There were 40 alumni who came for a least some portion of the weekend on April 25-27. Tim Wallace ’74 was a HUGE help in pulling this off! His staff at Benziger were very accommodating and hit it out of the ballpark with everything.
We started off the day with a private tour of this biodynamic winery. The guide, who was very funny, explained how Benziger doesn’t use any pesticides, but does use livestock to keep the grasses at bay, and also reuses their compost as fertilizer.
Benziger sits in a valley that was home to an ancient volcano, so the ground is exceptionally fertile. Tim explained that Benziger was originally started as a mass production winery called Glen Ellen (at one point it was one of the top five producers of bulk wine in the world). Mike Benziger wanted to get back to his roots and grow exceptional award-winning wines as organically as possible. As a result, they sold off the brand name and started doing things biodynamically.
Benziger grows a variety of wines both on site and in vineyards further north and south. They have their own insectaries on site to encourage “good insects” such as ladybugs and praying mantis. Their water is all recycled and they do soil analysis to determine which grapes grow best in each of the 30 different soil varieties they have onsite. The grapes that grow best for them are Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
As part of the tour, we visited the winery’s man-made wine caves, which are earthquake resistant and go 700 yards into the mountain. Tim answered questions about wine growing, then it was off to the tasting room where we sampled a variety of wines not available to the open market—including a phenomenal port and their top-of-the-line Cabernet Sauvignon called “Tribute.” You can genuinely taste the time and care they put into their product. Even their chardonnay was delicious (and I am not a big fan of California chardonnay). It was smooth and didn’t have that big oaky buttery taste that many CA Chardonnays have.
Because of the unseasonably cool weather, we opted to have lunch in the caves instead of the outdoor terrace. The room was set up with one long table and looked like a medieval castle, complete with candelabras. Each person had selected a lunch ahead of time, so everything was labeled and ready to go. More wine was served with lunch and, at the end of the meal, each person was able to choose a bottle of wine to take home.
From Benziger, we all piled into cars and drove to their sister winery, Imagery. Imagery specializes in rare varieties like Tempranillo, muscato, viognier and white burgundy. Tim had arranged for this to be a private tasting as well out on their patio and they had waived the tasting fee. After lunch, we all sat out on the patio in the sun and chatted.
People had an hour to walk around, take a break from tasting wine, and explore Sonoma, which is a cute little town built around an old-fashioned square. There are a ton of little boutique shops, amazing restaurants and tasting rooms.
Our final winery of the day was Envolve, co-owned by Tim’s nephew. One of the other co-owners was there to do the pourings. (Turns out he was on “The Bachelor”!) Envolve was created by four young guys and was named for their desire to give back to the community ecologically and economically. They are also biodynamic and they donate 10 percent of their earnings each month to a charity. I loved the sign that hung over the entrance to their tasting room: “Pop a cork, start a friendship”!
Following the tasting, we moseyed across the square to the Swiss Hotel and Restaurant for dinner. The cocktail hour featured calamari and baked brie, along with more Benziger wine. Dinner was in a private room set up with two long tables, each seating 16 people. I had set out Williston wineglasses at each place setting as a surprise, which was a big hit. Tim asked each person recount a story about Williston that either meant the most to them or was the funniest they could remember. Many, including myself, told stories of breaking a rule or two. Others, like Corie Fogg ’99, got up and talked about how the school and the people there had really changed their lives for the better and made them who they were today.
As the meal was winding down, Tim had one final surprise and brought out Benziger Port for dessert. This wine is delicious with a capital D. After profusely thanking Tim for everything, we headed back to the hotel.
On Sunday, a smaller group went to a winery called Jacuzzi that also produced olive oil. We ended with a visit to Gloria Ferrer, a sparkling wine vineyard, for a taste of bubbly.
Overall, a really fun event. I had a number of people ask if we could do something like this again and Tim also mentioned that he would be happy to host. In addition to Sonoma, we have an alumus who owns a winery in Santa Barbara, Chuck Tauck with connections to the wineries in the Finger Lakes region, and alumni up in Portland and Willamette Valley area, all of whom have volunteered to help pull something together.