murphys
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
2023 Lavender Ridge Roussanne – Venture Beyond Chardonnay!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
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
Roussanne on the eyes is a light radiant and clear golden straw color with medium heavy viscosity. On the nose floral aromatics, hints of pear, apricots waft into the senses. On the palate, you are treated to a silky-smooth mouthful texture. The finish provides a soft nutty almond, compounded with a hint of honey and distinct minerality. This Roussanne is powerful with floral aromatics, with hints of peaches, pears and provided a rich and silky-smooth mouthful texture. The fullness of body, almost a creamy sense, is the key contributor making this a unique wine! Roussanne brings more acidity, elegance and aromatic complexities to the wine. Lavender Ridge Roussanne has consistently won awards at various wine competitions. Rich Gilpin, owner & winemaker, produces Roussanne as a standard varietal and a nice change up from Chardonnay! Today’s vintage is 2023 and it goes for $30/bottle. This wine has made my Annual Best Wines Tasted list for 6 years in a row. It will also make the list for 2025 for wines $50 and less!
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
A new dish tonight called Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken. Decided to try Lavender Ridge Roussanne as an alternative white wine. The ingredients included chicken breasts being placed in the crock pot for 3 hours with black pepper, low-sodium soy sauce, tomato paste, honey, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, sesame oil, water, sriracha, cornstarch, sesame seeds and scallion slices, for garnish. This was served over long and short grain rice. The savory and mildly spicy is an Asian inspired and balanced flavor profile for a weekday dinner.
While Chardonnay may have been the recommended wine, with the mouth-filling and flavorful Roussanne it was an exquisite treat this week
As a side note, my wife made a note on the recipe for next time to omit the tomato paste and rice wine vinegar and add more sriracha to boost the spiciness!
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
Branding Iron Saloon & Restaurant – Friendly Atmosphere and Delicious Food
Photo © Branding Iron Saloon
This story was not one that was intended to be written. Perhaps not the opening line to draw a reader in, but a story I was compelled to write about. Let me begin.
Friday night we went to dinner with a couple we have known for almost 50 years. He suggested a new restaurant. We had known about the restaurant but being in Murphys, California, about 25 minutes from Copperopolis, we hadn’t visited. He had volunteered to drive, so off we departed to Branding Iron Saloon & Restaurant to try out this new establishment opened on August 31, 2025.
Photo © Branding Iron Saloon
The owners, Jenn and Craig Baldi, previously owners of an establishment in the Town Square in Copperopolis and unfortunately for Copperopolis, they departed and created the restaurant at 75 Big Trees Road in Murphys. One of their goals in establishing Branding Iron Saloon & Restaurant is to have a “Ranch to Table” motif. Their mission is to celebrate the bounty of Calaveras County, both the ranchers and farmers. By having the freshest ingredients, they can provide some of the most delicious foods.
Now back to the reason for this “non-story”. Brought a nice bottle of wine to have with dinner and share with our good friends fully intending not to write a story. However, when we met the waitress, from their previous restaurant, ran into Jenn, it felt a bit like old home week. A friendly and welcoming reception.
When hearing about the specials and their incredible listing of steaks, we made our selections. One had their fish tacos, known at their previous restaurant, another chose the steak and lobster, and my wife and I selected the eight-ounce filet mignon. As you can see from the only picture taken, it must have been 10 ounces before cooking. I could not finish the meal! It also came with a house salad with choice of dressing, a side of steak fries and freshly baked and warm rolls.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
What compelled this “self-written” story are some of the key trademarks of a first-class restaurant:
- A warm and friendly welcome upon entering
- Attentive and friendly wait staff service
- Menu with a variety of options and daily specials
- The meal served warm, promptly and as specified
- The quality and taste of the meal meeting the expectations of the guests.
They hit five out of 5 for 100%. What was a wonderful surprise is that the dishes all came out at the same time and the steaks were sizzling on the plate when served. Speaking for myself the filet mignon steak was equal or better to any steak I have eaten in the past from well-known houses like House of Prime Rib (San Francisco), Flemings Steak House (Tucson), Ruth Chris Steak House (Las Vegas), Abe & Louie’s Steakhouse, Smith-Wollensky Steakhouse (Boston) Three Forks Steakhouse (Dallas) etc.
With hitting all the high marks of an excellent restaurant, this story “wrote itself” and I was simply compelled to type a few words. A wonderful venue, a nice bottle of wine, excellent food and company this evening and Branding Iron & Restaurant is a place worthy of a short or even a longer drive. I can hardly wait for our next visit!
Sláinte,
Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
https://murphysbrandingironsaloon.com
P.S. for a story on the 2010 Trespass Vineyard Escapade, I wrote a story on a previous bottle enjoyed about two weeks previously: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2025/10/08/2010-trespass-vineyard-escapade-continues-to-impress/
2022 Jazz Cellars Syrah “Airola Road Vineyard” Just Won Best of Show for Red Wine at Folsom Wine Fest!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
At the Folsom Wine Fest Wine Competition, Sept 13th and 14th with 480 wines being judged, the winner of the Best of Show of Red Wines was the 2022 Jazz Cellars Syrah “Airola Road Vineyard”. This was an excellent achievement considering the number of entries and all the red wine varieties represented. See https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2025/09/18/a-very-successful-5th-annual-folsom-wine-fest-competition/
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine comes from Calaveras County just above New Melones Lake and the wine tasting room is in Murphys at 380 Main Street Suite #3.
On the eyes this wine is bright and lively in the glass with a medium viscosity. On the nose a symphony of aromas rise to greet the imbiber of violets and lavender. This is the initial sense one is going to have a unique experience with this wine. On the palate Is where this wine becomes spectacular with a taste profile initially of dark fruits of blackberry, black cherry and blueberry. Secondary spicy flavors of black pepper, clove and cinnamon combine to make a complete tasting Syrah. On the finish tertiary flavors of earthiness and wet forest floor counterbalance the initial fruits. The tannins at the finish were surprisingly evident yet silky smooth.
The wine goes for $40/bottle at the tasting room and is 100% Syrah from this vineyard. It also came in at 14.5% 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
Paired this very warm evening with a mesquite chicken taco salad. Small pieces of chicken marinated and cooked in a mesquite sauce with shredded lettuce, minced purple onions, cut tomatoes and shredded mixed cheeses. Plated with fresh guacamole with tomatoes and Tabasco sauce.
The wine with its fruit forwardness opposes the “warm taste” of spices in the meat and provides an great “Yin-Yang” polarized opposites for a great food and wine pairing!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
While I was judging at the Folsom Wine Fest with all wines being blind, our table of three judges gave it Double Gold and was then put into the final tasting with all the judges. It was voted by all judges to be the Best of Show for Red Wines! It now made my annual Best Wines Tasted in 2025 also!
The Winery
Photo Jazz website
Joe Lazzara and Bob Smith founded the winery in 2005. Their inspiration came from New Orleans jazz music where they describe it as like jazz music being “a harmonious blend of art and science, much like a jazz composition”. They made their wine in San Francisco and in 2019 moved their wine making to Murphys. They have won over 150 medals and awards. Most recently at the Calaveras County Fair, they won Double Gold for their 2024 Sauvignon Blanc and Gold for their 2022 Viognier.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
On a personal note, I have known Bob and Joe for almost ten years and am genuinely happy with their recent accomplishments and wins. This is a small boutique winery worthy of your visit.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2022 Lavender Ridge Vineyard Grenache – An Elegant Wine in a Bottle
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I purchased this wine in April 2024 when visiting Murphys for the day. This wine stood out as one of the better wines enjoyed with wonderful cheese pairings.
First on the eyes an almost translucent light red coloring and medium viscosity. It had a similar look to a light Pinot Noir. That is where the similarity ended. On the nose, a bountiful bouquet of floral aromas wafted into the senses. On the palate, a rich combination of flavorful strawberry and raspberry notes greeted the imbiber. Secondary flavors of light cranberry and clove with other exotic spices came through while sipping and on the elongated finish. The acidity was kept in check also on the finish and excellent as a drink without food wine.
The wine sold for $28/bottle and comes in at 14.4% alcohol.
The Winery
Photo from Lavender Ridge Wines Facebook posting
2018 Lavender Ridge Vineyard tasting room is in the town of Murphys in the lower Sierra Nevada foothills. The tasting room is located at 425 A Main Street and 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. To read more about Lavender Ridge, see three previous articles:
Sláinte,
Michael