Savor Dallas 2009: Wine Tasting Seminar

Moderator: Michael Flynn, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

Participants:

Eric Cinnamon, Winemaker for Sonoma County's Rancho Zabaco Wines -In his mid 30s, Eric Cinnamon is already one of California’s most successful and talented young winemakers. He has imprinted his personal style on the Zinfandel grape and the result is the big bold wines of Rancho Zabaco--a line of vibrant and accessible wines that are a hit with Zin fans everywhere.

Eric works mainly with grapes from the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma, California’s top Zinfandel producing region. With both the creative freedom and the technical expertise to push and stretch the capabilities of the fruit, he has created a complete line of award-winning Zinfandels. The wines range from small case, vineyard-designated wines such as Monte Rosso and Stefani Vineyards to the highly regarded regional Sonoma County Zinfandels.

Eric was born in Sacramento and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fermentation Science at the University of California. He lives in Sonoma County with his wife, Kari, and their two young sons, Ryan and Matt.

Jim Collins, Winegrower, Frei Brothers Reserve -When you spend a lifetime as a farmer, rancher, horseman, and father, you learn to love things that grow. As the man in charge of the Frei Brothers Reserve coastal California vineyards, Jim Collins has the perfect job.

Jim spent much of his career in Texas, and still owns a home in Menard, TX. He is a former director of the Texas Winegrowers Association, and his son is now looking forward to his first year at Texas A&M.

Jim’s current position is Director of Coastal Winegrowing for GVI, one of the Gallo wine family’s vineyard management companies. “I was raised in a family where farming and ranching were in our blood, going back through the generations in Ireland. I grew up with reverence for land being part of our family values. When I met the Gallo family, I realized they shared those values, and I wanted to be part of that again.” Frei Brothers Reserve wines are a clear expression of the land where their grapes were grown, and Jim Collins works hand in hand with Frei Brothers Reserve winemakers to get the best from the vineyard into the bottle.

Bart and Barb O’Brien - Bart O’Brien grew up in Florida, then moved to San Francisco after graduating from the University of Florida and Carnegie Mellon business school. His passion was for starting companies; his chosen field was that of software companies. He was on the founding team of RSA Data Security and Calico Commerce, both of which become public companies, and involved in the startup of several other firms.

Barb O’Brien grew up in Southern California, then moved to San Francisco after attending UCLA and graduating from Montana State University. Her career was in marine container leasing where she managed the contracts department.

Barb and Bart met one evening after a charity event in San Francisco. From the moment they met, they knew that they had a shared destiny. On their third date wine tasting in Napa Valley, Barb said that “she dreamed of owning a vineyard in Napa Valley someday”.

That dream was the start of O’Brien Estate, which they purchased in 2000. Thirty three acres of vineyards, a bonded winery, as well as their home are co-located on forty acres.

Because their winery was founded as a romantic dream, their wines reflect the intertwining of romance and wine. Many of their wines have romantic names, such as Flirtation, Seduction, Romance of the Heart, and Reflection. These wines also have romantic poetry on the back, addressing the emotions of the heart rather than the experience of the palate.