kudos

Hi all,

A couple weeks ago we received word that our 2007 Roussanne received a Double Gold medal at the San Diego Wine competition. It is a great wine and deserves the recognition.

I fully expect that our 2008 Viognier will be very well received because it is the best we have had since '98 when it received a 98 rating and called one of the top in Cal.

Yesterday Mike Dunne posted the following in the Sac Bee:

Mike Dunne's Wine of the Week pick - 04/22/09
By Mike Dunne
Published: April 22nd, 2009 12:00 AM
Sierra Vista Vineyards & Winery 2006 Reeves Vineyard Zinfandel ($18)
The view from aptly named Sierra Vista Vineyards & Winery is so sweeping it can be seen as either intimidating or inspiring. John and Barbara MacCready, who bought the ridge top property in 1972, have been far more inspired than intimidated by the grand landscape before them.
They arrived knowing that the hills were celebrated for zinfandel, but in looking around they saw in the mix of exposures and soils other possibilities. They planted cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, though the Mother Lode never has been recognized for doing well consistently by either. Not until the MacCreadys applied their scientific and artistic touches to the varieties, that is.
And while just about every winery in the region today produces wines based on varieties traditionally grown in France's Rhone Valley - syrah, mourvedre, viognier, among others - the MacCreadys were among the first, and possibly the very first, to see the gleam of gold in those unsuspected veins.
But doggone it, the Mother Lode is zinfandel country, and the MacCreadys didn't ignore the variety that continues to be most closely identified with the area.
They make a couple of zinfandels, and the one that most recently caught my attention was the meaty, firm and peppery Sierra Vista Vineyards & Winery 2006 Reeves Vineyard Zinfandel, which in equilibrium and resonance delivers more authority than many zinfandels at double or more its $18 suggested retail price.
The MacCreadys' fondness for grape growing and wine making in the foothills must be catching. The fruit that went into the Reeves zinfandel came from a neighboring vineyard just to the west owned by John MacCready's sister and brother-in-law, Enid and Doug Reeves.
They caught the MacCready infection early on, planting the vineyard in 1976. While the resulting wine consistently has been solid vintage to vintage, it looks to be getting even better, perhaps because the vineyard gradually is being replanted to another clone from a century-old plot that no longer exists. The 2006 Reeves is a mix of both the original clone and the new.
By the numbers: 14.1 percent alcohol, 359 cases, $18.
Context: John MacCready likes the Reeves zinfandel with just about anything dressed with a red Italian sauce - lasagna, spaghetti, ribs and so forth. He recommends drinking the wine over the next two years, but suspects it will continue to live and deliver six more years.
More information: Visit www.sacwineregion.com or Sierra Vista Vineyards & Winery, 4560 Cabernet Way, Placerville.

That is all till next time.

John

It's time to start writing again

This last weekend was passport time with the El Dorado Winery Association wineries. Both weekends were blessed with great weather, especially compared to the snow sleet and rain we have had some other years. At Sierra Vista Winery we server salmon Provencale, rosmary pork medalions in a cream sauce and wild mushroom pasta. All prepared by Christian and Jennifer Masse of Allez. Several attendees said it was the best food they had had any where.

We paired the salmon with our 2006 Viognier which was a great hit.

The people in the distance are checking in and the gal in pink on the left is getting the salmon and Viognier.

The next pairing was the pork and pasta that went very well with the Fleur de Montagne, a Rhone blend. As shown here the pasta is being served by Enid Reeves, in the yellow, of the Reeves Vineyard Zinfandel fame.

The last station for tasting was manned by Keith Boston pouring our 2005 Five Star Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a highly concentrated 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the first time we have bottled one since 1999 and our introductory tasting of the 2005.

Speaking of the 99, we had one last Sat night that was great. Opening an hour before dinner and aerating it by pouring from one decanter to another 5-6 times and then letting it sit for an hour gave us a real treat. One would be hard pressed to find afirst growth Bordeaux that would be better.

At Sierra Vista we grow figs for our pleasure. Following is a photo showing the tree after pruning. By this fall it will be almost doubled in size. I will try to remember to show it to you when fully grown and when the leaves are turning next fall.

Until next time, so long.