Visit FedEX Toyota Express before race at Infineon

The show car for NASCAR’s No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota will be on public display on Friday, June 24 at Grgich Hills Estate, located at 1829 St. Helena Highway in Rutherford, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 Everyone is invited to view the Toyota Camry, which is managed by Joe Gibbs Racing, and take photos. Joe Gibbs Racing specialists will be on hand to answer questions and there is no cost to see the car. The No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry will be racing at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 race on June 26 at Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway.

Grgich Hills Estate was founded in 1977 by Miljenko “Mike” Grgich and Austin Hills after Grgich’s Chardonnay outscored the best of France in the now-famous 1976 Paris Tasting. Today, the winery owns 366 acres of estate vineyards that are certified organic and Biodynamic in Napa Valley.

Family owned and operated, Grgich Hills practices the art of winemaking by crafting food-friendly wines known for their quality, consistency and longevity. Grgich is assisted by his daughter, Violet Grgich, Vice President of Operations, and his nephew, Ivo Jeramaz, Vice President of Vineyards and Production.

For more information, visit www.grgich.

Lawrason's Take on Vintages June 25th Release – Argentina Steps It ...

Argentina Steps It Up

The fizzle seems to be going out of Fusion. Sales are still very healthy but it is no longer the buzz on the street.  The same can be said of inexpensive Argentine malbec in general.  Leading to the question: what next Argentina?  Well Vintages seems to have answered the question on this release with a dozen well chosen wines that include torrontes, tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon and blends thereof.  There are still four malbecs, but two at least are a step up from the everyday. And overall the wines presented are more interesting and higher quality than I expected.

Torrontes is a very aromatic, muscat-like white variety that thrives in Argentina. When tasting at the International Value Wine Awards in Calgary earlier this month I was pleased to encounter a flight of eight Argentine torrontes, a group that showed very well indeed. I noted two stylistic camps within the group – the racy, lifted, summer sippers and the more solid, drier weight examples that will work with food. The pair on this release illustrate the styles perfectly, and I particularly like the ultra fresh, almost dazzling  FAMILIA ZUCCARDI 2010 ORGANICA TORRONTÉS  at only $13.95.  A poolside winner that dances with citrus and floral flavours.  As evening sets in switch to the more reserved but powerful  Alta Vista 2010 Torrontes , also $13.95, to match a meal of salads, cheese and charcuterie.

At the same awards tasting there was some discussion after a very good blind flight of cabernet sauvignons, that Argentina was also a rising star for this most venerable of red grapes (that is doing extremely well indeed over the Andes in Chile). There is no reason that Argentina should not be making great cabernets. The growing season is long, warm and dry, and by pinpointing the right altitude, they can perfectly ripen cabernet sauvignon, or any grape for that matter. It’s said that every 100 metres difference in elevation is equivalent to 150 kilometres difference in latitude.  Anyway, BENMARCO 2009 CABERNET SAUVIGNON  from Mendoza, is ample demonstration, with some good winemaking being brought to bear as well.  Winemaker Pedro Marchevsky is one of the most educated, experienced viticulturists in Argentina, managing vineyards for almost 30 years. For $16.95 he has delivered a minor masterpiece. Love the fruit ripeness here without sacrificing cabernet’s more herbal nature.

One of the malbecs is also a notch above the norm, offering great value under $20. I was particularly impressed with the structure of  TERRAZAS DE LOS ANDES 2008 RESERVA MALBEC  at only $17.95. While many go for exaggerated fruitiness and juiciness (often with hot alcohol in tow) this is both generous and dense yet restrained. It is from the hands of another highly experienced winemaker who knows a thing or two about malbec, as he manages over 250 hectares of it. Hervie Birnie-Scott trained at Montpellier in France, and worked in Napa and Australia before landing in Argentina in 1991 with Bodegas Chandon.  He went to co-author Cheval des Andes, a joint venture wine between Bordeaux’s Ch Cheval Blanc and Terrazes, which has become the country’s most prized and expensive collector’s red – a blend of malbec and cabernet with a splash of merlot.  This Reserva, at about one-quarter the price, is very fine and much better value.

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