food and beverage

Meet a Cabernet cowboy named Jack. He rides the range in Monterrey County
on the 700-acre Galante family cattle ranch and vineyard in Carmel Valley
admiring the rows of vines that produce his estate grown Galante Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and other premium varietals.

Jack Galante comes from a long line of historical Carmel residents
including his great grandfather J. F. Devendorf who founded the town of Carmel and later built the historic Highlands Inn. Since the beginning
when the Galante ranch was planted with grapes in 1983 to the development of the winery in 1994
Galante Vineyards has been rounding-up awards and accolades nationwide for their top-notch reds
to become recognized as one of the premier cabernet producers in Monterey County.

As a native Texan
I was immediately drawn to Jack and his partner Dawn
for their down-to-earth
cowboy style all blue jeans
boots and big smiles. But beyond the Texas charm are bold wines that speak for themselves
revealing hints of the heat of Carmel Valley with layers of fruit and earth.

Jack believes quality fruit is the secret to great wines. Our philosophy is to grow the finest grapes possible and let them speak for themselves through the wine. He points out that the extreme temperatures of the upper Carmel Valley (Cachagua) result in a long growing season with extraordinary hang time
producing cabernet sauvignon grapes that ripen slowly for intense
rich wines.

Seek out a bottle of the 1998 Galante Red Rose Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is aptly named
rising above a field of crimson roses
among the thousands of rose bushes growing on the ranch today. The wine itself is bold and rich in color
with a burst of dark berry and cherry fruits and medium tannins for a single-vineyard Cab that drinks well now
and should improve with age through 2008. Or sample the 1999 Rancho Galante
a vineyard blend of nice fruit
soft tannin that is easy drinking and pairs well with chicken
pork or beef.

As we head off into the sunset
Jack leaves us with a Galante Vineyards cowboy philosophy to remember
Never follow good wine with water...unless you're out of good wine.