White Crane – 120
Wednesday, July 20th, 2005
White Crane Winery could be considered far off the beat-n-track, as far as Livermore is concerned. It is located at the very end of a long, straight street, through an agricultural area peppered with horses, grape vineyards, and a golf course. Nestled up against the edge of some small hills at the end of the road, there is a slight incline where the buildings are place, giving the winery an elegant view of the surrounding valley. White Crane has begun creating a second label entitled "Winery 21" to denote the fact that they were the 21st winery in the Livermore valley.
As you enter the dirt road driveway, you witness a small white house. Compared to the behemoths of the Napa valley, this is decidedly quaint and charming as you approach the building up through the winery’s grapevines.
The charm continues as you enter the tasting room, which I gather to be historic due to its low, sloped ceilings and aged wood interior. White twinkling Christmas lights and a large provide the illumination. Eager and convivial staff man the tasting bar; or bars — as they are actually nothing more than wine barrels which have been converted into tables. The prices given are estimates as the staff did not have a price list and only seemed to know a total if physically rung into a cash register. Quaint and charming seem to be the words which describe both the experience and the wines:
Winery 21 NV California Sparkling – Made from 100% Chardonnay, this estate-grown fizzy shows a bit of sweet wine stone fruit in the nose and a delightful semi-sweet entry. Clean and easy, I could throw one of these back with no problem on a sweltering afternoon. $17.00
2002 Chardonnay, Folkendt Estate – Clear, bright aromas of pear, apple, and butterscotch. Depth in the mid-palate and a long, creamy finish. $35.00
2003 Merlot, Perpendicular – Dark, purple core color with black plum and black brambleberry fruit showing in the nose. Very elegant and spicy mouth entry displays continual dark fruit and a spicy, engaging finish. $26-ish
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Folkendt Estate West Ridge – A touch of green bell pepper in the nose. Hot, mineral entry with an herbal finish. Surprising hotness, considering it is only 13.8% alcohol. $41.37.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Folkendt Estate East Ridge – Slightly medicinal nose that subsides to show dark fruit. Even, smooth entry blossoms with a medium-bodied berry complexion. Smooth finish with a hint of cocoa. $49.66.
2003 Zinfandel – Dark magenta color with a jammy aroma. Port-like blackberry mouth entry with a sweet spice on the back end. Curious if there is any residual sugar in this wine and it is not necessarily a bad thing; I tend to like my Zins a tad on the sweet side with the spicy integration. Not syrupy, but medium-bodied that makes it easy to drink. No price.
2003 Zinfandel Port – Apparently the fortifying agent in this wine is a zinfandel brandy. I got to sniff a bit from a bottle they had behind the counter. The port is inky dark and goes where the previous Zin began; liqueur and spice and everything nice. No price.
2004 Chardonnay Port – Odd to have finished the tasting with a white sticky and I was a tad sorry that it was served at room temperature. The girls behind the counter were nice enough to pull out a platter of Stilton which improves the wine. A tad hot, I could detect some elegant white peach and honey, but would like to try it again slightly chilled. No price.
White Crane Winery ~ 5405 Greenville Road ~ Livermore ~ CA ~ 94550 ~ 925-455-8085