Have you had Italian grapes grown in California?
I’ve started an Italian Wine class and as I’ve been learning more about Italian wine, I’ve also started looking for Italian grape varieties grown in California. (Disclosure: this experience was provided to me at no cost and I became a member of the winery for over a year. All opinions and reviews are my own.)
Here in Monterey, they don’t grow a lot of Italian varieties. I’ve been on the lookout since I started Italian Wine class which is why Bargetto Winery caught my eye…
Bargetto is based in the Santa Cruz mountains and is one of the oldest family-owned and operated wineries in California. They initially opened after prohibition ended in the 1930s and were known for their dessert wines in the 1960s-70s. Now they produce Pinot Noir, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and several Italian varietals.
Bargetto has two locations, a tasting room at their historic winery in Aptos and a smaller tasting room in Monterey, right on Cannery Row. As a local, I decided to combine a visit to Bargetto and a trip to the Aquarium as I don’t always make it out to Cannery Row.
As we stepped inside the tasting room, we were greeted by Dash who explained their wine flights. Bargetto offers 5 tasting flights, including a chilled wine and a dessert flight. The dessert flight includes mead and a port style wine. I’ve never had mead before, I’ll have to try it next time.
As I was keen on trying their Italian grape varieties, we decided on the Reds Only flight which consisted of their Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Syrah, La Vita and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
The first Pinot we tried was their Martini clone which had notes of Strawberry and Cherry. I find learning about clones fascinating and was excited to try the Mount Eden clone side-by-side. I found the Mount Eden was more acidic, than the Martini, and had notes of pomegranate and black cherry.
Next up was a Nebbiolo from Corralitos. It was very fruit-forward and had a buttery mouthfeel. Nebbiolo was one of the reasons I initially became interested in Italian wine. I’ve had a few California Nebbiolos recently and am always on the lookout for them.
We also tasted the Syrah from Nelson Vineyard in Ukiah. I’ve been to Ukiah, but it was before I was into wine and missed out on visiting vineyards. I found the Syrah to have aromas of black fruit and characteristic herbal notes.
The standout wines for me were the La Vita, Bargetto’s blend of Italian varietes Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and Refosco from the Santa Cruz Mountains. We tried the 2016 and the 2017 La Vita. The blend of the three grapes changes each vintage. I was familiar with Dolcetto and Nebbiolo before and we have covered them in my class however, this was my first time learning about Refosco.
I found the 2016 to have initially a bright fruit with a tart cherry flavor that finished with black pepper. The 2017 on the other hand had ripe fruit and an earthiness. With ripe cherry and almost a white pepper finish instead. Very interesting!
The last wine we tried was their cool-climate Cabernet Sauvignon. I haven’t had a lot of cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon and it was an interesting contrast as it was more mellow than a lot of the Cabs I drink.
I’ve been enjoying learning more about wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Living in Monterey, most of the wine I drink is from the Santa Lucia Highlands, Carmel Valley and other surrounding areas. Santa Cruz Mountains are less than an hour away and the climate is completely different.
I enjoyed the wines so much, I became a member and have been introducing my friends to their fabulous Pinot Noirs and Nebbiolo. Thank you Bargetto for hosting me and Dash for leading me through this tasting.
Bargetto Winery
700-G Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: (831) 373-4053
Website: www.Bargetto.com
Instagram: @bargettowinery
