By Bruce Neyers

Saturday 31st August, 2024

A couple of weeks ago, Barbara and I drove to Napa with our daughter Lizzie. We were headed there for lunch, but more importantly we’d arranged a meeting with Dave Jochim, a long-time friend and business associate. I met Dave 25 years ago, when he was the head of Agricultural Lending for Union Bank, and he developed a borrowing strategy that enabled us to build the Neyers Vineyards production facility on land we’d purchased in Napa Valley’s Sage Canyon district. We paid-off that loan several years ago, and Dave has moved on to a new role in the banking community, but he remains a valued customer and a trusted friend. We schedule periodic meetings with him, and I almost always learn something at them. He had just returned from a trip to Spain, so in that spirit I brought along a bottle of our 2021 Carignan ‘Evangelho Vineyard’. After a toast, he sipped the wine, and with his typical bright smile, turned to me and said, “This is delicious.” I was flattered. “Why do you make Carignan?” he asked. An answer was hard to come by, so I changed the subject.

Later, on the way home, Lizzie raised the same question. “Three people are responsible.” I said. And so began the complicated tale of my love affair with Carignan. Here’s the abbreviated version.

First, I worked for Kermit Lynch, who could justifiably lay claim to introducing Carignan to America. He hired me in early 1992, and one Saturday morning he invited me to Berkeley for a tasting of new arrivals. One wine was a Corbières Rouge, made from 100% Carignan. I loved it, and brought home a case.

Chuck Furuya was our distributor in Hawaii then, and he knew the KLWM wines better than I did. I called him regularly with questions. In one conversation he talked about Kermit’s Carignan-based selections. They were ideal for the ‘Fusion Cuisine’ just emerging then, he said, and in the warm climate of Hawaii, he served them chilled. I tried that, and the wines were even more thrilling.

The final influence came on a trip to the south of France. Kermit had sent me to Villeneuve les Corbières to meet with a new supplier, Maxime Magnon. Maxime produced three separate, proprietary-named bottlings of Carignan, and each was stunning. They were all organically made, and came from 100-year-old vines. We spent the better part of the day together, tasting wines, visiting vineyards, and learning his ideas on farming with animals, not machinery.

Our winemaker Tadeo Borchardt was the figurative glue here, though, as he embraced the idea of producing wines from Carignan as much as I did. He found our first Carignan supplier — Frank Evangelho — in Oakley, a small town on the southern lip of the Carquinez Straits, in the far corner of Contra Costa County. Tadeo tried many of the wines imported by Kermit, talked frequently with Chuck Furuya, then visited Maxime Magnon, full of questions and seeking advice. The result is the wine that enchanted Dave Jochim, and it’s had the same effect on many others. We love the combination of bright fruit accompanied by a complex, rustic earthiness. There is never doubt that this wine comes from old vines – many of them approaching 150 years. The sandy soil plays a key role as well, as there’s a note of minerality along with its attractive richness. It’s a smooth wine, with a soft, lingering finish that at times seems endless. A brief chill before serving is a great idea.

It’s been warm here lately, so Barbara’s dish of fresh tomatoes, pitted olives, arugula, and Mozzarella in a vinaigrette is especially welcome. We love it served along with a bottle of slightly chilled Neyers Carignan.

Roasted red and yellow bell peppers with mozzarella and vinaigrette

Ingredients

• • 2 each red and yellow bell peppers the skin removed
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • 1/3 cup mixture of olives such as nicoise, picholine, or kalamata, pits removed
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

1. In a small bowl combine the vinegar and Dijon mustard.
2. Using a fork or whisk, slowly add the olive oil and set aside.
3. Cut the peppers in quarters and remove the seeds and veins.
4. Arrange the mozzarella cheese and peppers on a platter, alternating the different color peppers and the cheese.
5. Put the olives on top of the peppers and cheese and cover with vinaigrette.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.