“Really dark… like a black hole,” Julien Miquel says while pouring a glass of Tamber Bey, one of the wines in our new West Coast Collection (2018 cabernet sauvignon from Calistoga region in Northern Napa).
In his winemaking career, Julien worked all over the world, including America’s west coast. He has fond memories of the time.
“Every time I taste wines like these, I’m always reminded of how much passion… passion!… lives on the west coast.”
That’s probably the biggest overarching theme in our West Coast Collection.
Revealing the First Three New West Coast Wines
Barry, the founder of Tamber Bey, doesn’t come from a wine making family. He didn’t study at UC Davis. He just loves wine. After years learning everything he possibly could about every bottle he tasted, he had learned enough to make his own (named after his other passion: horses).
Eric and Ruthann, the makers behind Deux Soldats (red cab blend, Walla Walla), spent 30 years in the US military. They would meet up on leave and wander the vineyards of Northern California, wondering how they, too, might own a vineyard.
Says Julien of Deux Soldats: “A really great surprise… it starts quite discreet and low profile, but then it really punches you hard with huge power with complexity.” (Deux Soldats also pairs with virtually anything.)
Larry, the micro-producer behind Tercero (2015 red grenache blend, Santa Barbara), worked at the famous Fess Parker winery before taking a chance on his own ideas.
Says Julien of Tercero, which stands out for its rustic Châteauneuf-du-Pape style: “Super, super interesting…it’s not like a young wine that’s all about the fruit. It’s really profound smelling straight away. Extremely explosive as you taste. It gets more and more powerful until it literally explodes to the finish.”
And there’s a lot more to discover as well (like what did Julien think of that Italian-style Muscardini?).
See Your New Wine Collection Here
View your West Coast Collection tasting with expert Julien Miquel.
Until next time,
The Wine Explorer
