Bob and Sandy Simoni hosted this tasting of local Livermore Valley French varietal red blends. A total of 18 people (12 members and 6 guests) attended at a new venue that was spacious and ideally suited to our wine club because it is a wine bar.
The winning wine was the 2015 Artist Series Small Lot GSM blend from Wente which perhaps appropriately was the most expensive wine in the competition at $55/bottle. For a complete listing of the wine-tasting notes and points and ranking by bottle, click here: Livermore Red Blends – Oct. 2017 Notes with Results
Hosts Bob and Sandy with the winning wine
Here’s the pretaste wines:
Here’s the lineup showing 6 of the 8 wines in order of club ranking plus the bottle of port
Here’s how everybody voted on these wines:
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ANNOUNCEMENT
WHAT: Livermore Red Blends (French varietals)
WHERE: The Vine Wine & Tapas, 135 Parrott St., San Leandro
WHEN: Sat. Oct. 14 at 6 P.M.
Come join us as we taste the best French varietal red blends from Livermore Valley. The Livermore Valley is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in California and is recently undergoing a renaissance. See the end of this page for a brief history.
We were fortunate to find a spacious, wine-themed private room for this month’s tasting. The place is a wine bar called The Vine which is attached to the Englander Pub in San Leandro. The room can fit 45 people so we will have plenty of room for our tasting. We will also have exclusive use of the outdoor patio which might be nice for the pre-tasting if the weather permits. Parking is free and is available in front or on nearby side streets. It is also .4 miles from the San Leandro BART should you want to take public transportation (a ride could surely be arranged back to the BART afterwards). Their website is at: http://www.thevinewineandtapas.com/
The cost of dinner is $50. This is a single bottle tasting so we are limited to 24 tasters but can easily accommodate more diners. The cost of the tasting will relatively inexpensive (approximately $25 per taster).
Here’s the dinner menu:
APPETIZER
Assorted cheeses and baguettes (served with Pre-taste).
House salad with a champagne vinaigrette.
MAIN COURSE (Choose one with your RSVP)
RIB EYE STEAK
Twelve ounce USDA choice rib eye steak, charbroiled to your specifications,
served with a baked potatoe, gravy & mixed vegetables
SEAFOOD MIXED GRILL
A tasty combination of shrimp, scallops & salmon grilled to perfection
served on a bed of spinach with rice pilaf
CHICKEN BREAST WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE
A chicken breast with a white wine mushroom and garlic sauce served with rice pilaf and mixed vegetables.
DESSERT
German chocolate cake
RSVP: Please RSVP by Oct. 7 to bobsimoni@yahoo.com with the number of diners, tasters and their main entrée selections.
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The History of Wine Production in the Livermore Valley
Charles Wetmore was an early winemaker in the region. He was one of the first settlers to plant Vitis vinifera varietals in Livermore, and imported Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle from France. Mr. Wetmore later established Cresta Blanca Vineyard, and was one of the driving forces behind California’s early wine industry.
During the 1860s-1880s, Phylloxera destroyed much of the French Wine Industry. There was suddenly a large European demand for wine from the Livermore Valley. The region was widely regarded as the premiere part of California Wine Country during these years. The era’s over 50 wineries is more than twice as many as the current 24 in the region.
The valley was also a leader in vineyard technology during these years. Innovations included mechanical harvesting and overhead irrigation. The majority of modern California Chardonnay traces its genetic roots back to Livermore. The region was also one of the first in California to begin labeling wine based on varietal.
During the 1880s, most of the local grape growers were French immigrants. They were attracted by the gravelly soil that reminded them of the Medoc and Graves in Bordeaux. But there were also immigrants of different origins in the valley.
In 1883, James Concannon planted vineyards and built a winery in the 1880s. Later that year, German immigrant C.H. Wente planted 43 acres and established Wente Vineyards. Very few of the French winemakers survived Prohibition, and the Italian/Irish Concannon Family and the German Wente Family became the most prominent vintners in the region. When Prohibition became law, Concannon was able to stay in business by making wine for the Catholic Church in San Francisco.
The renaissance of Livermore Wine Country began during the 1970s and has gained momentum ever since. However, high real estate values and property development limits the amount of vineyard acreage. The Concannon Family did not sell their winery and vineyards until 1982.
In the early 1990s, the Wente Family owned 1,300 of the region’s 1,600 total acres of vineyards. C.H. Wente’s winery and vineyards are still owned by his descendants. The property has an excellent restaurant and an acclaimed 18 hole golf course.
Cellar Society of San Francisco 