2020 Villa Vallecito Vineyards Cabernet Franc
Enjoyed this delicious wine during the College Football National Championship last evening. We typically follow several top teams like Ohio, Alabama, Oregon, Miami, USC, UCLA, etc. During the season we started following Indiana as a “dark horse” in the running for rankings. While all the bets were for Miami to trounce Indiana, we were rooting for them! Glad they won and we won with this exquisite wine!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine
The 2020 Villa Vallecito Cabernet Franc is an exquisite wine. Here a beautiful purplish hue surrounds the glass, with a medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose soft new leather, pepper and raspberry wafted into the senses. Secondary flavors of dried fruit and bramble, coupled with an “earthiness” (rich soil & gravel) highlighted the taste and the soft finish. The tannins were present, but round and velvety. Approximately 100 cases of this wine were produced. At $45/bottle this is a phenomenal “deal”.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
It was great with a simple hamburger with bacon and Blue cheese!
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2017 Rosa Fierro Cellars Primitivo – A Hidden Gem To Be Found!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Winery
On the back of each bottle is inscribed the phrase “Big, Bold, Beautiful Wines for Beautiful People”. Nothing could be truer as this woman owned boutique winery specializing in limited small lot production remarkable.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Rosa Fierro opened Rosa Fierro Cellars in 2014 and recently left her full-time job and career as a legal assistant to concentrate 100% on the winery. “Rosie” as she is called, had worked in tasting rooms, made port in her garage and eventually worked with many of Livermore’s better winemakers at a production facility in Livermore. The winery is 100% woman owned. Rosie specializes in handcrafted, small batch production wines. Her grapes come from both Livermore and Napa Valleys. One of the key points of her winemaking is selecting the best grapes in the vineyard. Each varietal is limited to 50-200 cases. Those wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay (both oaked and unoaked versions), Merlot, a Rosé (from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes), Zinfandel, Primitivo, two red blends (LVVC & Casa Red Blend), Petite Sirah and her latest being two distinct Cabernet Franc wines from different vineyards. Her total production is approximately 1,000 cases. She has won many awards in a relatively short time. The tasting room is located at 2245 South Vasco Road, Livermore. The backgrounds on her and her staff on the website are especially creatively done! Rosie’s other passion is photography, and her pictures adorn each unique label.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
In 2025 an article from the Bay Area News Group, Rosie was recognized as one of the top Woman-owned wineries in the United States (https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/1/1/10/livermore-valley-wineries-top-women-owned-wineries./).
Photo ©Michael Kelly
From her website profile:
Rosa Fierro
owner and winemaker
accountant, janitor, tasting room hostess
LOVES: Wine, photography, dogs, music, learning new things
HATES: Mayonnaise, peas, perfume, whispering, telemarketers, gum chewers, missing a good photograph
FAVORITE BANDS: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Black Eyed Peas, Missy Elliot, Rose Royce, Prince, The Black Keys
FAVORITE WINE: Merlot
EPIC WINE MOMENT: Saving a bottle of 1973 Georges de Latour from flying through the windshield in a near car accident.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I was looking for a fruity, refreshing medium-body wine to complement the dinner’s richness and spice. The choices were Zinfandel but those in the cellar were “too light” and would be overrun with the meal. Decided on this Primitivo and it was spot on! On the eyes a lush deep brick color and medium body. On the nose aromas of spices and typical earthiness of Primitivo. On the palate, plums, figs and coupled with brown sugar. Blackberry with bramble and pipe tobacco round out the fullness of the ruggedly soft Tempranillo. The finish provided a long and elevated spiciness and a distinct oak flavor. Alcohol level was 15.7% and only 75 cases were produced. This was a Gold Medal Winner at the 2020 San Francisco Chronical Wine Competition. Price was $32 at the time of purchase (2019), I believe this is one of her best production wines thus far!! Today many of her wines are flat out delicious and have won numerous awards.
Her Primitivo today, the 2021 vintage, comes from the Ravenswood Vineyard in Livermore and sells for $42/bottle. Rosie’s 2017 Primitivo will make my annual Best Wines tasted 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
Paired this evening with another favorite wintertime comfort food, Mongolian Beef. A delicious recipe slicing ribeye roast and various ingredients including canola oil, dry sherry wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame seeds, water, baking soda, brown sugar, minced ginger, scallions and Flatiron Pepper Company’s Dark & Smoky peppers. They included Chipotle, Ancho and Habanero peppers. This provided a tasty sweet and spicy dish. Accompanied by long grain rice and a fresh garden salad including bacon and Reyes Point crumbled Blue cheese. Also sauteed fresh string beans in garlic were prepared.
This recipe is now both of our favorite with the texture and flavors.
The wine was perfectly suited for the meal with its boldness, earthiness and fruit providing a beautiful backdrop to each morsel.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2023 Wood Family Vineyards “Woody’s Cab” Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine is a tradition at Wood Family Vineyards as an approachable and smooth Cabernet Sauvignon. First on the eyes it has a crisp magenta and red color with medium viscosity. On the nose aromas of dark fruits coupled with fresh red fruits rise to greet the imbiber. On the palate, raspberry, plum and cherries swirl light heartedly in the mouth. The finish provided wonderful silky and rounded tannins and yet were distinguishable. This is a wine for both food and standalone sipping.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The 2023 vintage comes in at 13.9% alcohol and 709 cases were produced. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon comprised of 51% One Oak Vineyard Clone 8, 19% One Oak Vineyard Clone 30, 11% One Oak Vineyard Clone 30 #1AO, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon Smith Ranch Clone 8 and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon Smith Ranch Clone 337.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine was aged in 33% new French oak barrels for 19 months. Schedule for release on February 21st and 22nd at the release party. Price will be $36/bottle minus any club member discount.
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 slow cooked red wine Braised Short Ribs. The ribs were slowly cooked for 6 hours after braising the beef ribs on the stove. Ingredients were sea salt, black pepper, olive oil, sliced yellow onions, quartered baby mushrooms, minced garlic, red wine, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried marjoram and bay leaves.
Accompanied by swirled Russet potato, wine mushrooms and artichoke.
The Cabernet Sauvignon with its dark fruit and spice notes complemented the beef. The wine with its acidity and tannins cut through the richness of the fatty meat and heaviness of the beef. A very good food and wine pairing.
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 about her background from airline pilot to award winning winemaker at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/10/wood-family-vineyards-2
Current Wine Awards:
- 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon “Clone 30” – Double Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2021 Cabernet Franc – Double Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2021 Malbec – Double Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2021 “El Loco Rojo” Bordeaux Red Blend – Double Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2022 “Para Mas Amigas” Chardonnay – Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2021 “The Captain” Bordeaux Red Blend – Double Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2023 “Pink Pearl” Rosé – Double Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2022 “Pink Pearl” Rose – Best of Class – SF Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2021 Albariño – Best of Class – SF Chronicle Wine Competition
For a complete listing see their website listed below.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
Forget Dry January, Discover New Wines in January!
One exciting event called starting out the year is “The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes” that will be held in San Jose on Saturday, January 31st. The event will take place at the Rotary Summit Center, 88 South 4th Street. The event will feature 60+ producers and more than 100 unique wines.
Think of 2026 the year of discovery tasting wine varieties you may not be too familiar with such as Teroldego, Cinsault, Marsanne, Semillon and many more. While California grows more than 100 grape varieties, only 9 account for 93% of the “standard wine chooses”.
One additional benefit of this event is a “mix and match retail experience” that you can accumulate at the event.
Choosing the path not followed is a good metaphor for this event. Eva Crawford, Creative Director of the event, states “designing for it means leaning into the thrill of the unexpected. These winemakers know their craft and aren’t afraid to follow their own path; bringing lesser-known grapes into the spotlight, uncovering overlooked histories and making bold, thoughtful choices along the way”.
Buy tickets at: https://events.humanitix.com/the-festival-of-undiscovered-grapes-san-jose/tickets?widget=popup
For a complete list of wineries participating click: https://festivalofundiscoveredgrapes.com/what-are-forgotten-grapes/
See you there finding your new favorite grape varieties!
For media inquiries, sponsorship opportunities, or early access information, please contact:
Allison Levine
allison@pleasetheplate.com
www.
2022 Cuda Ridge Malbec Reserve – A Movie, NFL Playoffs, BBQ Carne Asada & Cowboy Coffee
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
With a title like this some explanation is necessary! On Friday while watching a good movie on Netflix called “About My Father” we discussed Saturday’s dinner. With the NFL playoffs on, we did not want to miss watching them (turned out both were spectacular games). Again, with the weather being a bit cold, but not raining, I suggested we BBQ between the first and second game. My wife came up with the Carne Asada idea which I immediately endorsed. The Cowboy coffee will be explained in the wine description section below.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Malbec has always been a favorite wine. While having had Cuda Ridge Wines regular Malbec which is excellent, don’t remember tasting Cuda Ridge Wines Reserve Malbec. Startling, mesmerizing and shocking just touch the surface of my reaction to the exalted quality of the wine!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine, when poured into the glass possessed a royal purple coloring that was radiant. With a medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose, aromas of black fruits and earthiness wafted into the senses begging to be tasted. Once on the palate, this sublime wine bursts forth with blackberries, plum as the main fruits. Followed with exotic spices of anise, cloves and a touch of cinnamon. Finally on the finish, black pepper, smokiness and dry earthiness provide a long-lasting and enjoyable conclusion. Now the Cowboy coffee comment, not in taste, but that roasted smell around a campfire on the Mendoza plains. A flashback to being smokey and rugged, yet this wine vacillating having a pedigree of silky and cragginess with its tannins.
This is 100% Malbec coming from the White Cat Vineyard in Livermore. The wine is aged in Pennsylvanian American oak, with 50% being once used and 50% neutral. The wine comes in at 14.7% alcohol and is sold at $60/bottle. Only 47 cases were produced and half are already gone!
This wine most definitely will make my annual list of Best Wines tasted in 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
Dinner with this wine was a special Carne Asada. The flank steak was tenderized and marinated 12 hours with the following ingredients: olive oil, soy sauce, fresh squeezed orange and lime juice, fresh chopped cilantro leaves, minced jalapeñopeppers, minced garlic cloves, ground cumin, Kosher salt, ground black pepper. Flatiron peppers, their Dark & Smokey blend, was then added to steak and seared on the BBQ with an infrared ceramic burner at 1500 degrees for about 8minutes a side.Served with minced cilantro, fresh extra marinade sauce and a modicum of fresh squeezed lime juice. Accompanying the meal were roasted jalapeno pepper, corn and baked potato wedges. The wedge potatoes were prepared with olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper and finely grated fresh parmesan cheese.
The Carne Asada was flavorful and just a little spicy. The Malbec with its fruit surrounded the spicy meat with each succulent bite. Perhaps one of the best food and wine pairings.
This Malbec blend with its fruit surrounded the spicy meat and cooled it off to be absolutely a wonderful pairing with the Cabernet Sauvignon component matched beautifully with the meat protein.
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Larry Dino, owner and winemaker at Cuda Ridge Wines, now has all six modern Bordeaux varietals available at the tasting room.
One of the solid and simple marketing ideas that Larry devised is his coloring scheme: White label for his Reserve wines, Black label for his non-Bordeaux wines and purple label for his Bordeaux varietals.
The list of awards for all his other wines is extensive and would direct you to his website to view the dozens and dozens of noteworthy awards.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
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