MEET THE WINEMAKER—dana von sternberg, /vō–kel/ cellars

722 Pasadena Avenue South,South Pasadena FL 33707

03 March, 2021

Description

With the singular purpose of crafting artisan wines, Vokel has the luxury of forging personal connections to the land and wines they create. Vokel (meaning 'in their own words') is the philosophy of their winemaking—let the grapes speak for themselves.Vokel Cellars is an ultra-boutique micro-winery in the Russian River Valley. With the singular purpose of crafting artisan wines from their own small estate and a few nearby vineyards, Vokel’s crew has the luxury of forging personal connections to the land, their process and the wines they create. Each of winemaker Dana von Sternberg’s extremely limited runs is fiercely individual. Each wine course includes a savory cheese & charcuterie pairing. Limited, socially-distanced indoor / outdoor seating available. RSVP required. $55 PP SINGLE$50 PP TWO+ SEATED TOGETHER Tasting Menu2018 VISZLAY VINEYARD CHARDONNAYExplosive waves of peach pit, wild daisies and fresh tangerine radiate through layers of Meyer lemon, green apple and apricot that ebb and flow with driving intensity and youthful tartness. Hints of honeysuckle and dried hay provide a subtle complexity balanced by cheese rind and lightly leesy notes. Impressions of sandy earth and marine salinity are rounded out by a finely textured minerality unruffled by the thread of oak. Medium-bodied with a backbone of lively acidity. Delicate yet powerful, bright and well-balanced. 2017 828 NEIGHBORS PINOT NOIRNamed for the clone used in the cuvée, this über-small-production wine is earthy and stemmy, with lightly-spiced, delicately-layered tones of raspberry, cherry and pomegranate and a silky smooth palate evoking rhubarb and orange. The acidity is fresh, forceful and in full-command, interwoven nicely between the fruit and spice to lighten the full-bodied load. 2018 DRY CREEK MERLOTTart black raspberry, dark cherry and cigar box energetically collide with sagebrush, cinnamon and scorched earth in a wild display. Notes of bougainvillea and lavender provide lift, while dried mint, tobacco, cedar and eucalyptus leaf reveal herbal underpinnings. Dusting of nutmeg, coffee grounds and cocoa powder with hints of asphalt and cast iron give a rugged earthy complexity. Full-bodied and terrifically juicy on the palate, with elevated tannins firmly supported by bright acidity. 2018 MICHELI VINEYARD CABERNETThe Micheli Cabernet hails from the base of Atlas Peak in the heart of Napa Valley. This is the more feminine of our Cabs, with complex structure and solid acidity. While this wine can benefit from laying down for some time, it tends to be more approachable early on than our Coombsville. 2018 LUTHER FAMILY VINEYARD CABERNETThis beautifully balanced Cabernet is from the wildly popular Coombsville AVA. Some of the best new Napa Cabs are being made from grapes neighboring this vineyard. As always, we specialize in finding incredibly small parcels to work with, taking all the grapes from this incredibly small, family-farmed vineyard. Meticulous care is taken by the Luther family to provide us with the intense fruit necessary to make this big Napa Cab, capable of aging for a decade or more. Big tannins compliment the earthy fruit notes on the nose.