When it comes to concerts in wine country, Robert Mondavi has been consistently hosting excellent musical performers for the past 48 years at their iconic winery in Oakville, Napa Valley. What started with humble beginnings, the Summer Concert Series has grown into Napa Valley's most quintessential outdoor concert experience, fully equipped with overflowing wine and goodies to keep all ages satisfied during the show.   Hosted on the winery lawn, the Summer Concert Series has been bringing big-name performers to the stage since its inception. Famous artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Patti LaBelle and Buena Vista Social Club have all graced the stage over the years. This year, one of the headline acts was without a doubt the Michael Franti & Spearhead performance on July 22.

What I love about this concert series is that guests can bring in picnic supplies to enjoy during the show. While no outside wine is allowed in, the winery tasting room and shop is open through intermission to purchase your favorite wine from the Robert Mondavi collection by the glass or bottle. Guests can also carry in blankets and low-back chairs to mark a spot on the winery lawn, and everyone is encouraged to come early and get comfortable before the show starts.

For those who are looking for an elevated experience, tickets can be purchased for a full dinner and wine pairing experience leading up to the show. Dinner takes place in the historic ToKalon Vineyard adjacent to the winery lawn, between the beautifully gnarled old vines, and wines from the Robert Mondavi collection are paired with a gourmet, farm-fresh, six-course meal. On a warm summer night, this experience is about as magical as it gets.

Although the Summer Concert Series has come to a close this year, the Robert Mondavi team is already planning next year's lineup and the performer list is usually released in early spring, so we all have something to which we can look forward!

Paso Robles is a California wine region known for its diversity of terroir and wide range of varietals. Once the largest undivided appellation in the state, Paso Robles is now comprised of 11 official appellations; across the appellations, the region sees a maritime climate that shifts to a more continental climate the further inland you go. Average rainfall varies between the appellations at anywhere from 8-30 inches a year, and like all quality-producing wine regions, the diurnal temperature range is wide at 20-50 degrees. This varied terroir makes for a diverse range of varietals produced in many different styles, and Bianchi Winery has successfully mastered the art of producing very agreeable and diverse styles of wines.
 
Starting with the whites, their Chardonnay brings together the ripe fruit flavors we all know and love from the California sunshine, with the fresh acidity we expect from this classic Burgundian grape variety. The 2013 Bianchi Signature Series Chardonnay brings together fruit-forward aromas of apple and green mango; on the palate, sur-lie aging with bâtonnage gives body with toasty, vanilla oak flavors combined with green apple, kiwi and a touch of toffee.
 
I've always loved the Rhône varietals from Paso Robles and Bianchi's expression of Syrah is no exception. Simply put, the 2014 Bianchi Signature Series Syrah is an easy-drinking and highly enjoyable Syrah that will put a smile on everyone's face. Dusty brambleberry and a touch of molasses make for an aromatic nose, and the palate brings ample fruit. Brambleberry and plum jam synthesize over layers of gentle tannin and agreeable acidity. Open this bottle with a group of friends and it won't last long!
 
From their Bordeaux collection, the 2013 Bianchi Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon jumps right out of the gate with its enticing aromas of sweet tobacco leaf, plum and cassis. Tasting nicely with several years of age, it takes just a bit for the tannins to mellow on this Cabernet Sauvignon, so I recommend decanting it for 30 minutes or letting it breath in the glass for equally as long before enjoying. Lighter in body, but by no means austere, this Cabernet still has vivid fruit flavors of blackberry and cassis, with savory notes reminiscent of sage. You won't be disappointed by this Paso Robles Cab.

Seeking out producers I was unfamiliar with was very fruitful indeed, as I unknowingly tasted the wine that would later be revealed as the Pinot Cup Winner—the TR Elliot 2014 Bootlegger’s Hill Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley. This elegant wine is filled with earthy, cranberry and pomegranate fruit, wrapped up in a medium body with delightful complexity. Another elegant Pinot that stood out was the Vaughn Duffy 2014 Suacci Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. This is a bright and extremely effervescent Pinot with almost crunchy-like red fruit, lively and full of finesse, with spices on the finish. Tasting like it has some whole cluster fermentation thrown into the mix, this unique wine really made an impact on my palate that night.

I also rather enjoyed the Kings Mountain Vineyards’ 2012 Bacchus Pinot Noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains. I immediately liked this wine not only because it stood apart in style from the local Sonoma appellation wines, but also because it has tremendous amount of complexity. It is a bolder style, to be certain, but done in a very elegant fashion. Baking spices and earthy notes combine to provide an initial savory layer, with undertones of white pepper and a hint of vanilla over black cherry. The layers of this wine keep unfolding, revealing beautiful complexity and seduction in its silky-smooth style.

Carneros: Napa Valley's Cool-Climate Appellation
Deep on the southernmost tip of Napa Valley, jutted up against the San Pablo Bay, the Carneros appellation is home to gently rolling vineyards that are planted with cool-climate-loving grape varieties. Here, the vines see plenty of morning and evening fog, though daytime brings boundless California sunshine and moderate heat. This makes the growing environment ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, allowing for Pinot Noir to maintain its varietal characteristics without being overly-ripe and for Chardonnay to keep its fresh acidity.
 
A Bit of History
Of the many estates in Carneros, the Bouchaine Vineyards property has a history that dates back to the 1880s. The property was first owned by a man named Boon Fly (yes, you might recognize this name from the local Boon Fly Café—an homage to the region's history), and he grew both grapes and fruit trees. The property changed hands twice, to Italian winemaker Johnny Garetto in 1927 and then into the hands of Beringer in 1950 (who used the property for storage and blending), before today's owners—Gerret and Tatiana Copeland Copeland—purchased the property in 1981. Truth is, that seed for purchasing the estate had been planted well before 1981, when the Copelands visited the region and fell in love with the property. At that time, no vines had been planted and in 1993, the Copelands had their work cut out for them.
 
Over the next few years, they would plant vineyards and renovate the neglected winery; in the years that followed, the Copelands purchased additional contiguous vineyards to build up their plot of land. From 2002-2015, the winemaking was led by Michael Richmond (founder of Acacia). Having recently retired, Napa native and longtime Carneros winemaker Chris Kajani now heads the winemaking and is General Manager of Bouchaine Vineyards.

New Releases
I recently had the opportunity to taste some new releases from Bouchaine. The 2015 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir is a perfect accompaniment for a warm day at the beach, with its brine-like aromas that seamlessly blend with scents of watermelon, lime zest and caramel on the nose. There is nice extraction here, with a vibrant cherry color glistening in the sunlight, and a nice dry palate. With no detectable residual sugar, this is a light and refreshing wine, perfectly delicious when chilled just enough to let the flavors shine on the palate. Watermelon, red apple, minerals and again that touch of brine graces the soft and silky palate; medium acidity brings balance to the wine's roundness.

With a lively nose that is full of boysenberry and blackberry, the 2014 Estate Swan Clone Pinot Noir comes right out of the gates with fruit-forward aromatics. There are also savory, meaty aromas with dustings of orange rind and smoke. The palate brings a soft, silky texture and flavors of bright red fruit. I like the balance between strawberry and char-grilled notes, something earthy and soil-driven. This Pinot is low in acid and restrained in its fruitiness—a nicely balanced wine with smooth tannin, medium body and an oak restraint—aged in just 30% new French oak for 11 months—that brings an overall pleasant tasting experience.
 
And because I am already thinking abut Thanksgiving, these small production bottlings—with the Vin Gris at 480 cases and the Estate Swan Clone Pinot Noir at only 293 cases—would make excellent with Thanksgiving dinner.

I always appreciate tasting a balanced Sauvignon Blanc. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of the incredibly steely, tart Sauvignon Blancs that make your mouth pucker; but then again, I also don't lean towards the riper, richer, possibly oaked or malolactic-influenced Sauvignon Blancs either. What I appreciate most is a well-balanced Sauvignon Blanc that hits your palate on all levels—offering nice juxtaposition between freshness, crisp textures and acidity, offset by a round mouthfeel with well-ripened (but not too ripe) fruit; a touch of barrel fermentation, in small doses, can bring a lot of complexity. This is exactly what you get with Clos Pegase's 2015 Mitsuko's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc made from Carneros appellation grapes.
 
You likely associate the Carneros appellation with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as sparkling wines made from those varieties, because that is the bulk of the vineyard plantings in Carneros. As it turns out, there are several other grapes planted in Carneros that yield lovely expressions of their varieties. One such variety is Sauvignon Blanc. This is a versatile grape that is grown in a variety of terroirs across the state of California and around the world. In Carneros, Sauvignon Blanc finds a comfortable home in the cool climate that is influenced by the San Pablo Bay. Its moderate daytime temperature with ample sunshine, as well as morning and evening fog, make an ideal climate to ripen white grape varieties while still maintaining their crisp, acid-driven profiles. The hillsides here are gentle, with variation between sea level and around 700 feet, and the soils are dominated by clay with more loam and alluvials in the northern parts of the appellation.
 
The Mitsuko Vineyard, purchased by Clos Pegase in 1989, saw a very early start to the growing season in 2015—just like all of the other Napa Valley appellations, as well as winegrowing regions across the state. Bud break and bloom were well ahead of years prior, but significant coolness and wind during bloom produced fewer berries on the vines. Crops were small across the vineyard (and across the state, as well), but the warm and dry ripening period helped produce high quality grapes. Because of the drought-like conditions in California, vigor was controlled and berry size was small, which makes for a good combination of intensely concentrated and flavorful grapes.
 
Clos Pegase's 2015 Mitsuko's Vineyard Sauvignon has just a touch of grass on the nose, with grapefruit and lime aromas intermixed with purple flowers and minerals. I was particularly impressed with the way this Sauvignon Blanc felt in the mouth, with its round texture that playfully surrounded the effervescence and energy of the varietal. Barrel fermented and then aged for five months in neutral French oak, with additional tank aging on lees, this Sauvignon Blanc finds just the right balance between freshness and richness on the palate. Zesty lemon, grapefruit and melon fruit abound, with an almost spice-driven nuance on the finish. This refreshing Sauvignon Blanc is tasty enough to enjoy on its own, but would also make an excellent accompaniment for seafood with lemon-based sauces.