Modesto wine columnist suggests a day of sipping at award-winning Livermore winery
The Navigator said we needed to escape. I agreed. Our cats, Ernesto and Julio, think we are just door monitors. We let cat in, let cat out, let cat in, starting at 5 a.m. So off we went to Livermore Valley to taste the wines of Las Positas Vineyards. The winery hit a grand-slam of sorts in the 2022 SF Chronicle Wine Competition. Las Positas won five Double Gold Medals of which three became Best of Class winners and nine Gold Medals. Wowza!
Las Positas Vineyards is a family winery that produces small lots of estate grown wines from a 20-acre vineyard. The winemaker is Brent Amos, a graduate from Fresno State University (go Bulldogs!), with a degree in oenology and viticulture. He was winemaker at Livermore’s Fenestra Winery for seven years before taking on and guiding Las Positas’ successful run.
The five Double Gold wines were the ’21 Verdelho, the ’19 Reserve Barbera, the ’19 Syrah, the ’18 Garnacha and the ’19 Garnacha. For the nine Gold Medal winning wines, go to www.winejudging.com. Make sure you also check out their 12 Silver Medal winners. This is quite an accomplishment for a winery whose total production is just 3,000 cases.
The tasting is $20 with five generous pours, all carried to the table in a wrought iron glass holder. The servers are very knowledgeable and helpful. We tasted a sparkling wine, the Estate Rose, the 2019 Estate Monastrell, the ’18 Estate Tempranillo and Conspiritus IV. I suggest you order a charcuterie plate ($15) and the featured flatbreads ($17). Our delicious flatbread was a Caprese Mozzarella. Desserts are also available ($15). The $20 tasting fee is waived with a two bottle purchase.
Las Positas is a place where you can slow down, take in the views and soak up the sunshine, sip and appreciate award-winning wines and nibble and savor the excellent food. After our wonderful escape day, unfortunately, we headed home and resumed our daily ritual of let cat in, let cat out, let cat in, let cat out.
What’s On Our Table
The well-balanced and refined tannins of the 2017 Chateau Franc Couplet Bordeaux from the Left Bank make this a Grocery Outlet steal at $5.99. The 2017 Acacia Carneros Pinot Noir, marked down to $10.99 at Costco is a real deal. The splurge this week is the 2017 Red Phoenix Napa Valley Rubeus Red Wine. It is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Merlot and aged 24 months in 100% new oak. It’s a perfect dinner gift, for that special celebration or to just enjoy right now, $60. Find it at www.redphoenixwines.com. Cheers!
Questions? Comments? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com.