I first met Bruce and Barbara Neyers at a wine tasting
arranged by Chuck Furuya at the former Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas private dining
room. It was there that I offered Barbara Neyers my home baked sourdough bread…
with a little trepidation after discovering that she cooked and worked
alongside Alice Waters at Chez Panisse for many years. But Bruce and Barbara
Neyers had that air about them or should I actually say lack of air or lack of
pretentiousness and simply seemed like ordinary, very nice people. And this is
despite creating some of the most affordable, food friendly and terrific wines
that you can find in the market today.
Bruce the Sales
Manager
One part of Bruce Neyers’ life revolves around being the
National Sales Manager for Berkeley wine importer, Kermit Lynch which in itself
would be a dream job and a full time occupation. The wines represented by
Kermit Lynch is a column (or several columns) by itself and I would venture to
state that if Kermit Lynch is the importer, you’re assured that at least 75-80%
of the time, the wine will be a great wine. The other 20-25% of the time,
they’re simply very good wines. And since the majority of the Kermit Lynch
imports are either from France or Italy, the National Sales Manager gets to spend
a significant amount of time in those countries meeting the negociants (wine
middlemen), the winemakers and the grape growers. Which doesn’t just lead to
new friendships but also allows you to learn the how’s, what’s, where’s, when’s
and why’s of winemaking from cultures that have been doing it for a several
hundred years before Napa Valley was even a tourist destination. Which takes us
to…
Bruce the Vintner
In the early 70’s after leaving the Army and briefly
working at a French wine import company, Bruce then spent a year in Germany
learning the craft of winemaking. After returning stateside, he spent the next
17 years moving up the ranks of Joseph Phelps Vineyards. As yours truly was
completing graduate school in the Bay Area in 1991, Bruce and Barbara started
the Neyers Vineyard label and by the end of the decade created their own
facility, the Sage Canyon Winery which cut into the hillside of Pritchard Hill
in Napa Valley. Since 2004, their winemaker has been Tadeo Borchardt considered
one of the rising stars in Napa Valley. But no matter who is or was at the
helm, the wines are organically produced, biodynamic and sustainable. The
organic part is relatively easy, just don’t use any chemical pesticides or
fertilizers. The biodynamic and sustainable part, it’s a little more time
consuming as Neyers Vineyards composts their green wastes back into the
vineyard soil. They even plant a “ring” of desirable foliage surrounding the
vineyards that act as a natural barrier from insects who would otherwise feast on
their grapevines but remain happily in the “decoy” foliage reducing the need
for even natural pesticides.
Of course, all of this organic, biodynamic and
sustainable would all be for naught if the resulting wines weren’t any good.
But they’re more than good, they’re excellent food friendly wines with a nice
balance of earth and fruit and most of the Neyers Vineyard lineup is in the $25
to $35 price range so it won’t burn a hole in your wallet. You also can find
most of the Neyers Vineyard lineup at Tamura’s Fine Wine and R. Field Wine
Company.
12th Avenue Grill recently hosted a wine tasting in their
private dining room featuring the wines of Neyers Vineyards. Just by
coincidence, most of the wines poured were different varietals from the tasting
I attended two years earlier which allowed me sample the complete Neyers
Vineyard wine portfolio.
2015 “304”
Chardonnay
Sonoma County
2012 “Neyers
Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Conn Valley, Napa
Valley
2012 “Cuvee
d’Honneur” Syrah
Sonoma Coast
2014 “Vista Luna, Borden
Ranch” Zinfandel
Sierra Nevada
Foothills
2014 “Rossi Ranch”
Grenache
Sonoma Valley
2014 “Evangelho
Vineyard” Carignan
Contra Costa
County
2014 “Left Bank
Red” Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot
Napa Valley
2014 “Sage Canyon”
Red Carignan/Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah
California
Of course, man (and woman) can’t live off of wine alone
so 12th Ave Grill provided an assortment of heavy appetizers
including:
Konbu Cured Ewa
Watermelon
with black lava
salt.
Land and Sea
Charcuterie Platter
Scallop terrine,
lemongrass cured Kampachi, smoked King salmon, duck liver
pate, house
pepperoni, pipikaula, bresaola, cheeses and accompaniments
Smoked Confit Duck
Fritters
with Tahitian
lime-avocado creme fraiche
Balsamic Roasted
Local Vegetables
with marinated
house feta, crostini
Braised Maui Beef
cheeks
with Big Island
fennel slaw
Niihau Lamb
Sliders
with roasted fig
chèvre, Nalo mustard greens
My favorite wines of the evening were the “304”
Chardonnay (I’ve always enjoyed this Chardonnay) along with the individual
varietal “Cuvee d’Honneur” Syrah, “Rossi Ranch” Grenache and “Evangelho
Vineyard” Carignan though the blended “Sage Canyon” Red would be the perfect
wine when you light up that hibachi. And the food at 12th Avenue
Grill has always been awesome. I just need to get my hands on some Maui beef
cheeks as well as Niihau lamb. And once again, I baked a rosemary sourdough
focaccia and gave a bag to Barbara Neyers which she and her husband (along with
their tablemates) enjoyed. Yes, I am getting bolder in my old age.
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