Winery of the week - Sierra Madre Vineyard

Golden Gate Wine Cellars
2337 Ocean Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127
Tel: 415.640.6611
Fax: 888.790.9463
E: frank@goldengatewinecellars.com
W: http://www.goldengatewinecellars.com/

Our Motto: Always Drink Good Wine™


WINERY OF THE WEEK:
SIERRA MADRE VINEYARD

Sierra Madre vineyards has been around for a long time, as a vineyard, but only recently as a winery. The vineyard goes back to the early Byron dates. Mondavi purchased it and after Mondavi was absorbed by Constellation Brands, Doug Circle purchased it in 2003.
It was not until the 2006 vintage that high-end commercial was produced under the craftsmanship of Steve Rasmussen, the long time winemaker at Talley Vineyards.
I first met Steve in the early 90’s and this long-term relationship let to him introducing Sierra Madre Vineyards to me. I would jump on this first release as only 150 cases of the Chardonnay and 375 cases of the Pinot Noir were produced!

Sierra Madre 2006 Estate Chardonnay, Santa Maria
Retail 35.00 – GGWC 28.00
The 2006 Sierra Madre Vineyard Chardonnay is our first vintage of this fine white varietal. In the glass, the wine bursts with aromas of fresh green apple, vanilla bean, toasty oak and wet stones. The long hang-time the vintage was afforded is evident – the fully ripened fruit offers up lush, unctuous flavors of pineapple, mango, banana and white peach, and a touch of minerality… the perfect combination of fruit-forward delivery, balanced weight on the palate, and a long, elegant finish. Our stylish Chardonnay will provide excellent drinkability in the short-term, but will continue to develop wonderfully in bottle with additional cellaring at cool temperatures.

Sierra Madre 2006 Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Maria
Retail 45.00 – GGWC 39.00
The 2006 Pinot Noir opens beautifully in the glass, with refined aromas of ripe red cherry, violet, strawberry, and barrel toast. Its bright acidity balances nicely with rich flavors of red plums, black cherry, brown spice, and anise. Additional cellaring of this, our premiere vintage of Sierra Madre Pinot Noir, will encourage development of classic earthy, forest-floor notes in the wine, and will hasten the softening of its subtle but firm tannins. Long on the palate, this wine offers a sleek silky, cherry-strawberry finish. It will age gracefully in the bottle for many years to come.

Showroom to open shortly!

Golden Gate Wine Cellars
2337 Ocean Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127
Tel: 415.640.6611
E: frank@goldengatewinecellars.com
W: www.goldengatewinecellars.com

Our Motto: ALWAYS DRINK GOOD WINE™

Finally, after exactly 364 days of waiting since signing a lease, both the City and County of San Francisco, and ABC (liquor commission) signed off on our application.
Now we can start with some decorating (shelving, displays, etc), new computers, etc, and hopefully we open our long awaited "Frank's Little Showroom" in early to mid June (Angelina, our youngest one will be 3 years old on June 8 - my mother-in-law thinks that would be a great day to open up. The number 8 is a Chinese LUCKY number).

We also will have some new phone numbers, which will be posted on our website shortly

Starting in July we will organize weekly wine tastings at 2 restaurant locations in our new neighborhood. This info will also be posted on our website as well.

I want to thank everyone for all the support, especially my wife Crystal and my two daughters Milayna and Angelina for hanging in there with me. I had many sleepless nights, especially since I was writing checks for an empty location (not to talk about the checks to lawyers, architect, license, etc).
Our business will continue to run without ANY interruption in its current format so you will be able to enjoy all of Frank's Boutique Wine Selections™ as you have in the past! Don't hesitate to contact me for any wine suggestions (I have plenty, as you know!).

I will be in St. Paul (MN) this summer, and in New York City in October for Frank's World Wine Tasting Tour. Next summer Toronto is on the list as well as Seattle and Indianapolis. Make sure to check our website for the exact dates and locations.

Yours Truly,
Frank