Sequoia Grove Wine Tasting with Special Guest Mike Trujillo President/Director of Winemaking at WWWB

What is better than to sit at the end of a day and drink wine with friends, or substitute for friends. -James Joyce

We have been touting the Cabernet Sauvignon from Sequoia Grove for the last few years. Ever since Michael Trujillo took complete control of the winemaking in 2001, which is the year that Kobrand bought the winery and the quality here has gone up substantially ever since.  I can think of few wines that compare to Sequoia Grove at the $35 price point and we are honored to have Michael here to break bread with us at the Wine Watch Wine Bar. 

It’s hard to believe that is has been 5 years since our last dinner with Michael but it is amazing that the wines are still the same price!!  Toni Lampasone has made a special tasting menu to compliment the wines and the price of this tasting is less than a bottle of Sequoia Grove’s top wine Cambium!  The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Sequoia Grove Wine Dinner at Wine Watch Wine Bar
with Winemaker/CEO Michael Trujillo
Wednesday, February 21st
7:30pm

Reception

George Blanc Potato Cakes with American Sturgeon Caviar
Foie Gras Sushi with Mango and Papaya
Herbed Chevre Gougeres

2013 Domaine Carneros Brut
Price: $33.75    Your Price: $29.70

A wonderful array of aromas including white flower, pear, golden apple, honeycomb and brioche create a bouquet for the nose. The palate flavors are true to the aromas and are enhanced by a texture that is creamy, full and elegantly structured. The long finish hints of the wines aging potential.

Fish with Chardonnay

Mahi Mahi with tropical fruit salsa and vanilla chardonnay butter Crispy plantains

Sequoia Grove Chardonnay Napa 2015
Price: $25.50       Sale $22.44

Fresh lemon rolls quickly into lemon curd and warm toasted almonds. The fresh fruit nose is balanced nicely with secondary aromas of custard and brioche, ripe melon, pear, and poached pear. On the palate the wine is full of flavor. The mid-palate is creamy with a hint of nutmeg and finishes with fresh citrus.

Meat Course

Seared Venison Loin with Parmesan Creme and Sequoia Grove Cabernet natural Sauce Root Vegetable ratatouille

2014 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Price: $37.50       Sale $33.00

The aroma pops with bright black cherry and blackberry, followed by cinnamon and spice with a touch of black pepper. On the palate the wine is round and full-bodied; full of blackberry flavor with a touch of red fruit intertwined with dusty tannins on the finish.

2012 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Cambium Napa Valley
Price: $112.50    Sale $99.00

 Dark red color with immediate aromas of flourless chocolate cake and dark roast coffee giving way to raspberry, wild flowers, and chocolate covered cherry. On the palate the wine is rich and velvety, with flavors of dark chocolate, chocolate covered espresso beans, toasted walnuts, and blackberry tart. The mouth feel of the wine is balanced, smooth and ethereal, leaving only complex flavors on the tongue that go on and on.
This complex wine pairs well with delicately prepared dishes with nuances of flavor, such as Pepper Crusted Tenderloin with Mushroom Cream and Roast Asparagus.
Blend: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc

Chocolate Course
Blue Cheesed Souflee with blackberry Coulis and dark chocolate Biscotti

1968 Taylor Fladgate Single harvest Port
List Price: $300.00      Your Price: $264.00

Dark toffee and caramel, walnuts and cashews dried fruit, nice complexity, notes of orance peel and lots of complexity Excellent

The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

A bit about Sequoia Grove winery:

Founded in 1980 by the Allen family on the site of a 100-year-old farmhouse, Sequoia Grove is named for the circle of giant redwood trees that surround it, one of the last groves in the Napa Valley.

When Jim Allen first set eyes on the land that would become Sequoia Grove’s Estate Vineyard, Rutherford’s potential for Cabernet Sauvignon had yet to be realized. In 1979, the year Jim Allen bought the 24 acre plot, it was planted with a variety of grapes which he began pulling out and replanting with Cabernet Sauvignon. "In the early days, we were really pioneering with this variety, along with a few of our neighbors; we were just discovering the region as Cabernet land," remembers Steve Allen, who has served as Sequoia Grove’s vineyard manager since its beginning.

Sequoia Grove released its first wine in 1981 and the winery quickly became known throughout the world for its traditional, Old World approach to winemaking and over the years yielded award winning wines of depth and elegance. The Estate Bottling was selected America’s Best Cabernet Sauvignon on its first release in 1985, and several years later Sequoia Grove was selected winery of the year.

After more than two decades of family ownership by three generations of the Allen family, the winery was purchased by the company that marketed the wines in the United States Kobrand. The first thing that Kobrand did when they purchased Sequoia Grove in 2001 is to name Michael Trujillo, the winery’s longtime winemaker, now in total control of every aspect of production at the winery. While the deep respect for traditional European attitudes towards wine which has characterized Sequoia Grove’s winemaking philosophy from the beginning will continue, Michael’s leadership is reflected in quality leaps evidenced in the 2002 vintage onwards. "In my winemaking I strive for balance and varietal character to come through. I don’t get carried away with the big, high-alcohol wine trend that influences much of the industry today. I strive for richness and balance from start to finish. This is the way I make wine," says Michael of his winemaking philosophy, one he has been honing since he began his career in the wine industry in 1982, alongside Sequoia Grove winemaker and owner, Jim Allen.

Michael’s influence is felt most keenly in the grower relationships he has forged, enabling Sequoia Grove to source the best fruit Napa Valley has to offer. All purchased grapes are of AAA quality from growers known for producing the finest grapes within the Napa Valley: Gary Morisoli, Andy Beckstoffer, Garvey Family, Traina, and others. "I take a lot of pride in my relationships with growers," he says. "Many of them have even replanted according to our specifications, which is a huge commitment on their part. We are now sourcing only A+ Napa grapes."

In addition to these superb grapes we have our own. "Each harvest, the best fruit that comes into our winery is from our Estate Vineyard," says Michael. "We hand pick everything and only the grapes that are perfectly ripe. This requires multiple passes through the vineyard but guarantees every grape comes in perfectly balanced." Used to make the winery’s flagship Reserve wine, a Bordeaux blend, the Estate Vineyard remains the soul of Sequoia Grove. "These 24 acres are our blood line," explains Mike. "We focus on this vineyard as our way to make our mark. These grapes get the crème de la crème treatment from trellising, hang-time, hand-harvesting to the 12 additional months in bottle before release. We don’t cut any corners."

"Sequoia Grove has never put out an inferior product. But today, with superior grapes and our upgraded facility we are staged to make better wines and we are doing just that," says Michael, and the 2002 vintage bears witness. He has altered the blending, cut away some of the wines he felt were weaker and lowered production. The wines also benefit from the influx of capital in the production facility; higher quality fermenters, processing equipment, oak barrels and a new assistant winemaker, Molly Hill. Even the wine’s package was redesigned, to illustrate the brand’s reinvigoration.

In the style of his own much-coveted cult wine label, Karl Lawrence, which he launched with his partner in 1991, Michael is aiming for similar varietal expression and quality: "Everything that goes into Karl Lawrence - exceptional vineyard sourcing, value for price point - I’m bringing to Sequoia Grove."

The 2013 vintage is the eleventh year after Michael Trujillo has had complete control of the show at Sequoia Grove and the wines now go from strength to strength.