Calaveras Winegrowers Association
Gossamer Cellars in Murphys, California – A Recent Visit
Photo from Gossamer Cellar
If you have followed my writings and wine reviews, Gossamer Cellars 419 Main Street in Murphys in the lower foothills has been on my radar for almost ten years. Unique to Gossamer cellars is Gary and Sue Grant, owners with Gary being the winemaker and Sue as the welcoming host in the tasting room. One of the endearing qualities of Gossamer Cellars is Gary’s stride to create all the wines on DeLong’s Wine Grape Varietal Table that resides in the tasting room.
Photo from Gossamer Cellar
This obviously is a monumental task, and Gary continues to find new vineyards and produce new wine yearly. He does produce some stalwart wines year to year, but as a “creative and talented scientist/winemaker” he continues to dabble with many less common grape varieties.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I recently stopped by the tasting room and spoke with Sue in person and Gary via phone as he was at the winery in San Andreas. Got to taste a few of his new creations and was very impressed with two of them. The first being his 2024 Treixadura white wine from vineyards in the Sierra foothills. Primarily grown in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal and Rias Baixas region in Spain. This wine is noted for its body, citrus and floral notes with acidity that needs to be kept in check. Gary hits the mark on this light, airy and refreshing wine. It is destined to be a great and enjoyable wine with various fish dishes or simply by itself as a warm evening porch pounder.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The second wine of notable quality was his 2021 “Reed” Charbono from Alta Mesa AVA in the Sacramento region. Charbono is originally from the alpine vineyards of Savoie in eastern France and name was initially known as Bonarda. Its key characteristics are black cherry, plum and spices often with blueberries with soft tannins. Sipping on a pour of this wine, it was love at first sip! Smooth elegance with spice and dry with a lingering finish. This wine again could be a standalone drinker or paired with a wide variety of foods. You might call this wine produced by Gossamer Cellars as a welcoming mat to red wines in their lineup!
Closing, I have often quoted a saying in their boutique tasting room that reads “Adventure may hurt you, but monotony will kill you”. Gary and Sue will never be bored with his quest for new and delicious wines.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
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
2020 Lavender Ridge Vineyard Syrah and Mongolian Beef
The Winery
Picture from Lavender Ridge Vineyard Facebook
Lavender Ridge Vineyard tasting room is in the town of Murphys in the lower Sierra Nevada foothills. Lavender Ridge specializes in Rhone varietal wines. They include Cotes du Calaveras Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, Rolle, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Rose, Grenache, Cotes du Calaveras, Mourvedre, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Vin Doux and Anniversaire Blanc. They also feature an artisan cheese selection that is unique and has something for just about everyone.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
To read more about Lavender Ridge, see three previous articles:
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I purchased this wine two years ago and laid it down in the cellar. Knowing the meal, I thought this would go well with it. Sierra foothills Syrah tend to be intense with bold flavors from granite-based soils and a warm climate. This met and exceeded those expectations with dark fruits of blackberry, plum and spicy notes of pepper and clove. Earthy notes of smoke and minerality were exceptional. On the nose, floral violet aromas and the finish being full-bodied and soft caressing tannins.
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 another wintertime comfort food, Mongolian Beef. A delicious recipe taking flank steak, canola oil, dry sherry wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, water, baking soda, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, 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 brown rice.
This recipe is now both of our favorite with the texture and flavors.
The wine was perfectly suited for the meal with its dryness and fruit providing a beautiful backdrop to each morsel.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
https://californiawinesandwineries.com