Charles Woodson Launches Intercept - Affordable Wines from Paso & Monterey

Photo Credit: Lu Chau, Photagonist

For those who didn't follow college or professional football during the late 1990s through the middle of this decade, you may have missed the extraordinary career of Charles Woodson. Primarily a defensive back, Woodson was a two-way star at the University of Michigan and in 1997, his junior year, the Wolverines won a share of the National Championship and Woodson was awarded the Heisman Trophy. He not only beat out Peyton Manning for the award, but he was the last non-running back or quarterback to receive it. I remember the famous game against Ohio State where Woodson was instrumental - returning a punt for a touchdown, intercepting a pass in the end-zone, and making a long reception that led to Michigan's only offensive touchdown of the game. In the NFL, Woodson played 18 seasons with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers, a Pro-bowl player for half these seasons and winning the Super Bowl with the Packers in 2010. His NFL career ending after the 2015 season.

Like many of his fellow professional athletes, Woodson has successfully launched a wine brand Woodson Wines soon after retiring and more recently Intercept Wines in collaboration with the country's seventh-largest winery O’Neill Vintners & Distillers. Woodson first became interested in wine while playing with the Raiders when the club's training camp was located in Napa Valley. Say's Woodson, "My love of wine happened organically while living in Napa Valley during training camp playing for the Oakland Raiders in the '90s. The way people connected with wine intrigued me and I wanted to be a part of it." The Intercept collection consists of four wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blend, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay - all priced at $18 and sourced from either Paso Robles or Monterey County. The wines are made by Amanda Gorter, the assistant winemaker at Robert Hall Winery working under the esteemed Don Brady. So right there are three positive indicators for this collection: price, appellation, and winemaking. Recently I received samples of two of these wines described below.

2018 Paso Robles Chardonnay
This wine is 100% Chardonnay sourced from the Adelaida and Templeton Gap Districts; these are two new sub-AVAs located within the western side of the larger Paso Robles appellation. The Templeton Gap AVA is noted for its cool days and nights due to the ocean breeze that is blown in through a gap in the Santa Lucia Range. As Paso's most western region, the Adelaida District receives the greatest influences from the Pacific Ocean with more rain and cooling breezes. These climates are best for cool-climate grapes but also grapes like Chardonnay in which enhanced acidity is desired. This acidity is what drives the Intercept Chardonnay bridging the apple and citrus fruit notes with the slight toasty notes from the barrel fermentation and sur lie aging. A fresh and balanced wine.


2017 Monterey County Pinot Noir
This wine is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the Santa Lucia Highlands (90%) and Paso Robles (10%). The Santa Lucia Highlands is a small but popular winegrowing appellation in Monterey County that is known for cultivating excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Like the western Paso regions, this region is strongly affected by maritime influences which extend the ripening season and enhance acids. The wine is medium-bodied with dusty and chalky cherries, some baking spices, and noticeable yet approachable tannins.

Disclosure: We received samples from Woodson Wines in order to share our opinion about their products, but this isn’t a sponsored post.

Hess Select Central Coast Pinot & North Coast Cabernet

Looking for wine to bring to a party? Then think of Hess Select wines; they are suitable because they are generally very approachable and boast an agreeable $20 SRP.  Whereas the Hess Collection wines are produced from the winery's Mount Veeder Napa estate, the Hess Select wines are produced from grapes sourced from other California appellations. Many of these are small family growers whom Hess Family Wine Estates has established long term relationships. Here are two such wines we received this month.

Hess Select Central Coast Pinot Noir ($20) - The grapes are sourced primarily from the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey. Director of Winemaking Dave Guffy says these grapes are grown in the Sarmento Vineyard, "located on the benchlands of the Gabilan Mountains in Monterey, where the Pacific breezes boldly cross the range each afternoon to cool the vineyards". This results in an extended and moderate growing season. The wine is loaded with sour cherries, deep chewy fruit, slight pepper, and medium tannins. A fan favorite.

Hess Select North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) - The North Coast AVA encompasses several sub-AVAs and grape-growing regions in six counties located north of San Francisco: Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano. The region boasts a mild Mediterranean climate with regular diurnal swings providing flavorful fruit finishing with refreshing acids and balanced tannins.  Lake and Mendocino counties were the sources for this wine and Duffy says the later provides the plummy spice characters and the inland Lake county the fruit forward dark berry flavors. And there is deep fruit in this wine, approachable, with spices and vanilla, and ending with smooth tannins.