On April 14th and 15th the first spring edition of the San Francisco Vintners Market was held once more at Fort Mason. With a list of about 120 participating wineries the event took place throughout the two-day event. Small wineries were able to bring their wines, give customer a taste, sale their precious cargo and provide customers a great opportunity to find special and unique wines. This is a one of a kind event in the Bay Area, with small boutique wineries from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Anderson Valley, Russian River Valley and other regional wineries.
Among wineries at the event wine enthusiast we were able to find great Napa Valley wineries like:
- Bouchaine Vineyards – This is a historic winery in Carneros Napa Valley, known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They had a 2010 Pinot Blanc with great citrus and tropical fruit aromas and floral hints with nice acidity; an excellent and buttery 2009 Estate Chardonnay; a long lasting 2008 GEE Vineyard Pinot Noir and a 2007 Copeland Pinot Noir an excellent example of a well made Carneros Pinot Noir.
- Ca’ Momi Winery – For all of us in Napa Valley Ca’ Momi Enoteca, in Oxbow Public Market, represents great Neapolitan style pizza. However, their wine list is as great as their food. At the event they had a great variety of their wines for tasting: Award Wining 2010 Zynfandel, Award Winner 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Pinot Noir, 2010 Merlot, 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Moscato, Ca’Seco, 2009 Rosso Di Napa and 2010 Bianco Di Napa. Ca’ Momi wines recently received high honors at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
- Delgadillo Cellars – This unique boutique winery specializes in making one thing and one thing only, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Ignacio Delgadillo Sr. has 30 years of experience under his belt, joined by his son Ignacio Delgadillo Jr., founded the label in 2001. Their first vintage, 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon was released on 2009. Their wines in average have 7 years of aging. At the event they had their 3-year vertical vintages of 2001, 2002 and 2003 available for sale. They also had for tasting their, not yet released, 2004 vintage and what a treat it was! This is a beautiful bold wine with great character. This is a limited production winery and they sell directly to the public.
- Marita’s Vineyard Wines – Vineyard owned by the Montes Family has over 30 years of wine making experience. At the event they had their 2006 SOMA Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an excellent wine with great balance between dark fruit, tannings and nice acidity. It is intensely red wine with great berry notes.
- Rugg Family Wines – Usually their wines are available for tasting only at Napa Style in Yountville, CA or in special events. It was a great opportunity to taste their recently released 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet, a beautifully well-made and well-balanced Cabernet with 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petite Verdot. This wine has great ruby color with complex notes of dark fruit, vanilla and slight smoke: a great example of a beautiful Napa Valley Cabernet.
Be in the lookout for the next San Francisco Vintners Market event and be part of the experience this unique event offers.
