Garsa's focus on the Mediterranean varietals of the Sierra Foothills continues to expand with the new release of an El Dorado Grenache, an Amador Rousanne and an El Dorado Syrah. 

Garsa Syrah 2006 is 100% El Dorado Syrah, a blend of grapes from the Baby Rattlesnake vineyard and Cedarville Vineyard.  After 14 months in French Oak, this wine has assumed a rich, elegant character that starts with jammy red fruit, followed by brown spice and distinct notes of chocolate.  The finish is of medium length.  Garsa Syrah works great with almost any red meat and is superb with rich pasta sauces.  It retails for $19.99.  320 cases were produced in this inagural vintage.

Garsa Roussanne 2007 is Garsa's first dry white.  One of the reknowned white grapes of France's Rhone region, Garsa Roussanne possesses the distinctive minerally character of this grape, with forward honeysuckle fruit.  This wine was aged in French Oak for 12 months to take on the vanilla complexity of a barrel-aged white.  Great with fish and poultry, Garsa Roussanne is also soft enough to enjoy by itself. Only 118 cases were produced.  Suggested retail is $19.99.

Garsa Grenache 2006 is the only release we will ever have from the Lone Meadow vineyard in El Dorado, as these vines were grafted over to Syrah after this vintage.  Too bad, because this Grenache is loaded with layers of red fruit and spice that make this wine a soothing drink without food, but it also pairs well with Spanish tapas, burgers, and spicy red meat sauces.  Aged in nearly-neutral French Oak barrels to add just a touch of vanilla spice for complexity.  Only 78 cases were produced of this once-in-a-lifetime wine.  Retail price is $19.99.  Not to be missed!

Garsa Portrait, a tawny-style dessert wine done in the classic Portuguese Port tradition.  This aged tawny is a blend of wines from the 1995 and 1997 vintages harvested from vines more than 60 years old.  Portrait is a blend of Tinta Madeira, Souzao, Touriga, and Tinta Cao.  This wine is available only at our two tasting rooms and online. A consistent hit in these venues, this wine is nearly gone - only a few cases remain.  Because of the extremely limited quantities of Portrait available, we must enforce a three bottle maximum, and  no discounts are available.

The 2006 Garsa Tempranillo has been released and is now available both in the two tasting rooms and via this website.  As with the sold-out 2004 vintage, this Tempranillo is 97.5% Calaveras County Tempranillo from the Rolleri Vineyard.  The wine still offers fresh red fruit (with notes of blueberrry) and rich brown spice on the mid palate.  A top-rated wine in the Snooth.com global tasting initiative.  Only 92 cases were produced and are available for only $19.99 a bottle.

Garsa Sonya is a multi-varietal (would you believe seven distinct varietals?) blend that produces a somewhat lighter, brighter fruit character than does the richer Tempranillo.  Sonya (wisdom) is a superb example of what the blending art of a talented California winemaker can accomplish.  Here the brighter fruit notes come from Sangiovese (the noble grape of Italy and the foundation of Chianti), tempering the more jammy notes of the Foothills Tempranillo.  The blend also includes Syrah (adding spice notes) and Cabernet Sauvignon (for structure).  The result is a surprisingly drinkable red wine that will accompany many meat and pasta dishes, yet feel right at home with nothing more than great conversation among a group of close friends.

Fewer than 10 cases remain and the philosophy of this wine will change with the next bottling, so act now to secure your supply of this incredibly versatile wine.  Suggested retail price is $17.99.

Garsa Rosado de Sangiovese 2006 is SOLD OUT! (Sorry!)