2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition: Montoliva Vineyard & Winery Silver Mining in Gold Country

2015 MV&W Aglianico - Silver Medal
(Aglianico Category. Last year took Best-of-Class)

2014 Estate Sangiovese ~ Barrel Select - Silver Medal
(Sangiovese Category)

2016 Negroamaro - Silver Medal ("Other" Italian Varietals Category)

2016 Dolcetto - Silver Medal
​ (Dolcetto Category. Last year took Double Gold)

Ok, so Silvers all the way around. By awarding a Silver, what the judging panel is indicating is that these wines are Very Good representatives of the category they were entered in to.  The Negroamaro and Sangiovese are currently in release, so come by and find out what a Very Good (and reasonably priced) Negroamaro and Sangiovese taste like. If you are interested in my take on commercial wine competitions....


                                                                                                                     

"Over the past decade, Montoliva has developed a fiercely loyal following. Henry likes richness and mass in his wines, but also freshness and buoyancy. One of his few white wines, the 2014 Falanghina, is richly textured and fruity, not far removed from gewürztraminer or riesling in its floral aroma, but it is light on its feet. His 2011 Nebbiolo is sweetly fruity and leanly built, without the grippy tannins often associated with the variety. His proprietary blends show careful attention to mutually flattering compatibility and balance. The 2013 Mark’s Magia is a dark, juicy and anise-laced blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro, while the 2012 Sierra Bella is a fully grown and solidly structured mix of Sangiovese, Teroldego, Barbera and Nebbiolo."

​ ~ Mike Dunn, Sacramento Bee, 12 January 2016

"Entertaining and Informative."

~tastingroomreview.com

Montoliva is "Putting Us On The Map."

~ Rod Byers, The Grass Valley Union, March 2015

"Epic"

~ Sarah Miller, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 July 2015

"Mark Henry is a courageous winemaker"

~ Dan Berger, Vintage Experiences, 2010 ​

"Great wines. Wonderful owner. Mark takes the extra time to make sure the customers ​ understand the variety and styles of wines he makes"

~ Rob P., February 2016

Tasting Room Dates

June 14, 15, 16, 2019

Friday - 1 to 5pm​

with last pouring starting at 4:30 pm

Saturday - Noon to 5pm  

 with last pouring starting at 4:30 pm

Sunday - Noon to 5pm  

 with last pouring starting at 4:30

As anyone who has ever visited us will tell you, sampling wine at Montoliva is a unique experience, as we go into a great deal of detail about the grapes we grow and the wines we make. This takes some time, and for this reason, we cannot begin a pouring session after 4:30pm (otherwise we are wrapping up at close to 6, which cuts into family time). We are pouring
2018 Sierra Donna ​(a proprietary white blend),
2016 Negroamaro
2016 Sierra Bella ​(a Sangio/Barbera/Teroldego/Primitivo blend),
2016 Dolcetto,
2015 Aglianico,
2017 Mark's Magia (a Primitivo/Negroamaro blend)
2016 Late Harvest Barbera,
2014 Sinistra (a Barbera/Teroldego blend), 
2014 Nebbiolo, 
​2016 Barbera.
​Whew, that's a lot of wine!

More weekends than not, we also open something we've found in our case storage, usually something we've forgotten about, and maybe have a case or two of. This upcoming weekend, that is likely to be either our 2012 Sinistra (a Teroldego/Barbera blend), or our 2013 Aglianico. We only open one each weekend, so it may not be available for sampling by Sunday afternoon.
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Awards & Press Clippings