Truchard is one of my favorite California wineries, as evidenced by the fact that I nominated them for The Daily Meal’s 101 Best Wineries in the US.
Why do I love them?
I’ve talked about it before in both post and mini podcast, but as a refresher:

1. These guys are cool and they are pioneers.
Tony and Jo Ann Truchard helped establish the Carneros wine growing region in southern Napa/Sonoma (the area bleeds over both counties). They recognized in the mid-1970s that grapes could and should grow in this cool area and planted the right grapes in the right places to get a different style of wine from what was being made in Napa. Their son Anthony does sales and marketing for the company. He and his wife are fabulous people with life experience outside of wine (rare and good). They have a lot of perspective and that bodes well for the future of the winery.

2. The Truchards are farmers first.
They don’t make blockbuster Cabs or over-oaked Chardonnays. Sal DeIanni, the Truchard’s winemaker, is minimalist in how he handles the grapes. As a result, Truchard’s wines are mostly subtle, complex, layered, and interesting. Because the Truchards started out as farmers, growing and selling grapes for 15 years before making wine they understand their raw materials better than many. They are never far from their farming roots — even today they sell 2/3 of their harvest to the highly esteemed likes of Duckhorn, Pride, ZD, and Shafer to name a few.

3. Most importantly, their wines are consistently fabulous. Here’s the lineup of their latest vintages, which they sent to me for review (Thank you Truchards!!):

#1 The Wine: 2012 Chardonnay
Price: $30
Alcohol: 14.1%
Color: A dark straw color from ripe grapes and oak treatment.
Smell: White flowers with pineapple, lemon, green apple, and vanilla.
Taste: Full — lots of vanilla and toasted oak with tropical fruit, pear, and then lemon with great acidity on the finish. The rich, ripe tropical flavors and oakiness are balanced with a fresh acidity that keeps it bright and crisp.
Drink or sink?: Drink. A great California Chardonnay. Given the sunny vintage, this wine was fuller than the 2011 and I liked it a little less. Still, it’s a solid wine and a wonderful example of what California Chardonnay can be when not over oaked.


#2 The Wine: 2012 Roussanne
Price: $25
Alcohol: 14.1% Color: A brassy, golden color, typical of this northern Rhône grape.
Smell: Rich smells like honeydew melon, lemon curd, honeycomb, and jasmine tea, year after year this wine is consistently fragrant and unique.
Taste: Full, nearly oily in texture but with moderate acidity to keep it refreshing, with jasmine, melon, and peach flavors.
Drink or sink?: Drink. I love most all of Truchard’s wines but the Roussanne is something super special. I love the flavors with or without food and find it stunning and delicious. It’s a jewel in their crown!



#3 The Wine: 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $38photo 3
Color: A dark plum color with thick legs from the alcohol and a pink rim, typical of Cabernet.
Smell: Coffee, cocoa powder, green pepper, spice, and green herb with blackberry fruit.
Taste: Restrained with black and green tea, black currant, blackberry, and caramel flavors. There’s a spicy bite to the wine, a mellow oaky flavor and mild tannin with a medium body.
Drink or sink?: I love this style of Cabernet and I wish more Napa producers would make it. 2011 was a cool vintage and that means that flavors other than fruit developed in the wine. This one, with its fruity, earthy, herbal notes is a gem and may be my favorite red of the batch, although the 2010 Cab gives it a run of its money… Although in prior years I’ve found myself partial to Truchard’s Pinot, the selection this time was all about the Cabernet for me. At $38, it’s a steal for a Napa Cab and much better than many competitors who charge more.

Full disclosure:
This wine was provided by Truchard for review, but as with all our reviews, we give an honest assessment for good or for bad!

Continue reading : More Wines on the list just click here

#1 Chardonnay


#2 Roussannee


#3 The Cabernet Sauvignon