Wines of Bordeaux, France [ March 19th, 2010 ] Posted in » Darryl Beeson's Review, Virtual wine country, Wine Article archive, Wine review

East of the Bay of Biscay, Bordeaux is a leading French seaport on the banks of the Garonne River, near the point where the Garonne and Dordogne rivers meet to form the Gironde River. The city administers five deepwater ports downstream were the large quantities of the famous Bordeaux wines are exported.

As far back as the time of the Roman Empire, Bordeaux was a flourishing city, called Burdigala. In 1154, when the husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine became Henry II of England, the Bordeaux region passed under English control. It became French again at the end of the Hundred Years’ War in 1453. During the Franco-Prussian War, and briefly in each world war, the French government moved to Bordeaux.
Read More …

The Mountains, not the Bayou

the-mountains-not-the-bayouWhen we say “Fogarty”, you think of a reefer-smoking hippie singing Born on the Bayou, right? Well stop it. As much as we love doobie hittin’ singers from CCR (John Fogerty, see they aren’t even spelled the same), we love winery-owning doctors named Thomas Fogarty even more. Why? Because the good doctor has a winery located up in the Santa Cruz Mountains that puts out a plethora of good juice, and it’s all handcrafted by a damngood and seasoned wine making all-star; Mr. Michael Martella.

The Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyard is located about 2000 feet up in them there hills and has been there since 1981. The Estate sits on 325 acres, with about 25 acres dedicated to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and small lots of Merlot and Sangiovese. Right now the good doctor and Mr. Martella are producing 13 different wines and case production is rather limited on many of their offerings and reaches the 3500+ case boundary with just a few of their wines.
Read More …

February 6th, 2010 | 1 Comment

CALIFORNIA: Santa Cruz Mountains

california-santa-cruz-mountains1Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards
5937 Alpine Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Phone: (650) 851-6777

A frequent stomping ground of ours. Whether you found Fogarty’s name in the Time 2002 Almanac under the Inventor’s Hall of Fame, worked with him in the medical field, or know him personally, you need to stop at the winery if you are in the Santa Cruz Mountain Region, more specifically if you are traveling the Skyline Blvd area near Silicon Valley.

Jon Hunt manages Fogarty’s wine tasting room. Although he can’t make a good bet on a football game, he sure is fun to talk with at the winery. The winery has wonderful views of the vineyards and is a great place to have a great outdoor event like a business meeting or wedding. They have all that is necessary.
Read More …

February 3rd, 2010 | Leave a Comment

© 2010 wine book club