The Ordaz Family Wines
Chuy Ordaz has always been a grape grower, never a professional winemaker. But he taught his sons to make wine in their garage, with the hope that one would take the hobby to the next level. When he launched Ordaz Family Wines, in 2009, he hired a winemaker, but in 2013 his son Eppie — the first Ordaz to graduate from college, obtaining an accounting degree — took over. “I send him to a very expensive school, and he ends up making wine,” Ordaz gripes affectionately. Eppie immediately had a vision for the wines: “Everything we do has got to be single-vineyard. Because I want to showcase the vineyard and the people who work for it.” Lucky for him, his dad hooks him up with some enviable fruit sources. Currently made in a custom-crush facility, Ordaz Family Wines will someday have its own winery and estate vineyard — the full realization of Ordaz’s American dream. The wines are available in some Bay Area restaurants, but for now the best way to get them is directly from the family, at www.ordazfamilywines.com. Pinot Noir Placida Vineyard Russian River Valley 2014 ($38, 13.7%): Ordaz has a long-term lease on Sebastopol’s 9-acre Placida Vineyard, which he named for his grandmother and daughter. This is classic Russian River Pinot, rich with bright-red fruit — cherry and strawberry — touched by cola, terra cotta and a hint of toffee. With a silky, enveloping texture, a wine with obvious appeal. Malbec Sandoval Vineyard Sonoma Valley 2012 ($25, 13.6%): From a 2-acre site on Sonoma Mountain planted in 1990, this Malbec — a grape that Chuy Ordaz believes has great promise in Sonoma — balances sweet and bitter notes beautifully. The aromas are of dusty cocoa powder and fruit pith; on the palate, a sweet-tasting, mouth-filling explosion of red berries yields to graphite and mocha, with delicate tannins. Zinfandel Montecillo Vineyard Sonoma Valley 2013 ($42, 15.6%): A rich, generous wine that holds saline, bitter and sweet-tasting notes in tension. The aroma introduces a pastry note, almost like salted caramel; on the palate, brambly blueberry leads, offset by a bitter sanguinity. Feels polished, with smooth tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon Montecillo Vineyard Sonoma Valley 2012 ($50, 14.6%): From the prized old-vine blocks in the Montecillo Vineyard, this wine smells like bay leaf and mint, then opens on the palate with a shock of super-ripe fruit, before its final crescendo of blackberry and cedar bark. Reminiscent of a juicy, rare steak.