I sat down with Scott Burgess, National Sales Director for Elizabeth Spencer Winery, late last week at The Springfield Grille. We tasted through the current vintages of their diverse prontfolio and talked about the benefits and challenges of being a strictly "contract" winery.

For those of you new to the term, it means that the winery dosn't acutally own any of its own vines. They pursue relationships with vineyard owners throughout northern California and sign contracts to buy their fruit, usually over the course of multiple growing seasons. While this method of winemaking is relatively common in California, few do it as well as this husband and wife team.

Here's a look at the Elizabeth Spencer wines:

2013 Pinot Blanc Mendocino - 900 cases

Suprisingly full on the palate with citrus-tropical fruits and enticing minerality. There is not much Pinot Blanc still grown in California these days, this one is varietally correct and will work well with much of the lighter summer fare we are enjoying right now.

2014 Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino - 8500 cases

Grapes sourced from three different vineyards in Medocino County. Some of the vines producing this wine are from 35 year-old organically planted vineyards. High aciidty start to finish although the softness of the acidity allows the fruit flavors of lemon, lime and guva come through.

2014 Rose' Graenache Mendocino - 434 cases

95% Grenache with 5% syrah balnded mostly for color. Round and light with lean flavors of baked red cheery and ripe raspberry. A fun summer wine wit diverse food possibilities.

2011 Elizabeth Spencer Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast - 460 cases

Aromas of dark fruits, dired cranberries, mushrooms and lavender. The palalte is dedicdedly more red fruit with strawberry and red cherry presenting up front. The wine mellows as it crosses the palate leading to a delicate and floral finish with distinct notes of rose petal. A really well balanced and integrated wine.

2012 Syrah - Sonoma Coast 200 cases

The fruit jumps out of the glass at you right away. Well deifiend aromas of red berries, cola and ripe red cherry. The palate is soft with more preserved fruit flavors and a hint of white pepper on the finish.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley -3600 cases

The nose presents darker fruits with blackberries, plums and black cherries mingling with baking spice, clove chocolate and tobacco. The palate matches the nose closely in this wine with many of the dark fruit flavors present along with some cinnamon and bright acidity. the round mid palate gives way to a full, tanic finish that lingers with earthy-spicey notes.

As mentioned earlier, the winery pursues contracts with some of the best vineyard sites around the state. They uttilize ultiple vineyard sources from throughout Napa for the Cabernet including important vineyards sites in Calistoga, Rutherford, Mount Veeder, and Stag's Leap. 

Burgess says its a fun and lexciting way to make great wine. "They take the approach that we are going to find the grower making the style of each varietal that we want to be represented in our wines."

Elizabth Spencer is distributed state wide by Natural States Wines.