Home Wine U The Buzz Wine Reviews   Review Archive   Rating System Calendar Fun Stuff About Us Feedback Key Contacts FAQ		Wine Tasting Notes Ventana Vineyards Ventana ("window" in Spanish), founded by Doug Meador in the 1970's, has recently changed hands. In September 2006, The Meadors sold the Ventana brand, vineyards, winery and tasting room to a group of local winemakers and grape growers who make up Ventana Vintners, LLC. Doug, a pioneer in Monterey County viticulture, is still involved with and present at Ventana (which continues his legacy) but is concentrating on his namesake Meador label as well as other projects. Doug's life-long fascination with cold climate viticulture has made him a pioneer and teacher and a pivotal figure in Monterey County wine. The 300+ acre Ventana property in the north-central part of the the Arroyo Seco AVA. grows: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grenache Noir, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Tempranillo. Just above one of the blocks of Gewurztraminer, near the winery building is one other unique feature: the French Oak Grove in the southwestern corner of the property. Planted by Doug Meador in 1978 with the intention of being a source of wood for barrels, the 700 oak trees are reportedly one of the first in the United States. These trees are not yet being used to produce barrels. The funnel-like Salinas Valley, flanked by the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west and the Gabilan Mountains to the east receives cool marine air from Monterey Bay. This brings in morning fogs and mid-day strong winds which clear out the accumulated heat in the small canyons and ravines. As the air in the valley warms up during the day, it rises and draws in more cool air from the bay. Despite the marine influence, the majority of the water in the valley is supplied by the Salinas River rather than by rainfall. Salinas soil is generally mineral and salty. The Arroyo Seco AVA in the west end of Salinas Valley (and west of the Salina River) is distinguished by much lower salinity. There is a gradient of salt and mineral content in the soils from east to west. This is attributable to the water of the Arroyo Seco River which drains the Santa Lucia Highlands, and flows into the Arroyo Seco AVA. The underlying water table dilutes the salinity of the high mineral soils of the Salinas Valley. The often dry riverbed curves northward, towards the bay where it marks the northeastern boundary of Ventana's vineyard. Ventana Vineyard’s lead winemaker is Reggie Hammond. He joined Ventana in 1997 with the goal of developing Ventana's red wine portfolio while maintaining the established standard of white wines. He applies a "keep it simple and don't screw it up" approach to achieve the Ventana winemaking philosophy. Stylistically, Ventana aims to craft "European sensibility and an abundance of California fruit" at a good value. The frame of mind at Ventana is to be "wine-growers" not grape growers. As Doug's planting of the Oak grove indicates, Ventana pays close attention to cooperage: Until the grove is able to produce barrels, Ventana uses French and American Oak. The tasting room in the historic 1873 Old Stonehouse building (at 2999 Monterey-Salinas Highway, #10) in Monterey pours the estate grown and bottled wines. Ventana white wines are usually forward, food-friendly with nice extraction and definitely old world-styled. As a rule, they tend to express better only lightly chilled. They share an amber tinged hue and a light nutty, mineral character. The reds are well-extracted with unmistakable varietal character. They have a prominent minerality that makes them great pairings to hearty, richly seasoned meats. More to the point, they stand up well and do not get drowned out when paired with strongly seasoned and BBQ meats. The Due Amici has a powerful Cabernet component and ages well. Read our interview with Reggie Hammond here. 2003 Ventana Vineyards Due Amici 90 Points 2003 Ventana Vineyards Merlot 89 Points 2003 Ventana Vineyards Syrah 89 Points 2004 Ventana Vineyards Pinot Noir 88 Points 2005 Ventana Vineyards Dry Rosado 90 Points 2005 Ventana Vineyards Gold Stripe Chardonnay 89 Points 2005 Ventana Vineyards Riesling 89 Points 2005 Ventana Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 88 Points Back to top. Search our wine reviews archive by: review date, vintage and winery.			Get the buzz: Wine reviews Great stories Interviews Wine education tools New content every month It's FREE! Click here
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