GrapeRadio – Wine Talk Show

Bo Barrett came to his winemaking job at Chateau Montelena the old fashioned way – he earned it. His family had recently bought the Chateau and overgrown property, so right after graduating from high school in 1972, Bo spent the summer working in the old vineyard and picking up rocks in preparation for replanting. So, becoming winemaker in 1982 was really just the natural progression of things. In addition to his practical experience, Bo obtained a degree in Viticulture and Enology from Fresno State.

Join us today as we discuss Chateau Montelena’s early years and the effects that the 1976 ‘Judgement of Paris’ had upon this iconic Napa winery, as well as the Calistoga AVA, and what it’s like to work in a family business.

Link to todays guest:

Chateau Montelena: www.montelena.com

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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Click Here: Chateau Montelena Winery

If you enjoyed this episode check out these other related shows:

Audio #15: Shafer Vineyards with Doug Shafer
Audio #16: The Wines of Bob Foley
Audio #93: Mondavi – 40 Years In Napa
Audio #108: Winery Profile: Trefethen Vineyards
Audio #125: Winery Profile: Staglin Family
Video #1: The Staglin Family
Audio #148: Wine Maker Profile: Mike Trujillo
Audio #197: The Wines of Dunn Vineyards

The Santa Rita Hills Bunch

In part five, the final installation of our roundtable series, Rick, Peter and Wes discuss SRH plantings, vintage growing issues, and the value of experimentation and sharing of information within the AVA.

A few facts: there are just over twenty vineyards here, most of them specializing in Pinot Noir and/or Chardonnay, with a few acres planted to Syrah, Pinot Blanc, some Pinot Gris, and even some Dornfelder. Currently, the majority of vineyards are planted on the southern edge of the appellation, south of the Santa Rita Hills, on both sides of Santa Rosa Road. Just to the north of Santa Rosa Road lies the Santa Ynez River, and its benchlands.

Links to todays guests:

Santa Rita Hills Wine Growers Alliance: www.staritahills.com

Rick Longoria, Longoria Wines: www.longoriawine.com
Wes Hagen, Clos Pepe Vineyards: www.clospepe.com
Peter Cargassachi, Point Concepción Wines: www.pointconcepcionwines.com

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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Rick Longoria of Longoria Wines

Today, in part four of our five part roundtable series: pricing rationale, picking maturity, more discussions on alcohol and ripeness in today’s “newer” Pinot Noirs, site-specific clones, and Chardonnay anyone?

A few facts: while the soils of the two areas differ somewhat (gravely and loamy in the south; sandy in the north), the climate remains nearly identical in both – cold and windy. Two major east-west roads pass through the AVA, Santa Rosa Road on the south and Hwy 246 on the north. Both lead to Lompoc, which has quickly become the ‘de facto’ wine capitol of the AVA.

Links to todays guests:

Santa Rita Hills Wine Growers Alliance: www.staritahills.com

Rick Longoria, Longoria Wines: www.longoriawine.com
Wes Hagen, Clos Pepe Vineyards: www.clospepe.com
Peter Cargassachi, Point Concepción Wines: www.pointconcepcionwines.com

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe Vineyards

Today, in part three of our five part roundtable series, Rick, Peter and Wes talk about those incessant comparisons to (gasp!) Burgundy, the wines at hand, varietal character in the wines, and background on the SRH.

A few facts: although the Santa Rita Hills AVA is naturally cool and windy with more of a maritime climate than the Santa Ynez Valley, the fog adds an additional cooling element to the local vineyards. This permits lower temperatures for a longer duration of time, which in turn allows a longer hang time for the fruit – both of which are advantageous for the Burgundian varietals of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Links to todays guests:

Santa Rita Hills Wine Growers Alliance: www.staritahills.com

Rick Longoria, Longoria Wines: www.longoriawine.com
Wes Hagen, Clos Pepe Vineyards: www.clospepe.com
Peter Cargassachi, Point Concepción Wines: www.pointconcepcionwines.com

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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Peter Cargassachi of Point Concepción Wines

Today, in Part two of our five part roundtable, Rick Longoria, Peter Cargasacchi and Wes Hagen discuss: regional terroir – is there one, or is the region just too young. Also, more about ripeness and balance, and how this is affected by wine critics, along with an assessment of the heat spikes during the 2004 vintage.

A few facts: the geography of this part of California is quite unique – the region is the only area on the Pacific Coast of North America with transverse, or east to west, mountain ranges. Adding further to the distinction of the Santa Rita Hills AVA, an ocean fog penetrates up to, and often past, the eastern end of the appellation, just outside the town of Buellton.

Links to todays guests:

Santa Rita Hills Wine Growers Alliance: www.staritahills.com

Rick Longoria, Longoria Wines: www.longoriawine.com
Wes Hagen, Clos Pepe Vineyards: www.clospepe.com
Peter Cargassachi, Point Concepción Wines: www.pointconcepcionwines.com

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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Established in 2001, the Santa Rita Hills AVA is a unique growing area located in the westernmost section of the Santa Ynez Valley. The AVA covers approximately 40,000 acres (about 2,000 planted) extending from four miles west of Highway 101 at Buellton to two miles east of Lompoc on both sides of the Santa Ynez River. The northern boundaries are formed by the south-facing slopes of the Purisima Hills and the southern boundaries are formed by the north-facing slopes of the Santa Rosa Hills

The extreme nature of the Santa Rita Hills, in particular, the cold, windy climate lead to the low yields that create Pinot Noirs of great density of color, and overall intense flavor characteristics.

Our guests for this five part roundtable include 3 of the region’s most well known “vignerons”: Rick Longoria, Peter Cargassachi, and Wes Hagen. Today: how the AVA was formed, its youth, climate and topography.

Links to todays guests:

Santa Rita Hills Wine Growers Alliance: www.staritahills.com

Rick Longoria, Longoria Wines: www.longoriawine.com
Wes Hagen, Clos Pepe Vineyards: www.clospepe.com
Peter Cargassachi, Point Concepción Wines: www.pointconcepcionwines.com

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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Click Here: Richard Longoria Winery

We believe that wine is the greatest of all collectibles. Unlike a rare work of art hanging on your wall unchanged for decades, wine changes considerably throughout its limited lifetime.

Today we discuss how to plan, build, maintain, and enjoy a world class wine collection – regardless of your budget.

Our guest today is Jeff Smith, Founder of Carte du Vin. Jeff offers one of the most complete wine cellar service available today. Jeff also has recently authored the book: The Best Cellar.

Links to todays show:
Carte du Vin: www.carteduvin.com
Web Site – The Best Cellar: www.thebestcellar.com
Buy the Book: The Best Cellar

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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Tasting notes are the stock in trade of wine writers and critics. But, as anyone who has ever tried writing one will know, it can be hard to describe tastes and smells in words alone.

By making tasting notes you will have a permanent record of each wine tasting experience. This is invaluable for the serious wine collector but also useful for the casual wine drinker.

Today we discuss the pros and cons of taking notes and for those who want to make a leap we give a few helpful pointers.

For a terrific resource on wine tasting notes go to – GrapeNutz: www.grapenutz.com

Sponsor: CellarTracker, The Wine Mgmt System: www.cellartracker.com

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The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) exists to promote the highest level of educational achievement for the wine industry, culminating in the internationally recognized qualification of Master of Wine (MW). As a corporate entity it organizes all aspects of the Master of Wine examination and education program, runs tastings and other events programs, provides membership services to the 251 MWs world-wide.

Our guest today is Dr. Patrick Farrell, MW – who discusses the IMW as well as his new wine invention.

- The Institute of Masters of Wine: www.masters-of-wine.org
- BevWizard: www.bevwizard.com

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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