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March 27, 2005
PERRY CREEK WINES
Recently I had the chance to taste a few of Perry Creeks wines. The estate winery is up in the Sierra foothills south of a town called Placerville, (Hang Town–Old Dry Diggins), in El Dorado County–down in the iron clay and garnet soils of the Cosumnes River drainage.
It’s a long twisty ride out to the winery from Sacramento, CA, but this time of year the country side is all green and the wild flowers are out in force–lots of manzanita and digger pines to look at–live oaks, too.
A Few of the wines I tasted:
Perry Creek 2001 Merlot, Estate Bottled: $14.00-10.99–(82) Hazy pale red in color and intensity; mild aromas of raspberry, prune and a hit on over ripe cherry and a hint of oak; off dry, low acidity, light tannins and body with a balanced short and simple finish. Through 2006.
Perry Creek 2002 Viognier, Estate Bottled, El Dorado: $15.00-10.99–(83) Clear, light straw medium in color and depth; moderate aromas of citrus, apple, peach and pear, very light vanilla, oak; dry with moderate acidity, medium bodied, finishing moderately long and complex. A very refreshing Viognier! SILVER MEDAL WINNER--SF Chronicle 2005
Perry Creek 2002, Chardonnay, El Dorado–Apple Hill: $14.00-10.99–(83) Brilliant straw color of medium intensity; moderate aromas of citrus--lemon, apple and pear, buttery hazelnut sweet vanilla oak,; low acidity almost off dry to sweet, unbalanced, medium bodied, moderately complex but short on the finish. It’s a mouth full while it lasts! Drink now. SILVER MEDAL WINNER--SF Chronicle 2005
Perry Creek 2002 ZinMan-Zinfandel, Sierra Foothills: $14.00-10.99–(81) Brilliant dark ruby reb; faint aromas of raspberry, cherry, floral, spice and oak; dry with medium acidity, smooth tannins, full bodied, balanced with a long moderately complex finish. Good through 2007. GOLD MEDAL WINNER--New World Intl. Wine Competition 2005
Perry Creek 2001 Syrah, Estate Bottled: $15.00-10.99–(78) Clear medium purple; moderate aromas of berry and plum, earth, leather, very light vanilla oak; low acidity, off dry, light tannins, light bodied, short and simple finish. Drink now.
Although I did not get a chance to taste their Estate Muscat–nor were they serving any of their “premium wines, i.e.: Perry Creek Port, Mistelle Rouge, Cellar Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Cellar Select Zinfandel, Select Petite Sirah or their ‘01 Cabernet Sauvignon. Even so I don’t think it would be worth the trip all the way up there just to add these to a review. They do have cool labels, though.
Happy Easter–Folks! :)
What Perry Creek Has to Say:
Entrepreneur Michael Chazen was traveling from Beverly Hills to Nevada for a Rodeo when he found himself lost in the little town of Fair Play. Fair Play is nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in El Dorado County. Michael was quite taken by the area’s charm and saw a “For Sale” sign on a piece of property and immediately called the real estate office. The realtor showed him a beautiful 155-acre estate and Perry Creek Vineyards was born. Founded in 1989, our winery, and surrounding vineyards encompass 155 acres of pure, rural beauty. Perry Creek Vineyards is now an established and leading producer in the newly designated Fair Play AVA.
At an elevation of 2,400 feet, our winery and estate vineyard is located on a ridge-top above the middle fork of the Consumnes River. The town of Fair Play is approximately 12 miles North of Plymouth-Amador County. Some of our neighbors that you may be familiar with are Montevina, Renwood, Boeger, and Lava Cap. Rombauer, a well-known Napa winery has sourced fruit form El Dorado County as well.
Our vineyard experiences warm, sun filled days and cool evenings with a constant breeze flowing from the valley below. Summer daytime temperatures compare to Oakville (in the center of Napa Valley) and we are cooler than St. Helena and Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma. These conditions are ideal for the grapes and contribute to the intense and unique flavors of our wines. Our vineyard contains many nooks and crannies that create unique microclimates. We have 70 acres planted that are bearing fruit and our average yield is 3-4 tons per acre. We strive to match the “right grape with the right place.” When well matched this terroir provides an ideal location for ultra premium grapes.
Currently, we produce several proprietary and vineyard-designate wines. Our signature wine is ZinMan® Zinfandel. We also produce several Rhone and Bordeaux varietals along with Muscat Canelli and Chardonnay.
Perry Creek Vineyards offers comfortable and relaxed first-rate hospitality for visitors. Our tasting room is open daily from 11-5pm except for major holidays. Our tasting room opens to a spacious outdoor verandah picnic area. Come and visit our new Library / Reserve room for a little taste of Perry Creek's past. Check our events page for more details. Shoppers will love the unique gift shop items.
More About The People Behinf Perry Creek:
Michael Chazen is Perry Creek Vineyards owner. We operate a very hands-on winery, are passionate about our craft, and want to ensure that our customers receive the absolute highest quality product we are capable of producing.
One of the few female winemakers in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Nancy Steel is an accomplished winemaker with 20 years of experience. Nancy’s approach is very “hands-on,” and her expertise, winemaking style, and dedication has led to many award-winning wines at Perry Creek Vineyards.
Our vineyard manager, Bill Bertram, is a 20-year veteran of grape growing. He knows his way around Sierra Foothill vineyards, having started the very first winery in the Fairplay area of El Dorado County. He has also worked at D'Agostini and Karly Vineyards,and brings an enormous talent to Perry Creek Vineyards
Posted by fortna at March 27, 2005 05:10 AM