Salamandre Wine Cellars

Tucked into a shaded redwood canyon two miles from the beaches of Aptos, Salamandre Wine Cellars crafts wines with old fashioned hand labor and grapes picked in the cheerful spirit of friendship and respect.

Chardonnays were Salamandre's passion when they opened their small family winery in 1985, and they remain intrigued by the differences between small vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Arroyo Seco.

Merlot and Pinot Noir have become consistently popular for Salamandre, but they have always enjoyed experimenting with new varieties and new styles. These explorations always teach them something they wouldn't have learned doing the same thing every year, and sometimes we all celebrate with delicious results!

Winemaker Wells Shoemaker and partner Dave South use intensive traditional methods by choice - and by necessity - while striving to make elegant wines in the Mersault style. Because of Salamandre's small scale, the wines are hard to find East of the Santa Cruz Mountain ridge line.

Rose - 2007, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
$14.00

Named for a remarkable woman and made with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, this wine is beautiful to behold in sunlight, delicious to taste in any light, and priced so that any passionate person can buy a case.

Chardonnay - 2007, Dettamanti Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
$20.00

This vineyard on the summit creates a wine with a somewhat leaner, more angular style that the Arroyo Seco, with delicate fruit and a balanced vanilla contribution from the oak. The 2006 was cherished as a food-friendly wine, and I think the 2007 will please the chefs…and the diners alike.

Pinot Blanc - 2007, Arroyo Seco
$22.00

In 2005, Wells had planned to make Viognier, but the fruit was a bit disappointing that year.  However, in the adjacent row in Arroyo Seco's UC Davis certified Woodstock nursery, he saw a bounty of fully ripe and marvelously fruity Pinot Blanc.  I figured I had an empty truck, a full day, and an intrigue for adventure, and, yes, he made Pinot Blanc.  It sold out within months after release…probably his most popular white wine ever.  Well, it's back!    He let the 2007 hang until the trademark white peach flavors just jumped out of the grapes, barrel fermented it like Chardonnay although with older, neutral oak barrels, and tried to keep out of its way.  Beyond the fruity aromas, it has a soft mouth feel, yet plenty of natural acidity to stay bright for years.

Viognier Late Harvest - 2007, Arroyo Seco, Monterey
$22.00

Viognier grapes at Arroyo Secco produce pure honeysuckle with nuance or pear. 9% residual sugar, a sensual treat. 89 points at Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Competition only 2 weeks after bottling.

Chardonnay - 2007, Arroyo Seco, Monterey
$24.00

The 2007 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay is going to turn some heads of both young and old wine lovers. It’s full of the tropical fruit and melon character that typifies these vines, with the same firm acidity that has made this a consistent winner over 3 decades. A tasteful background contribution of French oak will make anybody who says they “don’t like Chardonnay” recant their heresy.

Pinot Noir - 2006, Meadowridge, Santa Cruz Mountains
$32.00

The meadowridge vines push deeper into the soils of Corralitos every year, and we expect greater complexity from these Dijon clones with each successive vintage.  This wine seemed so drinkable in the early months after bottling that Wells had a few butterflies, but happily, it just keeps gaining layers of interesting fruit—cherry, to be sure, but also pomegranate, strawberry, plus some of the earthiness that begs you to go find some Chanterelles. 

Primitivo Ultra Late Harvest - 2004, Monterey County
$32.00

A few warm days spiked the harvest sugar well beyond what normal yeast can handle...over 35%. It quit with 14% residual sugar...more than most ports, with a great concentration of ripe fruit flavors. Yes, of course, this harmonizes with dark chocolate, but try it with vanilla ice cream or Bosc pears or, perhaps best of all, an imaginative companion. This wine is precious and scarce—Wells has never made anything like it before and may never have the chance again.

Bourdeaux Blend "Coyote Cuvee" - 2006, Wiley Ranch, Arroyo Seco
$36.00

After 19 months in the cellar in mixed Nevers and American oak, the blend is a little softer than the 2004, which by the way is really spreading its wings now. It’s 29% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and 14% each of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot…representing all 5 of the traditional Bordeaux blending varietals. It offers a really welcoming, warm fruitiness of plum and cassis, with hints of cedar and vanilla.

Newt South Wells - 2006, Monterey County
$36.00

36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Shiraz, 18% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Primitivo, all from Monterey County. It’s inky, bold, and bulging with fruit…absolutely what Wells was hoping for. Until 2010, it’s going to come across young, and I’d encourage you to decant it an hour before serving.

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