Meet the producer: Folktale, Aviary and Golden Wineries from California

Today we had a video call with Eddie Morris of Folktale Winery and Vineyards in California. In addition to their own wines, two other vineyards belong to the group: Aviary Vineyards and Golden Winery.

In the video below Eddie explains how their group operates, what are their guidelines and which features to expect in their products.

We tasted their Golden Winery chardonnay from Monterey County, 2019, a golden yellow wine with intense and complex aromas that surprises for its full body, near perfect balance and length. Gone are the days of overly rich Californian chards, Golden rediscovers the more traditional freshness of the variety. I happily paired it with a traditional Chinese "you tofu" and cabbage in the wok. Score 92.

The label needs clarification: it is Monterey-grown fruit but sometimes produced in Napa for operational reasons. As they explained to me, "the bottling location often different than the area that the grapes are grown. Our facility in Napa is about 2.5-3 hours from Monterey. Depending on the availability and need of production, wines from Napa can end up being bottled in Monterey, or Monterey wines can be bottled in Napa."

We also tasted a cabernet sauvignon reserve 2018 from Aviary, a complex abundance of red and black fruit, with tannins rounded by 14 months in oak and a medium structure that will pair well with food of character. I tried with beef chunks in the wok and slightly spicy broccoli. Score 93.

For those lucky enough to visit Folktale in California, their estate is now perfectly equipped for tasting, meals and every facility to organize events or explore the vineyards and the region at leisure.