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Lettie Teague of The Wall Street Journal recommended Foxglove Chardonnay in her Jun 6, 2016 article, "The Best Wedding Wines- According to Betrothed Sommeliers". Heidi Turzyn from Gotham Bar and Grill and Yannick Benjamin from the University Club in New York sat down with Lettie to taste and recommend wedding wines with "wide appeal and a reasonable price".
For those with a subscription to the Wall Street Journal the link is:
We were happy to spend some time with our Japanese importer, Masatoshi Hamamoto (known to all as Hama) and his fiancée, Ray Matsumoto in Half Moon Bay during their trip to California and Oregon. Ray is an ophthalmologist in Kobe and she blogs extensively about food and wine in Japan and during her travels abroad. Hama and Ray are intelligent, thoughtful, kind people and it was an absolute pleasure to share our home with them. For dinner we pulled out a 2009 Varner Home Block Chardonnay and a 2009 Varner Three Blocks Pinot. Ray’s post about the wines and visit is here
Lettie Teague at the Wall Street Journal included 2013 Varner Santa Barbara Chardonnay in her article "Why White Wine Is More Than Alright in Winter".
2013 Varner Chardonnay El Camino Vineyard Santa Barbara $30
Anti-Chardonnay drinkers have likely never experienced the well- balanced examples from Varner Wine. Their El Camino, produced from a cool-climate site in Santa Barbara, is full-bodied but vibrant, with a tropical nose and a hint of oak.
For those with a subscription to the Wall Street Journal the link is:
Jim traveled to Paris to participate in a California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vs. White and Red Burgundy tasting at L'Ambassade de Bourgogne in the 6th Arrondissement. Owner, Philippe Séré, chose the following pairings:
Varner Amphitheater Block 2013 /Puligny-Montrachet Sauzet 2013
Varner Three Blocks Pinot Noir 2009 / Chabolle 1er Cru Feusselottes C. Confuron 2009
Aubert UV Pinot Noir 2010 / Pommard 1er Cru Grands Epenots Michel Gaunoux 2010
Peter Michael le Caprice 2010 / Echezeaux F. Feuillet 2010
Marcassin Pinot Noir 2006 / Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Bussiéres Roumier 2006
Everyone there thought the California wines were of high quality, but Mr. La Guiche, from the famous family that owns 2.06 hectares of Montrachet Grand Cru on the Puligny side, especially single out our two Varner wines for exceptional grace and elegance.
Philippe shares his impressions of the Varner Pinot Noir and the Confuron Chambolle.
The after tasting lineup with Gérard Pantanacce (Café du Passage), Jim and Marin from L'Ambassade.
eRobertParker.com
Jeb Dunnuck's Guide to the Best of 2015
The Best of Santa Cruz Mountains
"This was a new region for me, although I'd visited numerous times in the past. The shocking thing about the Santa Cruz Mountains is how remote it feels, all while being within sight (from the right hill top) of the booming metropolis that is San Francisco. This region truly is the wild, wild west of California and given the tight scheduling of visit and the crazy curvy roads of the region, I beat the hell out of my rental car. There's number of noteworthy producers from this region but Rhys, Ridge and Varner are all at the top."
2013 Rhys Vineyards Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside Vineyard
2013 Ridge Montebello
2013 Varner Chardonnay Home Block Spring Ridge Vineyard
Read the full article here:
2013 Varner El Camino Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, California, USA
"The Varner twins are justly acclaimed for the pinot noir and chardonnay they make in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but this chardonnay from coastal Santa Barbara is just as special. A world away from the increasingly dated cliche of big and buttery California, it’s full of nervy acidity and pristine tropical and citrus fruit."
Observer Food Monthly "20 Best White Wines for Christmas" November 2015
Read the full article here:
20 Best White Wines for Christmas
Antonio Galloni highlighted an article that appeared in Loam Baby, a Wine Culture Journal by R.H. Drexel.
“In my mind, there is no difference between the vineyard and the cellar. I’m simply just going from the outdoors to the indoors. They are both here, on this one piece of land. I walk from the vineyard, into the cellar, and in my mind, they share the same space. It’s like in France, where you have these small producers who live the same way. ‘It’s wintertime. I’m going to go out and prune, then, I’ll come in the cellar and I’ll think about wine’...There’s that same continuity of creativity there. It follows you around. It’s beautiful. And I think it’s the most direct way to express site. You’re not translating your fruit through a grower or a winemaker other than yourself. My goal is to express site, so this is the most direct, uncomplicated way I know how to do this.”
Read the full article here:
http://vinous.com/articles/loam-baby-the-presence-of-bob-varner-oct-2015
When asked about Steve's more interesting bottles, Michael highlighted Varner, which he described as "California Chardonnay done right..."
Read more here: Steve Wine Cellar At Spanish Bay by Michael Whalen