Bargetto

Over the holidays we stopped at the Bargetto Winery Tasting Room in Soquel, California while visiting the area. I grew up in Santa Cruz but had never been to Bargetto. Even though it's just off Soquel Drive, I never knew it was there. In fact, Bargetto has been making wine in the Santa Cruz mountains since 1933.

When we walked into the unassuming building, we were immediately greeted by a warm and friendly atmosphere. We made our way down to the antique tasting bar overlooking Soquel Creek where we felt pleasantly ensconced in a mellow wood-paneled chamber accented by stained glass and a cozy fire.

We tasted several enjoyable wines. One highlight of the tasting was the Petite Verdot which Bargetto is doing a nice job with. Their 2006 Petite Verdot has notes of cola, vanilla, bramble, blackberry and cherry. It is notably unmanipulated and would make an excellent food wine. It's drinking nicely right now and also seems quite age-worthy.

Perhaps it was the time of year, but I really enjoyed the Chaucer Honey Mead. They served it mulled from a thermos, and the warm spicy concoction tasted a lot like mulled apple cider except with more honey and less apple. It was really tasty and perfect for sipping (or rather, gulping down) next to a toasty fire. I'm not typically a big dessert wine fan so, this wine struck me because I was surprised at how much I liked it. It was definitely not unsweet, but it was not cloying, and it had a wonderful smooth viscosity. I think this would be a fun wine to have around the holidays, or at the ski lodge, or anyplace where fuzzy wool sweaters are in order.