• All
  • *
  • Cocktails
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Podcasts
  • Syndicate
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Wine
When I first met Eric Titus and Titus Vineyards, I was a sales rep selling his wine. Flash forward 14 years, and now I am a writer. Instead of driving around Los Angeles trying to sell his wine, we sat down so that he could share the story of his family and Titus Vineyards, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I shared the story in my column in the Napa Valley Register and now share it here. Early in my wine career, I worked as a sales representative for Chambers and Chambers Wine Merchants. With a fantastic portfolio of wines primarily from California and France at the time, I was introduced to many wineries and would spend days working with the different owners and winemakers.
One was Eric Titus of Titus Vineyards. It was 2005 when we spent the day together driving around Los Angeles, selling his wine.
Titus Vineyards has grown a lot over the last 14 years. When I was selling the wine, it was a young brand. But, as we sat down together recently to taste through current and library releases, I learned that not only has Titus Vineyards grown, they are also celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register. Perhaps diversity is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Napa Valley. Especially for people who live outside of Napa, if asked what wine comes from Napa, they will always say “Cabernet Sauvignon.” But, no matter how good the Cabernet is, Napa offers so much more. According to the Napa Valley Vintners, there are 45,000 acres under cultivation in Napa Valley. There are more than 34 different wine grape varieties grown in Napa County, and 23 percent of the vineyards are planted to white wine grapes and 77 percento red wine grapes. Forty-seven percent of the grapes planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, with Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel making up another 41 percent of the total grape production. That leaves 12 percent of the grapes planted to other grapes and here are six of the grapes to look out for. Semillon - Fine Disregard 2016 Milhouse Semillon, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley ($25) In 2016, there were 724 tons of Semillon in the Napa Valley and Fine Disregard produces 218 cases of their Semillon. A personal project by winemaker Mike Schieffer, assistant winemaker at Truly, and Kate Maraden, a viticulturist and plant pathologist, the Semillon comes from a half-acre block planted on the eastern edge of Oak Knoll District in 1994. The resulting wine is clear and bright with notes of lemon curd, citrus zest, tree fruits and minerality and a lovely mouthfeel that is both round and delicate with racy acidity.
Copied!