Sunset - October 2015

Easy comfort 15 spooky plants
food for fall & for Halloween
WINE
COMPETITION
WINNERS!
Bottles
for every
THE BE ST budget
P. 95
of WINE
COUNTRY
New places to taste, stay
& play in Napa,
Santa Barbara & Oregon
PERFECT PAIRING
MENU from
STONE EDGE FARM
P. 84
OCTOBER 2015
Get your dream kitchen!

9 design ideas
SO ADVANCED,
IT COULDN’T BE SIMPLER.
Simplicity is the ultimate luxury. It’s why we replaced clusters of buttons
with a 9” touchscreen. Its intuitive design shows the information
you need, only when you need it. Plus, Apple CarPlay™ seamlessly
combines iTunes, iMessage, contacts, maps, and even Siri, offering you
a full Apple experience. The complex made simple, that’s our idea of
luxury. To find out more, visit your local dealer or go to volvocars.com/us
helping you feel good and look great is what we do.
we design easy, relaxed, inspired styles
for Misses, Petite, Women’s and Tall.
you could say we make getting dressed a breeze.
V I S I T O U R S TO R E S | 8 0 0 . 6 42 .9 9 8 9 | J J I L L .CO M
EXPERIENCE the WEST
October
“Bar Tartine’s menu is a 46
THE GRAND
study in contrasts, in extremes WINE TOUR
of the most flavorful kind.” Journey through
Napa, Santa Barbara,
CAULDRON OF FLAVOR, p. 66
and Southern Oregon
to find irresistible
food and the world’s
best wines. By Sara
Schneider, Matthew
Jaffe & Rachel Levin
66
CAULDRON OF
FLAVOR
Raw ingredients and
ancient techniques
merge at San Francis-
co’s Bar Tartine, the
West’s most exper-
imental restaurant.
By Margo True
74
DARKNESS FALLS
Forget fake cobwebs:
These plants will set
a spooky mood on
your porch for fall.
By Johanna Silver
ON THE COVER
Wine country p. 46
Comfort food p. 84, 92
Bottles to buy p. 95
Dream kitchen p. 40
Spooky plants p. 74
Outdoor dining cover
photo by Erin Kunkel
(see page 84). Oregon
vineyard cover photo by
Drew Kelly (see page 60).
Photograph by E R I C WO L F I N G E R
EXPERIENCE the WEST
October
8 CONVERSATIONS
THIS MONTH’S
RECIPES
BEST OF THE WEST APPETIZERS

Brussels Sprouts with Tonnato
11 Cabins
THIS MONTH’S PICKS Sauce.....................sunset.com
we love, West’s best Goat Cheese, Artichoke,
taco, maple-leaf bowls, favor- and Olive Bruschetta V......86
ite kitchen finds, and more
SOUP & SALADS
Black Garlic and Lentil
Soup ......................sunset.com
Green Salad with Almonds,
Charred Onion, and
Pomegranates V .................87
33 Kohlrabi, Apple, and

Horseradish Rémoulade
LC/LS/V..............................90
TRAVEL
44 What
GARDEN CHECKLIST
to do in your garden
in October
84 crafts
GATHER A Sonoma chef
a menu around great
food-and-wine pairings.
MAIN COURSES
Clams with Pasta and
Bacon LS .............................92
19 ofcanyons.
WANDERLUST The power
going nowhere in Utah’s
By Lavinia Spalding
FOOD & DRINK 92 meals in 30 minutesWeeknight
FAST & FRESH
or less
Grilled Pear, Chicory, and
Endive Salad LS/V.............93
Salmon with Roasted
28 Jack
A PERFECT DAY IN
London Square (NorCal
81 sweet, new recipesSavory
PEAK SEASON or
for grapes
Grapes and Arugula
Salad LS ..............................83
Wine-Braised Beef Short
& SoCal) Ribs GF ................................88
Mesa (Northwest & Southwest)
Helena (Mountain)
Read all three in Sunset’s DESSERTS
Digital Editions: sunset.com/ Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
learnmore. Sundaes.................sunset.com
HOME & GARDEN

95 trends
WINE AWARDS Fascinating
(and a stellar shopping
list) from the Sunset Interna-
Mini Almond and Grape
Cakes LC/LS/V ..................82
tional Wine Competition PANTRY
33 yet
IDEA GARDEN A beautiful
easy-care yard takes its Bar Tartine Chicken
126 your
planting cues from the coast. ASK SUNSET Answers to Broth ......................sunset.com
questions, including Black Garlic.............sunset.com
40 ideas
STEAL THIS LOOK Design
from a pro cook’s
kitchen
84
a Halloween getaway, chili
powder vs. chile powder,
and cold-hardy succulents
Sprouted Black
Lentils .....................sunset.com
Sunchoke Oil...........sunset.com
Tonnato Sauce ........sunset.com
RECIPE GUIDE
GET MORE PHOTOS + VIDEOS GF: Gluten-free; LC: Low calorie;
LS: Low sodium; V: Vegetarian;
IN OUR DIGITAL MAGAZINE VG: Vegan
Take Sunset wherever you roam with our Digital Editions for Our full guide to nutrition,
iPad, iPhone, Android, and Kindle Fire. You’ll get every story ingredients, and techniques:
from our print magazine, plus bonus features—like additional sunset.com/cookingguide.
recipes and shopping links. Full details: sunset.com/learnmore.
Free preview Download our free iPad app to get a preview
issue of Sunset’s digital magazine: bit.ly/1m4o7JZ.
An oasis of tranquility.
Vistas as amazing as the sense of relaxation they inspire.
Plan your sunny escape.
visitgreaterpalmsprings.com
9 RESORT CITIES. ONE BEAUTIFUL OASIS. palm springs | desert hot springs | cathedral city | rancho mirage | palm desert | indian wells | la quinta | indio | coachella
TIME INC.
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Explore easy delicious recipes and over 100 flavors of Torani, including Sugar Free, at www.Torani.com.
CONVERSATIONS
WINE,
MY WAY
I HAVE A HEAD START on visiting all the places
in our “Grand Wine Tour” (page 46), and
that’s a good thing: I was raised in beer coun-
try, and it took me many years to get beyond
buying a bottle of wine just because its label
was pretty. (I date myself here, but I remem-
ber being mightily impressed by the boyfriend who arrived at my door with a bottle of Lanc-
ers in an earthenware bottle.) My taste swiftly matured, but the whole sniffing, swirling,
pontificating thing that seemed to go with wine? So not me.
Our wine editor, Sara Schneider, has, however, convinced me that you can fall in love with the
West’s fabulous wine scene without becoming a person you’d run from at parties. In August, I
gave my husband an advance copy of Sara’s Napa recommendations and said, “Here’s what I
want for my birthday. Just pick a tasting room and a restaurant and I’m sure it will be great.” Art abounds at Hall
We spent the afternoon gazing at art and marveling at the fabulous views from the tasting St. Helena, including
room at Hall St. Helena, topped it off with a great dinner at Torc, and then strolled along the (above, clockwise
from left) Painting
river through downtown Napa. Like a summer street fair with music and fun boutiques for Air–Napa by Spencer
window shopping, it was crowded, young, and buzzing with energy—the least fussy Napa Finch, the giant stain-
experience imaginable. (My husband acted as designated driver on the trip, and noted that my less steel Bunny Foo
Foo by Lawrence
girlfriends and I fell asleep one by one on the way home. “It was like bringing the kids home Argent, and Deck the
from the water park,” he said. And that’s just what it felt like.) Halls, a series of
With recommendations for what’s new to experience in three major wine regions—with willow structures by
Patrick Dougherty.
itineraries for Sonoma County, Arizona, and the Sierra Foothills to come in future issues—I’m Below left: Sunset
happily anticipating many more forays like that one. I hope you’ll feel the same way. wine competition
Meanwhile, be sure to check out our guide to win- judges Linda Murphy
and Ron Rawlinson.
ning wines at every price, starting on page 95—the
results of our fourth annual Sunset International
Wine Competition. We’re proud to say that our judges
are unmatched in any other competition. Just as im- JOIN THE SUNSET COMMUNITY
FROM TOP: EVA KOLENKO (3), THOMAS J. STORY (3)
Become a fan on:

portant, they know how to have fun—which you can
tell by the photo-booth selfies they took during the facebook.com/
SunsetMagazine
judging back in April (left). Don’t forget to let us know
about your own wine adventures! @sunsetmag
on Instagram
@SunsetMag
PEGGY NORTHROP, EDITOR-IN- CHIEF on Twitter
@Peggy_Sunset | readerletters@sunset.com pinterest.com/

SunsetMag
8 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

Using milk from cows treated with rBST is the unnatural way.
Making products using only the highest quality, natural milk is the right way.
Join the Co-Op at Tillamook.com

IMAGE COURTESY OF LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY; COPYRIGHT © 2015 ZACHARY KLEIN; PHOTOGRAPHY © 2015 NOAH KALINA
Wild at heart
BEST OF THE
WEST
We swoon over cabins here at Sunset. But if we can’t have the
BEST actual thing, we’ll settle for the book, a greatest-hits collection
DAYDREAM
due out September 29 from Little, Brown and drawn from Cabin
Porn, a Tumblr-based project by San Francisco’s own Zach Klein
(who in his spare time cofounded Vimeo). It’s brought us such hand-hewn
delights as this hexagonal cedar treehouse, which 25-year-old Ethan W H AT W E’ R E T R AC K I N G T H I S M O N T H
Schlussler built high up in a Western larch tree in his mother’s backyard in
Sandpoint, Idaho. Hey, Ethan, can we come on up? $30; cabinporn.com.
SUNSET ❖ OCTOBER 2015 11

BEST
BREAK
BEST
REFERENCE
WORK
TREE
THERAPY
Although the latest
spa trend may be
called a bath, it
doesn’t involve whirl-
pool jets or sulfury
Tortilla mud … or even water.
We’re talking about
nation the nature bath, a
concept borrowed
We take our from Japan—where
tacos seriously walks in the woods
in the West, as are believed to calm
your nerves and
13,809 of you boost your immune
SWEET FAREWELLS
proved by voting system—and now ap-
in the first-ever pearing on the menu
at Sunrise Springs, a
Sunset taco poll new 52-room resort
in March. The just outside Santa Fe.
winner? Tacoli- Along with the usual
spa fare (massages,
cious, in the Bay From the start, the Day of the Dead was a cross-cultural yoga, fitness classes),
Area. (See sunset. BEST affair: The All Souls Day introduced by the Spanish merged the “integrative well-
FIESTA ness” retreat offers
com/tacohunt for with existing Aztec holidays celebrating fallen warriors. The
acupuncture, medita-
the full results.) Oakland Museum of California’s 21st annual Días de los Muer- tion, and therapeutic
And if you really tos exhibition ($7; Oct 14–Jan 3) reaches beyond Latin America to East Asian gardening. Plus guided-
like tacos, you’ll and Pacific Islander ways of mourning, and celebrating, loved ones lost. but-silent rambles
under the cotton-
love Tacopedia As in Nancy Hom’s remembrance mandala (above), a collage of posses- woods shading the
(Phaidon, 2015; sions from people dear to the Chinese-born artist, or the altar that Filipino- property’s 70 acres.
$30), the ultimate Hawaiian painter Charles Valoroso will create. On Sunday, October 25, From $675/person/
night all-inclusive;
guide to Mexico’s comes the museum’s always-popular party. museumca.org. (For more Day of 2-night min.; sunrise
many varieties. the Dead celebrations across the West, go to sunset.com/dayofthedead.) springs.com.
CREATURE
CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: WILLIAM WEGMAN, JEFFERY CROSS, BOB HSIANG
BEST BEST
FEATURE
FRIEND FOLIAGE
Ever since photography was in-

vented nearly 200 years ago,
we’ve been aiming our lenses at
our furry and feathery compan-
ions. (Though, especially in those
earlier years, the relationship was
often more “foe” than “friend.”)
In the show In Focus: Animalia,
Los Angeles’ J. Paul Getty Muse-
um presents the picks of the litter Lighter than air
from its massive photography ar- We’d always loved Berkeley-based woodworker Bob
chives: caged 19th-century tigers, Stocksdale’s lathe-turned bowls. But the surprise hit
Eadweard Muybridge’s galloping of In The Realm of Nature: Bob Stocksdale & Kay
horses, even a brace of early Wil- Sekimachi, at Washington’s Bellevue Arts Museum,
liam Wegman images (right)—hi, are these “leaf bowls,” which his widow, Sekimachi,
Man Ray! Hurry, though. It closes makes out of mulberry paper, paint, and actual ma-
on the 18th. Free; getty.edu. ple leaves. $12; through Oct 18; bellevuearts.org.

3
DINNER BY
1
BEST
FINDS
DESIGN
Form meets function in these
2
kitchen and serving accessories.

1. Before the fun begins, suit up in a Hedley & Bennett apron,
sewn in Los Angeles. $85; hedleyandbennett.com.
2. The Cylinder shakers by Seattle’s Ladies & Gentlemen

Studio come in three finishes: copper, aluminum, and brass.
Coordinate as desired. $70; ladiesandgentlemenstudio.com.
3. San Francisco chef Drew Hash had a hobby: making

knives. Now it’s a business, and we think it’s a
winner. Custom paring knives, from $150; chef knives,
from $400; drewhashknives.com.
4. Store your flour in these walnut-lidded jars from Washing-

ton’s Whidbey Island. $98/set of 3; turncowoodgoods.com.
5. This copper and teak mixology set is made in India for

Shopping for a Change, a fair-trade online retailer based in
San Mateo, California. $68; shoppingforachange.org.
6. Blake Kahan hand-prints the linen she uses for her

Willowship cocktail napkins in her Santa Cruz, California,
studio. $30/set of 4; heathceramics.com.
7. Sierra Foothills winery Vino Noceto is now selling its

high-rated Rosso and Sangiovese wines in bags designed
for the Boxxle dispenser—all the advantages of 4
bag-in-a-box wines (less waste! weeks of freshness!)
with a lot more style. Noceto wines: $60/3-liter bag;
noceto.com. Boxxle dispenser: $99; boxxle.com.
6
JEFFERY CROSS (7)

Revolutionary features. Chef-inspired design.
Endless potential. Behold, the completely
reimagined suite of KitchenAid® appliances.
kitchenaid.com/new
®/™ ©2015 KitchenAid. All rights reserved.

BEST
CLOSE-
UP
Zoom in
Magical encapsula-
tions of the future,
seeds also are tiny
worlds of their own.
The new book Seeing
Seeds (Timber Press;
$30) explores them
in near-microscopic
detail. (That’s not
a yucca tree in the
photo below: It’s
a purple coneflower
gone to seed.)
Accompanying the
images are tales like
that of the red ma-
ple, whose papery
winged pods inspired
the parachute. Visit
sunset.com/giveaway
WALK THIS WAY

for a chance to win a
print from the book.
BEST
RECLA-
MATION
Though many Seattleites have never even heard of it, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 took
over the University of Washington campus and changed the shape of the city. The centerpiece of the
Olmsted Brothers’ design was Rainier Vista, a grand pedestrian mall that stretched a half-mile southeast
FROM TOP: GUSTAFSON GUTHRIE NICHOL, ROBERT LLEWELLYN, DARCY KIEFEL/BECK PHOTOGRAPHY
from the fountain at the fair’s heart, framing a view of the volcano 60 miles in the distance. Over the years,
though, the southern end of the mall was cut off by roads, isolated from the rest of campus, and generally
mucked up. Until, that is, local landscape architects Gustafson Guthrie Nichol were hired to tuck the traffic
underground, reclaiming one of Seattle’s grandest ceremonial lawns and restoring that glorious view. It’s
back, as of July—check it out. W. Stevens Way N.E.
TAILGATING, ROCKIES-STYLE
Come fall, a young elk’s fancy turns to thoughts of love. Which is why Coloradans
BEST living near the Front Range grab their puffy coats, fill thermoses with coffee, and
ADULT
OUTING head into Rocky Mountain National Park for an evening to listen to the bugling of
the bull elks, and, if they’re really lucky, see a pair of males clashing antlers over
an eligible female. One favorite viewing spot is Horseshoe Park, where volunteers stand ready to
answer questions about the elk rut, as the mating season is called. (Search for #EstesElkWatch
on Twitter and Instagram for updates on where the biggest herds are.) In Estes Park, the 18th
annual Elk Fest takes place October 3 and 4; it includes elk seminars, elk-viewing bus tours, and
a sound-like-an-elk bugling contest. $20/vehicle; nps.gov/romo, visitestespark.com.

Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts,
such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of
heart disease. A one-ounce handful has 13g of unsaturated fat and only 1g of saturated fat.
Learn more at Almonds.com.

heart-healthy, one-ounce handful.
© 2015 Almond Board of California. All rights reserved.

Not to mention 6g of energy-giving protein, 4g of
hunger-slaying fiber and essential nutrients in every
There’s extended playtime in the crunch of almonds.
CRUNCH ON
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Travel
WA N D E R LUS T
CARRIED AWAY
People have always come to southern Utah’s
remote canyon country to disappear.
But as one writer discovers,
it’s also the perfect place
to connect.
Grand
Staircase–
Escalante,
UT
By L AV I N I A S PA L D I N G SUNSET ❖ OCTOBER 2015 19

Travel
O
OZ Z Y I S G I V I N G M E AT T I T U D E —bumping
against my pack, nosing ahead, blowing his
semisweet-fermented breath in my face. I
nudge him on the chest to keep him behind
me as I inch down the steep sandstone, but
he clearly has personal-space issues. I chose
Ozzy this morning based on stature—as we
were the two shortest members of our re-
spective groups, I presumed we’d get along.
But I’m having llama drama.
Ahead, my sister-in-law Laurie is leading
two llamas, Chaco and Escobar, and she’s
struggling too. Her tactic is to halt frequent-
ly, slowing Chaco down. A school counselor, she’s deter- Land Management, and
mined not to give up on hard cases. When I suggest she it is incomprehensibly Clockwise from
top: Packed
request a different llama, she insists, “We’re working it vast and rugged: nearly snacks; sure-
out.” My other sister-in-law, Meera, lags behind with 1.9 million acres of gold- footed beasts
Montana and Frodo, and I’ve barely heard a peep from en buttes and vermilion of burden;
ancient llama-
her—she’s too busy bird-watching and tucking sprigs of cliffs, slot canyons, me- crossing sign?
sagebrush behind her ears. Meera’s happiest in nature. sas, monoliths, dinosaur
Still, she’s employing her own llama-handling strategy, bones, and Native Amer-
holding one arm up like a tour guide while tightening ican ruins—plus plenty of water, wildflowers,
Frodo’s rein. Then there’s my husband, Dan, who re- and cottonwoods.
quires no tactics, because his llama is perfect. We’re here because 14 years ago, BJ and
My tactic is simple: I trade up. I ask Dan for his llama, I waited tables together at my sister’s restau-
Dagwood. And 10 minutes later, as Dagwood and I rant, in nearby Boulder, a tiny town right at the
breeze down a thin, slick track, I feel only minimal guilt monument’s edge. BJ moonlighted as a llama-
when I overhear Dan trying to reason with Ozzy. “Seri- packing guide then, and I joined him on a four-
ously, bro,” he’s saying. “Stay behind me.” day camping trip with another friend. We borrowed two llamas-in-training to
Just yesterday we learned that llamas—members of carry our stuff, and at night BJ pointed out constellations and told stories of
the camelid family—don’t respond to vocal commands. Everett Ruess, the young poet and artist who explored this area with his burros
“They’re a lot like cats,” said our guide, BJ. “Only not your in the 1930s but mysteriously disappeared. Since moving to Boulder, I’d been
cat. They’re like someone else’s cat.” In other words, mesmerized—and overwhelmed—by the kaleidoscopic, seemingly infinite vis-
attention-averse and just barely tolerant of the human tas. But during that trip, cocooned in a sleeping bag deep inside a canyon, the
race. BJ also dispelled a popular misconception: Llamas landscape changed, becoming close and real and personal.
don’t spit at people unless improperly trained. (They do Today I live in San Francisco, but Boulder remains my second home. With a
spit at one another.) And no, you don’t get to ride them. population of just 200, this area is part of the West that’s still wild. The Escalante
Canyons, where we’re hiking, was the last place in the country to be explored
IT’S EARLY OCTOBER, and I’m in the Grand Staircase– and mapped. The Escalante River—which we’ll cross many times over the next
Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, with few days—was the last major river discovered in the continental United States.
my husband, two sisters-in-law, eight llamas, and BJ Boulder was the last town in the nation to receive its mail by mule; electricity
Orozco, the laid-back owner of the llama pack-trip out- didn’t arrive until 1947; and just five years ago, there was zero cell service.
fit Llama2Boot. The monument was designated by Roughly half the town’s residents are Mormon ranching families—many kin
President Clinton in 1996 and is run by the Bureau of to original settlers. It’s also home to artists, hardy retirees, organic farmers,

wilderness guides, doomsday preppers, and even some delivered—in pieces,” BJ says. Me, I can barely handle a well-mannered llama
survival-television stars. Local small-business owners, on a leash; maneuvering a loaded horse-drawn wagon seems inconceivable.
like my sister and BJ, are a minority. Earning a liveli- Still, taking in 360° of multicolored ancient seabed, it’s clear why it was worth
hood in Boulder isn’t easy; it requires a modern-day the toil.
version of pioneer spirit. But it’s one reason the town When we break for lunch on a flat sweep of sandstone near some water holes,
stays small and special. I tie Dagwood to a spindly pine and, in an effort to make him love me, offer him
“You have to try to find a foothold to survive in Boul- my apple core. He rejects it. “He’ll eat it,” BJ says. “Just not from your hand.”
der,” says BJ. “I found a niche. And I love being out here. Only after I set it on the ground and walk away does Dagwood take an interest.
I rely on the wildness to keep my magic alive.” “Llamas are very prideful,” BJ explains.
They’re wily too. A few minutes later, Meera yells, “Llama on the loose!” Dag-
OUR H IKE BEGINS at the Escalante trailhead and de- wood, having broken free, heads for a water hole. We spread out, surrounding him
scends down an old wagon road, which isn’t a road at all in a wide circle. “Don’t make eye contact,” BJ instructs. “Just pretend you’re out for
but a wide-open, unmarked trek over Navajo sandstone an afternoon stroll.” Dagwood scans the ring of bodies and—in a repeat of every
domes. According to BJ, this route linked the two main Red Rover game from my childhood—identifies me as the weakest link. When
settlements, Escalante and Boulder, in the early 1900s. he makes for the space to my right, BJ calls, “Raise your arms to make yourself
“They say it’s how the first baby grand piano was bigger!” It works: Dagwood retreats, BJ catches him, and we resume lunch.
Photographs by B E N JA M I N R A S M U S S E N
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Travel
At dusk we make camp near the river in a meadow bordered by rock formations in
hues straight from a fall menu: pumpkin, honey, cinnamon. The yellow leaves on the
cottonwoods shimmer, and a full copper moon rises over the rocks. We all turn in
shortly after dinner but wake in the middle of the night to a lengthy call-and-response
between two owls. When I drift back asleep, it’s to the soft hum of llamas yawning.
THE NEXT DAY, I GREEDILY RECLAIM DAGWOOD , and after a while, I’m not even holding his
lead. I drape it over one shoulder, and he follows. By afternoon, I’m certain he’ll have
warmed to me. But no: I can’t get his enormous head into the same frame for a selfie.
When I try, he leans out. Our love affair is starting to feel one-sided.
Meanwhile, BJ calls attention to nature. See that ring around the sun? It’s called a sun
dog and tells us to expect rain. Here—touching the buds on a tree—is serviceberry,
named because it’s one of the first wildflowers to bloom in spring, so pioneers used it
in wedding-service bouquets. And over there—indicating the dark, almost burned-
looking ground—is cryptobiotic soil, or literally, “hidden life.” Made of blue-green
algae, lichen, and mosses, the crunchy, knobby crust thwarts water and wind erosion
while feeding nitrogen and carbon to the
soil—essentially preventing everything
from becoming sand dunes. And this, he It’s a timeless
says—kneeling to scrape white, cottony
fluff from a prickly pear—is cochineal, an
image, the shadow Get sharp vision and
insect that produces a carmine-colored of a human leading smooth transitions
dye when its pod is squeezed. Fifteenth- a pack animal. at any distance
century Europeans discovered the Aztecs
using cochineal to make red clothing; till with Varilux.
then, only royalty could afford red dyes. Cochineal quickly became a treasure of the
New World, valued alongside gold and silver. Before moving on, Meera and I tattoo our
Ask your Eyecare Professional
skin royal red. for Varilux progressive lenses.
Finally, up there is an exquisitely intact granary, some 800 years old, tucked into a
cliff far above our heads, and below it, a rock wall covered with Anasazi and Fremont
petroglyphs. As I stand and gape at the panel of images—a sun, a snake, a seven-toed
bear claw, a horned humanoid figure, an animal we unanimously decide is a llama—
I contemplate how many people have loved this place and claimed it as their own.
Over the years, cattle ranchers, loggers, miners, developers, and ATV fanatics bat-
tled with environmentalists—making the 1996 monument designation highly conten-
tious. Though celebrated as a major victory among conservationists, the announce-
ment came as an unwelcome surprise to many, including local ranchers. Because parts
of the area had historically been overgrazed—cattle had roamed free here since about
1870—the new bill limited grazing in the monument. Today some ranchers still hold a
grudge, and the politics between ranchers and environmentalists remain as shadowy
and labyrinthine as the canyons themselves.
Take, for example, the Russian olive tree, an invasive species introduced after the Dust
Bowl to prevent soil erosion. It’s since run rampant, choking out native willows and cot-
tonwoods and clogging the watershed’s delicate ecosystem. For about five years now,
crews have occupied the canyons in late summer and fall, working to control the trees.
These crews are the only other people we see along the trail. When we pass some workers
one afternoon, they stop to stare at our menagerie. “Llama packing,” I overhear one wom-
an saying to a coworker, “is the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life. We need llamas.” Or to find an
The monument now draws about 700,000 visitors annually, but the Grand Staircase Eyecare Professional,
still feels untouristed, sacred. And standing here at the bottom of the Escalante, gazing go to Varilux.com
at ancient petroglyphs, I feel even more invested. I like knowing it’s protected. and enter your ZIP code.
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AT DUSK WE GATHER around an “Ozzy has heart.” Suddenly I see the feisty animal I struggled with on day one
Escalante Can- overturned bucket to play in a whole new light. I ditch the seemingly perfect Dagwood—the animal king-
yons: last place
in the States to Scrabble. The game sparks dom’s answer to a five-star bellman—and trade.
be mapped. fierce family rivalry, but tonight Hiking boots caked with red dirt, hair as tangled as fur, I’m ready for a llama
we’re outclassed by Zorro and with heart, and Ozzy doesn’t disappoint. He hums in my ear the entire way back
Echo, who are giving each other to the trailhead. During one of many stream crossings, he lurches ahead, dunk-
stink-eye. When Echo wins by spitting all over Zorro’s ing me, but his incessant nearness no longer bothers me. I’ve learned these guys
face, we cheer. Not because it’s cute (llama spit is essen- are true pack animals, prone to separation anxiety. Ozzy only wants me to keep
tially vomit), but because it’s a coup de grâce, like a up. When I do, he rewards me by
boxer knocking out his opponent. standing still for my camera.
After dinner BJ circles back to the topic of Everett In the afternoon, I glimpse a
Ruess. Before his disappearance, Ruess was roaming
deep into the wild and expressing a desire to vanish al-
shadow of Ozzy and myself—one
tiny creature leading a larger one— HOW TO GET
NOWHERE
together. Then he did. BJ mentions a 1933 block print and see myself reflected in this place
Ruess made of himself leading his burros. “It’s such a and in BJ’s words. Deep nature can
timeless image—the shadow of a human leading a pack rearrange concepts of who we are
animal,” BJ says. “Sometimes when I’m hiking with the and what we need. At first I fought
To reach Boulder, rent a car in Salt
llamas and I notice our shadows on the rock walls, to control Ozzy, just as back home I Lake City (4 hours away). Hotels
I think, This could be any time in history. I’m connected struggle to balance city life with ac- are scarce, so be sure to book at
to this place by a passing shadow in time.” tual living. Today I let go, and it feels Boulder Mountain Lodge on
scenic State 12 and ask for a room
As I sip wild-mint tea and admire the eight fuzzy lla- like I’ve tapped into my own wilder- overlooking the bird sanctuary.
ma heads poking through the sagebrush, I think, I get it. ness. I also realize I’m no Everett The on-site Hell’s Backbone Grill
Back home in San Francisco, I have two jobs, three Ruess. I don’t want to disappear— serves three squares a day made
with ingredients from its organic
offices, multiple Facebook accounts, hundreds of especially not alone. Like Ozzy, I’m farm. Llama2Boot runs llama pack
unanswered emails. Urban living consumes too much a social animal. I cherish this land, trips spring through fall, offering
time and space. Here there’s only time and space. Wan- but it means the most when I can drop camps, outfitting, and full-
service trips complete with all the
dering the canyons with a beast of burden, I’m finally share it with my herd. gear you need, plus gourmet back-
unburdened—and I can feel the pull to retreat in a country meals. Lodge: From $135;
deeper, more permanent way. Lavinia Spalding’s books include With boulder-utah.com. Grill: $$$;
open Mar–Nov; hellsbackbone
The morning of our third day, Laurie asks BJ which a Measure of Grace: The Story and grill.com. Pack trips: $900/5 days
llama is his favorite. Ever diplomatic, he answers only, Recipes of a Small Town Restaurant. all-inclusive; llama2boot.com. —L.S.

a dv e r t i s e m e n t
CALIFORNIA
always in season
PART 4:Second-generation California farmer
Bill Smittcamp of Wawona Ranch wants
the whole country to enjoy his peaches.
watch the accompanying video at

visitcalifornia.com/californiagrown
Bill Smittcamp at Wawona Ranch

in Clovis, California
© 2015 TIME INC. AFFLUENT MEDIA GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PHOTOS: MARC FIORITO, GAMMA NINE
CALIFORNIA PEACHES
California grows more peaches than the
other 32 peach-growing states combined.
I n part four of our six-part series, we travel to Clovis, California, where Bill Smittcamp and his family
are turning out over 35 varieties of peaches (more than 75 million pounds a year) on 440 acres
at Wawona Ranch.
The farm saw its start in 1945, when Bill’s father “This is really where Wawona shines,” Bill says.
founded the original Wawona Ranch on 160 acres, “After the peel is removed, we inspect the peach
approximately 60 acres of which were peaches. halves for maturity and size. Ripe peaches
“Peaches were where he found his best success, go to an ice cream manufacturer, where you
so it became mainly a peach operation,” Bill says. ZDQWUREXVWÁDYRUÀUPHUIUXLWJRHVWRDSLH
manufacturer, because they want a peach that
In 1963 the farm switched its focus from fresh fruit to can be cooked.”
fresh frozen, which broadened the farm’s reach and
allowed them to market California peaches across Some also head just down the road to 559 Local,
the United States, where the peach supply could where brewmaster Rhett Williams infuses them into
otherwise grow short. Today, California is the largest his Wawona Peach Ale (WPA), which has exactly
peach-producing state in the nation. “We’re feeding the right hint of Wawona peaches. “7KHÀUVWUXQ
the country,” Bill says. of 559 WPA sold out so quickly that we had to do
four more,” says Rhett.
The peaches at Wawona—freestone peaches, which
KDYHÁHVKWKDWHDVLO\VHSDUDWHVIURPWKHSLW³DUH “The peach brew has the Wawona name on
picked at their prime, then blast-frozen at 15 degrees the bottle, so it gives our team a little ownership,”
below zero, which locks in all the nutrients for a says Bill. ”And it gives ’em a little pride to know
fruit that maintains peak freshness. what our peaches are going into.”
Rhett Williams Cheryl & Randy Williams
WITH RHETT WILLIAMS, THE BREWMASTER AT THE FAMILY-OWNED

AND -OPERATED 559 LOCAL BREWERY, AND HIS PARENTS AND
BUSINESS PARTNERS, CHERYL AND RANDY.
How has your passion for craft beer been inspired by your hometown of Clovis, CA?
RHETT: There’s a real craft beer movement in California—from Mendocino to San
Francisco, down to San Diego—and it’s growing very quickly. I’m trying to bring that
craft beer spirit to the Central Valley, but putting a unique twist on it by using
California-grown produce.
When did 559 Local Brewery start infusing fruit into the beer?
RANDY:7KHÀUVWIUXLWLQIXVHGEHHUZDVWKH5DLVLQ)DUPHU$OHWRKRQRU&KHU\O·VGDG
a lifelong California raisin farmer.
CHERYL: He had such a great work ethic, and it was something that he passed down
to me, and I was able to pass that down to my children.
What inspired the 559 WPA?

RHETT::LWKDOORXUEHHUVZHZDQWHGWRKRQRUWKHIDUPHUVIURPWKHDUHDDQGVSHFLÀFDOO\
from Clovis, where we’re from. With Wawona, their peaches are the freshest, and I can
get them right off the tree, literally one-and-a-half miles from the brewery. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FEATURED RECIPES, GO TO
visitcalifornia.com/californiagrown
Why do you think it’s important to use fresh California-grown local products?
RHETT: Because I’m California grown. Our craft beer is made fresh, in small batches.
This project is possible with funding from the California Department
It’s made on site and we make just enough to supply the near future. So you’re of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
gonna get the freshest beer possible. And to me, fresh is what California is all about.
Travel
D I S C OV E R
2
1. On the waterfront at
Jack London Square.
2. Oakland Supply Co.
3. Octopus and halibut
marinated in chile and
lime from Nido Kitchen
& Bar. 4. Oakland
Supply’s growler holder.
5. Happy hour at Nido.
3 4 5
JACK LONDON SQUARE

A PERFECT DAY IN
With a fresh influx of residents, shops, and restaurants, Oakland’s historic district
(and Sunset’s soon-to-be home) has never been more fun. By Josh Sens
American made is to revel in the beauty of reach with urban-cool items subject to interpretation. But
You may not really need that handcrafted wares, some more that range from gold bangles there’s no doubting the func-
hickory-handled hatchet or practical than others, all pro- banged out in Austin to beer tion of a steel beard comb with
those mason jar coffee mugs duced in the United States. soap shaped in Kalamazoo. a built-in bottle opener. As
wrapped in leather cozies. But The curator-in-chief is Angela That neon-colored slingshot Dustin Case, the artisan who
who said rigid pragmatism Tsay, who also owns the civic- with separately sold bag of forged it, puts it, “You do your
was the point? To browse the minded retailer Oaklandish. acorns? It was made in San do, then you pop your brew.”
shelves at Oakland Supply Co. She extends her geographic Francisco, and its purpose is 291 Third St.; oaksupply.co.
28 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET Photographs by D AV I D F E N T O N

Like you, we at Natural Balance believe every dog has something
that makes them unique. Which is why they deserve food made
with ingredients such as venison, salmon, duck and sweet potato.
TM
Food with substance dogs with character.
Travel
château in the vineyards. “We’re

Emeryville city people,” says Steve, who
to
San Francisco
80 Oakland launched Urban Legend
980 Cellars in a warehouse instead.
JACK LONDON Their tasting room is a must-
SQUARE
stop on a walkable wine trail
880 that wends around Jack London
Alameda
61 and includes such draws as
Dashe Cellars and Jeff Cohn
Cellars, whose namesake Zin-
GETTING HERE
From San Francisco, take the master is rightly acclaimed for
Bay Bridge east, then I-80 to I-880 his Rhône-based blends. The
south toward Alameda. Exit Shaffers rotate through pours
Broadway/Alameda, turn right on
Fifth St., then right on Broadway of bone-dry rosé, bright Gre-
to the waterfront. nache Blanc, lush Tempranillo,
and more. $10 tasting; 621 Fourth
St.; ulcellars.com.
6
Spare the strikes
No disrespect to tenpin, but the Catch current events
Italians have a better way to To most, the Oakland estuary is
bowl. A reminder comes as you a brackish strait that separates
weave your way through Plank, Oakland from Alameda. But
an outsize sports bar–cum– to Tammy Borichevsky, it’s an
bowling alley, leaving behind urban water trail. “You feel
the clamor of its indoor lanes like you’re out in the middle of
for a tree-ringed beer garden nature,” says the co-owner
in back, where three tidy bocce of California Canoe & Kayak.
courts await. Craft beer flows The one- and two-person kay-
7 8
from the taps, and outdoor aks she rents are a bridge to that
firepits add to the cheerful wilder world, where spindly-
atmosphere. Roll a ball. It’s not legged herons high-step in the
cutthroat but rather alfresco shallows and gray pelicans pa- 6. Estuary paddling
with California Canoe
entertainment—and people- trol the skies. From the dock, & Kayak. 7. Urban
watching along the waterfront it’s a 41/4-mile round-trip, south Legend Cellars. 8. Tradi-
is something of a sport itself. $, and back around Coast Guard tional seafood paella at
Venga. 9. Plank, Jack
bocce from $6/hour; 98 Broadway; Island, and when the wind London Square’s playtime
plankoakland.com. picks up, the paddle can be headquarters.
tough. But at the bookends of
City sipping the day, when the gusts subside 9
When they left behind the and the water turns glassy,
stress of the corporate 9-to-5 to even novice kayakers can han-
pursue their passion for wine- dle a voyage that takes you a Dinner without he says. Silvia McCollow’s rela-
making, Steve and Marilee long way without going very far. borders tives in Mexico could hardly
Shaffer didn’t retreat to a From $25/hour; calkayak.com. Eduardo Balaguer started a quarrel with her chicken mole
catering business 12 years ago, at nearby Nido Kitchen & Bar,
but in 2013, he opened Venga but they’d also note the Cal ac-
Paella, whipping up his spe- cents on her menu, from a kale
THE LOCAL LOWDOWN cialty for smaller parties. The Caesar to squash blossom que-
menu strikes an Old World/ sadillas to shrimp tostadas with
“The longer you stay here, the more you realize
MAP: MARGARET SLOAN
New World balance, offering a green pea hummus and lime-

how proud and loyal people are to the area, and
West Coast riff on paella, with cured cauliflower. Venga: $$;
how eager they are to support you in what you do.”
seasonal veggies and basmati 229 Brush St.; vengapaella.com.
—STEVE SHAFFER, URBAN LEGEND CELLARS
rice. “My family in Spain would Nido: $$; 444 Oak St.; nido
never let me hear the end of it,” oakland.com.

make a change
and see them
th ive.
A longer, fuller life starts with the right nutrition. It’s not just food.
It’s an investment in their health. That’s why what we feed them
matters so much. And it’s why at Petco, we handpick foods with
wholesome ingredients while working hard to include family-owned,
local companies that share our belief in offering truly healthy food.
Because when we feed them better, our companions thrive.
Go to petco.com/foodmatters to learn more.
Natural Balance products are available at Petco and Unleashed by Petco.

3 Easy Water Wise
Garden Tips
Applying a layer of well-made compost
will provide nutrients and life to the
soil. Soil microbes then act to build
micro pores creating a more porous
structure that allows water to run into
and be held better by the soil. The
added nutrients continue to feed the
microbes and plants.
Adding a thick layer of mulch helps

protect the enriched soil from the drying
effect of the wind and the sun. The
mulch channels rain and irrigation water
into the soil more effectively in order to
be held and made available
for the roots of the plants.
Fertilize with care and use organic

fertilizers whenever possible. Organic
fertilizers feed the soil microbes helping
the plants to stay healthy and disease
and pest resistant. But caution, over-
fertilizing can stimulate growth and may
increase the need for more irrigation.
Following these three easy tips can

result in a healthy and beautiful garden
while significantly reducing the need
for water.
www.lyngsogarden.com
650.364.1730
19 Seaport Blvd, Redwood City
Mon – Sat: 7 to 5, Sun: 8 to 4
Lyngso will be moving to

345 Shoreway, San Carlos in late 2015
Home & Garden
Unthirsty!
AEONIUM
AND FRIENDS
p. 36
I D E A GAR D E N
BEAUTY AND
THE BEACH
With a low-maintenance design that
takes its cues from the coast,
this garden was made
for relaxation.
Photographs by T H O M A S J. S T O RY SUNSET ❖ OCTOBER 2015 33

Home & Garden
M
ake it useful and beautiful—that was owner Dana Saxten’s request of
landscape designer Ryan Prange (fallingwaterlandscape.com) for the IDEA
garden around her home in Encinitas, California. Prange’s solution: GAR D EN
Create outdoor rooms all over the lot, then fill in with unthirsty plants
inspired by nearby coastal flora. “I didn’t want to hit the beach theme
over the head,” Prange says, “but the design evokes that feeling.”
(netafimusa.com),
The front yard with tubing laid atop
the soil and covered
With its laid-back seating area and lush greenery, this yard is as much with bark mulch.
a place to hang out as it is a welcoming path to the front door. The WA L L & F I R E P I T
garden is “low-maintenance, yet it always looks tidy,” says Saxten.
Shells embellish the
firepit of buff-colored
WA LK WAY on the porch. Mexi- the overall look. The Mexican beach
Before the remodel, can pebbles fill the plants (agaves, cobbles and boulders
there was no path to spaces between the grasses, and yellow- set in mortar. Sand
the front of the house— sand-finish natural flowered yarrow) are topped with pieces
just a driveway along gray concrete pavers, all drought-tolerant of shell fills the gas-
one side. Now, wide, creating a permeable and much easier to fed firepit. “It brings
inviting steps lead to surface. care for than the the beach to the
the front door with yard’s former patchy house and gives
P L A N T I N GS
stops along the way: lawn. All plants are the garden a sense
at the firepit and a Greenery fringes the on a timer-operated of place,” says
cozy gathering spot paving, softening drip-irrigation system Prange.
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Home & Garden
“My favorite Sundays are here with

family, relaxing by the ‘pool-cuzzi’ and
ending the day with a barbecue.”
— H O M E OW N E R DA NA S A X T E N
The backyard
This private outdoor retreat is small but mighty, with distinct spaces
for dining, lounging, and soaking.
DINING AREA imbricata (above) small backyard ap-

Tucked into a patio nestles against a boul- pear larger. Colum-
corner near the der with yellow yar- nar Hollywood juni-
house, the dining row and Berkeley pers (Juniperus
area feels enclosed, sedge in a small torulosa) cluster
thanks to a billowy planting bed. The to the left of the deck,
tea tree (Leptosper- large flower (left) is
while a hedge of
mum petersonii), an artichoke, grown
as an ornamental. pineapple guavas
above left.
(Feijoa sellowiana)
P L AN T IN GS DECK grows against the
back fence (made of
A chocolate-hued A rock wall fringed
with Berkeley sedge cedar but stained to
Aeonium arboreum
‘Atropurpureum’ separates the lower look like redwood).
(top) shows off its paved patio from the At night, strings of bis-
green center in a raised redwood deck tro lights emit a soft
planting near the and hot tub. The level glow, like starlight,
house. Echeveria change makes the above the hot tub.

Home & Garden
The side yards

Prange made sure that no outdoor space is
wasted. A wraparound deck connects the
front to the side doors.
PA L M A L L É E shower, for use after

Along the south side visits to the beach; a
of the house, Mexi- laurel hedge provides
can fan palms echo privacy.
those at the beach.
They’re underplanted P L A N T I N GS
with fine-leafed sheep A blooming Leucaden-
fescue (Festuca filifor- dron ‘Safari Sunset’
mis) and ‘Yellow and an upright, spiky-
Wave’ phormiums. leafed ‘Maori Queen’
phormium add rosy
O U T D O O R S H OW E R
hues above a silvery
A cobble-embellished green phormium and
wall on the home’s deep green Carex
north side edges the tumulicola.
WATER-WISE
FAVORITES
Succulents, grasses, and perennials
carry this garden. Three standouts:
---------- Golden jade plant ----------

Crassula ovata ‘Hummel’s Sunset’ fills a low
bowl on the deck; it grows slowly 2 to 3 feet
tall, producing star-shaped flowers in summer.
It’s best near the coast (hardy to about 30°).
---------- Dudleya ----------

D. brittonii, a Baja California native,
has wide-leafed rosettes on stems that gradu-
ally lengthen to 1- to 2-foot trunks. It grows
best near the coast, needs bright light, and
thrives in containers and rock gardens.
ANY SMALL OR MEDIUM LITTER
---------- Yarrow ----------

Achillea millefolium pumps out flat-
topped clusters of tiny flowers that
attract butterflies. It needs little water once
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12/31/2015
Home & Garden
INSIDE A
PRO’S
KITCHEN
A chef opens her cupboards and
spills out her best ideas.
DESPITE BEING A CHEF, baker, and cookbook author,
Leslie Mackie has never had a big kitchen at home. The
founder of Seattle’s Macrina Bakery, Mackie didn’t
expect that to change when she bought a former cabi-
net shop on Vashon Island, Washington, to use as a
space for cooking classes and events. But as the reno-
vation began, she decided to live on the island full
time—and make the kitchen her own. Inspired by the
building’s origins as a barn, Mackie asked architects
Richard Floisand and Allison Hogue (floisandstudio.com)
to leave the main floor open, with a farmhouse-style
kitchen in the center. Then Mackie worked with de-
signer Nathan Hartman of Kerf Design (kerfdesign.com)
to build the kitchen she’d never had but always wanted.
THE ISLAND
1 At 4 by 19 feet, the
island dominates the first
floor. But in the context of
the open home, it’s perfect.
Mackie uses it as a buffet
for family gatherings and as
a spot to film recipe videos
for Macrina’s blog.
BRIGHT COLORS
3 ”Color is important
when you live in the gray
Pacific Northwest,” Mackie
says. She chose a palette of
red-orange, olive green, and
sky blue for the shelving
and appliances. Gas wall
oven model BWO30AGS;
bluestarcooking.com.
CABINET CAPS
2 Hartman put caps
4 OPEN SHELVES
on each end of the kitchen Mackie collected
cabinetry wall to give photos of farmhouse kitchens
Mackie more storage. One as inspiration before building
side is a closed pantry, this one. The common
above; the other has shelves denominator in the pictures?
for cookbooks and vases. Open shelving. Mackie likes

S T E AL
THIS
LOOK
4 3 2
“The cabinets
carry so much color,
the kitchen
doesn’t require any
adornment.”
PROP STYLING: JANNA LUFKIN
— H O M E OW N E R L E S L I E M AC K I E
By J OA N NA L I N B E R G Photographs by JOHN CLARK

Home & Garden
6
7
8 9
CEMENT FLOOR was the central location she reseals herself. “I like
5 Mackie had the of the range. “It sits in
the middle of everything
the organic feel of wood,”
she says, while admitting
original concrete floor
ground down to expose and is accessible from that the surface soils
the aggregate and varying both sides,” she says. quickly and will need to
colors. As a chef, she’s be replaced in a decade
used to standing on MAPLE or so. “A friend has a
concrete floors all day, but
she will wear clogs if her
7 COUNTERTOP philosophy that patina
carries the story of the
Mackie topped the island
back starts to ache. with maple counters that people who live in the
house,” she says. “I’m
STOVE trying to embrace that.”
6 The classic kitchen
LAMINATE
the look, but it’s the see-
triangle—stove, refrigerator,
and sink at equal distance 8 Some of the open PLYWOOD
and-grab ease of her
cookware that earns the
from one another—is at play
here. Yet it’s spread out
shelves are lined with
colorful laminate, a signa-
9 At first, Mackie
worried about the
shelves so much real (about 5 feet from stovetop ture of Hartman’s. The durability of her sealed
estate—more than 20 to sink) to allow circulation material is easy to clean plywood cabinets. “My
linear feet. “I don’t have around the island during and durable—a necessity kitchen really has to stand
to hunt,” she says. events. Mackie’s priority when Mackie has her up to wear,” she says. But
16-year-old daughter the affordable material
DIGITAL BONUS How hard can a kitchen island Olivia’s crew team over has proved itself to be
work? Find out at sunset.com/kitchenislands. to bake pies. exceptionally tough.

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ITEMS SOLD INDIVIDUALLY IN STORE MAY BE SOLD IN SETS ONLINE
Home & Garden
NORTHERN
C A LIF O R NIA
CHECKLIST
“Fountain grass, with

plumes that glow in evening
light, is always a win.”
JOHANNA SILVER,
SENIOR GARDEN EDITOR
PLANT
For early-spring bloom,
scatter seeds of California
poppies over bare patches in
the garden and cover them
with a thin layer of topsoil.
Keep the soil moist until seeds
germinate (7 to 14 days) and,
if rains are insufficient, provide
regular water until plants are
established. GA R D E N W E LOV E
Sink spring-blooming bulbs into

well-draining soil. Plant bulbs
Fuss-free backyard
This lush garden in Menlo Park, California, delivers rich texture and seasonal color with very little
at a depth of 2 to 3 times their
diameter. For example, plant maintenance. Portland-based landscape architect Karen Ford (karenford.net) replaced the former
daffodils with 2-inch-wide bulbs lawn with a decomposed granite pathway, lining one side with dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum
4 to 6 inches deep. Smaller alopecuroides ‘Hameln’) and the other with dwarf mondo grass and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf
crocus corms should be planted Ball’. The tupelo tree (Nyssa sylvatica) in the distance explodes with red leaves. The garden needs
3 to 4 inches deep. just a half-hour of weekly upkeep and minimal water, and the pathway container filled with
echeveria and sedum varieties gets freshened once a year.
Establish walkable, low-water
lawn substitutes, such as Califor-
nia meadow sedge (Carex Allow fruits with round, slightly handling oleanders as the milky from the trunks of mature trees,
pansa), carpet bugle (Ajuga pointed tips (such as ‘Hachiya’) sap can irritate the skin; all parts but allow them to stay on the
reptans), Dymondia margaretae, to ripen until the flesh is mushy are poisonous if ingested. ground as natural mulch.
and woolly thyme. and puddinglike.
Continue deadheading peren- GO
HARVEST MAINTAIN nials like Alstroemeria, chrysan- Find an unusual selection
Pick persimmons when Prune mature oleanders themums, and Echinacea to of low-water plants, including
they turn deep orange, bringing to control size and form. Cut the encourage flowering. Australian Banksia and South
them inside to ripen. Flat- oldest branches to the ground African aloes, at the Ruth
bottomed varieties like ‘Fuyu’ and shorten the remaining ones Rake up fallen leaves and add Bancroft Garden’s newly
and ‘Jiro’ are best eaten when to two-thirds of the desired to the compost bin. In informal expanded nursery in Walnut
firm or just soft to the touch. height. Wear gloves when gardens, rake the leaves away Creek. ruthbancroftgarden.org.
KAREN FORD
Learn what to plant when with our year-round checklists : sunset.com/checklists.
44 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET Reported by K I M B E R LY G O M E S & L AU R E N D U N E C H OA N G

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THE GRAND
WINE
TOUR
46 OCTOBER
The world’s best wines,
irresistible food,
and some amazing
surprises. Join Sunset
on a mile-by-mile
journey through three
of the West’s most
exciting wine regions:
Napa, Santa Barbara, and
Southern Oregon.
THE GRAND WINE TOUR
NAPA
VALLEY
Here’s where you’ll fall in love with wine.
BY SARA SCHNEIDER, SUNSET WINE EDITOR
THE TIME : a hot summer day in the 1960s. The place: a hilltop overlooking a
Northern California valley. My family lived on that mountain, and my sister and
I had grabbed baskets and were about to harvest an enormous patch of black-
berries. I reached too far, slipped, and toppled into the warm, thorny thicket.
Just before the pain hit—those thorns were sharp—I got a distinct whiff of ripe
berries, mixed with the wild mint that was laced through the bushes.
My life was shaped by that tumble. The valley was Napa. The hilltop was
Howell Mountain. The aroma—the berries, the mint—is what I smell, even now,
when I pour a glass of Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
Today, Napa Valley is in a class by itself among America’s wine regions. There
are some 500 wineries in the 16 subappellations that make up the 30-mile-long,
5-mile-wide valley. They include the historic, such as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars,
whose Cabernet Sauvignon demolished an array of French Bordeaux in the 1976 ST. H EL ENA Bruschetteria Food Truck
Judgment of Paris, thereby putting Napa firmly on the world wine map. They
include the very luxe: Prime Napa vineyard land can run as much as $300,000
NAPA Odette Estate
per acre, and a few of the wines produced here can go for $1,500 a bottle.
Napa’s popularity and those prices can make the valley seem intimidating to people who just want to spend
a fun day tasting wine. The crowds are real—try turning left onto Highway 29 on a busy weekend. And at
times, the pretensions have been too. (I’ve heard the occasional admonition to check in with the concierge
before grabbing a picnic table on a winery lawn.) But my recent forays have revealed a new Napa—still serious
about wine but willing to cut loose a little. Take an evening spent in Raymond Vineyards’ luxury-exuding
“crystal” tasting room, for instance. I looked up from a glass of owner Jean-Charles Boisset’s lush red wine to
see a masked, nearly naked acrobat staring down at me from her trapeze. Napa, stuffy? Hell, no.
Another sign of the valley’s changing mood: The hottest new restaurant in St. Helena is Clif Family’s bruschetta
truck, parked beside their bicycle-themed Velo Vino tasting room. And formerly unassuming downtown Napa has
emerged as a destination in its own right, with terrific restaurants and tasting rooms, and a top-notch music scene.
After all, Napa knows that wine is about romance. Certainly it was for me. After my mountaintop tumble, I
moved away, then returned for college, back on Howell Mountain as it happened. A
conservative college, it forbade drinking. But the valley and its wines called. One Sat-
Previous pages, clock- urday afternoon, not long after I had turned 21, I decided an illicit wine-tasting trip
wise from top left: was in order, to celebrate senior year and my arrival at adulthood. Sipping in Napa
Stagecoach Vineyard;
Raymond Vineyards; tasting rooms, I began to understand that I wanted wine in my life.
B Cellars tasting room That’s the big Napa secret. Learn to navigate the valley, and you’ll realize that it’s
and wine caves; Ray- still the best place in the world to fall in love—deeply, lastingly in love—with wine.
mond’s Frenchie Win-
ery for dogs; Andaz Visit, sip, savor. You’ll make your own wine memories, as potent and pleasurable as
Napa; La Taberna. mine, but without the thorns.
P H O T O G R A P H S B Y E VA K O L E N K O
19
20
S I LV E R A D O T R A I L
C A L I S T O GA 18
29
17
16
ST. H E L E NA Bruschetteria 13
15
ST. HELENA 12
14 10
11
128
9
OA K V I L L E
8 7
6
YO U N T V I L L E S I LV E R A D O
29 TRAIL
3
ST
. 121
L
R
EA
M
P .
A
ST
IN
T
2 1S
ST
.
.
4
ST N A PA
D
3R
221
121 1
NAPA earthquake, down-

town Napa has
1 STA R M O N T become a place to
W I N E RY land and linger, with
& V I N E YA R D S excellent restaurants
In the Carneros re- and an increasingly
gion south of Napa, vibrant music scene
Starmont offers (see page 52). An-
just what the valley daz fits the new set-
needed: accessibly ting, with its walkable
priced wines and a location and small
younger vibe. The but elegantly modern
general Carneros rooms. From $329;
wines are deals; the andaznapa.com.
single-vineyard
Pinots and Chardon-
nays, compelling.
3 TO R C
And the handsome, Downtown Napa had
reclaimed-wood already become din-
and concrete tasting ing heaven—with big
room has a bar that city–caliber restau-
can roll right out rants like Morimoto
to the patio firepit. and La Toque—when
Tasting from $20; Sean O’Toole intro-
1451 Stanly Lane; duced another stellar
starmontwinery.com. round. The menu
WE RECOMMEND : at O’Toole’s Torc
Starmont 2013 harmoniously roams
Stanly Ranch the world, with
MAPS: WALTER BAUMANN
Pinot Noir (Los dishes like Indian

Carneros; $55). sweet-potato pakora,
Japanese hamachi
crudo, and heritage
2 A N DA Z N A PA porchetta with Mexi-
Recovering quickly can huitlacoche (a
from the battering mushroomlike fun-
it took in the 2014 gus). All this and a

THE GRAND WINE TOUR
terrific Negroni too. Trail; cask23.com. OAKVILLE ST. HELENA

$$$; 1140 Main St.; WE RECOMMEND :
torcnapa.com. Stag’s Leap 2012 9 B CELLARS 10 R AY M O N D
S.L.V. Cabernet V I N E YA R D S A N D V I N E YA R D S
Sauvignon (Stags W I N E RY Talk about a make-
4 L A TA B E R N A Leap District; $125). AD HOC + ADDENDUM
In Yountville, the Thomas B is the newest ad- over. Much loved
New from the owner dition to Napa’s but styled along the
of ZuZu, a beloved Keller restaurant
7 O D E T T E E STAT E you can actually get into. Golden Mile—the lines of a ’70s dentist
Spanish restaurant stretch of Oakville office, Raymond has
down the street, this The first winery in the adhocrestaurant.com.
Cross Road between been reinvented by
tapas bar would Stags Leap District Highway 29 and Jean-Charles Bois-
be at home in San in 15 years comes Silverado Trail that’s set, scion of one of
Sebastián. Scan the from the PlumpJack AU B E R G E D U S O L E I L home to some of the France’s prominent
printed menu for your Group, owned by Still one of the valley’s valley’s most revered winemaking families
drinks, including sher- billionaire philan- most glamorous places to labels, among them and husband to Cali-
ries, beers, and an thropist Gordon stay, with the best views. Groth, Silver Oak, fornia wine aristocrat
eclectic list of inter- Getty and California aubergedusoleil.com. and Rudd. It makes Gina Gallo-Boisset.
national wines. Food Lieutenant Governor the most of the tony “We don’t just make
options are chalked Gavin Newsom. address with rich wine … we create
on a board above Winemaker Jeff CHARLE S KRUG red blends that you dreams!” Boisset
the bar: pintxos like Owens’s first vintage Napa’s first commercial taste in sleek new says. At Raymond,
jamón ibérico de be- of Odette Estate winery, started in 1861. wine caves or in the the dreams now in-
llota, smoked trout, Reserve, the 2012, charleskrug.com. winery garden. But clude a Champagne
and pato (duck) shot straight to the it’s about food too. A lounge with a gold-
empanadas … you top with a perfect demonstration kitchen flecked resin floor
can’t go wrong. $$$; 100-point rating from gives you a barside and karaoke, and
815 Main; lataberna wine critic Robert INGLENOOK
Historic château and view of what the chef Louis XIV–style furni-
napa.com. Parker. That wine’s is cooking for your ture under the trees.
character—the Stags vineyards restored
by director Francis Ford wine pairing—dishes But there’s also a
Leap “iron fist in that capitalize on serious appellation-
5 SENZA a velvet glove”— Coppola. inglenook.com.
the produce from B’s education room,
Craig and Kathryn is reflected in the kitchen garden and a lab for blending
Walt Hall of Hall St. elegantly feminine the fresh eggs from its your own wine, and
Helena reworked an new tasting lounge. R O B E R T M O N DAV I well-heeled chickens. a demonstration bio-
existing B&B into a Tasting from $15; W I N E RY Tasting from $35; dynamic garden with
luxurious boutique 5998 Silverado Trail; Heritage of groundbreaking 703 Oakville Cross an app to guide you
hotel and spa. At the odetteestate.com. wines; stunning Rd.; bcellars.com. through it. And you
property’s core is the WE RECOMMEND : Cliff May–designed winery. WE RECOMMEND : can even bring your
restored 1870s Park- Odette 2012 Odette robertmondaviwinery.com. B Cellars 2011 pooch to the doggie
er Mansion, where Estate Cabernet Sau- Blend 25 (Napa winery run by Bois-
rooms off-season vignon (Stags Leap Valley; $64). set’s French bulldog,
can be a stealth deal District; $98).
(as low as $219)
if there’s a late-
breaking vacancy. YOUNT VILLE
From $379 otherwise;
senzahotel.com.
8 CICCIO NAPA La Taberna
It’s not easy break-
ing into the gourmet
6 STAG ’S L E A P fiefdom that is Yount-
WINE CELLARS ville. But with its
A new visitor center colorfully tiled wood
lends sheen to this oven, little Ciccio
Napa institution. has quickly become
Seemingly built from a local fave. A rotat- OAKV IL L E B Cellars
the stones and earth ing lineup of crusty
it sits on, the center— pizzas from that
a treasure trove of oven anchors dinner
wine info—looks out here. You’ll also want
onto the venerable to try the wood-fired
Fay Vineyard, adjoin- baby artichokes with
ing the vines that a delicious walnut
produced the S.L.V. bagna cauda, and
Cabernet that won Ciccio’s assured
the famous Judg- renditions of old
ment of Paris. Today, Italian mainstays
winemaker Marcus like chicken pic-
Notaro crafts wines cata and pork chop
that do Leap’s legacy Milanese. $$; 6770
proud. Tasting from Washington St.; ciccio
$25; 5766 Silverado napavalley.com.

ST. HELENA
Jean-Charles
Boisset of
Raymond Vineyards
THE GRAND WINE TOUR
Frenchie. Tasting from Harvest’s culinary

$25; 849 Zinfandel gardens) and local
Lane ; raymond meats Palmer em-
vineyards.com. ploys in his version of ST. H EL ENA
WE RECOMMEND : wine-country cook-
Raymond 2012 ing. We go for the Raymond Vineyards
District Collection roasted baby carrots
Cabernet Sauvignon in a buttermilk sauce
(Rutherford; $85). seasoned with Indian
vadouvan spices;
the grilled octopus
11 HALL ST. HELENA with fingerlings and
Bunny Foo Foo—the charred lemon; and
local nickname for a shrimp and grits. And
35-foot-tall stainless don’t shy away from
steel rabbit—towers what the menu calls
over the entrance of “crispy pork head”:
Hall St. Helena. It’s The little fritters in
one of a series of tangy gribiche sauce
eclectic modern art are addictive. $$$;
installations around 1 Main St.; harvest
and in this contem- tablenapa.com.
porary winery. But,
says Kathryn Walt
Hall, former U.S.
13 ARCHETYPE
ambassador to AND GOOSE &
Austria and owner GA N D E R
with her husband, Restaurant Arche-
Craig, “We aren’t a type was launched
museum. Art is just by winery architect
a context for wine Howard Backen,
here.” That wine and its light-filled,
includes beautifully rustic design matches
crafted Napa Cabs the comfort of the
(and some Pinot menu. Lunch is a
Noirs from Anderson treat; it’s tough to
Valley) you sample choose between the
in an upstairs tasting Reuben—with corned
room with terrific beef made from short add
views from valley- ribs—or the baby- to your
list
floor vineyards up back-rib sandwich of the best of which
into the Mayacamas (boneless with hoisin are from Howell
Mountains. Back on a steamed bun, Mountain) and to
downstairs, you can pork-belly fried rice get you on a bicycle.
take in food and wine on the side). At Have the staff custom- CUE THE MUSIC
workshops by local dinnertime, go for ize your ride, then
chefs in Hall’s dem- the butter-rich eye- grab some snacks
onstration kitchen. of-rib bone marrow, to go (these are the THERE MUST BE some affinity between wine and music, evi-
$30 tasting; 401 St. with sweet charred folks who brought denced by how many winemakers play in a band on the side.
Helena Hwy. S.; hall onions and grilled- us Clif Bars, after Napa Valley has long been a setting for exciting acts, especially
wines.com. bread salad. Then, all). On your return, during its multiple summer concert series: This year, Lyle
WE RECOMMEND : for your nightcap, taste a little, buy a Lovett, The Wallflowers, and Melissa Etheridge played the
Hall 2012 “Kathryn head to the basement bottle, and head out 46-year-old Robert Mondavi series; Herb Alpert and Kevin
Hall” Cabernet bar at Goose & Gan- to the wildly popular Spacey performed at nine-year-old Festival del Sole; and Snoop
Sauvignon (Napa der and Scott Beat- bruschetta truck. $20 Dogg and Imagine Dragons pulled in crowds at the newest
Valley; $150). tie’s rosemary pear tasting, bruschetta $; festival, BottleRock.
shrub. Archetype: 709 Main; cliffamily But the town of Napa itself now has a corner on great tunes
$$$; 1429 Main; winery.com. year-round, with an astonishing ratio of quality to population.
12 H A RV E ST TA B L E archetypenapa.com. WE RECOMMEND : Boz Scaggs appears this month in the cool 1937 art deco Uptown
Celebrity chef Char- Goose & Gander: Clif Family 2012 Theatre (uptowntheatrenapa.com), painstakingly restored with the
lie Palmer makes $$$; 1245 Spring St.; “Gary’s Improv” help of Francis Ford Coppola and opened five years ago. At the
his Napa Valley goosegander.com. Zinfandel (Howell tiny club Silo’s (silosnapa.com), on Main Street’s waterfront, you
debut with this new Mountain; $38). may find American songbook legend Wesla Whitfield riffing
restaurant at Harvest with her husband, arranger, and pianist, Mike Greensill.
Inn. Casual dark-
14 C L I F FA M I LY A fair number of local restaurants add to the music-club scene
wood tables in front W I N E RY 15 JOSEPH PHELPS as well. In Napa, local Italian favorite Uva hosts a regular sched-
of a massive stone Velo Vino, the tasting V I N E YA R D S ule of live music most nights. Old-time hangout Downtown Joe’s
fireplace provide an room for Clif Family, It’s worth making an does too. Farther up the valley in St. Helena, you can catch per-
autumnal setting for has a twofold mis- appointment to expe- formers at Goose & Gander (at left) on summer Sundays.
the seasonal produce sion: to introduce you rience this renewed And for both well-known national acts and local talent, check
(much of it grown in to their wines (some Napa classic. A the schedule at Yountville’s Lincoln Theater (lincolntheater.com).

ST. H EL ENA Harvest Table
CAL ISTO GA
Calistoga Inn
complete remodel 16 THE RESTAURANT 17 CAIRDEAN CALISTOGA Barry Waitte likes 20 E VA N G E L I N E

has produced one AT MEADOWOOD E STAT E wine. He also likes From chefs Brandon
of the loveliest tasting BAR If you visited the
18 C A L I STO GA I N N , horses—in fact, he Sharp and Gustavo
rooms in the valley, Napa Valley has valley in the past de- R E STAU R A N T competes in a gruel- Rios of Solage’s
soaring and open two chefs who’ve cade, you probably & B R E W E RY ing event known as Solbar, this neighbor-
but with surprisingly been awarded three passed a defunct out- Restored after a “endurance horse hood bistro is for
cozy tasting spaces Michelin stars. let mall north of St. fire, the 1887 Cal- racing.” When he those with a Creole
carved out inside. In Thomas Keller is Helena. Now Stacia istoga Inn is a good decided to retire soul. It might be the
the 1970s, founder one, of course, and Edwin Williams value for the valley. from Silicon Valley, right place to break
Joseph Phelps was for The French Laun- have transformed it Rooms are spare (no it was only natural your foie gras fast
the first to produce dry. The other is into something unusu- phones or TVs) but that he start a win- (in California, at
a Cabernet-based, Christopher Kostow, al: a complex of win- sweet. Bathrooms ery in a prestigious least) with a mouth-
Bordeaux-style blend presiding over ery and caves, tasting are shared but as horse-training watering version
in California. Phelps, The Restaurant at room, bakery and private as anything center, Calistoga’s accompanied by
who died this year, Meadowood. If deli (Butterscots), res- you’d find in a spa. Sundance Ranch. seasonal fruit and
named the wine you don’t want to taurant (The Farmer Downstairs at the Step into Tamber toasted brioche. Sat-
“Insignia,” and it drop multiple hun- & The Fox), and retail restaurant and brew- Bey and you’ll taste isfying mains include
came to be regarded dreds in one evening, and gallery space. ery, you can even wines in a courtyard expert versions of
as one of Napa’s settle in fireside at The range of wines skip wine for a while: surrounded by some poulet grand-mère
groundbreaking reds. the bar and order is broad, the views Brewmaster Brad pretty classy stables. (that would be
His son, Bill, hasn’t his three-course from the tasting room Smisloff produces And the wines that Grandma’s chicken)
let anything slip: menu. For less are exceptional, and delicious wheat ales, Waitte and his wife, or braised pork
Insignia is still the than $100 (okay, the cave you tour is pilsners, red ales, and Jennifer, produce are shoulder. But to taste
prototype. Tasting very little less), one of the valley’s porters. From $129, dark, earthy thor- the true South, follow
from $75; by ap- you’ll taste how longest. $25 tasting; restaurant $$$; oughbreds too. $25 the rotating specials:
pointment only; 200 celestial seasonal 3111 St. Helena calistogainn.com. tasting; 1251 Tubbs shrimp étouffée,
Taplin Rd.; joseph food—with a focus Hwy. N.; cairdean Lane; tamberbey.com. gumbo ya-ya—any
phelps.com. on the garden—can estate.com. WE RECOMMEND : of them even better
WE RECOMMEND : be in three-star WE RECOMMEND :
19 TA M B E R B E Y Tamber Bey 2013 with a side of fried
Joseph Phelps 2012 hands. $$$$; 900 Cairdean 2011 Atlas V I N E YA R D S Deux Chevaux Vine- pickles. $$$; 1226
“Insignia” (Napa Meadowood Lane; Peak Syrah (Atlas A former executive yard Merlot (Yount- Washington St.;
Valley; $240). meadowood.com. Peak; $40). at AOL and Apple, ville; $75). evangelinenapa.com.

THE GRAND WINE TOUR
SANTA
BARBARA
COUNT Y
Find a little Wild West in wine country.
BY M AT T H E W JA F F E
BEFORE THERE WERE WINEMAKERS, there were cowboys.

For a century, Santa Barbara County was ranch country.
Even now, a fiberglass horse stands in front of Jedlicka’s
in Los Olivos, where if you head inside, you can buy Justin
Ropers, Stetson Alamos, and beautifully crafted saddles.
This Western-ness makes Santa Barbara wine country
special. What is terroir, after all, but a sense of place?
Still, the county is changing. The number of acres
planted in grapevines has more than doubled over the
past 20 years, and the number of wineries has risen
sharply too. Given the region’s relative proximity to
Greater Los Angeles, it’s not surprising that some of
these new ventures have been launched by winemakers
with show-business credentials—most recently, Kurt
Russell and stepdaughter Kate Hudson.
As for the wines, they’re superb and varied, thanks to
the county’s topography, which ranges from hot interior
valleys in the east (great for Bordeaux varieties) to more
westerly, ocean-cooled zones around Lompoc (terrific
for Pinot Noir). More than 50 varieties thrive here, in
five separate appellations—with another appellation B UEL LTON Alma Rosa Winery
likely by the end of the year.

The combination of fine wines in an unpretentious set-
ting (two of the main wine towns still boast flagpoles in the
middle of the street, but no stoplights, and Ostrich Land USA remains a prime
tourist attraction) has lured travelers from Southern California—and from far-
ther away. Among the latter is chef Luca Crestanelli. A native of Verona, Italy,
Crestanelli first visited the area a decade ago, when he was 22. He fell for it so hard
that he vowed to return. Now he has, and his S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez is one of
the best sophisticated new restaurants to have grown up along with vineyards.
“I see passion in the winemaking here,” Crestanelli says, “and that’s what’s
important. Young people sticking with what they know and believe in.”
Just like Santa Barbara County’s cowboys did, not so long ago.
P H O T O G R A P H S B Y D AV E L A U R I D S E N
BUEL LTON Industrial Eats
makers 2014 “Bright

White” Dry Riesling
(Santa Barbara
County; $24).
SANTA YNEZ
2 S .Y. K I TC H E N
Luca Crestanelli’s
modern rustic Italian
dishes include 10 spe-
cials on some nights.
He sources ingredients
from local farms as
well as more distant
purveyors, taking
advantage of the
Santa Ynez Valley’s
bounty and the fact
that he can get an
exceptional burrata
from Italy in 24 hours.
His gnocchi is lighter
SANTA BARBAR A a former dive shop. than air; his lamb
One standout: Les ragù, astonishing.
1 S A N TA B A R B A R A Marchands Wine $$$; 1110 Faraday
F U N K ZO N E Bar & Merchant, St.; sykitchen.com.
Once the scruffy, in- with a meticulously
dustrial neighbor of curated selection of
the city’s Mediterra- Santa Barbara and
3 FORFRIENDS INN
nean downtown, the European wines and The inn’s rooms and
Funk Zone’s now the housemade charcute- cottages vary from
heart of the Santa rie. Urban Wine Trail : Victorian to ranch,
Barbara Urban urbanwinetrailsb.com. and each is named
Wine Trail. Here, Municipal Winemak- for a local winery or
Southern California ers: $12 tasting; 22 vineyard—for exam-
wine culture meets Anacapa St.; munici ple, Demetria and
surf culture, with palwinemakers.com. Refugio Ranch. A
board shops near Les Marchands: $$; three-course break-
tasting rooms, plus 131 Anacapa; les fast prepared by co-
one of the latter marchandswine.com. owner Debbie Camp-
(Municipal Wine- WE RECOMMEND : bell starts the day,
makers) occupying Municipal Wine - while her husband,
S A N TA M A R I A
13 12
F OX E N CA N YO N R D.
101
135 11
1 10
LOS AL AMOS
6
LOMPOC 246 3
9 7 S A N TA Y N E Z
5
B U E L LT O N 8 2
4
154
1 S O LVA N G
101 S A N TA B A R B A R A
SO LVA N G Rusack Vineyards

1

THE GRAND WINE TOUR
add
to your
list
Jim, serves the wine S OLVAN G Rusack Vineyards
at happy-hour gath-
erings. From $250;
forfriendsinn.com.
THE WEST’S
S O LVA N G BEST BBQ
4 B AC O N & B R I N E
IT’S A RITUAL as precise and
Local foods in a tiny beautiful as—well, produc-
house: How much ing the perfect bottle of wine.
more of-the-moment A tradition dating back to
can you get? In a Santa Barbara County’s 19th-
minuscule cottage century ranching days, Santa
with outside seating, Maria barbecue has its rules.
Bacon & Brine serves First, the barbecue mas-
sandwiches and sal- ters bring coals of red oak,
ads made with local the Central Coast wood used
produce and pork in the Santa Maria style, to
from heritage pigs just the right heat. Using a
pasture-raised turning wheel, they lower a
on nearby farms. It’s grate cradling the meat clos-
a team effort: Chef er to the firebox, and the
Crystal DeLongpré smell of beef tri-tip rolled in
handles the butcher- a simple rub of salt, pepper,
ing, smoking, and cur- and garlic salt begins to waft
ing, while wife and through the air.
“fermentation god- It takes time—some
dess” Courtney Rae things you don’t rush. But
takes care of the sau- nobody cares, not after tak-
erkraut and kimchi, ing that first bite of meat:
among other brined charred on the outside and
items. $$; 453 Atter- pink on the inside, accompa-
dag Rd.; baconand nied by a chunky salsa with
brine.com. a hint of heat and a side
of pinquito beans, a small
5 T H E L A N D S BY pink variety grown in
local valleys.
Cool? Solvang? Ae- Drive around Santa Bar-
bleskiver and wind- bara County, especially
mills notwithstanding, along main drags in Santa
America’s Little Den- Maria and Lompoc where
mark is becoming weekend fund-raising to some of the coun- pair of wood-burning tasting venue of
pretty darn sophisti- events take place, and you’re ty’s oldest vines. ovens in a cavernous Richard Sanford
cated. Exhibit A: The bound to get a whiff of Santa Its 2013 Ballard space decorated with and his wife, Thekla,
Landsby, formerly Maria barbecue on the grill. Canyon Estate Zin- found objects—a sax- among the most
the cutesy Petersen Some purists insist that fandel uses grapes ophone, surfboard, respected of Santa
Village Inn, now a this is the venue where the grown from cuttings and old Toledo scale. Barbara County’s
contemporary Scan- barbecue is best enjoyed: transplanted from The butcher paper early winemakers.
dinavian boutique outside, beside a troupe of an 1884 vineyard menu lists “Pizza” Though longtime
hotel. The clean and grill masters in Lions Club on Santa Cruz Is- and “Not Pizza,” fans may miss the
spare guest rooms aprons. But landmark res- land. Is it worth while housemade humble vineyard
feature white-oak taurants, such as The Hitch- the wait? You bet. charcuterie fills the cottage from San-
floors and handcraft- ing Post in Casmalia and $15 tasting; 1819 display case. Settle ford’s early days,
ed furnishings. The Buellton and the Far West- Ballard Canyon Rd.; in at one of the com- the Buellton spot
hotel’s public spaces ern Tavern in Orcutt, do the rusack.com. munal tables and has its own appeal.
include a courtyard tradition proud too—and WE RECOMMEND : keep your ears open Built from recycled
with firepits, plus an let you buy a glass of local Along with the Zin, for vintner gossip: Douglas fir, it’s
inviting lobby bar for Pinot to go with that deli- Rusack 2013 Syrah Industrial Eats is a light filled and
cocktails and local cious plate of meat. (Santa Barbara Coun- favorite of local wine welcoming, and
wines. From $229; ty; $29). professionals. $$; the wines are as
thelandsby.com. ³ The Hitching Post: $$$$;
good as they get.
181B Industrial Way;
3325 Point Sal Rd., Casmalia; BUELLTON industrialeats.com. $12 tasting; 181C
hitchingpost1.com.
6 R U S AC K Industrial; alma
V I N E YA R D S ³ The Hitching Post II: $$$$; 7 I N D U ST R I A L rosawinery.com.
406 E. State 246, Buellton; E AT S 8 ALMA ROSA WE RECOMMEND :
In Ballard Canyon, hitchingpost2.com. W I N E RY &
Santa Barbara wine It looks more like it Alma Rosa 2013
³ Far Western Tavern: $$$; belongs in downtown V I N E YA R D S Barrel Select Pinot
country’s newest
appellation, Rusack 300 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt; Los Angeles than on Next door to Industri- Noir (Sta. Rita
produces a Zin linked farwesterntavern.com. the Central Coast: a al Eats is the new Hills; $60).L O M P O C
B U ELLT ON
SA N TA Y N E Z S.Y. Kitchen
Jeff Olsson
of Industrial Eats
9 LO M P O C Streets, just N. of Hollywood ties.

W I N E G H E T TO State 246; wine Among the latest ar-
The Ghetto shares ghetto.org. Taste of rivals: Bob’s Well
its neighborhood Sta. Rita Hills: $10 Bread, an artisanal
with an automotive tasting; 1595 E. bakery opened in a
Chestnut Ave.; taste renovated gas station
shop called Hot Rod
ofstaritahills.com. by Bob Oswaks, a
Alley. But this collec-
WE RECOMMEND : onetime Sony Pictures
tion of production Television marketing
facilities and tasting Flying Goat 2011
Rancho Santa Rosa exec. His wood-fired
rooms is a must if breads are elegantly
you want to taste top Vineyard Pinot Noir
(Sta. Rita Hills; $48); crusted, some embla-
Santa Barbara Coun- zoned with the bak-
Moretti 2014 Camp
ty wines such as ery’s brandlike logo.
Four Vineyard Ver-
Flying Goat and Fid- $; 550 Bell St.; bobs
mentino (Santa Bar-
dlehead Cellars. At wellbread.com.
bara County; $25).
Taste of Sta. Rita
Hills, owners Antonio
and Jeni Moretti pour LOS ALAMOS 11 1880 UNION
the Pinot Noirs that H OT E L W I N E
the hills appellation is 10 B O B ’S W E L L S A LO O N A N D
famous for, drawing BREAD CASA DUMETZ
from 15 exciting bou- Tiny Los Alamos is More signs of Los Al-
tique wineries, includ- still more tractor than amos’ show-business
ing Bonaccorsi and Tesla, even as new sheen: The Wine
Sea Smoke. Lompoc food-and-wine desti- Saloon at the histor-
Wine Ghetto: Be- nations locate here, ic 1880 Union Hotel
tween 7th and 12th including several with offers Sta. Rita Hills

THE GRAND WINE TOUR
wines from actor Kurt

Russell’s GoGi Wines,
plus selections from
stepdaughter and
actress Kate Hudson’s
Hudson Bellamy
Wines label. Also
worth visiting is Sonja
Magdevski’s Casa
Dumetz Wines.
Wine Saloon: $$;
362 Bell St.; union
hotelvictmansion.
com. Casa Dumetz:
$10 tasting; 388
Bell St.; casadumetz
wines.com.
WE RECOMMEND :
GoGi 2012 “Goldie”
Chardonnay (Sta.
Rita Hills; $50);
Hudson Bellamy
2014 “Que Syrah
Syrah” Rosé of Syrah
(Sta. Rita Hills: $25);
Casa Dumetz 2013
“Solid Ground” GSM
(Santa Ynez Valley;
$35). SA N TA M A R I A Presqu’ile Winery
SANTA M ARIA
B UEL LTON Ostrich Land USA
12 F OX E N C A N YO N
WINE TRAIL
Starting in Los Olivos, yard Grenache
this drive links the (Santa Ynez Valley;
Santa Ynez and San- $36); Foxen 2013
ta Maria Valleys, roll- Bien Nacido Vine-
ing past grazing cat- yard, Block 8 Pinot
tle and hillsides thick Noir (Santa Maria ALISAL GUE ST RANCH
with vines. New here Valley; $62). Saddle up at Solvang’s 10,000-acre
is Andrew Murray dude ranch. alisal.com.
Vineyards’ oak and
concrete tasting room,
13 PRESQU’ILE
one of the area’s W I N E RY B E L L S T R E E T FA R M
most beautiful. Twelve It’s pronounced press- Rustic/sophisticated sandwiches
miles away, old meets keel and in Creole and salads gave Los Alamos food
modern at Foxen means “almost an is- cred. bellstreetfarm.com.
Vineyard & Win- land,” after the Gulf
ery. A contemporary Coast land the Mur-
tasting room hosts phy family owned L A F O N D W I N E RY
Foxen’s Rhône varie- before Hurricane Ka- A N D V I N E YA R D S
ties; its Bordeaux- and trina propelled them In Buellton, one of the county’s
Italian-style wines to pull up stakes and first wineries and still among the
are available in The start a California best. lafondwinery.com.
Shack, a tin-roofed winery. The angular
1860s blacksmith hilltop building has
building. Wine Trail: views extending to
foxencanyonwine the Pacific, source M E LV I L L E V I N E YA R D S
trail.com. Andrew of the cooling winds A N D W I N E RY
Murray: $15 tasting; Presqu’ile’s Sauv In Lompoc and famous for its
5249 Foxen Canyon Blanc and Pinot Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noirs.
Rd.; andrewmurray grapes adore. $15 melvillewinery.com.
vineyards.com. tasting; 5391 Pres-
Foxen: $10 tasting; quile Dr. ; presquile
7600 Foxen Canyon; wine.com. S A N F O R D W I N E RY A N D
foxenvineyard.com. WE RECOMMEND : V I N E YA R D S DIGITAL BONUS Explore more of
WE RECOMMEND : Presqu’ile 2013 Pinot Wine pioneer Richard Sanford’s the West’s wine regions with our
Andrew Murray Noir (Santa Maria former outpost, still worth a visit. guide to the best tasting rooms, restaurants,
2013 Curtis Vine- Valley; $42). sanfordwinery.com. and more: sunset.com/winecountry.

SAN TA BARBARA
Sam Rethmeier
of Les Marchands
THE GRAND WINE TOUR
SOUTHERN
OREGON Meet the undiscovered wine country of your dreams.
BY RACHEL LEVIN
EVEN SERIOUS ENOPHILES describe Oregon wines with one

word: Willamette. And one grape: Pinot Noir. It’s under- ROS EB URG Paul O’Brien Winery
standable. The Pinots produced in places like McMinn-
ville and Dundee are among the very best in the world.
But a new Oregon wine country is rising 230 miles to
the south of the Willamette Valley. For the wine-minded
traveler, this destination feels almost utopian. Here, tast-
ing fees cost less than a latte; hotel rates are actually rea-
sonable; wineries go way beyond water crackers (wood-
fired fig and caramelized-onion pizza with a 92-point
2012 Syrah, anyone?). And, as in Santa Barbara County
but unlike many other wine regions in the West—all kinds
of grapes thrive.
“We can ripen anything,” Southern Oregon winemak-
ers joke, and judging from the wide array of varieties TAL EN T Harvest Restaurant
found here—in this sprawling land of 150 microclimates

across three river valleys, high desert, and mountains—
it’s true. Roam from the Rogue Valley to the Applegate Valley, all the way north up In-
terstate 5 to the Umpqua Valley, and you’ll find about as many types of good wine as
you would in your beloved bottle shop. Good wine. Albariño, Tempranillo, Chardon-
nay, Syrah, Viognier, Cab Franc, Malbec, and yes, plenty of Pinot Noir too.
What you won’t find are crowds. “We are the last undiscovered wine region in the
world. Truly,” says Jamie McCleary of Jaxon Vineyards, sipping a Bordeaux-style
blend on his deck overlooking his vines, where not long ago an abandoned pear farm
and double-wide trailer stood.
The secret may not last. A decade ago, there were 50 wineries in Southern Oregon;
two years ago, there were 150; and today? About 170—with tasting rooms opening all
the time and 1,000 acres of grapes planted in the past year alone. Talented winemakers
like Stephen Hall from Napa, Scott O’Brien Kelley from Paso Robles, Jean-Michel Jus-
siaume from the Loire Valley, and Chris Graves from the Livermore Valley (who is
heading up one of three custom-crush facilities) have moved to Southern Oregon in the
past few years, to be pioneers in a place where pioneering is still possible. Where peo-
ple tool around in pickup trucks, not limos; mobile homes outnumber manses; and an
acre of vineyard land costs $15,000—not (ahem, Napa) up to 20 times that amount.
Our advice: Hop into your pickup and head to where the Rogue and Applegate and
Umpqua Rivers flow, and enjoy wine’s next frontier.
P H O T O G R A P H S BY D R E W K E L LY
JAC K S O NV IL L E
Cowhorn Vineyard
& Garden
ASHLAND handsome, one-story, canvas tents with

window-walled spot comfy beds tucked 12
1 I RV I N E tucked above the in the trees amid
V I N E YA R D S vines, and it’ll have the changing foliage; ROSEBURG
5 69 MILES
On 80 gorgeous a patio, firepit, and gardens full of leafy
acres in the hills tapas. We can’t greens; goats,
11
outside Ashland, wait. 2113 Emigrant pigs, and chickens—
Doug and Dionne Creek Rd.; irvine and a lantern-lit 99
Irvine built a Tudor- vineyards.com. outdoor kitchen 199
style home, and WE RECOMMEND : for cooking up all G R A N T S PA S S
MEDFORD
planted 26 acres of Irvine Family the ingredients you 8
Pinot Noir and Char- 2012 Pinot Noir collect. Ideally before 7
donnay grapes. Then (Oregon; $35). darkness falls and J AC K S O N V I L L E 9 2
6
they wisely appoint- the stars come out. 99
ed a winning team: Zillions of them. 238 SHALE
Michael Donovan,
2 W I L LOW-W I T T Tents from $125; TA L E N T C I T Y R D.
formerly of RoxyAnn, RANCH 12 campsites, $40;

5
4
1
to oversee sales and For our money, the 1 studio, $200; ASHLAND
10
operations, and Herb most beautiful spot to 3-bedroom farm- 3
Quady at Barrel 42 stay in Southern Ore- house looking out
to make the wine. gon is a 445-acre off- on a 100-acre
Irvine’s tasting room the-grid farm in the meadow, $295 5
is slated to open in mountains east of ($250 after Oct 15);
early 2016. It’s a Ashland. It has four willowwittranch.com.

AS H L AN D Smithfields
THE GRAND WINE TOUR
MEDF ORD
Dancin Vineyards
MEDFORD
Dancin Vineyards
3 SAMMICH weekend brunch MEDFORD WE RECOMMEND :

T he Loop comes here—best relished Jaxon 2012 Syrah
W est. At Sammich, on the back patio— 6 J A XO N (Rogue Valley; $28).
Illi nois expat Melissa leaves little room for V I N E YA R D S
McMillan does Chica- dinner. $$$; 36 S. Someone less vision-
g o’s sandwich tradi- A B A C E L A W I N E RY Second St.; smith ary might have seen
7 DA N C I N
ti ons proud. She Based in Roseburg and fieldsashland.com. just an abandoned V I N E YA R D S
r oasts her own beef, famed for its Tempranillos. 1970s double-wide You’ll vow to ditch
poaches her own abacela.com. TALENT trailer parked on an crowded tasting-room
tu na, and smokes her old pear farm and counters forever after
o wn pastrami, all of it
5 H A RV E ST moved on, but Jamie a sunny afternoon
best enjoyed on Sam- R E STAU R A N T McCleary and his at this beautifully pas-
ASHLAND CREEK INN
mi ch’s picnic tables Luxurious suites two blocks In a converted gas wife, Katherine, toral setting. Here,
and AstroTurf patio. from downtown Ashland. station, you’ll find knew this 16-acre you sit at a picnic ta-
$ ; 424 Bridge St.; ashlandcreekinn.com. the Rogue Valley’s property could grow ble under a giant
s ammichashland.com. best new restaurant. grapes. In 2009, walnut tree, enjoying
Harvest’s petroleum they cleared the land a wood-fired pizza
heritage doesn’t themselves; planted and a bottle of
4 SMITHFIELDS G o G i ’ S R E S TAU R A N T extend to the decor, Syrah, Grenache, Dancin’s limited-
T he motto of this car- Elegant, substantial food which is country-chic Tempranillo, and production estate
ni vorous restaurant in downtown Jacksonville. with mason jars and Viognier vines; and Chardonnay or Pinot
and bar is embla- gogisrestaurant.com. fresh flowers. The brought on local Noir. Owners Dan
z oned on the staff food is simple and star winemaker Rob Marca and his wife,
T- shirts: “Bacon, the satisfying. Owners Folin, of Folin Cellars, Cindy (Dan-Cin, get
g ateway meat.” It’s NEW SAMMY’S John and Ruby Biles to make the juice. it?), are building a
almost a call to arms C OW B OY B I S T R O make their own pas- For now, tastings are gravity-flow winery
i n Ashland, an artsy La Belle France meets tas and split-pea by appointment on on-site, which should
to wn prone to attract- tiny Talent; deservedly falafels, and pull their terrace, over- be ready just in time
in g vegan types. But loved. (541) 535-2779. as much produce looking their vines for this year’s har-
Smithfields wants you from local farms as and the Fern Valley. vest. Tasting from $5;
to go whole hog, with possible—not to men- In the spring, look 4477 S. Stage Rd.;
pulled pork, brisket, tion Carlton pigs too, for an open-air dancinvineyards.com.
burgers—and, oh, a for the chile-cilantro “farmstand” in the WE RECOMMEND :
14-ounce Umpqua baby back ribs. $$; field next door for Dancin 2014
V alley lamb porter- 102 Talent Ave.; tastings. $5 tasting; “Mélange” Char-
h ouse, if the craving harvestrestaurant 5709 Hughes Rd.; donnay (Southern
st rikes. Beware: The oregon.com. jaxonvineyards.com. Oregon; $29).

THE GRAND WINE TOUR
add
to your
list
JACKSONVILLE 10 C OW H O R N ROSEBURG Syrah, Merlot, and
V I N E YA R D & Tempranillo), this
8 Q UA DY GA R D E N 12 PAU L O ’ B R I E N northerly valley is
N O RT H W I N E RY
Those who do know
The leafy country F L OAT A Scott O’Brien Kelley
the most diverse AVA
in an already diverse
road that leads to
Southern Oregon Cowhorn is a far cry RIVER ditched the big-name region. The friends
wine know Herb from Wall Street, wine countries to join work with grapes
Quady. Born to where Bill Steele forces with his long- from eight Umpqua
central Californian toiled through 2004, time buddy Dyson growers to produce
Muscat-making par- ONE OF the things that Paul DeMara at what Old World–style
when he and his makes Southern Oregon
ents and schooled wife, Barbara, began some call “the next Chardonnay–Pinot
at Randall Grahm’s wine country special is great wine region”— Blanc blends, spicy
testing soil in the the country itself. No
Bonny Doon, Quady Applegate Valley. aka the Umpqua Val- Tempranillos, and sin-
decided to move his other wine region offers ley. With its marine gle-vineyard Pinot
They discovered that so many different ways
winemaking talents the terroir of this par- influence, crazy mix Noirs. $10 tasting;
north after falling in to enjoy the outdoors. of microclimates and 609 S.E. Pine St.;
ticular slice of South- Start with its trio of
love with Southern ern Oregon was re- soil types, and ability paulobrienwines.com.
Oregon. “The bar rivers. The Applegate to grow cool-climate WE RECOMMEND :
markably similar to River winds through the
keeps consistently the Rhône region of grapes like Pinot, Paul O’Brien 2013
getting higher here,” Applegate Valley and is Chardonnay, and “Cask 11” Temprani-
France. The Steeles great for a quick, cold dip
Quady says of the replanted their first Riesling (and ripen llo (Umpqua Valley;
gion’s snowballing or lounging on its often bigger reds like $36).
grapes in 2005 and easily accessible banks.
top scores. “There now are known for
isn’t room to put out The Umpqua is renowned
rich Rhône-style for its salmon and steel-
anything mediocre.” wines, as well as for
Pop into Quady’s head. But the Rogue is
a rigorous biodynam- the river for real outdoor
brick-lined tasting ic ethic. The wines
room on Jackson- fun. By fall, summer’s JACKS ON V IL L E
they make are ele- rafting season has
ville’s cute main drag, gant, earthy, and calmed, and so have the Quady North
and you’ll see (and vibrant, with a sense
taste) that he’s right. rapids, which makes for
of the soil they come a more peaceful float
$5 tasting; 255 from. $10 tasting;
California St.; quady through its truly Wild
1665 Eastside Rd.; and Scenic stretch. That
north.com. cowhornwine.com.
WE RECOMMEND : means no buzzing jet
WE RECOMMEND : boats or partying booze
Quady North Cowhorn 2014
2014 Rosé (Rogue cruises (you’ll find those
“Spiral 36” White downriver farther west);
Valley, Southern (Applegate Valley,
Oregon; $15). just you, a raft, towering
Oregon; $28). evergreens, and tinges of
gold—and the river flow-
9 M C C U L LY GR ANTS PASS ing 34 miles through the
HOUSE INN canyon.
Location, location,
11 T H E H AU L Rogue Wilderness Ad- JACK SONVI LLE
location. Next to We’re touting wine ventures runs float, fish- Herb Quady
Stim Coffee, across here, but let’s not ing, and hiking trips of Quady North
from Quady North’s forget beer. Southern through early November.
tasting room, and Oregon has hops Go for an afternoon, a
with a grassy park too! And you can twilight float, or four
behind it, McCully taste those hops put long, blissful days,
House has the best to their best use at camping on the banks
setting in downtown this straight-out-of- or crashing at the hand-
Jacksonville. The sev- Portland gastropub ful of rustic lodges that
en spacious rooms featuring live music, line the way. And if you
were renovated in housemade-soda decide you want to pair
2013 or just con- fountain—and about your adventure with
structed, one with a a dozen American local wine, they’ll bring
sunken tub and sweet and Belgian-style it—lots of it—along
little patio. But the microbrews on tap. with a flip-flop-clad
preferred place to sit Most of the beers sommelier.
and sip is in one of come from Apple- ³ Rogue Wilderness
the red Adirondack gate Valley’s Conner Adventures: Guided hiking,
chairs on the front Fields Brewing; the fishing, rafting, and wine-
lawn, where you can excellent food is the tasting trips from $80/4 hours;
watch all the action, product of Rogue put-in at Grave Creek, in Mer-
or lack thereof, in Valley food truck– lin, about 34 miles N.W. of
this charming small catering company Grants Pass; wildrogue.com.
town. From $165; Fulcrum Dining.
countryhouseinns $$; 121 S.W. H St.;
jacksonville.com. thehaulgp.com.

AS H L AN D Smithfields
At San Francisco’s
Bar Tartine, raw ingredients
and ancient techniques
come together in a
CAULDRON
OF FLAVOR.
Food editor Margo True goes
behind the scenes at the
most experimental restaurant
in the West.
PHOTOGR APHS BY ERIC WOLFIN GER

JARS OF POWDERS, LEAVES, FLOWERS,
AND MYSTERIOUS DRIED SHAPES
GLEAMED ALONG ONE WALL. ON THE
FLOOR, VATS OF LIQUIDS BURBLED AND
SEETHED. IT SMELLED LIKE CHEESE
AND PICKLES, ROASTED CHILES AND
FRESH CILANTRO, WILD AND BRACING.
I N 2 5 Y E A R S of writing about food, I’d seen I’ve been to the restaurant, it’s been packed. Even in the Bay Area,
a lot of restaurant kitchens, but never any- where housemade ingredients are commonplace in restaurants, Bar
thing like the back room at Bar Tartine, in Tartine is a standout. “No one does it to the extent that Cortney and
San Francisco. Nick Balla, the chef who’d in- Nick do,” says Sam Mogannam, whose Bi-Rite Market is nearby.
vited me in to take a look, stood in the mid- Eventually, asking the waiters for details wasn’t enough for me. I
dle, holding hands with his co-chef and girl- wanted to know how those flavors, and their bewitching effects, were
friend, Cortney Burns, both of them smiling produced. So I asked Nick and Cortney for a chance to be an unpaid
as though they were in Eden. This was the apprentice in their kitchen—to see into the heart of the cauldron. And
Previous
heart of Bar Tartine, their playground and pages: that was how, for a week, I plunged into an adventure in flavor.
workshop. Here they made just about every Assorted
ingredient they used: pickles, butter, vine- dried I ’ M N E RVO U S . Although I’ve worked in a restau-
DAY
gars, spices, cured meats, and much more. ingredients rant before, it was decades ago, in Houston—with a
ONE
None of this was touted on the menu. It was from the Texas-size kitchen. This one looks as cramped as a
just how they wanted to cook. Bar Tartine submarine, and it opens right onto the bar, meaning
As for dinner that night, I remember being pantry; anyone sitting there has a view of the terrible mistakes I will probably
thrilled by the sheer strangeness of the food. smoked make. Cortney immediately puts me at ease, handing me a soft gray
Smoked potatoes with ramp mayonnaise? potatoes apron from her stash. She’s tiny, taut, and purposeful, and darts
with ramp
Lemon-kamut pound cake with kefir cream through the passageways like a minnow as she shows me around.
mayonnaise.
and bee pollen? The flavors seemed to expand I’m fascinated by the glass-fronted fridges across from the ser-
Opposite:
in all directions as I ate. And they had an un- Cortney vice line. Some of the food in there is familiar, but mostly it’s not:
expectedly energizing effect; after dinner, I smoothes a black garlic paste, blood orange vinegar, lima-bean miso, corn sau-
felt like I was percolating. I’d never eaten food whey- erkraut, and torpedo-shaped tanks of CO2.
I liked so much but understood so little. caramel Nick walks up, tall, loose-limbed, and a little shy. He starts pull-
That was five years ago. Since then, the cheesecake. ing containers from the fridges. “Most of this is stuff we’ve already
restaurant’s reputation has grown. Nick and used. We like to save a little bit, just to see what it’ll do.” He pops the
Cortney’s recipes have appeared in maga- lid off some fiddlehead ferns, jade green coils in a thick anchovy
zines across the country. Their first cook- sauce. “These were just awful when I made them about a year ago,
book, Bar Tartine: Techniques and Recipes but they got much better the longer they sat.” He gives me a taste;
(Chronicle Books, 2014), won national they’re surprisingly mild, like asparagus, but crunchier.
awards, and Morgan Spurlock featured them On the other side of the wall lies the project kitchen. The seething,
in his recent documentary, Crafted. slightly primeval room I remembered is now tidy and shipshape, al-
Their food is not to everyone’s liking. “At though packed floor to ceiling with food in various stages of transfor-
least once a month, I get an email from some- mation. Boxy black dehydrators sit on the top shelf, extricating mois-
one who’s furious and hated everything on ture from tomatoes, onions, even yogurt, concentrating their flavors
the menu,” says Nick. Yet nearly every time and turning them into more powerful versions of themselves.

NICK AND
CORTNEY
MAKE NEARLY
EVERYTHING
IN THEIR
PANTRY, AND
THOSE IN-
GREDIENTS
ARE OUTRA-
GEOUSLY
ORIGINAL.
Nick reaches into one of the dehydrators like ground coriander, but also outrageously original creations: yogurt powder, charred
and heaves down a crusty pan of roasted- eggplant spice, fermented honey, sunchoke oil.
pepper purée. The spicy, fruity smell makes
my head swim. As a teenager living in Hun- A FA R M E R , one of several scheduled to deliver this morning, has just carted in a crate of
gary, Nick loved the pepper paste sold there, knobbly celery roots. These become my first job.
and that memory is what he’s working to- For the next 2 1/2 hours, I separate leaves from stems, carve off the hairy skin and root-
ward with this purée. “We came up with the lets, and cut each bulb into 1/4-inch cubes, meant to be folded into a sauce for spaetzle that
idea of fermenting it to make it sour, and night. Halfway through, one of the line cooks stares at my cubes and picks out a few.
then drying it, and now we’ll age it to make “These are flat.” Ugh, so they are. I remove all the flatties, shrinking my Done pile.
it sweeter. After six months, the flavor will At 3 p.m., it’s time for the daily lineup, when Nick and Cortney talk through the menu
totally change.” The peppers were grown with the cooks, at top speed, in what sounds like code. It’s a fire hose of information. I
for them by Full Table, their favorite farm, struggle to make sense of not just the ingredients—fermented green walnuts? strong katsuo
from seeds Nick found in some prized pa- dashi?—but also how their flavors fit together. Later, one of the servers admits to me that
prika he brought back from Hungary. she has to be careful not to tell the customers too much. “Otherwise their jaws drop open.”
This is part of why Bar Tartine’s food Afterward, it’s a relief to be doing something useful: shaving the rind off pale pink
tastes so different. Plenty of the top restau- heirloom watermelons, for pickling, and then cutting up the fragile fruit. “Wow, it’s so
rants in California use custom-grown sweet!” says Cortney to Nick as they eat dribbly pieces. “What should we do with it?”
fruits and vegetables as well as local meats. “Juice?”
But Nick and Cortney make nearly every- “But I’ll have 60 gallons!” Apparently that’s way too much.
thing in their pantry too—not just the basics “Ferment it?” She agrees. It’ll become watermelon soda.

street snack. It’s completely different from the next bite, black cod
in an electric green chile broth. And yet they’re connected, shaped
by the same forceful imagination. Countless times, Nick and Cort-
ney have been asked what kind of food their restaurant serves.
“We dread the question,” they write in their cookbook. It is by na-
ture a confining one, and they are much more interested in explo-
ration. “We serve the food we want to eat.”
I also get to taste the spaetzle, sauced with celery-root purée and
topped with a poached egg and salmon caviar. For a moment, I think
my celery-root cubelets didn’t make the grade. But there they are,
hiding among the noodles, giving a subtle crunch to the dish.
In the project kitchen, it’s butter-making time. Bar Tartine’s butter
is creamier and denser than store-bought, with a gentle tang. Leah, a
line cook with her hair up in a Rosie the Riveter bandana, starts with
cream that’s been mixed with kefir grains, microorganisms used in
Eastern Europe to ferment milk into a yogurtlike drink. She whips
the cream in a stand mixer until, suddenly, clumps of butter form.
After draining off the buttermilk, she squeezes the butter handful by
handful to force out the remaining liquid, tossing each bright yellow
chunk into a giant bowl until they’re piled as high as her head. Then
she stands on a stool to massage salt into the butter. It takes her a
couple of hours to do all this. I’m amazed that she doesn’t cramp up.
“People don’t understand why we charge for butter,” she says. I tell
her that the kitchen should install a butter-cam.
All day long, I’ve tasted ingredients I’d never known existed,
like Hungarian honey truffle, a white, downy globe that’s almost
saccharine-sweet, and crystalline ice plant, whose thick stems and
buds taste like oysters. And now, at midnight, I help pack up a vast
bowl of what looks like tar and smells like a bonfire. I’m not far off:
This is Bar Tartine’s version of the Mayan concoction chilmole,
made from charred Padrón and green bell peppers that are then
puréed, dehydrated, and mixed with charred onions and garlic. I
drive home, my hands stained dark orange.
Back in the project kitchen, Cortney is try- CHAD ROBERTSON, the owner of Bar Tartine as
DAY
ing to make cheesecake without refined sug- well as San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery, hired Nick in
TWO
ar. Neither she nor Nick are antisugar zeal- From far 2011. (Nick and Cortney will become owners of Bar
ots—he says he’ll eat 2 pints of ice cream in a left: Dried Tartine by the end of this year.) Robertson couldn’t
sitting. They just don’t think it’s interesting. mugwort; get enough of the food Nick was making at Nombe, a Japanese-style
“Like white flour, it’s flavorless and doesn’t Cortney and pub in the Mission District. As he writes in the introduction to Bar
make us feel good,” she says. Customers are Nick; chick- Tartine, “Nick’s menu was a study in contrasts, in extremes, really, of
often puzzled by what she calls her “sort-
pea purée the most flavorful kind”—elegant clear soups alongside rustic grilled
seasoned with
of-sweets,” but they’re designed to glide tripe and spicy chicken wings. A few months after Nick started at Bar
coriander,
smoothly from the savory menu rather than Tartine, Cortney arrived. “She could do anything and everything, and
fennel flow-
break off into a jangly, sugar-saturated ex- ers, and better than everyone else,” Robertson writes, from butchering whole
perience. They’re part of why eating here is more; dried animals to making cheese. Pretty soon she was co-chef, and the two of
restorative rather than exhausting. Bulgarian them were taking the kitchen where it had never gone before.
Tonight Nick works the pass-through, banana chiles Both chefs grew up in the Midwest, in families of Eastern and
where dishes land for inspection before go- and pickled Central European heritage, with good, solid, from-scratch cooking.
ing out into the dining room. Standing next green Over morning coffee in the empty restaurant, they tell me how they
to him is great, because he keeps telling the walnuts. both traveled overseas early on—Cortney to Tibet for a year of col-
cooks to feed me for educational purposes. I lege, plus India and Thailand; Nick to Budapest for high school, then
try a crunchy cone of sprouted lentils in a to Japan, apprenticing at fish factories and noodle restaurants. By the
swirl of puréed beets, a take on an Indian time they came to Bar Tartine, they’d each cooked at restaurants in

the Bay Area for several years and were both T H I S M O R N I N G Caitlin, a turbo-charged sous-chef, explains the spicy
fascinated by food “projects”—the kind of DAY ginger ale–type drink on tap at the bar. It begins with microbe-laden
FOUR
traditional preserving and processing tech- kefir grains. Add them to water, along with fresh ginger and molasses
niques they’d seen in their travels. “I’ve al- for them to eat, and they start producing CO2—fizz—along with a mild,
ways loved anything that involves potschke, creamy tang. They do the same thing in milk, feeding on the lactic sugars there. So many
which is Yiddish for taking a lot of work to of the foods made in the project kitchen—cheeses, pickles, sausages, sodas—depend on
do something,” says Cortney. “I’m a potsch- bacteria to transform them. Fermentation deepens flavor. It can also make food more
kelyer. If it takes all day, I’m totally happy.” nutritious and probiotic, which explains why even vast meals at Bar Tartine have left me
feeling fizzy. To be a cook at Bar Tartine
is to be a manager of microbes.
SO MANY OF THE FOODS—PICKLES,

An earthy smell engulfs the project
kitchen. Norberto, a soft-spoken Argen-
SAUSAGES, SODAS—DEPEND ON tine here for a three-month apprentice-

ship, is making a vinaigrette with black
BACTERIA TO TRANSFORM THEM. garlic, whole heads turned ebony from
days in the dehydrator. It tastes like lico-
TO BE A COOK HERE IS TO BE A rice, but smokier, and the aroma is so
MANAGER OF MICROBES.
powerful that sometimes the neighbors
come over to see what’s going on.
Meanwhile, Nick is searching for a
way to boost the flavor of his tomato jam.
When they began cooking together, says He unearths a jar of strawberry preserves, its age uncertain. “Don’t explode,” he whis-
Nick, “it was like two galaxies colliding, pers. It unscrews without a hiss, and he shakes it into the tomato jam. Often, an “active”
with swirls and particles everywhere.” jar like this strawberry one will end up as fruit leather, an example of which Nick hands
They’re both laughing. “We’d have 100 to me: a supple strip of blackberry-apricot. It’s so intense, it gives me goosebumps.
pounds of peppers coming in, and I’d buy Afternoon comes, and I’ve destemmed small mountains of oregano, lemon balm, and
carloads more stuff,” says Cortney. They anise hyssop. I’ve twisted the sticky husks off a boxful of cape gooseberries, trying not to
were so fired up by each other that they squeal as earwigs crawl out of them. Then I tackle sumac. I’ve known this tangy Middle
couldn’t stop cooking. “We’d be making Eastern berry only in its ground form. This sumac comes as whole branching clusters that
sausage till 5 in the morning.” look as though they’re from an alien planet, bright red and slightly greasy. It takes four of
At the afternoon’s cooks’ lineup, Nick re- us hours to rake the berries from the branches with a fork.
invents a salmon dish off the top of his head,
but his eyes are locked with Cortney’s the A T T O D AY ’ Scooks’ lineup, Nick updates a sous-chef who’s been out
DAY
whole time he talks. The cucumbers will be on the menu changes. I’m finally catching on, recognizing each dish’s
SEVEN
chunked, not sliced, and broth will be in- basic architecture, understanding its flavors. It reminds me of dance
volved. “It’s going to be like a—” class long ago, when I had two left feet—until suddenly I didn’t.
“Soup-salad,” says Cortney. He nods. Cortney has finished the cheesecake, the recipe she’s been working on for days. The
For the next few minutes, they share sen- magic ingredient: potatoes, blended into the cheese mixture for smoothness. For
tences, figuring out what to do with excess sweetness, she spoons on a caramel sauce made from reduced whey, full of natural
pea shoots. They’ll add them to roasted car- milk sugars. Instead of a bottom crust, which would get soggy, she’s formed an almond
rots. Peas and carrots, Bar Tartine–style. honey tuile—a thin, lacy cookie—into a cup that she places over the cake. It’s so flavor-
“We have a lot of in-progress stuff on that ful and clever that it more than makes up for the sweetness of the traditional version.
speed rack in the basement too,” Nick says. “It’s dessert meets cheese course,” Cortney says.
“Maybe something amazing will come out In the afternoon, Caitlin leads me and two new waiters through a document called
of it. A lot of our best food is circumstance, “Bar Tartine Techniques and Overview,” which explains the principles behind their
fate, and what’s available.” cooking. It’s full of surprises: Chicken, for example, is poached in chicken stock and
Ten minutes later, he’s hauled two dozen kombu (kelp), to make both meat and stock extra flavorful. No ingredient goes unexam-
contenders from the rack and is rummaging ined at Bar Tartine. Each adds to a kind of culinary alphabet. When they cook, Nick and
through them, looking for potential. Pickled Cortney communicate something original, in a language that’s entirely their own.
baby eggplant: too tired. Out. The salmon What will they do with Bar Tartine, once they own it outright? I ask them. “We’ll just
caviar is expiring, so instead he’ll mix butter evolve it a little bit,” says Nick, “more toward vegetables and maybe the Middle East.”
and bottarga to go on the spaetzle tonight. He They’re also planning, down the road, to open an Asian-focused restaurant and a com-
finds some chicken-skin cracklings and missary, where they’ll do all their preserving, with a tiny restaurant built in. “We’ll al-
starts popping them in his mouth. “This is ways keep changing,” Nick says. “We always want that freedom.”
like gorp for me. We should braise these.” Tonight I work the cold station, helping Norberto put together the sweet-potato salads

and plates paved with pure white lard. This It seems as if every customer in the place is ordering the potato
is when I learn that there’s a world of differ- Black garlic salad tonight. Even though I’ve been watching this dish go out all
ence between the stiff hydrogenated stuff in and lentil week, I can’t seem to master it. First I make the salads too small,
plastic tubs and this soft, freshly made deli- soup (recipe then too big (“Those are huge!” Cortney says to me as she swings
cacy, topped with sweet white onion and ex- on sunset. by), then finally just right. Hours go by like minutes. The arcane
pensive Hungarian paprika. I also learn, the com, along combinations start to make sense to me. Briny green walnuts and
hard way, to tuck in my elbows and drop with others fennel? Of course, because the walnuts taste remarkably like
down vertically when I reach into the fridge from Bar olives—a classic with fennel. The avocado and sweet potato give
under the counter. If you bend like an L, any Tartine). this otherwise crunchy salad its mellow, creamy base. It clicks.
cook charging past will knock you over. I get it. And suddenly it’s closing time.

Darkness
Falls
Forget the fake halloween cobwebs: These
plants will set a moody—even
spooky—tone on your porch for fall.
74
na
tangle
Harry Lauder’s walk-
ing stick (Corylus
avellana ‘Contorta’)
stars here, its dor-
mant bony form on
full display. Greenish
yellow catkins will
soon dangle from
the tree’s twisted
branches, followed
by a covering of
bright green leaves in
spring and summer.
The supporting cast,
from top: a wispy
‘Little Prince’ Corokia
cotoneaster, a rosette-
shaped ‘Blue Glow’
agave, and a Heuchera
‘Plum Pudding’.
aleidoscopic
color
It’s hard to pick a
best moment for Ber-
beris thunbergii ‘Or-
ange Rocket’, whose
spring foliage starts
out coral, ages to
green, and then
turns red. But the
two-toned nature of
its autumn habit is
something spectacu-
lar. In this faux-aged
terra-cotta pot, the
barberry rises above
a green and coral
pork and beans
stonecrop (Sedum x
rubrotinctum) and a
parrot’s beak (Lotus
maculatus), which
dangles its soft stems
over the edge.
76
he
undead
These wire netting
bushes (Corokia coto-
neaster) only look
half-dead. The New
Zealand natives,
known for their zig-
zagging branches,
actually thrive in
pots. They hold their
structure year-
round, sending out a
flush of star-shaped
yellow flowers in
spring. Their com-
panions include a
pair of spiny Dyckia
‘Burgundy Ice’ and
a nearly black mass
of large-leafed Heuch-
era ‘Obsidian’, in
a low stone trough.
ark
and twisted
Japanese bitter or-
ange (Poncirus trifoli-
ata ‘Flying Dragon’)
is grown more for its
gnarled shape than
its fruit. Here, it
spreads its green
stems—cloaked with
sharp spines and the
last of its yellow fall
leaves—above softly
mounding reindeer
moss (Cladonia ran-
giferina). Heuchera
villosa ‘Big Top Gold’
picks up the color of
the citrus plant, and
a weeping Purple
Pixie Loropetalum
provides a dark
counterpoint.
DIGITAL BONUS Get inspired

by our creative jack-o’-lanterns,
no-carve pumpkins, and spooky
Halloween treats: sunset.com/halloween.
78
hriller
These redtwig dog-
woods may be dor-
mant, but bare of
their green leaves,
the branches almost
glow. Gallon-size
shrubs fit a 20-inch
square container in
the fall but should be
replanted into sepa-
rate pots or garden
beds in spring, giv-
ing each plant room
to reach 4 to 6 feet
wide or more. At left,
the spiderlike leaves
of black mondo grass
(Ophiopogon planisca-
pus ‘Nigrescens’)
appear to crawl over
the edge of a pail.
A DVERT I SEM EN T
ONE FAMILY. ONE CALENDAR.

Manage the chaos of everyday life with Cozi,
the must-have app for families.
• Keep track of the new fall schedule and everyone’s activities,

all in one place
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ÌÌÌÌÌ in iTunes® and Google Play™
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©2015 Cozi Inc. All rights reserved.

All referenced trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Family life. Simplified.
Food & Drink
P E AK
SEASON
GRAPE
EXPECTATIONS
Surprising ways to use the juicy
fruit in your cooking
FOOD STYLING: ROBYN VALARIK; PROP STYLING: EMMA STAR JENSEN
Photographs by ANNABELLE BREAKEY SUNSET ❖ OCTOBER 2015 81

Food & Drink
MINI ALMOND and GRAPE CAKES

MAKES 9 MINI CAKES / 1 HOUR
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Generously butter and flour 9 cups (1/3-
cup size) in a muffin pan (if possible, use a shiny rather than
a dark pan). In a bowl with a mixer, beat butter and sugar until
Inspired by French financiers, these small cakes are dense thoroughly combined and light. Add eggs and beat until
with the warm flavors of almond, orange zest, and butter. incorporated, stopping to scrape down inside of bowl. Add
The grapes become a little jammy after baking, which almond and all-purpose flours, orange zest, vanilla, and salt and
complements the cakes’ richness. beat on low speed to combine.
2. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Poke 1 grape into
1⁄ 2
batter in each cup. Cut remaining grapes in half lengthwise; set 2
cup unsalted butter, Zest of 1 orange
1⁄ 2 tsp. vanilla extract
halves on batter in each cup. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
at room temperature
2 ⁄ 3 cup sugar 1⁄ 2 tsp. fine sea salt
3. Bake until deep golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes, rotating pan
halfway through. Let cool in pan on a rack at least 15 minutes.
2 large eggs, at room 18 black seedless grapes
Loosen cakes from pan with a knife, set on small plates, and
temperature (3⁄4 cup)
serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche if you like.
1 cup almond flour 11⁄ 2 tbsp. sliced almonds
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour Crème fraîche (optional) PER CAKE 290 Cal., 61% (178 Cal.) from fat; 5.1 g protein; 20 g fat (8.5 g sat.); 25 g
carbo (1.8 g fiber); 116 mg sodium; 79 mg chol. LC/LS/V
By KIMBERLEY HASSELBRINK
PEAK SEASON
SALMON with ROASTED GRAPES continue to cook as they sit. Grapes

should be a bit wrinkled; if not, transfer
and ARUGULA SALAD

fish to a plate and broil grapes a few min-
utes longer. Sprinkle fish and grapes
with remaining 1/2 tsp. thyme.
SERVES 4 / 40 MINUTES
4. In a small bowl, whisk together remain-
In this healthy weeknight dinner, thyme and arugula keep the sweetness of the
ing 5 tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp.
grapes in balance. Nearly all the cooking is done on a single baking sheet.
pepper with the vinegar, mustard, and
garlic until emulsified. In a large bowl,
1⁄4 cup pine nuts 1. Preheat broiler with a rack set about 3 in. toss arugula with half of pine nuts and
4 sockeye salmon fillets (each 6 oz. and from heat. Toast pine nuts in a medium a third of balsamic dressing.
about 1⁄ 2 in. thick), pin bones removed* frying pan over medium-low heat until 5. Arrange salad on a platter. Set salmon
2 cups seedless red grapes golden, stirring often, 4 to 7 minutes. on top, overlapping pieces a bit. Gently
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided Pour into a bowl and let cool. combine remaining pine nuts with
11⁄ 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, 2. Set salmon and grapes on a rimmed grapes; spoon grape mixture over fish.
divided baking sheet, leaving some space around Serve with remaining dressing on the
3⁄4 tsp. fine sea salt, divided fish. Drizzle everything with 1 tbsp. oil side and lemon wedges if you like.
1⁄ 2 tsp. pepper, divided and sprinkle with 1 tsp. thyme and
1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Turn fish
*Ask your fishmonger to remove bones, or go
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
to sunset.com/salmonvideo to see how.
1 tsp. Dijon mustard and grapes to coat, setting salmon skin
1 small garlic clove, minced side down if fillets have skin. PER SERVING 596 Cal., 62% (367 Cal.) from fat;
6 cups loosely packed baby arugula 3. Broil until fish is still a bit rare in center 39 g protein; 42 g fat (6 g sat.); 18 g carbo (1.8 g fiber);
411 mg sodium; 105 mg chol. LS
Lemon wedges (optional) (cut to test), 4 to 6 minutes; fillets will

Food & Drink
DESIGNED
FOR WINE
GAT H E R
A Sonoma chef crafts a party

menu around excellent
pairings. By Elaine Johnson
IN AN OPEN-AIR KITCHEN set near rows of

grapevines, olive trees, and heritage oaks,
John McReynolds is patiently browning
short ribs. The chef, the culinary director
for Sonoma’s Stone Edge Farm Estate Vine-
yards & Winery, will slowly cook vegeta-
bles next, then braise everything with
herbs and wine. His goal: to coax out big
flavors and unctuous mouthfeel. This will
make the ribs an ideal partner for the win-
ery’s Bordeaux-style Cabs.
In a career that’s spanned dude ranch
cook, chef to George Lucas, and co-owner
of Cafe La Haye in Sonoma, McReynolds
has learned that a successful food-and-
wine pairing takes you beyond the sum
parts of the meal. “You make something
magical happen by matching the right wine
with the right food.”
The magic plays out today as he cooks
for a small group of friends on the winery’s
private grounds (its Silver Cloud Vineyard
property nearby is open to the public by
appointment). As the sun begins to turn the
vines golden, guests nibble on artichoke-
olive bruschetta with a Sauvignon Blanc.
Then it’s on to a surprisingly complex
green salad paired with the winery’s “Sur-
round” Cabernet, and the short ribs with
the longer-aged, signature Stone Edge
Farm Cab. “I don’t think there’s any other
beverage in the world that has as much
complexity in flavor and aroma as wine,”
PROP STYLING: NISSA QUANSTROM
says McReynolds. “You take a sip and eat

a bite of food, and it hits on all the senses.”
TOP A small dinner party on the grounds of

Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery
(wines available in limited quantities at
stoneedgefarm.com). RIGHT John McReynolds
plates the short ribs.
84 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET Photographs by ERIN KUNKEL

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Food & Drink
GOAT CHEESE, ARTICHOKE,

and OLIVE BRUSCHETTA
SERVES 6 / 1 HOUR, PLUS 1 HOUR TO SIT
As delicious as they are, artichokes have a compound
that makes wine taste sweet. Tangy goat cheese brings
both into balance. McReynolds leaves one end of the
toasts free of toppings so fingers stay clean.
1 large artichoke or 1⁄ 2 cup diced thawed frozen

artichoke hearts
1 shallot, finely chopped
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
About 1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt

1 small garlic clove, minced, plus 1 whole clove
1 tbsp. Meyer or regular lemon juice
About 1⁄4 tsp. pepper THE PAIRING
1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus small leaves Try with Stone
1⁄ 3 cup picholine or Niçoise olives, pitted and coarsely Edge Farm Sauvi-
gnon Blanc 2013
chopped (Sonoma Valley,
12 baguette slices (from 3⁄4 baguette), cut on a diagonal $30), which has
about 1⁄ 2 in. thick and 4 to 5 in. long refreshing citrus
1⁄ 2 cup fresh goat cheese
acidity, herbal
notes, and creamy
oak, or with J.
Rickards Winery
1. Cut off and discard artichoke stem and all but 11/2 in. 2014 Croft Vine-
from leafy top. Pull off leaves down to pale yellow ones. yard Sauvignon
Cut off all green parts from outside. Halve artichoke Blanc ($19; see
page 104 for
through stem and use a pointed teaspoon to dig out tasting notes).
fluffy, fibrous choke. Cut artichoke into 1/4-in. dice.
2. Cook fresh (or thawed frozen) artichoke, shallot,
1 tbsp. oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small saucepan over
medium-low heat, covered, 5 minutes, stirring occa-
sionally. Add minced garlic; cook until artichoke is
tender, 5 minutes more. Let cool.
3. To artichoke mixture add 2 tbsp. oil, the lemon juice,
1/4 tsp. pepper, the chopped parsley, and olives. Stir;
let relish sit at least 1 hour.

4. Preheat broiler with rack set close to heat. Broil ba-
guette slices on a baking sheet, turning once, until
light golden, 3 to 4 minutes total. On 1 side, lightly
rub toasts with garlic clove, brush with remaining
1 tbsp. oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Spread toasts with cheese, leaving a corner uncov-
ered, and top with relish. Set a parsley leaf on each.
MAKE AHEAD Topping, up to 1 day, chilled.
PER 2-TOAST SERVING 232 Cal., 47% (109 Cal.) from fat;
7.2 g protein; 13 g fat (3 g sat.); 23 g carbo (2.5 g fiber); 398 mg sodium;
5.2 mg chol. V

THE PAIRING
Sip Stone Edge
Farm “Surround”
Cabernet Sauvi-
gnon 2011 (So-
noma Valley, $50),
with flavors of ripe
red fruit, a touch of
tobacco, and
balanced oak in
the background,
or Simi 2012
Cabernet Sauvi-
gnon ($24; see
page 107 for
tasting notes).
GREEN SALAD with ALMONDS,

maining 11/2 tsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and
1/4 tsp. pepper. Cook squash until
CHARRED ONION, and POMEGRANATES

browned, turning once, 7 to 8 minutes
total. Turn off heat, cover pan, and let
squash sit until tender, 20 minutes.
SERVES 6 / 1 HOUR
Let cool. Shave cheese with a vegetable
With its light texture and “green” flavor, lettuce alone can be a challenge with wine, espe-
peeler.
cially a red. McReynolds pulls it off by adding rich textures, savory flavors, and a verjus
5. In a large bowl, toss lettuces with half
dressing (juice from unripe wine grapes), which has a softer acidity than vinegar.
of dressing and salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange squash and onion at edges of
1⁄ 2 cup whole raw almonds 1/4 tsp. salt, and the piment d’Espelette. dinner plates. Drizzle with some dress-
5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided Bake until nuts are golden, 10 minutes. ing. Mound lettuce on plates, sprinkle
About 11⁄ 2 tsp. fleur de sel* or kosher salt, Let cool, then roughly chop. Set aside. with nuts and pomegranates, and tuck in
divided 2. In a small bowl, whisk together verjus, cheese. Drizzle with more dressing.
1⁄4 tsp. piment d’Espelette* or hot paprika mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. *Find fleur de sel sea salt at gourmet grocery
2 tbsp. verjus* or balsamic vinegar Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup oil. Set aside. stores. Find ground piment d’Espelette, a
1 tsp. Dijon mustard 3. Heat a large cast-iron griddle or skillet fruity, mild chile, at surlatable.com; verjus
About 3⁄4 tsp. pepper, divided over medium-high heat. Brush onion all at sweetwatercellars.com; Mezzo Secco at
1⁄ 2 large red onion, cut into 1⁄4-in.-thick rounds over with 1 tsp. oil and sprinkle with 1/4 vellacheese.com; and Little Gem at farmers’
1 large delicata squash (1 lb.), peeled tsp. each salt and pepper. Cook slices flat markets and well-stocked grocery stores.
2 to 3 oz. Vella Mezzo Secco* cheese, or on griddle until slightly blackened, turn-
MAKE AHEAD The almonds and dressing,
manchego or parmesan cheese ing once, 5 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to
up to 1 day (chill dressing and bring to room
1 lb. Little Gem* or romaine lettuces, stems a bowl, separating into rings. Cover and
temperature to serve). The onion and squash,
removed, torn into 2-in. pieces let sit about 5 minutes to soften.
1⁄ 2 cup pomegranate seeds
up to 3 hours at room temperature.
4. Meanwhile, cut squash crosswise into
1/2-in. rings and scrape inside clean with PER SERVING 299 Cal., 74% (221 Cal.) from fat;
1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a pie pan, toss a knife. Wipe griddle clean and reduce 6.7 g protein; 25 g fat (2.6 g sat.); 15 g carbo (4.7 g fiber);
554 mg sodium; 11 mg chol. V
almonds with 1/2 tsp. each water and oil, heat to medium. Toss squash with re-

Food & Drink
THE PAIRINGChoose Stone

Edge Farm Cabernet Sau-
vignon 2010 (Sonoma Val-
ley, $85) for its cassis, black
pepper, and intense but
polished sweet tannins, or
Punch Vineyards 2012
Cabernet Sauvignon
($35; see page 107 for
tasting notes).
ribs to a large plate and set aside.

2. Reduce heat to medium and add onions,
carrots, celery, and garlic to pot. Cook,
stirring often, until vegetables are soft
and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
Add tomato paste, wine, broth, thyme,
and bay leaves and stir to release any
brown bits. Bring to a boil and cook
about 5 minutes to concentrate flavors.
Return short ribs to pot and cover.
3. Braise in oven until ribs are nearly ten-
der when pierced with a fork, 1 1/2 to
2 hours. Uncover and cook until a fork
slides right into meat, 30 minutes more.
WINE-BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

With a slotted spoon, transfer ribs to
a 9- by 13-in. baking dish. Set ribs aside.
4. Strain juices from pot into a bowl, press-
SERVES 6 / 4 1⁄ 2 HOURS ing vegetables to release liquid. Discard
This classic braise, adapted from Stone Edge Farm Cookbook ($60; stoneedgefarm.com), tastes vegetables and return juices to pot.
even more flavorful made a day ahead, and chilling makes it easier to discard the fat. For 5. Increase oven to 400° and set rack in up-
the cooking wine, McReynolds believes that quality matters: “Certainly above $5 a bottle per third. Bring juices to a boil over high
but maybe not $85,” he jokes. He serves the ribs with steamed potatoes, carrots glazed in heat, tip pot, and skim fat with a shallow
herb butter, watercress, and a rémoulade salad (see page 90). spoon. Boil until sauce is reduced to
about 2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
6 beef short-rib pieces with bone, each 3 in. 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken or beef 6. Ladle about 1 cup sauce over ribs (save
long (4 lbs. total) broth, preferably homemade remaining sauce for other uses). Roast
2 tsp. kosher salt 10 thyme sprigs ribs, spooning sauce over them several
1 tsp. pepper 3 bay leaves times, until heated through and glazed,
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil Watercress sprigs 15 to 25 minutes. Set meat on plates,
3 large onions, chopped spoon on sauce, and top with a little
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Rub short ribs all watercress.
2 celery stalks, chopped over with salt and pepper. Heat a 6- to MAKE AHEAD Through step 4, up to 1 day,
3 garlic cloves 8-qt. dutch oven over medium-high chilled, with meat added to juices in pot. In
3 tbsp. canned tomato paste heat. Add oil and brown short ribs in 2 step 5, lift fat from cold juices; then transfer
3 cups hearty red wine, such as Cabernet batches on all sides, turning as needed, meat to baking dish and reduce juices (no
Sauvignon, Syrah, or Sangiovese 10 minutes per batch. Transfer short need to skim fat).
PER SERVING 632 Cal., 48% (306 Cal.) from fat; 62 g protein; 34 g fat (14 g sat.); 17 g carbo (fiber N/A); 819 mg sodium; 191 mg chol. GF (with GF broth)

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15AEBIAE
Food & Drink
Wine-pairing
party tips
For McReynolds, pulling off a
memorable meal comes down to
a few principles. For our com-
plete wine and beer pairing
guide, go to sunset.com/pairings.
START WITH FOOD Plan your menu
based on what’s in season, and
then choose the wines.
BODY TRUMPS COLOR For pair-

ings, McReynolds’ most important
consideration is matching body:
lighter-bodied wines with lighter
foods, and vice versa. But adding
rich, savory ingredients (roasted
nuts, cheese, and griddled vege-
tables, say) can also make a
KOHLRABI, APPLE, and

salad red wine–friendly.
REMEMBER THE BASE NOTES
HORSERADISH RÉMOULADE
Each course should have exciting
flashes, but not so many strong
flavors that it’s distracting. (Think
rich meat plus potatoes.)
SERVES 6 (MAKES 5 CUPS) / 35 MINUTES
Bright with the flavors of crème fraîche and green apple, this crunchy salad tastes ADD TEXTURE Something crisp or
refreshing alongside the beef. A handheld slicer makes quick work of the prep. raw cleanses the palate.
STOCK UP For a party, about

a half-bottle of wine per person
2 tbsp. lemon juice 1. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, horserad- total is a good rule of thumb,
1 tbsp. horseradish sauce ish, mustard, crème fraîche, salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. “though my friends might want
1 tsp. Dijon mustard 2. Thinly slice kohlrabi with a handheld slicer, then more,” McReynolds confesses.
1⁄ 2 cup crème fraîche
Aim for three different wines over
stack and cut into matchsticks, mixing it into dress- the course of a meal, poured
3⁄4 tsp. fleur de sel ing as cut. Repeat with apple. Stir in half of parsley from lightest to darkest.
About 1⁄4 tsp. pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with re-
KEEP IT SIMPLE Stick to dishes
3⁄4 lb. kohlrabi or celery root, maining parsley and more pepper. that aren’t too complicated and,
greens, coarse peel, and any MAKE AHEAD Up to 3 hours, chilled airtight. though it may sound obvious,
brown parts cut off prep as much as you can before
PER SERVING 113 Cal., 60% (68 Cal.) from fat; 1.8 g protein; 7.6 g fat (4.8 guests arrive; their ring at the
1 large green apple, cored and door is “not the time to crack
g sat.); 10 g carbo (3.1 g fiber); 230 mg sodium; 17 mg chol. LC/LS/V
quartered open the pomegranates and
2 tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf wrestle out the seeds.”
SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT Get the chef’s recipe for
parsley, divided Crème Fraîche Ice Cream Sundaes at sunset.com.

Food & Drink
FA S T & F R E S H
WEEKNIGHT COOKING
CLAMS with
PASTA and BACON
Spanish fideos—short, thin noodles—give
this dish a satisfying heft. If your grocery
store doesn’t carry them, use angel-hair
pasta instead. Serve family-style right out
of the pot or in a large bowl.
2 tbsp. salted butter 1⁄ 2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. extra-virgin 3 lbs. clams (about

olive oil 2-in. diameter),
10 oz. (2 cups) fideos scrubbed
or crushed angel- 6 oz. bacon, thinly
hair pasta nests sliced crosswise
2 medium shallots, 1⁄ 2 cup coarsely
thinly sliced chopped flat-leaf

1 thyme branch parsley
1 cup dry white wine 1 lemon, quartered
1. Heat butter and oil in a large dutch oven

over medium heat. Add pasta, shallots,
and thyme and cook, stirring constantly,
until most of pasta is toasted (it won’t be
evenly toasted), about 5 minutes.
2. Add wine, 1 3/4 cups water, and the pep-
per. Stir in clams and cook, covered, stir-
ring occasionally, until clams open, about
10 minutes. Discard any clams that
don’t open. Remove thyme branch.
3. Meanwhile, put bacon in a medium fry-
ing pan and set over medium heat. Cook,
stirring often, until bacon is crisp, about
8 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
4. Stir parsley and half of bacon into clams.
Transfer to a large serving bowl and
sprinkle with remaining bacon. Serve
FOOD STYLING: KAREN SHINTO
with lemon wedges.
PER SERVING 553 Cal., 28% (155 Cal.) from fat;

27 g protein; 17 g fat (6.2 g sat.); 58 g carbo (2.2 g fiber);
430 mg sodium; 65 mg chol. LS
92 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET By JULIA LEE & CHARLOTTE MARCH / Photographs by J E F F E RY C R O S S

GRILLED PEAR, CHICORY, and ENDIVE SALAD
When grilled, pears take on an appealing savoriness. Paired with rich nuts, cheese, and a variety
of cold-weather greens, they make an unusual (and quick) main-course salad.
4 small firm-ripe pears, 2 small heads frisée 2. Meanwhile, tear radicchio, frisée, and en-
such as Anjou, 2 Belgian endives dives into 2- to 3-in. pieces. You should have
Bartlett, or Bosc 3 tbsp. sherry vinegar about 12 cups.
(about 2 lbs. total) 11⁄ 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard 3. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, mus-
1⁄ 2 cup plus 1 tbsp. 1⁄ 2 cup flat-leaf parsley tard, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp.
extra-virgin olive oil leaves pepper. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/2 cup oil.
3⁄4 tsp. kosher salt, 3⁄4 cup toasted walnuts 4. Combine parsley, walnuts, and ricotta in a
divided 3 oz. ricotta salata or food processor; pulse until coarsely ground.
1⁄ 2 tsp. pepper, divided pecorino cheese 5. Toss warm pears and chicories in vinai-
1 small head radicchio grette. Spread about 2 tbsp. walnut-ricotta
mixture on each of 4 plates, then top with
1. Heat a grill to medium-high (about 450°). salad. Scatter remaining walnut-ricotta
Quarter pears lengthwise; stem and core. mixture over salads.
Toss pears in a bowl with 1 tbsp. oil; season
PER SERVING 594 Cal., 76% (450 Cal.) from fat; 8.4 g protein;
with 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Grill pears 51 g fat (10 g sat.); 29 g carbo (7.4 g fiber); 459 mg sodium;
until lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side. 5.3 mg chol. LS/V
Great Cooking Starts

With Great Ingredients
In Cook Taste Savor, you’ll learn the secrets to
selecting, cooking and enjoying 16 of the West’s
most versatile — and iconic — foods, from avocados
and artichokes to berries, chiles, fresh lamb, crab,
and more. With guidance from the editors of Sunset
magazine, the region’s premier lifestyle resource,
you will discover the secret to Western chefs’
and home cooks’ success in the kitchen: starting
with the freshest ingredients is the easiest way to
delicious meals.
AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD

OR AT WWW.SUNSET.COM/CTS
SUPERIOR
R NAT I O N
TE A
L
IN
WINE
JUDGMENTS
When the best wine tasters in the
COMPETITION
West evaluate nearly 3,000 bottles,

fascinating trends emerge—to say
nothing of an extraordinary
shopping list. By Sara Schneider
THERE’S SOMETHING you should know about the sea of

medals in the marketplace from wine competitions:
They’re only as good as the judges who award them. The
reliability of results varies widely among competitions,
hinging entirely on the tasting experience of the judges.
I knew all that when we floated the idea of launching
a Sunset wine competition, and I was ready to quash
the plan unless we could sign the best judges in the
West. We made a wish list—who would our ideal panel
include? Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine, sea-
soned wine journalists, experienced winemakers and
retailers—in short, professionals who’ve tasted and
evaluated wine on a constant basis for a very long time.
When I invited my dream team, the overwhelming
response was, “Absolutely, I’d love to be part of that!”
And I knew our medals would mean something.
In this fourth year of the Sunset International Wine
Competition (judged at Sunset’s headquarters in April),
the expertise of the team was more impressive than ever.
The judges—in panels of three—tasted each wine blind,
discussed its merits or flaws, then scored it. It’s hard
work (honestly), with judges evaluating nearly 100 bot-
tles a day. (Little wonder they broke loose after hours in
our dinnertime photo booth.) We awarded medals based
on the average of panelists’ scores. Finally, the highest-
scoring wine in each category earned Best in Class
status (a truly remarkable collection—see page 97).
When I studied the overall results, I discovered cool
trends—types of wine that scored higher than ever be-
fore, bottles that are screaming deals, unknown labels
that performed right up there with the biggies in their
categories. I’ve highlighted the groups I’m especially
excited about on pages 96–97. Following that is a list of
all our 2015 Gold and Silver Medal winners (at sunset. Scenes from the competition—
com/2015medals we’ve added the Bronze too). It makes flights of wine in every color;
expert sippers (from top:
a highly trustworthy shopping guide, with deserving Jim Blumling, Mark Chandler,
bottles for your dinner table or gift list. Kimberlee Nicholls).
Photographs by T H O M A S J. S T O RY OCTOBER 2015 95

ZINS IN
BALANCE
No one does Zinfandel like California, but for
a couple of decades, alcohol levels got out of
hand. This year, our judges found restraint
they loved. Some of these bottles aren’t cheap
as Zin goes, but they’re well balanced.
Black Stallion Estate Vineyard Zinfandel

Winery 2012 Monte (Sonoma Valley; $42)
Rosso Vineyard Zinfandel Parmeson 2013 Alegría
(Sonoma County; $45) Vineyard Zinfandel (Rus-
Clavo Cellars 2010 sian River Valley; $35)
“Desperado” Zinfandel Rodney Strong Estate
“THE JUDGES WERE ARTICULATE AND (Paso Robles; $30)
Dashe 2012 Florence
Vineyards 2012 “Knotty
Vines” Zinfandel
FAIR AND SOUGHT OUT THE VERY BEST Vineyard Zinfandel
(Dry Creek Valley; $35)
(Northern Sonoma,
Sonoma County; $25)
WINES TO REWARD. WE WERE GLAD Dry Creek Vineyard 2013 Sbragia 2012 “Gino’s
Heritage Vines Zinfandel Estate” Zinfandel
TO HAVE TIME OUT TO BALANCE THE (Sonoma County; $20) (Dry Creek Valley,
Francis Ford Coppola Sonoma County; $44)
SERIOUSNESS OF OUR TASK!” Director’s Cut 2013 St. Francis 2012
—BOB BETZ, MASTER OF WINE (SHOWN CENTER RIGHT) Zinfandel (Dry Creek Val- Giovanetti Vineyard
ley, Sonoma County; $27) Old Vines Zinfandel
BOTTLES: JEFFERY CROSS (6)

La Storia by Trentadue (Russian River Valley;
$48)
THE REAL DEAL

BEST BUYS 2013 Block 303 Zinfan-
del (Alexander Valley, Viaggio On The River
Sonoma County; $32) Estate and Winery 2012
Ordaz Family Wines “Little Missy” Zinfandel
2012 Montecillo (Lodi; $26)
Who doesn’t like tips from the pros on inexpensive wines

that don’t taste that way? From stylish Chardonnay to sol-
id Cabernet, these bottles—priced at $15 or less—scored
admirably alongside their more expensive counterparts.
Baron Philippe de Rancho Sisquoc 2014

Rothschild 2014 “Anderra” Flood Family Vineyards
Sauvignon Blanc Riesling (Santa Barbara “KNOWING HOW
(Valle Central, Chile; $11)
Cosentino Winery 2013
County; $12)
Seven Falls 2012
WILDLY POPULAR
“The Zin” Zinfandel
(Lodi; $15)
Chardonnay
(Wahluke Slope; $15)
CHARDONNAY IS,
Dobbes 2013 “Wine The Path 2013 OUR PANEL HAD
by Joe” Pinot Gris
(Willamette Valley; $14)
Cabernet Sauvignon
(California; $11) GREAT FUN FIND -
Estancia 2013 Pinot Noir
(Monterey County; $14)
Tom Gore Vineyards 2013
Cabernet Sauvignon
ING ONES THAT
J. Lohr 2013 “Bay Mist” (California; $15) DELIVER BOTH
White Riesling
(Monterey County; $10)
Villa Maria 2014
“Private Bin” Sauvignon SUBTLET Y AND
LangeTwins Family Winery
and Vineyards 2013
Blanc (Marlborough,
New Zealand; $13)
PLEASURE.”
Estate Grown Chardonnay — KIMBERLY NOELLE CHARLES , WINE
Waterbrook 2014
(Clarksburg; $15) PUBLICIT Y AND MARKET ING EXECUTIV E
Sangiovese Rosé
Mer Blanc 2014 Merlot (Columbia Valley; $12)
Rosé (North Coast; $15) Woodwork 2013 Batch
Old Soul 2012 “Pure Red” No. 7 Pinot Noir
(California; $14) (Central Coast; $15)

NEW KINGS OF RED
A full morning of judging nothing but big, structured Cabernet Sauvignons is a picnic
of sorts—in that it takes a whole lot of roast beef to tame the tannins (a professional
wine-taster’s trick). These are the Gold Medal versions of the classic Bordeaux variety.
West Coast vintners are making them better than ever now.
Browne Family Vineyards Perata Vineyards 2009 Rodney Strong 2012

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon (Yount- “Symmetry” Meritage
(Columbia Valley; $35) ville, Napa Valley; $48) (Alexander Valley,
Hoyt Family Vineyards Punch Vineyards 2012 Sonoma County; $55)
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon Sebastiani 2012
(Paso Robles; $52) (California; $35) Cabernet Sauvignon
Obelisco Estate 2012 Roberts+Rogers 2012 (Alexander Valley; $40)
Estate Grown “Ill Nefer” Cabernet Sauvignon Vörös 2012 Frediani Vine-
Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain, yard Cabernet Sauvignon
(Red Mountain; $125) Napa Valley; $100) (Napa Valley; $79)
Biddle Ranch Vine- (Sonoma County; $62)

THE BLEND yard 2012 “Evviva”
(San Luis Obispo
Muscardini 2012
“Fortuna” (Sonoma
BEST OF THE BEST
Winners’
TREND
The fastest-growing category of wine today?
County; $49)
Husch 2013
Valley; $54)
Nine Hats 2012 Red
Circle
The highest-scoring wine in each
Garzini Ranch Old (Columbia Valley;
“Miscellaneous red blends.” Some have so Vines “Heritage” $25) category earned Best of Class sta-
many varieties sharing space in one bottle (Mendocino; $30) tus. At every price level, these
that you’d be forgiven for thinking the wine- Oakville Ranch bottles represent fine wines at
maker just tossed everything left in her tanks
Jeff Cohn Cellars 2012 Field Blend tremendous value.
together at the end of the day. But in the best, 2013 “The Impos- (Napa Valley; $55)
disparate grape varieties complement one tor” (California; $35) Vina Robles 2012
Aratás 2011 Petite Sirah
another and fill in one another’s holes, to Ledson 2011 Estate “Red4” (Paso (Napa Valley; $45)
create a complete—delicious—wine. Reserve “Caudelies” Robles; $17)
Elizabeth Chambers Cellar
2013 Pinot Gris
(Willamette Valley; $18)
Gloria Ferrer 2006 Late
Chardonnay on the rise Disgorged “Royal
Cuvée” Brut (Carneros; $37)
Americans’ favorite wine—by a long shot—is Chardonnay. Hearst Ranch Winery 2011
It’s not shocking, then, that our judges had endless flights of “Chileano” Tempranillo
the white to tackle, sorting the interesting from the bland. (Paso Robles; $30)
The good news: They found many more bottles cracking the
ranks of interesting this year. Here are some of the best. J. Christopher 2012 “Dundee
Hills Cuvée” Pinot Noir
(Dundee Hills; $39)
Baileyana 2013 Francis Ford Coppola Reserve” Chardon- J. Lohr 2011 “Cuvée St. E”
“Firepeak” Chardon- Director’s Cut 2013 nay (Anderson Valley; Red Bordeaux Blend
nay (Edna Valley; Chardonnay (Russian $65) (Paso Robles; $50)
$28) River Valley, Sonoma Sanford Winery and
County; $21) Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2014
Buena Vista Vinicul- Vineyards 2013 “Flor Riverbench Vineyard Albariño
tural Society 2013 Frank Family Vine- de Campo” Chardon- (Santa Maria Valley; $30)
“Jovita’s Selection” yards 2013 Chardon- nay (Santa Barbara
nay (Carneros; $35) Lava Cap 2014 Sauvignon
Chardonnay County; $20)
Blanc (El Dorado; $18)
(Sonoma Coast, J. Lohr 2013 Arroyo Trione Vineyards &
Sonoma County; $40) Vista Chardonnay Mattina Fiore 2012 Murmur
Winery 2012 River
(Arroyo Seco, Vineyard Grenache
Donelan 2013 “Nan- Road Ranch Char- (Santa Maria Valley; $60)
cie” Chardonnay (So- Monterey; $25) donnay (Russian
noma County; $48) Laetitia 2013 Estate River Valley; $34) Northstar 2011 Premier Merlot
Chardonnay (Arroyo (Columbia Valley; $85)
Ernest Vineyards Venge Vineyards
2013 “The Bombar- Grande Valley; $20) 2013 Maldonado SummerWood 2011 “Diosa” Red
dier” Chardonnay La Rochelle Wines Vineyard “Dijon Rhône Blend (Paso Robles; $60)
(Russian River Valley, 2012 Ferrington Clones” Chardonnay Weatherborne 2013 Pinot Noir
Sonoma County; $38) Vineyard “Recherché (Napa Valley; $39) (Sta. Rita Hills; $35)

Meet our competition judges
Honorary chairs GARY EBERLE General KIMBERLEE NICHOLLS
Partner and Enologist, Eb- Winemaker, Markham
JOEL PETERSON Founder erle Winery Vineyards
and Winemaker, Ravens-
wood; Senior Vice EVAN GOLDSTEIN Master ERIK OLSEN Vice Presi-
President, Constellation Sommelier; President and dent and General Manag-
Brands Chief Education Officer, er, Clos du Bois Winery
SARA SCHNEIDER Full Circle Wine Solutions ANDY PERDUE Editor,
Wine Editor, Sunset PETER GRANOFF Master Great Northwest Wine;
Sommelier; Co-Owner, Wine Columnist, The
Panelists Ferry Plaza Wine Mer- Seattle Times
BRYAN AVILA Consulting chant and Oxbow Cheese RON RAWLINSON
Winemaker, Winecraft; & Wine Merchant National Wine Sales
Auditor, California Sus- WES HAGEN Brand Am- CHRISTIAN ROGUENANT
tainable Winegrowing bassador and Consulting Vice President for Wine-
Alliance Winemaker, J. Wilkes making, Niven Family
NEIL BERNARDI Vice Wines Wine Estate
President of Winemaking, GILIAN HANDELMAN Edu- CHRISTOPHER SAW YER
Duckhorn Wine Company cation Director, Jackson Wine Writer; Sommelier;
BOB BETZ Master of Family Wines Founder, sawyersomm.
Wine; Founder and Wine- KATHRYN HOUSE Found- com
maker, Betz Family Winery er, House of Wine LESLIE SBROCCO Founder,
JIM BLUMLING Group BEN HOWE Associate Thirsty Girl; Author, Wine
Vice President of Liquor, Winemaker, Stoller Fami- for Women; KQED TV
Albertson’s Safeway ly Estate Host, Check, Please!
VIRGINIE BOONE Califor- MARGIE FERREE JONES DAWN SMITH Sommelier,
nia Reviewer, Wine Certified Wine Educator; John Howie Steak
Enthusiast Certified Sommelier; Pro- JEFFREY STAMBOR Direc-
RANDY CAPAROSO Editor- fessor, Collins College of tor of Winemaking,
at-Large, The SOMM Hospitality Management, Beaulieu Vineyard
Journal; Editor, lodiwine. Cal Poly, Pomona
DAVID STEVENS Senior
com; Contributing Editor, ADAM L A ZARRE Head Consultant, Davon
Tasting Panel Magazine Winemaker, Wine Hooli- International
TINA CAPUTO Editor-in- gans; Owner, LaZarre
Wines THOMAS K. STUTZ Wine-
Chief, Vineyard & Winery maker, La Rochelle
Management Magazine STEVE LOHR Chairman
and CEO, J. Lohr Vine- SEAN P. SULLIVAN Re-
MARK CHANDLER Propri- viewer, Wine Enthusiast;
etor, Chandler & Company yards & Wines
Founder and Author,
Wine Consultancy PETER MARKS Master of Washington Wine Report
KIMBERLY NOELLE Wine; Vice President of
Education, Constellation TIM TEICHGRAEBER
CHARLES Diploma in Wine and Spirits Writer,
Wine and Spirits; Found- Academy of Wine
Opus Vino, Vineyard and
er, Charles Communica- ELAINE MARSHALL Ad- Winery Management,
tions Associates vanced Certified Wine decanter.com
KATHERINE COLE Author, Professional; Wine Educa-
tor, Culinary Institute of KARL WENTE Chief Wine-
How to Fake Your Way maker, Wente Vineyards
Through a Wine List; America; Owner, Mar-
Wine Columnist, The shall Wine Company ROBERT WHITLEY Wine
Oregonian TIM MARSON Master of Columnist, Creators
Wine; Buyer, Global Syndicate; Publisher,
PATRICK COMISKEY winereviewonline.com
Senior Correspondent, Wine Company
Wine & Spirits ROB M C NEILL Director of TIM WONG Vice President
Winemaking, Don Sebas- of Winemaking, Delicato
COLE DANEHOWER Pub- Family Vineyards
lisher, essentialnorthwest tiani & Sons
wines.com; Author, Essen- DAVID “MERF” MERFELD DEBBIE ZACHAREAS Co-
tial Wines and Wineries Winemaker, Northstar Owner, Ferry Plaza Wine
of the Pacific Northwest Winery Merchant and Oxbow
Cheese & Wine Merchant
LAURIE DANIEL Wine SALLY MOHR Master
Logistics manager Judges unwind in our photo booth,
Writer, Bay Area News Sommelier from top: Debbie Zachareas and Lesli
Group and Wines & Vines LINDA MURPHY Contribu- REBECCA MURPHY Found-
e
Sbrocco; Tim Marson; Erik Olsen; Tim
MIKE DUNNE tor, Decanter; Columnist, er, Dallas Morning News Teichgraeber, Tina Caputo, Wes Hag
Wine Columnist, winereviewonline.com; & TexSom International en,
and Christopher Saw yer; David Stev
Sacramento Bee Coauthor, American Wine Wine Awards ens.
DIGITAL BONUS See the full list of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal winners at sunset.com/2015medals.
Love at first sip.
Experience every luscious, vibrant
taste of Monterey County’s
acclaimed Arroyo Seco region,
captured in Arroyo Vista Chardonnay, from
the limited production, artisan wines
of J. Lohr Vineyard Series.
© 2015 J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, San Jose, CA
vineyard-driven | passionately made j. lohr vineyard series

NEW WORLD CHARDONNAY: 2012
WHITES
+La Rochelle Wines
2012 Ferrington Vineyard
“Recherché Reserve” Chardon-
R NAT I O N nay (Anderson Valley; $65) The
TE A
L
ALBARIÑO
spicy-oak aromas and finish frame
IN vibrant peach, lime, and tangerine
+ Kenneth Volk Vineyards
WINE 2014 Riverbench Vineyard fruit. It’s complex, racy, and long.
Albariño (Santa Maria Valley; Calstar Cellars 2012 Chardon-
$30) A pretty wine with floral nay (Sonoma Coast; $29) Good
COMPETITION aromas and a crisp, refreshing acidity carries sweet apple through
mouthful of ripe pear, papaya, and a satisfying, nicely balanced mid-
citrus flavors. It has great verve palate.
and a forever finish.
La Rochelle Wines 2012 Dutton
Ranch, Morelli Lane Vineyard
OUR 2015
“Recherché Reserve” Chardon-
nay (Russian River Valley, Sonoma
County; $65) With excellent length
and acidity, this one has brisk citrus
and green apple flavors, followed
by subtle oak on the finish.
GOLD
Seven Falls 2012 Chardonnay
(Wahluke Slope; $15) At once
elegant and voluptuous, there is nice
vanillin and butterscotch character
here, with firm structure to support
www.tangentwines.com the ripe fruit.
& SILVER
Tangent 2014 Paragon Vine- Trione Vineyards & Winery
yard Albariño (Edna Valley; $17) 2012 River Road Ranch Char-
Striking acidity makes this wine donnay (Russian River Valley;
super-fresh-tasting and juicy, with $34) A lighter Chardonnay that still
ripe passionfruit and tangy citrus. has plenty of flavor and complexity.
Abacela 2014 Estate Grown Subtle spice seasons the bright, juicy
MEDAL
Albariño (Umpqua Valley, green apple and citrus fruit, and the
Southern Oregon; $21) finish is bracing and long.
Bokisch Vineyards 2014 Clos Pegase 2012 Mitsuko’s
Terra Alta Vineyard Albariño Vineyard Chardonnay
(Clements Hills, Lodi; $18) (Carneros, Napa Valley; $30)
Cambiata 2014 Estate Grown Franciscan Estate 2012
WINNERS
Albariño (Monterey; $22) “Cuvée Sauvage” Chardonnay
(Carneros, Napa Valley; $40)
Mariposa 2014 Albariño
(Edna Valley; $24) Herzog 2012 Special Reserve
Chardonnay (Russian River Valley,
CHARDONNAY: UNOAKED Sonoma County; $40)
Jekel Vineyards 2012
“Gravelstone” Chardonnay
(Arroyo Seco, Monterey; $18)
Lynmar Estate 2012 Quail Hill
CONTENTS Vineyard Chardonnay (Russian
River Valley; $55)
100 | New World Whites
Mazzocco Sonoma 2012
Stuhlmuller Vineyard Reserve
105 | New World Rosés & New World Reds
www.atozwineworks.com Chardonnay (Alexander Valley;
A to Z 2013 “No Wood” $36)
117 | Old World Wines
Chardonnay (Oregon; $14) McIntyre Vineyards 2012
Lincourt 2013 “Steel” Estate Block K-1 Chardonnay
118 | New World Sparklers & Old World Sparklers (Santa Lucia Highlands; $42)
Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills; $18)
Sanctuary 2012 Heintz Vine-
119 | New World Dessert Wines,
yard, Dutton Ranches Chardon-
Old World Dessert Wines, Flavored and Non-Grape Wines nay (Russian River Valley; $30)
Silvestri 2012 Estate Chardon-
nay (Carmel Valley; $25)

+ BEST IN CLASS GOLD MEDALIST SILVER MEDALIST
Sonoma-Cutrer 2012 “Les Donelan 2013 “Nancie” Char- Clos du Bois 2013 “Calcaire”
Pierres” Chardonnay (Sonoma donnay (Sonoma County; $48) Chardonnay (Russian River Valley,
Coast, Sonoma County; $36) Great richness and minerality to go Sonoma County; $40)
with crisp apple and pear flavors,
Stephen Vincent 2012 Chardon- with hints of vanilla and toast. Scintil- Clos Pegase 2013 Mitsuko’s
nay (Sonoma County; $13) latingly fresh and long on the finish. Vineyard Estate Grown Char-
donnay (Carneros, Napa Valley;
CHARDONNAY: 2013 Eberle 2013 Eberle Estate Vine- $30)
yard Chardonnay (Paso Robles;
+Laetitia 2013 Estate Char- $22) An apple lover’s wine, this one Cupcake Vineyards 2013 Char-
donnay (Arroyo Grande Valley; offers scents and flavors of spiced donnay (Central Coast; $14)
$20) Minerality, brisk acidity, and apple, applesauce, and apricot, with DeLoach Vineyards 2013 Char-
tangy lime, lemon, and quince good density and rich texture. donnay (Sonoma County; $17)
flavors make this a lively, refreshing www.medlockames.com
drink, with a caramel-oak edge. Fetzer 2013 “Sundial”
Medlock Ames 2013 “Lower
Chardonnay (California; $9)
Acacia 2013 Chardonnay Slope” Chardonnay (Russian
(Carneros; $22) The palate is ener- River Valley, Sonoma County; $40) Forgeron Cellars 2013 Char-
getic and focused, delivering tanger- Floral aroma of honeysuckle leads donnay (Columbia Valley; $28)
ine, pineapple, and lemon-lime to decadent crème brûlée, citrus,
character; hints of fennel and and pear flavors. Lively acidity Francis Coppola Diamond
roasted cashews; and a finish that’s marks the long finish. Collection 2013 Black Label
pretty and precise. “Pavilion” Chardonnay (Santa
Punch Vineyards 2013 “Proof Lucia Highlands; $20)
of the Pudding” Chardonnay
(Carneros, Napa Valley; $35) Francis Coppola Diamond
Crackling acidity and zesty citrus Collection 2013 Gold Label
www.ernestvineyards.com and pineapple flavors beautifully Chardonnay (Monterey County;
balance the wine’s richness. A touch $16)
Ernest Vineyards 2013 “The of oak spice adds complexity. Francis Coppola Director’s
Bombardier” Chardonnay
(Russian River Valley, Sonoma Rodney Strong 2013 Chardon- 2013 Chardonnay (Sonoma
County; $38) Opulent apple and nay (Sonoma County; $17) Ripe County; $17)
pear fruit, silky texture, oak spice, melon and mandarin orange flavors Francis Coppola Sofia
and a healthy alcohol level make shine in this lightly oaked wine,
2013 Chardonnay
this a crowd-pleasing Chardonnay with a savory herb component and
lush texture. (Monterey County; $19)
suited to sipping and serving with
www.baileyana.com salmon and cream-sauced dishes. Franciscan Estate 2013 Char-
Sanford Winery and Vineyards
Baileyana 2013 “Firepeak” donnay (Napa Valley; $18)
Francis Ford Coppola Direc- 2013 “Flor de Campo” Char-
Chardonnay (Edna Valley; $28) tor’s Cut 2013 Chardonnay donnay (Santa Barbara County; Ghost Pines 2013 Sonoma,
An elegant, understated wine that’s (Russian River Valley, Sonoma $20) Juicy pear, pineapple, and Monterey & Napa Counties
a good sipper and a great food County; $21) Tightly wound and other tropical fruits have nutmeg Winemaker’s Blend Chardon-
wine. Fresh peach and apple focused, with lemon oil and lemon spice and brisk acidity to keep nay (California; $20)
flavors, taut acidity, judicious oak, cream flavors and textures. Wonder- them fresh.
and minerality complete the pretty fully balanced and long. Gnarly Head 2013 Chardonnay
picture. Talley Vineyards 2013 Char- (California; $10)
Francis Ford Coppola Votre donnay (Arroyo Grande Valley;
Santé 2013 Chardonnay (Califor- $27) This Chablis-like Chardonnay is Harney Lane 2013 Chardonnay
nia; $14) A delicious, everyday- bone-dry and minerally, with tangy (Lodi; $24)
drinking Chardonnay with bright lemon and grapefruit aromas and Hughes Family Vineyards
apple, pear, and yellow stone fruit flavors and a mouth-watering finish. 2013 Chardonnay (Sonoma
aromas and flavors. While on the Venge Vineyards 2013 Maldo- Mountain; $40)
simple side, it’s a satisfying drink.
nado Vineyard “Dijon Clones” Huston Vineyards 2013
Frank Family Vineyards 2013 Chardonnay (Napa Valley; $39) Private Reserve Chardonnay
Chardonnay (Carneros; $35) Shows a lot of power for Chardon- (Snake River Valley; $24)
There’s a lean, clean balance here nay, with sweet, ripe nectarine and
of crisp citrus, green apple, and lemon curd flavors drizzled with Irony 2013 Small Lot Reserve
www.bouchaine.com
tropical fruit, with oak spice and a butterscotch and big alcohol. Beauti- Chardonnay (Monterey County;
Bouchaine 2013 Estate Vine- touch of minerality. fully balanced for this weight and $14)
yard Chardonnay (Carneros, richness.
J. Lohr 2013 Arroyo Vista Ivory & Burt 2013 Chardonnay
Napa Valley; $35) Bright and fruity,
Chardonnay (Arroyo Seco, Adelaida 2013 HMR Vineyard (Lodi; $17)
with floral aromas, crisp apple and
pear flavors, and excellent acidity. Monterey; $25) Lavish oak, ripe- Chardonnay (Paso Robles; $40) Jordan 2013 Chardonnay
ness, and yeasty complexity signal
Buena Vista Vinicultural Soci- Buena Vista 2013 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, Sonoma
classic California Chardonnay. County; $30)
ety 2013 “Jovita’s Selection”
(Carneros; $20)
LangeTwins Family Winery Le Vigne Winery 2013
Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast, Cambridge 2013 Cold Creek
and Vineyards 2013 Estate Chardonnay (Paso Robles; $18)
Sonoma County; $40) Lots of toasty Vineyard Chardonnay
oak here and enough plump apricot Grown Chardonnay (Clarksburg; (Carneros; $20)
$15) There’s a delicate floral note Little Black Dress 2013
and peach fruit to match it. This one
is round, rich, and bright with acidity. to this lemon custard–leaning, Chateau Ste Michelle 2013 Cold Chardonnay (California; $11)
slightly creamy, spicy wine, with Creek Vineyard Chardonnay McBride Sisters 2013 “Truvée”
excellent richness for the price. (Columbia Valley; $25)
Chardonnay (Central Coast; $15)

NEW WORLD CHARDONNAY: 2014 with orchard blossoms, peach mix of lemongrass, kiwi fruit, and
nectar, and honey on full display. green apple flavors, backed by
WHITES
Sonoma Collection 2014 The sweetness is moderated by a nervy acidity.
Growers Reserve “District 3” slightly spritzy mouthfeel and great
(continued) balance. Handley 2014 Pinot Gris
Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast; (Anderson Valley; $20) Perfectly
$18) Eberle 2014 Muscat Canelli balanced in kiwi fruit, lemongrass,
Mossback 2013 Chardonnay
(Paso Robles; $18) Floral and crisp, white peach, and tangerine flavors,
(Russian River Valley; $18) with subtle hay, yeast, and cream with mouth-watering acidity and a
DRY GEWÜRZTRAMINER
Peacock Cellars 2013 Peacock notes adding dimension to the white hint of earthy hay on the finish.
Farms Reserve Chardonnay Hyland Estates 2013 Hyland peach and pear base, finishing on
King Estate 2014 Vintage Select
(Arroyo Grande, Central Coast; Vineyard Gewürztraminer the sweet side.
(McMinnville, Oregon; $28) Entic- “Signature Collection” Pinot
$35) Middle Sister NV “Sweet and
ing rose petal aromas, ginger spice, Gris (Oregon; $18) Bright and
Retzlaff 2013 Chardonnay and crisp yellow stone fruit make for Sassy” Moscato (California; $12) juicy apple and pear fruit gets a
(Livermore Valley; $22) a classic dry Gewürztraminer. Rich, ripe, and honeyed, with vivid snap of lemon-lime acidity, making
peach and citrus and a soft, luxuri- a generous and refreshing drink.
Sand Point Family Vineyards Claiborne & Churchill 2014 ant finish.
2013 Chardonnay (Lodi; $13) Dry Gewürztraminer (Central
Abiqua Wind Vineyard 2013
Save Me, San Francisco Wine Coast; $22)
Estate “Collier’s Early Muscat”
Co. 2013 “Calling All Angels” (Willamette Valley; $15)
Chardonnay (California; $11) OFF-DRY GEWÜRZTRAMINER
Barefoot NV Sweet Moscato
Schmidt Family Vineyards Oak Farm Vineyards 2014 Lost (California; $7)
2013 Reserve Chardonnay Slough Vineyards Gewürztra-
(Applegate Valley; $26) Gallo Family Vineyards NV
miner (Clarksburg; $20) True Moscato (California; $5)
Schug 2013 Chardonnay varietal aromas and flavors of rose
(Carneros; $30) petal, lychee, ginger spice, juicy Husch 2014 La Ribera
pear, and crisp apple, with wonder- Vineyards Muscat Canelli
Sea Monster 2013 Los Alamos ful balance. (Mendocino; $16)
Vineyard Chardonnay (Santa www.CRUwineco.com
Barbara County; $20) Fetzer 2013 “Shaly Loam” Mirassou Winery 2014 Moscato
Gewürztraminer (Monterey (California; $12) Mariposa 2014 Pinot Grigio
Sonoma-Cutrer 2013 Chardon- County; $10) (Arroyo Seco; $18) Crisp texture,
nay (Sonoma Coast; $21) Moravia Wines 2014 “1885” minerality, and juicy lemon, grape-
Moscato (Fresno County; $14) fruit, and pineapple flavors make
St. Francis 2013 Behler GRENACHE BLANC this a terrific warm-weather quaff.
Vineyard Chardonnay Redtree 2013 Moscato
(Sonoma Valley; $26) Cypher Winery 2014 Camp 4 (California; $9) Soléna 2014 Pinot Gris
Vineyard Grenache Blanc (Santa St. Supéry Estate Vineyards (Willamette Valley; $20) Lovely
St. Francis 2013 Chardonnay Barbara County; $24) The apricot, floral aromas lead to a lean, brisk
(Sonoma County; $15) & Winery 2013 Estate Grown
peach, and pear aromas and flavors palate of lemon zest, lime, yellow
are textbook for Grenache Blanc. Moscato (Napa Valley; $25) stone fruit, and lemongrass. Focused
The Dreaming Tree 2013 Char-
donnay (Central Coast; $15) Crisp and clean, the wine is beauti- and pure.
fully refreshing. PINOT BLANC
The Great American Wine Acrobat 2014 Pinot Gris
Cholame Vineyard 2013 Navarro Vineyards 2014 Pinot (Oregon; $13)
Company by Rosenblum
“Summer Shade” Grenache Blanc (Mendocino; $15) Coppola Rosso & Bianco 2014
Cellars 2013 Chardonnay
(American; $13) Blanc (Santa Barbara County; Pinot Grigio (California; $11)
$24) PINOT GRIS
Trapiche 2013 “Oak Cask” Francis Coppola Diamond
Chardonnay (Mendoza, GRÜNER VELTLINER Collection 2014 Emerald Label
Argentina; $14) Pinot Grigio (California; $16)
Twisted 2013 Chardonnay Zocker 2014 Paragon Vineyard
Girl & Dragon 2014 Pinot
(California; $8) Estate Grown Grüner Veltliner
Grigio (California; $14)
(Edna Valley; $20) This California
V. Sattui Winery 2013 Carsi version of the Austrian white variety HandCraft by Cheryl Indelicato
Vineyard Chardonnay (Napa is lively and crisp, with citrus and 2014 “Artisan Collection”
Valley; $38) yellow stone fruit, spice, and a clas- Pinot Grigio (California; $12)
Westerly 2013 Chardonnay
sic fresh lentil note.
Little Black Dress 2013
(Santa Barbara County; $40) Dancing Coyote 2014 Estate Pinot Grigio (California; $10)
Wild Horse Winery & Vine- Grown Grüner Veltliner
(Clarksburg; $12) www.ElizabethChambers Ménage à Trois 2014
yards 2013 Chardonnay Cellar.com Pinot Grigio (California; $12)
(Central Coast; $17) Zocker 2013 Paragon Vineyard
Estate Grown Grüner Veltliner +Elizabeth Chambers Cellar Middle Sister NV “Drama
Woodwork 2013 Batch No. 12 2013 Pinot Gris (Willamette
(Edna Valley; $20) Queen” Pinot Grigio
Chardonnay (Central Coast; $15) Valley; $18) Bold, clean, and (California; $12)
ZD Wines 2013 Chardonnay bright, with tangerine flavors and
SWEET MUSCAT Montevina 2014 “Glass Falls”
(California; $38) a kiss of sweet herbs. Downright
+LangeTwins Family Winery delicious. Pinot Grigio (California; $10)
and Vineyards 2013 Estate Dobbes 2013 “Wine by Joe” Nine Hats 2014 Benches
Grown Moscato (Clarksburg; Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley; Vineyard Pinot Gris
$15) Textbook Muscat personality, $14) A racy wine with a complex (Horse Heaven Hills; $12)

Portlandia 2014 Pinot Gris Milbrandt Vineyards 2013 SAUVIGNON BLANC: 2013 Robert Mondavi Winery 2013
(Oregon; $22) Evergreen Vineyard Fumé Blanc (Napa Valley; $20)
Twirl 2013 Pinot Grigio “Traditions” Riesling Rodney Strong Estate Vine-
(California; $12) (Columbia Valley; $13)
yards 2013 “Charlotte’s Home”
Wine Sisterhood NV “Passion- Sauvignon Blanc (Northern
OFF-DRY RIESLING
ate” Pinot Grigio (California; $12) Sonoma, Sonoma County; $17)
+Rancho Sisquoc 2014 Flood SeaGlass 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
DRY RIESLING Family Vineyards Riesling (Santa Barbara County; $12)
(Santa Barbara County; $12)
Seductive honeysuckle, peach, and St. Supéry 2013 Estate
mango aromas flood the nose and “Dollarhide” Sauvignon Blanc
lead to a succulent palate of yellow (Napa Valley; $35)
stone fruit, citrus, and gentle herbs. Sterling 2013 Vintner’s
This is a knockout sweeter style of www.orchardstationwinery.com Collection Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling, with excellent balancing (Central Coast; $15)
acidity. +Orchard Station Winery
2013 Sauvignon Blanc (Russian Wente Vineyards 2013
A to Z 2014 Riesling (Oregon;
River Valley; $24) Steely minerality Estate Grown “Louis Mel”
$15) A complex mélange of
crunchy apple, ripe pear, orange and white blossoms flood the nose Sauvignon Blanc (Livermore
oil, lemongrass, and lavender of this elegantly lean wine with crisp Valley, San Francisco Bay; $15)
www.bouchaine.com character is delivered with a nice grapefruit and lime flavors.
Bouchaine Bacchus Collection balance of sweetness and acidity. +Sterling Vineyards 2013 SAUVIGNON BLANC: 2014
2014 Las Brisas Vineyard Ries- Fetzer 2013 “Goosefoot Road” Sauvignon Blanc (Napa County;
ling (Carneros; $24) Light-bodied Riesling (Monterey County; $10)
$18) A grassy, grapefruity wine that
and crisp, with vivid floral aromas, Vibrant acidity balances the sweet is refined and restrained, with excel-
flavors of lychee and citrus, and a green apple, pear, and apricot fruit. lent balance.
long, mouth-watering finish. Huntaway 2013 Limited
Henry Earl Estates 2013 Ries-
Chateau Ste Michelle 2013 Dry Edition Reserve Sauvignon
ling (Wahluke Slope; $20) Clean
Riesling (Columbia Valley; $10) and bright, with a rich entry of Blanc (Marlborough, New
apple, Asian pear, lime zest, and Zealand; $18) Pleasingly pungent
Grace Lane 2013 Riesling grapefruit zest and crushed-leaf
(Yakima Valley, Washington; $11) minerality. Bold honey and apple
make for a long finish. aromas lead to a dry, minerally
Trefethen Family Vineyards palate of lively citrus fruit and white
2014 Dry Riesling (Oak Knoll J. Lohr 2013 “Bay Mist” White pepper spice.
District, Napa Valley; $25) Riesling (Monterey County; $10) www.lavacap.com
Clos Pegase 2013 Mitsuko’s
The gravel-road-after-a-summer-rain
Wente Vineyards 2013 Estate aroma is textbook Riesling. Lemon, Vineyard Musqué Clone Sauvi- +Lava Cap 2014 Sauvignon
Grown “Riverbank” Riesling tangerine, and pear flavors are gnon Blanc (Carneros, Napa Blanc (El Dorado; $18) Admirably
(Arroyo Seco, Monterey County; backed by nervy acidity. Valley; $22) complex in its notes of white flowers,
$15) Echo Bay 2013 Sauvignon Blanc citrus, green apple, and flint. Crisp
Navarro Vineyards 2014
(Marlborough, New Zealand; $12) and supple, with a hint of vanilla, it’s
“Deep End” Riesling (Anderson a lively, balanced drink.
BARELY OFF-DRY RIESLING Valley, Mendocino; $29) Ripe Giesen 2013 “The Brothers”
apple, pear, and a twist of lime high- Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, Astrolabe 2014 “Province”
Jekel Vineyards 2014 Riesling
(Monterey; $15) A plush, mouth- light this off-dry wine that finishes New Zealand; $20) Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough,
filling Riesling with hints of apple crisp and bright. New Zealand; $23) Bright citrus
J. Lohr 2013 “Flume Crossing” and tropical fruit are rich and luxuri-
blossom, Gala apple, peach, and J Wrigley Vineyards 2014 Sauvignon Blanc (Monterey,
apricot followed by a clean, lip- ous, yet the wine has great verve.
Riesling (McMinnville, Willamette Arroyo Seco; $14) Subtle gun flint and basil notes add
smacking finish. Valley; $20) interest.
Jamieson Ranch Vineyards
Chateau Ste Michelle & Dr. Latah Creek 2013 Familigia 2013 Limited Production Baron Philippe de Rothschild
Loosen 2013 “Eroica” Riesling Vineyards Riesling (Ancient
(Columbia Valley; $20) “Silver Spur” Sauvignon Blanc 2014 “Anderra” Sauvignon
Lakes of Columbia Valley; $10) (Napa Valley; $28) Blanc (Valle Central, Chile; $11)
From the flinty nose to the pineap-
SWEET RIESLING Mt. Beautiful 2013 Sauvignon
ple, grapefruit, and fresh green
Blanc (North Canterbury, herbs on the palate, this wine is tart
Frisk 2014 “Prickly” Riesling New Zealand; $16) and intense, carrying good weight.
(Victoria, Australia; $11)
Peace Water Winery 2013 Chasing Venus 2014 Sauvignon
Giesen 2013 Riesling “Bliss” Sauvignon Blanc Blanc (Marlborough, New Zea-
(New Zealand; $14) (Napa Valley; $24) land; $16) Classic Kiwi gooseberry,
Petroni 2013 Estate Grown passionfruit, savory herb, and
SAUVIGNON BLANC: 2012 crackling acidity add up to great
Sauvignon Blanc (Moon Moun-
Coquerel Family Wine Estates tain District, Sonoma County; $24) personality.
2012 “Terroir Coquerel” Sauvi- Picayune Cellars 2013 Sauvi- Cupcake Vineyards 2014 Sauvi-
www.loveandsqualorwine.com gnon Blanc (Calistoga, Napa gnon Blanc (Marlborough, New
gnon Blanc (Napa Valley; $21)
Love & Squalor 2013 Riesling Valley; $32) Zealand; $11) Straightforward,
(Willamette Valley; $18) Provenance Vineyards 2013 bright flavors of gooseberry and
Estate Grown Sauvignon Blanc grapefruit close with crunchy acidity.
(Rutherford, Napa Valley; $21)

NEW WORLD Blanc (Russian River Valley,

with racy grapefruit, lime, and clean, with intriguing notes of cara-
lemongrass aromas and flavors. Sonoma County; $25) way seed, toasted nuts, apple, and
WHITES
A hint of sweetness balances the preserved lemon.
brisk acidity, and there is a complex St. Francis 2014 Sauvignon
(continued) Blanc (Sonoma County; $15) Newhouse Family Vineyards
stony note on the finish.
2013 “Cottontop” Aligote
Voss 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Teira 2014 Woods Vineyard (Snipes Mountain; $36)
Imagery Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc (Dry Creek
(Napa Valley; $19) Perfumed and
2014 “Wow Oui” White harmonious, with essence of lemon, Valley; $15)
(Pine Mountain–Cloverdale Peak; WHITE RHÔNE–STYLE
lemongrass, and grapefruit and an Venge Vineyards 2014 Juliana BLENDS
$27) A streak of racy lime runs intriguing minerally river rock note.
through this nervy wine, from start to Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
finish. Its excellent acid structure is Wither Hills 2014 Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $37)
moderated by a subtle sweetness on Blanc (Wairau Valley, Marlbor- Vigilance 2014 Sauvignon Blanc
the finish. ough, New Zealand; $16) A (Red Hills, Lake County; $20)
pungent style, with green bean
and grass notes accompanying
pretty elderflower and lemon zest TORRONTÉS
character.
Tomero 2014 Torrontés (Argen-
Albamar 2014 Sauvignon Blanc tina; $17) Inviting orange blossom
(Casablanca Valley, Chile; $12) and honeysuckle aromas and mouth-
filling tropical, apple, and lychee
Eric Kent 2014 “Cuvée Renee”
fruit lead into a bright, gingery finish,
Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma making this a great introduction to
County; $31) www.ancwines.com
Torrontés for those who haven’t tried
Forefathers 2014 “Wax Eye” this aromatic Argentine white. Alexandria Nicole 2014 Destiny
Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, Alta Vista 2013 “Classic” Ridge Vineyards Estate Grown
New Zealand; $18) Torrontés (Salta, Argentina; $12) “Shepherds Mark” (Horse
www.jrwinery.com Heaven Hills; $24)
Justin 2014 Sauvignon Blanc
J. Rickards Winery 2014 Croft (Central Coast; $14) VERMENTINO
Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc OTHER WHITE BLENDS
(Alexander Valley, Sonoma County; LangeTwins Family Winery Mahoney Vineyards 2014
and Vineyards 2014 Estate Ca’ Momi 2013 “Bianco Di
$19) Great richness and minerality Las Brisas Vineyard Vermentino
balance crisp apple and pear Grown Musqué Clone Sauvi- (Carneros; $15) Napa” (Napa Valley; $18)
flavors, with hints of vanilla and gnon Blanc (Lodi; $15) Hungry Hawk Vineyards 2014
toast. Excitingly fresh and long on “Mélange Blanc” (San Diego
the finish. MacLeod Family Vineyard 2014 VIOGNIER
“Marie’s Cuvée” Sauvignon County; $28)
Oak Farm Vineyards 2014 Meadowcroft 2014 Louvau
Blanc (Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Murietta’s Well 2013 Estate
Sauvignon Blanc (Lodi; $22) County; $26) Vineyard Viognier (Dry Creek
Valley, Sonoma County; $28) Grown “The Whip” (Livermore
Fresh hints of white flowers, honey- Valley; $23)
dew melon, and lemon-lime make Massimo Prestige Vineyards Hints of honey, orange blossom,
for a delicate, precise wine. 2014 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlbor- and peach nectar are spot-on for Sea Monster 2014 “Octopussy”
ough, New Zealand; $13) Viognier. This one is ripe, rich, and (Central Coast; $20)
St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & heady.
Winery 2014 Estate Grown Matua 2014 Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley; (Marlborough, New Zealand; $13) College Cellars of Walla Walla OFF-DRY WHITE BLENDS
2014 Viognier (Walla Walla
$20) Intense aromas of grapefruit Meadowcroft 2014 Louvau
and freshly mowed grass are Valley; $15)
Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
followed by racy citrus fruit, a touch (Russian River Valley, Sonoma Four Brix Winery 2013 Camp 4
of sweetness, and mouth-watering County; $24) Vineyard “Smitten” Viognier
acidity. Think goat cheese or oysters. (Santa Ynez Valley; $26)
Nick Goldschmidt 2014 Fitzroy
The Infamous Goose 2014 Vineyard “Boulder Bank” Michael Gill Cellars 2014
Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, “Black Tie” Viognier (Paso
New Zealand; $13) There’s true New Zealand; $16) Robles; $38)
complexity in the mélange of
aromas and flavors, including green Robert Mondavi Private Selec- Pedernales Cellars 2014
coffee bean, jalapeño, gooseberry, tion 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Viognier (Texas; $20)
and grapefruit. Edgy, mouth-filling, (Central Coast; $11)
Tangent 2013 Paragon Vine-
and ultra-bright. www.hustonvineyards.com
Sand Point Family Vineyards yard Viognier (Edna Valley; $17)
The Seeker 2014 Sauvignon 2014 Sauvignon Blanc (Lodi; Chicken Dinner 2014 White
The Crusher 2013 Wilson Vine-
Blanc (Marlborough, New $13) (Snake River Valley; $16) Aromas
Zealand; $14) Not as assertive yard Viognier (Clarksburg; $13)
Save Me, San Francisco Wine and flavors of crushed pineapple
as some New Zealand Sauvignons, Victor Hugo 2014 Viognier and apple are pleasantly sweet but
it still packs a punch of kiwi fruit, Co. 2014 “Bulletproof Picasso”
(Templeton Gap District, Paso balanced by crisp acidity on the
passionfruit, and grapefruit on a Sauvignon Blanc (California; Robles; $20)
$12) finish.
brisk frame.
Simi 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Gnarly Head 2013 “Authentic
Villa Maria 2014 “Private Bin” OTHER WHITE VARIETIES
White” (California; $12) Refresh-
Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, (Sonoma County; $14)
Zeitgeist 2014 Trousseau ing and clean floral and green
New Zealand; $13) Textbook Sonoma-Cutrer 2014 Wine- apple character finishes on a linger-
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Gris (Russian River Valley; $26)
maker’s Release Sauvignon A Trousseau Gris that’s crisp and ing sweet note.

De Proprio Gravitas 2014
NEW WORLD REDS Oak Farm Vineyards 2013
strawberry aromas and flavors domi-
(California; $16) nate this very fruity wine, which also Barbera (Lodi; $26) Smooth and
has bright citrus and spice notes and juicy, with gentle tannins and notes
Evolution NV 18th Edition a soft, juicy finish.
(American; $15) BARBERA of bittersweet chocolate and tar
Don Ernesto’s 2014 “Beret” accenting dark berry flavors.
Folie à Deux 2013 “Ménage à +Vina Moda 2012 Barbera
Rosé (Napa Valley; $24) Bright Silvestri 2012 Estate Barbera
Trois” White (California; $10) and juicy, this rosé of Syrah offers (Sierra Foothills; $34) The best of (Carmel Valley; $27) Ripe and
The Dreaming Tree 2013 watermelon and strawberry aromas the variety’s traits are combined polished, with supple tannins, promi-
and flavors, with good structure here, with a spicy cherry cola entry, nent vanillin oak, black cherry, and
“Everyday White” (Central
through a long finish. buoyant berry and cherry flavors, a complex salty licorice finish.
Coast; $15)
crisp structure, and a smooth,
Halter Ranch 2014 Rosé elegant finish. Imagery Estate Winery 2012
NON-VINIFERA VARIETIES (Paso Robles; $21) If the gorgeous Weinstock Vineyards Barbera
lavender, strawberry, and lime zest (Dry Creek Valley; $39)
aromas aren’t enough, the palate
reflects the nose in a focused, very Uvaggio 2012 Barbera
flavorful way. (Lodi; $20)
ONX 2014 Estate Grown Viaggio On The River Estate
“Indie” Rosé of Tempranillo and Winery 2012 “Swirl and
(Paso Robles; $20) This layered Swallow” Barbera (Lodi; $26)
Tempranillo rosé smells of citrus zest
and orchard fruit blossoms, and on CABERNET FRANC
the zesty, juicy palate, fresh-picked
strawberry and raspberry take over. +Amelia Wynn 2012 Kiona
Vineyard Cabernet Franc
Waterbrook 2014 Sangiovese www.cardellawinery.com (Red Mountain, Washington; $32)
Rosé (Columbia Valley; $12) Cocoa and chocolate mark this
www.faithhopeand Despite its light pinkish-salmon color, Cardella Winery 2012
charityevents.com wine from start to finish. Rich, sweet
this rosé has big flavors of juicy L’aquedotto Vineyard “Fattoria
dark fruit basks in the middle, with
“Faith, Hope & Charity” 2013 strawberry, cherry, and pomegran- Cardella” Barbera (District 13, menthol, mint, and smoke nuances.
Vignoles (Oregon; $35) Made ate and a dry, refreshing finish. Mendota, California; $17) The
from the cold-hardy grape that’s pleasantly oaky nose leads to juicy
Bonny Doon Vineyard dark berry flavors and a distinct
rarely grown on the West Coast, this
Vignoles is exotic and intriguing, 2014 “Vin Gris de Cigare” black pepper note, finishing with
with a creamy pineapple-coconut, (Central Coast; $18) freshness and polish.
piña colada character, topped with Cinder 2014 Dry Rosé Eberle 2011 Steinbeck, Koko-
grated fresh nutmeg. (Snake River Valley; $17) pelli & Partridge Vineyards
Cypher 2014 “Pistil” Rosé Barbera (Paso Robles; $28)
NEW WORLD ROSÉS (Paso Robles; $24)

Dawn’s Dream 2014 Pinot Noir
Medium-bodied and lively with acid-
ity, this has classic, juicy Barbera
fruit—raspberry, cherry—with some
Rosé (Santa Lucia Highlands; $35) baking spices lurking underneath.
ROSÉ
Fleur 2014 Pinot Noir Rosé
+Mer Blanc 2014 Merlot Rosé (North Coast; $16)
www.ancwines.com
(North Coast; $15) Beautiful Alexandria Nicole 2012 Destiny
balance of red-fruit aromas and Inman Family 2014 OGV Estate
Ridge Vineyards Estate Grown
flavors, succulence, and a gentle “Endless Crush” Rosé of Pinot
“Wild One” Cabernet Franc
hint of sweetness. Noir (Russian River Valley, Sonoma
County; $25) (Horse Heaven Hills; $42) A big,
Abacela 2014 Estate Grown juicy wine with velvety tannins, lots
Grenache Rosé (Umpqua Valley, La Pitchoune 2013 Vin Gris of of oak, and a graphite edge. A
Southern Oregon; $18) Very Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast; $29) crowd-pleaser.
aromatic and complex, this slightly Lucy 2014 Rosé of Pinot Noir www.guglielmowinery.com
sweet yet utterly refreshing rosé (Santa Lucia Highlands; $18)
brims with wild strawberry fruit and Guglielmo 2012 Private Reserve
minerality. Rock Wall Wine Company 2014 Barbera (Santa Clara Valley; $25)
“Uncle Roget’s” Grenache Rosé Spiced cherry fruit gets a dusting of
(Yolo County; $18) cocoa here, making an especially
easy-to-like Barbera.
Toad Hollow 2014 “Eye of the
Toad” Dry Rosé of Pinot Noir Marchesi Vineyards 2013
(Sonoma County; $13) “Achille” Barbera (Columbia
Valley; $30) Bright acidity balances
Tolosa Winery & Vineyards ripe cherry on a lovely, food-friendly
2014 Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir palate. This is a juicy wine that
(Edna Valley; $24) would be great with duck. www.oakvilleranch.com
ZINFANDEL ROSÉ New Clairvaux Vineyard 2013 Oakville Ranch 2012
www.ballettovineyards.com Poor Souls Block Barbera “Robert’s” Cabernet Franc
Balletto 2014 Estate Grown Jelly Jar 2014 Rosé (Lake County; (Tehama County, California; $20) (Napa Valley; $110)
$18) Foresty notes lurk behind red berry
Rosé of Pinot Noir (Russian River
and cherry flavors in this smooth,
Valley, Sonoma County; $18) Fresh medium-bodied red.

NEW WORLD Capp Heritage Vineyards

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
CABERNET SAUVIGNON:
2012
REDS
(Napa Valley; $48)
(continued) Coyote Canyon H/H Estates
2010 Coyote Canyon Vineyard
CABERNET SAUVIGNON: Reserve “Bozak Red” (Horse
NONVINTAGE Heaven Hills; $42)
+Camelot NV Cabernet Sauvi- Serena’s Vineyard 2010 Caber-
gnon (California; $8) Remarkable net Sauvignon (Paso Robles; $26)
www.lachertosawines.com
value for a Cab, with juicy cherry
and berry fruit, smooth tannins, and La Chertosa Old World Wines CABERNET SAUVIGNON:
a refreshing finish. 2010 “The Winemaker Remem- 2011
brance” Cabernet Sauvignon
Barefoot NV Cabernet Sauvi-
(Napa Valley; $75) If wine can
gnon (Argentina; $7) A very be sexy, this one certainly is: Loaded www.voroscellars.com
approachable Cab, with dark berry with boysenberry pie and dark
and cherry fruit. It’s direct and +Vörös 2012 Frediani
cherry jam, it’s big, lush, and gener-
uncomplicated—a good sip for the Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
ous in flavor.
price. (Napa Valley; $79) As complete
and complex as California Cab
CABERNET SAUVIGNON: gets, with menthol and green herbs
2008–2009 complementing rich, perfectly ripe
dark fruit—expressive and impressive.
Perata Vineyards 2009
Browne Family Vineyards 2012
Cabernet Sauvignon (Yountville,
Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia
Napa Valley; $48) Persistent black
www.hoytfamilyvineyards.com Valley; $35) Excellent character
cherry, spice, cedar, and pencil lead
and quality here, with red cherry,
aromas and flavors are cloaked with +Hoyt Family Vineyards blueberry, currant, and spice meld-
fine, polished tannins. Very long 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
finish. www.petrifiedforestvineyards.com ing into a generous, balanced wine.
(Paso Robles; $52) Sweet, creamy
Petrified Forest Vineyards vanillin oak wraps around lovely Chateau St. Jean 2012 Cabernet
House Family Winery
2010 Totem Ridge Vineyards ripe blackberry and plum fruit. Sauvignon (Alexander Valley;
2009 Old Oak Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon (Knights $30) Nice concentration of vivid
Cabernet Sauvignon Cadaretta 2011 Cabernet Sauvi- red fruit, with cedar and graphite
(Santa Cruz Mountains; $49) Valley, Sonoma County; $48) Don’t
fear the herbs. This savory wine has gnon (Columbia Valley; $40) complexity. Refined and classy.
Judd’s Hill 2009 Reserve a beautiful green olive and fresh Luscious blackberry and dark cherry
fruit mark this mouth-filling Cab, Chateau Ste Michelle 2012 Cold
“Founder’s Art” Cabernet herb character, in small amounts,
Creek Vineyard Cabernet
adding great complexity. while solid tannins give it
Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $75) Sauvignon (Columbia Valley;
structure and age-worthiness.
Levendi Winery 2009 Stage- $30) Remarkably savory aromas of
Alma Sol 2011 Cuevas Vineyard smoky oak, grilled meat, and sage
coach Vineyard Cabernet
Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso meld with concentrated currant and
Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $70) Robles; $32) cranberry fruit and bold tannins.
Prix 2009 Weir Family Vine- Dunham Cellars 2011 “XVII”
yards, MJT Block Reserve Conn Creek 2012 Cabernet
Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $30)
Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $45)
Valley; $75) Bracing acidity is a positive counter-
Hawk and Horse Vineyards point to the velvety mouth-feel. Black
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon and red fruit is ideally ripe, and a
CABERNET SAUVIGNON: cool minty eucalyptus note boosts
2010 (Red Hills, Lake County; $65)
complexity.
+Perata Vineyards 2010 Matthews 2011 Reserve Red
www.summitlakevineyards.com (Columbia Valley; $60) Estate 1856 2012 Tzabaco
Cabernet Sauvignon (Yountville, Rancho Vineyards “Duvall’s
Napa Valley; $48) Big, ripe, round, Summit Lake 2010 “Emily Peace Water Winery 2011 Prospect” (Sonoma County; $38)
and rich, with a juicy midpalate and Restrel” Cabernet Sauvignon “Nirvana” Cabernet Sauvignon Massive and intense, this Cab begs
sturdy tannins on the lingering close. (Howell Mountain; $60) An expert (Howell Mountain, Napa Valley; to be paired with rare beef. It has a
Joseph Cellars 2010 Cellar example of Napa Valley mountain- $120) smoky campfire aroma and ripe
grown Cabernet, with tobacco and dark plum and black cherry fruit,
Select Blend Cabernet Sauvi- Revelry Vintners 2011 Red
earthy minerality running through the with substantial tannins, yet it
gnon (Napa Valley; $50) Revels in dark berry and cherry flavors. Dense, Mountain Vineyard, Block D
remains beautifully balanced.
the bright cherry side of Cabernet, with muscular tannins in its youth. Cabernet Sauvignon
with buoyant aromas and flavors, (Red Mountain; $52) Franciscan Estate 2012 Caber-
plus hints of cola and caramel. AntoLin Cellars 2010 Estate net Sauvignon (Napa Valley;
Cabernet Sauvignon (Yakima Robert Mondavi Winery 2011
$28) A young, straightforward
Valley; $22) Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Cab that comes at a great price for
(Oakville, Napa Valley; $45) Napa. Cassis, black cherry, and
August Ridge 2010 Estate
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Russian Ridge 2011 Cabernet plum flavors are wrapped in spicy
Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Moun- vanillin oak.
(Paso Robles; $44)
tains; $28) Hanna 2012 Red Ranch Caber-
net Sauvignon (Alexander Valley;
$30) The supple entry turns to

sturdy closing tannins, with a rasp- sage, walnut skin, and chocolate With excellent concentration and a
berry and blackberry midpalate and notes. Elegant finish. balance of perfectly ripened fruit,
gentle herbaceousness. dark chocolate, oak, and palate-
cleansing acidity, this is as good as
Husch 2012 La Ribera Vine- Napa Cab gets for less than $50.
yards Reserve Cabernet Sauvi-
gnon (Mendocino; $38) Distinctive Simi 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
for its black pepper and sage char- (Alexander Valley; $24) A full-
acter, this one is both elegant and bodied wine with bright black
energetic, brimming with juicy blue- cherry and cassis, slightly dusty yet
berry fruit and with a rich texture. supple tannins, and a hint of oak
spice.
Lewis Grace 2012 Estate Caber-
net Sauvignon (El Dorado; $28) Vina Robles 2012 Estate Caber-
net Sauvignon (Paso Robles; $24)
www.wineshopathome.com/shop
An Old World style, with green bell
pepper and leafy herb aromas, Dark chocolate in the aroma and on Halcyon 2012 Cabernet Sauvi-
solidly ripe red fruit, and muscular www.punchvineyards.com the smooth finish is complemented gnon (Lodi; $26)
tannins that should soften with time by ripe blackberry and black cherry
Punch Vineyards 2012 Caber- flavors and refreshing acidity. J. Rickards Winery 2012
in the bottle.
net Sauvignon (California; $35) “Five Sisters Blend” Cabernet
Louis M. Martini 2012 Cabernet Bold yet remarkably balanced, this Wente Vineyards 2012 Estate Sauvignon (Alexander Valley,
Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, one has hints of boysenberry, dark Grown “Charles Wetmore” Sonoma County; $38)
Sonoma County; $34) A lively Cab plum, black pepper, vanilla, and Cabernet Sauvignon (Livermore
with great structure from firm tannins chocolate framed by suave tannins Valley, San Francisco Bay; $30) Louis M. Martini 2012 Cabernet
and brisk acidity. Deep, rich black- and a clean, precise finish. Somewhat brooding on the nose, Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $34)
currant and dark cherry flavors bright red and black cherry fruit
Roberts+Rogers 2012 Cabernet
persist through the finish. emerge on the palate, accented by
Sauvignon (Howell Mountain, a licorice note. Nicely balanced,
Louis M. Martini 2012 Cabernet Napa Valley; $100) An exotically with good energy.
Sauvignon (Sonoma County; $20) perfumed nose of violets and rose
Moderate tannins, sweet red berries, petals leads into a mouthful of ripe, 14 Hands Winery 2012 “The
and an ever-so-slight herbal scent dense black currant and plum, Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon
lead to a long, satisfying finish. backed by firm but not out-of-hand (Horse Heaven Hills; $30)
tannins.
Mount Veeder Winery 2012 Ancient Peaks 2012 Cabernet
Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Roberts+Rogers 2012 “Louer Sauvignon (Paso Robles; $18)
Valley; $40) Restrained in a good Family” Cabernet Sauvignon
(St. Helena, Napa Valley; $75) Armstrong Family Winery
way, à la Bordeaux, with complex
savory and spice seasoning black There’s a wonderful range of black 2012 “Celebration Series”
cherry and plum, with a hint of and red fruits here, with rounded Cabernet Sauvignon www.macauleyvineyard.com
licorice. tannins that provide structure, and (Columbia Valley; $32)
Macauley 2012 Cabernet Sauvi-
an elegant close. Benziger 2012 Sunny Slope
Muscardini 2012 Cabernet gnon (Napa Valley; $72)
Sauvignon (Coombsville, Napa Rodney Strong 2012 “Symme- Vineyard “Signaterra” Biody-
Medlock Ames 2012 Bell Moun-
Valley; $82) A hugely appealing try” Meritage (Alexander Valley, namic Cabernet Sauvignon
(Sonoma Valley; $59) tain Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
mix of dark berries and fresh herbs, Sonoma County; $55) Labeled as a
(Alexander Valley, Sonoma County;
with a dip of chocolate and wrap of Meritage, this is really dominated by Calcareous Vineyard 2012 $45)
leather. Cabernet Sauvignon and has bold,
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
intense dark red fruit, cedar and Medlock Ames 2012 “Fifty
oak, and substantial tannins. (Paso Robles; $42)
Tons” Cabernet Sauvignon
Sebastiani 2012 Cabernet Camaraderie Cellars (Alexander Valley, Sonoma County;
Sauvignon (Alexander Valley; 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon $60)
(Washington; $29)
$40) Graphite- and cocoa-dusted Muscardini 2012 Cassata Vine-
dark fruit gets a hint of caramel on Clif Family Winery 2012 yards Cabernet Sauvignon
the nose; a very firm tannic structure “Kit’s Killer Cab” Cabernet (Sonoma Valley; $42)
and excellent tension follow on the Sauvignon (Howell Mountain,
palate. Niner Wine Estates 2012 Estate
Napa Valley; $75)
Grown Cabernet Sauvignon
Compilation 2012 Lot# (Paso Robles; $40)
TWCSRF12 Cabernet Sauvignon Nottingham Cellars 2012
(Rutherford; $30)
www.oakvilleranch.com “1846” Cabernet Sauvignon
Conn Creek 2012 “Anthology” (Livermore Valley; $30)
Oakville Ranch 2012 Cabernet Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $80) Obelisco Estate 2012 Estate
(Napa Valley; $55)
A generous wine with dense, sweet Grown “BDX” Cabernet Sauvi-
fruit, ample tannins, and a lengthy Folie à Deux 2012 Cabernet gnon (Red Mountain; $50)
finish. Sauvignon (Alexander Valley,
Obelisco Estate 2012 Estate
Sonoma County; $24)
Obelisco Estate 2012 Estate Grown “Electrum” Cabernet
Grown “III Nefer” Cabernet Frank Family Vineyards Sauvignon (Red Mountain; $70)
Sauvignon (Red Mountain; $125) www.sequoiagrove.com 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley; $50) Obsidian Ridge 2012 Obsidian
Complex and seamless, with sturdy Sequoia Grove 2012 Cabernet Ridge Vineyard Estate Grown
tannins supporting bold, black fruit, Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $38)

NEW WORLD White Oak Vineyards & Winery Lindeman’s 2013 Bin 45 Caber-
cherry fruit, with cola and anise
2012 Estate Grown Cabernet complexity and a soft, juicy finish. net Sauvignon (South Eastern
REDS
Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $35) Trailhead 2013 Cabernet Sauvi- Australia; $6)
(continued) gnon (Napa Valley; $30) Power Main & Geary Vintners
CABERNET SAUVIGNON: and elegance are in balance, with 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
2013–2014 ripe dark fruit tinged with pleasant
Cabernet Sauvignon (Red Hills, (Napa Valley; $20)
Lake County; $30) green herb and olive notes. Substan-
tial tannins are offset by juicy acidity, Ménage à Trois 2013 Cabernet
O•S Winery 2012 “BSH” and the finish is long and fresh. Sauvignon (North Coast; $14)
Cabernet Sauvignon Montevina 2013 “Independence
Twisted Paso 2013 Cabernet
(Columbia Valley; $30) Point” Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauvignon (Paso Robles; $20)
O•S Winery 2012 “Sonas” Focused on plum fruit and plum (California; $12)
Cabernet Sauvignon (Yakima liqueur aromas and flavors that are Napa Cellars 2013 Cabernet
Valley; $25) intense, ripe, and lingering. Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $26)
Penfolds 2012 Bin 9 Cabernet www.victorvineyards.com Argento 2013 Cabernet Sauvi- R Collection by Raymond 2013
Sauvignon (South Australia; $24) +Victor Vineyards 2013 gnon (Mendoza, Argentina; $14) Lot No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon
Petroni 2012 Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon (Lodi; $16) Athenaeum 2013 Cabernet (California; $15)
Cabernet Sauvignon (Moon Roasty, toasty, and full-bodied, with Sauvignon (Rutherford, Napa Robert Mondavi Private Selec-
Mountain District, Sonoma County; chocolate coating the ripe dark Valley; $40)
fruit. The palate is plush, with mouth- tion 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
$40) B Side 2013 Cabernet Sauvi- (Central Coast; $11)
coating tannins.
Provenance Vineyards 2012 gnon (Napa Valley; $25) Shiloh Road 2013 Cabernet
Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford, Broadside 2013 Cabernet
Sauvignon (Paso Robles; $15) Barbed Wire 2013 Lot No. 9 Sauvignon (Sonoma County; $20)
Napa Valley; $43)
Bright, balanced, and direct, with Cabernet Sauvignon (North Sterling Vineyards Vintner’s
Robert Mondavi Winery 2012 blackberry, plum, and cola dominat- Coast; $13) Collection 2013 Cabernet Sauvi-
Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa ing the soft, juicy palate. gnon (Central Coast; $15)
Buried Cane 2013 Cabernet
Valley; $28)
Cycles Gladiator 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley; $14) The Rule 2013 Cabernet Sauvi-
Rodney Strong 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (Central Coast; $11) Cartlidge & Browne gnon (Napa Valley; $20)
Sauvignon (Sonoma County; $20) Ripe cherry and black fruit, moderate 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Trapiche 2013 “Oak Cask”
Rodney Strong 2012 Reserve tannins, spice, and plushness make (North Coast; $13)
this an easy-to-drink young Cab. Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza,
Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander
Columbia Crest 2013 Argentina; $14)
Valley, Sonoma County; $40)
“H3” Cabernet Sauvignon Trinity Oaks 2013 Cabernet
Sculpterra 2012 Estate Caber- (Horse Heaven Hills; $15)
Sauvignon (California; $9)
net Sauvignon (Paso Robles; $34)
Columbia Winery 2013
Trinity River Vineyards 2013
Seven Falls Cellars 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon (Willow
Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley; $14)
Creek, Humboldt County; $24)
(Wahluke Slope; $15) Francis Coppola Diamond
Uppercut 2013 Cabernet Sauvi-
St. Francis 2012 Lagomarsino Collection 2013 Black Label
gnon (Napa Valley; $50)
Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Claret Cabernet Sauvignon
(Russian River Valley; $55) (California; $21)
CABERNET SAUVIGNON/
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 2012 Francis Coppola Director’s SYRAH BLENDS
www.trentadue.com
Estate Grown “Fay” Cabernet 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauvignon (Napa Valley; $125) La Storia by Trentadue 2013 (Sonoma County; $21) Treana 2012 Red (Paso Robles;
Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander $45)
Swiftwater Cellars 2012 Zephyr Francis Ford Coppola
Valley, Sonoma County; $36) Full-
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon bodied and ripe, this one earns Director’s Cut 2013 Cabernet CARMÉNÈRE
(Horse Heaven Hills; $38) kudos for its juicy plum and dark Sauvignon (Alexander Valley,
cherry flavors with background notes Sonoma County; $29)
The Steven Kent Winery 2012
Cabernet Sauvignon (Livermore of tobacco and allspice. Rounded Frey 2013 Organic Cabernet
Valley; $48) tannins complete the picture. Sauvignon (Mendocino; $17)
Tin Barn Vineyards 2012 The Federalist 2013 Cabernet Gnarly Head 2013 Cabernet
Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma Sauvignon (Lodi; $18) This drink- Sauvignon (California; $12)
Valley, Sonoma County; $36) now crowd-pleaser delivers flavors
of blackberry preserves, cola, and Handsome Devil 2013 Cabernet
Van Duzer 2012 “Sorcery” subtle spice, with gentle tannins. Sauvignon (California; $10)
Cabernet Sauvignon (California;
$35) The Path 2013 Cabernet Sauvi- Irony 2013 Small Lot
gnon (California; $11) Straight- Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Wente Vineyards 2012 Estate forward red cherry and plum fruit (North Coast; $16)
Grown “Southern Hills” Caber- has a kick of spice and cocoa www.northwestcellars.com
J. Lohr 2013 “Seven Oaks”
net Sauvignon (Livermore Valley, powder. Brisk acidity keeps it fresh
+Northwest Cellars 2012
San Francisco Bay; $18) and refreshing. Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso
Robles; $17) Carménère (Columbia Valley;
Wente Vineyards 2012 “The Tom Gore Vineyards 2013 $48) The intriguing aromas are of
Katherine Goldschmidt 2013
Nth Degree” Cabernet Sauvi- Cabernet Sauvignon (California; juniper, green peppercorn, tobacco,
$15) Spicy oak frames the bright Crazy Creek Cabernet Sauvi- and marionberry; soft and juicy, the
gnon (Livermore Valley; $100)
gnon (Alexander Valley; $22)

palate is a bowlful of ripe wild Swiftwater Cellars 2012 Malbec Bandit NV Merlot Trefethen Family Vineyards
berries sprinkled with spice. (Columbia Valley; $38) (California; $10) 2012 Merlot (Oak Knoll District
Tertulia Cellars 2011 Phinny Trapiche 2012 “Broquel” Capp Heritage Vineyards 2010
of Napa Valley; $40) Dense plum
and blackberry fruit is tinged with
Hill Vineyard Carménère (Horse Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina; $12) Merlot (Napa Valley; $38) eucalyptus and barrel spice notes.
Heaven Hills; $38) Leafy mint and A substantial wine with an attractive
tobacco aromas carry over to the MERLOT: NONVINTAGE, juiciness on the midpalate.
palate, seasoning the juicy black- 2010–2011
berry fruit, with hints of wintergreen
on the finish. +Northstar 2011 Premier
Merlot (Columbia Valley; $85)
GRENACHE Judicious oak frames ripe raspberry
and plum fruit, with gentle leafy
herbs and integrated tannins. The
finish is bright and clean.
www.cardellawinery.com
Cardella Winery 2011
Vineyard 22 “Fattoria Cardella” www.wallawallavintners.com
Merlot (District 13, Mendota, Walla Walla Vintners 2012
California; $18) Merlot (Walla Walla Valley; $30)
Claar Cellars 2011 White Bluffs A seductively rich and smoky Merlot
www.mattinafiorewines.com Estate Grown Merlot (Columbia with well-ripened fruit, mouth-filling
Valley; $25) texture, and a lingering finish.
+Mattina Fiore 2012 Murmur
Vineyard Grenache (Santa Maria www.milbrandtvineyards.com Henry Earl Estates 2011 Merlot Alexander Valley Vineyards
Valley; $60) Sweet oak frames the (Red Mountain; $38) 2012 Wetzel Family Estate
rounded, generous palate, with Milbrandt Vineyards 2011 Grown Merlot (Alexander Valley,
freshly ground black peppercorns “The Estates” Merlot (Wahluke Sonoma County; $20)
adding background interest. Slope, Washington; $26) Hints of
toasty oak, tobacco, and toasted Black Stallion Estate Winery
marshmallow add dimension to the 2012 Merlot (Napa Valley; $40)
ripe plum fruit. Pert acidity keeps this Fetzer 2012 “Eagle Peak”
heady wine fresh.
Merlot (California; $9)
Northstar 2011 Merlot
Folie à Deux 2012 Merlot
(Columbia Valley; $40) Dense
(Alexander Valley, Sonoma County;
color, vanillin oak, black plum, and
www.petrifiedforestvineyards.com $18)
substantial tannins suggest putting
this firmly structured Merlot in the Forgeron Cellars 2012 Merlot
Petrified Forest Vineyards
cellar for two years or more. It’s (Columbia Valley; $30)
beautiful, but it’s a baby. 2011 Totem Ridge Vineyards
www.trattorefarms.com Merlot (Knights Valley, Sonoma Markham Vineyards 2012
Record Family Wines 2011 County; $36) Merlot (Napa Valley; $27)
Trattore 2013 Grenache (Dry Merlot (Paso Robles; $28) Jammy
Creek Valley, Sonoma County; raspberry and haunting tar aromas Seven Falls 2011 Merlot Medlock Ames 2012
$35) Lightly spiced and medium- and flavors carry through to the (Wahluke Slope; $15) “Snake Pit Red” (Alexander
bodied, with bright berry and cherry lingering finish. Valley, Sonoma County; $60)
and a lively, long finish. MERLOT: 2012
Revelry Vintners 2011 Alder Milbrandt Vineyards 2012
Ridge Vineyard, Block 8 “Traditions” Merlot (Columbia
MALBEC Clos Pegase 2012 Mitsuko’s
Reserve Merlot (Horse Heaven Valley; $17)
Vineyard Merlot (Carneros,
Bodega Vistalba 2013 “Corte C” Hills; $40) A richly fruited wine that Napa Valley; $35) A beautiful Silverado Vineyards 2012
Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon gets extra complexity from oak- Merlot with soft, supple tannins, Mt. George Vineyard Estate
(Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argen- provided vanilla and cocoa notes. vivid plum and blackberry fruit, a Grown Merlot (Coombsville,
tina; $18) hint of cedar, and a long, silky finish. Napa Valley; $35)
Tero Estates 2011 “Tero Red”
Clayhouse Wines 2012 Red (Walla Walla Valley; $25) Despite Ghost Pines 2012 Winemaker’s Toad Hollow 2012 Richard
Cedar Vineyard Malbec its muted aroma, this Merlot delivers Blend Merlot (Napa & Sonoma McDowell Vineyard Merlot
(Paso Robles; $15) lovely varietal plum flavor enhanced Counties; $23) The aroma is subtle, (Russian River Valley, Sonoma
by toasty oak. yet the juicy dark fruit lends a sweet County; $15)
Handsome Devil 2013 Malbec
(Mendoza, Argentina; $10) Westerly 2011 Merlot (Happy middle palate, and savory brown
spice and mocha add interest. Wild Horse Winery &
Canyon of Santa Barbara; $30)
Schmidt Family Vineyards 2011 Vineyards 2012 Merlot
Full-bodied and ripe, this one has Rancho Sisquoc 2012 Flood
Malbec (Southern Oregon; $36) enough acidity to balance the big, (Central Coast; $17)
Family Vineyards Merlot (Santa
Smoking Loon 2013 black fruit. Barbara County; $20) Refreshing
“El Carancho” Malbec acidity keeps the plum and dark
(Valle Central, Chile; $8) cherry fruit plump and juicy; cocoa
and toast notes add complexity.

NEW WORLD Bink 2012 Thomas T. Thomas good length equal a complete,
Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir crowd-pleasing wine.
REDS
(Anderson Valley; $54) Full-bodied Lynmar Estate 2012 Quail Hill
but elegant, with ripe strawberry
(continued) Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian
and black raspberry aromas and
flavors, a lovely trumpet mushroom River Valley; $60) Intense, ripe red
MERLOT: 2013 savoriness, and grippy tannins for fruit provides a rich, luxuriant mouth-
aging. feel, with gentle oak and a succulent
Edna Valley Vineyard 2013 close.
Merlot (Central Coast; $15) Calstar Cellars 2012 Pinot Noir
MacMurray Estate Vineyards
(Sonoma Coast; $30) Throaty, full-
Verse & Chorus 2013 bodied, and vibrant, with hints of 2012 Pinot Noir (Russian River
“Mat Kearney” Red smoke, leather, tobacco, strawberry Valley, Sonoma County; $28)
(Napa Valley; $22) jam, and black cherry, and an Asian Lighter-styled but flavorful, with floral
www.theopolisvineyards.com aromas and juicy red cherry and
spice finish.
MOURVÈDRE Theopolis Vineyards 2012 berry fruit. Light oak toast adds
Petite Sirah (Yorkville Highlands, Colene Clemens Vineyards 2012 complexity and tannin.
Mendocino County; $36) Muscular Estate “Margo” Pinot Noir
Petroni 2012 Pinot Noir (Russian
tannins and salty licorice get the (Chehalem Mountains; $36) While
it’s delicious now, consider cellaring River Valley; $34) Lovely savory
wine off to a brooding start, yet the notes of leather, tea leaf, and Syrah-
palate opens to nicely ripened black this firmly structured, high-acid Pinot
for a year or so, when the underly- like meatiness accent the bold, dark
fruit. Effusive violet notes throughout. fruit and sweet raspberry finish.
ing raspberry fruit opens more
Vina Robles 2012 Estate Petite generously.
Sirah (Paso Robles; $29) Dense
and firm, but not at all harsh, this DeLoach Vineyards 2012
one dishes deep black fruit, licorice, “O.F.S.” Pinot Noir (Russian River
sweet oak, and a whiff of violets. Valley; $45) A spiced-cola thread
runs through the dense black fruit;
Aratás 2011 Shake Ridge Petite the finish is long and crisp.
www.breconestate.com
Sirah (Amador County; $45)
Brecon Estate 2013 Mourvèdre DeLoach Vineyards 2012 Pinot
(Paso Robles; $38) Toast, spice, Cast 2012 Grey Palm Estate Noir (Green Valley of Russian River
leafy herb, berry, plum, and smoked Vineyard Petite Sirah (Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County; $45)
meat components mesh beautifully Valley, Sonoma County; $56) Seductive for its dense color,
in this balanced, very complex wine. La Storia by Trentadue 2013 luscious cherry/berry fruit, smooth www.rstuartandco.com
texture, and hints of chocolate, cola,
J. Lohr 2012 “Gesture” Petite Sirah (Alexander Valley,
and spice. R. Stuart & Co. 2012 “Big Fire”
Mourvèdre (Paso Robles; $30) Sonoma County; $32)
Donelan 2012 “Two Brothers” Pinot Noir (Oregon; $19) Tart
San Simeon 2010 Estate cherry and earthy notes distinguish
Pinot Noir (North Coast; $55) A
PETITE SIRAH Reserve Petite Sirah this delicate, subtle wine that will
lighter style with tart berry and pair fabulously with food.
(Paso Robles; $22)
cherry fruit that’s broad across the
palate. Bright acidity gives it a long,
PINOT NOIR: NONVINTAGE succulent finish.
Pepperwood Grove NV Pinot
Noir (Valle Central, Chile; $7)
PINOT NOIR: 2012
www.arataswine.com www.rubinfamilyofwines.com
+Aratás 2011 Petite Sirah Ron Rubin 2012 Pinot Noir
(Napa Valley; $45) Unexpected (Green Valley of Russian River
floral and white pepper aromas www.duttonestate.com Valley, Sonoma County; $40)
contrast the burliness of Petite Sirah; Dutton Estate 2012 Karmen Texture is everything in Pinot Noir,
the palate is concentrated yet lively, Isabella Dutton Ranch Pinot and this wine’s mouth-feel is silky
with black fruit and firm tannins. www.jchristopherwines.com and seductive. Succulent red fruit
Noir (Russian River Valley, Sonoma
County; $42) Offers a tasty, and cola melt into the mix.
+J. Christopher 2012 “Dundee
Hills Cuvée” Pinot Noir (Dundee contrasting palate of savory and Sanctuary 2012 Bien Nacido
Hills; $39) A full-bodied, potent sweet, with dark spice and forest Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa
Pinot with a luscious midpalate of floor notes meshing with well- Maria Valley; $30) Sweet cherry,
black and blue fruit, sturdy tannins ripened black cherry and plum fruit. plum, and raspberry flavors are
for cellaring, and impressive weight Its ripeness is tempered by crisp intense and vibrant, the texture is
and depth. acidity. supple, and the flavorful finish is
Handley 2012 RSM Vineyard reminiscent of strawberry cobbler.
Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley; $52)
Expressive plum fruit and forest-floor
earthiness; rich, velvety texture; and

Soléna 2012 Domaine Danielle Biddle Ranch Vineyard 2012 J. Lohr 2012 “Fog’s Reach”
Laurent Pinot Noir (Yamhill- Pinot Noir (Edna Valley; $34) Pinot Noir (Arroyo Seco,
Carlton, Willamette Valley; $50) Monterey; $35)
Put this taut wine in the cellar for a Bouchaine 2012 Pinot Noir
year or two to allow the now shy (Carneros, Napa Valley; $40) Jekel Vineyards 2012 Pinot
Noir (Monterey; $18)
black-fruit aromas and flavors to Calista 2012 “The Coast Range”
emerge. Bracing acidity. Pinot Noir (Sonoma, Mendocino Lenné 2012 Pinot Noir
Styring 2012 Estate Pinot Noir & Monterey Counties; $25) (Willamette Valley; $45)
(Ribbon Ridge, Oregon; $45) A Chateau St. Jean 2012 Pinot Niner Wine Estates 2012 Pinot
big Pinot with solid tannins, black Noir (Sonoma Coast; $24) Noir (Edna Valley; $35)
pepper, and deep blue and black www.ballettovineyards.com
fruit. Despite its size, it finishes Colene Clemens Vineyards Ser 2012 Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz
Balletto 2013 Estate Grown
refreshing and long. 2012 Estate “Victoria” Mountains; $36)
Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley,
Pinot Noir (Chehalem Mountains, Sonoma County; $29) A pleasant
Oregon; $65) tomato leaf note adds complexity to
Compilation 2012 the ripe blueberry and dark cherry
Lot#TWPNSRH12 Pinot Noir fruit. The texture is elegant and the
(Sta. Rita Hills; $25) body full, with a long, sophisticated
finish.
D’Argenzio 2012 Gap’s Crown
Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Benziger 2013 Bella Luna Vine-
Coast; $60) yard “Signaterra” Biodynamic
Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley;
Dutton-Goldfield 2012 $49) This one has a fine balance of
Dutton Ranch–Freestone Hill ripe red fruit to French oak, so that
Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian www.spellestate.com the only wood character is in the
www.vanduzer.com River Valley; $72) texture, not the aroma or flavor. That
Spell 2012 Terra de Promissio
Van Duzer 2012 Pinot Noir lets the bright, juicy fruit star, with
Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma
(Willamette Valley, Oregon; $32) supple tannins and a pure, silky
Coast; $72) finish.
The dried herb and forest floor notes
are subtle and savory, seasoning the Thralls 2012 Pinot Noir (Russian
Black Stallion Estate Winery
juicy wild berry flavors. River Valley, Sonoma County; $34)
2013 Pinot Noir (Los Carneros;
Waits-Mast 2012 Mariah Vine- Trione Vineyards & Winery $30) A core of sweet red berry,
yard Pinot Noir (Mendocino 2012 River Road Ranch Pinot cherry fruit, and tart rhubarb
Ridge; $42) Mouth-watering dark Noir (Russian River Valley, Sonoma combine with earth, mineral, and tea
cherry and strawberry flavors, cola County; $35) leaf notes in a very complex, long-
and root beer complexity, and finishing wine.
Truscott 2012 Pinot Noir
crunchy tannins make for a Cellars 33 2013 Gloria Vineyard
(Mendocino County; $15)
complete, balanced wine. Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley,
www.ernestvineyards.com Willamette Valley Vineyards Sonoma County; $45) Perfumed
Waits-Mast 2012 Wentzel Vine-
2012 “Elton” Pinot Noir strawberry aromas, zippy acidity,
yard Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley; Ernest Vineyards 2012 (Eola-Amity Hills; $55) and delicate strawberry and cherry
$45) Supple texture and rounded “The Wrangler” Pinot Noir
tannins make an easy-drinking Pinot Willowbrook 2012 JCO Limited flavors make for a charming,
(Sonoma Coast; $48)
with juicy red fruit, but there’s Estate Grown Pinot Noir medium-bodied Pinot.
enough structure and acidity here to Et Fille 2012 “Heredity” Pinot (Russian River Valley, Sonoma Cuvaison 2013 Estate Grown
pair with food too. Noir (Willamette Valley; $34) County; $36) Pinot Noir (Carneros, Napa
Aberrant Cellars 2012 Etnyre 2012 Quin’s Vineyard Valley; $38) Come-hither aromas of
“Confero” Pinot Noir Pinot Noir (San Luis Obispo PINOT NOIR: 2013–2014 smoke, rhubarb, cherry, and straw-
(Willamette Valley; $35) County; $36) berry are duplicated in the mouth.
The texture is lush, and the finish
Alma Rosa 2012 Pinot Noir Foris 2012 Pinot Noir (Rogue very long. This one should age well.
(Sta. Rita Hills; $35) Valley, Oregon; $20)
Estancia 2013 Pinot Noir
Anam Cara Cellars 2012 Nicho- Giesen 2012 “The Brothers” (Monterey County; $14) Aromatic,
las Estate Pinot Noir (Chehalem Pinot Noir (Marlborough, silky, and stylish, with round, rich
Mountains, Oregon; $33) New Zealand; $30) blackberry and plum flavors and
Handley 2012 Helluva Vineyard soft tannins.
Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley; $42) Estancia 2013 Stonewall Vine-
Hyland Estates 2012 Hyland yard Single Vineyard Pinot
Vineyard Pinot Noir Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands; $28)
(McMinnville, Oregon; $38) www.weatherborne.com Full-bodied and weighty in the
mouth, with well-ripened black and
Inman Family 2012 OGV Estate +Weatherborne 2013 Pinot red fruit laced with cola and oak.
Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, Noir (Sta. Rita Hills; $35) Fresh
Sonoma County; $56) Joel Gott 2013 Pinot Noir
raspberry and black cherry fruit, (Santa Barbara & Monterey
scents of warm shrubs and lavender, Counties; $20) Layers of ripe
www.benton-lane.com and a succulent texture make for a berries, citrus peel, and tar are
Benton-Lane 2012 Estate balanced and graceful wine. refreshed by bracing acidity in this
Grown Pinot Noir (Willamette lively, pleasantly tart wine.
Valley; $29)

NEW WORLD SeaGlass 2013 Pinot Noir

(Santa Barbara County; $12) This
DeLoach Vineyards 2013 Pinot
Noir (Russian River Valley, Sonoma
REDS
robust, good-value wine has mouth- County; $24)
coatingly rich dark berry fruit dusted
(continued) with cocoa powder, a hint of leather, Dobbes Family Estate 2013
and powerful tannins for Pinot. “Grand Assemblage” Pinot Noir
King Estate 2013 “Signature (Willamette Valley, Oregon; $45)
Sebastiani 2013 Pinot Noir
Collection” Pinot Noir (Oregon; (Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County; Foursight 2013 “Parabol” Pinot
$28) The broad palate of red plum, $19) Stands out for its earthy, Noir (Anderson Valley; $54)
raspberry, and cranberry flavors; a mineral aromas, which lead to ripe
hint of wild mushroom aroma; and Francis Coppola Director’s Cut
red fruits, structured tannins, and
firm tannic structure give the wine 2013 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast,
satisfying weight on the palate.
excellent cellaring potential. www.vsattui.com Sonoma County; $21)
V. Sattui Winery 2013 Pinot Frank Family Vineyards 2013
Noir (Anderson Valley; $42) An Pinot Noir (Carneros; $35)
expressive wine with bold, dark Josef Chromy 2013 “Pepik”
berry fruit, smoke, ripe tannins, and Pinot Noir (Tasmania, Australia;
an energetic finish. $30)
Wait Cellars 2013 Pinot Noir Laetitia 2013 Estate Pinot Noir
(Russian River Valley, Sonoma (Arroyo Grande Valley; $25)
County; $36) A delicate, pretty
Pinot with showy red fruit; a hint of Landmark Vineyards 2013
www.shooflywines.com cola; a soft, supple midpalate; and “Overlook” Pinot Noir
www.maisonlenvoye.com a clean, focused finish. (Monterey, San Benito & Sonoma
Shoofly 2014 Pinot Noir (Victo-
Maison L’Envoyé 2013 “Two ria, Australia; $14) A grapey wine Wild Horse Winery & Vine-
Counties; $25)
Messengers” Pinot Noir (Willa- with cherry cola and Asian spice yards 2013 Pinot Noir (Central Lockwood Vineyard 2013
mette Valley; $30) An inviting laven- aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied Coast; $20) Rich, ripe blackberry Estate Grown Pinot Noir (San
der, cola, and smoky nose leads to and moderately tannic, it offers an and black cherry fruit is laced with Lucas, Monterey; $15)
an elegant, medium-bodied palate agreeable rhubarb and herbal note herbes de Provence, nutmeg, and
of ripe raspberry and cherry, with on the finish. oak spice notes—an elegant, mouth- Lucky Star 2013 Pinot Noir
crisp acidity freshening the finish. filling sipper. (California; $9)
Sojourn Cellars 2013 Sangia-
Napa Cellars 2013 Pinot Noir como Vineyard Pinot Noir William Wright 2013 Pinot Main & Geary Vintners 2013
(Napa Valley; $17) Dense purple (Sonoma Coast; $54) Gentle Noir (Monterey County; $10) This Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast,
color, rose petal aromas, and ripe cardamom and leafy herb scents tremendous value ticks all the boxes Sonoma County; $25)
red and black berry flavors finish in lead to a concentrated, juicy palate for good Pinot Noir: bright, juicy red Mt. Beautiful 2013 Pinot Noir
elegant, creamy fashion, with pert of wild raspberry. The gripping fruit, light toast, firm structure, and a (North Canterbury, New Zealand;
acidity. tannins provide structure and cellar- pleasing hint of chocolate. $26)
ing potential.
Woodwork 2013 Batch No. 7 Newman’s Own 2013 Pinot Noir
Soquel Vineyards 2013 Part- Pinot Noir (Central Coast; $15) (California; $12)
ners’ Reserve Library Selection Direct and delicious with ripe cherry
Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains; and cola flavors framed by sweet Peacock Cellars 2013 Peacock
$56) Opening freshly and elegantly vanillin oak and toast. Farms Pinot Noir (Arroyo
with a hint of sage, this Pinot has Grande, Central Coast; $35)
well-ripened raspberry and cherry Acacia 2013 Pinot Noir
(Carneros; $28) Picayune 2013 Pinot Noir
fruit on the midpalate and closes (Sonoma Coast; $29)
with sweet oak. Adelaida 2013 HMR Vineyard
Estate Pinot Noir (Adelaida Poseidon Vineyard 2013
St. Francis 2013 Pinot Noir Estate Grown Pinot Noir
www.pedroncelli.com (Russian River Valley; $40) Lavishly District, Paso Robles; $40)
(Carneros, Napa County; $32)
Pedroncelli 2013 Signature fruity (plum, cherry, blood orange) Aquinas 2013 Napa & Sonoma
Selection Pinot Noir (Russian and savory (clove, cola, loam), this Counties Grower’s Selection Proof of the Pudding
River Valley, Sonoma County; $20) one is dense yet soft, with caressing Pinot Noir (California; $20) 2013 Pinot Noir
This very balanced wine has a bit of tannins and a hedonistic charm. (Anderson Valley; $50)
everything that’s good in Pinot Noir: Balo Vineyards 2013 Estate
Tolosa Winery & Vineyards Rancho Sisquoc 2013 Flood
juicy elderberry, cherry, and rasp- Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley; $45)
2013 Tolosa Vineyards Estate Family Vineyards Pinot Noir
berry fruit; complex ginger snap, Balo Vineyards 2013 Angel
dark chocolate, and tar notes; and a Pinot Noir (Edna Valley; $32) (Santa Barbara County; $30)
Excellent depth and wood tannin Camp & Balo Vineyards
long, elegant finish. Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards
structure here, with deep cherry and “Avenging Angel” Pinot Noir
Schug 2013 Pinot Noir (Carne- cola flavors that are brightened by 2013 Estate Grown Winemak-
(Anderson Valley; $55)
ros; $30) Supple and spicy, with perky acidity. er’s Reserve Pinot Noir
dark cherry, red plum, and cherry Chalone Vineyard 2013 (Umpqua Valley, Oregon; $39)
cola aromas and flavors carried by “Gavilan” Pinot Noir (Chalone;
Robert Mondavi Winery 2013
brisk acidity. $25)
Pinot Noir (Carneros, Napa
Coeur de Terre Vineyard 2013 Valley; $27)
Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley,
Rodney Strong Estate Vine-
Oregon; $22)
yards 2013 Pinot Noir (Russian
Cycles Gladiator 2013 Pinot River Valley, Sonoma County; $25)
Noir (Central Coast; $11)

Sanger Family of Wines and rich, with huckleberry fruit, and other herbal aromas lead to Imagery Estate Winery 2012
2013 “Consilience” Pinot Noir vanilla tones, excellent depth, and a lush blackberry flavors. The wine is Upper Ridge Vineyard Tempra-
(Santa Barbara County; $30) bracing finish. generously oaked, softly tannic, and nillo (Pine Mountain–Cloverdale
suave on the finish. Peak; $39)
Scratchpad 2013 Pinot Noir The Bunnell Family Cellar 2010
(Central Coast; $15) Discovery Vineyard Syrah Austin Hope 2012 Hope Family Jaxon 2012 Tempranillo (Rogue
(Horse Heaven Hills; $44) Vineyard Syrah (Paso Robles; Valley, Oregon; $28)
Simple Life 2013 Pinot Noir $42)
(California; $11)
SYRAH/SHIRAZ: 2011 Cloak & Dagger 2012
Soléna 2013 Grande Cuvée
+SummerWood 2011 “Diosa” Fairbairn Vineyard
Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley;
(Paso Robles; $60) A Syrah that “The Conspirator’s Reserve”
$28)
has everything: jammy, juicy berry Syrah (Paso Robles; $49)
Soquel Vineyards 2013 and cherry, cola, leather, pleasant Donelan 2012 “Cuvée Christine”
Partners Reserve Pinot Noir earthiness, vanillin oak, medium
(Santa Cruz Mountains; $39) Syrah (Sonoma County; $48)
tannins, and brisk acidity.
Stickybeak 2013 Pinot Noir L’Ecole No 41 2012 Seven Hills
Hughes Family Vineyards 2011
(Anderson Valley; $20) Vineyard Estate Grown Syrah
Savannah Vineyard Signature
(Walla Walla Valley; $37)
The Dreaming Tree 2013 Pinot Reserve Syrah (Sonoma Valley;
Noir (California; $15) $40) A densely colored, peppery Lewis Grace 2012 Renner Vine-
wine with bright blackberry fruit and yard Syrah (Sierra Foothills; $28)
www.ledgerdavid.com
The Forager 2013 Pinot Noir mouth-filling texture. Ledger David 2012
(Sonoma Coast; $27) Overland 2012 Kick Ranch
Tenor 2011 Syrah (Columbia “Ambition” (Sonoma County; $25) Tempranillo (Rogue Valley,
The Monterey Vineyards 2013 Valley; $60) Distinctive bacon Southern Oregon; $35)
Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir and black pepper aromas are a Sanctuary 2012 “West Side”
Six Sigma Ranch 2011 “Chris-
(Monterey County; $17) dramatic opener to a wine with juicy Red (Paso Robles; $30)
tian’s Reserve” Tempranillo
black cherry and berry fruit and Wattle Creek 2012 “The Triple (Lake County; $45)
Villa Maria 2013 Cellar Selec-
persistence from first sniff to swallow. Play” Red (Alexander Valley,
tion Pinot Noir (Marlborough, Viaggio On The River Estate
New Zealand; $27) Clavo Cellars 2011 “Reckless Sonoma County; $28)
and Winery 2012 “Outta the
Moment” Syrah (Paso Robles;
House” Tempranillo (Lodi; $24)
PRIMITIVO $35) SYRAH/SHIRAZ: 2013
Jaxon 2011 “Mistral” (Rogue
Coyote Canyon Winery 2012 St Hallett 2013 “Faith” Shiraz ZINFANDEL: 2010
Valley, Oregon; $26) (Barossa, Australia; $16) The
Coyote Canyon Vineyards
Barrel Aged Primitivo (Horse briary, jammy-blackberry palate is
SYRAH/SHIRAZ: 2012 lush and full, and a gentle eucalyp-
Heaven Hills; $25) Earthy and
leathery, with ripe dark fruit, vanilla, tus character shouts Barrossa Valley.
and brown spice notes; soft tannins; Alexander Valley Vineyards
and easy drinkability. 2013 Wetzel Family Estate
Drytown Cellars 2013 Primi- Syrah (Alexander Valley, Sonoma
tivo (Amador County; $18) County; $20)
Imagery Estate Winery 2013 The Infinite Monkey Theorem
Primitivo (Moon Mountain 2013 Syrah (Colorado; $35)
District, Sonoma County; $47) www.clavocellars.com
www.recordfamilywines.com TEMPRANILLO
Clavo Cellars 2010 “Desper-
SANGIOVESE +Record Family Wines 2012 +Hearst Ranch Winery 2011 ado” Zinfandel (Paso Robles;
Imagery Estate Winery 2012 Reserve Syrah (Paso Robles; “Chileano” Tempranillo (Paso $30) A mouthful of bright, brambly
Sangiovese (Sonoma County; $34) Shows the floral side of Syrah, Robles; $30) Powerful blueberry red and black berries, with hints of
$45) The ripe black fruit is fresh and with perfumed violet and menthol aromas and flavors are tempered by chocolate and molasses. Still youth-
lively, the texture seamless, and the aromas. The generous palate has a excellent acidity and accented by ful after some bottle aging.
finish long and full. strawberry compote character, leafy herbs and soft oak spice.
sturdy tannins, and a lingering finish. Joseph Cellars 2010 Zinfandel
Harney Lane 2012 Tempranillo (Dry Creek Valley; $35)
Capp Heritage Vineyards 2011
Etnyre 2012 Quin’s Vineyard (Lodi; $25) A complex, slightly
Sangiovese (Napa Valley; $34)
Syrah (San Luis Obispo County; earthy wine with sweet oak, dried ZINFANDEL: 2011
J. Keverson 2012 Sangiovese $36) Complex cedar, sage, leather, fruit, red cherry, and crunchy acidity
(Chalk Hill, Sonoma County; $30) and graphite notes join juicy blue- to keep it fresh. +Harney Lane 2011 Zinfandel
berries and wild raspberries in this Hoyt Family Vineyards 2011 (Lodi; $22) This Zin has it all:
SHIRAZ: NONVINTAGE expressive wine, which finishes crisp Deep black cherry fruit, leather,
Tempranillo (Paso Robles; $55)
and long. smoke, ideal ripeness, and a bright,
Rich and round, with a blackberry
Barefoot NV Shiraz zesty finish.
Jaxon 2012 Syrah (Rogue Valley, cobbler character plus mocha and
(California; $7) +Hughes Family Vineyards
Oregon; $28) Decisively savory dried herbs. Complex and long.
with a very pleasant earthy gami- 2011 Wild Turkey Vineyard
SYRAH: 2010 Cholame Vineyard 2011 “Bull
ness in the aroma, plus fresh sage. Signature Reserve Zinfandel
The perfectly ripe purple fruit is Pen” Tempranillo (Monterey
(Sonoma Valley; $40) An oak-
Harbinger Winery 2010 Sage- concentrated and lively. County; $39)
driven wine with strong toast and
moore & Elephant Mountain Force of Nature 2013 Mossfire vanilla notes joining rich black fruit,
Vineyards Vintner’s Pick Syrah Tenor 2012 Syrah (Columbia
Valley; $58) Delicate floral, sage, Ranch Tempranillo (Paso Robles; allspice, and anise on a soft, silky
(Washington; $30) Smooth, juicy, $23) frame.

NEW WORLD Black Stallion Estate Winery

2012 Monte Rosso Vineyard
St. Francis 2012 Giovanetti
Vineyard Old Vines Zinfandel
REDS
Zinfandel (Sonoma County; $45) (Russian River Valley; $48) With
This classic Sonoma Zin has brambly bold aromas and flavors of wild
(continued) raspberry fruit, hints of black pepper, berries and dark cherries, this Zin is
Asian spice, and a juicy finish. also remarkably balanced and
Sanctuary 2011 Butler Ranch elegant—quite an achievement for
Zinfandel (Mendocino; $30) Dashe 2012 Zinfandel (Dry Zinfandel.
There is a pleasant herbal edge to Creek Valley; $26) Smooth texture,
the jammy red fruit, spice, and juicy red-berry fruit, and wonderful
vanillin oak. Very ripe and soft, it balance of ripeness and refreshing
has a potent, lingering close. acidity make this a delicious and
well-mannered Zin.
Cholame Vineyard 2011 Zinfan- www.mikamivineyards.com
J. Keverson 2012 Buck Hill
del (Monterey County; $26)
Vineyard Zinfandel (Sonoma Mikami Vineyards 2012 Zinfan-
Distant Cellars 2011 “Prospect” County; $36) Oh so smooth and del (Lodi; $39) Soft, juicy, and on
Zinfandel (Fiddletown; $28) supple, with moderately jammy red the sweeter side, with a pleasant
berry fruit, a brambly edge, and a viscous texture, lively fruit, and an
Foppiano Vineyards 2011 sprinkling of peppery spice. attractive smokiness.
Zinfandel (Russian River Valley;
$25) Oak Farm Vineyards 2012
Wegat Vineyard Zinfandel (Lodi; www.viaggiowinery.com
Lone Madrone 2011 Dry $29) An oak-lover’s delight for its
Farmed “Old Hat” (Paso Robles; dark-toast aroma and flavor. Big, Viaggio On The River Estate
$48) dense, and jammy, it remains refresh- and Winery 2012 Estate “Little
Noceto 2011 The Original ing thanks to racy acidity. Missy” Zinfandel (Lodi; $26)
Grandpère Vineyard “OGP” Crowd-pleasing for its coffee and
Zinfandel (Amador County; $29) brown spice aromas; soft, smooth
cherry palate; and rich, spicy finish.
Carol Shelton 2012 Bastoni
Vineyard “Karma Zin” Zinfan-
del (Sonoma County; $30)
www.jrwinery.com
Castoro Cellars 2012 Estate
J. Rickards Winery 2012 1908 Grown Zinfandel (Paso Robles;
Brignole Vineyard Old Vine $16)
Zinfandel (Alexander Valley,
Sonoma County; $26) Full-bodied, D’Argenzio 2012 Old Vine
with great palate weight, this Zin Zinfandel (Chalk Hill, Russian
offers jammy red and black fruit, www.ordazfamilywines.com River Valley; $40)
brown sugar, baking spice, and Dry Creek Vineyard 2012 Old
vanillin oak, with a lingering, pleas- Ordaz Family Wines 2012
www.ruedwinery.com Montecillo Vineyard Zinfandel Vine Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley,
antly astringent finish. Sonoma County; $30)
Rued 2011 Estate Zinfandel (Sonoma Valley; $42) As stylish
(Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County; and balanced as Zinfandel gets, Four Vines 2012 “Biker”
with pretty maraschino cherry,
$26) Zinfandel (Paso Robles; $20)
vanilla, and cocoa notes. A crowd
Shale Oak Winery 2011 Zinfan- pleaser, with a long, juicy finish. Frank Family Vineyards 2012
del (Paso Robles; $32) Zinfandel (Napa Valley; $37)
Rodney Strong Estate Vine-
yards 2012 “Knotty Vines” High Valley Vineyard 2012
ZINFANDEL: 2012
Zinfandel (Northern Sonoma, Zinfandel (High Valley, Lake
Sonoma County; $25) Ripe but not County; $30)
overly so, this one sports briary red
fruit, pepper, nutmeg spice, and a Lula 2012 Mariah Vineyard
vibrant finish. Fabulously balanced. Zinfandel (Mendocino; $29)
www.mazzocco.com
Sbragia 2012 “Gino’s Estate” Main & Geary 2012 Zinfandel
Mazzocco Sonoma 2012
Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, (Dry Creek Valley; $18)
Thurow Vineyard Zinfandel
(Dry Creek Valley; $32) Smooth Sonoma County; $44) Atypical for Mazzocco Sonoma 2012 Stone
and integrated, with fully ripe black Dry Creek Valley Zin, and in a very Ranch Zinfandel (Alexander
fruit, exotic spice, excellent balance, good way. It features black fruit over Valley; $34)
and a long, firm finish. red and distinctive hints of molasses
and leather—complex, full-flavored, Mazzocco Sonoma 2012 West
Mazzocco Sonoma 2012 Warm and nicely balanced. Dry Creek Vineyard Reserve
www.dashecellars.com Springs Ranch Zinfandel (Dry Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley; $52)
+Dashe 2012 Florence Vine- Creek Valley; $34) Vibrant wild-
berry flavors are seasoned with Ottimino 2012 Ottimino Vine-
yard Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley; yard Zinfandel (Russian River
$35) At once jammy, fruity, and anise and pepper in this popular
style of Zin. The ripeness is nicely Valley; $37)
fresh, it offers big flavors of cherry
liqueur and raspberry and a long, balanced by crisp acidity and a hint Ravenswood 2012 Single Vine-
juicy finish. of sweetness. yard “Belloni” Zinfandel
(Russian River Valley; $35)

Ravenswood 2012 Single Vine- Cosentino Winery 2013 “The The Great American Wine OTHER RED VARIETIES
yard “Dickerson” Zinfandel Zin” Zinfandel (Lodi; $15) An Company by Rosenblum Cellars
(Napa Valley; $35) inviting nose of toasty oak, choco- 2013 Zinfandel (American; $13) La Rochelle 2012 Saralee’s
Ravenswood 2012 Single Vine-
late, and cherry leads to an elegant A great-value Zin that gets structure Vineyard Pinot Meunier
palate of black and red cherry, and dark color from the addition of (Russian River of Sonoma County;
yard “Teldeschi” Zinfandel (Dry vanillin oak, and racy acidity. Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvi- $38) An exceptional, and rare for
Creek Valley; $35) gnon. The wine is rich, round, and California, Pinot Meunier table wine.
Francis Ford Coppola Direc-
Rock Wall Wine Company 2012 tor’s Cut 2013 Zinfandel (Dry
luscious, with a keen balance of Medium-to-light-bodied and crisp, it
Monte Rosso Vineyard Zinfan- ripeness, toasty oak, and tannin. has bright, mouth-watering straw-
Creek Valley, Sonoma County; berry and cherry flavors and a long,
del (Sonoma County; $40) $27) The rosemary-scented rasp- Trojak-Knier 2013 Teldeschi
slightly creamy finish.
Savannah Chanelle Vineyards berry aroma is a distinctive lead-in Home Ranch Zinfandel (Dry
2012 Zinfandel (Santa Cruz to a lush palate of cherry and Creek Valley; $36) This leaner style Cairdeas Winery 2012
Mountains; $60) berries with a layer of mocha. of Zin is pretty and restrained, with Counoise (Yakima Valley; $36)
cherry and raspberry fruit dusted
Scott Harvey 2012 “Three with cocoa. It closes crisp and clean. Cambiata 2012 Rocoso Loma
Stags” (California; $18) Vineyard Estate Grown Tannat
Twisted 2013 Old Vine Zinfan- (Monterey; $38)
Stephen & Walker Trust del (California; $8) Racy acidity
Winery Limited 2012 Zinfandel cleanses the palate and invites Cambiata 2013 Estate Grown
(Dry Creek Valley; $39) another sip; full of ripe raspberry Dornfelder (Santa Lucia High-
and strawberry pie filling flavors. lands; $38)
Stephen & Walker Trust
Winery Limited 2012 Zinfandel 1000 Stories 2013 Bourbon Imagery Estate Winery 2012
(Russian River Valley; $39) Barrel Aged, Small Batch Upper Ridge Vineyard Tannat
Zinfandel (Mendocino County; (Pine Mountain–Cloverdale Peak;
Tin Barn Vineyards 2012 Gils- $45)
$19)
son Vineyard Zinfandel (Russian
River Valley, Sonoma County; $29) www.trentadue.com Burbank Ranch Winery & Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2012
Bistro 2013 Estate Grown “Fall Pomar Junction Vineyard
Truscott 2012 Old Vine Zinfan- La Storia by Trentadue 2013 Blaufränkisch (Paso Robles; $48)
del (Mendocino County; $15) Block 303 Zinfandel (Alexander Colors” Zinfandel (Paso Robles;
Valley, Sonoma County; $32) $34) Michael Gill Cellars 2013
ZinBitch 2012 Zinfandel (Paso Perfectly ripened grapes provide “Black Tie” Alicante Bouchet
Robles; $28) Chillhouse 2013 “Westside”
vibrant currant and red raspberry Zinfandel (Paso Robles; $22) (Paso Robles; $45)
aromas and flavors. It’s bright, juicy, Michael Gill Cellars 2014
ZINFANDEL: 2013 and luscious, with a brisk finish. Eberle 2013 Steinbeck, Wine-
Bush & Cocavin Vineyards Counoise (Paso Robles; $40)
+Dry Creek Vineyard 2013 Zinfandel (Paso Robles; $28) Nello Olivo 2012 Sagrantino
Heritage Vines Zinfandel (El Dorado County; $64)
(Sonoma County; $20) Judges Felten Cellars 2013 Old Casteel
described this wine as “flawless” Vineyard Zinfandel (Paso Robles; Palmina 2009 Nebbiolo (Santa
and “sensual,” with ripe, juicy, wild $21) Barbara County; $36)
strawberry and raspberry fruit, Stryker Sonoma 2012
Frey 2013 Organic, Biodynamic
medium weight, a drizzle of dark
Field Blend Zinfandel Estate Petit Verdot
chocolate, and scintillating fresh-
ness. (Mendocino County; $20) (Alexander Valley; $45)
Husch 2013 Garzini Ranch Old Wind Rose Cellars 2013
Boeger 2013 Walker Vineyard www.parmesonwines.com
Vines Zinfandel (Mendocino; Dolcetto (Columbia Valley; $18)
Zinfandel (El Dorado; $19) Direct
and very drinkable, thanks to the Parmeson 2013 Alegría Vine- $25)
bright strawberry, raspberry, and yard Zinfandel (Russian River La Honda Winery 2013 Zinfan- RED MERITAGE/BORDEAUX
cherry cough drop flavors, finishing Valley; $35) The yin-yang contrast BLENDS
del (Central Coast; $26)
with a welcome tartness. of lushness and jazzy acidity works
beautifully in this wine, which is Navarro Vineyards 2013 Old +J. Lohr 2011 “Cuvée St. E”
medium in weight and bright in its Vine Cuvée Zinfandel
(Paso Robles; $50) Pure, ripe red
black raspberry and blueberry fruit. (Mendocino; $27) and black fruit gains complexity
from olive and tobacco notes. This
Terra d’Oro 2013 Deaver Vine- Rail2Rail 2013 Old Vine Zinfan- one is built to last, with good acidity
yard 130 Year Old Vines del (Lodi; $18) and substantial tannins, yet is admi-
Zinfandel (Amador County; $30) rably restrained and integrated.
From a vineyard planted in 1881 Sivas-Sonoma 2013 Old Vine
Zinfandel (Sonoma County; $20) Henry Earl Estates 2010
comes this classic California Zinfan-
del, with earthy, briary raspberry “Homesteader” (Red Mountain;
Sobon Estate 2013 Zinfandel $40) A dazzlingly vibrant wine with
flavors and subtle chocolate and (Fiddletown; $22)
coffee notes. The finish is clean and fine depth of berry fruit, creamy
brisk. The Federalist 2013 Zinfandel vanilla from oak, and substantial
(Lodi; $18) tannins for cellaring.
www.winetreesusa.com
The Federalist 2013 “Vision-
Bootstrap 2013 Red (California; ary” Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley;
$13) There’s a lot of wine here for $29)
the price. Smoky aromas; sweet,
ripe raspberry and red cherry Wild Thing 2013 Old Vine
flavors; and a luscious finish make it Zinfandel (Mendocino County;
an excellent value. $19)

NEW WORLD Trione Vineyards & Winery

2010 Geyserville Ranch Caber-
Biddle Ranch Vineyard 2012
Limited Production “Evviva”
Husch 2013 Garzini Ranch Old
Vines “Heritage” (Mendocino;
REDS
net Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite (San Luis Obispo County; $49) This $30) Black as squid ink and boldly
Verdot, Malbec & Cabernet Super Tuscan–style blend of Sangio- tannic, this blend of Petite Sirah,
(continued) vese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Carignane could
Franc (Alexander Valley; $48)
Aglianico, and Merlot offers graph- use more time in the bottle for the
L’Ecole No 41 2012 Ferguson Westerly 2011 “Fletcher’s ite, plum, and cherry character, with aromas and dark-fruit flavors to
Vineyard Estate Grown Red Red” (Happy Canyon of Santa good tension and ripe tannins. emerge. Cellar for two years or
(Walla Walla Valley; $60) Mocha Barbara; $75) more; it will be worth it.
Dalliance 2012 Red (Lake County;
and cola aromas lead to a rich Wilridge 2013 Wilridge $20) Ribbons of vanilla, cinnamon, Jeff Cohn Cellars 2013 “The
palate of ripe berry and cherry fruit,
Vineyard Estate Biodynamic and cherry run through this medium- Impostor” (California; $35)
with firm acidity and good grip.
Mélange Noir (Naches Heights; bodied, straightforward blend of six Zinfandel leads a parade of seven
Luke Donald Collection 2012 $40) red grapes, with Zinfandel, Syrah, grape varieties that mesh for a ripe,
LDC Red (Napa Valley; $42) and Barbera leading the way. luxuriously textured red with juicy
Classy and elegant, its strength is in RED RHÔNE–STYLE BLENDS Francis Ford Coppola Direc-
blueberry, blackberry, cola, and
its brilliantly fresh red and black fruit brown spice personality. Very firm
tor’s Cut 2012 “Cinema”
and mouth-watering acidity. +Estancia 2013 Reserve GSM (Sonoma County; $39) A real
tannins suggest cellaring.
(Monterey County; $28) Aromas McEvoy Ranch 2011 “Red
V. Sattui Winery 2011 “Parad- crowd-pleaser, with inviting fruit
of fresh-crushed berries and violets
iso” (Napa Valley; $75) So very lead to juicy red raspberry and
aromas; a plush, juicy red-fruit Piano” (North Coast; $35) This
young now, this powerfully built palate; and a long, spicy finish. unusual blend of Syrah, Grenache,
cherry flavors, closing with a white
wine has a somewhat closed, brood- pepper kick. Montepulciano, Alicante Bouschet,
ing dark fruit character that likely Viognier, and Refosco is dark in
will open with a few years more of color, bold in flavor, and remarkably
bottle age. Shows great promise. medium-bodied and mannered, with
a dark plum and toast profile.
Benziger Estate 2012 Estate
Grown “Oonapais” Red (Sonoma Muscardini 2012 “Fortuna”
Valley, Sonoma County; $49) (Sonoma Valley; $54) Tobacco and
wood spice scents lead into a palate
Benziger Estate 2012 Estate loaded with plump blueberry and
Grown “Tribute” Red (Sonoma blackberry personality.
Valley, Sonoma County; $80)
Naggiar 2012 “Dahlia Noir”
Cliff Creek Cellars 2009 (Sierra Foothills; $16) While it’s
Sam’s Valley Vineyard Claret www.freywine.com tannic and toasty, there is plenty of
www.tertuliacellars.com
(Southern Oregon; $25) Frey 2013 Organic, Biodynamic sweet, rich dark-berry fruit to main-
Tertulia Cellars 2013 Riviere tain a good balance and fine depth.
J. Lohr 2011 “Cuvée PAU” Field Blend (Mendocino; $16)
Galets Estate Vineyard Reserve
(Paso Robles; $50) Syrah, Zinfandel, and Merlot
“The Great Schism” (Walla combine in an inky, slightly jammy,
J. Lohr 2011 “Cuvée POM” Walla Valley; $55) Wonderfully big-boned wine with layers of black
(Paso Robles; $50) balanced, with vibrant color; spice, tea leaf, cassis, cherry, and
crushed berry fruit; a clean, bright chocolate. The finish is bright and
L’Ecole No 41 2012 Pepper palate; moderate oak; and a linger-
Bridge Vineyard “Apogee” Red smooth.
ing finish.
(Walla Walla Valley; $50) Goose Ridge Vineyards 2010
Francis Coppola Sofia 2013 Red
L’Ecole No 41 2012 Seven Hills “Vireo” Red (Columbia Valley;
(Paso Robles; $17)
Vineyard Estate Grown “Peri- $35) Spicy black and blue fruit is
gee” (Walla Walla Valley; $50) wrapped in vanilla, toast, and coco-
OTHER RED BLENDS nut from oak aging. Good balance.
Matthews 2011 Claret
(Columbia Valley; $40) +Ledson 2011 Estate Vineyard
Reserve “Caudalies” (Sonoma www.ninehatswines.com
Obsidian Ridge 2011 Valley, Sonoma County; $62) Nine Hats 2012 Red (Columbia
“Half Mile” Proprietary Red Appealing from start to finish, Valley; $25) Bordeaux varieties are
(Red Hills Lake County; $60) with vibrant color and fruit aromas. joined by a splash of Syrah here,
The midpalate is both rich and bringing a savory character to the
Robert Mondavi Winery
succulent, and the wine closes cherry and plum fruit flavors deliv-
2011 “BDX” Red (Oakville, with lively acidity. ered on a silky palate.
Napa Valley; $100)
Benziger Estate 2012 Estate
St. Francis 2012 “Rockpile”
Grown “Joaquin’s Inferno”
Red (Sonoma County; $50)
Red (Sonoma Mountain; $60)
SummerWood 2011 “Sentio A beautiful wine with majestic
XIII” (Paso Robles; $60) balance, elegance, toasty oak, www.grapeheartvineyards.com
and a long dark-fruit finish. GrapeHeart Vineyards 2012
The Arsonist 2012 Red Blend
(California; $22) “The Thrill” (Suisun Valley; $30)
Dark fruit comes through on the
Trinchero 2011 Meritage palate, with soft tannins, a touch of
(Napa Valley; $50) anise, and a dusting of sweet cocoa
on a lingering finish.

Vina Robles 2012 “Red4” Rancho Sisquoc 2013 Flood ITALIAN REDS
(Paso Robles; $17) Four red Rhône Family Vineyards Sisquoc
varieties comprise this substantial River Red (Santa Barbara Castello di Gabbiano 2011
wine, with a gorgeous dark ruby County; $20) Riserva (Chianti Classico DOCG;
color, inviting aromas, pure berry $22) The wild berry, cherry blossom
flavors, and a spicy finish. Renwood 2012 Red and earthy aromas are expressive
(Amador County; $65) and inviting, leading to robust red
Ancient Peaks Winery
Rock Wall Wine Company fruit flavors and admirable balance.
2012 Margarita Vineyard
“Renegade” (Paso Robles; $24) 2013 “Super Alamedan” Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2013
(California; $28) Il Bruciato (Bolgheri DOC; $32)
Ancient Peaks Winery 2012
San Antonio Winery 2010 Ripe and intense, with hints of
Oyster Ridge (Paso Robles; $50) cherry, cassis, flint, licorice, and
Estate Select “Heritage”
www.oakvilleranch.com August Ridge 2009 Estate (Paso Robles; $27) spice. Excellent balance and silky
Oakville Ranch 2012 Field Grown “A DeAngelis Jovial” texture.
(Paso Robles; $40) Sculpterra 2012 “Statuesque”
Blend (Napa Valley; $55) There’s (Paso Robles; $40) Villa Trasqua 2008 Trasgaia
pronounced Zinfandel personality Besieged 2013 Old Vine (Toscana Rosso IGT; $48) Points
here with bold raspberry and Sexual Chocolate 2013 Red for lovely savory herb aromas, lively
Heritage Varietals Blend
Saskatoon berry fruit melding with (California; $25) red and black cherry flavors, mouth-
(Sonoma County; $16)
chocolate and spice. The finish is Silvestri 2012 Estate “Eugenia” coating tannins, and lengthy finish.
juicy and long. Ca’ Momi 2013 “Rosso di Napa” (Carmel Valley; $32)
(Napa Valley; $18) Bolla 2009 (Amarone della
Tom Gore Vineyards 2012 Valpolicella Classico DOC; $70)
Chateau La Paws NV Red Blend
Field Blend (Alexander Valley, Bolla 2012 Torr’Alta (Veronese
(California; $13)
Sonoma County; $40) IGT; $20)
Chicken Dinner 2013 Red
Vigilance 2012 “Cimarron” Castello Banfi 2012 Red
(Snake River Valley; $18)
(Lake County; $25) (Rosso di Montalcino DOC; $25)
Delaire Graff 2012
“Botmaskop” (Stellenbosch, OFF-DRY RED BLENDS
South Africa; $30)
Barefoot NV Rich Red Blend
Eberle 2012 “Côtes-du-Rôbles” ($7)
Red (Paso Robles; $23)
Cocobon Vineyards 2013 Red
www.oakridgewinery.com GrapeHeart Vineyards 2011 Blend (California; $12)
“The Beat” (Suisun Valley; $54)
Old Soul 2012 “Pure Red” Jewelry Box 2013 Red
(California; $14) Lovely floral Jaxon 2012 “Forté” (California; $28)
aromas lead to juicy berry and (Southern Oregon; $28)
Robert Mondavi Private Selec-
cherry flavors. Medium-bodied and Jaxon 2012 “Tradición”
bright, it has exceptional balance tion 2013 Heritage Red Blend
(Rogue Valley, Oregon; $28) (Central Coast; $11)
and a vibrant finish. www.mikekaufherwines.com
Jeff Cohn Cellars 2013 “Smoke
Per Cazo Cellars 2013 Four
OLD WORLD WINES
& Mirrors” (California; $25) Romeo 2011 (Vino Nobile di
Hearts Vineyard Reserve Field Montepulciano DOCG; $43)
Blend (Paso Robles; $42) Big in Marianello 2012 “Cielo Rubio”
(Santa Barbara County; $48) Tormaresca 2013 Estate Grown
body and rich in boysenberry, black-
Neprica (Puglia IGT; $11)
berry, and blueberry flavor, this wine Matthews 2012 “Blackboard” FRENCH REDS
closes with tight, slightly grainy Red (Columbia Valley; $25)
tannins. Arrogant Frog 2014 PORTUGUESE WHITES
Matthews 2012 Claret Cabernet Sauvignon–Merlot
Purple Cowboy 2013 (Columbia Valley; $40) (Pays d’Oc IGP; $10) Broadbent NV (Vinho Verde
“Tenacious Red” (Paso Robles; DOC; $10)
$12) A great bang for the buck, McBride Sisters 2013 “Truvée” Louis Jadot 2011 (Gevrey-
Red Blend (Central Coast; $15) Chambertin AOC, Bourgogne; $66) Herdade Do Esporão 2014
this blend delivers robust fruit flavors,
exotic spice, and a supple, juicy “V” Verdelho ($15)
Murrieta’s Well 2012 “The Réserve de Bonpas 2010
finish. (Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC; $46)
Spur” (Livermore Valley; $25) PORTUGUESE REDS
Trenza 2012 “Tinto” (San Luis
Newhouse Family Vineyards
Obispo County; $30) Mimics a ITALIAN WHITES Esporão 2012 Reserva Red
Spanish Ribero del Duero, with dark 2010 “Vestige” Red
(Snipes Mountain; $48) (Alentejo DOC; $25) Spice and
fruit, cocoa powder, and blackstrap Castello Banfi 2014 San Angelo toast aromas lead to lush black-
molasses prominent. Boldly tannic, North by Northwest 2012 Pinot Grigio (Toscana IGT; $19) berry, blueberry, and plum fruit.
this is a powerful red wine. “NxNW” Red Blend Plush tannins and pert acidity create
Rocca di Montemassi 2013
Twisted Paso 2013 “Main (Columbia Valley; $15) Calasole Vermentino (Maremma a satisfying, uncomplicated finish.
Squeeze” (Paso Robles; $20) The ONX 2012 Estate Grown Toscana DOC; $15)
color is dark, almost black, and grip- SLOVENIAN WHITES
“Mad Crush” (Paso Robles; $45)
ping tannins dominate the finish. In ITALIAN ROSÉS
the middle are impressively ripe and ONX 2012 Estate Grown Vino Kupljen 2013 Selection
juicy blue and black fruit flavors. “Reckoning” (Paso Robles; $45) Stemmari 2014 Rosé Mon Royal Pinot Gris
(Terre Siciliane IGT; $10) (Ljutomer-Ormoz; $23)
Pendulum 2013 Red
(Columbia Valley; $18)

OLD WORLD Navarro Vineyards 2006 raspberry, and strawberry flavors,

Méthode Champenoise to the crisp, nutty, lingering finish.
WINES
Recently Disgorged Brut Domaine Carneros by
(Anderson Valley, Mendocino; Taittinger NV Méthode
(continued) $39) A rich and round bubbly that
Champenoise “Cuvée de la
has orange blossom, apple, and
SPANISH WHITES lemon curd character, and a pleas- Pompadour” Brut Rosé
ant toastiness from start to finish. (Carneros; $37)
Paramus 2013 Verdejo
(Rueda DO; $16) Domaine Ste. Michelle
NV Méthode Champenoise
SPANISH REDS “Michelle” Brut Rosé
(Columbia Valley; $14)
+Valdubón 2009 Reserva www.civusa.com Frank Family Vineyards
Tinto (Ribera del Duero DO; $24) Pata Negra 2009 Reserva 2011 Brut Rosé (Carneros,
There is a savory and creamy vanilla (Rioja DOCa; $20) Napa Valley; $45)
undertone to the lush blueberry,
plum, and cherry fruit. A juicy, Jansz Tasmania NV Premium
appealing sipper.
NEW WORLD www.mmdusa.net/
scharffenberger-Cellars/index
Cuvée (Tasmania, Australia; $26)
SPARKLERS
Sophora NV Sparkling Rosé
Scharffenberger NV Méthode (New Zealand; $15)
Traditionnelle Brut “Excel-
lence” (Mendocino County; $20) CHARMAT (TANK) METHOD
DRY SPARKLING WINES SPARKLING WINES
A gentle yeasty character lends
+Gloria Ferrer 2006 Late depth to this full-bodied wine with
Francis Coppola Sofia
Disgorged “Royal Cuvée” Brut apple pie and citrus flavors.
2014 Blanc de Blancs
(Carneros; $37) An exceptional Gloria Ferrer NV Méthode (Monterey County; $19)
sparkler that’s full-bodied, super- Champenoise Blanc de Noirs
creamy, and showing the toasty (Carneros; $22) SEMI-SPARKLING WINES
brioche character that comes from
extended bottle aging. Green apple Gloria Ferrer NV Méthode Barefoot Refresh NV Sweet
and citrus flavors and minerality Champenoise Sonoma Brut White (California; $8) Crisp
www.civusa.com keep it extraordinarily fresh. (Sonoma County; $22) acidity keeps this low-carbonation
Pata Negra 2011 Crianza Domaine Carneros by Houdini 2012 Méthode Cham- wine lively and succulent, with notes
(Ribera del Duero DO; $20) A penoise Blanc de Noir of pineapple, lychee, honey, and
Taittinger 2010 Méthode
sturdy wine with a nice menthol hint (California; $40) kiwi fruit.
in the aroma and on the earthy, Champenoise Brut (Carneros;
slightly rustic palate. Vibrant, juicy $32) The toasty aromas and creamy Laetitia NV Méthode Champe- Latah Creek 2014 Hyatt
berries linger on the finish. texture get a shot of verve from noise Brut Cuvée (Arroyo Grande Vineyards Moscato
Meyer lemon and green apple fruit. Valley; $25) (Rattlesnake Hills; $15)
Las Rocas de San Alejandro The wine closes with a lemon finish.
2012 Garnacha (Calatayud DO; Sequin 2013 Moscato
Domaine Ste. Michelle NV OFF-DRY SPARKLING WINES (California; $11)
$14)
Méthode Champenoise
“Michelle” Brut (Columbia Gloria Ferrer NV Méthode
Champenoise “VA de VI” FLAVORED SPARKLERS
Valley; $14) Keen balance and
elegance mark this excellent-value (Sonoma County; $22) Weibel Family NV “Almond”
sparkler. Bright apple and citrus Sophora NV Sparkling Cuvée (California; $12) Exotic almond
notes are joined by subtle hints of (New Zealand; $15) aromas and flavors sit on a smooth,
almond and green tea. creamy base, and the wine finishes
Gloria Ferrer NV Méthode DRY ROSÉ SPARKLING with refreshing acidity.
Champenoise Blanc de Blancs WINES
(Carneros; $22) A beautiful bead
of bubbles and complex palate of OLD WORLD
SPARKLERS
citrus, lemon curd, green apple,
hazelnut, and chamomile make for
www.civusa.com an elegant presentation of Chardon-
Pata Negra 2011 Crianza nay sparkling wine.
(Rioja DOCa; $15) Gloria Ferrer 2004 Late
CHAMPAGNE
Disgorged “Carneros Cuvée” Moët & Chandon 2006 Grand
Brut (Carneros; $70) A full-bodied Vintage Brut (Champagne AOC;
and creamy wine with yeastiness www.mmdusa.net/ $65) Quite oaky for sparkling wine,
and toasted almond accenting the scharffenberger-Cellars/index but the wood works well with the
fleshy yellow stone fruit and citrus crisp acidity and crunchy apple and
flavors. Scharffenberger NV Méthode
citrus fruit. This one is full-bodied
Traditionnelle Brut Rosé and rich.
“Excellence” (Mendocino County;
$23) Vibrancy and complexity in
a glass, from the rose petal and
bready aromas, to the rich cherry,

Moët & Chandon 2006 Grand
Vintage Brut Rosé (Champagne NEW WORLD FLAVORED FORTIFIED
GRAPE WINES
DESSERT WINES
AOC; $90) Succulent red fruits
mingle with snappy citrus in this well-
structured Champagne. Sip with
your eyes first at the gorgeous
coppery-pink color. WHITE DESSERT WINES
Moët & Chandon NV Impérial +Ste Chapelle 2013 Special
Brut (Champagne AOC; $41) Harvest Riesling (Snake River
Rich and lush for a Champagne, Valley; $10) Unabashedly ripe and www.petrifiedforestvineyards.com
with a distinct yeasty character as sweet, this one has apricot, golden
a companion to ripe citrus flavors. Petrified Forest Vineyards
apple, and pear fruit laced by
Smooth and creamy. mouth-watering acidity and spice. 2009 Late Harvest Sauvignon
Delicious. Blanc (Knights Valley, Sonoma
Moët & Chandon NV Impérial
County; $39) www.trentadue.com
Brut Rosé (Champagne AOC;
$55) Pretty salmon color, juicy red
LATE HARVEST ZINFANDEL Trentadue NV “Chocolate
berries, a touch of oak, and a Amore” (California; $22)
refreshingly elegant finish are this Black Magic 2014 Late Harvest A Merlot-based, port-style wine
wine’s lovely signatures. Zinfandel (Sonoma County; $20) with chocolate extract added, it’s
natural-tasting and decadent—a
FRENCH CRÉMANT serious effort.
PORT–STYLE WINES
JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset
NV No. 21 Brut (Crémant de
Bourgogne AOC; $25) www.bouchaine.com OLD WORLD
ITALIAN SEMI-SPARKLING
WHITE
Bouchaine 2013 “Bouche d’Or”
Chardonnay (Carneros, Napa
Valley; $30) Late-harvested, super-
DESSERT WINES
ripe Chardonnay grapes are trans- SWEET MARSALA
Seven Daughters 2013 Moscato
formed into a dessert wine with floral
(Veneto IGT; $13) Pretty perfume aromas, pear flavors, balanced Cantine Florio Fine Ambra
and juicy pineapple flavors that are
moderately sweet and balanced.
sweetness, and a round finish. Secco NV (Marsala DOP; $14)
Simply a fun wine to drink. Styring 2013 Estate “Afterglow” Rich, plush dark fruit, a hint of
almonds, and a distinct dark choco-
Caposaldo NV Frizzante Dessert Riesling (Ribbon Ridge,
late character make for a decadent
(Moscato IGT; $15) Oregon; $35) The tropical and www.roxocellars.com after-dinner sipper.
peach fruit is bright and viscous,
closing with racy acidity and succu- Roxo 2011 Método Português
FLAVORED AND
ITALIAN SPARKLING RED lence. “Ruby Tradicional” (Paso Robles;
$48) This port-style wine made from
Riunite NV Lambrusco
NON-GRAPE WINES
Portuguese grape varieties is deli-
(Emilia IGT; $8) ciously rich in wild-berry flavors
accented by hints of coffee and
PROSECCO cocoa. Excellent balance.
FRUIT WINES
Caposaldo NV Brut Patterson Cellars 2013 Port
(Prosecco DOC; $16) (Yakima Valley; $40) Intensely Maui Blanc NV Pineapple Wine
sweet yet balanced, with delicious (Hawaii; $14) Irresistible for its
Zonin NV Brut dark plum and black cherry fruit and pure, fresh pineapple flavor and
(Prosecco DOC; $15) a lingering finish. acidity that balances the sweetness.
SPANISH CAVA PasoPort Wine Company
2011 Ruby “Portray” FRUIT-FLAVORED WINE
www.mattinafiorewines.com (Paso Robles; $32)
Latah Creek NV “Huckleberry
Mattina Fiore 2013 Stephen & Walker Trust d’Latah” (Spokane Valley, Wash-
Murmur Vineyard “Fiorellino” Winery Limited 2013 ington; $10) This wine is fun and
Late Harvest Viognier “Portentous” Petite Sirah easy to drink, with pert acidity
(Santa Maria Valley; $40) (Dry Creek Valley; $85) supporting the slightly sweet straw-
berry and tropical fruit.
SWEET SHERRY–STYLE
WINES FLAVORED HARD CIDER
www.civusa.com
Rancho de Philo NV Triple Methow Valley Ciderhouse NV
Pata Negra NV Traditional
Cream Sherry (Cucamonga “Howling Wolf” Carbonated
Method Brut Rosé
Valley, California; $35) Unctuously Hopped Cider (Washington;
(Cava DO; $15)
rich and sweet on entry, this triple $15)
Poema NV Método Tradicional cream sherry moves to a silky
Brut Rosé (Cava DO; $13) midpalate and finish, with vanilla,
caramel, and roasted-nut complexity.

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ASK SUNSET
H AV E A Q UE S T I O N A B O U T L I F E I N T H E W E S T ? W E H AV E T H E A N S W E R S .
Q: Are there succulents

that can survive the
cold winters we get here in
California’s high desert? —JAMES SHAY
DEAR JAMES Since

most succulents
come from warm re-
gions (Mexico, South
Africa), succulent
lovers elsewhere
have to grapple with
the heartbreak of po-
Sedum spurium tential frost damage.
Fortunately, many
species of Sedum
(stonecrop) and Sem-
pervivum (house-
leeks, hens and
chicks) are amazing-
ly cold-tolerant and
can survive tempera-
tures well below
freezing. Best bets:
Sedum spurium, a low-
grower with trailing
Sempervivum
stems and bronze-
Q: My kids love Halloween. This Mansion, Día de los Muertos
skeletons populate Frontierland.
(hens and chicks)
tinted green leaves;
year, we want to go someplace Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’,
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PAUL HIFFMEYER/DISNEY, THOMAS J. STORY (2), COURTESY OF HIGH COUNTRY GARDENS (2)
On select nights, you can attend
special to celebrate the holiday. Mickey’s Halloween Party. A which grows 18 to 24
separate ticket (from $69) lets you inches tall; and Sem-
Suggestions? —T.R., ARROYO GRANDE, CA
access rides and trick-or-treat pervivum ‘Oddity’,
(presumably in your Frozen cos- which forms tight ro-
DEAR T.R. It’s a bit of a schlep for you (so not a day trip), but tume) through the spookified settes of burgundy-
Disneyland really does pull out all the stops around Hal- park after day guests have tipped leaves. Other
loween (Sep 11–Nov 1). Various attractions get a seasonal cleared out, then applaud a succulents to con-
makeover—pumpkins line Main Street, ghosts invade “Halloween Screams” fireworks sider: some Delo-
Space Mountain, holiday ghouls overtake the Haunted show. disneyparks.disney.go.com. sperma (ice plants),
especially D. Fire
Delosperma Spinner (tricolored
Fire Spinner flowers) and D. ‘Ke-
laidis’ (pale salmon
Q: Sometimes my pots of chili end up way too hot. flowers), as well
Am I using the wrong chili powder? —N.J., SALT LAKE CITY as Agave utahensis,
a spiny miniature
century plant. All
DEAR N.J. Chili (or chile) powders can be confusing, and reaching for the wrong one can create need excellent
an unwelcome surprise. Chili (usually spelled with an “i” in recipes) powder is a blend of sea- drainage. One good
sonings that usually includes ground chiles, cumin, oregano, and garlic. It’s the classic blend source of cold-hardy
called for in most chili-stew recipes and is only mildly hot. On the other hand, ground chile succulents is High
(with an “e”) powder is 100 percent chiles and may be mild to fiery, depending on the variety. Country Gardens.
Ground chipotle chile powder, for example, is pure smoked jalapeño chiles and is quite hot; highcountrygardens.
ground ancho chile is medium-hot. Check out the ingredient list to know what you’re getting. Agave utahensis com.
Email your questions about Western gardening, travel, food, wine, or home design to asksunset@sunset.com.
SUNSET (ISSN 0039-5404) is published monthly in regional and special editions by Sunset Publishing Corporation, 80 Willow Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025. Periodicals postage paid at Menlo Park and at additional mailing
offices. Vol. 235, No. 4. Printed in U.S.A. Copyright © 2015 Sunset Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. Sunset, The Magazine of Western Living, The Pacific Monthly, Sunset’s
Kitchen Cabinet, The Changing Western Home, and Chefs of the West are registered trademarks of Sunset Publishing Corporation. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited submissions. Manuscripts, photographs, and
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Easy comfort 15 spooky plants

food for fall & for Halloween

Get your dream kitchen!

BEST OF THE WEST APPETIZERS

33 Kohlrabi, Apple, and

HOME & GARDEN

tional Wine Competition PANTRY

Miranda Crowell (Garden, Home, Food),

ART DIRECTOR James McCann

ART DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR Supriya Kalidas

Pumpkin Cocoa SENIOR EDITOR Johanna Silver

Dark Chocolate EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Evelyn Webster

Become a fan on:

@Peggy_Sunset | readerletters@sunset.com pinterest.com/

8 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

Join the Co-Op at Tillamook.com

SUNSET ❖ OCTOBER 2015 11

Ever since photography was in-

12 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

kitchen and serving accessories.

2. The Cylinder shakers by Seattle’s Ladies & Gentlemen

3. San Francisco chef Drew Hash had a hobby: making

4. Store your flour in these walnut-lidded jars from Washing-

5. This copper and teak mixology set is made in India for

6. Blake Kahan hand-prints the linen she uses for her

7. Sierra Foothills winery Vino Noceto is now selling its

14 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

®/™ ©2015 KitchenAid. All rights reserved.

WALK THIS WAY

16 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

Learn more at Almonds.com.

© 2015 Almond Board of California. All rights reserved.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Sunset Travel Awards honors excellence STREET OR CENTER

and innovation in the tourism industry BEST WINERY EXPERIENCE

across the 13 Western states and British BEST B&B

By L AV I N I A S PA L D I N G SUNSET ❖ OCTOBER 2015 19

20 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

24 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

watch the accompanying video at

Bill Smittcamp at Wawona Ranch

Rhett Williams Cheryl & Randy Williams

WITH RHETT WILLIAMS, THE BREWMASTER AT THE FAMILY-OWNED

What inspired the 559 WPA?

JACK LONDON SQUARE

28 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET Photographs by D AV I D F E N T O N

château in the vineyards. “We’re

New World balance, offering a green pea hummus and lime-

30 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

Because when we feed them better, our companions thrive.

Go to petco.com/foodmatters to learn more.

Natural Balance products are available at Petco and Unleashed by Petco.

Adding a thick layer of mulch helps

Fertilize with care and use organic

Following these three easy tips can

Lyngso will be moving to

Photographs by T H O M A S J. S T O RY SUNSET ❖ OCTOBER 2015 33

• Available for about $20 from your local home

“My favorite Sundays are here with

DINING AREA imbricata (above) small backyard ap-

36 OCTOBER 2015 ❖ SUNSET

The side yards

PA L M A L L É E shower, for use after

---------- Golden jade plant ----------