By Denman Moody
In a far different cultural environment, when I first started my semi-annual
visits to the California wine country in 1976 (I took my new bride to San
Francisco, Carmel and Napa Valley), there was this one interesting winery off
the beaten track-
—not on the way from San Francisco, Oakland or Sacramento to Napa or Sonoma—named Wente. About the only thing I knew about Wente was that it was in
Livermore, and the wines weren
’t as good as the wines I was drinking from Napa like the great B.V. Private
Reserve Cabernets made by Andre Tchelistcheff (
’58, ’60, ’65, ’68, ’69 and ’70 in particular), and the unbelievable ’68 and ’69 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernets made by Joe Heitz. As a matter of fact, except for Ridge
and less than a handful of other wineries, nothing rivaled these Napa
superstars.
As I have been reporting on Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Mendocino, etc., and
the inner appellations like Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sta. Rita
Hills and Anderson Valley, a qualitative sea change has occurred at Wente.
Wente, the country’s oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery was founded in 1883 by C. H.
Wente, an immigrant from Germany who came to the U.S. looking for his brothers.
He found one in Illinois and the other in Minnesota, told them both it was too
cold, and promptly headed for sunny California.
Since 1883, five generations of the Wente family have planted, grown and
harvested fruit from their estate vineyards. More than a century of committed
stewardship of the land led to the development of the Wente family
’s “Farming for the Future” program. Created in the early 1990s with the health and well-being of its
employees, the local community and the planet in mind
—not to mention the Wentes themselves—this is a system of enhancing the vitality of the soils, creating a balanced,
sustainable ecology, minimizing water use and reducing non-organic wastes.
Today, three fourth-generation Wentes: Carolyn, Eric and Phil, along with two
fifth-generation Wentes: Christine and Karl, run the amazing property, which
consists of a staggering 3,000 acres of estate vineyards
—2,000 in the Livermore Valley (about 40 miles east of the San Francisco airport)
and 1,000 in Arroyo Seco, south of Monterey. In addition to bountiful vineyards
and a winery, the Wentes manage 1,600 acres of sustainable open range land with
100 head of cattle providing grass management and soil fertilization. One would
think that would suffice, but these folks are on top of their game.
In 1986, they established The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, which has won
numerous awards for its menu featuring American dishes influenced by French and
Italian cuisine. They also brought in Greg Norman to design a championship
18-hole public golf course. And every summer for 20 years, the Concerts at
Wente Vineyards have showcased world-renown entertainers (after a pre-concert
sunset dinner, of course, either outdoors or in the award-winning restaurant).
Looks like something for everyone
—Tony Bennett, Ringo Starr, Huey Lewis, B.B. King, Dana Carvey, Clint Black and
ZZ Top to name a few!
Recently tasted Wente wines are:
Riverbank Riesling Arroyo Seco 2008 – Cold fermented and aged in stainless steel. No oak to mar the delicious fruit.
Honeysuckle and lychee aromas (probably enhanced by 17 percent Gewurztraminer)
and a lovely, apple flavor. The 2.45 percent natural residual sugar with good
acidity makes a wine similar to a nice Rhine Kabinet or Spatlese. Try by
itself, with hors d
’oeuvres or shrimp salad.
Riva Ranch Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2008 – Wente was the first winery in California to produce a wine labeled Chardonnay—1936.
Today, many of the great California Chardonnays are planted with the Wente
clone. Barrel fermented and just the right amount of oak aging (I guess they
should know how to do it right by now), this wine has a lovely golden color and
has a bouquet of light floral notes, cinnamon and peaches with a hint of
vanilla and butter in the taste. I
’d go for chicken salad al fresco or your favorite fish dish.
Small Lot Petite Sirah Port Limited Release 2007 – A lovely dessert wine with 6.4 percent natural residual sugar. Ripe black
cherries abound in the nose with chocolate and spice nuances. Perfect with a
fruit tart or cherry or blackberry pie.
Wente makes numerous wines that are widely available, affordable and
recommended. Winemaker Karl Wente also produces some off-the-charts
“big boys,” which compete very well at the $40 plus level with the best of Napa and Sonoma.
I
’ve not had the current vintage, but each of the following I’ve tasted in previous vintages has been superlative: Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah
and Cabernet Sauvignon. As a unique bonus for music lovers, Karl, who is also a
musician, pairs his wines with music.
“I pair tannins and weight of our wines with the percussion and brass of the
songs, and the mid-pallet with the rhythm.
”
