From left to right:  Julio Palmaz, Margrit Mondavi, Amalia Palmaz, Robert Mondavi

By FLORENCia Palmaz

GROWING UP IN TEXAS, it was not surprising to have pies and flowers show up to the house when arriving to a new neighborhood. As a child, I remember my mother being constantly interrupted on moving day by neighbors just dropping by. On that day while she may have felt inconvenienced by the interruptions, the lasting impression of being personally welcomed by our neighbors bound us to that community forever. Some people call it Southern Hospitality, but after having met Margrit Mondavi, I can call it Wine Country Hospitality as well.

“RECIPES FROM NAPA” IS A MONTHLY COLUMN BY FLORENCIA PALMAZ ABOUT FOOD, WINE, COOKING AND ENTERTAINING.

Here’s the Scoop on Savory Sunday’s…

Harvest is upon us! The vines are steadily ripening and it’s been a very prolific year in the vegetable garden. The beneficiaries of this bounty have been our club members and guests at our Friday Family table. Every Friday morning I begin my day in the garden picking and foraging for the day’s featured ingredients. Then I design a five course food and wine pairing includes the following wines:

There’s a place for socially responsible technology in winemaking, Palmaz Vineyards president says

Beverage Daily | BY Mary Ellen Shoup | ARTICLE LINK

Palmaz Vineyards’ president, Christian Palmaz, told BeverageDaily that there is a place for technology and old-school craftsmanship in the wine industry, but it’s about striking a socially-responsible balance.

This is how your favorite wine gets made: Forget Uber – tech pioneers are chasing the perfect Cab

SALON | BY Alex French | ARTICLE LINK

A group of visionary vintners in Napa Valley have uncorked a technological revolution that’s changing winemaking

IN 2000, WHEN START-UP GURU CHUCK MCMINN ARRIVED IN NAPA VALLEY to embark on a second career as a vigneron, the man who once worked at Intel and later as CEO of early DSL provider Covad Communications encountered a community of humble farmers so focused on the minutiae of growing, harvesting and fermenting grape juice that the world had passed them by.

TIME TRAVEL

THE TASTING PANEL | BY DEBORAH PARKER WONG | ARTICLE LINK

FROM A RARE VERTICAL TASTING spanning 30-plus years of Spottswoode Napa Valley Cabernet to a constellation of real-time data projected on the domed ceiling of a futuristic winery, it’s possible to witness the past and future of winemaking without leaving the 30-mile stretch of Napa Valley.

Palmaz Vineyards

Napa sonoma | Article Link

ALTHOUGH IT’S LOCATED ON THE RUGGED SLOPES of Mount George east of Napa, Palmaz Vineyards is just a short drive from downtown.  Before Prohibition, the site was home to the Cedar Knoll Vineyard and Winery started by Napa Valley pioneer Henry Hagen in 1881.  During Prohibition, the winery was abandoned until Julio Palmaz and his wife, Amalia, purchased the property in the late 1990s.

Passion & Technology

Gentry Magazine | BY brian douglas | ARTICLE LINK

PALMAZ VINEYARDS has made quite a statement in a relatively stoic industry.  Gentry takes a look inside Napa’s Mt. George.

A Riesling and a Cookbook

PAlm Beach Illustrated | BY Mark Spivak | ARTICLE LINK

ANY SURVEY OF THE WORLD of Riesling (including the recent one by yours truly) would logically focus on Germany and Alsace, with a nod to upstart regions such as Washington State, New York’s Finger Lakes and Australia’s Eden Valley. California would rarely be on the radar screen, due to a warmer climate and widespread consumer apathy. And the Napa Valley? As they say in Brooklyn, forget about it.

Against this backdrop, the Louise Riesling from Palmaz Vineyards is a delightful surprise. Prior to Prohibition, the property was known as Cedar Knoll; it was purchased in the late 1990s by Julio Palmaz, a physician who invented the Palmaz Coronary Stent (possibly one of the few things better for the heart than wine). The winery focuses on producing Cabernet Sauvignon from estate vineyards. Their 2012 Cabernet ($125, reviewed here) is sumptuous and structured, a seamless match with steak, lamb, stews and game dishes.

By Christian Palmaz

OK I HAVE TO CONFESS I was a little nervous when my sister mentioned that a car manufacturer wanted to film us in a promo piece for a new car. Automobiles and alcohol should not be a perfect pairing, but she is the creative and I am the technical so I rolled with it…

WEDNESDAYS WITH WINEMAKERS – TINA MITCHELL

PALATE exposure | BY Ilona thompson | ARTICLE LINK

As with most winemakers, Tina Mitchell’s interest in wine developed early, while she was attending the University of California, Davis, as a premed student. During her third year, a friend from her hometown of Ukiah, California, opened a winery, which introduced Tina to wine. After taking a class in enology and viticulture and working a harvest in Paso Robles at Estrella River Winery, Tina knew she had found her new career path.

After marrying in 1981, Tina moved to Napa, where she worked a harvest at Rutherford Hill Winery. After harvest, she finished her last quarter at U.C. Davis and earned her degree. She then worked at Louis Martini and Niebaum Coppola, where she was able to make wine alongside celebrated winemaker André Tchelistcheff. “I feel I was very fortunate to work so closely with such a legend,” she says. “André taught me the importance of being a hands-on winemaker.”