March 3 Noon Tasting with Russian River Winemaker Greg Morthole

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to announce a winetasting at The Good Land Wine Shop & Bar with winemaker Greg Morthole. Greg will be pouring his delicious Davis Bynum Winery wines at the World of Pinot Noir in March and we will be able to showcase him in a Meetup before he flies back to the Russian River.

Greg Morthole used his bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences to land a lab position at Vinquiry in 1999, working for renowned winemakers Marty Bannister and MaryAnn Graf. He went on to take the Enologist position at Chalk Hill Winery, then at Rodney Strong. He is now winemaker for Davis Bynum Winery and for the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines at Rodney Strong.

Asked to describe his approach to winemaking, Greg responds, “Mostly low impact, with the thinking that 98% of the work is done in the vineyard and at fermentation.” That’s perhaps a more humble answer than an accurate one, but Greg had the rare fortune to work alongside and learn from three of the legendary winemakers in California history: Rick Sayre, David Ramey and Davis Bynum. Join us in tasting his handcrafted Russian River wines.

The Good Land Wine Shop & Bar is a beautiful wine bar and retail store focusing on smaller wineries from the Santa Ynez Valley and Paso Robles. It's a great place to find new and exciting new local wines. Despite his focus on local, record producer-turned-wine merchant Doug Trantow is opening his lovely venue to our group for this tasting. We think you'll return after the event to try out his offerings!

Doug says, "The fact that there was no local wine shop here in town where you could go and taste the hundreds of wines that are made right over the hill just didn’t make sense to me. That’s why I opened the shop.”

The Good Land Wine Shop & Bar is at 4177 State Street near the intersection with the Highway 154 intersection.

We will taste 5 wines with the winemaker and enjoy a gourmet lunch:

• Gourmet Cheese Board *Santa Barbara Cheese Company - no antibiotics, hormones or preservatives, from fresh milk on their family farm!
• Baguettes (+ Gluten Free Crackers)
• Italian Charcuterie
• Smoked Salmon with accoutrements
• Fresh berries
• A sweet treat - dessert!

2023 Davis Bynum Virginia’s Block Sauvignon Blanc: 90 Points! -- Wine Enthusiast. The Garfield Block of Jane’s Vineyard in the Russian River Valley AVA has stony, clay based soils made of shallow, fast draining Huichica loam. This single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc shows tropical fruit, melon and an underlying citrus note that finishes with a bright, crisp acidity.

2022 Davis Bynum River West Chardonnay: The River West Vineyard is located on Westside Road, on a low riverside bench, in the far northern end of the Russian River Valley. The soil is predominantly Yolo sandy-silt loam but with a pocket of gravelly Cortina soil in one block. Features enticing aromas of lemon curd, apple pie and graham cracker, along with flavors of baked golden apple, pie crust and a sweet floral undertone. French and Eastern European barrel aging brings a measure of dusty oak tones and notes of butterscotch, tempered by a balanced acidity.

2021 Davis Bynum Russian River Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir: Opens with perfumed fragrance, leading to citrusy lemongrass, watermelon and a hint of honeysuckle. The mouthfeel delicately balances fresh acidity and the sweetness of honeydew melon flavors and finishes with subtle grapefruit pith. Jane's Vineyard comprises the Lindley, Crinella and Garfield blocks —132 acres of Pinot Noir with nine different clones. This small area tends to enjoy the very best of the iconic local climate; never too hot during the day, and consistently chilly at night. Jane’s Vineyard shows superior vine balance thanks to its well-drained, shallow and low vigor soils.

2021 Davis Bynum Dijon Clone 667 Pinot Noir: 90 Points! -- Wine Enthusiast 90 Points! -- Natalie Maclean Creamy in baked strawberry fruit and cola, this wine is rich and full-bodied, with generously integrated oak. Black tea and baking spice contribute a zest of life to the smooth roundedness of the wine.

2021 Davis Bynum Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir: 91.5 Rating! -- Ken's Wine Guide. From the Dutton Ranch - Gregori and Dutton Ranch - Lorenzo vineyards in the cooler-climate Green Valley neighborhood of the Russian River Valley AVA. The vines are growing in the fabled Goldridge sandy loam. Fresh fruit aromas, silky tannins, fine acidity, and subtle spice nuances are traditional hallmarks of this wine. The 2021 vintage of Dutton Ranches shows deep color, ripe strawberry, spicy clove and a floral note. The oak plays with the wine but is always in the background, as the fruit is center stage, and complexity fills it out.

Attendance limited to 30 attendees, no tickets at the door. Please RSVP today to secure your spot!

cheers!
co-organizers Tama and Meridith