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podcast· 36:30Black Kite Cellars, Tom Birdsall
Dan and Tom. Tom Birdsall, owner of Black Kite Cellars , is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. This is Tom’s first time on the show however their winemaker Jeff Gaffner was on the show on this episode of March 11, 2020 . Black Kite Cellars began when Tom and his wife Rebecca went on a cycling tour through Burgundy. They were just consumers of wine at that time. Then in the late 1990s his wife’s father bought a vineyard in Anderson Valley and planted the 12 acres to Pinot. Not all the fruit was sold. He had some leftover grapes in 2003 and found a winery, Handley Cellars, to produce some wine from that harvest. Then Rebecca made the plan started Black Kite Cellars as a small family-owned winery. Tom mentions that they were lucky to find Jeff Gaffney to be the winemaker, right at the beginning. Now they are specialized in Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley. The coast has weather conditions perfect for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They begin by tasting a Cha
- podcast· 21:19
Longboard Vineyards
Oded Shakked, owner of Longboard Vineyards , is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. He has been on the show before. His last appearance was this episode on November 17, 2023 . He has a long history of making high quality wines from his small properties. He grew up surfing in Israel and then, looking for good waves, he went to surf the Atlantic beaches. In France, he discovered wine, then he heard about UC Davis, came to study in the program and, “never looked back.” He had a series of winemaking jobs and started his own vineyard On West Side Road he has about five acres where he grows about 40% of the grapes he uses at Longboard. His neighbors are the Rocchioli family, and their famous vineyard. He feels lucky that they sell some grapes to him. As neighbors, their kids played sports together. Visit Chigazola Merchants online to shop their unique selection of fine Italian wines. They begin tasting the Rocchioli Vineyard Chardonnay. He wants people to conside
- podcast· 19:08
Dan Berger Harvest Time Selections
Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Dan Berger is back on California Wine Country after some vacation travel and today he joins Steve Jaxon with some thoughts about harvest time and some wines to taste. Dan Berger and Steve Jaxon will talk about harvest time today and taste some wines that Dan has brought. We were going to have Deborah Del Fiorentino on to talk about her organization of wine competitions including the Sonoma County Harvest Fair. But we will have to reschedule her. In the meantime, Dan Berger has brought some wines from his extensive personal cellar. This year Spring was cool and the vines matured more slowly than usual. It took a long time for the vines to come out of hibernations. Then, after bud break, we had come brutally warm weather, then cool again. There wasn’t enough rain to do any damage. Then late summer, we had 100 degree days but much colder at night, which favors retention of acid. Growers and winemakers are facing a choice. Either pick early, save acidity and hop
- podcast· 37:28
Dennis McCarter
Dennis McCarter, owner and winemaker of McCarter Cellars , is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. This is his second time as a guest on CWC, the last time was this episode back in January of this year. Dan Berger is away again this week and Melissa Galliani joins us in the studio. Dennis tells about having taken a course at SRJC about pairing wine and food, which left him with the desire to start making wine. He started by making five gallons of Barbera in his garage. As he continued to make wine, he started winning awards, so he decided to go pro. That coincided with his transition out of the insurance business. The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc came from Rogers vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. The location is on the cooler side of the area. Dennis eventually finished enology studies at SRJC. His wines started winning awards right away. They continue to win recently. The inaugural Pinot Noir earned 98 points and took best of class at the North Coast Wine Challenge, sp
- podcast· 37:11
Winesong! 2024
Dan, Janice and Jamie. Janis McDonald and Jamie Peters are here to talk about Winesong! 2024 on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Winesong! takes place Sept. 6-7, 2024 at the Little River Inn . It is the annual fund raiser for the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation . First, Dan Berger has brought a cellar wine, as he usually does. This is a 2007 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc. He normally doesn’t age this wine so long, but at 17 years it is “yummy” with a little green apple flavor. Usually a SV will age 6 or 7 years.The event this year is at the Little River Inn. It is two days of wine tasting, auctions and music, over the weekend of September 6 and 7. Winesong! Began in 1985 as a small wine tasting in a parking lot and grew year after year. It has always been a benefit for health care on the north coast. Winesong! is a Spectacular Scene Dan Berger has been going to this event for a long time. The wineries that participate are specialized in making very high quali
- podcast· 37:35
The Return of Winemaker Carol Shelton
Winemaker Carol Shelton is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. CWC co-host Dan Berger is away this week. Carol is one of our most distinguished winemakers and a regular on this show. Her last time here was last January, in this episode with Dan Berger and with Harry Duke sitting in for Steve Jaxon. Carol Shelton graduated from UC Davis in 1978. This year will be her 48th harvest, and her 25th harvest for her own brand. There were a few years where she worked on two harvests in a year, in the northern and southern hemisphere. Carol Shelton worked for Mondavi, in Australia, in the Central Valley, for Rodney Strong for 20 years, for the Windsor Wines label. Zinfandel is her favorite varietal. It makes up about 70% of her production now. She wanted to show the world that Zin could be as noble a grape as Pinot and Cab. Old vines of Zin have a unique concentration of flavor. Wild Thing Carol Shelton Wines is located in a business park on Coffey Lane. This weekend
- podcast· 23:28
Winemaker Dan Barwick
Winemaker Dan Barwick with Melissa Galliani. Winemaker Dan Barwick is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Dan is the winemaker at Trecini Winery . He has been on CWC before, the most recent was this other episode recorded on Aug. 25, 2023 . Our regular co-host Dan Berger is on vacation this week. Right away Steve Jaxon is loving Dan Barwick’s Sauvignon Blanc. It’s made with all Sonoma County fruit, mostly Russian River. It has rich flavors of apricot and mango. “Easy to drink,” says Dan. Trecini has been bottling wine for 25 years. Dan took several courses at UC Davis and at Santa Rosa Junior College in winemaking including courses from Rich Thomas. He was at the forefront of changing viticulture in Sonoma County in ways which improved the quality of Sonoma County wines. He taught that you had to be in the vineyard to get to understand the vines. This helps him make decisions about pruning and harvesting. Sauvignon Blanc Dan says that Sauvignon Blanc is his
- podcast· 43:42
Williams Selyem winemaker Jeff Mangahas
Williams Selyem winemaker Jeff Mangahas is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Jeff has been on CWC as recently as last February on this episode , and previously here in 2021 and before that, on this episode from 2018 . Wine Country Radio GM Melissa Galliani has brought a bottle of Dry Creek Chenin Blanc. Dry Creek is a sponsor of the KRSH Backyard Concert Series and their Chenin Blanc is a popular favorite. “Really refreshing,” says Jeff. Williams Selyem has a rich history as one of the original Russian River Valley producers. Their first commercial release was in 1981. They have been making interesting, small-production wines in Russian River Valley and other nearby regions. Williams Selyem: Russian River Valley Pioneers Williams Selyem worked with the growers in Russian River Valley, such as the Rocchioli and Martinelli vineyards. They produce 52 different wines, in small lots. The are not easy to get so the way to buy them is through the website. Click
- podcast· 24:53
Kevin Bersofsky, Montagne Russe, Petaluma Gap
Kevin Bersofsky from Montagne Russe Wines joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. He has been on CWC before, most recently on this episode of August 3, 2022 . On Saturday August 10, the Wind to Wine festival is at the Gambonini Family Ranch in Petaluma. They start by tasting a sparkling wine that Kevin Bersofsky has made. Dan calls it “a very serious bubbly.” It’s a Brut Rosé and it is very dry. The flavors are fruity but not sweet. The Petaluma Gap was designated as an AVA in 2017. Kevin was using vineyards that were there before the AVA became official, like Springhill Ranch, Roberts Road, Gap’s Crown, Terra de Promissio, Keller Estates, Sunchase, Night Wing, … Montagne Russe Montagne Russe is the French, Italian and Spanish word for a Roller-Coaster. It literally means “Russian Mountains” because it was russian impresarios who brought ice to Paris and used it to decorate their roller coaster attractions. It can be in the 90s in the Petaluma Gap area, but by even
- podcast· 47:44
Justin Seidenfeld, Rodney Strong winemaker
Melissa Galliani, Dan Berger & Justin Seidenfeld. Justin Seidenfeld, Rodney Strong head winemaker, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Justin Seidenfeld has been on CWC a few times, most recently on this episode of April 27, 2022 . They begin tasting a brand new wine that they just launched on June 1st. It is a single vineyard 2023 Sauvignon Blanc from one of their estate vineyards called Bud’s Ranch. Justin modelled this wine after a Bordeaux style, it is richer than the usual SV. 55% made in large oak barrels, then the rest is done in stainless steel. Dan says it is aimed at being ready to drink now and also to be held in the cellar. 2023 was an interesting vintage, it was cooler than average, which gives the wines structure without being tart. There is just enough acidity to have balance. They also use a rotating egg-shaped vessel for mixing during fermentation, which gives it lees contact. Justin started in 2005 at Iron Horse Vineyards while still going to
- podcast· 29:28
Darryl Miller, Dehlinger Winery
Dan and Darryl. Darryl Miller, Dehlinger Winery rep, is back in the studio on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today. He has been a guest on CWC twice before, on this episode on August 26, 2020 and again on July 20, 2022 . Dan Berger describes Darryl Miller as, “…one of the good guys.” Darry has been in the wine business for more than 50 years. The Dehlinger winery has been around since the 1970s. It was one of the first vineyards to be planted in western Sonoma County in 1975 in an area that was mostly apple orchards. Tom Dehlinger is still involved in the winery but his daughters are running it. Darryl was hired to represent Dehlinger in the marketplace. It is rare to find wines that have such character, says Dan Berger. The area was cooler in the 1970s than today. Tom Dehlinger worked carefully in the vineyard in order to keep high acidity in the wines, so they are consistent. Almost all the Chardonnay planted on the Dehlinger vineyard is the Wente clone. They