Tasting Room of the Week:

EIZABETH SPENCER

by Nan Reiley
Whether or not you ascribe to the old saying “Some things were just meant to be,” it would be difficult to dismiss it in the case of Elizabeth Pressler and Spencer Graham.
Theirs is the story of two people whose careers and lives inevitably came together with what would appear to be a very happy – well, maybe not “ending” but a continuing life together doing what they both love best – making and promoting fine California wines.
Unlike many vintners who made their fortunes in businesses unrelated to wine and then were bitten by the winemaking bug, Elizabeth and Spencer have been in the food and wine business all their working lives. Spencer first became a restaurant waiter, chef and sommelier on the East Coast, gaining a keen interest in and appreciation of fine wines. He then established his own wine wholesale and import business and began traveling to California to visit winery clients there. And whom should he meet, in 1993, in the course of these activities but Elizabeth Pressler, then a marketing consultant to one of his winery clients.
Elizabeth herself had restaurant experience similar to Spencer’s, also on the East Coast. She traveled west in 1978 to work as a tour guide at Joseph Phelps Winery and blossomed from that beginning in the wine business to an impressive career in marketing, public relations and consulting. She became particularly expert at launching new luxury brands, where her ability to identify and express the unique characteristics of each winery would eventually result in her business partnership with Spencer. But the romance came first: a dinner together in 1994 at The French Laundry, followed by an evening of conversation and star gazing culminated in marriage in 1997.
They settled in St. Helena, where Spencer, who had sold his wine wholesale business, turned his hand to winemaking, first blending purchased wines to create his own style statement. The decision to form their new winery seemed obvious to them both, and after agonizing over names for their new enterprise, they settled on a pairing of their names, a perfect counterpoint to their partnership in all matters. This year, they are celebrating the tenth vintage of Elizabeth Spencer Wines.
When you visit the Elizabeth Spencer Tasting Room, don't be surprised if you happen to meet one of the owners. Elizabeth and Spencer are both very involved in the day to day business and they often drop by the tasting room to meet customers. Located in Rutherford, in the heart of Napa Valley, the small, charming brick building that houses the tasting room was built in 1872 and originally served as the first post office for the Rutherford region.
Following extensive renovations of this building (yet preserving the original appearance), Elizabeth and Spencer are landscaping and creating gardens and outdoor tasting areas for their customers’ pleasure.
Here is an unusual opportunity to taste Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from some of the region’s most prestigious vineyards. Long-term contracts with respected growers, based on history and mutual respect, give Elizabeth and Spencer access to grapes that Winemaker Matthew Rorick makes into delicious, approachable wines. Rorick’s belief in “meticulous minimalism” ensures that the vineyard characteristics will shine through in each variety.
You can check out these characteristics for yourself when you visit the tasting room: several different Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Cabernets are available, each with its own nuances and each very delicious. For example, the 2005 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay has luscious peach, caramel and pineapple aromas and flavors, with pure Chardonnay fruit character underlying it all. Two Pinot Noirs, one from Sonoma County and one from Anderson Valley in Mendocino County, further highlight the appellation-distinction of the wines. Yet both wines show the true varietal character of cherry/raspberry, meaty, smoky Pinot Noir fruit.
What would a Napa Valley winery be without a showcase Cabernet Sauvignon? The 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet is dark, dark, dark, with plum and blackberry aromas, a full, rich body, velvety-smooth tannins and a long finish; $40, and a bargain at that.
You can visit the tasting room at 1165 Rutherford Road (just a few yards from Hwy. 29) in “downtown” Rutherford every day from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tasting fees range from $10 to $15, for five different wines (very reasonable by Napa Valley standards). Limited production and distribution make the winery’s two wine clubs especially attractive: long after you’ve left the lovely valley, you can enjoy having Elizabeth Spencer wines shipped to you automatically. Consult the web site for more information and for food and wine pairing events at the tasting room. For more information, call (707) 963-6067 or go to www.elizabethspencerwines.com.

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