Three

Three Wine Company’s Mendocino Brut is a classic Methode Traditionnelle sparkling wine. It consists of 68% Chardonnay and 32% Pinot Noir from the 2015 vintage. The fruit was sourced from several vineyards in Mendocino County, fermented separately in stainless steel tanks before being assembled into the blend, which included 4.5% from the 2014 vintage for added complexity. As with all classic method sparkling wines, secondary fermentation inside the bottle produces the bubbles while sur lie aging yields the creamy texture and complex flavors. The winery notes, “vivid crisp Gala apple with hints of pear and lemon lead to fresh toasted bread for an elegant dry finish.” An excellent value! Highly recommended for the holidays!

Dark purple in the glass, the Old Vines Field Blend teases the nose with high-toned boysenberry, violets and earth and follows with luscious red berries and black fruit, wild herbs, and exotic spices. What is this wild wine? The answer: mostly Carignane and Mataro (aka Mourvédre) with some Zinfandel and Petite Sirah added for good measure. This is winemaking as practiced by immigrants in the 19th century who wanted to make wine that reminded them of home. Their legacy, the old, head-pruned vines in Contra Costa County continue to thrive in the well-drained, sandy soil known as Delhi Sandy Loam. And because the sand prevented infestation by the Phylloxera louse, the vines remained healthy despite being planted on their own vinifera roots – a practice virtually impossible anywhere else. Drink now or lay down for up to a decade. Decanting is recommended – or drinking some and leaving some for the next day. Enjoy with rich meat stews or roasts. 

This dense and spicy wine exudes blueberry, fig, prune, and blackcurrant, with alluring notes of leather, cocoa nibs, baking spice, and licorice. It will taste great before, during, or after barbecue! Like Zinfandel, Petite Sirah arrived early in California, where it gained a strong foothold as it simultaneously disappeared in Europe. For most of the 20th century, the grape was used to improve blends of Zinfandel, Syrah and even Cabernet Sauvignon with its characteristic inky black color, bright acids and hefty tannins. More recently, it’s become a popular varietal wine. Three’s Petite Sirah comes from the Mazzoni Vineyard in Contra Costa County, a mature vineyard planted in soils so sandy that the vines yield but small amounts of intensely-flavored fruit. Vines have been growing here since the 1880s, and a small portion of the grapes in the blend are from Carignane and Mataro vines planted by Signor Mazzoni himself.

Three Wine Company takes pride in not only preserving old vineyards but also traditional methods. As in the pre-prohibition era, the wine is a “field blend” of 75.1% Zinfandel, 12% Petite Sirah, 9.3% Carignane, 3.6% Alicante Bouschet from vineyard blocks planted in the sandy soils of Contra Costa County over 100 years ago. What the early immigrant winegrowers knew well was that blending builds complexity. Here, Petite Sirah buttresses the Zin with tannin structure as well as boysenberry and pepper, while Carignane helps create a fleshy mouthfeel while adding notes of dark cherries and coffee. This is a Zin that combines zesty red fruit notes along with darker notes of violet, pepper, and mineral. It’s light on its feet with soft tannins and balanced acidity. The mouthfeel is rich, round, and balanced and the finish is long and peppery. It more than follows Matt Cline’s dictum of “The dirt, the micro-climate and don’t screw it up,” Three Old Vine Zin is medium-bodied with moderate acidity and a smooth mouthfeel. 

A great example of old-vine Zinfandel, Live Oak is the product of two small vineyard blocks planted in1885 by Spike and Guido Mazzoni. While the Live Oak block consists of 100% Zinfandel, the Mazzoni block has some Petite Sirah, Carignane, Mataro, and Alicante Bouschet planted among the Zinfandel vines. Why are such old vines special? Beyond preserving a corner of California agricultural history, old, gnarled vines produce fruit with a unique concentration of flavors, because clusters are few and because their roots run so deep. Dark black and blue in color, the wine charms with aromas and flavors of raspberry, boysenberry, and violets, supple tannins and excellent acidity. Such a dense and chewy wine will pair well with tomato-based sauces, barbecue, and smoked cheeses.