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.