Gewurztraminer, 2020. Balletto

The untimely passing of John Balletto's father in 1977 caused the teenager to forgo his college career and help his mother with the family farm in Sonoma. With $200 in the bank and one truck, he put himself to work tending the farm himself and eventually with his wife, Terri.

John obviously had the aptitude for farming because that teenager grew the farm to 700 acres, producing 70 different vegetables. In 1999, as the Russian River was becoming famous for its wine, John decided to plant vines on his property and never looked back.

He knew that wine was grown in the vineyard, but he also knew that he needed a winemaker to guide the grapes to their full potential. That winemaker turned out to be Anthony Beckman. Anthony started his career as a newspaper reporter in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. He then went on to technology in San Francisco, but its proximity to Sonoma's wine industry changed his course again and a winemaker was born.

Gewurztraminer is German for "spicy Traminer." It was once just called Traminer, but wineries in Alsace noticed that some of the vines made a spicier version than others. So, those vines were isolated giving Gewurztraminer its new-found status. Our selection is a classic. The spice and musk oil components are staggering here. Add the peach and Asian pear along with apricot and you have a rare jewel in the glass. Enjoying this beauty with challenging Chinese or Thai food is an experience beyond compare.

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