Janzen Winery Happy Hour Wine Tasting with Special Guest Kyle Janzen

Thursday, April 6, 2023 - 06:00 PM

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If all be true that I do think,
There are five reasons we should drink:
Good wine - a friend - or being dry -
Or lest we should be by and by -
Or any other reason why.

Henry Aldrich 1647 – 1710

I would like to say there are seven reasons we should drink: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundy.

We have a lot of wine personalities in the South Florida market this time of year as we have the best weather in the country right now.  Hey, it is 64 degrees year-round here at the Wine Watch which is the perfect temperature to drink a big red wine like Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

We have over 50,000 bottles in the store with a huge selection of wines from Napa Valley and they are some of the most expensive wines on the planet, but you can still find some great wines at a reasonable price if you look to producers that own their own land for 20+ years and that have relationships with key growers that have lasted for decades.  When you consider how expensive the dirt is to buy here today and that recently the fire situation has gotten so out of hand. Today, there are no insurance companies who will sell you insurance in Napa Valley against the threat of fire for your vineyards.  The price of Napa Valley wine is going nowhere but up!

I love it when a small family producer that we have known for decades walks in the store to taste me on their new releases.  I remember the first Bacio Divino wines that we carried at Wine Watch and they were in a strange shaped bottles with unique blends of Sangiovese and Cabernet.  The funky bottle was hard to store in our wine bins and I usually am not fond of Napa Valley Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon Blends but the wines were very good from day one and we dealt with the funky bottle the only way we know how…we drank it!!

It is good to see the next generation of the family Kyle Janzen is taking over and Kyle has a passion for the business that was obviously inherited from Claus and Diane.  Kyle showed me all the wines that they had in the South Florida market, and I bought everything on the spot…except for the Sangiovese blend.  It was good but the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignons are Most Excellent and KILLER!!

We are happy to see another one of the wineries established in the early 1990’s that is still family owned and still making some of the best wines for the money.  The single vineyard wines here from Beckstoffer To Kalon and Missouri Hopper are KILLER but the Cloud’s Vineyard and the Napa are just a short step down.  But was there ever a doubt in my mind what the wines would be like, even without tasting them I knew they would be great because Kirk Venge as their winemaker!   It’s easy to see why these wines are among the best in their class from Napa Valley.

Join us as we welcome Kyle back to South Florida for a Happy Hour wine tasting with all of his current releases from Bacio Divino and Janzen Wines,  This tasting is limited to 24 tasters and the fee for this event which includes dinner is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

 

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JANZEN HAPPY HOUR WINE TASTING WITH SPECIAL GUEST KYLE JANZEN
Thursday, April 6, 2023
6:00 PM

2019 Lucie Chardonnay Bacigalupi Vineyard Russian River
2019 Bacio Divino Red Blend Napa
2019 Janzen Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2018 Janzen Cabernet Sauvignon Missouri Hopper Vineyard Napa
2018 Janzen Cabernet Sauvignon Cloudy's Vineyard Napa
2018 Janzen Caberent Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Napa

Menu
Cheese and charcuterie
King Salmon Tartar with Roasted Bell Pepper with Lemon Aioli
Short Rib Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich
Chicken Pesto and Mozzarella Panini
Mushroom, Vidalia Onion, Gruyere Flatbread with Fresh Basil
Petit Fors

The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 943-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

 

A bit about Bacio Divino and Janzen Winery

On the sun and vine-dappled slopes of the Napa Valley, overlooking the town of St. Helena, we took a chance. Possessed with an unshakable desire to create something of our ‘own’, and to make an impression both immediate and lasting, we embarked to produce a signature wine we could be proud to put our name on. It was 1993 and wine had a twinkle in its eye.

The act of winemaking involves equal parts mystery and mischief. With this combination at play we came up with not just one, but two, proprietary blends. First and foremost, Bacio Divino - a divine kiss of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with the added dimensions of Sangiovese and occasionally other varietals. And, in 1999, its vivacious kid sister, Pazzo, was set loose; a Sangiovese-centric blend with undercurrents of Merlot, Syrah and a touch of our estate Cab.

Ever curious, we later ventured towards single varietals resulting in our namesake Janzen (2004), Vagabond (2004), and Lucie (2009).

Twenty vintages into our small family-run venture, we are immensely proud of our wines. Each acclaim humbles us, yet the desire to single out, blend, taste and create drives on. With hard work we have made many things come true. We hope you will find your own favorite amongst ours and that enjoying each will prove effortless.
Diane & Claus

Claus & Diane Janzen
Grape Whisperers

Several ski seasons at an upscale establishment in Switzerland can be blamed for introducing a young Claus to fine wines – an encounter from which he will likely never recover. Later, after transplanting his family from Winnipeg, Canada to Napa, he spent 12 years at Caymus, developing for them the most enviable international marketing operation in the Valley.

Meanwhile, Claus’ own viniculture ambitions were ripening. A chance acquisition of some practically-discarded Sangiovese grapes in 1993 led to the first vintage of Bacio Divino and the realization of a family estate.

An accomplished photographer and music freak, Claus takes time out from the cellars on the nearest lake dock he can find.

Back in Winnipeg, Diane hosted many elaborate wine dinners, unintentionally fuelling her husband's enophilia while honing her mastery of logistics. As manager of sales and customer relations she is the keel of the ship, keeping wine top-of-mind (and the captain in line).

When not attending to your order, Diane can occasionally be found bottling her own olive oil.

Kyle holding a glass of wine

Kyle Janzen
General Manager

If anyone can speak to the origins of their wine exposure, it’s Kyle. At a very early age he mastered the corkscrew and not long after, the finesse of swirling, sniffing and eventually speaking.

At first just an adorable asset to his parents’ wine dinners, it was later found that he had, in fact, inherited their predilection for a fine red. Kyle lives in sync with the rhythm of the winery from harvest to crush, blending to bottling. His hands-on experience in all of these areas makes him the perfect spokesperson for our wines.

Kirk sitting and holding glass of wine
Kirk Venge
Professional Enophile and Vine Coach

On the ground and behind the scenes, Kirk is an indispensable co-conspirator. His family roots run deep in viticulture and his passion for the industry has led to early recognition in the world of wine. Kirk's heritage and tutelage along with his love for the process, give him an unequaled edge in the wine industry.

Risa Janzen:
Media Wrangler

It’s possible that this woman has not gone a year without packing a suitcase. With several passports to her name and an ability to adapt to wherever her nomadic lifestyle takes her, Risa keeps her finger on the pulse of, well, everywhere.

Our go-to gal for media communications and strategy, her extensive customer experience and insatiable appetite for what’s ‘trending’ keeps us out of the dark ages. This website you’re looking at has her fingerprints all over it. #whereisrisa

All the Janzen Family wines available at Wine Watch:

2018 JANZEN CABERENT SAUVIGNON BECKSTOFFER TO KALON VINEYARD NAPA
Price: $233.25  Your Price: $205.26        Quantity in Stock: 3
A rich and seductive wine on the nose with dark currant and cassis like fruit on the nose, cigar box spice, fresh plowed earth, dark chocolate and more this wine is even better on the second day.  A big and chewy wine with lots of everything and a long layered finish, this wine needs time but has it all.  Finish 50+ Less than 200 cases. KILLER

Bacio Divino Janzen Cabernet Sauvignon | Vivino

2018 JANZEN CABERNET SAUVIGNON MISSOURI HOPPER VINEYARD NAPA
Price: $167.25   Sale Price: $147.18         Quantity in Stock: 3
A good amount of dark currant, dark cherry dark plum and black licorice, graphite, cedar and dark chocolate notes with fresh plowed black earth even more complex on the second day.  A big and chewy wine with lots of everything a long layered finish with some tannins but finely polished with all that spice, earth and nuance from the nose through the finish.  Finish 50+ KILLER

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2018 JANZEN CABERNET SAUVIGNON CLOUDY'S VINEYARD NAPA
Price: $165.75   Your Price: $145.86        Quantity in Stock: 12
This is the best corner of the estate on a steep hill in Dutch Henry Canyon and this wine has a good amount of ripe currant and cassis like fruit, sweet tobacco and mocha spice.  A good amount of ripe rich currant and some dry tannins on the finish with all that spice and nuance from the nose thorugh the finish.  Finish 45+ Most Excellent

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2019 JANZEN CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
Price: $87.75     Your Price: $77.22          Quantity in Stock: 8
All of the wines are Made at B Cellars with Kirk Venge as the winemaker, 4500 cases total production most is under the Pazzo label, they started in the early 1990's and their estate vineyard is between Saint Helena  and Calistoga.  Hourglass and swithchback are his two closest neighbors and this wine has a good amount of dark currant and plum fruit with notes of dried tobacco and  dark spices.  A nice balance to this wine on the palate with ripe round tannins and all that spice on the nose through the finish, a nicely balanced wine with mocha and toasty oak notes on the finish.  Finish  Excellent +

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2019 Bacio Divino Red Blend Napa
Price: $138.75   Sale $122.10
Ongoing drought led to record low harvests in 2019 across virtually all of our vineyard sites, with some vineyards yielding as little as 30% of our normal tonnage. The growing season was otherwise very balanced and the resulting fruit was exceptionally concentrated and bursting with flavor. Our 2019 blend featured 98% cabernet sourced primarily from the valley floor, with just a dash of Sangiovese.

Dark black and red fruits, leather and cigar box aromas dominate the nose. The dark purple color coats the glass, with an explosion of brambly fruit and hints of herbs and spice upon first tasting the wine. A rich and full bodied mouthfeel leads to a long finish packed with fine grain tannins we feel will integrate beautifully over the next few years.

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2019 LUCIE CHARDONNAY BACIGALUPI VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER
Price: $62.25     Your Price: $54.78          Quantity in Stock: 22
This is a rich and ripe style of California Chardonnay, the Lucie label was created by the Janzen family to represent their Burgundian varietals. This wine was barrel fermented and aged for 10 months in French Oak barrels, however they restrained the malolactic fermentation in order to keep a crisp and refreshing finish.  A beautiful bouquet with notes of crème brulee, cinnamon spice and ripe lush tropical fruit, hints of white flowers.  Lush and creamy on the tongue with a nice hand of toasty oak and a nice hand of acidity, a big chardonnay but very well balanced and even better on the second day.   Finish 45+ Most Excellent