Wine Profiles
An Italian Classic in California: 2015 Piedra Creek San Floriano Vineyard Lagrein Edna Valley
Your wine night cap is here!
Let's start the week off right with something a little different. The 2015 Piedra Creek Lagrein is just that.
This bottle is a real rarity, and a delight to drink. Almost never seen outside of Northern Italy, Lagrein is most famously grown in the high-altitude vineyards of Alto Adige. There are very few vineyards outside of this region that have any of this grape growing and even fewer grown in the beautiful central coast of California. Piedra Creek took this delicately nuanced grape and gave it the opportunity of a lifetime, to grow in the perfect climate that is the Edna Valley.
This wine has a lot of New World charm with a lively fruity character and just a touch of New French oak barrels. There is a natural touch of spice on this, you can kind of think of this bottle as a session Zinfandel. Just a touch lighter but just as chock full of character. This Lagrein is fruit-forward with a kiss of earthiness.
Piedra Creek is a fan favorite around here and unlike their previous wines we've offered, this one-of-a-kind bottling is from one of the ONLY vineyards growing this variety in all of California. It's a rare variety in its Italian homeland and significantly rarer outside of it!
Lagrein is so rare that there are only 1,000 acres of the variety planted worldwide! This precious variety has also been called "the best value red" by Madeline Puckette of Wine Folly. Finding a bottle of wine is like finding a hidden treasure. I think it's time to strap on your leather boots and loot some plunder.
Piedra Creek is a small winery that, like most producers in the Central Coast, actually focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. When planting the estate vineyard in 1999, the founder Romeo Zuech, decide to plant a handful of Lagrein. Romeo like Lagrein is native to Alto Adige, he moved to the United State to be a rocket scientist before pursuing winemaking in his retirement. (How often do you drink rocket science wine?)
This is a great go-to bottle for any day of the week. An ideal pairing is a light conversation and holiday fare. Open up one of these with your favorite holiday feel-good movie and a big bowl of popcorn.
