Tag Archives: California wine tasting

Winery Spotlight Series: July 2024

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Winery Spotlight Wine Tasting
Austin Hope
Paso Robles, California

July 2024

We’re thrilled to introduce these wines to you! Last September, we had the opportunity to visit the Austin Hope Winery − part of Hope Family Wines − during our annual WineStyles conference in Paso Robles. We had the pleasure of sampling their fantastic range of wines. Now, we invite you to join us for a new Winery Spotlight tasting event, where we’ll be showcasing five different wines from their remarkable line. Please join us! 

Wines Tasted:

  1. Treana Sauvignon Blanc
  2. Treana Cabernet Sauvignon
  3. Treana Red
  4. Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon
  5. Quest Red Blend

To reserve a spot and attend the wine tasting, please contact your local participating WineStyles store, or reserve your tickets on their local Eventbrite.

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About Treana:
Treana_Logo_2016_BlackTreana embodies the essential elements shaping their wines: the fertile land they farm, the warm California sun, and the cooling ocean breeze. The Pacific Ocean’s afternoon breezes cause significant diurnal temperature shifts, preserving the grapes’ natural acidity. Abundant sunshine during the growing season provides warmth, creating ideal conditions for grape cultivation. The Central Coast wine region in California offers some of the most unique and diverse soil types, further enhancing the quality of Treana’s wines.

About Quest:
Quest-Logo-1As makers and dreamers, the minds behind Quest are never at rest, constantly pursuing untapped possibilities. Quest was born from a love of American oak and the Cabernet Franc varietal. Cabernet Franc is noble grape of the Bordeaux region not widely planted in California, particularly in Paso Robles, due to its specific soil and temperature requirements. After years of trial and error, the Hope Family team found the ideal terroir and microclimate in the Paso Robles AVA for the meticulous Cabernet Franc. With established vines, they collaborated with coopers to craft luxury American oak barrels that would enhance their vision for a world-class Cabernet Franc blend. Creating an exceptional Cabernet Franc, akin to crafting an exquisite Pinot Noir, demands careful attention to soil, site, and temperature.

About Austin Hope:
Austin-Hope-Logo-ColorWinemaker Austin Hope launched his namesake label in 2000, five years after assuming leadership of the family business. Initially, Austin Hope wines focused on Rhône varieties cultivated at the Hope family’s estate vineyard. In 2017, after years of exploration and only when he was confident in creating something extraordinary, Austin unveiled his first Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine quickly became a benchmark for Paso Robles. Today, Austin Hope wines represent Austin’s dedication to elevating Paso Robles on the global stage.

Austin Hope is the mark of their family’s multigenerational legacy in Paso Robles, reserved for the finest expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon and estate Rhône varieties. These are the definitive wines from Wine Enthusiast’s 2022 American Winery of the Year. 

“The goal is simple: to make wines that express everything Paso Robles has to offer, with its pastoral beauty, perfect soils, maritime climate and limitless possibility.” – Owner-Winemaker Austin Hope

Map of Hope Family vineyards

About Hope Family Wines:
In 1978, Austin Hope’s family settled in Paso Robles, establishing vineyards and apple orchards. Unaware of Paso Robles’ future as a premier wine growing region, they continued farming. Today, Hope Family Wines thrives with six distinct brands: Liberty School, Treana, Quest, Austin Hope, Troublemaker, and the newest addition, Austin. Recognitions include Austin Hope being named the 2019 “Wine Person of the Year” by Paso Robles, their 2017 Austin Hope label ranking #10 on Wine Enthusiast’s “Top 100 Enthusiast Wines of the World,” and their recent accolade as Wine Enthusiast’s American Winery of the Year in 2022. To learn more on their website, click here.

© Hope Family Wines
© Hope Family Wines

Photos and Information © Austin Hope & Hope Family Wines – All Rights Reserved.

Let’s Taste, Learn and Enjoy® together! 
Contact your local participating WineStyles to RSVP for this tasting event.
Winery Spotlight Wine Tasting
Austin Hope – Paso Robles, California
July 2024
Cheers!
WineStyles.com

Ehlers Estate Winery Spotlight Tasting Event

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September Winery Spotlight
Tasting Event
>> RSVP at your local WineStyles <<

Join us for a Winery Spotlight tasting event, featuring Ehlers Winery of St. Helena, California.

The story of Ehlers Estate is one of passion, patience, and hard work. It was the lure of winemaking that tempted Bernard Ehlers to buy a small, dying vineyard in the late 1800s and create the winery that continues to bear his name. A century later, another husband and wife team discovered the lure of this idyllic spot in the heart of the Napa Valley.  French entrepreneurs and philanthropists Jean and Sylviane Leducq continue to produce wines with the power, balance and structure of the finest Bordeaux bottling they knew and loved.

ABOUT EHLERS ESTATE

ehler_wineryThe story of Ehlers Estate is one of passion, patience, and hard work, intertwined like the tendrils of robust vines that have been part of the landscape here since the mid-1800s.

It was the lure of winemaking that tempted Bernard Ehlers to buy a small, dying vineyard in the late 1800s and embark on a quest to create the winery that continues to bear his name.  He replanted his newly-acquired 10-acre vineyard, established the olive grove that still thrives today and in 1886 completed construction of the stone barn that is now our beautiful winery building and tasting room. His original Bale Mill Winery continued to operate long after his death, run by his wife until the 1920s and then by successive new owners who took advantage of its prime location and unique terroir.

A century later, another husband and wife team discovered the lure of this idyllic spot in the heart of the Napa Valley.  French entrepreneurs and philanthropists Jean and Sylviane Leducq saw the potential for this region to produce wines with the power, balance and structure of the finest Bordeaux bottlings they knew and loved.  Over several decades they patiently built a contiguous wine estate – common for French chateaux but increasingly rare in California.

kevin-morrisey-winemakerWith the help of renowned enologist, Jacques Boissenot, they gradually acquired individual local vineyards as they came up for sale and replanted with the most suitable clones and rootstock. By the turn of the century they had created the 42-acre estate we farm today, with Bernard Ehlers’ original stone barn and vineyard at its heart and the Ehlers name once again poised to grace wine labels. The 21st Century began with the release of the very first vintage from the Leducq’s new Ehlers Estate.

Developing the winery had become a passion project for Jean and Sylviane, one they shared long after the sale of their other successful businesses in Europe. Their legacy remains in safe hands today under the leadership of our current winemaker, Kevin Morrisey, who was favored by Sylviane because he shares the same passion for creating sophisticated wines with an old-world charm that capture the character and heritage of our land.

Ehlers Estate continues a proud tradition of farming with experienced vineyard and cellar teams that share a non-interventionist winemaking philosophy firmly rooted in the belief that terroir defines a wine, but passion, patience and hard work are needed to ensure that it is fully expressed in the bottle.
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By using organic vineyard practices, Ehlers Estate leaves a minimal footprint on the land and provides maximum flavor in the grapes. Taking advantage of the robust Estate ecosystem and carefully-chosen rootstocks, the vineyard crew coaxes the vines to fully express the numerous soil types and microclimates found on the estate. Once the grapes are harvested, the cellar crew knows when to be hands-on and when to let nature takes its course as the wines ferment, develop and age.

Today, the winery strives to be responsible stewards of the land and continue the legacy of Bernard and Anne Ehlers, and Jean and Sylviane Leducq, who saw the potential that you can taste in every bottle of Ehlers Estate wine.

EHLERS ESTATE
Winery Spotlight Tasting
St. Helena, California

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  • Ehlers Estate Sauvignon Blanc
  • Ehlers Estate Cabernet Franc
  • Ehlers Estate Merlot
  • Ehlers Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Ehlers Estate 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon

 Limited Seating Available – Reserve your seat ASAP!

Contact your local WineStyles to RSVP!

Ridge Vineyards Tasting Event

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Ridge Vineyards Tasting EventOctober  Winery Spotlight
Tasting Event
>> RSVP at your local WineStyles <<

Ridge Vineyards, California

The history of Ridge Vineyards begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor who became a prominent member of San Francisco’s Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge. He terraced the slopes and planted vineyards; using native limestone, he constructed the Monte Bello Winery, producing the first vintage under that name in 1892. This unique cellar, built into the mountainside on three levels, is Ridge’s production facility. At 2600′, it is surrounded by the “upper vineyard.”

“We decided to farm organically because we believe it leads to better grapes and higher quality wines. This approach in the vineyard, plus our traditional approach to winemaking, will provide the finest possible wines for our customers.” –  Paul Draper, CEO/winemaker.

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13zls-bottle-shotRidge-Vineyards-LogoLytton Springs, in Sonoma County, became part of the Ridge estate in 1991. A quarter century’s experience with this vineyard had convinced us that it was an exceptional piece of ground. Forty consecutive vintages of Geyserville attest to yet another stunning combination of location and varietals. Though born in the early sixties to the post-Prohibition world of modern California winemaking, Ridge relies on nature and tradition rather than technology. Our approach is straightforward: find intense, flavorful grapes; intrude upon the process only when necessary; draw the fruit’s distinctive character and richness into the wine.  While Ridge is by no means a large grower,  they are the largest grower of organically farmed grapes in Sonoma County, and in the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation.

Limited Seating Available – Reserve your seat ASAP!

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Contact your local WineStyles

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Silverado Tasting Event

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Silverado_Tasting_RoomSeptember Winery Spotlight
Tasting Event
>> RSVP at your local WineStyles <<

Silverado Vineyards
Napa, California

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The winery’s name, Silverado, comes from an abandoned mining town at the top of Napa Valley.  A century later, the widow, daughter and son-in-law of Walt Disney began carefully laying the foundation of what would be come Silverado Vineyards in 1976. A few years later, they also acquired a vineyard in the Stags Leap District – known for the quality of it’s Cabernet Sauvignon. Silverado Vineyards now farms six distinctive, family owned vineyards in the Napa Valley and Carneros, three of which are historic sites from these proprietor owned vineyards. Please join us for a Winery Spotlight tasting, featuring Silverado wines. 

“The winegrowers . . . are perhaps the most fascinating aspect of terroir . . . Starting with a vision, they activate the links that connect Earth with vine and fruit, guide the transformation of fruit into wine, oversee its maturation, and only then present the liquid that completes the circle, connecting us with the Earth from which the wine arose.” –  Jonathan Swinchatt and David G. Howell,  The Winemaker’s Dance.

   Good wine is about people, from every hand that helps create Silverado’s Cabernet to every current and future friend who lifts a glass of  wine around the dinner table.   100% of the estate is sustainability farmed: 15% is farmed organically; 70% is Certified Napa Green; 50% is preserved in the Land Trust exclusively for open space and agriculture use. 50% of the winery is powered by solar panels. Proud of their accomplishments, Silverado is just getting started.  They also donate time, money and wine to over 70 organizations annually that need our help to keep their communities safe, healthy, learning and enjoying the pleasures of artistic endeavor.

For Silverado, sustainable is not simply a farming method. It is an approach to all of their activities. It is the driving force behind everything they do to ensure that this winery and estate are here for generation of customers and neighbors to enjoy.  Please join us for a special tasting event with Silverado.

Limited Seating Available – Reserve your seat ASAP!

Silverado_WinesContact your local WineStyles to RSVP!

Winery Spotlight

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Rombauer Tasting Event

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The Story of Rombauer Vineyards – Napa Valley, CA

Rombauer Vineyards was established in 1980, when the Rombauer family harvested their first grapes — Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District. Nearly 35 years later, the winery remains family owned and operated with members of the first and second generations involved in all aspects of the business.  When founders Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved their two children, two horses and five dogs to Napa Valley in 1972, they had no intention of starting a winery. They chose the area because it reminded them of the small-town, agricultural environment in which they had grown up, and it appeared to be a clean, safe place to raise their children. They purchased  40 acres of beautiful hilltop land on the Silverado Trail near the town of St. Helena in California.

Rombauer_FamilyThe Rombauers did have a great appreciation for the role of wine in the fine dining experience. Koerner’s great aunt Irma Rombauer was the author of the internationally renowned cookbook The Joy of Cooking and Koerner’s ancestors were from the winegrowing region of Rheingau, Germany, where wine is considered an essential complement to a meal. It didn’t take long for Koerner and Joan to become fascinated with the growing Napa Valley wine industry. In 1976, they became partners in Conn Creek Winery.  Koerner learned the wine business first in the cellar, working hand in hand with the winemaker and learning all phases of winery operations.

In 1980, the Rombauers made their first wines under their own label at a neighbor’s winery. In 1981, they sold their interest in Conn Creek Winery and began construction of the Rombauer Vineyards winery on the property adjacent to their home.  Today, under the direction of Director of Winemaking and Viticulture Richie Allen, Rombauer Vineyards combines traditional viticultural and winemaking practices with the best available technology to ensure the highest quality wine production. The winery produces award-winning Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel.

Rombauer-winesROMBAUER WINERY TASTING EVENT:

Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Diamond Select Cabernet
Merlot
Zinfandel

LIMITED SEATING
Contact your local WineStyles to reserve your seat!