Fogarty Monterey Guwurztraminer 2012
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Other Vintages
2013-
Enthusiast
Wine
After considering several options (including Kiwi farming), Dr Fogarty was convinced by some older Stanford physicians to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the lean soil of the cool untested northern Santa Cruz Mountains. As he learned about grape growing and winemaking he was introduced to a number of people recommended to him as experts. Among this group was Michael Martella. Martella, a fourth generation grape grower, impressed with his knowledge and his down-to-earth approach to the entire process of wine growing, from the vineyard to the bottle.
Michael became the first employee of Thomas Fogarty Winery in 1979 and directed the winery for almost thirty years, developing the vineyards and the wine. Martella’s practical knowledge and hard work along with Fogarty’s business instincts and “Midas touch” built, over nearly forty years, what we have today.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.