April 19, 2008
Wines With a Subtle Hint of Volcanic Ash!
Lava Cap Winery is located in El Dorado County in the Sierra-Nevada foothills, about an hour east of Sacramento. Volcanic eruptions from now extinct volcanoes coated this area in lava, much of which has disappeared through erosion. During the California Gold Rush era, miners found the richest gold-bearing gravels were under a thick layer of volcanic rock which they named "lava cap".
After the gold rush, a pear ranch was started in the 1860's and ended up being one of the highest productivity rates for pears in all of California. Geologist and UC Berkeley professor, David Jones, bought the land in the 1970's and after testing and research, found the soil underneath the ranch consisted of volcanic rock, possibly what suited it well for growing fruit.
The soil in this region has definitely given Lava Cap Winery a distinctive edge on bold flavors and intense aromas. I was introduced to their Sangiovese a few months ago and fell in love with it. I had not visited the winery yet and wanted to join their wine club so we decided to check it out. I tried every wine (except two) on their tasting and reserve menus and was impressed with every one which is saying a lot since I tried 16 different wines!! LOL.
As with most vineyards, the wine club is the way to go. Theirs features 20% off single purchase bottles, invites to events, and free tasting of their reserve wines. They are the most decorated winery in the El Dorado appellation which doesn't surprise me after tasting all their current releases! But what is surprising is the low price of their high quality wines - most are $20 or less!
Lava Cap is known for their small lot production, especially of red Bordeaux varietals, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel. Lava Cap and the other wineries of El Dorado County are hidden gems and definitely worth checking out!
After the gold rush, a pear ranch was started in the 1860's and ended up being one of the highest productivity rates for pears in all of California. Geologist and UC Berkeley professor, David Jones, bought the land in the 1970's and after testing and research, found the soil underneath the ranch consisted of volcanic rock, possibly what suited it well for growing fruit.
The soil in this region has definitely given Lava Cap Winery a distinctive edge on bold flavors and intense aromas. I was introduced to their Sangiovese a few months ago and fell in love with it. I had not visited the winery yet and wanted to join their wine club so we decided to check it out. I tried every wine (except two) on their tasting and reserve menus and was impressed with every one which is saying a lot since I tried 16 different wines!! LOL.
As with most vineyards, the wine club is the way to go. Theirs features 20% off single purchase bottles, invites to events, and free tasting of their reserve wines. They are the most decorated winery in the El Dorado appellation which doesn't surprise me after tasting all their current releases! But what is surprising is the low price of their high quality wines - most are $20 or less!
Lava Cap is known for their small lot production, especially of red Bordeaux varietals, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel. Lava Cap and the other wineries of El Dorado County are hidden gems and definitely worth checking out!
Welcome to Lava Cap Winery
One of the volcanic rocks at the…
View into the vineyards
Another area with the volcanic r…
View from the Sierra foothills
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