Encore Presentation of NEYERS WINES – This Saturday 4/22 – 1pm-4pm
Here is an oldie but a goodie! A winery that Carpe Vino carried “back in da day” but unfortunately has forgotten about…until now! We were a huge supporter of their chardonnay and zinfandel, but with a distributor change and so many new wines coming online, it just fell of the radar. This morning, we tasted through about 7 different Neyers wines (you’ll see the drip mark on the Pinot Noir label) and selected what we thought were the four best for our faithful wine club members!!! The beauty about this line-up is it delivers a winde spectrum of wine to taste. So much in fact, wine club members can bring up to two guests ($10/person tasting fee, non-refundable).
2016 Neyers “304” Chardonnay (Sonoma) $25/winery
$24.95/bottle or $21.21/bottle on 6+
Winery Tasting Notes:
We call this wine Chardonnay ‘304’ because of the use of food grade 304 stainless steel vs french oak barrels for fermentation and storage. A portion of the wine was fermented in a concrete tank to add richness and bring out the minerality in the wine.There was continuous lees contact used in this unique fermentation process. It pairs with everything from a plate of oysters to a crisp roast chicken.
2015 Neyers “Roberts Road” Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
$44.95/bottle or $35.95/bottle on 6+
Winery Tasting Notes:
The Sangiacomo Family Roberts Road Vineyard is in the cool, fog-shrouded environs of the Petaluma Gap. We harvest fruit from this block by hand, then sort the berries. We remove about 50% of the stems, ferment in open top fermenters using native wild yeast. We punch down the cap manually several times daily. The wine is subsequently aged for one year in 60-gallon French oak barrels.
Wine Spectator Notes: 92 Points
“Though dense and concentrated, this opens easily, with a mix of earthy, herb- and sage-laced wild berry flavors that are enticingly complex and captivating. Ends with a long, saturated finish, gaining smoky oak and tarry details on the aftertaste. Drink now through 2023. 177 cases made.”
2015 Neyers “Left Bank” Red Wine (Napa Valley)
$37.50/bottle or $31.88/bottle on 6+
Winery Tasting Notes:
Two of the most important blocks of vines on our Conn Valley Ranch – one Cabernet Sauvignon and one Merlot – sit on the left bank of Conn Creek as it flows through our property on its way from Howell Mountain to Lake Hennessey.
Most of the vines are 25 years-old, and are planted in soil that combines basalt, gravel and clay. Yields were barely two tons per acre so the finished wine is lush and deeply aromatic, with traces of cassis, raspberry and cedar. There’s a softness that is especially attractive right now, and the wine is complex enough to turn a lot of heads.
2015 Neyers “Vista Luna” Zinfandel (Sierra Foothills)
$25.95/bottle or $22.06/bottle on 6+
Winery Tasting Notes:
Winery Tasting Notes: 2015 Zinfandel Vista Luna Vineyard, Borden Ranch Borden Ranch is a tiny Sierra foothills AVA approved by the BATF in 1995. It sits in the northwestern corner of Calaveras County, at the base of the Sierra Nevada Range, in an outcropping of hard rock – mostly quartz and granite – brought to the surface during the formation of the mountain range several million years ago. This rocky base serves to reduce vigor in the vines, and provides a host of mineral components that later influence flavors in the finished wine. Moreover, the vineyard is planted to an heirloom selection of Zinfandel, so the clusters are small, and ripen evenly. The climate at Borden Ranch is relatively cool – sometimes downright chilly – as a result of the brisk, westerly winds set in motion by a phenomenon known as the ‘Sierra Rotor’. The net result is a Zinfandel from fully ripe grapes, loaded with flavor and low in alcohol. I don’t know that there is any other place in California so well suited to the production of traditionally made Zinfandel, produced as our forebears intended it. We harvested the grapes in early September at 23.0 Brix, destemmed the fruit, pumped the must to a chilled stainless steel tank, then, after warming the tank slightly, allowed the grapes to ferment naturally using the native yeast trapped on the skins. The must was macerated for 45 days or so, drained and pressed, then racked into 60-gallon used French oak barrels. We aged the wine on its lees for six months, then bottled without fining or filtration in early July. The Neyers Vista Luna Zinfandel engages me primarily because of its grace and charm. At a finished alcohol level that is barely 14%, it provides plenty of satisfaction, without the hot, alcoholic finish.
If you can’t make this Neyer tasting but interested in purchasing some of these wines, feel free to respond to this email or contact me directly at 530.823.0320 x 105.
Cheers,
Jay