Gravel Pit Winery California Wine Tasting with Special Guest Owner Rob Sweeney Saturday, April 11th 7:30 PM
My name is August West
and I love my Pearly Baker best more than my wine ...more than My wine more than my maker though he’s no friend of mine
Half of my life
I spent doin’ time for some other fucker’s crime Other half found me stumbling around drunk on burgundy wine
“Wharf Rat”
Words by Robert Hunter, music by Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead)*
This event just popped on our calendar as I never miss a chance to host an event with our good friend Rob Sweeney, his family used to own Vine Cliff Winery for decades but they sold the winery a few years ago and Rob entered into a new chapter of his winemaking career with his new label Gravel Pit Wines.
We have hosted over a dozen events with Rob over the years and his wines are very well known with our “Wine Drinking People”. Chef Toni will be making a special dinner to accompany the tasting wines and the fee for this event which includes dinner and gratuity is $250 per person plus tax. For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Gravel Pit Winery Wine Tasting
with Special Guest Owner Rob Sweeney
Saturday, April 11th
7:30 PM
2019 Gravel Pit Chardonnay Russian River
2017 Gravel Pit Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
2018 Gravel Pit Pinot Noir Anderson Valley
2019 Gravel Pit Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
2018 Gravel Pit Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
2019 Gravel Pit Cabernet Sauvignon Tokalon Creek, Oakville, Napa
2021 Gravel Pit Cabernet Sauvignon Tokalon Creek, Oakville, Napa
2023 Gravel Pit Cabernet Sauvignon Tokalon Creek, Oakville, Napa
Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Sea Scallop Carpaccio with Candied Citrus and Lavender Aioli Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib Wellington served over Cabernet Demi
Chocolate Chip Bourbon Pecan Pie
The fee for this tasting which included dinner is $250 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any issues with the menu and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
“Not everyone has the chance in life to work at what they love and are truly passionate about.
My desire is to make wines that bring you as much joy to drink as they did for me to make.”
Rob Sweeney-
Rob Sweeney arrived in the Napa Valley in 1986 when his family bought a piece of raw land in Oakville. A ghost winery of the former Vine Cliff estate which was defunct since the early 1900’s when phylloxera killed every vine. The property presented quite a project, one that Rob coveted. Excited to be involved, so began his journey to learn the business by working at other properties around the valley.
Rob was first hired at Buena Vista Winery by winemaker Jill Davis as a harvest cellar intern where he started building his vast experience. Interested in every facet of a winery he moved on to the tasting room at Franciscan Winery, it provided the backdrop for where Rob learned the art of selling wine. His interest in the vineyards then took him to A&P Structures where he learned how to build trellis systems from true pioneers in the field.
Concurrently Rob attended Napa Valley College and earned his degree in Viticulture under the tutelage of the inspirational Dr. Steve Krebs. Several years later and with a strong foundation of knowledge and well rounded education under his belt, Rob returned to Vine Cliff.
“Back then if I needed to know the answer to something, I couldn’t look it up on the internet or watch a how-to YouTube video, I rode my ATV across the field or jumped in my truck and asked a neighbor. That might have been Gustav Dalle Valle who showed me how to calibrate the sprayer, or Alex Vyborny, famed vineyard manager responsible for Far Niente and Joseph Phelps, whose ranch was across the street. Or after we bought a vineyard on Pickett Road, Al Frediani who would always dispense his advice with a twinkle in his eye. Occasionally we would source grapes from other vineyards, and I think I bought more grapes from Laurie Wood and visited his vineyard more times just in the hope that Laurie would beckon me to his porch for a visit. Their collective knowledge was invaluable.” These salt of the earth farmers had a wealth of experience and they were happily willing to pass on their knowledge and even loan their equipment. Their seeds of wisdom fell on fertile ground and as Rob’s knowledge grew, so did his passion.
Ultimately, the Vine Cliff family vineyard grew into a winery operation and over the years Rob was inspired by having winemakers such as John Gibson, Paul Hobbs and Celia Welch who introduced him to cutting edge techniques and mentored him through blind tastings and blending trials. Each harvest Rob acquired more experience and honed his skills-different vintage, different outcomes, different vineyards telling different stories. More knowledge, more comparisons to draw from year to year. Crucial picking decisions became second nature and difficult blending trials made sense. The family business grew and made a place for itself among other wineries producing award winning wines with a reputation for excellence.
Over time, Rob identified and personally developed vineyards on properties which the winery purchased in Calistoga and on Howell Mountain. With Rob’s viticultural acumen and diligence these projects ultimately became the storied Pickett Road vineyard now known as the 100-point generating Few and Far Between vineyard purchased by Hundred Acre vineyard and the estate vineyards now owned by Cade Winery, Howell Mountain. At the time they each sold, both were the highest per-acre price ever paid for vineyards in the country.
As one chapter ends, so another begins-
A culmination of 30 years of experience, 30 years of literal blood, sweat and tears led Rob to realize an unfulfilled dream, one that remained dormant surfaced and was the itch he needed to scratch. It was time to branch out on his own and add winemaker to his portfolio.
All the Gravel Pit wines in the store on SALE!!:
2019 Gravel Pit Chardonnay Russian River
Price: $60.00 Your Price: $52.80 Quantity in Stock: 8
Aromas of honeysuckle and white peach with juicy and bright tropical fruit, and lemon oil, and lime zest on the finish, this is a convergence of the Old Wente Clone and are blended together to create a classic, Sonoma-style chardonnay. Tremendous value.
2017 Gravel Pit Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Price: $64.50 Your Price: $56.76 Quantity in Stock: 5
Our Pinot Noir comes from one of the most sought after and prized vineyards in Sonoma County. This very special site is influenced by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the San Francisco bay to the south. The well drained soil is derived from volcanic parent material and is very gravelly and rocky. We received two clones of pinot noir from this very well farmed site. Clone 115 known to be one of the only pinot noir clones to make stand alone quality wine, and the Swan clone, which is very aromatic.
The grapes were hand harvested at night to ensure cold fruit for a three day pre-fermentation maceration. We hand sorted 80% of the clusters to the berry level after adding 20% whole clusters to the small stainless steel fermentation vessels. After fermentation we aged the wine for 11 months in 30% new, 35% 1 yr and 35% neutral, experienced French oak barrels. We elected to bottle the wine unfined and unfiltered.
We enjoyed a long cool vintage following a winter of abundant rainfall after some very dry years. This lead to an early exuberant canopy followed by some heat in June that helped to settle down the growth. We had an unprecedented heat wave at the beginning of September just as the grapes were almost in the perfect flavor window. Giving the vines a chance to recover and rehydrate the fruit is critical for the best possible wine. We picked on September 10th, a full week and a half after the big heat, and just before the next temperature spike.
2019 Gravel Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $66.00
Winemaker’s Notes The 2019 vintage started about two weeks later than the average year, after a wet Spring. We enjoyed a moderate to warm season that was mostly uneventful, allowing all the hang time we needed to fully ripen the grapes. Tasting Notes Rob’s favorite Pinot - his Goldilocks vintage! Aromas of Sarsaparilla and wild berry patch. Rich, viscous mouthfeel, sour black cherry and lots of juicy acidity on the finish.
2018 Gravel Pit Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Price: $96.00 Your Price: $84.48 Quantity in Stock: 10
This Cabernet Sauvignon was grown in a single vineyard ,in Napa Valley, on the eastern foothills of Calistoga. it has very rocky, gravelly soils, and some of the smallest berries i have ever seen. the wine is very smooth, richly aromatic, with a persistent long finish. RS
2019 Gravel Pit Cabernet Sauvignon Tokalon Creek, Oakville, Napa
Price: $205.50 Your Price: $180.84 Quantity in Stock: 10
2021 Gravel Pit Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa
Price: $207.00 Your Price: $182.16 Quantity in Stock: 6
Winery Tasting Notes: Dark and rich with ripe cherry fruit and soft, smooth tannins. Aged 20 months in 40% new French oak barrels and 60% 1 year barrel
back