10 May Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Verdad 2018 Tempranillo, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley

Tempranillo, the number one grape variety in Spain, is known for full-bodied red wines. But, when Tempranillo is grown in a cooler climate, such as the Edna Valley, Tempranillo can be fresh with bright acidity. This is the case of the Verdad 2018 Tempranillo, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley, the Please The Palate wine of the week.

ABOUT VERDAD

Louisa Sawyer Lindquist got her start in wine on the East Coast. She started working at wineries on Long Island, New York. While attending Long Island University’s Southampton Campus she convinced the university and Hargrave Winery (Long Island) to allow her to work as an intern for college credit. After working at Long Island wineries, she worked in fine wine stores and restaurants, as well as in wine imports and distribution. While working in all of these areas of wine, she fell in love with the wines of Spain. Louisa moved out west to San Francisco and would travel to the Central Coast to visit Bob Lindquist (now her husband) and Jim Clendenen, both of whom she had met at a tasting when in NY.  The geography of California reminded Louisa of both the Mediterranean and Spain. And, in 2000, when she launched Verdad Wine Cellars, her focus was to make pure, balanced wines from Spanish varietals grown in Central Coast California from biodynamic, organic, and sustainably farmed vineyards. Louisa is responsible for producing the first Albariño in California. In 2005, Louisa and Bob planted the biodynamically-farmed Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard in Edna Valley.  Primarily planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Tempranillo and Syrah were also planted.

TASTING NOTES

According to Louisa and Bob, 2018 was a wonderful vintage in Edna Valley. There was a cool wet spring followed by cool, foggy summer mornings and pleasantly warm afternoons. Warmer weather arrived by Labor Day which ripened up the grapes beautifully. The grapes were fermented with 25% whole clusters and the lots were punched down by hand for the first few days and pumped over for the latter part of the fermentation to keep the tannin level in check. The wine was aged in 30% new Ermitage barrels for 18 months. The 2018 Verdad Tempranillo is a delicious, elegant Tempranillo with lots of acidity. It has aromas of roasted strawberries, black cherries, cocoa, licorice, and spice. On the palate, the wine has a silky texture and flavors of tart cherries and plums.

FOOD PAIRING

With an elegant Tempranillo, such as the 2018 Verdad Tempranillo, it is very versatile and can be enjoyed with quail, pheasant, lamb, chorizo, pork, and rabbit, as well as Spanish tortilla or piquillo peppers stuffed with cheese.

WHERE TO PURCHASE

The Tempranillo retails for $33 and is available on the Lindquist Wines website.