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The Sloan Sakai booth will have an excellent selection of wines available during the CALPELRA Reception/Wine Tasting scheduled for Wednesday, November 20th starting at 5:15 PM. 

Firm Senior Counsel and Wine & Spirits Director Justin Otto Sceva has chosen five delectable wines that cover a wide range of tastes. As a preview of what we will be pouring at Booth #30 next Wednesday, he’s written up the tasting notes below:

Roederer Estate Brut Rosé: Elegant bubbles from the Anderson Valley to get the party started. 56% Pinot Noir/44% Chardonnay, round and balanced with a beautiful salmon tint from the addition of a small amount of oak-aged Pinot Noir. Poured from magnums for smaller bubbles and an extra creamy mouthfeel.

Tablas Creek 2015 “Esprit Blanc de Tablas:” Classic Paso Robles version of a Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc, with Roussanne providing a rich mouthfeel and structured backbone for smaller amounts of higher acid Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc to play against. The result is complex, racy, and precise, with enticing aromas of pear and melon and a quirky hint of mace and other pumpkin pie spices.

Giornata 2018 “Ramato” An interesting and delicious oddity – old school Pinot Grigio like you’ve probably never had. Grown in Avila Beach, fermented on its skins like red wine, allowed to macerate for 6 months in clay amphorae, and then bottled unfiltered. Orangey-pink in color (“ramato” means “coppery” in Italian), cloudy, tart and refreshing. If you like sour beers, try this while it lasts!

Giornata 2016 Nebbiolo “Luna Matta Vineyard” Giornata is doing some amazing things with Italian varietals. Nebbiolo is used to make some of Italy’s most famous red wines, but is very hard to get right elsewhere. This one nails it, with classic Nebbiolo aromatics of dried flowers, earth, spice and tar, and a highly structured palate redolent of black tea, hibiscus, cherry pie and hint of tobacco. If you are a Pinot Noir fan, check this out for some of the same core flavors taken in a little different direction.

Arnot-Roberts 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon “California” This wine was the result of a happy accident. Although Arnot-Roberts typically makes three single vineyard Cabernets from Chalk Hill (Clajeux Vineyard), Moon Mountain (Montecillo Vineyard) and the Santa Cruz Mountains (Fellom Ranch Vineyard), the wines got mixed together accidentally in 2012. They liked the result and decided to just go with it, bottling the result with a cool retro label. The result could only be labeled with the broad “California” appellation, but it’s a terrific Cabernet with a core of big fruit and structured tannins from the Fellom Ranch component, offset by nuances of lavender, violet and cedar from Clajeaux and Montecillo.

We hope to see you and enjoy these vintages with you in Monterey!