July 16, 2024 – Truth be told, I was shopping for something that ACE Hardware in Scotts Valley didn’t have when I noticed activity going on outside Saison Cellar & Wine Bar in the Kings Village Shopping Center. They were hosting a popup with Kikuchi x Yuko and at least a few Saison patrons were taking advantage of the opportunity. I was curious what they had on their list for Sauvignon Blanc and operations director Jane McElrone pointed me to two interesting French options, the 2020 Pascal Jolivet and the 2020 Saint Sulpice SB-Semillon, both of which I included in last Friday’s “Grape Escape” on Sauvy B.
I neglected to mention that in our neck of the woods, our real depth in SB is in the Arroyo Seco area: think about the excellent examples from Chesebro, Corral Wine Company, J. Lohr, KORI, Morgan, Scheid and Wrath, all of which strut their fruity flashiness around a blazing core of acid.
Windy Oaks also makes one of the few SBs from Santa Cruz Mountains fruit, done in neutral French oak. Ascona Vineyard on Skyline in the Santa Cruz Mountains also grows SB, made by Arnot Roberts and in the past by Beauregard, while Fogarty’s Lexington label also makes an SB-Semillon blend. Aptos Vineyard has one on their docket, made by Rob Bergstrom, from Watsonville grapes.
Outside of a few little pockets, though, SB is darn scarce in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. Too bad, as it’s such a terrific grape.It would be interesting to see how it fared in in the Summit area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. After all, it does well in both the Ukiah area of Mendocino and in Lake County, where it’s pretty hot.
But back to our regularly scheduled programming. While tasting the aforementioned French examples, which so clearly defined the ethos of their origins, I had the pleasure of meeting the new manager at Saison Cellars in Scotts Valley, Brian Knight. A resident of Aptos, he’d recently been working at Michelin star restaurant, Chez TJ, in Mountain View, which made for a very long and gnarly commute. He heaped praise on chef Jarad Gallagher, who many of you know has a BBQ joint called The Smoke Point in San Juan Bautista, with a branch in Hollister. He’s also been working with several former members of the Chez TJ crew at his latest concept: Broma—a Mountain View restaurnt in the Shashi Hotel near Shoreline Amphitheatre.
Knight tells us he grew up in Northern Virginia close to Washington DC. “I was one of the only Virginia kids I knew interested in wine as a teenager,” he says.
That deep interest was further sparked when he moved to California and made friends with wine collectors, including wine judges from the California State Fair.
“I fell in love with the history of wine and loved more as I learned more about winemaking, geography, which grapes grow where and why, and of course I got to taste some of the best wines in California,” says Knight.
Some of the more memorable places he’s worked include Michelin starred restaurants: Trevese (Dining Room Manager), Alexander’s Steakhouse (Captain) and Chez TJ (Captain/Sommelier) as well as local favorites, Zibibbo, Restaurant Umunhum and Los Gatos Brewing Company. Ah, memories of LGBC as we fondly called it, that place begun by restauranteur, Jim Stump, who built the brewery with the assistance of Jeff Alexander, an experienced brewer, winemaker and distiller, who had previously worked Savannah-Chanelle winery and St. George Spirits (makers of Hangar One vodka), before founding Sarticious Spirits in Santa Cruz. Sadly, both LGBC and Sarticious are no longer.
Asked who he considers his mentors, Knight tells us he learned from an incredible array of sommeliers, including Randy Bertao, Master Sommelier & CCM, General Manager at Los Altos Golf & Country Club. “Randy and I met at Los Gatos Brewing Company, much earlier in my career,” says Knight. He also credits Brent Jones, Sommelier at The French Laundry, with whom he worked in Palo Alto, and Paul Carayas, currently General Manager & Wine Director at Saison Wine Bar San Francisco. “Paul and I met while working at several restaurants together, most recently at Chez TJ,” says Knight. “Paul introduced me to the Saison team.”
And here he is at Saison Cellar, Scotts Valley. Come say hello.
Tonight, the pop-up guest is The Anchor Ceviche.
Knight and McElrone are planning the following wine tastings with the winemakers at Saison Cellar & Wine Bar in Scotts Valley:
Saturday, July 27 – Kathryn Kennedy Winery Tasting with Marty Mathis, 3-4:30pm
Wednesday, August 7 – I. Brand & Family Winery Tasting with Ian Brand, 6-7:30pm
Saturday, August 31 – Beaujolais Tasting with Brian Knight, 3-4:30pm
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.
