Tastings

Sunday, February 28th, 2010 2-5 pm

Orange County Wine Society Wine Extraordinaire
Anaheim Hilton Anaheim CA

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 2-6 pm

Family Winemakers of California (Trade only)
Pasadena Convention Center Pasadena CA

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 5:30-9 pm

Arcata Rotary Club Tasting
Humboldt State University Campus, Kate Buchanan Room Arcata, CA

Saturday, Aprill 10, 2010 5-7pm

PBS KEET-TV Channel 13 Tasting
Sapphire Palace Blue Lake Casino Blue Lake CA

April 16-19, 2010

Godwit Days
Arcata Community Center Arcata, CA

Reviews

Double D's Wine Diary
Daniel Dawson
Back Room Wines-

This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship: Violet-Green Winery makes "Alder Springs Vineyard" reds, and makes them very very well! Just received Violet Green Merlot "Alder Springs" 2002. Owners & Winemakers Lina Carro and Don Wattenbarger live and make their wine in my hometown of Eureka, California (Humboldt County, five hour drive north of San Francisco). They drive two hours south of Eureka to "Alder Springs," near Laytonville in Northern Mendocino County (dizzy with directions now?) to get their world-class wine grapes. The wine: silky, concentrated, intense deep berry/cherry. Luxurious mouth feel like cashmere...how Merlot should be but usually isn't. Those who know "Alder Springs" say Merlot is the least successful grape there. This wine will change their opinion.

Violet-Green's 2003 reds will be part of Holiday Newsletter. I've tasted all of them and they're some of the best, new California reds I've tasted in a long, long time. Very small production. I first tasted their wines at the big "Family Winemakers Tasting" in San Francisco this past summer. My mouth lit up with flavor, then my eyes shined in excitement.

In a nutshell, the Merlot is cinnamon & nutmeg on black cherries, cassis and mocha. Cab Franc is the "restrained one"with a little lavender, big plum, resin, and velvet. "UltraViolet" is a Cab Sauv/Merlot blend. It's luscious, showy and the don't-think-just-love-it-wine of the bunch. The Syrah is no holds barred huge. Espresso, port without the sugar, darkest chocolate. Dry-rub, heavy-smoked pork ribs is the way to go.