June's Grand Opening for Baiocchi Wines Tasting Room brings “Mr. GST” into the Limelight

Vineyard owner and winemaker Greg Baiocchi is a little shy about claiming the title “Mr. GST”, but it’s apt.  Like a growing number of winemakers, Greg is an advocate of experimentation with creative blends that bring out the sense of place in a wine.  Greg’s co-fermented “G minor” will be one of the sought=after Baiocchi wines during the Grand Opening of their Tasting Room at 82 Main Street in Sutter Creek, CA, on June 1.

Named after Rachmaninoff’s Opus 23 # 5 in G minor, this wine’s GST blend (Grenache Syrah Tempranillo) exemplifies the power and finesse that is Greg’s passion in both winemaking and music.  A professional bass player for many years, Greg tends to gravitate toward complexity in music and wine.   The GST blend, G minor, is the result of Greg Baiocchi’s desire to have his vineyard’s varietals “play well together”.

G Minor (GST)

“G minor is the result of co-fermenting Grenache, Syrah and Tempranillo, three varietals that have been blended together occasionally, mostly two at a time but rarely three at a time.  To my knowledge, they have never been co-fermented,”  Greg says. 

“In this GST wine, the Grenache is the finesse of our G minor, allowing for a softer experience when the wine first hits the palate.  Strawberry and dried cherries with soft lushness, then blue fruits enter as the wine hits the mid-palate.  The wine then finishes with firm earthy tannins, quite a bit of structure and some of the power that comes from huge hands… a wine just like Rachmaninoff would have created if he were a winemaker,”  Greg said.

During the June 1 opening celebration of their new tasting room, winery owners Greg and Sharon Baiocchi are pouring their high quality, small lot wines made from their estate-grown Sierra Foothill grapes.  Featured wines include Baiocchi 2010 Orellana (60% Tempranillo, 40% Grenache), Baiocchi 2010 Grenache Sharon’s Vineyard, gb 2011 G minor (Greg’s unique “GST” blend of 44% Grenache, 32% Syrah and 24% Tempranillo), gb 2012 Neophyte Rose (100% Grenache), and gb 2012 del papa (a co-fermented blend of 70% Viognier and 30% Roussanne).  The Baiocchi family also grows Syrah and Mourvedre in their 12 acre vineyard and will soon be releasing more wines containing those Rhone varietals.

The new Baiocchi tasting room at 82 Main Street, Sutter Creek, CA, joins a growing group of elite wineries that comprise Sutter Creek’s  “Wine on Main” wine tourism initiative to bring wine lovers to this historic Amador County destination for a day or two of tasting enjoyment.  Baiocchi Wines have won many kudos since their first vintage in 2009, including accolades from Jeb Dunnuck (now at Wine Advocate) and The Purely Domestic Wine Report.  Go to www.BaiocchiWines.com for more information.

More about Baiocchi Wines

Greg and Sharon Baiocchi’s passion for making great wine was born from a passion for enjoying it – namely, with friends and family.  As a second career, Greg pursued an education in viticulture and winemaking through the U.C. Davis Extension Winemaking Program and is the Operations Manager of the enterprise.  Sharon handles Marketing and Customer Relations.  The mission of Baiocchi wine is to produce premium, small lot wines, and to stay focused on the land, the fruit, the wine, and the life. Baiocchi’s handcrafted wines feature Southern Rhone and Rioja style wines made in the Sierra Foothills with Baiocchi estate grown grapes. Greg is known in the California wine industry as “Mister GST” for his pioneering blends of Grenache, Syrah and Tempranillo.