07 Oct Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Palmeri Wines 2023 Old Vine Sémillon, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Sonoma County

I recently spent a weekend visiting friends who live in Geyserville, high in the hills above Healdsburg with beautiful views across the valley. Their neighbors happen to be Kerry and Daisy Damskey, who, along with their son Drew, own Palmeri Wines. Before I headed home, Daisy gave me a bottle of their 2023 Old Vine Sémillon from the Monte Rosso Vineyard, planted in 1886 and home to some of the oldest Sémillon vines in the world. A wine made in tiny quantities from nearly 140-year-old vines is not something you come across every day and that is why the Palmeri 2023 Old Vine Sémillon, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Sonoma County is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

About Palmeri Wines

Palmeri Wines is a family-owned winery founded by Kerry and Daisy Damskey. Today, their son Drew is also part of the family business, making wine and helping run Palmeri alongside his father. Kerry is a longtime consulting winemaker, Daisy’s background includes both nonprofit leadership and building wine brands, and Drew is also a consulting winemaker. Palmeri focuses on small-lot wines from distinctive mountain vineyards. Many of the vineyards the family works with sit above 1,000 feet, where elevation helps moderate temperatures and the well-draining, nutrient-poor mountain soils can contribute concentration and complexity to the grapes. One of these mountain vineyards is Monte Rosso Vineyard.

About Monte Rosso Vineyard

Monte Rosso Vineyard sits high on the southwest side of the Mayacamas Mountains in the Moon Mountain District Sonoma County AVA. Originally known as Mount Pisgah, the vineyard was planted beginning in 1886 by Emmanuel Goldstein and his business partner Benjamin Dreyfus. Some of the original Zinfandel and Sémillon vines planted that year remain in production today.

The historic vineyard sits at approximately 1,300 feet in distinctive red volcanic soils. Over the years, it has become one of California’s most celebrated old-vine sites. The original 1886 Sémillon vines are particularly rare, and Palmeri describes them as the second-oldest Sémillon vines in the world.

Tasting Notes

Sémillon is perhaps best known as one of the white grapes of Bordeaux, where it is commonly blended with Sauvignon Blanc, and for its important role in Australia’s Hunter Valley. But grown on these historic vines in Sonoma, it offers a distinctly Californian expression. This Sémillon offers beautiful floral, citrus, spiced apple, and mineral notes. The wine has lovely texture balanced by bright, fresh acidity that lingers on the palate. If you like crisp, fresh Sauvignon Blanc or rich, textured Chardonnay, this Sémillon sits somewhere in the middle.

Food Pairing

The combination of texture and freshness makes this wine easy to pair with a range of foods, from roasted chicken, seared scallops, and pork tenderloin to a meaty white fish with lemon-butter sauce or vegetable risotto. I enjoyed the wine with a selection of mild Thai dishes, including egg rolls, chicken satay, drunken noodles, and Pad Thai. The wine had enough weight and texture to complement the richer noodles and chicken satay, while its bright acidity kept the pairing fresh.

Where to Purchase

Palmeri produces only approximately 75 to 100 cases of its Old Vine Sémillon each year. The Palmeri 2023 Old Vine Sémillon, Monte Rosso Vineyard, retails for $57 and can be purchased directly from Palmeri Wines.