AFW - Question on two wineries - one in Santa Cruz Mtns/CA/US other in OZ

It's been awhile since I tasted anything from Bargetto, but IIRC their Cabernet was pretty good. Not Napa Valley "First Growth" status, but not nearly as expensive either.

Santa Cruz is certainly a good region for fine wines, although I'd expect it to favor whites and cool climate varietals like Pinot Noir, but Ridge isn't too far from there (Cupertino) and their Monte Bello Cabernet _is_ a California First Growth.

Not much help, but not none either... :^/

Tom S

in article snipped-for-privacy@news1.newsguy.com, Hunt at snipped-for-privacy@hunt.com wrote on

I went to a tasting of Santa Cruz wineries at Copia (in Napa) a few months ago and posted about it before going. That may be what you are remembering.

Bargetto was one of the wineries there, but the few notes I took do not show anything about their wines. I think I recall tasting at their table, but I did not make any notes (there were only a few at which I did). Sorry not to be of any help. We went to Copia after a two hour special club-member tasting at Franciscan, so the taste buds may have been substantially dulled by then. ;o)

It IS help, and that is exactly what I asked for - thanks! One of my wife's board members spoke to me last night about the Bargetto winery, as one/more of its "family" sits on another board with her, and she was very fond of the wines. Though I've poked around the SCM area, and have always followed Paul Draper of Ridge, I had to confess that I was not at all familiar with Bargetto. Though it was late, I did some research, and turned up very little, hence my plea here. Now, I just need to get back out there and sample some of the wines. I'm always amazed at the source for wine recommendations some times.

Thanks for the reply, Hunt

That's right! I had mistakenly assumed that the tasting was in SCM area, but you corrected me, that it was actually in Napa, at Copia. Maybe it was that mistaken impression that lead to no hits in my Google.Groups search - duh! Thanks for the "refresher." Now, all I need to do is find a way to taste the Bargetto wines. Next month I'll be at Pebble Beach, so maybe I can find some in the Monterrey area. Bargetto has a vineyard in the Monterrey AVA, so I might get lucky. Unfortunately, we're staying at Pebble and I'll not be getting a car, or even having any free time, and IIRC Pebble's wine list is very heavy on Bdx and, as Tom S writes, "Napa First-Growths." It will be a shame to be so close, yet probably not be able to fulfill my quest - maybe next time.

Thanks for the info though, Hunt

Hunt, I've visited a number of the Santa Cruz Mountain wineries over the last few years but I must say Bargetto is one of my least favourite. Whether it was the wines they were pouring the day I visited or whether it was having just come down from Burrell School and Silver Mountain (both of which I like very much) and ending up in the "tasting room" setting at Bargetto rather than talking to the winemakers - and letting this cloud my judgement I don't know. I did enjoy their Mead!

--James

Thanks for the response. Maybe I'll try the Mead, when I get out there!!!

Hunt

Hunt, Bargetto is an old winery in California terms but for much of their history they were best known for their sweet fruit wines - Ollalieberry, for example. Somewhere along the line - 70's? (a guess)

- they "graduated" into more serious (meaning dry vinifera) wines. Those are sometimes good but most people I know would not place them in the upper echelon of Santa Cruz Mountain wineries.

- Mark W.

Hi Hunt I've spent a great deal of time in the Barossa (too much it has been rumoured by those close to me) and have never come across Ballantrae. I googled them to and came up with a Ballantrae wine merchants who have a Barossa Shiraz and a Napa Cab Sav. My feeling is they are not growing grapes or making wine just branding cleanskins. I have emailed a friend who is on the board of Barossa Winemakers Association so should have a definitive answer for you soon. Cheers Andrew

You're right. This from the Mercury News Jan 23 2003:

"Wine fans may have noticed a new Australian shiraz at Costco with a sleek silver-accented label for $9.99. It was the star of the holiday debut of Ballantrae Wine Merchants -- a label most shoppers have probably never heard of. Ballantrae is Costco's own brand for wine, developed exclusively for the store by Winery Exchange of Novato. Soon, Costco will offer a limited amount of "collector" cabernet from Napa and the Alexander Valley for $19.99 under the same label."

HTH

wn

Thank you Andrew,

That same result is what have come across. As this request for knowledge came from a respected "board member," I wanted to do what I could. At a retail level in/around AZ, they do not seem to have a presence, but then maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. I appreciate your response, and any info that you uncover.

Hunt

Ah, now I am beginng to understand why I'm not doing so well in my search. I'll now head over to Costco and see what they have to say. Maybe I can score a bottle of the Shiraz for the board member - ought to earn a point, or two.

Thanks, Hunt