Rosato Juice

Join Katie and Ben as they celebrate the new vintage of Rosato.  Enjoy special food pairings designed to enhance your enjoyment of this Foothill favorite.  Try Gazpacho from Beth Sogaard Catering, Katie’s Spicy Aioli, and other delights.

Daniel D’Agostini, noted local photographer and author of Into the Earth – a Wine Cave Renaissance, was hard pressed to select the winners:

1st Place, Teresa Yost, Folsom, CA

2nd Place, Tie, Terry Neville, Oakland, CA

2nd Place, Tie, Mishi Watanabe, Jackson, CA

3rd Place, Steven Tze, Ione, CA

At Amador Foothill Winery the low crop levels had an up side: Zinfandel purchased from the Esola and Clockspring vineyards had smaller clusters and were harvested well before any rainfall. Both lots had sugar levels of 25 degrees brix with excellent flavors.  Plus, we got the tonnage we requested from both vineyards.

The estate Sauvignon Blanc was also harvested before the rain. All our other grapes survived the rains without mold or rot and did not seem at all dilute in flavor.  In particular, the estate Sangiovese, Aglianico and Grenache grapes yielded juice with fine concentration and good color.  Sugar levels at harvest were generally lower than many years, and the resulting lower alcohols should ensure well-balanced wines.  While we experienced some estate varieties with lower yields, all and all, we expect the 2011 vintage to be exceptional at Amador Foothill.

Amador Foothill Rosato

Mike Dunne, writing in the August 1, 2011 edition of the Sacramento Bee, called our 2010 Rosato of Sangiovese “..a blush wine of unusual substance and authority.” Yet also “…refreshing.”

Amador Foothill Winery  Amador County

The husband – wife team of Ben Zeitman and

Katie Quinn release the finest single-vineyard Zinfandels in the Sierra Foothills.  The elegance for which these wines are known is also evident in one of the few clear and vigorous Sangioveses to emerge from the Foothills, and in the complex Katie’s Cote, an almost 50/50 blend of Syrah and Grenache.  The Semillon comes close to these, but others do not quite attain the same level.

Wine blends abound throughout the world: Bordeaux whites and reds, Super Tuscans, and of course, the great wines of the southern Rhone.  Winemakers over the years have combined individual varietals into more interesting and complex products.

In 1999 and 2000 at Amador Foothill, we planted Syrah and Grenache, mainly from the renowned vineyards of Chateau de Beaucastel.  Originally, there were no specific plans for these two varieties, other than to upgrade some of our vineyards with high quality plantings.

When the first barrels of Syrah and Grenache were evaluated in July of 2004, we had an epiphany: every barrel was very good on its own, but when all the Syrah and Grenache were combined, the blend was surprisingly enhanced.  The Syrah, blended with the pretty fruit of the Grenache, bestowed a stronger structure and a firm, tannic grip.  This held true in subsequent years regardless of the ratio. (Blends have ranged from 46% to 60% Syrah.)

Wearing his marketing hat while preparing the wine label, Ben suggested the name “Katie’s Cote”.  They both enjoyed Cote du Rhone wines. Why not market this wine as Katie’s take on a Rhone blend?  This moniker has worked well, aiding in brisk sales of the early releases.

Food pairings:  Katie’s Cote is an ideal wine for hearty dishes such as roasts, stews, game, lasagna, and cassoulet.