It was a beautiful spring day in Livermore, and we were enjoying some of our favorite Vasco Road wineries. We had time for just one more tasting, and we were excited to learn about the new wines at Occasio Winery.
The Occasio tasting room is a warm and comfortable mixture of dark wood and caramel walls that put us at ease as soon as we entered. We found a spot at the tasting bar and met our wine guide Kathlene. She made us comfortable and added a fresh bit of trivia to our treasure trove: the Occasio winery is named after the Roman goddess of opportunity. Boom! Can’t wait to drop that pearl during our next wine outing.
We started our tasting with their 2016 Chardonnay, aged in predominately neutral French oak. We enjoyed the crisp pear and nut notes and appreciated wine maker Dave Hendrickson’s gentle touch on the butter. Next up was one of our favorites: their 2014 Zinfandel. Maturing nicely, we appreciated the blueberry and gentle pepper nuances. This wine took the top of our take home list.
We next tasted the 2014 Telos, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petit Verdot. Taking its name from the Greek word for goal or purpose, this wine had intriguing greenery on the nose, leading to layers of coffee, plum, and earthy mushroom on the palate. Their 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon impressed us with its dark, dark cherry and plum notes and even a hint of melon. Another hit with us was their 2014 Merlot. This wine showed an amazing mouth feel and a soft and smooth progression of fruit leading to a lingering finish. This joined the Zin on our take home list.
We reached the end of the tasting flight at about the same time that the tasting day drew to an end. With lots of wine in hand and lots of fond memories, we thanked Kathlene and headed for home. What an amazing day of tasting, mere minutes from our house!
About the Author: John grills a mean steak and is always in the market for another wine fridge. Believes that if a winery has more than 10 employees, it's probably too big. Buys wine faster than he drinks it, but who cares?
