Thanks to a good friend hooking me up with a last minute ticket, I just got home from a tasting of prestigious California wines at the 2006 California Wine Experience. It's a Wine Spectator event where 198 wineries were pouring, the vast majority hailing from the Golden State (although a handful came from Oregon and Washington State). It was packed. Wall to wall people. I can only liken it to a rock concert for upscale wine fans with each tasting booth hosting its own mini-stage microcosm of groupies, fans, enthusiasts, and people just looking to get loaded and have a good time.

I came home with the Grand Tasting Guide - a listing of each of the wines being poured. I thought it might be helpful to list off the wines that described using organic grapes, bio-dynamic farming practices, or general sustainability for those of you looking for new wines to seek out.

Araujo Estate Wines
www.araujoestate.com
"...Four certified organics and biodynamic wines are produced at the Araujo Estate winter and caves; Cabernet Sauvignon, Altagracia, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc." Suggested retail price for the Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Eisele Vineyard 2003: $215.00

Cayuse Vineyards
www.cayusevineyards.com
"...At present Cayuse is the first and currently only biodynamic estate winery in Washington State." Suggested retail price for the Cayuse Syrah Walla Walla Valley Bionic Frog 2003: $65.00

Grgich Hills Cellar
www.grgich.com
"...With the perspective that great wines start in the vineyard, they now farm their 366 acres bio-dynamically and organically." Suggested retail price for the Grgich Hills Chardonnay Napa Valley 2004: $40.00

Marimar Estate
www.marimarestate.com
"...The winery's 60-acre organic Don Miguel Vineyard is located in the Russian River/Green Valley. An additional organic Pinot Noir vineyard, was planted in 2002 in the Freestone Valley of the Sonoma Coast." Suggested retail price of the Marimar Estate Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Cristina Don Miguel Vineyard 2003: $47.00

Ponzi Vineyards
www.ponziwines.com
"...The family owns over 100 acres of certified sustainable vineyards in the Chehalem." Suggested retail price of the Ponzi Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Reserve 2004: $55.00

Quintessa
www.quintessa.com
"...Valeria Huneeus, in keeping with her vision as steward of the land, has guided Quintessa's evolution from sustainable farming in 1990 to a full conversion to biodynamic farming in 2005." Suggested price of the Quintessa Rutherford 2003: $120.00

Quixote Winery
www.quixotewinery.com
"...All grapes are sourced from the Doumani family's 27-acre organically-farmed Stags' Leap Ranch estate vineyard. The winery, which opens to the public by appointment for the first time in February 2007, is the only structure designed in the United States by Viennese artist-environmentalist Friedensreich Hundertwasser." Suggested retail price of the Quixote Petite Syrah Napa Valley 2003: $60.00

Tablas Creek Vineyard
www.tablascreek.com
"...They impoted selected French cuttings of Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise and multiplied, grafted and planted their own vines, which they farm organically." The suggested retail price of the Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Paso Robles 2004: $45.00

Comments (1) | October 20 - 11:03 PM

category: Lists, Organic Wine / Beer