Gali Debuts First Wines Made by Former Ridge Winemaker

November 3, 2023 – Janice and Joseph Gali of Gali Vineyards in Watsonville still have fruit hanging as this publishes. There’s good news and bad news, as with anyone trying to ripen coastal Syrah this season.

“Our first crop of Albarino looks beautiful!” says Janice, with whom we tasted last week at the Gali Tasting room in downtown Los Gatos. She’s super excited about the first crop of those grapes. 

While picking, they ran out of bins and had to resort to the yellow bins they once used for picking blueberries, back in the day when they were blueberry farmers. You just never know when what’s in the barn might come in handy. 

The estate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are also looking good for vintage 2023, but the Tempranillo and Syrah are taking their sweet time, due to the cool summer. There might be a blend of those two in store. The pick date is set for November 8. 

The Pinot Noir crop was generous this year, and some of the was picked early and sent up north to Gundlach Bundschu, who will be making rosé for them, as well as base wine for sparkling. The wine world works in ways that seem mysterious, but there’s always a personal connection afoot somewhere. It’s exciting to know that an estate sparkling will be forthcoming in a couple of years. The Gali’s are not alone in making sparkling from this crazy vintage. 

Currently available on the tasting menu are the first wines made by winemaker Eric Baugher, who spent 27 at Ridge, before going to Merus, a Foley company, in 2020. Although he picked up some great vineyard connections while working and making some excellent wine in Napa, Baugher, a longtime resident of Aptos, is happy to be back on the Central Coast.

He started working with Janice and Joseph before he left Ridge, having arranged for the storied brand to purchase Gali Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to supplement the Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains portfolio. After he departed, Ridge decided not to continue the arrangement. At the same time, the Galis decided to make a change, and engaged Baugher’s services. He is also making wine for his own personal brand. More on that another time.

First on the tasting list is the 2022 Gali Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, made by Baugher. It’s beautifully floral and redolent of tangerine, apple and mandarin. The palate is crisp yet satisfyingly weighty, carrying apple, cranberry and orange flavors to a spunky finish that carries a pleasing bit of bitter lime, not unlike that signature smack of Tom Collins mix. 

Ask Janice what her favorite wine is, and she might say the 2021 Estate Chardonnay, made by their original winemaker, Tony Craig, who nailed this one. The butterscotch aromas are so warm and welcoming, and the palate rewards with lemon pound cake, and hints of clove and nutmeg from the Hungarian oak. For rich Chardonnay lovers, this comes close, with its texture and flavor of Meyer lemon oil and a finish of flamed lemon peel. An utterly delightful wine. Janice says the 2022 is wonderful, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Next up on the list was the 2022 Pinot Noir Cuvée, a rich and fruit-froward rendition of fruit from a very hot and toasty finish to harvest. Packed with ripe raspberry fruit, with gleaming red apples, pomegranate and cranberry, this is a lip-smacking wine that will have broad appeal. It’s tangy and jam-packed with flavor, like a forkful of blackberry or marionberry pie from Gzdich Ranch. It’s also got plenty of backbone to stand up to dark meat turkey and hearty stuffing. If you make a cranberry apple relish with chopped Hatch green chiles and lots of cinnamon, you’ll look like a genius serving this wine. 

The Gali’s put a stake in the ground when they planted Tempranillo, being one of the few growers to opt for testing the Iberian varietal waters. They have several vintages of Tempranillo, all made by Tony Craig, on the purchase list. We tried the 2019 Tempranillo, which is just the kind of hearty wine that many, including Janice, prefer. I’ve found that Pinot people are generally not Tempranillo people, but if you like meaty and dark-fruited, this will float your boat. It’s got hefty blueberry fruit along with caponata and country pate. Serve this one with a sausage, pepper and roasted tomato casserole with lots of cheese, or eggplant parm. 

The 2017 Tempranillo is smooth as a blueberry wave, and tannins are well-resolved. It would be wonderful with a prosciutto, yellow pepper and basil pizza topped with all those cherry tomatoes that you can still find at farmer’s markets.   

We finished with the 2021 Syrah, which I find absolutely striking for its nose-clearing riot of white pepper.  I always thought a good cool climate Syrah is the next best thing to smelling salts. With the addition of fresh cracked black pepper and dancing blueberry notes, this Syrah is a great example of why people grow this grape where it struggles to ripen.  

If you’re interested in making your own table décor using pumpkins and succulents for Thanksgiving, Bunches will be conducting a class at the Gali tasting room in Los Gatos, on November 11. Cost for the session is $75 and includes the materials needed to make a gorgeous centerpiece. You, too, can create a fabulously primped out pumpkin! The glass of wine included in the class will certainly assist in getting those creative juices flowing. 

The Gali Tasting Room is open Wednesday through Sunday at 21 West Main Street, Los Gatos.