Steeped in Napa Valley history, Sullivan Rutherford Estate helped establish the area as one of the world’s premier wine regions. After years of relative obscurity, a new ownership group and winemaking team are determined to return the legendary estate to its standing as one of the valley’s iconic producers.

Founder James “Jim” O’Neil Sullivan was a successful graphic artist in Los Angeles who created, among other projects, album covers for Dick Clark

Productions. A passion for cabernet sauvignon led him to relocate the family to the Napa Valley after acquiring the original Rutherford site in 1972. Years later, in 1978, he purchased the prime 26-acre property that is the current estate.

In those early years, Sullivan consulted with friend and legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff to select the Bordeaux varietals and design the original vineyards. His early releases were lauded and began to focus attention on the Napa Valley prior to the 1976 Judgment of Paris that vaulted it to the world stage.

After Sullivan’s death in 2005, the family was less involved in the daily operations and hired long-term winemaker Scott McLeod to serve in an interim capacity. McLeod also led the search that resulted in the appointment in 2013 of Yountville native Jeff Cole as winemaker. The two worked together for a few years, but the 2015 vintage was Jeff’s from vine to bottle.

Following earning a degree in viticulture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

and hands-on experience at some central coast wineries, Cole returned to the Napa Valley and, before coming to Sullivan Rutherford, worked at Schramsberg Vineyards making sparkling wines. Jeff’s skills caught the attention of technology entrepreneur Juan Pablo Torres-Padilla in 2016 when he was seeking to purchase an estate to fulfill his dream of producing wine in the Napa Valley.

Juan Pablo’s love of wine began as a young man when his grandfather introduced him to the great wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. His fervor for fine wine grew while living in Paris for many years and after visits to the area, he determined that the Rutherford appellation was where he wanted to be. Soon after purchasing Sullivan Rutherford, he added vineyard manager Mike Wolf, who initiated a vineyard restoration efforts designed to maximize the quality of the fruit.

With a solid team in place, Juan Pablo will oversee an aggressive plan to return Sullivan Rutherford to elite status.

Jeff Cole speaks passionately about the estate vineyards — mostly planted in cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and Malbec — and feels that the Rutherford appellation is the best place in the world to grow cabernet sauvignon. It is the terroir of great Napa Valley blends withvarietals that originated in Bordeaux, France.

He began a tasting of current vintages with an apology for omitting the sold-out Sullivan Rutherford Rose 2019 ($35). He then poured the Sullivan Rutherford Coeur de Vigne 2016 ($110), a cabernet sauvignon dominant blend ready to drink now and accessible to most palates. Drought conditions during 2016 resulted in smaller, more concentrated berries that led to a full-bodied wine with dark fruit and baked spice flavors. Described by Jeff as “red, bright and fresh,” its higher acidity and soft tannins provide the makings of a great food wine.

Overcoming heat spikes and a late frost, the vintage 2017 Sullivan Rutherford Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($110), Jeff said, is his best. A blend of cabernet (87%) and petit verdot (13%), aged in 50% new French oak, its blueberry flavors, hints of dark chocolate and sebaceous mouthfeel underscore a wine that, according to Cole, “has length and grip.”

Selected from only the top vineyard blocks, production of the 2016 Sullivan Rutherford James O’Neil Cabernet Sauvignon ($235), named after the founder, was limited to 500 cases. Aged 20 months in 80% new French oak with a bit of petit verdot added for acidity and structure, it is an expression of the finest fruit on the estate.

Earthy with complex aromas, it has a savory quality that adds to depth and richness on the palate. A vibrant acidity and earthiness drives Jeff’s desire to drink young wines, but, the “James O’Neil” will comfortably age for 15-20 years.

The intriguing abstract label titled “The Wedding” was created by James O’Neil Sullivan for a friend and deserves a closer look.

Plans are underway for a new state-of-the-art production facility and hospitality center to enhance one of the valley’s most picturesque estates. Look for Sullivan Rutherford to resume its legacy as one of the Napa Valley’s iconic wine experiences.

Aside from aroma and taste, a major attraction to wine, for me, is that it makes the world smaller and more accessible. Discovering new wine regions often prompts me to look at a map and to learn more about its people and culture.

Having recently acquired some new releases of rare varietals from Sicily, I used a day of sequestering to discover more about the grapes and the

region that produced them. Located in the Sicilian countryside, southeast of Palermo, the Tenuta Regaleali estate produces 10 different wines, including four single varietal releases of indigenous grapes that, over time, are being replaced in favor of cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and others.

Tenuta Regaleali is part of the Tasca d’ Almerita family of wines. Although they own other properties in Monreale, Mount Etna and other regions, Tenuta Regaleali is said to be the family’s spiritual and institutional home base, a place where they can experiment with new methods and focus on sustainability with indigenous grapes that are relatively unknown in US markets.

The family has been producing wine at the Regaleali Estate since the mid-

19th century and, over the years, has developed a deeper understanding of the environment, becoming a leader in implementing sustainable farming practices. With one-third of the planet used solely to produce food and our reliance on over 24 billion farm animals, maintaining agricultural practices that help to prevent major environmental impacts and future pandemics is essential. Today, Alberto Tasca d’Almerita is the CEO of the family business and is deeply committed to oversee all of the estates production in the most sensitive manner.

Many of the Tenuta Regaleali wines are blends, but our focus today is on perricone, nero d’Avola, grillo and catarratto, all indigenous grapes created as single varietal releases.blob:https://lifebylyle.wordpress.com/b7f219c2-9944-40f8-b005-58c5af095ca1

Perricone is a little known grape, grown exclusively in Sicily and usually blended with known varietals like nero d’Avola. With high acidity, earthy characteristics and noticeable tannins, perricone is often compared to barbera.

Rich in clay and calcareous soils, the vineyard that produced the fruit for the “Guarnaccio” Perricone Sicilia DOC 2017 ($20) were first planted in

2011. The juice for this wine went through full malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, then was aged for twelve months in French oak barrels.

Nero d’Avola (Black of Avola) is the most commonly grown grape in Sicily, named after the city of Avola where it was first planted. It is often compared to syrah with red fruit and peppery spice flavors.

First created in 2002, the Lamuri Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC 2016 ($20), like the perricone release, has gone through full malolactic fermentation and was aged in French oak for twelve months and another three in the bottle before release. Brilliant ruby in color, the Lamuri 2016 has a complex

bouquet of ripe fruit, spice and herbs. Expressive rich texture and soft tannins make it a bargain for the price and prompted high ratings from Robert Parker, James Suckling and others.

Grillo, a cross between moscato and catarratto, has been widely grown in Sicily for more than a century. The fruit for the Grillo Cavallo delle Fate Sicilia DOC 2018 ($20) are a blend of grapes picked at different harvest

periods. The estate credits those picked early for adding minerality and those later for its structure. Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, the 2018 vintage reveals stone and tropical fruit aromas and an expressive minerality that lasts through the finish. It is another exceptional value for the price.

Over centuries, the catarratto grape has been one of Sicily’s most common, becoming more rare with the infusion of other, more modern varietals. For me, the “Antisa” Catarratto Sicilia DOC 2018 ($22) was the best wine of

the four that I tasted. The flavors combined the tartness of grapefruit with complex stone and tropical fruits flavors and

solid mineral elements.

Juice for the “Antisa” maintains contact with the skins for 18 days, giving it a golden straw color. It then was aged in stainless steel on lees for another four months. True to the meaning of its nickname, this 100 percent catarratto release is highly praiseworthy.

Aside from producing fine wines, the Tenuta Regaleali estate is a destination with first-class lodging, dining, cooking classes and all the amenities needed to enjoy the treasures of Sicily. However, with today’s travel restrictions, their wines can still be obtained through several on-line sites.

The way we discover new wines is changing and, of course, technology plays a role, front and center. At a recent gathering at Wine & Wall in San Francisco to taste Italian releases from the Lux Wines portfolio, we were treated to a 360-degree virtual reality tour of three prominent estates.

  Aerial views of the regions, walks through the vineyards and conversations with such notable producers as Marilisa Allegrini were part of the sensory experiences that preceded those of taste and smell.

LUX Wines, created by E&J Gallo Winery in 2014, is an importer and purveyor of fine terroir-driven selections from around the world.  Their expanding portfolio includes A-list brands from some of our most notable appellations.

One of twenty Italian regions, Friuli Venezia Giulia is the country’s most northeast location.  There, in the viridescent hills below the Dolomites is the

Jermann Winery, producers of fine wines for three generations. The northerly Ruttars and, to the south, Villanova estates combine for nearly four hundred planted acres, but differ in terroir.

After the visual tour of both estates, Felix Jermann, part of that third generation, introduced us to a chardonnay sourced from fourteen different vineyards and a crisp blend of local varietals.

Describes as their best interpretation of chardonnay, the Jermann Dreams Delle Venezia 2017 ($70), aged eleven months and awarded 93-points by James Suckling, expressed floral, stone fruit and citrus aromas with integrated flavors and a crisp finish. 

Named for the wineries original owner, the Jermann Vintage Tunina 2016 ($65) is described as “a unique field blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and the rare native variety Picolit,” a grape commonly used in dessert wines.  The penetrating aromas, an expressed minerality and layered stone fruit, tangerine and spice flavors balanced a

crisp acidity with a rounded mouthfeel. Critics across the board rated this wine in the mid-nineties.

Moving to the northwest, home to Italy’s great Barolo wines from the Piedmont region, we used the oculus to survey sweeping views of vineyards and the new hilltop Renato Ratti winery in Annunziata, where Pietro Ratti has overseen the production of Renato Ratti wines for the past thirty years.  On this evening, Pietro poured single-vineyard Barolo wines from each of their two sites.  

Barolo wines are produced exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape, whose

name originates from the Italian word for “fog,” something it confronts near harvest time each vintage. We began with the Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco 2015, a dry wine with soft tannins.  Evidence of winemaking on this property dates back to the 12th Century and this release had an expressive, perfume bouquet and lush, savory and black licorice flavors.

From one of the oldest regions in the Barolo district, the highly rated Renato Ratti Barolo Conca 2015 ($105), comes from the small Conca Vineyard near La Morra.  Pietro explained that, due to global warming, the sub-region is getting much less rainfall annually, but it is more torrential which damages vines and complicates growth management.  The elegance of this wine begins with the balanced floral, berry and spice notes on the nose followed by austere, yet fruit-forward flavors and a balanced minerality.

On 264 acres encompassing seven unique sites in northeast Italy’s Valpolicella Classico appellation, Allegrini, led today by CEO Marilisa Allegrini, has overseen appassimento winemaking (wines made from dried grapes) in the region for six generations with vineyards that are bio-diverse and dry-farmed.  The Allegrini estates are located near Lake Garda, the largest fresh water lake in Italy.

The single vineyard, site specific Allegrini La Poja 2013 ($80-85) was classified out of the Valpolicella designation because it consists of 100% corvina Veronese, exceeding the 95% maximum permitted.  Sourced from forty year-old vines and bottled aged for four years, the La Poja expresses

the depth and richness of an elegant wine with dark berry flavors that linger.

A blend of corvina, corvinone, rondinella and oseleta grapes that are dried on racks for 90-120 days prior to fermentation, the Allegrini Amarone Della Valpolicella 2014 ($85) originates from fossil-laden soil and presents itself as a rare mineral Amarone. Amid high praise from critics, it expressed, on this night, opulent baked fruit flavors and a bright acidity that carried through the finish.

Both Allegrini releases substantiate the rationale for their designation by Gambero Rosso magazine as Italy’s 2016 Winery of the Year.

These wines and others in the LUX Wines portfolio are available on-line (wine.com) and in wine shops throughout the Bay Area.

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