There’s no doubt when one thinks about the rise of wineries in the Livermore Valley, the Wente Family is certainly iconic.
But in my mind, Steven Mirassou and the Steven Kent Winery are the most overlooked contributors in leading the Livermore Valley into wine prominence.
It wasn’t that long ago when I thought that the wines made by Wente and Steven Kent were the lone quality wines in the region.
“I’ve been in Livermore 36 years and when I got here it was a cow-town,” said Mirassou. “There was zero sense of what Livermore could be in wine.”
The Mirassou family is the oldest family of winemakers in the United States, growing grapes and making wine in California for nearly a decade before Abraham Lincoln was president. For the past 30 years the family has called the cellars and vineyards of the Livermore Valley home.
I was always a fan of the Cabernet Sauvignon produced out of the Steven Kent Winery and it is still one of the best wines in the region.
But the real star of the show is the Cab Franc. Mirassou was the main driver into branding the Livermore as the home to Cab Franc.
It’s given the Livermore Valley a brand and is turning the area into a destination location for the growing popular wine.
“I can think of three pillars,” said Mirassou. “One, most important is the beauty of Cab Franc as a grape. Two, the Livermore Valley is the perfect spot to grow wine – Cab Franc works well here. Third, no other wine region owns the grape.”
Based on those pillars, the decision to brand the Livermore Valley as the home to Cab Franc.
“My idea to increase visibility was let’s grow what we can grow well here,” explained Mirassou.
Mirassou had his first Cab Franc in 2004. In 2021-2022, there has been Cab Franc specific labels, clearly showing the Cab Franc designation.
The whole vibe at Steven Kent is perfect for the area – unpretentious and chill. It’s all you can ask for when enjoying some high-quality wine.
“We want you to have the feeling of being taken care of – like you want to take your shoes off and relax,” said Mirassou. “When you leave, we want you to feel about day than when you came in.”
And with the quality of the wine, it’s hard not to have a great feeling when you leave. Of course, the highlight is the Cab Franc.
Cab Franc is the most expressive grape in the world, full of the wonderful mystery of dark fruit and savory herbs and bountiful acidity. Made right, this wine has no new oak to hide the glories of sensory complexity and deliciousness. It goes great with everything, accentuating – with its vibrant structure and freshness – all the nuances of fish, fowl, and meat.
The L’Autre Côte, which is a blend of 75 percent Cabernet Franc, 11 percent Merlot, and 14 percent Cabernet Sauvignon is a wonderful wine.
We also got a chance to enjoy the 2024 The Rock, a 2024 Morgensen Family Vineyard Cabernet Franc that was aged 12 months in concrete was very good.
They use three different vessels to produce wines with three different characteristics. In addition to the Rock, there is the Steel (aged 12 months in stainless steel), the Wood (aged 12 months in a neutral barrel), then there is the Elements which is aged 12 months in steel, concrete, and wood.
Then there is the Lineage Wines, which is the symbol of the Mirassou family mission to create something of beauty, elegance and emotion: one iconic wine equal in quality to the finest wines in the world.
The 2013 Lineage Red wine – Bordeaux which is a blend, made up of 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon; 30 percent Cabernet Franc; 15 percent Merlot; three percent Petit Verdot; and two percent Malbec.
Simply – it is amazing.
The winery tasting room is located off South Vasco Road in an business complex but that will only be until the end of October as Mirassou is moving operation back to the area they were at off of Tesla Road.
The last day of tasting at the Vasco spot will be October 31, with the new tasting room opening November 1.
For more information or to make reservations, please go to www.stevenkent.com.
By Dennis Miller