Neyers Vineyards tasting @ 12th Avenue Grill



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.

So if you’re interested in sampling some of the Neyers Vineyards wines, Vino Italian Wine and Tapas has a Neyers Vineyard tasting on Thursday, September 8th at 6:00pm for $33 featuring their “Sage Canyon” Red, Merlot, “Roberts Road” Pinot Noir and “Il Novillero” Chardonnay. A great venue to quickly see why Neyers Vineyards stands out from a lot of the other Napa Valley wineries.

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