GOLD WINE CLUB VOLUME 26 ISSUE 12 P TheMedal WinningWine Wines from California’s Best Family-Ownedress Wineries. 831 Wine Company Monterey County GOLD MEDAL WINE CLUB The Best Wine Club on the Planet. Period. 2014 CHARDONNAY MONTEREY 850 Cases Produced 831 Wine Company’s 2014 Chardonnay is a blend of fruit sourced from the Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco AVA’s of Monterey County, the cooler pockets of the region that are best suited to cool- wineclimate is wellloving balanced varietals and like full-bodied, Chardonnay. and This a nice wine representation has refreshingly of Chardonnay crisp flavors from and the aromas 831 area of citrus, code. Wepear, recommend kiwi and pineapple pairing this with wine delicate with undertonesroasted Cornish of honey Game and Hens toasty (see oak Recipe that section), linger on grilled the finish. seafood, The and creamy pasta dishes. Aged 9 months in oak. 100% Chardonnay. Enjoy now until 2019. 91 POINTS + BEST OF CLASS - Los Angeles International Wine Competition 2014 PETITE SIRAH MONTEREY 950 Cases Produced The 2014 Petite Sirah comes from vineyards in the warmer San Antonio Valley and Hames Valley AVA’s of Monterey County, two of the warmest regions in Monterey. Petite Sirah has been growing in popularity lately, as people discover its characteristic extraordinary deep color and full-bodied HOW WE CHOOSE OUR WINES: Gold Medal Wine Club darkflavors. cherry, The varietalblueberry, is stilland fairlypomegranate rare with and less aromas than 10,000 of mocha, acres vanilla planted and worldwide,oak spice that with complement most of it showcases two exceptional thecentered soft tannins. in California. Aged 9 831’s months 2014 in oak.Petite 90% Sirah Petite is ripe, Sirah, bold, 10% and Syrah. nicely Enjoy balanced now untilwith 2024.flavors of plum, wines from only the best small wineries of California. Featured GOLD MEDAL SPECIAL SELECTION wines include those which have earned medals in the top wine- industry competitions or have been highly rated by a respected 2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON national wine publication (see goldmedalwineclub.com/ MONTEREY resources/wine-ratings). On 1,000 Cases Produced occasion, we feature wines Like the 831 Petite Sirah, the Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced from a selection of vineyards which are newly released by the winery and which medals in the warmer San Antonio Valley and Hames Valley AVA’s of Monterey County. Jammy and fruit and reviews are forthcoming. forward in style, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with aromas of mocha, leather, violets and Each and every selection is a vanilla. Flavors of black cherry, currants, and red licorice come alive on the palate, while medium superb wine made in small quantities and with very Sauvignon with wine braised beef short ribs or Osso Bucco. Aged 9 months in oak. 85% Cabernet limited distribution. There Sauvignon,tannins, a soft 15% texture, Petite Sirah.and notes Enjoy of now toasty until oak 2024. linger on the finish. Try pairing this rich Cabernet are over 4,000 wineries in California producing thousands GOLD MEDAL SPECIAL SELECTION of different wines. Only wines considered in choosing the featuredfitting selections the above each criteria month. are 2 831Based in the 831Wine area code of MontereyCompany County, 831 Wine Company produces a wide range of terroir-driven wines, showing off the diverse sub appellations and endless winegrowing opportunities this special viticultural area has to offer. was quite immediate and rewarding and 831 Wine Company will produce around 3,000 cases this year. “Our goal is to get to around 6 -7,000 cases,” Balentine continued. “Our other winery, Line Shack Wines, started off quite small and we were able to grow it to around 20,000 cases this year. We intend to develop slowly and let the market dictate our expansion.” For the record, the name 831 Wine Company is a story unto itself. 831 is the area code that serves Monterey County, the growing area on which Bob Balentine wanted his new winery to focus. “There are actually seven sub-appellations within the 831 area code and we wanted a distinctive way to feature their produce. The county has great diversity in climates, and is cold in some appellations and warmer in others. This allows for our Bob and Daphne Balentine source fruit from select sub appellations of growers to produce a wide variety of grape varietals and it is Monterey County to match the terroir that each varietal is best suited for. up to us as vintners to purchase the correct grapes from the With cooler climate varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, fruit is mainly precise appellations.” sourced from the Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco AVA’s. Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from the Southern Salinas Valley and San Lucas AVA, and At this point, 831 Wine Company buys all of its fruit, but that scenario is about to change. The Balentines have purchased for their bold signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Viognier. finally, they select fruit from the warmer San Antonio Valley and Hames Valley a 70-acre tract in the San Antonio Valley that will be planted next year to Cabernet Sauvignon, Bob Balentine’s varietal of choice. This relatively new winery was developed out of the They are also looking at two additional vineyard sites that, owner’s feeling that a winery was needed that correctly focused should they be acquired, would also be planted in the near future. on a particular growing area’s ability to produce exceptional fruit that could be made into extraordinary wines. The result of such thinking produced the 831 Wine Company for owners Bob and Daphne Balentine. “I have long felt that Monterey County is one of the truly prime growing areas in all of California, and that includes the Napa Valley and Sonoma County,” offered Bob Balentine during a recent interview. “We have a wonderful climate, great soils and a diversity of conditions that makes Monterey County a special place for growing grapes. There is also the Blue Grand Canyon (see Region section) that might be the best kept secret in California winegrowing circles.” Daphne and Bob Balentine began making wine together in 1991 and what started out as a deep passion and desire for 2013 with the release of a smallish (fewer than 250 cases) into a full time career. Now the couple manages their time number 831of Chardonnay Wine Company and Pinot first sawNoir thecases. light Trade of day reception in late betweenmaking fine their wines, two winery in the confines labels, 831 of their Wine garage, Company slowly and grew Line Shack Winery Continued on Page 4 3 WINEMAKERBob Balentine, Owner/winemaker Bob Balentine regards himself as one of a dying breed of California winemakers. producing numerous award-winning wines that have also provided excellent price/value relationships Self -taught,in the competitive he now has marketplace. more than twenty-five years of success under his belt in Balentine credits a long time Italian family friend, Lucio Gomiero, the owner of two highly successful Italian wineries, with introducing him to the delights of wine and winemaking. “I was growing radicchio and Lucio was called the ‘King of Radicchio” in Italy. We became friends and Lucio taught me the attention to detail that is so important in making really great wines,” related Bob Balentine. “Both of his wineries, Vignata and La Florita, have quite elated, as well as being lucky, that his tutelage has proven to be so successful.” consistently produced among the finest Italian wines, so I naturally followed his advice. I am 831 WINE COMPANY Continued from Page 3 “We are all about putting back into the land,” Balentine industry. Their wines are well-made and offer a great value to confessed. “Our family is convinced that adding property is the consumers. It is a pleasure to introduce our Gold Series members way to go for our wineries. We would be responsible for the to these outstanding selections. Enjoy! plants and would reap the rewards if the fruit proves to be as good as we hope.” 831 Wine Company could easily be called the Balentine Wine Company. Bob does all the sourcing as well as all the winemaking of red wines, while Daphne makes the white wines cousin with years of wine marketing experience, Kelli Balentine, handlesand also servesthe company’s as the office marketing, manager whileand compliance son Jack, director.19, is the A cellar manager and assistant to Bob. Daughter Morgan, 21, is responsible for the social media aspect of the business and son 831 Wine Company’s award-winning wines are made in a Nick, 10, is the barrel cleaner and bung expert of the operation. state-of-the-art winemaking facility in Paso Robles, located on California’s Central Coast. The owners of 831 Wine Company are an All-American wine family who make up the backbone of the California wine 4 Food Pairings from 831 Wine Company ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS PAIR WITH THE 831 2014 CHARDONNAY 4 Cornish game hens, patted dry with 1 lemon, cut into quarters paper towels Extra virgin olive oil 8 thin slices of butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 sprigs each of fresh rosemary and 1/2 cup dry white wine thyme, plus some extra leaves of each 1/2 cup chicken broth 4 large cloves garlic, peeled of each breast. Add a few rosemary and thyme leaves. Put a lemon quarter in the cavity of each hen along with a clove of garlic and a sprigPreheat of rosemaryoven to 450 and degrees. thyme. TrussUsing theyour hens index by tyingfinger, the loosen wings the and skin legs.