Wine of the Month Mourvèdre

Wine of the Month Mourvèdre

by | Jun 7, 2022 | Wine of the Month

We’ve always viewed Mourvedre as our “teaching wine”. Quite a few of our customers encounter Mourvedre for the first time while tasting our tasty versions. We want people’s first encounter to be “Do I like it?” versus “Is it like another wine I’m familiar with?” It’s freeing to taste something for the first time and let your own experiences drive your reaction. We think that the velvet smoothness, dark berry element and the hint of white pepper combine to create a great wine experience for anyone who tries it.

Wine of the Month Mourvèdre Tastings

Join us at one of our locations through the links below to join in our Wine of the Month Mourvèdre tastings.
Visit Us In Camino
Visit Us In Folsom
Mourvedre

Order Mourvèdre

This winery favorite is a medium-weight wine with a bright mid-pallet and a long finish. Enjoy with a garlicky dish!

Order Mourvèdre Here
Carol Burnett Meau-Faux Celebration

Carol Burnett Meau-Faux Celebration

by | Apr 15, 2022 | Cellar Events, Station Events

Carol Burnett is one of the funniest Meau-Fauxs EVER! She and her merry band of tricksters made a generation laugh out loud – not just once but weekly. The enduring characters that she created and her brand of clean comedy bordering on slapstick set the bar high enough that it is unlikely to be attained again. Her birthday is April 26th and we are fortunate to still have her with us. For her unique and enduring contribution to humor and mirth, Crystal Basin honors her as a True Comedic Meau-Faux!
Wine of the Month – Syrah

Wine of the Month – Syrah

by | Feb 28, 2022 | Wine of the Month

Syrah is an ancient grape variety that was naturally hybridized in the northern end of France’s Rhone Valley over 2,000 years ago from two obscure parent grapes. It’s the 7th most widely planted grape in the world – grown on all continents. It is regarded as one of the Noble Varieties*. A complex and flavorful wine with depth and power, Syrah was one of the two wine varieties that we wanted to explore when we founded Crystal Basin. Our best results were perhaps from our 2010 vintage, when we won Best of Class at the 2013 CA State Fair.

Our Syrah grapes come from two sites in El Dorado County – both at high altitude. Once is behind the Apple Mountain Golf Resort off Carson Road and the other is up Happy Valley Road in an especially remote location. We’ve also purchased a small amount of Syrah from Pleasant Valley since 1993 and there are times when that vineyard produces transcendent fruit. All these vineyards get ripe in mid-October and the pick point can be determined by how ‘slippery’ the grape skin is over the pulp and seeds of the grape.

Syrah Crystal Basin Cellars
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Wine of the Month

Every month we highlight one of our favorite wines. In March 2022, that’s our award winning Syrah. Join Mike Owens and Rex on the Radio McNeil as they demonstrate the wine of the month tastings you can expect this month.

Schedule Your
Wine of the Month
Syrah Vertical Tastings Below

Visit Us in Camino
Visit Us in Folsom

Syrah Blends

We use Syrah as a component of two of our Ascendance blends – our Victorie Rhone blend and our Xpealidocious SuperCalifornian. We also find a batch of Syrah from time to time that is worth of our Red Cap program, which is our Best of the Best. The process of blending these wines is like unwrapping presents under a Christmas tree! We hope you enjoy the results as much as we enjoy making our wines.

VICTORIE, “GRAND RESERVE”
Order Victorie
XPEALIDOCIOUS, “GRAND RESERVE”
Order Xpealidocious

Syrah Blends

Extra credit? Check this cool article about Noble Varieties and the range of wine flavors here: https://winefolly.com/lifestyle/the-18-noble-grapes-wine-challenge/
Wine of the Month : February 2022 : Merlot

Wine of the Month : February 2022 : Merlot

by | Feb 2, 2022 | Wine of the Month

Merlot is an important grape varietal from the Bordeaux region of France. Much-maligned by Hollywood in the movie Sideways, it fell out of favor after the release of that movie in 2004. In the decade before the movie was released, Merlot was the darling of the wine world because of it’s fruit-forward flavors, relative lack of tannins and ease of pronunciation. This popularity, however, led to Merlot being planted in areas that were not suitable for its cultivation. Consequently, the wines from these poorly-chosen regions had flavors of bell pepper and olives. Ack.

El Dorado County-grown Merlot is most often found on decomposed granite soils that aggressively drain. The Italians say that grapes ‘don’t like their feet wet’, so our quick-draining soils are optimal for growing this variety. Our most notable accomplishment with Merlot was a 4-star Gold Medal at the Orange County Fair for our 2010 Merlot. This notoriety led to an invite from the Orange County Fair for Mike to be a wine judge at their competition.

Our Merlots are grown at Gold Hill Vineyard near Coloma and Sauber Vineyard near pretty much nothing. Our style of velvety-smooth fruit with a hint of mocha and atomized chocolate (think of taking the top off of a tin of Nestle’s Quick) has made our Merlots a benchmark for the variety in the Sierra Foothills. We hope you have some to enjoy during the all-too-short month of February.

Buy Merlot Here
Visit Us In Camino
Visit Us In Folsom
February Meau-Faux Celebration

February Meau-Faux Celebration

by | Jan 31, 2022 | Cellar Events, Station Events

Crystal Basin is always seeking to identify and honor innovative leadership. We’ve created a way for us all to recognize and celebrate truly unique folks on their respective birthdays. Each month, Crystal Basin will select three special Meau-Fauxs who have made an indelible mark on the world in their own way.

This moniker is not to be taken lightly. It takes a LOT to be a Meau-Faux. You have to get up early, stay up late, and in many specific cases, be able to party like a rockstar. We know these personalities and what they stand for instantly. By calling our attention to these leaders, we hope you’ll be able to pull some essence of their spirit into you daily
life. They are, quite simply, Meau-Fauxs.

For February – We honor our second batch of amazing Meau-Fauxs for this year!

Ronald Reagan – 2/6

A Hollywood actor turned mid-century conservative thought leader, Ronald Reagan punched far above his weight class. He was, in many ways, a man of his times. Not only did he marry a glamorous starlet and literally take a bullet for his county, but he leveraged his film career to lead California through an unprecedented period of economic growth and, as a 2-term President, devised and implemented an international policy that led to the demise of the Soviet Union. His complex worldviews still are in evidence today. He was far ahead of his time with his support for gays, his disgust with communism and patriotism in the face of adversity.

Thomas Edison – 2/11

Is there ANYONE who has pushed back the night like Thomas Edison? His efforts to create and deliver electric light quite literally changed the pathway of the human species. His inventions have been adopted worldwide and his visionary talents enabled the creation of a host of cultural innovations. Edison was a genius in many ways – holding almost 1,100 patents including motion pictures, microphones and the phonograph. If you are reading this on any type of electric device – thank that Meau-Faux Thomas Edison!

Johnny Cash – 2/26

True Meau-Fauxs sometimes are rebels with devil-may-care approaches to life. Cash was an iconic rebel County singer and legendary partier during the 1950s and 1960s. His career overlapped with a lengthy list of lesser Meau-Fauxs from that time, including Elvis, Waylon Jennings, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. The ‘Man in Black’ is perhaps best known for his song Folsom Prison Blues, although he was not incarcerated there and performed at the prison only once. Religion and rebellion are intertwined in Cash’s introspective songwriting and performances. A true February Meau-Faux if there ever was one!

CBC Fans – It has been decreed, mandated and codified that on each of the birthdays of these storied Meau-Fauxs, CBC will be selling our Chateau Meau-Faux Red Blend and our Kougar Coolaid White Blend 1.5 liter pouch for $25. Phone in orders are acceptable (530-647-1767) , but we suggest that toasting one of these Meau-Fauxs on their birthday may be just the ticket.