Tina Mitchell of Palmaz Vineyards
Tell us about the sustainable and eco-friendly practices at the vineyard: Love the land, know the grape, and make a wine that honors both is the ethos that has been followed in the past 20 years of wine making at historic Palmaz Vineyards. Founded by Julio and Amalia Palmaz and run today by the Palmaz family, Palmaz is known for their wine cave and for artfully combining history and technology – which make this gravity-flow winery truly best in class.
This is evidenced in so many of the areas of the vineyard and winery. For example, every stone that was removed when building the winery’s 18-story cavern has been repurposed throughout the 64 expansive acres. Water is captured, treated and recycled in the vineyards and throughout the property. Vigor, the technology used in the vineyards involves monitoring the vineyards several times a week with an aircraft, photographing each section of the expansive estate – down to each plant to ensure that irrigation is precise, water is not wasted and the vineyard as a whole is stronger because together each of the 24 growing areas thrive from bud-break to harvest.
Florencia Palmaz, CEO and cookbook author, grows all of the vegetables and herbs that are used in the inventive tasting menus on the property. Cheeses are sourced locally and the grass-fed wagyu beef is from the family’s ranch in Northern California. The unique eco-system created by the family and wine making team are gentle on the land, respectful of nature and a nod to giving back to the land for future generations to enjoy.
Tell us about the varietals you make: Palmaz Vineyards offers most notably its Cabernet Sauvignon along with other varietals such as: The Gaston Cabernet Sauvignon, Brasas, Amalia Chardonnay, Louise Riesling, Florencia Muscat and most recently added a Rosé to their portfolio as well. The Gaston Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the best lots of Cabernet and is only made and released when the family feels the wine will live up to its special designation. The Florencia Muscat is meant to be the refreshing finale to dinner with delicate floral and spicy fruit aromas; this limited-production wine is only available for sale at the winery.
What are a few wines that readers should try right now?