The Tasting Panel magazine

july 2009 / the tasting panel / 63 California Jonathan Nagy IO Wines, Los Olivos, Central Coast Science geek, ski buff, basketball fan and wine- maker, Jonathan Nagy's wine career began when he scored a promising lab tech job at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1996. From there, Jonathan's growing inter- est led him to Santa Barbara County where he worked for Cambria Winery before going on to broadened his skills by working with revered winemaker Byron "Ken" Brown, the founder of Byron W inery and IO Wines. When Brown left the winery in 2004, Jonathon took over as Director of Winemaking for both brands. He hasn't looked back since. In addition to earning multiple star credits for world-class Chardonnays, Pinot Blancs and Pinot Noirs and the tasty IO Rhône Blend, Jonathon's new- est focus has been on creating a new line of vineyard designate Rhône-style wines. Old World meets New World One of these intriguing wines is the IO 2005 Ryan Road Syrah made with fruit planted on limestone soils near Shandon in San Luis Obispo County. With big clusters and small berries, the fl avors of the fi nished wine feature concentrated notes of ripe red fruit, sa- vory spices and a lush mouthfeel. The IO 2005 Upper Bench Syrah, made with Santa Maria Valley grapes, is a delicious combination of Old World style and a mixture of power, grace and structure that go hand- in-hand with grapes grown on the Central Central. In addition to Syrah, Jonathan is experimenting with newer plantings of Grenache and Viognier as well. "As these vines continue to mature, the IO brand has a special opportunity to take advantage of unique pairings of sites and clones that can make wines that pop in the palate when young , yet still age gracefully with more time spent in the bottle," says Jonathan. "That's defi nitely my style of wine!" Jared Brandt Jared Brandt A Donkey and Goat Winery, Berkeley As a waiter in college, Jared Brandt fell in love with Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. But soon after moving to New York, this Salt Lake City native was seduced by the beauties of classic red and white wines from France. In 2001, this passion led Jared and his wife Tracey to the Rhône Valley, where they worked harvest with talented winemaker Éric Texier. After moving to California, the young couple estab- lished A Donkey and Goat Winery in a rustic warehouse near downtown Berkeley in 2004. Since then, Jared has earned a solid reputation for his attention to detail in working with Rhône grapes grown in El Dorado and Mendocino counties on soils featuring decomposed gran- ite and farmed sustainably. Four-Thirteen Along with the current releases of Chardonnay, Rous- sanne, Grenache Rose, Mourvèdre and nine vineyard- designate Syrahs, another of Jared's new gems is the 2007 Four-Thirteen, a savory red wine made with fruit from El Doraldo County. This juicy blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Counoise is packed with bright fl avors of wild berry, ripe nectarine, tangy citrus, allspice, tobacco, and a lengthy fi nish. According to Jared, the "Thirteen Series" is based on the thirteen red grapes allowed in the Rhône region of France. In addition to Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, this new release includes a dollop of two percent Couno- ise. Thus, the name of the wine is Four Thirteen instead of Three Thirteen as it had been in previous vintages. Jared plans on increasing the number of varietals he uses in the blend over the next fi ve years. "More complexity really does make a difference!" says Jared with a smile. Jonathan Nagy

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