Tasters Guild Orlando: Eddie's Wine Pick

Mettler Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

The 2002 Mettler Cabernet Sauvignon has an attractive garnet hue. Earthy scents of plum, blueberry, leather, green olive and a vanilla note tantalize the nose. The mouth-feel is medium bodied and fruit forward. Its fruit forwardness is balanced by structured tannins. You will find a plethora of flavors explode in your mouth including, blackberry, cocoa, white pepper, ripe black cherry, plum, tea and sweet tobacco. This is a balanced, juicy Cabernet that's drinking nicely right now or to cellar. This Cabernet has an approachable yet traditional style. It pairs beautifully with barbequed lamb chops with fresh rosemary, filet medallions and caramelized onions, and is sinfully delicious with dark chocolate. The 2002 Mettler Cabernet Sauvignon is highly allocated and becoming difficult to come by. When you do find it, expect to pay $25.00 retail or $55.00 in a restaurant and it is well worth it! I have cellared a couple bottles and consumed my fair share! It is worth the try and will be a shame when it is gone. Enjoy while you can.

Cheers!

Eddie Nickell - Sommelier, Director of Tasters Guild Orlando

THE ROOTS

With their roots in the wine industry dating back to the 1770s, it’s no surprise that the Mettler Family is still growing grapes today. After migrating to the U.S. in the late 1800’s, the Mettler family migrated to California, where they knew that farming would bring success. The east side of the now famous Lodi region is where the first Mettler vineyards were planted by George Mettler which began the family's Lodi legacy. Carl Mettler, 4th generation farmer and George’s grandson, continued the family tradition and dedicated his life to farming his grandfather's land. Carl and his wife raised their family amongst their Lodi vineyards. Carl worked closely with nearby Universities and delegated several vineyard sites to experimental varieties.

This experimentation helped to establish growing conditions for specific varieties in the Lodi region. Carl's dedication in the vineyard awarded him a spot in the Agricultural Hall of Fame. His integrity and love of the land is still being carried out by one of his three sons, Larry Phillip, who still farms the original Mettler Vineyards, along with his wife Char and their three children, Kimberly, Kelli and Adam.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Larry began farming in the early 1970's, after graduating with a viticulture and enology degree from the California State University of Fresno. He has continued to keep the family's passion for excellence in the vineyard alive, and he and his wife Char have instilled that within their three children, Kimberly, Kelli, and Adam. Over the years, the Mettler family’s premium vineyards have produced grapes for many well-known winery clients. In 1999 The Mettler family retained the help from friend and consulting enologist Barry Gnekow and produced wine for their own label with Cabernet grapes from one of their best vineyards. The inaugural wine was released in the summer of 2001. In 2003 the Mettlers expanded their portfolio with the release of their first Petite Sirah. Each member personally contributes to the family operation, both with longtime experience and formal education.

Kimberly, a graduate of the University of the Pacific with a masters in Psychology; Kelli who holds a degree in Agribusiness and International Wine Marketing, and Adam, a graduate of the University of Fresno with a degree in Enology and a minor in Chemistry, all have joined their parents in the family business and the launch of their wine brand. Kimberly’s husband, Jason Eells, is also involved with the family wine operations and is responsible for vineyard management. Family pride and old world values have remained with the Mettler family through their eight generations of grape growing - five generations in the Lodi area alone. The Mettler Family works closely together to ensure that every detail promotes quality from the vineyard to the bottle, and they are committed to producing wines of the highest quality.

OUR VINEYARDS

Our family has been growing grapes for eight generations, dating back to a small German, now French village Alsace. We have been growing premium wine grapes in the Lodi appellation for five generations. We were one of the very first farming families to introduce French clones to our region, and have experience growing many varieties of grapes. We farm hundreds of acres some of which date back to our families original properties, which are over 100 years old.

Our Cabernet is selected from very small blocks of vineyards, which are trained on special trellis systems, one which was originally designed by Jason, our vineyard manager and Larry. Our trellis systems allow just the right amount of sunlight to grace the fruit on the vine. Our crop level is controlled using minimum use of water and hand thinning. Our wine is an expression of where and how the grapes are grown, including the clonal choice, vineyard sites, trellis, crop management and expertise of the winemaker. We personally manage the entire process, paying close attention to every detail.

Our family is committed to being on the cutting edge concerning the farming of our vineyards. It is our dedication to this and the personal control we have over our vineyards that allow us to master the quality of our wine from the vineyard to the bottle.

Also incorporated into our farming program are many organic aspects. Cover crops are grown in our vineyards, providing a means of protecting and improving our soil structure. This enables the organic matter within our soils to keep turning over, which helps build and maintain the structure and fertility of our soils, which promotes a more natural approach to farming. Owl boxes have also been built to create homes for owls to reside and raise their young, promoting natural rodent control in the vineyards. This helps protect young vines and shoots from becoming nibbled on and destroyed.

We also farm our vineyards using the latest biologically integrated farming system. This program was designed to monitor our appellations vineyards, reducing chemical usage and placing pest traps in vineyards to guard against such destructive pests as the glassy winged sharp shooter. Reduction of water and fertilizers in our vineyards along with integrated pest management (IPM) keep our vineyards healthy, and our wine quality consistent.

The personal control we have over our vineyards allow us to master the quality of our wine from the vineyard to the bottle. At Mettler Family Vineyards, our vines are part of the family.