Ed Sbragia's STELLAR Lineup!

When Ed Sbragia was growing up, wine meant both livelihood and quality of life to his family. Ed's grandfather, an immigrant from Tuscany, had naturally gravitated to the wineries flourishing in California at the turn of the century. Ed's father acquired his own vineyards near Healdsburg, growing zinfandel grapes for sale and home winemaking. "He made excellent wine," says Ed, "and he taught me that making wine is a very natural process - that good grapes and good techniques will make good red wine."

Ed pretty much put Napa Valley's Beringer on the map with the wildly popular White Zinfandelof the 1990's. He is now a consultant for Beringer after 32 years as Winemaster. "Beringer has been so gracious to me. They helped me start my family winery, Sbragia Family Vineyards." How ironic that his White Zin plonk became the phenom which bankrolled his dreams!

Ed and his wife, Jane Sbragia, purchased the old Lake Sonoma Winery facility in 2006 and this is where Sbragia Family Vineyards started its very own winery. I caught up with Ed recently and here's what he had to say...

"Sbragia Family Vineyards is a dream that I've had for some time, a small, family-owned winery making limited, individual lots of wine from grapes grown in select blocks of my favorite vineyards. I've always had one foot in Sonoma and the other in Napa. Both areas mean a lot to me emotionally. I'm more attached to Dry Creek because it's where I raised my kids. But the wines that I've made at Beringer are like my children, so Napa is also a very special place to me. Either way, the wines are intensely personal, and expression not only of terroir, but of my family's winemaking heritage."

The winery is small, family-owned and is known for making wine from a single vineyard designate. All of the wine is limited production and made in the big, rich, polished Sbragia style. The winery produces 8,000 cases of wine per year... about the same amount of Beringer White Zinfandel Ed produced every day!

Join the FranksWine Crew all weekend on North Union Street from 12noon to 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday. We'll be pouring the 3 Sbragia wines paired with a layout of cheeses, pâté, charcuterie, spreads, flatbreads and crostini from our DiBruno Bros section!

For maximum holiday indulgence our favorite local artisan chocolatier Sean Cavanaugh ofRenaissance Chocolate will be here the next few weekends sampling out his hand-crafted confections!


FranksWine SBRAGIA 6-pack Sampler Case!
You Get 2 Bottles of Each Wine for Only $119.99!!You Save $89.95... That's 43% Off!!!




Sbragia Family Vineyards 2010
Gamble Ranch Vineyard ChardonnayRegularly Priced at $49.99
$28.49 with 6-pack Sampler Purchase!

Vineyard 
"Making Chardonnay from Gamble Ranch feels like revisiting an old friend every year, and it only seems to get better and better," says Ed. Gamble is a big property in the heart of Napa Valley - it spans the Yountville and Oakville Crossroads - and it's divided into dozens of small blocks according to soil type, aspect, etc. This fruit comes from a few small blocks planted with a mix of rootstocks and clones - very specific sites identified over the years as producing particularly rich, flavorful and complex Chardonnay. This harvest marks the 8th vintage of this wine for Sbragia Family Vineyards.

Winemaking
Gamble Ranch produces grapes that can stand up to the style of Chardonnay I love: big, bold and gutsy, but never out of balance. Ed Sbragia gives the juice a gradual month-long fermentation in barrel, then allows the wine to go through 100% malolactic fermentation. The wine spends a full 18 months in 100% new French Burgundian barrels, with weekly lees stirring to integrate the oak and give the wine extra creamy richness. 4,508 cases made.

Winemaker Comments
"I love big, rich Chardonnay, and again Gamble Ranch delivers such depth of flavor with the 2010 vintage. Ripe flavors of pear, lemon curd and red delicious apple are accented by notes of hazelnut, vanilla and banana cream pie. Its rich, unctuous flavors are complemented by a lush mouthfeel and full-bodied texture."

FranksWine SBRAGIA 6-pack Sampler Case!
You Get 2 Bottles of Each Wine for Only $119.99!!You Save $89.95... That's 43% Off!!!

Sbragia Family Vineyards 2012
Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon BlancRegularly Priced at $24.99
$14.29 with 6-pack Sampler Purchase!

Vintage
The 2012 growing season in Dry Creek Valley was nearly magical. Cool nights, foggy mornings and warm sunny days throughout summer and into harvest ripened a crop that was notable for both quality and quantity. 5,030 cases produced.

Winemaking
To emphasize the brightness and clarity of the fruit, we ferment the grapes in 100% stainless steel. The wine is placed in seasoned barrels until bottling in January and released with a screw cap closure that protects the bouquet and bright flavors.

Accolades
Rated 90
Stephen Tanzer, INTERNATIONAL WINE CELLAR
"Bright aromas of tropical fruits, lemon, gooseberry and white pepper, plus a rocky nuance. Offers good musky lift to the intense tropical fruit flavors. Finishes bright and tight, with pleasing savory length. A very good value."

FranksWine SBRAGIA 6-pack Sampler Case!
You Get 2 Bottles of Each Wine for Only $119.99!!You Save $89.95... That's 43% Off!!!

Sbragia Family Vineyards 2010
Home Ranch Vineyard MerlotRegularly Priced at $29.99
$16.99 with 6-pack Sampler Purchase!

Winemaking
The Home Ranch Merlot is made the way Ed Sbragia's Dad taught him: keep the barrels clean and topped, and the wine will take care of itself. This minimalist approach is particularly well-suited to the rustic quality of Merlot from Dry Creek Valley. The wine aged for 18 months in partially new/partially seasoned French Nevers oak barrels to impart brown spice aromas and flavors and supple tannins. Ed blended a small amount of Cabernet Franc for added aromatics and structure. 2,738 cases produced.

Winemaker Comments
"Warm, lush flavors of cherry liqueur are punctuated with notes of bright red currant and rhubarb in our 2010 Home Ranch Merlot. The wine has a rich mouth-feel without being ponderous, with notes of dark chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon spice and an intriguing note of pink peppercorn. The tannins are soft and supple and the wine carries a long, smooth finish."

Accolades
Rated 92 *Editor's Choice
Steve Heimoff, WINE ENTHUSIAST
"An impressive wine. Ed Sbragia wrestles that famously briary Dry Creek rusticity to the ground, forcing it into refined elegance. With straightforward blackberry, cherry, mocha and cedar flavors, it's simply delicious for drinking now."

FranksWine SBRAGIA 6-pack Sampler Case!
You Get 2 Bottles of Each Wine for Only $119.99!!You Save $89.95... That's 43% Off!!!