One of the best parts about living in Southern California is the weather. Surprise, surprise. We’re blessed with countless days of beautiful, mild weather, making it easy to take advantage of the outdoors, especially during summer. As you can tell from previous posts, I am a big fan of any and every excuse to dine al fresco in the warmer months. Eating outside is so much more celebratory, don’t you agree? For casual get togethers and picnics, I like to break out crowd pleasing wines that a lot of people will enjoy. Not only that, but they also have to be food friendly. Bonus points if they don’t break the bank, which is why Cultivar Wine is one of my go tos.
The Story
Cultivar Wine was founded in 2010 by siblings Jody Harris and Gingy Harris Gable, owners of the allocation-only Napa brand, Caspar Estate. The goal with Cultivar was to make Napa Valley wines more accessible, which is why they started the label directed at restaurants’ by the glass programs. While many of their wines still go into reusable kegs for restaurants, they have plenty of direct-to-consumer bottlings available to enjoy at home. The thing about these wines is that they’re quality wines that don’t come with a huge price tag. And for Napa wine, that’s sometimes hard to find!
The Wine
Cultivar produces a variety of wines that showcase the different sub-appellations of Napa Valley, from Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc to Carneros Merlot and Atlas Peak Cabernet.
While you really can’t go wrong with any of the wines, the 2016 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is my choice for picnics (and can carry you into those warmer fall days, too). It’s bright with notes of citrus, zesty grapefruit and appealing minerality. A great match for lighter foods like salad and fish, I paired it with an avocado, feta and lime quinoa salad (not pictured) which was delicious. Fresh tomatoes and burrata would be amazing as well.
Cultivar Wine makes a variety of higher-end, limited-production red wines that run between $50 – $90, and for those I’d suggest giving them time to age a bit. However, for those who don’t have the willpower or patience to age a wine, they also offer an affordable Cabernet that is super approachable now: the 2015 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon. Previous vintages, it was known as the Napa Valley Cabernet (and was awarded a best buy under $40 from Food & Wine Magazine).
This particular wine is made with grapes sourced from Napa Valley, but with small percentages of Sonoma and Mendocino fruit as well. The result is an easy drinking yet opulent wine, showcasing enticing notes of dark fruit, baking spice and smooth tannins. And the best part? It runs just $32 – a steal for a Napa Valley Cabernet from a small producer. Try this with a grilled rib eye (with a pat of gorgonzola on top!). I can also see this being excellent with braised lamb this fall.
Winemaker Julien Fayard
I first met Cultivar’s winemaker, Julien Fayard, a few years back. Originally from Provence, he’s trained at Chateau Lafite Rothschild and mentored with renowned winemaker Philippe Melka. Not a bad resume. Today, Julien is making a name for himself as a highly respected winemaker in Napa Valley, and for good reason. He tends to find a nice balance between rich fruit flavors and finessed structure, and the results are sure to please.
Cultivar Wine is available from their website, but you can also find them at their San Francisco wine bar and restaurant. I hear they just opened a new back patio, just in time for San Francisco’s unofficial “summer!” Cheers.
