Two Tastings This Week!

Truchard Vineyards Tasting
with special guest Anthony Truchard II

Wednesday, March 20th
5:00 - 7:00

Truchard Vineyards is a family run operation, and is a fully Estate producer utilizing only vineyards which they own and farm personally.  The family patriarch Tony Truchard first purchased 20 acres in Napa Valley's Carneros region way back in 1972.  Although major wine production was going on just 10 miles further north, many winemakers didn't see the sense in buying Carneros land at that time.  They thought the area too cool to properly ripen grapes, and the soil too rich in clay to hold the necessary ground water.  Tony consulted other experts, held his ground, and became a pioneer of the Carneros AVA.  The selection of just the right grapes, patience with the seasons, and the adoption of some of the first drip irrigation in Northern California helped lead to success.  For 15 years they sold their fruit to other wineries, to growing acclaim, and expanded their holdings over time to 400 acres, 280 of which they currently have planted to grape vines.  Starting in 1989, they began making their own wine from their fruit, and haven't looked back.  Fans of their wines, like us here at Hope Valley Wine & Beverage, became more and more devoted as they've continued on their journey.  We find their wines to be some of the most elegant of Northern California, with those cooler Carneros conditions leading to a sumptuous, nuanced style.  This Wednesday we will be joined by General Manager Anthony Truchard II to taste through five of their wines, including one of my personal favorites, and a rarity for California, in their 100% Roussanne, a wonderful white grape normally associated with France's Rhone Valley.  Of course, we'll have some more classical Californian gems as well!

The Shepherd Sauvignon Blanc
Carneros, Napa Valley, 2017

Truchard Vineyards Roussanne
Carneros, Napa Valley, 2017

Truchard Vineyards Pinot Noir
Carneros, Napa Valley, 2015

The Shepherd Estate Red
Syrah, Zinfandel, and Tempranillo
Carneros, Napa Valley, 2014

Truchard Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Carneros, Napa Valley, 2015

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Wines of the South Pacific -
Australia & New Zealand

Saturday, March 23rd
4:30 - 7:00

Things have gone South for this week's Saturday Tasting, and we mean way South!  We're heading below the equator down into the Southern Hemisphere, and focusing on the South Pacific.  We will taste through a selection of fantastic finds from Australia and New Zealand.  The wines of New Zealand have been a booming category for a number of years, especially their Sauvignon Blancs, but we are also big fans of their Pinot Noirs. While the wines of Australia were exploding in the American market during the late 1990s and early 2000s, they haven't received the same attention for the past decade or so.  We blame this on the "Yellow Tail effect", where one winery so dominates a category that people start associating all the wines with that one style.  Yellow Tail isn't bad for grocery store wine, but some of the beautiful Australian wines we love get lost in the shuffle.  We've got a perfect three to recapture your attention this weekend, including a classic Shiraz, a Chardonnay from one of Australia's most prestigious, and a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Margaret River appellation, a region that has been getting a lot of great press over recent years.  So please come from far or neat to join us this weekend, and get transported away!

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc
Te Muna Vineyard, Martinborough, New Zealand, 2018

Penfolds Wines 'Max's' Chardonnay
Adelaide Hills, Australia, 2017

Loveblock Pinot Noir
Central Otago, New Zealand, 2017

Two Hands 'Gnarly Dudes' Shiraz
Barossa Valley, Austalia, 2017

Franklin Tate Estates 'Tate' Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander's Vineyard, Margaret River, 2013