Terminin /First Vintage Collaboration Between Donald Patz And Francois Villard Of Northern Rhone Valley/2017

I recently stopped off to visit an old friend at Sugarloaf Crush.Donald Patz has been a great friend for many years. Formerly of Patz and Hall fame,this fabled vintner now has a number of new projects.We start with his smallest production,Terminim. This is the 2017 "Cepage"s d'Or",which Translate "Grapes Of Gold". The fruit is sourced from Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino County.Donald has sourced grapes from this amazing vineyard for 20 years,and this is a blend of Marsanne(66%) and Roussanne (34%)..give or take a little.The results are a white wine of near perfection. How to buy the new 2017 TERMINIM "Cépages d'Or" Marsanne/Roussanne white wine? IM us - or email Donald Patz... donald.patz@gmail.com .We have a great feature on this wine,and please click on the link below,and enjoy a visit with Vintner Donald Patz.But first Let's open this great wine and sit down,as I have prepared a couple dishes to go with this very special wine. François Villard is one of the stars of the northern Rhône. He came to winegrowing after a career in restaurants, where he caught the wine bug and moved from chef to sommelier. He went full time as a winegrower in 1991, and was entirely self taught, although he has a close friendship with Yves Cuilleron. His domaine has gradually grown, as has the range he offers, and he now owns and sources from 30 hectares across five crus. François Villard was also one of the three winemakers involved with the Vins de Vienne project, who planted vines on the wrong side of the Rhône in Seyssuel, which has a Côte-Rôtie-like terroir and had been planted in ancient times. Cook training, I am passionate about wine at the age of 20 years. Not knowing how to integrate the world of wine, I did a year of professional patent sommelier at Tain l'Hermitage. The meetings were decisive and gave me the desire to become a winemaker. Subsequently, I enrolled in Davayé, in order to obtain the Professional Agricultural Certificate, viticulture and oenology option. In parallel, I began to acquire my first undeveloped land on the commune of Saint Michel (place called Poncins) in the Condrieu appellation. The first vine was planted in the spring of 1989, when my BP was obtained. The vineyard they sourced the fruit from is very special,and a vineyard that Donald Patz has sourced fruit from for close to 20years. Alder Springs, however, flourishes in splendid isolation, an hour by car from the nearest vineyard. But the grapes grown here have attracted a who’s who of contemporary California winemakers. Arnot-Roberts bought grapes from Alder Springs, as has Rhys Vineyards for its Alesia négociant label. Jason Kesner of Kistler Vineyards bought chardonnay for his Kesner label. Dirty & Rowdy, Pax Mahle, Patz & Hall, Y. Rousseau, Bedrock, Flowers and Cruse Wine Company are among those that also bought grapes. The winemakers are drawn by the quality of the grapes, naturally, but also by the astounding breadth of Alder Springs: Its proprietor, Stuart Bewley, grows 39 varieties at last count. Some may not be surprising, like the syrah and other Rhône reds for which the vineyard is best known, or the pinot noir and chardonnay. Other grapes may require a trip to the textbooks, like petite arvine and picpoul, furmint and falanghina, counoise and tannat. Patz & Hall was founded in 1988 by four talented individuals - Donald Patz, James Hall, Anne Moses and Heather Patz. Together, they have turned Patz & Hall into one of California's most highly regarded wineries, with a celebrated portfolio of single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. Donald Patz now has a few new labels and we will explore all these world class wines in the very near future.For now let's join Donald and enjoy a glass of this amazing wine!Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy the wines of Donald Patz .