More Wine Women

Women’s History Month is over. I was going to rush this article to come out with the zeitgeist, but nah, March is behind us, but supporting women shouldn’t be. I want to give you a list to keep support for wine women going. I championed a score of cool women in wine here . I told you all about Theopolis Vineyards , McBride Sisters , Aslina , Ehlers Estate , J Vineyards , and Margins to get you started. Here is a new batch of wines made by and/or owned by women! WARR-KING WINES The impressive and thoughtful Lisa Warr-King Packer is not just a winemaker, she has a real devotion to bringing up other women and people of color, in addition to making wonderful Washington wines that speak to the vintage. I had the pleasure of tasting a vertical of her Cabernet Sauvignon and have long loved her Roussanne, Merlot, Riesling…the list goes on. I chose to highlight Tenacity, a 75% Mourvedre, 25% Syrah blend that benefits SPIN (STEM Paths Innovation Network) Girls. She is bringing up more women and people of color with her. Let us drink Tenacity to support them all! 2017 Warr-King Wines “Tenacity” YUM-diddlyumptious. It is persistent, tireless, resolved, and pretty much all the words listed on the back of the bottle that describe the spiritual energy of this wine. It has a depth of earth and a bolt of violet-spice lighting up the purple-fruited night. It is not just purple fruited; it has the vibe of an indigo cloak worn by someone galloping through the establishment. Oh, and my gosh, chocolate and cassis. Tenacity indeed. This may be my favorite Warr-King wine yet. P. HARRELL Paula Harrell has worn many hats in life, but her love of wine seems to have won over, as she created her own wine label! A San Francisco native, she has gone from studying in Madrid (where her wine appreciation started), to education, to real estate, but happily she came back to wine! 2019 P. Harrell ‘Haight Street’ Dry Creek Valley Riesling Named for her property in San Francisco, this gem is as dry as the name of the valley it came from! Aromatic as all get out with honeysuckle and white peaches and lime zest on the nose. Exuberant acidity lifts this wine whose palate is yet more peachy and honeysuckled, but with orange blossom water and rocks. TESTA VINEYARDS Started by current winemaker Maria Testa Martinson’s grandparents in 1912, Teta is still a family affair. A biodynamic, organically farmed, family affair. Everyone in the family seems to have a hand in this BUT! It is Maria who is their winemaker….and accountant, and she holds myriad other hats; she seems to be the glue. 2015 Testa Vineyards Old-Vine Zinfandel Zinfandel was the first vine planted by Gaetano and Maria, the Italian duo that had the foresight to plant vines in Mendocino, so these are indeed old vines. It is bright as all get out, this Zin is. Pepper and perfume on the nose, with a dose of dried apricot, fleshy plum and confident black cherry. The palate is zippy but gentle. Well-adjusted these tannins are, surely the result of such a good upbringing. FRICHETTE The flip of a coin led Shae Frichette, along with husband Greg and son Jayden, to Washington to create idiosyncratic wines in the Red Mountain region. Their wines arrived for me with charming cards encouraging me to enjoy their ‘Sashay’, which is Shae’s personal contribution to the Frichette family. The back of the bottle warned me that I might get sassy. Well now, I am into that. 2019 Frichette Sashay Red Mountain Rosé 100% Merlot, whaddaya know! It is a deep colored rosé full of red fruits and roses on the nose. A vibrant nose! And a full body as far as rosés go. Even more flowers on the nose with stewed red plum and strawberry flavors intertwined with an almost lactic note, plus a minerality that makes me envision a geode sparkling in the sun. ANTICA MASSERIA JORCHE Two sisters, the fifth generation of a family-owned winery, are now at the helm! Emanuela is the winemaker; Dalila is on the business side. The two originally went their separate ways from the winery’s home in Puglia. Emanuela left to study winemaking in Trento, while Dalila studied marketing and communication in Milan, but both now speak passionately about returning home to bring new ideas to old vines. 2016 Anitca Masseria Jorche Primitivo di Manduria Riserva This glass is a lover who stuns you with their intelligence—even sober you think they may be too smart for you, which is saying something! You are one smart cookie. But then they show their sensual side, and you are like, wow, didn’t see that coming. But then they want to discuss ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ while you snuggle. Which is to say this is a heady wine. One minute you pick up iodine and maybe even menthol—these grapes grew up near the sea. Then you get licorice, cocoa, roses, white peppers, plums…and you try to stay on your toes because at 16% abv you can find yourself lost in it in more ways than one. CHALK HILL ESTATE Winemaker Courtney Foley, the 2nd generation vinter at Chalk Hill, has an intriguing educational past, having studied everything History, to Environmental and Ocean Law, to (but of course), enology. And apparently, she enjoys a throwback 90’s concert for fun times. When pandemic times are over, I deeply desire to drink her Sauvignon Blanc at an Alanis Morrisette concert. 2019 Chalk Hill Estate Bottled Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc It whispers, rather than shouts “Hi, I’m a Sauvigon Blanc” either out of modesty or because 8% Sauvignon Gris is there to keep it calm. Grapefruit and greens on the nose then add honeysuckle and a liveliness that cannot be denied on the palate. Definitely put it on your dance card. For both a minuet and a polka. HANDLEY CELLARS Get thee to handleycellars.com for this highly worth-the-special-order wine. After a degree in Fermentation Sciences from UC Davis and a few years at Chateau St. Jean, founder Milla Handley started Handley Cellars in Anderson Valley in 1982. An independent maker, she started with a basement batch of Chardonnay—basement as in that’s where she made it, not the quality level. That Chardonnay earned the fledging winemaker a gold at the Orange County Fair! Top-shelf basement wine? That’s pretty cool. Sadly, she passed away last year, but her daughter Lulu has now taken on managing the winery, working with winemaker Randy Schock. 2017 Handley Cellars Anderson Valley RSM Vienyard Pinot Noir My queendom for an Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Although it comes from a vineyard named for Handley’s late king, Rex Scott McClellan. I can’t help but wonder if a vineyard named for her beloved means it is her favorite? This Pinot is delightfully transparent with fruit that begs to be called both fresh and rich. Smells of dried cherries but also a hint o’ cola and a lick of sage leaf and vanilla and rum, like some sort of bespoke booze-ed up ice cream soda. Soft on the palate, the tannins are so plush they don’t register unless you make an effort to analyze them. Betwixt two worlds this wine shows itself, and I am here for the journey. GRAZIANO FAMILY OF WINES Current winemaker Alexandra Graziano is a 4th generation winegrower and 2nd generation winemaker but wowza, reading about her life, she was not just ushered into the practice. From cleaning the winery to getting so obsessed with wine that she got a degree from UC Davis in viticulture and enology, she paid her dues. As for the ‘family’ of labels, the Graziano umbrella has a few, but Alexandria’s current passion is for Italian varieties, paying homage to her family’s Piemontese heritage. 2015 Enotria Dolcetto My golly it smells of chocolate covered cherries and blackberries, but also something fresh and spicy. On the palate the chocolate cherry vibe continues, which is part of the magic of Dolcetto. Dolcetto (‘little sweet one’) is bone dry in structure, with traditionally sweet flavors. Think of a dark chocolate bar with dried cherries, but it is darrrrrrk chocolate bitterness that is balanced by ripe fruit. Medium weight. I am entranced. I need to drink more Dolcetto and try some more of the label’s other Italian varietal offerings! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Want to read more from Ellen? Check out her recent articles: Guilty Pleasures All I Want for Valentine’s Day Is Some Skin Contact Bridgerton, Beverage by Beverage Make Your Own Wine Winter Whites Wine For Kamala Women in Castles Down by the Loire River Whole Wine - Pairing Optional Goth Wines for the Perennially October Soul You can also listen to Ellen's podcast , The Wine Situation here . Check out her recent transcripts of the Final Five questions: Wine Situation Final Five! With Theodora Lee Wine Situation Final Five! With Lisa Warr-King Packer