CleverRoot

s u m m e r 2 0 1 8 | 4 7 2002 Fifth-generation wine- maker Karl D. Wente, the son of Eric and Arel Wente, joins Wente Family Estates after graduating from Stanford University and the University of California, Davis; he also gained experience at Peter Michael Winery in Sonoma and the Brown Brothers winery in northern Australia. He now serves as the Chief Winemaker and Chief Operating Officer of Wente Vineyards. Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Wente, meanwhile, writes and publishes her second cookbook, The Casual Vineyard Table: From Wente Vineyards with Kimball Jones. 2004 The Wente family introduces The Nth Degree, a new line of luxury wines handcrafted by fifth- generation winemaker Karl D. Wente. 2006–2008 The Course at Wente Vineyards hosts the Nationwide Tour for three consecutive years. 2008 Wente Vineyards is inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Vintners Hall of Fame. The Course at Wente Vineyards celebrates its tenth anniversary. 2010 It's a significant year for the Wentes. Wente Family Estates is recognized for its sustainability with respect to its vineyard, winery, and company prac- tices through the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing designation. The Course at Wente Vineyards is certified by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program; the Wente family receives the Wine Lifetime Achievement Award from the California State Fair; and Wente Vineyards receives the Winery of the Year award from the California Travel Industry Association. 2011 Wine Enthusiast recognizes Wente Family Estates as the American Winery of the Year. The Food Network partners with Wente Vineyards to create entwine, a new California wine portfolio. 2012 Wente Vineyards celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Wente family's involvement with Chardonnay after bringing cuttings from Montpelier, France, to Livermore in 1912. Today, the Wente clone of Chardonnay is the most widely planted in California. 2018 Wente Vineyards celebrates its 135th anniversary, as well as its 55th anniversary of farming wine grapes in Arroyo Seco, Monterey. Estate-Grown Pairings with Executive Chef Mike Ward Mike Ward, Executive Chef at The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, spent years under the tu- telage of Michelin-starred chefs throughout Boston, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The conscientious chef attributes his technique and skill to these experiences, yet he learned the true meaning of seasonality when he stepped outside of the kitchen. After returning home to California, Ward spent time on a farm, where he learned to cultivate the land and was humbled by the back-breaking work. This period expanded his views of seasonal cooking and unearthed a newfound appreciation for farmers, artisans, and their bounty of ingredients. "It's about knowledge, it's about understanding what food is, where it's grown, and who's growing it. It's about the next generation," says Ward. As his enthusiasm for cooking grew, he went on to work at the El Paseo Restaurant in Mill Valley under the guidance of Sammy Hagar and Tyler Flor- ence. There, his love for wine and its relationship with food expanded, and in 2015, he was hired by Wente Vineyards. "I can honestly say that I've never worked anywhere like this," Ward says. "We have our own organic garden, we raise our own steer, we make our own olive oil, we have an orchard, we have the whole portfolio of Wente wine, and on top of that, we have the Wente family." Ward insists that to prosper as professional chef, it comes down to the question, "How good is the boss?" Together, their likeminded philosophy—sustainable ingredients used with integrity— expresses itself in every wine bottled and meal served. "They're amazing people," Ward says of Wente family. "They really take food, wine, and business very seriously." Chef Ward works closely with Wente Vineyards Wine Director Jorge Tinoco to create indelible pairings that complement The Restaurant's extensive, award-winning wine list. With the release of the 135th An- niversary Chardonnay (see below), Chef Ward highlighted ingredients from their own backyard with a menagerie of beets, nectarines, frisée, and microgreens atop a bed of herbed goat cheese. The sweet, subtle quality of the beets accentuates the wine's fleshy stone fruit character, while the creamy goat cheese mimics its rich, silky mouthfeel. The pair- ing exemplifies the true meaning behind "farm to table": Ward adds, "It's like the terroir—this is our wine, and these are our flavors, our garden, and our farm." As a hearty alternative, Ward also presented a grilled quail with sweet chili glaze and a sunomono salad composed of cucumber, mint, cilantro, peanuts, and lime juice. He notes that "the Chardonnay is not over- oaked so it can really handle a bit of that grassy flavor from the cucum- ber, and the sweet chili sauce isn't too hot or too sweet, so it was a nice complement." 135th Anniversary Celebratory Chardonnay ($40) This limited-release bottling features a blend of Chardonnay grapes from the family's estate vineyards in both Livermore Val- ley and Arroyo Seco in Monterey. The vintage label pays homage to the United States' very first varietally labeled Chardonnay, produced by the Wente family in 1936. Aromas of yellow peach and elderflower mingle with just a whisper of oak. Fleshy tropical fruit, green apple, and sweet corn flavors balance a crisp, flinty minerality that lingers and implores another sip. ■cr

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