Dream Come True: Blanchard Family Wines

Four and a half years ago, I landed in sunny Santa Rosa, California on a girls' wine weekend.  Before I knew it, I was at a tasting room enjoying the local sips in downtown Healdsburg.  This is where I met Mark Blanchard.  An invitation to Tuesday night Music in the Park lent itself to even more friendly conversation with more local wine lovers and, of course, more wine.  Keeping in touch with Mark and friends over the years, I caught wind that Mark and his brother, James, opened up their own winery.  Already in the Bay area for beer, I gathered the crew and headed straight to Blanchard Family Wines, where Mark met us for a private tasting.

Working weekends for a large volume winery back in my day, it was quite educational for me, along with my wine novices, to hear about how Mark and James got into the business from the ground up.  While letting us sample the last of his 2009 Chardonnay, Mark explained the differences between owning their own vineyards and being able to buy grapes from independent growers.  Currently, BFW is able to cherry pick the fruit they want.  They aren't stuck to what their land would yield them, they get the best of the best.

The day before we came through town, BFW was pouring at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition public tasting.  Being the largest wine competition in the nation, over 5500 wines were entered.  Different medals were given: bronze, silver, and gold.  But, the most coveted award was Best In Class.  This was given to the absolute best wine in its category.  BFW's 2010 Red Scarf Blend was one of those top winners.  As we sipped on this Best in Class, we all knew why it won.  An impeccably balanced blend of six different grapes made this unlike any other blend I've had.  Since 10% of the sales of this wine went directly to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, we knew we had to load up on this before it was gone.

Whether it was the graciousness of entertaining an old friend, the willingness to take the time to share their story and passion, or the exclusive barrel tastings we tried of upcoming vintages, this is evident.  Blanchard Family Wines is not only a dream come true for Mark and James, but for wine lovers everywhere.

www.blanchardfamilywines.com