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Gallo of Sonoma

By Nancy Walman

ver the past six and a half decades, the E. & J. Gallo Winery has become the world's foremost winery in the art and science of grape growing and winemaking; and in the distribution and marketing of wines worldwide. With four wineries strategically located in various parts of California and access to grapes from vineyards in all of the premier grape-growing areas of California, Gallo produces wines in every category, to suit every taste.

For almost 70 years, the hallmark of the E. & J. Gallo Winery has been the quality of its products. The company understands that it can only be sound when it focuses on long-term success achieved by consistently offering consumers the highest quality product for the best value To uphold this philosophy, Gallo Winery is now leading the industry in determining the best places for growing grapes, the best ways to grow them, and the best ways to make wine. Their dedication to continuous improvement in quality—combined with decades of personal experience growing grapes and making wine—has resulted in Gallo being the choice of more consumers than any other winery in the world.

The E & J Gallo Winery currently employs more than 4,600 people and markets its wines throughout the U.S. and over 90 foreign countries, making it one of the largest winemaking operations in the world. The grapes for their wines are grown and harvested in all of California’s important wine-producing regions and represent only the very best in quality. The product portfolio is also diverse, encompassing virtually every form of the winemaker’s art from fine table and sparkling wines, to distilled, wine-based spirits and beverage wines. The Winery has been active in Sonoma, California, for more than 70 years and its Healdsburg facility includes two, third-generation family members —Matt and Gina Gallo. Gina is a third-generation winemaker and her brother Matt oversees the Sonoma and Napa vineyards.

Gallo of Sonoma Estate Series

The Best of the Best: Grapes from their finest Estate Vineyards are harvested by hand. Then, using all their passion and experience, Gina and the winemaker’s craft wines that the international wine community consistently rate as among the world's best.

Gallo of Sonoma Single Vineyard Series

Featuring the Finest Estate Grown Grapes from each of the Gallo of Sonoma Vineyards, each bottle highlights how the unique differences in land and micro-climate contribute to making a World Class wine.

Gallo of Sonoma County Series

Combining the best grapes from throughout Sonoma results in wines with unmatched balance and complexity. Award winning Gallo of Sonoma is one of the best of Sonoma.

Follows a duo of terrific chardonnays and three of their recent red releases with technical notes, tasting note and food pairing recommendations. We consider Gall of Sonoma to be one of America’s finest and most dependable brandings.

World Class Wines From California : A Duo of Chardonnay

In crafting their award-winning Gallo of Sonoma wines, both winegrowers and winemakers embark on a journey from vine to wine.

It all begins in Sonoma County, where cool ocean breezes, lingering coastal fog and the qwarm sun nuture the grapes. It culminates with patient barrel-by-barrel tasting and aging.

HARVEST

2002 began with lots of rain followed by a stretch of dry cold weather, which, fortunately, did not have a negative effect on the grapes. Due to this cool start and then spike in temperature acidity. The harvest was completed by the last week of October.

WINEMAK!NG

To ensure that the grapes are gently squeezed and allow the natural fruit to shine through, a gravity feed whole cluster press pad is used for 100% of the Chardonnays. The juice was primarily barrel fermentedand went through a partion malaloctic fermentation that enhanced complexities of body, flavor, and lended it a buttery flavor that complements its crisp, aged in prior-used European and American oak barrels.

FINISHED WIN!

The Sonoma County 2002 Chardonnay is an elegant. well-balanced wine, showcasing bright apple, pear and pinapple aromas flavors, enhanced with a subtle layer of sweet vanilla from barrel aging, with a clean long, crisp finish. Food matches include mild with fish, poached chicken, pasta with pesto, grilled vegetables and fresh fruit.

Grape Source: Sonoma County

Varietal Content: 98% Chardormay; 0.6% Viogner

Titratable Acidity: 0.57g/100m1

Residual Sugar: 0.05g,lOOml

pH; 3.34

Alcohol Level: 13.9 percent

Suggest Retail Price: $11.

For Fatter Walents, A Svelt Chardonnay

GALLO OF SONOMA

1999 ESTATE CHARDONNAY

The Gallo sonoma Laguna Ranch Vineyard, fruit source for en Sonoma Estate Chardonnay, was first planted by Andrew Frei in the late 1800s. Located in the cool Region I benchlands of Sonoma County's Russian River Valley. Soils are a combination of gravelly loam and sandy loam, referred to as “Sebastopol” series and further concentrating their cool climate fruit character. The result is a more “fruit-driven" wine than previous vintages. This Estate Chardonnay displays rich flavors of apples and citrus with aromas of fig. hazelnut and toasty vanilla with an elegant texture and a lengthy finish.

Aged ten months in new oak barrels, about 1,540 cases were made when it was bottled in Novernber 2000.

Delicious with: Goat cheese, almonds, full-fleshed seafood, sushi and poultry.

Sugested Retail Price: $45.

Next Issue --- Four Reds to Rave About

World Class Wines From California: A Trio of Ravable Reds

1999 Northern Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon

VINEYARD:

The Gallo family farms eight benchland vineyards in the Sonoma County appellations of Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. Carefully selected sites within our

vineyards produce the grapes for our Gallo of Sonoma Estate wines. Only the “best of the best” fruit is considered for possible inclusion in these wines, our finest cuvees. After an intense selection process in

both our benchland vineyards and at our winery, the blend for our 1999 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is mainly from our Stefani Vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County.

The 1999 Estate Cabernet is a balance of power and elegance, showcasing intense aromas of black cherries, spice and toast. Rich flavors of cassis and black currant fruit are framed by sweet vanilla and

toast from 24 months of barrel aging in 100% new French Oak.

HARVEST:

Appellation: 100% Dry Creek Valley Vineyard: 89.8% Stefani Vineyard, 10.2% Frei Ranch Vineyard Varietal Content: 99.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, .4% Malbec Sugar at Harvest: 23.8°- 24.5° brix

Comments: Select hand harvesting of fully ripened bunches during late October

WINEMAKING:

Preparation: 100% de-stemmed, not crushed Malolactic Fermentation: Complete Fermentation Type: Rotary with some Upright

Filtration: Racked every 4 to 6 months for clarification and lavor/tannin evolution Free Run to Press Ratio: 100% free run

OAK AGING:

Twenty-four months in 100% new French Oak barrels.

FINISHED WINE:

Bottling: January 2002

TA: 0.65 g/100ml

RS: Dry

pH: 3.68

Alcohol Level: 14.2%

Quantity: 1000 cases

Here is a complex wine just asking for a few years of aging. Wonderful with Roasts, grilled lamb or beer, game, and assertive cheeses.

2000 Frei Ranch Vineyard

Zinfandel

Dry Creek Valley

Flavor Profile

The 2000 Frei Ranch Vineyard Zinfandel is a classic display of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Restrained and well balanced, this full-bodied wine showcases a raspberry fruit center and is an ideal complement to beef, lamb, and pastas with tomato sauce.

Vineyard

First planted in the late 1800s, our family’s Frei Ranch Vineyard is located in the cool benchlands of Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley. In this hillside location soils are a combination of gravel, clay, and loam. This unique combination of climate and hillside soils yields robust Zinfandel grapes, which make full-bodied, complex wines with aromas and flavors of plum, ripe berry, and black pepper spice.

Winemaking

The Frei Ranch Vineyard Zinfandel was crafted with whole grape clusters that were gently de-stemmed but not crushed prior to fermentation, to increase elegance and eliminate harsh tannins. Once dry, the wine was transferred to new American and French oak barrels for an average of 11 months, which accentuated the wine’s rich character. The wine then completed malolactic fermentation and was minimally filtered prior to bottling, to retain the natural essence of the grapes.

Grape Source: Frei Ranch Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley. Frei Ranch Vineyard. Dry Creek 91.7% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah

Fermentation: Grapes de-stemmed to maintain whole berries for fermentation

Malolactic Fermentation: Complete

Oak Aging: Average of 11 months in new American and French oak barrels

Titratable Acidity: 0.61g/100ml

pH: 3.80

Residual Sugar: 0.33g/100ml (Dry)

Alcohol Level: 14.4%

Restrained and well balanced, the 2000 vintage Frei Ranch Vineyard Zinfandel is a classic Dry Creek style of wine. With aromas and flavors of plum, ripe berry, and black pepper spice, this wine was crafted with Zinfandel grapes that were Estate-grown and hand-harvested from select sites on our Frei Ranch Vineyard. This wine makes an ideal complement to beef, veal, or pastas with tomato sauce, pizza, curries, spicy Chinese food and hard or semi-soft cheeses.

2000 Barrelli Creek Vineyard

Cabernet Sauvignon

Alexander Valley

Flavor Profile

The 2000 vintage Barrelli Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is a complex and intense wine with aromas and flavors of black currant, black cherry, and cassis. With balanced tannins and sweet vanilla and spice flavors from oak barrel aging, this wine has a smooth finish and is an ideal complement to beef, lamb, and pork.

Vineyard

Winegrowing at our family's Barrelli Creek Vineyard began over a century ago when Italian immigrants first planted vines in the hillside benchlands of the Alexander Valley. Grapes grown on this site are enhanced by soils comprised of gravel, sand, silt, and clay; described as Clough, Arbuckle, and Haire series. In addition, the temperate, Region III climate that makes this one of the warmest of our Sonoma County vineyards adds richness, depth, and intensity to the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown here.

Harvest

With three generations and over six decades of experience in northern Sonoma, our family believes that the “secret” to producing world-class wines is to start with world-class grapes. We meticulously shoot-positioned and cluster-thinned grapes for this wine from only the finest blocks at our Barrelli Creek Vineyard.

Winemaking

Grapes for this wine were de-stemmed, but not crushed, to retain 20%–30% whole berries for fermentation. This process allows us to better retain the grape's varietal essence and minimize bitter tannin extraction in the wine. The wine was aged in European, French, and American oak barrels for an average of 25 months. This wine then completed malolactic fermentation. To enhance bouquet, flavor, and body, it was not fined and was only minimally filtered prior to bottling.

Grape Source: Barrelli Creek Vineyard, Alexander Valley

Malolactic Fermentation: Complete

Oak Aging: Aged in European, French, and American oak barrels for an average of 25 months

Titratable Acidity: 0.60g/100ml

pH: 3.75

Residual Sugar: 0.22g/100ml

Alcohol Level: 13.9%

The 2000 vintage Barrelli Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is a complex and intense wine with aromas and flavors of black currant, black cherry, and cassis. With balanced tannins and sweet vanilla and spice flavors from oak-barrel aging, this wine has a smooth finish and is an ideal complement to beef, lamb, and pork, as well as duck, grilled vegetables and chocolate desserts. Moderate aging will induce more complexity.

Suggested Links

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“A Must-Mark for any Lover of the Vine,” The Walman Report

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