1996 Kalin Cellars Sémillon, Livermore Valley. I’ve been on a Kalin kick lately…which is an awesome kick to be on, ha! This Sémillon was outstanding! Easily the best domestic example I’ve ever had, and right up there with the top Hunter Valley offerings. A nose full of bright citrus and a stunning, medium bodied palate with lemon curd, lime, and lanolin and with VERY long and slightly bitter finish (in a good way). Unbelievably fresh, delicious, and contemplative all at the same time. What a privilege and a treat to drink! #kalincellars for the win yet again!
Nice note Rich. I have one more of those hanging around. We had a 1996 Cline Semillon that was amazing the other day. I think the Kalin Semillon wines were made from the old vine Semillon vineyard that Wente owned, planted with cuttings from chateau d’yquem back in the day. Harbor winery made some Semillon from there too.
I have to agree! The sparkling rose the other day was incredible, but im loving the Sémillon a bit more than the chards ive had. I believe they made a chenin one year and im trying to get my hands on one of those!
I don’t think the vineyard is there anymore or at least the quantity of semillon from Livermore has slowed a lot. Harbor and LVC used to make wine from there also. Wente owned it but I think it was on the old Charles Wetmore/ Cresta Blanca property they had purchased. I think it was originally planted in the 1880’s with cuttings from y’quem. The early Cresta Blanca wines won lots of awards. Hopefully someone else I’m not aware of is getting the grapes now. Uncle Yu’s restaurant in Livermore always has lots of Kalin wines on the list.
Although further snooping would suggest the Cresta Blanca property is where the current Wente tasting room is, so could be either? Not sure they’ve ripped up the vines though.
Nice finds. Murrietas Well does have a Wente connection. I do think the semillon comes from the Cresta Blanca vines. That is the first recognized imported Semillon to the US.
Quote from the fps website —-
“Wetmore is relevant to the grapevine collection at Foundation Plant Services because he was responsible for bringing to California from France in the early 1880’s the original source material for Sauvignon blanc FPS 01 and for Sémillon FPS 02. Although the story will be told in greater detail below in connection with Sauvignon blanc 01, Wetmore travelled to Bordeaux with a letter of introduction to the owner of Château d’Yquem and returned to California with cuttings of Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle.”—
It would be awesome if some started producing Semillon again from that vineyard. I do still have 1 bottle of 2006 Livermore Valley Cellars made from there and went through a bunch of the 1989 Harbor Semillon when they were being sold pretty cheap at Corti a few years ago.
I dug a little more and it looks like Louis Mel who owned the winery and vineyards that are now Murrieta’s Well (and are now owned by Wente) provided the letter of introduction for Wetmore to the owners of Yquem. Mel’s wife was friends with the owners. Below is the location of where Cresta Blanca was located, you can see the white cliffs that sat above it in the large bend of Arroyo Rd. Cresta Blanca location
