October 2021 – Appetite for Wine

It’s no secret that we are big fans of Amador County wines. Located in the Sierra Foothills AVA, about an hour east of Sacramento, Amador County is home to more than 40 wineries. While we haven’t yet visited them all, that is a goal we hope to eventually achieve! Of those we have visited, one of our favorites is Iron Hub Winery. Their striking tasting room is perched atop a hill with sweeping views of the valley and distant Sierra Nevada mountains. Seated tastings on their patio are some of the most relaxing and enjoyable we have experienced.

Iron Hub Winery was established by Tom and Beth Jones. Tom was the founding winemaker at Lava Cap Winery, in neighboring El Dorado County, In his almost 30 years there, Tom helped Lava Cap to become an award winning, locally renowned winery. In 2014, Tom and Beth purchased the property that would become Iron Hub Winery, and with their son, Spencer, began a new chapter with a winery of their own.

The name Iron Hub came about when Tom, on a rejuvenating excursion in the mountains of Northern California, discovered an antique wagon wheel hub. Amador County has a rich, Gold Rush history, and many settlers arrived via wagon. The wagon wheel hub was hand-forged iron, a lost art in today’s frenetic world. Thus, the name Iron Hub was born, because, well they say it best on their website:

The iron hub exemplifies the artistry and beauty of hand-forged tooling of days past. Tom and Beth named their new boutique winery on Steiner Road “Iron Hub” to reflect their joy of discovery and craftsmanship.

Of course, history and a beautiful tasting room don’t mean much, unless the wine is good. Let us assure you, Iron Hub Winery wines are good. Very, very good! We always come home with several bottles when we visit. One recent visit introduced us to what has become an Iron Hub favorite: their Sémillon 2018. We purchased multiple bottles, and are down to our last.

Sémillon may be an unfamiliar grape variety to some. Sémillon is native to Bordeaux, France, and is best known as the grape used to craft the luxurious dessert wine, Sauternes. It is also used as a blending grape, playing second fiddle to Sauvignon Blanc in White Bordeaux wines. 100% varietal Sémillon has been relatively rare, but is becoming more common, at least in Amador County! We know of several wineries here that produce 100% Sémillon wines. The Iron Hub Sémillon 2018 is one of our favorites, an opinion shared by those wine-loving friends who have been fortunate to taste it with us.

Exquisite and refreshing. Golden color. Aromas of honeysuckle and pear. On the palate, zippy acidity and flavors of pear, peach, honeydew melon, and apricot. Medium finish.

This is a wine that is delightful to sip on it’s own, but also has the backbone and structure to pair with a variety of seafood or poultry dishes. And as one might expect, 2018 is sold out, but we look forward to other vintages! If you make it to Amador County, be sure to stop in at Iron Hub Winery. If you’re lucky, they’ll have some Sémillon in stock, and you can experience this amazing find, too!

Cheers!

By Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael-Reynolds
Photos by Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael-Reynolds

One of the most magical things about wine its its ability to evoke memories and transport you to times and places far away. So it is with this week’s Wine of the Week. Three and a half years ago, we were invited to the Livermore Valley Barrel Tasting Weekend. For two days in March 2018, we visited several wineries and tasted lots of wine. (You can read about our adventures in the two-part series here and here.) One of the wineries we discovered on day one was BoaVentura de Caires Winery, or simply BoaVentura Vineyards. BoaVentura specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon, and it shows. As we reported more than three years ago, their wines stack up against Napa Cabernets at more than 3X the price! The day of our visit, we purchased this week’s Wine of the Week, the BoaVentura de Caires Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Blue Label 2012.

*From our 2018 Livermore Valley Barrel Tasting Weekend visit.*

Does it surprise you that Livermore should produce such outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon? Well, it shouldn’t. During our research prior to our 2018 visit, we learned (and wrote) that Livermore Valley was instrumental in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon’s success. In fact, some 80% of Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in California can be traced back to clones developed at Concannon winery in Livermore in the 1960’s. And these clones can be traced back to the Concannon Mother Vine, imported from Château Margaux in Bordeaux, France, in 1893. So it makes sense that the wineries in the Livermore Valley would produce world class Cabernet Sauvignon.

BoaVentura Vineyards was inspired by owner and winemaker Brett Caires’ grandfather, BoaVentura Baptiste de Caires, who had a passion for good wine. BoaVentura immigrated from the Portuguese island of Madeira in 1915, and settled in Oakland, California, not far from Livermore. Family meals always featured wine, and Brett soon developed his own passion. In 1999, he and wife Monique bought five acres of land in the Livermore Valley, and a dream became reality.

The BoaVentura de Caires Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Blue Label 2012 is made from 100% estate fruit, all hand-picked by family and friends, as are the grapes for all of BoaVentura’s wines. BoaVentura produces five different Cabernet wines, color coded from Green Label to Maroon Label. The Blue Label is near the top of their lineup at number four. Don’t let that scare you, though. We paid just $59 for the 2012 vintage, and on their website, the price for the (sadly sold out) 2016 vintage is only $40! Not exactly daily drinker wine prices, but for a wine this good, we made an exception on a Tuesday night, to pair with our steak dinner.

Deep, opaque ruby color. On the nose Black cherry, black currant, and blackberry with hints of bell pepper and eucalyptus. On the palate, blackberry, black cherry, cassis, stewed plum, boysenberry, and blueberry, with vanilla and white pepper notes. Full body with smooth tannins and still-puckery acidity. Lively and fresh, drinking well now, yet with several more years of potential.

We are way overdue for another visit to the Livermore Valley. And though there are plenty of other wineries there that we haven’t yet visited, we’ll definitely be paying a return visit to BoaVentura de Caires Winery when we go.

What was your wine of the week?

Cheers!

By Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael-Reynolds
Photos by Robyn Raphael-Reynolds

Month: October 2021

An Amazing Find: Iron Hub Sémillon 2018

Our Wine of the Week: BoaVentura de Caires Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Blue Label 2012