This week we explore the Livermore Valley AVA. Livermore Valley AVA is located just 35 miles east of the San Francisco Bay and is part of the larger Central Coast AVA.
In this episode we discuss:
- History of wine in Livermore Valley
- Climate and geography
- Grapes grown and wine style (or lack there of)
Wine Recommendation
Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2016 – priced around $15. This wine is fermented in 50% neutral American oak barrels and 50% in stainless steel tanks. It has a light nose of tropical fruit like pineapple and flavors of tropical fruit, green apple and toasty oak on the finish. This wine is medium bodied with medium acidity and we thought this wine was the best of worlds (fruit and oak). It’s everything you want in a California chardonnay – crisp, fruity but still that creamy texture.
Murrieta’s Well The Whip 2013 – priced around $24. Aromatic nose of melon, pear, floral and a touch of minerality, this wine is a unique white wine blend of mostly Semillion and chardonnay. It’s medium bodied with medium plus acidity with layered flavors of stonefruit, melon, lemon, floral and bitter almond. It’s fruity but dry, and mellow but still crisp with a heavy texture. It’s more of a sipping wine for us, and it almost reminds me of a Bordeaux blend.
Concannon Vineyards 2014 Petite Sirah – priced around $20. This wine has a aromas of dark fruit, brownie and black pepper. It has medium silky tannins and medium plus acidity with flavors of black and blue berries and spice. This wine is mellow and is similar in style to the Shannon Ridge Petite Sirah we recommended in our Lake County episode. A great cool weather wine, fruity but not jammy and can work in multiple situations – food maybe with a burger or sipping on it’s own.
What’s your favorite Livermore Valley wine? Let us know in the comment section below!
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