{ SOMMjournal.com } 75
EXPLORING THE SINGLE-VINEYARD WINES OF
WENTE FAMILY ESTATES
by Jessie Birschbach / photos by John Curley
A
s Karl Wente and I drove down a dirt road within the
Charles Wetmore vineyard, rows of sleeping Cabernet
Sauvignon flickered in front of green, snow-capped hills.
"You don't see that snow too often in Livermore," the
Wente Family Estates Winemaker told me as he pointed
out the various blocks, when suddenly a loud crack came
from underneath his car. "What was that?" I asked, a bit
concerned. "A rock! I told you this vineyard is gravely,"
Wente responded with a smirk.
Karl Wente pours and
tastes through various
barrel samples for
blending purposes in the
Wente blending lab.
