I thought it would be nice to show our neighbors to the south some love and pour some wines from California this Friday. I'm also planning on donating some of the proceeds to a good cause to help those in need.

At the core of Foxglove are brothers Bob and Jim Varner. The brothers rose to prominence in the 80’s as farmers and winemakers at their first venture, Varner Wines, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. It was here that their talents for producing high quality, transparent, terroir driven wines were heralded by critics. They worked the Spring Ridge Vineyards site until they made the difficult decision to say goodbye to the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2014. Foxglove Chardonnay Central Coast 2021 $19 is clean with tropical hints and fresh lemon.

Chris Brockway started Broc Winery in 2020 near Berkeley with the dream of making wine from organic grapes with native yeast ferments and lower alcohol. We'll be tasting the Broc Cellars 2022 Red Blend $18 of 50% Carignan, 30% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre. Dried Cranberry, Baking Spices and Cocoa with fresh acidity.

Matthew Fritz Merlot North Coast 2021 $18 Give Merlot a chance! Renowned winemaker, Jim Milone, crafts, blends and bottles Matthew Fritz in Healdsburg, Sonoma County. Jim grew up in the vineyards of his grandfather’s winery in Mendocino County and currently lives in Northern Sonoma. A quintessential Merlot, the wine is ripe, jammy and perfectly balanced. Classic cocoa and ripe red fruits on the nose with hints of bing cherry and baking spices. Lucious, velvety and fresh with a silky finish.

Foxglove Zinfandel Paso Robles 2020 $19 is less about being a powerful Zinfandel and more about a wine that is more refreshing. Put a light chill on this and enjoy a more red-fruited wine with bright spices.

Samantha Sheehan's Cabernet Sauvignon is velvety and balanced. She is committed to using locally-grown, organically-farmed grapes; keeping her production small; and using no additives (other than minimal amounts of sulfur). Her wines are fruit-forward, aromatic, and with nice acidity. UltraViolet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021 $19 has ripe notes of blackberry compote, boysenberry, fresh violet petals and currant. A round mouthfeel with hints of blackberry bramble, black pepper, with bright acidity and velvety tannin.

Bonus Wines

BonAnno Los Carneros Chardonnay 2023 $21 is another project by Matthew Fritz. BonAnno Chardonnay is sourced from the Los Carneros AVA located just north of the San Pablo Bay and includes parts of both Napa and Sonoma. Medium straw in color and bursting with white flowers, fresh peach and green apple on the nose. The palate is layered with ripe lemon, crisp apples, and white peaches. The finish is clean yet long with the slightest hints of vanilla and fresh brioche.

Dashe Cellars is a family-owned artisan winery located in the heart of the Urban Wine Country. After 15 years in Oakland's Jack London Square district, Dashe Cellars has moved to Spirits Alley on the old Naval Airbase in Alameda, CA. Founded by the husband and wife winemaking team of Michael and Anne Dashe, Dashe Cellars crafted its first vintage of Dry Creek Zinfandel in 1996. Since that time, the Dashe’s have focused on producing exceptional, single-vineyard wines using a traditional, non-industrial approach to winemaking. Dashe Cellars 2021 Zinfandel "Vineyard Select" $27 Big, structured wine with a velvety texture, blackbery, pomegranate and casis,hints of chocolate and licorice,great acidity and balance.Finishes with a long and balanced raspbery and cherry liqueur finish.

I had the opportunity to visit Tablas Creek down in Paso Robles a few years ago and got a tour from the owner, Jason Haas, who is very down-to-earth and extremely knowledgeable. They were the first to convert to Biodynamic farming in Paso and are now the world's first Regenerative Organic Vineyard. I find this stuff fascinating and won't bore you to death, but you can find more information here. Tablas Creek was also a nursery for the Rhone Varietals they brought one from Chateau Beaucastel in the Rhone Valley so I included a picture of Jason grafting a vine cutting. The Tablas Creek Patelin Rouge 2023 $28 is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. A pretty, savory nose of black pepper and teriyaki marinade. Lovely on the palate with black fruit and black licorice in front, leavened by plum skin acids and a finish with sweet sarsaparilla and smoky oolong tea notes.