This Week’s Wine Tasting
Elizabeth Spencer and Ramsay
Elizabeth Spencer– “Elizabeth Pressler & Spencer Graham began enjoying wine together in 1992, making wine together in 1997, established the bonded winery, Elizabeth Spencer, in 1998, & began selling these wines together in 2000. Previous to running our own winery, both Elizabeth and Spencer enjoyed long & successful careers in the wine industry.
Spencer Graham produced our first wine, the 1998 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Over fifteen years later, he still serves as the lead on all aspects of our winemaking program, providing great continuity to our wines, their quality, and their taste profile with his experience, knowledge, and insight. Spencer first learned winemaking at the hands of some of the craft masters of Napa Valley. He honed his craft over many years, further exploring the terroir of Napa and beyond, deepening his relationships with experienced grape farmers, gleaning off of their experience and knowledge of the vines, and perfecting his insight into the complex and layered nature of blending wines. Today, he continues to manage our long-term relationships with our farmers. And, as from the beginning, Spencer actively crafts our final blends, passing along to the rest of his winemaking team his own insight into the beautiful balance and elegance that continue to define Elizabeth Spencer.”
Elizabeth Spencer Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Mendocino, California. Certified Organic. “Pale straw yellow, very clear. 2013 was a great year for aromatics. The aromas in this wine are very complex with white peach and apricot, yellow grapefruit, and lemon blossoms erupting from the glass. The fruit aromatics carry through on the entry and lend sweetness to the mineral driven pallet. The wine has very appealing ripeness and great balancing acidity. This is a medium to light-bodied Sauvignon Blanc, where the complexity of stone fruit and green apples, yield to a very citrusy, crisp finish. This most pleasurable wine, delicious as a aperitif and also great with a full range of foods including fish and shellfish, chicken and vegetable dishes.”
$15.99
Elizabeth Spencer Chardonnay 2012
Mendocino, California. Organic. “Pale yellow, clear. Delicate aromas of tree fruits such as green apple, and apricot, and a dusting of linden flower. The light floral aromas are well matched in the mouth; expect a fine textured wine with ample pear fruit dominating the center, and hint of nectarine and lemon lingering in the finish. This Chardonnay is lean, fruit forward, delicious and very food friendly. We enjoy it as an aperitif or serve it chilled with a wide variety of foods from popcorn to fresh grilled fish.”
$14.99
Elizabeth Spencer Grenache Rose 2013
Mendocino, California. “Electric pink in color with aromas of strawberry cream and wild strawberry jelly. The flavor profile exhibits quince notes and sweet cherry on the pallet, which is juicy, rich and delicate. The wine has a silky texture that provides a good foundation for the brighter, fruit finish. Our Rose of Grenache is fruity but not sweet, with an elegant dry finish. It is delightful served lightly chilled as an aperitif and pairs beautifully with a broad array of foods from grilled salmon, a plate of prosciutto to green curry or shrimp pad Thai.”
$16.99
Ramsay– “Kent Rasmussen and wife, Celia Ramsay, have been making wine in the Napa Valley since 1986. Unlike most wineries in the Napa Valley, they never wanted to have a public presence in the form of a tasting room, but sell their wines in Bay Area & California restaurants & stores, and in 27 other states. Famous for the Kent Rasmussen and Ramsay brand wines, and best known for making “purely poetic Pinot Noir”, the couple raised their family of four on the Silverado Trail property.
While Kent has been in love with winemaking for decades now, he says that he has, in recent years, come to respect the enological process even more because wine is the sort of agricultural (and cultural!) product that the world needs. He says that there are few foodstuffs that naturally fill the bill of being sustainable and generally organic in their usual form. Grapes and wine are both of these. It isn’t hard to grow grapes completely organically. As far as sustainability goes, grapes take almost nothing from the soil and grow year after year after year with just the little fertilizer that a good cover crop can provide.”
Ramsay Pinot Noir 2013
North Coast, California. “In 2013 we continued with the grape sources we used in 2012. The blend is all Pinot, almost entirely from vineyards in cooler regions, Carneros, Russian River and Solano County along with some old favorites from Mendocino. Last vintage I proclaimed that the 2012 was the best vintage of Ramsay Pinot we ever made. I need to revise this state as I feel the 2013 has topped it! It is rich, bright, fruity and has a depth of flavor that you normally only find in very expensive Pinot Noirs. Absent are all the veggie and tinned characters that often are associated with lesser Pinot Noirs.”
$15.99
Ramsay Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
North Coast, California. “The grapes for the 2013 Ramsay Cabernet Sauvignon were sourced principally from vineyards in Napa Valley and Lake Counties and a small portion coming from the Alexander Valley. The separate lots were blended together after a number of exhaustive trials. I am very pleased with the final cuvee. The blend is almost entirely Cabernet Sauvignon, with a small percentage of Merlot. The resulting full-bodied wine is redolent of perfectly ripe mahogany-colored bing cherries and currants. These aromas are echoed on the palate where dark fruits, fine tannins and excellent acidity combine to form a complex but completely harmonious and well-balanced whole. Pair it with a grilled steak, a sharp cheddar cheese or a tomato based pasta dish to bring out the best in both wine and food.”
$14.99
Ramsay Petite Sirah 2012
North Coast, California. Lake County Vineyards. “Petite Sirah is absolutely one of my favorite grapes. I have made a “Pets” each vintage for 30 years now, under many different brands. The grapes for this wine came from a couple of vineyards in Lake County. Lake County is a relatively new area for grape-growing….there has been Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel planted there for years, but in the last couple of decades other varieties are being planted, especially on the north facing hillsides. Pets are doing well there and I have enjoyed the grapes I have worked with from the area. Petite Sirah grapes are one of the prettiest fruits to look at; the clusters are big and the grapes are big, and the flavor is big-and that, I guess, is what Petite Sirah is all about. This wine is luscious, juicy and full of life. It is the perfect food wine.”
$15.99