Page 45 - Oct.Nov PDF For Flipbook

To say that the market for Merlot dried up overnight would not be wine pairings so visitors can experience it as it should be. The best part
an understatement. The winemakers were calling up and canceling is the intimacy. It is you and the people who are creating the art. The
contracts one after another, and there they sat with over 90 tons team is working hard to make great wine and are sharing it with people
of Merlot grapes. Mark Mondavi, a good friend, agreed to take a that enjoy great wine.
fraction of the grapes for a fraction of the price just to cover the
cost of the farming as a way to help them out. The rest was lost for I find one of the best experiences I can have while enjoying wine is to
2005. In 2006 they faced the same problem; still no one wanted be able to sit down with the people that are growing it and actually
Merlot grapes. Frank was on the verge of letting it rot on the vine producing that varietal, so that I can hear about what it was they were
as a way to save the cost of picking the unwanted grapes when a thinking about when blending it. Winemaking is an art and the people
fellow grower and winemaker tasted them and thought they were that do it are artists so the experience to me is as if I am sitting down
fantastic, much too good to let them rot on the vine. So, he sug- with a successful painter, sculptor or any type of artist to learn about
gested a plan to help him. Pick the grapes, crush them and set the their vision. That captures my imagination to learn about their process
juice aside and that would give him some time to sell that juice to and how they transformed some “fruit” into this wonderful creation
a bulk winemaker. that I can enjoy. Chateau Lane Winery and Frank’s story is a fascinat-
After the grapes were crushed, Frank and his brothers started to recon- ing one and they make a great wine to savor the story.
sider their thought to stay out of the winemaking business. They asked
the question; “What would it cost to make ‘great’ wine from some a home
interior,
of this juice?” And the rest is his- garden,
tory. They invested and started to specialty
learn the intricacies of winemaking gift shop
and working with people that could
help them achieve their goal of great Custom Furniture
wine. It was not a clear path to suc- Accent Pieces
cess, though. The votes were still out Wall Decor
on Merlot so they called their first Tabletop
bottling “Red Table Wine.” They Floral
opened a small tasting room to mar- Archipelago
ket and sell the wine in a retail space Candles
they already owned and off they Bath & Lotion
went. Little by little sales increased Jewelry
and they got better at making wine. Children’s Books &
The brothers had never done things Stuffed Toys
on the cheap so they invested quite a Cards & Stationary
bit in both people and equipment to
make the best wine possible. 617 Fir st Str eet, Benici a
Chateau Lane’s tasting room only Sunday - Friday 11-5 • Saturdays 10-6
recently opened and thought it is
hard to find, the wine is wonderful 707.747.1717
(especially the Merlot). I am not w w w.benicia-rth.com
going to get into the various tastes
and qualities because I feel strongly
that wine is a very intimate cre-
ation; no two people are the same
and therefore no two palates are the
same either. Suffice it to say that I
have enjoyed enough wine to dis-
tinguish between a good wine and a
good cooking wine and Frank and
his team are making the former and
not the latter. The setting is comfort-
able with a large patio overlooking
some of their vineyards and a small
tasting room which features “Frank’s
kitchen.” The kitchen allows them
to put together special food and

Oct/Nov 43