Santa Cruz Winemaker Visits the Land of D

Thomas Fogarty Vineyards winemaker Michael Martella stopped by D headquarters to introduce his lineup of Santa Cruz Mountains wines. The winery is situated at 2000 feet above sea level, creating a unique cool-climate growing environment. All of the low-yielding estate vines are original plantings, some close to 30 years old, which give the wines complexity and structure. Martella has been with the winery for 28 years and is still experimenting with new varietals. The winery offers close to 20 different types including my favorite of the bunch–a dry-style 2006 Gerwurztraminer ($17). It has a sweet delicate floral bouquet with rich rose notes and is followed by ripe apricot on the palate.