The Winemaker: Thomas Fogarty
mailto: info@fogartywinery.com
"In Vino Veritas" (Truth in Vine)
Updated 04/06/2007
If you have additions/corrections/comments to the information, please contact me with your information Thank you, Mike Reilly
What began as a pastime is today the Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyard, one of the San Francisco Peninsula's most respected wineries. A Stanford Cardiovascular Surgeon and world-renowned inventor of surgical devices, Thomas Fogarty took up home winemaking in the early 1970's in a small cabin on the current winery site. He planted his first grapes in 1978, and in 1981 established a commercial winery in the historic grape growing region of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
He has 25 acres of vineyards on his 325 acre estate high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains. The success of the winery is due in no small part to having the same talented winemaker since it's conception. Michael Martella planted the first vineyards on the property and has been the winemaker and viticulturist ever since. Fogarty is one of a very small number of wineries that produce Gewurztraminer.
Note: Gewurztraminer and cabernet sauvignon are made from grapes acquired from other Monterey vineyards.
| Exoticism is in. This new gewürztraminer proves the point in bold, flashy flavors, tangy, tongue - loving spiciness and over and above it all, those tell-tale aromatics of lychee nut and rose hip; a feast of fruit for the nose. The wine acolytes have spoken, and the chorus of angles sing its praise; rejoice in this fun, fruity wine! A perfect accompaniment to the fresh flavors of spring, enjoy the pristine, clean fruit flavors as an aperitif wine or with light brunch fare. Review: Floral, with honeysuckle aromas. Appealing flavors of lime, grapefruit, peach, orange and honey. Slightly earthy. |
2003 Gewurztraminer, Brilliant straw hue. Lanolin, dried flower and lychee aromas. Medium-full, this has pleasant varietal fruit and an off-dry finish, though the wine lacks complexity. $16
|
2003 Late Harvest Gewurztraminer - Another first
for the winery! From the Scheid Vineyard in Monterey. Hanging on the vine late
into November of 2003, these shriveled grapes came in with maximum flavors and
concentration of sugars bursting at 32 brix! The resulting wine leveled off at
9.5% residual sugar and deftly balances lovely honey, spice and citrus rind
aromatics with a luscious, fruity mouthfeel. Price: $11.99 The wine is in a dry,
cool-fermented style, known for its intricacies of flavor and aroma.
Tasting Notes: So clear and colorless it
hardly registers as a pale straw, the wine has a wonderfully fragrant nose of
green apples, lychees and honeysuckle. The wine is tart with acidity and very
refreshing. The mouthfeel is cool and clean with flavors of apples, lime, and
alfalfa. There is a buttery flavor that also creeps in after more than one
mouthfeel, as if the wine has seen some oak (it hasn't). Overall, the wine was
less dry than I would like -- despite the low residual sugar, a little too
sweet.
2002 Gewurztraminer, Monterey, Brilliant straw hue with a hint of copper. Lychee, grapefruit, and lanolin attractive aromas. Medium-full bodied, but the mid-palate and finish are a bit short and simple. $15 - $17.99 |
A wine that Michael Martella first started producing in 1983. This Fogarty flagship, has always represented a great value as an alternative to the norm. This wine is crisp, attractively aromatic with exotic tropical fruit and delicious on the palate. Its balanced acidity will give way to the fragrant and full fruit in a superbly unique way, best described as vibrant and exciting! |
| 2001 Gewurztraminer, Brilliant straw hue. Lanolin, lychee and rose petal aromas. A medium-bodied palate leads to a long, dry well-structured finish with ample fruit, balanced acidity and a touch of spice. $15 |
|
2000 Gewurztraminer, Medium to a
very deep yellow-straw hue. Intense spice, lychee, and melon aromas have a lovely
varietal accent that follow through on a
lively, dry, medium-bodied palate with a crisp, refreshing finish.. A weighty attack leads to a dry, full-bodied palate with solid
acidity. Concentrated and intense. An impressive effort with this classic Alsatian grape variety.
$12-14. 4,092 cases produced.
"Has a pale
gold color with aromas and flavors of fresh lychee, pineapple and wet stones. It
is ripe and fruity but with a touch of spice, moderate acidity and a dry
finish".
Gewurztraminer Monterey 1997 ($12.50) - The fruit is from famous Ventana Vineyard and this is a wine with a track record of critical acclaim and gold medals. This is simply as good as California Gewurztraminer gets. Very aromatic with rose petal and spice in the nose, yielding to lichee, grapefruit and rose oil flavors and after flavors. It is very fruity and the sweetness is balanced just at human threshold for detecting sugar.
Gewurztraminer 1996, Price: $8.99
Gewurztraminer 1995 - Full bodied, well
rounded flavors. Excellent balance between fruit and spice. Very slight
sweetness
Gewurztraminer 1994, Ventana Vineyard, Monterey County ($12) - The nose takes a
little time to develop, eventually showing peaches and apricots with a streak of
citrus and orange rind, along with shy spice. Delicate, but with layered,
complex flavors that more resemble Riesling, the wine offers off-dry sipping
with enough backbone to go well with food. Source
Gewurztraminer 1993 - Fully mature wine. Full bodied, well rounded flavors. Nice aroma. Very slight sweetness.
Gewurztraminer 1990
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