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THE MESSAGE 18 / the tasting panel / may 2014 THE VOICE OF FIVE GENERATIONS Celebrate National Chardonnay Day with Wente Vineyards C hardonnay is California's most planted wine grape and one of the world's most popular wines. Due in part to its versatility, and part a result of its ability to appeal to a very broad audience, Chardonnay continues to grow in popularity. Wente Vineyards has a long relationship with this grape—dating to 1912, when Ernest Wente persuaded his father and winery founder, C. H. Wente, to import Burgundian Chardonnay cuttings from the University of Montpellier in France. Over the next several decades, Ernest selected and propagated vines that showed the most promise, and the Wente Clone was born. Today, hundreds of wineries throughout California and the world make wine from our Wente Clone of Chardonnay. We were also the first winery in the nation to release a varietally-labeled Chardonnay, a 1936 vintage, and are considered today to be California's First Family of Chardonnay. This year, on May 22, Wente Vineyards will be hosting our second annual National Chardonnay Day celebration, which will be broadcasted from our estate in the Livermore Valley. Chardonnay devotees around the country will be able to tune-in to a special live "Chardonnay Toast" via livestream video with our family and close friends! Join the conversation and share your photos and videos through your social channels using #ChardDay and let us know by mentioning @Wente and using #WenteChard. To learn more about how to tune-in or host your own Chardonnay Day Party, visit us online at www.wentevineyards.com/national-chardonnay-day. We hope you can join us on this very special day as we pay homage to America's favorite white wine! –The Wente Family Tasting Paradise with a French Twist T he third annual Wine & Food Festival Cancun–Riviera Maya honored Mexican and French cuisine, and was held in one of the most exquisite travel destinations in the world. More than 100 personalities from the culinary scene were in attendance to savor the sun, sand, sea, fine wine and gourmet food presentations by renowned international chefs, as well as observe festival founder David Amar present an award to French-American Chef Daniel Boulud for his spectacular contribution to the world of gastronomy. A press conference with Chef Boulud, David Amar, and Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger of Taittinger Champagne pro- vided personal insights into Amar's development of the festival in Cancun, Boulud's journey from a farm in France to become the toast of New York and Taittinger's recipe for enjoying fine Champagne. Following the award presentation, Chef Boulud graciously invited everyone who worked on the dinner to join him on stage to take a bow. —Bonnie Carroll Chef Daniel Boulud. PHOTO: BONNIE CARROLL CHRIS CAMERON VICE PRESIDENT & WINEMAKER C M Y CM MY CY CMY K TastingPanelBEW2.14 copy.pdf 1 2/12/14 9:38 AM A Taste of Coombsville. . . in Las Vegas L as Vegas somms gather for a tasting of Purlieu Wines with winemaker Julien Fayard to show off the stellar terroir of Napa Valley's Coombsville AVA (it's situated just east of the city of Napa). See our full story on page 30. Bottom row left to right: Corey Griffin,Yukiko Kawasaki, Mitchell Wilburn, winemaker Julien Fayard, Yoshimaru Honda, PR maven Serry Osmeña, John Peiser; middle row left to right: Gabriel Garcia, Bruno Bonnet, Jennifer Szychowski, Aevil Harirak Bradley Weinstein, Kelly Thoennes, Claudio Vigani, importer Bruno Laclotte. Top row left to right: Gabriel Garcia, George Tsolis, Juan Martinez, John Curtas, Steve Hua, Caleb Anderson, Alain Visinoni, Pascal Desvaux, Douglas Kim, Robert Brzostowski, Ernie Taketa, Joe Marsco, Patrick Trundle. Bottom row left to right: Corey Griffin,Yukiko Kawasaki, TP0514_001-33.indd 18 4/24/14 10:43 PM