Ed Sbragia is one talented guy. I feel like I can still taste some of his Beringer ‘Private Reserve’ Chardonnays going back to the early 2000s. Speaking candidly with Tor Kenward a few weeks back, I think he had no idea what a colossal success Ed would be as a winemaker and how he would help transform Beringer into one of Napa’s premier producers of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1990s. Ed started as Beringer winemaker back in 1976 and never looked back. I think you will love learning more about his story with my interview here:
It wasn’t until 2008 that he formed Sbragia Family Vineyards, using some of the top growing sites to craft a range of wines from Chardonnay to Zinfandel and Cabernet. Ed trained his son Adam to learn his winemaking style, as Adam is now second generation Sbragia winemaker. I was massively impressed with the new release wines across the board. The 2015 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Limited Release’ Chardonnay (OB, 94) is a downright awesome wine that is beautifully textured and has sensational aromatic and flavor range. I adored the 2015 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Godspeed’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 93) which has plenty of muscle with good restraint and a great sense of place. Learn more about these outstanding wines at sbragia.com Here are the fantastic new release wines by Sbragia Family Vineyards.
2019 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Russian River Valley’ Chardonnay- This fresh, yet beautifully textured Chardonnay shows ripe pear and vanilla cream flavors with minerals and earthy tones. Delightful and well-balanced, enjoy this outstanding new wine over the next five to seven years. Drink 2021-2026- 91
2015 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Limited Release’ Chardonnay- Glorious now at the six year mark, the sinfully good 2015 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Limited Release’ Chardonnay is a barrel select wine made by one of the great Chardonnay winemakers, Ed Sbragia. Really needing some air before consuming, after an hour in the decanter this shows off macadamia nut and creme brûlée tones alongside ripe banana and mango, delivering plenty of exotic appeal. The palate is soft, round and generous with a seamless texture. Layers of buttercream and baking spice dusted shortbread collide with minerals, roasted pineapple and smoky undertones. Utterly sensational to savor now, this still has another eight to ten years of life ahead of it. Drink 2021-2028- 94
2016 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Limited Release’ Chardonnay- The sensational 2016 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Limited Release’ Chardonnay is really shining brightly now at the five year mark. Seamless on the mid-palate, this delivers plenty of ripe orchard fruits with honeydew melon, ripe banana, pineapple upside-down cake and shades of cardamom infused bread pudding. This gives you a weightless experience mid-palate. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the next five years. Drink 2021-2026- 93
2017 Home Field Red Wine- The 2017 Home Field Red Wine is entirely sourced from the Dry Creek Valley and combines Zinfandel (57%) with 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and just a splash of Merlot, Carignan and Petite Sirah. The noes takes on good bramble tones alongside wild strawberry and red cherry with chocolate tones. The palate is fresh and beautifully textured, showing a good core of dark fruits alongside tilled soils and milk chocolate. Delicious to consume now, this has at least another eight years to go. What a killer value here! Drink 2021-2029- 91
2017 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Gino’s’ Zinfandel- Smoky and gunmetal tones combine with ripe red raspberry and red cherry on this fantastic nose. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a lovely air of salinity. Showing good poise and weight, the 2017 ‘Gino’s’ delivers plenty of ripe red fruit with firm tannins and great acidity holding everything in place. This is delicious, refined Zinfandel to consume now. Drink 2021-2028- 92
2017 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘La Promessa’ Zinfandel- Sourced from this site in the Dry Creek Valley, the ‘La Pormessa’ opens with dried herbs and wild blackberry cobbler alongside chocolate undertones that take shape in the glass. The palate is refined with good texture and length. Layers of red and dark fruits march on with minerals, tobacco leaf and shades of Mandarin orange rind. Drink 2021-2029- 92
2017 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Nonno’s Reserve’ Zinfandel- The gorgeous 2017 ‘Nonno’s Reserve’ shows off layers of ripe red cherry, orange peel and fresh sage that meld in the glass. The palate is delicious and full-bodied with bright acidity and a wonderful core of red and dark fruits. Gorgeous to savor now, this outstanding effort will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2021-2031- 93
2015 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Godspeed’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2015 ‘Godspeed’ Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the Mt. Veeder AVA. Owned by Larry Stricker, this high elevation site is set at 1500 feet. Ripe red mountain berries really impress on the nose with tobacco and coffee ground tones rounding out this beautiful bouquet. The palate is fresh and elegant with a great sense of mouthfeel. This wine delivers plenty of red and dark fruits but shows good restraint with bright acidity and firm tannins. Refined and elegant, the 2015 ‘Godspeed’ will cellar well over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2021-2036- 93
2015 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Neal Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The Neal Vineyard is located on Howell Mountain, as this delivers menthol and black currants alongside Turkish coffee and blackberry cobbler tones that sing in unison. The palate has a great core of dark fruits with espresso bean and blueberry compote tones, alongside shades of leather and pipe tobacco. Delightful to savor now, this has a long way to go in the cellar. Drink 2021-2036- 93