I was driving home from Anne Moulton’s memorial in Campbell and stopped at the Summit Store in Los Gatos to buy a bottle of Burrell School wine. Anne, who founded Burrell School Vineyards with her husband Dave Moulton, passed away recently and I wanted to pay a tribute to her by writing about their wine.
Curtis Cooke, the wine, spirits and craft-beer buyer at the Summit Store, helped me choose a bottle. It turned out he had also been to Anne’s memorial.
Burrell School makes an excellent Cabernet Franc and their Estate Pichon Vineyard 2012 Cab Franc is no exception. It sells at the Summit Store for about $28–affordably priced for such a luscious wine. Dave Moulton says this is the eighth Cabernet Franc made from their Pichon Vineyard, located on the slopes of Mount Umunhum near Lexington Reservoir. It’s a “sleek, spicy wine,” as Moulton calls it, with red berry and cherry flavors. It pairs well with chicken, roast pork, pasta, meatballs in tomato sauce, and a variety of cheeses.
Burrell School’s tasting room will be open Saturday for the quarterly Passport event (see below), a golden opportunity to try their excellent wines.
All Moulton’s wines have a school theme in their names—in honor of the historic 1890 school house where he handcrafts distinctive wines—and this Cabernet Franc is called Extra Credit.
Burrell School Vineyards, 24060 Summit Road, Los Gatos, 408-353-6290, burrellschool.com.
Passport Wine Tasting
The first Passport event of 2017 is from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21. The purchase of a Passport allows you a complimentary tasting at participating wineries. Visit scmwa.com for more info.
Hunter Hill Vineyards & Winery Still For Sale
The beautiful estate of Hunter Hill is up for sale for $2.3 million. On the books for some time now, the price includes the house, swimming pool, tasting room, vineyards, and all the wine-making equipment. Visit hunterhillwines.com to see the listing.
