October 28, 2022 – A nursery is such a perfect venue for a wine and beer tasting benefit, complete with cider, food trucks, music and general conviviality. The very first Uncork Corralitos, a benefit for Pajaro Valley Shelter Services for Women and Children in Watsonville, was well attended, to the point they ran out of glasses. Bob Prikasky of El Vaquero Wines, one of the organizers said, “We sold over 400 glasses and raised over $20k for Pajaro Valley Social Services. I think our 2nd year’s event will be finely tuned from this year’s experience.”
Nobody seemed to mind that I showed up with my own Gen II GoVino glass that happens to be dishwasher safe. It also has a much nicer lip on it than the earlier models, which tended to be rather sharp. It’s drop proof and won’t collapse if you accidentally sit on it. Don’t ask.
But, I digress. The lineup of wineries at this beer, wine and ciderfest, complete with music by Jazz the Dog, featuring legendary Santa Cruz lap steel guitar and vocal stylist Patti Maxine with Rhan Wilson and Rick Zeek, was pretty diverse. Held among the exquisitely beautiful potted plant marvel that is Aladdin Nursery, I had my work cut out for me with the band fading way faster than the sun, which was dropping to that point on the horizon that blinded everybody facing it. Which happened to be all the wineries.
It’s a bit awkward to talk to people who are clearly blinded by the heavenly spotlight that cannot be adjusted. But the best wines still stood out.
Keegan Mayo of Assiduous has a texturally assertive 2021 Pinot Gris from both the Regan and Bassor Vineyards. He was looking to add a little volume to his case production, as so many restaurants and wine bars want this wine. It’s definitely more complex and a bit more chewy than past vintages, thanks to the skin contact Mayo employed. It really makes the wine linger on the palate and hang around on the finish. The 2021 Volkmann Vineyard Pinot Noir (13%, $35) was a nice discovery: he’s always finding these little gems, and this one is from Tim and Peggy Volkmann’s vineyard near Branciforte. Described by Mayo as “unfined, unfiltered and unadulterated,” it delivers mushrooms, cedar, great cinnamon spice and raspberry on a middleweight platform that ticks all the boxes. It’s unencumbered by oak, as is his style, getting its structure instead from 50% whole cluster fermentation in neutral oak.
The Assiduous 2020 Bates Ranch Cabernet (14%) is just incredible, from its fragrant nose of redwood and pine to its at once bright yet deep brambly flavors wound nicely with nutmeg, cinnamon, juniper and green Hatch chile. A splendid wine from two sections of vineyard, with the younger one picked on Sept. 9 and the older section on Oct. 11, which is abundantly clear in the juxtaposition of bright and dark fruit. Well played, Keegan! This guy is the real deal. Join the wine club if you’re looking for a talent to tuck into your cellar.
Newcomer to the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association is Las Nietas, owned by proprietors Bob Hartmann and Denise Danisch, who named the place for their granddaughters. They were pouring two very different Pinot Noirs, both from their vineyard in the same neighborhood as Windy Oaks. The 2013 was made by Annette Hoff formerly of Cima Collina. Lighter in color and style, it is plenty juicy and assertive, delivering all the pleasure of a bright and sassy Pinot in the style of a Burgundy. It has 30% new French and is made from Dijon clones. In complete contrast is the 2018, comprised of all the clones represented on the property, and made by Spencer Schultze at Windy Oaks. It expresses the richer, riper vintage, along with weightier oak influence. They both have their place.
Fun to see Michael Sones (Sones Cellars, Bargetto) who collaborated with Tanuki Cider to make a fermented beverage of Pinot Noir and local apples. It’s definitely distinctive with a pretty big hit of fiery cherry tobacco and campfire, along with baked apple. Sones said the grapes and the apples came from the Corralitos area.
Another fun discovery was Anatum Wines, which is very near Gali Vineyard near the Spring Hill Golf Course in Watsonville. Owner Chris Broaddus transitioned from the vineyard installation business in 2017 to making wine. His wines hail from vineyards in Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, as well as the Sierra Foothills.
Two thumbs up to Ferrari Ranch for their two solid 2020s that defied the odds of a challenging year. Winemaker Ross Reedy did an admirable job salvaging enough fruit from Dave and Liz Ferrari’s vineyard in Corralitos to make a fine Chardonnay and a really good Pinot Noir. This vineyard was formerly known as Woodruff. Definitely recommended.
Unfazed by the low sun and tall enough to be just above it, John Bargetto was pouring on the charm for a group of ladies who had no idea where or what Regan Vineyards was, so I just let him do his thing. Nice poster of that iconic Regan Vineyard gazebo, John!
Lester Vineyards, being right at the intersection of potted flowering plants and small trees, was perennially busy, but I managed to snag a few moments with Steve Johnson, who poured me some of John Benedetti’s latest magic juice from the estate property. Both the 2019 Mercurio Pinot Noir and the 2018 Syrah were just lovely. I remarked that the Syrah from this vineyard continues to impress me with its wonderful blueberry fruit and peppery spiciness. Johnson let on that winemaker Ross Reedy (Ferrari Ranch, VML) is really stoked about the fruit he’s been getting from Lester Vineyard. In fact, he took twice as much in 2022 as he did in 2021. Johnson said the Pinot Noir he made from Lester was just amazing and that Reedy is becoming a huge fan of the Santa Cruz Mountains, especially since some of his sources in Sebastopol are drying up, due to high farming costs and low yields, plus properties changing hands. Land is just land to some people. To farmers and winegrowers, it’s utterly precious.
I asked Johnson when Benedetti picks the Lester Pinot compared to when Reedy picks. He says John picks much earlier, and that Ross is generally the last to pick the Syrah. Steve said he was gone, though, when the big heat wave hit in September. He happened to be in the UK. I asked which momentous occasion he happened to witness while there. He happened to leave for home the day before Queen Elizabeth died. He was walking through the Cotswolds from Oxford to Bath, traveling through the English countryside on ancient trails, staying at little inns with rooms above the pubs. It was a diet of local pub food, English ales and whisky, and solitude. He says it was absolutely beautiful, and he was by himself 95% of the time, and happy to have GPS!
Sounds like a great break from the world of wine.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
