At Galante Vineyards their philosophy is simple: grow the finest grapes possible and let the fruit express itself in the wine. Since all of their grapes are estate grown, each bottle of wine they produce embodies the characteristics of the incredible Monterey County, exhibiting the natural flavors that are born from the land.
Jane Hohfeld Galante, graduated from Cal with a Master of Arts in 1949. Jane is Jack Galante’s (President of Galante Vineyards) mother. Jane was in a long line of Cal grads since her father, Edward Hohfeld, uncle, Wesley Hohfeld, and twin aunts, Rose and Lily Hohfeld, all graduated from U.C. Berkeley around the end of the 19th century.
Janes favorite Cal memory: “My own particularly strong recollections about the period that I spent on campus are that the late 1940s were an especially exciting time because young people whose educations had been interrupted due to military service were returning to college under the GI bill of Rights, full of enthusiasm and optimism and dedicated to learning and innovation and the prospect of a bright and successful future. I was also inspired by living at the International House and by meeting international students from every part of the globe, many of them refugees, but a number, also, from non-European countries beginning to play a very important role in the emerging global economy.”
Why she got involved in the wine industry: “As for the wine and grape industry, in 1969 my husband and I bought a piece of land in the Carmel Valley because we wanted our two sons to learn, not only about city values, but about living and working on the land. We chose the Carmel Valley area due to my family’s ties with the region since my grandfather, J.F. Devendorf, founded the town of Carmel. The property was a cattle ranch at that time, but when our manager became too old to do the hard work of a cow-calf operation, we looked into the possibilities for another kind of land use. The Farm Bureau in Salinas urged us to develop a vineyard. They said that our location and the kind of soil we had were “pure gold.” My husband planted the first vines in 1983 and for several years we sold the grape harvests to various commercial wineries. Our son Jack took over the operation in 1991 and subsequently built the winery and is responsible for the “pure ambrosia” in the glass. Drinking the wine that Galante Family Winery produces is my main contribution to the wine industry.”
2007 Red Rose Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker Notes: This fabulous Cabernet is a blend of 8% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 8% Petit Sirahand 76% Cabernet Sauvignon. One is immediately struck by the deep color of this wine which leads into an explosive mouth full of cherry and cassis. A good amount of vanilla flavors from the new French oak and chewy tannins round out this wine, lingering in a really long finish.
90 Pts.—Wine Enthusiast
2006 Almond Flat Pinot Noir
Winemaker Notes: Our 2005 Almond Flat Pinot Noir is grown 1000 feet above our Cabernet Vineyards at 1800 feet in elevation. The weather in our hills is influenced by its close proximity to the coast (10 miles) and is more moderate than the weather in the valley below. Our Pinot Noir is very Burgundian with big, bold flavors or dark plum and Moroccan spice.
2009 Sauvignon Blanc
Winemaker Notes: Our very limited Sauvignon Blanc is tank fermented and aged for only three months in French oak barrels to add additional body. This wine exhibits crisp, fresh characteristics of mango and peach with a hint of grapefruit. Bright acids and an explosive fragrance round out this refreshing wine.
92 Pts.—Wine Enthusiast
