RESPONDING TO VINE PAIR’s Question: Can Cutting-Edge Technology and Character Coexist in Winemaking?

By Christian Palmaz Responding to an Article Written by Tim McKirdy | Aug 6th, 2021

Dear Tim, 

Thank you for so thoroughly covering our story.  I really appreciate the effort to capture such a technical topic and make it an enjoyable read!  I have a couple reactions to some concepts your article drew that might potentially serve as a followup topic for a future piece and an interesting discussion for our blog where your article will be featured.

Can Cutting-Edge Technology and Character Coexist in Winemaking?

VINE PAIR | Written By Tim McKirdy | Illustrated By Danielle Grinberg | Aug 5th, 2021 | Original Article

Grapes are a hardy, resilient fruit. Among the first lessons one learns when studying wine is that grapes should even undergo stress during their time on the vine when grown for high-quality winemaking. And so we can describe the wine industry as characteristically resilient by nature: resistant to freak annual weather occurrences; resistant in the long run to the fickle tides of drinking trends; and resistant, largely, to technological advancements.

Exploring The Cabernet Sauvignon Of Napa Valley, Part Six

Written by Brian Freedman | Original Article

Over the course of the previous five installments of this series on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, I’ve focused on various specific appellations, trying to contextualize them in order to demonstrate what makes the wines from each unique. This final one, on Cabs labeled as simply Napa Valley, as opposed to any of the specific nested AVAs, is inherently problematic: Wines labeled as Napa Valley encompass a sweeping range of soils, micro-climates, geological histories, elevations, and more. In that regard, it’s just not possible to tie them all together in any satisfactory way.
To help shed some light on Napa Valley as a whole, I spoke with Vinous founder and CEO Antonio Galloni, who is not only one of the most important critics in the world of wine in general—his expertise literally spans the globe—but whose Vinous Napa Valley Vineyard Maps, done with critic and cartographer Alessandro Masnaghetti, are the most comprehensive and educational I’ve ever seen.

“The reason why I started to do those maps back in 2011,” he said, “is that I was tasting wines for Robert Parker [of The Wine Advocate],” and realized that, “if you woke up on the valley floor, you think you were tasting in Piedmont” from all of the fog. “And if you drive up to Pritchard Hill, it’s dry and sunny—and this is the same day.”

Brasas Wagyu Beef Delivery Will Make You A Summer Grill Hero During The Pandemic

BY BAILEY S. BARNARD | MAR. 24TH, 2021 | ORIGINAL ARTICLE

One of California’s premier beef farms will deliver its Prime-grade, purebred, and 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef to your door through its delivery and subscription service. And the meat is as good (if not better) than any cuts you will get from a Michelin-starred restaurant. The farm is called Genesee Valley Ranch, the service is called Brasas at the Table, and the meat will make you a grill hero this summer—especially during the pandemic, when eating at home is still safer than dining out.

LIQUOR: The 11 best Rieslings in 2021

Written by Jonathan Cristaldi | Updated 01/14/21 | Original Article

Culinarily speaking, Germany is known best for its bratwurst, pretzels, sauerkraut and beer. But in the wine department, Germany is near-synonymous with riesling. Not to say that only Germany can make a decent bottle of their homegrown variety (as you shall see).

Riesling is a tough grape; it’s drought-tolerant, heat tolerant, and packs a relatively high acidity. And yet, its structure is determined by the terroir where it grows, easily manipulated by soils and climates.

PALMAZ VINEYARDS AND GENESEE VALLEY RANCH TEAM UP FOR AN EXCLUSIVE FOOD AND WINE CLUB

Luxury Lifestyle Magazine | By Linda Zuckerman | January 30, 2021 | Original Article

Palmaz Vineyards, one of the most premiere vineyards in Napa Valley joins together with Genesee Valley Ranch to offer a taste of their exquisite wines and wagyu beef. Sharing a passion for gathering around the table, Brasas At the Table is dedicated to offering exceptional wine and ingredients made to the highest quality, produced with sustainable and conscientious methods.

Vineyard History

Palmaz Vineyards, 2017 Riesling “Lousie” | Napa Valley

Gayot | Written by Dirk Smits | January 4, 2021 | Original Article

Riesling was officially first planted in California in the town of St. Helena in 1861. Back then, it was known as “Johannisberg Riesling,” a reference to Schloss Johannisberg –– one of the oldest Riesling producers in Germany. In the 1960s, Riesling was one of California’s most popular grape varietals but was pushed out by Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from the ’70s onward. Today, Riesling is mostly grown in California’s cooler regions, especially in the Anderson Valley, Santa Barbara, Monterey and higher elevation vineyards in Sonoma and Napa Valley.

There, in 1881, young Henry Hagen arrived and founded Cedar Knoll Winery at the foot of Mount George, where the Palmaz Vineyards and family reside today. Hagen would become one of the true pioneers of the Napa Valley. His noteworthy wines were featured at the San Francisco Opera House, and Hagen even won a silver medal for his brandy at the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. In 1895, Hagen died, leaving behind 450 acres of vineyards. While Cedar Knoll is lauded for its wines and spirits, Hagen’s descendants didn’t share his passion. With the arrival of Prohibition in 1919, the property’s winemaking endeavors were abandoned until Dr. Julio Palmaz (co-inventor of the balloon-expandable stent) and his family purchased the property in the late 1990s and set about restoring its former glory.

Celebrate The Holiday Season With Some Spectacular Women-Made Wines

Written by Jeanette Hurt | Dec 21, 2020 | Original Article

Excerpted:  Tina Mitchell was a third-year biology student who was on the pre-med track when she took an elective called Introduction to Enology. “Needless to say, I changed my major, and I haven’t looked back,” Mitchell says. Mitchell remains inspired by the integration of the many things that go into making a fine bottle of wine, and she uses both her scientific knowledge and creativity to engage in innovative winemaking at Palmaz Vineyards in Napa Valley. She particularly recommends her 2016 Palmaz Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($165). “I shared it with my family at a wedding, and my family consists of both casual wine drinkers and experienced professionals,” she says. “It was thoroughly enjoyed by all.”

Wine and Cocktail Trends for 2021: Here’s What to Drink Throughout the New Year

Written by Sarah Tracey | December 22, 2020 | Original Article

There’s no denying that COVID-19 has changed the way we socialize and the way we purchase and consume the products in our lives—and the world of drinks has been significantly transformed in the past year. While we look forward to the days when we’re spending more time back at our favorite wine bar and less time imbibing over a Zoom happy hour, this era of staying home has sparked beverage trends that are only going to grow in 2021. Here’s what we’ll be drinking in the coming year.

Wine Meets Tech

Wayfare Through Wine

Hyde Park | Written by Kristen Shirley | Dec 2020

Palmaz Vineyards has one of the most unique wineries in the world. The Cave is built into Mount George in Napa Valley, and its operations run through a warren of tunnels and domes across 18 stories. Its winemakers eschew mechanical pumps and instead harness the power of gravity to produce the wine underground. While Palmaz Vineyards is renowned for its red wines, including powerful Cabernet Sauvignons, its Chardonnay is not to be missed. The 2017 Amalia Chardonnay aged in 75% new French oak and is 100% barrel fermented. The wine is named for co-founder Amalia Palmaz, who asked her husband, Dr. Julio Palmaz, to add a white wine to the winery’s offerings.