Vineyards and Winery with Heather and Mark since my early and first visit. I was also happy to see the Irish Shamrock on each bottle!
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly