D’Aun and I have officially moved to the City of Livermore. Since we are surrounded by vineyards with several wineries within walking distance, from time to time I’ll post a few thoughts about the nearby tasting rooms. These are our neighbors, so I won’t be too tough, but I’ll try to point you in the right direction. Last weekend we visited two wineries and I’ll start with those.
Fenestra Winery is nestled along a seasonal creek with heritage oak trees. The tasting room is in an old farm building, but most of their grapes are grown elsewhere in the Livermore Valley or the Lodi area. They have a wide inventory of varietals, from the classics like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, to the more obscure like Touriga and Mourvedre.
One of our discoveries at Fenestra was the 2010 Verdelho from the Lodi area. This white wine is crisp, fresh, and filled with citrus flavors. It doesn’t have the overly sweet taste that so many whites seem to have. The Verdelho won Best White Wine at the 2011 Best of the Bay Wine Competition as well as a Gold Medal at the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. At $15 a bottle, the Verdelho will make a great wine on those hot summer days in Livermore.
Another good option at Fenestra was the 2007 Merlot, Livermore Valley, Thatcher Bay Vineyard. Merlot often strikes me as boring: neither bad nor good, just there. But this one had some nuance and made me want a second sip. It would go great with pork, duck or chicken. It might be a tad overpriced at $19 a bottle, but then again it has won two gold medals. The folks at Fenestra say it has great aging potential so perhaps it is one to put down in a cellar for a few more years.
The Fenestra Winery grounds.
The third find at Fenestra was the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Livermore Valley, Ghielmetti Vineyard. Many of the Cabernet Sauvignons from the Livermore Valley taste harsh to me, as if they are unfinished. But this Cab was very smooth and polished. It had a refinement that offered all the wonderful flavors of a big bold Cab. Others agree with me: it won the Best Red Wine at the 2011 Best of the Bay Wine Competition. Fenestra says this is a wine that you can lay down for years and see it improve. At $40 a bottle it better last because it is a serious investment.
Our second stop over the weekend was at Thomas Coyne Winery. Another historical site with several old barns on the property, Thomas Coyne had 26 different wines on their release list! A $5 tasting fee let us enjoy 6-8 of them.
I liked the 2010 Viognier made from grapes in the Mokelumne River area. It was unusually sweet for a Viognier with some peach flavor in the aftertaste. I tend not to like sweet wines, but D’Aun pointed out that this one would match well with cheeses or fruit as an appetizer. Plus Viognier goes well with Thai food! So we brought it home and put it in the frig to have it ready. Thomas Coyne is proud to say that this wine was awarded with a bronze medal at the prestigious Orange County Fair wine tasting. It seems fairly priced at $16 a bottle.
So those were our first two wineries as official Livermore residents. I’ll post more as we visit other neighbors!