Vineyards With A Hollywood Connection For Wine Wednesday

I'm always looking for something new to try, like wines from vineyards with a Hollywood connection for Wine Wednesday. I recently sat in on a virtual tasting with Paul Warson, the new wine maker at Moraga Bell Air Vineyards in California. The vines are not in Napa, not in Sonoma, not in Paso Robles either. They are in Los Angeles' Santa Monica Mountains.

In addition, the land that is home to these vines used to be owned by famous director Victor Fleming. Think Gone With The Wind and The Wizard of Oz. He sold the land to aerospace engineer Tom V Jones in 1959 who planted vines to pay homage to Jean Louis Vignes. Vignes made wine in downtown LA in the 1830's, long before Napa entered the scene. Today, the property belongs to Rupert Murdoch.

The first wine we opened during the virtual tasting was a sauvignon blanc that was super fragrant with tropical notes. On the palate it was concentrated, rich and included those tropical fruits along with lime zest. It made me salivate a little bit, and envision a plate of oysters. Only 300 cases were made.

The red wine has been produced since 1989. The newest vintage is a blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon with merlot, petite verdot, and cabernet franc. It had a big nose full of fruit, spice and herbs. Very enticing with lots of red fruit, spice and even a touch of cola.

Moraga is small production and is only available for shipping direct from the winery. Until just recently, the winery was not open for tours and visits. However, they are now available by appointment only.  In addition, Moraga Bel Air has a second label in which up and coming artists design the labels. Moraga then gives a percentage of the proceeds to a charity of the artists' choice.

Women in wine volume 2 for Women’s History Month is a new feature for Wine Wednesday during the month of March. March is Women's History Month and women are indeed making history in the world of wine. Women such as Bibiana Gonzalez Rave, founder and winemaker of Alma de Cattleya Wines.

I was introduced to Bibiana Gonzalez Rave many years ago and almost always have her wines in my home stash. She grew up in Columbia which is not a thriving wine country. However, as a teenager her parents introduced her to the art of  wine with dinner when going out. It sparked a curiosity that eventually lead her to grab a backpack and head France. She learned how to make wine in the prestigious region of Bordeaux. In 2004 she went to California to experience a wine harvest and a few years later moved to Sonoma.

Cattelaya is the national flower of Columbia, a nod to her roots. It's a beautiful, orchid that adorns her labels. She has two tiers of wine,  Alma de Cattelaya is a little more affordable. In a typical year, she produces six different wines. I love the rose of pinot noir. It has great strawberry notes and nice body.

Her sauvignon blanc sees a little oak which helps round out bitterness and add some texture. Lemongrass and melon are two of the flavors that stand out. For Chardonnay lovers, Bibiana makes a couple of them. I'm not a huge fan of this grape but every one that I've tried of hers is outstanding, well balanced. The pinot noir is also outstanding, with layers of flavors and lots of red fruit.

The wines are low production and  range in price from $22 to $48. You can find them in Florida or direct from the winery. In addition to Catteleya, Bibiana makes a sauvignon blanc with her well-known wine making husband, Jeff Pisoni. It's called Shared Notes and if you can find it, it's fantastic.

Julie Glenn and I interviewed Bibiana a couple of years ago for our Grape Minds Wine podcast. To hear more about her story and wines, click here. In the meantime, look for Bibiana's wines. Cheers to women in wine volume 2 for Women’s History Month.