Big White House and John Evan Cellars 

 

Big White House & John Evan Cellars

Welcome to Big White House Winery and John Evan Cellars

Big White House Winery and John Evan Cellars Come find out why Big White House Winey and John Evan Cellars is being called the best wine tasting experience in the Livermore Valley! John Evan Cellars and Big White House Winery specialize in handcrafted luxury wines of rare quality served in an informal tasting room that encourages education in a fun environment. Barrel tasting is available nearly every weekend as part of your tasting experience. Most weekends John Evan, John the Elder and Stephanie are pouring in the tasting room with a host of knowledgeable volunteers. Wine club members and their guests receive complimentary tasting. Our tasting room is located at: 6800 Greenville Rd. Livermore, CA 94550 Please note that navigation sites (like google maps) and gps devices often send you to a different location. Check the Visit Us section for directions.  We are open Weekends Noon-4:30pm.   John Evan in the News John Evan Talks about Barrel Tasting Weekend! Read about Barrel Tasting Weekend in the Valley Times in the words of John Evan. Click here to read the article!    Barrel Tasting Promo Recently John Evan was asked to be the subject of a promotional piece about the Second Annual Barrel Tasting Weekend. Here is the result!     Before Harvest Trailer This Saturday, March 6 at 4:30 PM, the World Premiere of the short film "Before Harvest" will be screened at Livermore Cinema. Audra Arnaudon wrote, produced and directed the film as her senior project at NYU school of film and it was filmed in Livermore, much of it at Big White House winery.  Laura Marion stars as the teenager who is trying to determine whether to leave for college or stay and run the family winery (sound familiar?). The film is 20 minutes.    The screening is at Livermore Cinema at First and Maple. We only have 30 minutes in the theater so please arrive by 4:30. We will gather in the lobby. The screening at the theater will be followed by a reception at the winery 5:30-7:30. Wine, snacks, conviviality and a few more rounds through the film plus some surprise little video treats. Please join us for both the screening and the reception.   John the Elder's Art Deco Estate Jewelry at the Winery Did you know John the Elder has been a diamond expert for 32 years? Pieces from his collection of Art Noveau and Art Deco Estate Jewelry, mostly diamond rings set in gold or platinum, are for sale at the Winery. Many of these pieces were purchased when John was actively trading during college and are really good prices. In addition, colored gemstones and other rings are on sale. Consider looking here first if you are looking for a special gift or an engagement ring. His collection is removed nightly to prevent theft.  John Evan in the News John Evan Talks about Barrel Tasting Weekend! Read about Barrel Tasting Weekend in the Valley Times in the words of John Evan. Click here to read the article!

John the Elder's Art Deco Estate Jewelry at the Winery Did you know John the Elder has been a diamond expert for 32 years? Pieces from his collection of Art Noveau and Art Deco Estate Jewelry, mostly diamond rings set in gold or platinum, are for sale at the Winery. Many of these pieces were purchased when John was actively trading during college and are really good prices. In addition, colored gemstones and other rings are on sale. Consider looking here first if you are looking for a special gift or an engagement ring. His collection is removed nightly to prevent theft.  Mission and History John Evan Cellars and Big White House Winery specialize in handcrafted luxury wines of rare quality served in an informal tasting room that encourages education in a fun environment. Barrel tasting is available nearly every weekend as part of your tasting experience. Most weekends John Evan, John the Elder and Stephanie are pouring in the tasting room with a host of knowledgeable volunteers. Wine club members and their guests receive free complimentary tasting at both locations. We host two labels at our winery. Big White House is the traditional label started by John the Elder in 1992 as a home winemaker at (you guessed it) the Big White House. In 2004, in recognition of six years of exceptional winemaking, John Evan Marion, launched his own label, aptly named, John Evan on his 21st birthday. This year John Evan celebrated his tenth harvest as a winemaker and is now the head winemaker for both labels. Along with his Dad; Grandmother, Eva; and Tasting Room Manager, Stephanie, John Evan co-owns the enterprise. His sister, Laura Marion is the winery artist (and an actor in L.A.) providing all of John Evan's labels as original oil paintings. His mom (Diana) is a local artist and teacher and provides some of the Big White House label art. John Evan Cellars and Big White House Winery serve at two locations. Our Greenville Road Winery and main Tasting Room hosts our barrel room with Laura's wine label art on display and our Blacksmith Square Tasting Room in downtown Livermore has the tasting room within an art studio showing many of Laura's works. We began winemaking as a way to learn more about wine and we love to share what we've learned with you. In addition to living in a premier winemaking region of California, the Marions also lived in France for a year. The notion of winemaking as artistry is alive at Big White House and John Evan. Our wine is literally hand crafted with the entire process customized for each varietal's and each vintage's unique qualities. We begin in the vineyard, working with our favorite short list of premium growers. At the winery, grapes are gently de-stemmed and fermented in the winery (reds) or in the adjacent cold box (whites). We have two small basket presses for pressing the fermented wine from its skins. All of our wines are barrel aged. We taste the barrels in the winery regularly to monitor their aging progress. This level of individual attention to each lot and each barrel distinguishes our wines from those of larger production facilities where wine is made by formulae. 'No wine before its time' is a cliché, but we take it seriously, sometimes waiting five years or longer to release especially big, high tannin reds. Though the artistry element is important, both John the Elder and John Evan have educational backgrounds in chemistry and materials science. Our tasting room is set up so that you have a great wine tasting experience but also so that you can take advantage of the winemakers knowledge during the tasting. Most weekends we have several barrels available for barrel tasting (wine thieved straight from the barrel to your glass) and winemakers John Evan and John the Elder are typically available in the tasting room to chat about our winemaking philosophy, details of the process and guide you through the tasting. We've often heard that we provide the funnest and the best wine tasting experience in the Livermore Valley. (Oh, and check out the wine club release parties-our members say that they really like them).   Current Releases 2006 Dolcetto, Los Robles Vineyard 2006 Dolcetto, Los Robles Vineyard, Clement Hills   Dolcetto is a grape that originated in Italy and was believed to be the same as Charbono until DNA typing at UC Davis identified it to be a different varietal. Dolcetto, Big White House style, is more of a seriously fun wine, than it is a serious wine. Our Big White House Dolcetto features a uniquely intense Bing cherry nose, with plum, violet, licorice and almonds. Our fermentation was short to prevent overly high tannins, finishing in just four days; high levels of anthocyanins in Dolcetto skins give it excellent color after only a brief maceration. Though the name Dolcetto (little cute one) implies a sweet character, ours is medium bodied, fully dry, with an nice, balanced finish.     Bottle Case   $28 $302.40 Club Price $23.80 $268.80   2007 Sangiovese, Ripken Vineyard, Lodi 2007 Sangiovese, Ripken Vineyard, Lodi Mid-way between the Chianti and Tuscan styles, this Italian beauty boasts delicious raspberry, cranberry, cardamom and white pepper. Mellow tannins with full mouth-feel make this wine a popular one amongst Italian lovers. $28/bottle    2007 Liquid Amber, Late Harvest Viognier Liquid Amber 2007 Late Harvest Viognier, Ripken Vineyard, California 42° Brix at Harvest; 16% Residual Sugar by weight  Liquid Amber is the name we use for our most delicious botrytised desert wines. The name is based on the amber color of wines so affected, the beautiful fall colors of the Liquid Amber trees that peak during the late fall harvest of this fruit, and the racy romance novel of the 40's, Forever Amber. The 2007 late harvest Viognier from Richard Ripken was nearly completely infected with Botrytis cinerea which results in concentration of the sugars and fruit character and gives a pronounced pear, honey, apricot and butterscotch nose. The juice from these grapes is sufficiently sweet that the yeast gives up before it can consume all of the sugar yielding a broad, sweet mouth and a orange blossom finish.  Serve cool to emphasize the sweetness and body or at room temperature to emphasize the pear and honey nose.  $28/bottle    2006 Syrah, Emery Nelson Vineyard, Livermore Valley 2006 Syrah, Emery Nelson Vineyard, Livermore Valley We are attacted to the wonderful Emery Nelson vineyard because of the perfect rocky soil on the Arroyo flood plain just north of Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore, and the bon homie of Emery Nelson, himself. Emery embraces the role of Gentleman Farmer and produces low yield Syrah fruit of vibrant color, intensity and vivacity. We find it often takes much longer than the industry standard 18 months for Emery's Syrah to relax into a graceful adult, shedding the wild vigor of its youth. Observe the rich opacity of the Emery Syrah. In the nose we find fig, cherry, brown sugar, and anise. The mouth shows French Roast coffee and blueberry pie and has plenty of youthful tannins that belie its 36 months of oak aging. We plan on letting our library collection sit for a number of years, yet hardly blame you if you choose to enjoy a glass of Emery Syrah this evening.  $26/bottle    Tawny Port, 2009 Release Tawny Port, Primarily 2000 Vintage 2009 Release We can't call it port on the label, but on the website we can call it like it is: Port. This Tawny (port) is comprised of three traditional varietals (Tinta Cao, Sauzao, and Touriga Nacional) and two non-traditional yet well-suited varietals (Syrah and Zinfandel). Our Tawny has aged in our winery in oak barrels since the year 2000. Now nine years old, it has the exceptional smoothness and complexity of a mature tawny: brick red, with intense caramel character, with maple syrup, and figs in the nose and velvety in the mouth. Enjoy with pears and bleu cheese, English Toffee, dark chocolate or a fine cigar. Alc. 18% by vol. Residual Sugar 8%    $26/bottle    2006 Petite Sirah, Clark Vineyard, Livermore Valley 2006 Petite Sirah, Clark Vineyard, Livermore Valley Peter Clark is a gifted gentleman farmer who produces wonderful fruit every year from his hillside vineyards about 2 miles north-east of our winery. This Petite Syrah is an elegant offering that combines the rich qualities of this grape with careful cellar work from John Evan so that the rustic, tannic qualities that Petite Sirah often exhibits are tamed into regal elegance. In the nose, the Clark Petite has a rich nose of plum, cinnamon, vanilla and cassis. The mouth reveals the sturdy nature of Petite Sirah, originally cloned in the 1860s to add tannin, color and structure to under-ripe, thin wines in Southern France. The finish has the last vestiges of what was once gripping, chalky tannins and is now a balanced, full finish. This Petite Sirah is ageable; our experience is that Petite improves with significant cellaring, though young (next few years) or quite old (at least a decade) seems to be better than mid-years. Enjoy at cellar temperature. $28/bottle    2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Clark Vineyard, Livermore Valley 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Clark Vineyard, Livermore Valley Gentleman-farmer Peter Clark's Cabernet vineyard is planted on a south-western facing slope that allows gradual ripening and full flavor development. Consequently, this Cabernet has significant varietal character, meaning that it smells and tastes like Cabernet should.  Often called the king of red wine, Cabernet's reputation was established centuries ago by the great estates of Bordeaux. While Cabernet can be a bit harsh in its youth, our Clark Cab has matured in French oak barrels for forty months into a wonderfully complex and full-bodied red wine. In the nose we smell a plethora of fruit flavors, mocha and spice. It has a noble mouth-feel that leads progressively into a smooth and pleasurable finish. The Clark Cab is well matched to grilled meats as well as more complex dishes such as venison with red wine reduction and mushrooms. This wine can be cellared for a considerable interval and should be served at cellar temperature. $26/bottle    2006 Roussanne, Ripken Vineyard, Lodi 2008 Roussanne, Ripken Vineyard, Lodi Roussanne is a vibrant white wine, commonly grown on the steep hillsides of the northern Rhone Valley. It has several unique characteristics: Roussanne is ageable - we recently enjoyed a 1990 Hermitage that was superb - and has more tannin and body than most white wines leading us to call it the "red-lover's white". The fragrant, perfumed nose seems to contradict the structure and body of the mouth. As with most of the Big White House whites, the finish which balances these attributes is crisp and racy. To serve chilled or room temperature, that is the question. We like to serve this wine at just below room temperature (66°F) because it allows more of the fruit esters responsible for the yummy nose to volatilize so that you can smell them. We also understand that you may want to emphasize the clean crisp nature of this wine, in which case colder, (52°F) is entirely acceptable; just remove it from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you serve it. This wine can be cellared for up to 10 years. $24/bottle    2006 Chardonnay, Casa Azul Vineyard 2006 Chardonnay, Casa Azul Vineyard, Lodi From the Casa Azul Vineyard on the banks of the Mokelumne River our Big White House Chardonnay features a citrusy nose of lemon, pineapple and quince. Cold barrel fermentation allows these fruit esters to be retained. Barrel fermentation also allows for aging with the lees adding a creamy character to the mid-palate with flavors of lemon, vanilla, and toast. The opulent mouth feel belies the pleasant surprise of a crisp, clean finish thanks to the excellent farming of Craig Watts who kept the acid levels high as the grapes ripened. $24/bottle    2008 Lapsus, a Rhône-Style Blend 2008 Lapsus, a Rhône-Style Blend, Ripken Vineyard, Lodi   75% Viognier, 25% Roussanne  Our 2008 Lapsus marries Roussanne with Viognier in a delicious but non-classical blend. In the Condrieu appellation of France, Viognier is the only allowed white wine varietal. A few miles down the Rhône on the opposite bank is Hermitage where Roussanne and Marsanne are the only allowed whites. Legend has it that when the Chevalier Gaspard de Stérimberg returned wounded from the Albigeois crusades in 1224, he cloistered himself within the tiny hamlet on the hill that now bears his description, Hermitage, and refused to speak for the remainder of his pious life. Surrounded as he was with spectacular vineyards he did some winemaking, and discovered the virtues of a unique blend of his local Roussanne with up river Viognier. Appearing to us in a dream, the garrulous Saint, though taciturn in life, revealed his secret in a Lapsus Lengua, slip of the tongue, and the blend, as well as the name of this wine was born. Raise a glass of Lapsus to the good St. Stérimberg.   $26/bottle      Grand Cuvée Sparkling Wine Grand Cuvée Sparkling Wine Our Grand Cuvée Sparkling wine is composed primarily of Chardonnay with but the delightful, fruit-forward profile is from the Chenin Blanc that makes up the rest of our sparkler. A tiny bit sweeter, but significantly fruitier than a brut, the tiny bubbles complete the picture. $14/bottle    Pêche Mignon Peach Champagne Pêche Mignon, Peach Sparkling Wine As soon as we started bringing our Grand Cuvée to family dinners, Eve Marion, mother to John the Elder and grandmother to John Evan, started putting just a smidge of peach brandy into glass before pouring. We decided that we could make things easier by just making Peach Champagne from the get go. It's peachy, but subtly so.  Pêche Mignon means cute little peach. Peché Mignon (notice the change of the accents on the e's) means the little vice you can't do without, like cookies in bed, or candy bars in your desk drawer. $16/bottle

 

6800 Greenville Road

Livermore, CA 94550

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(925) 449-1976

Website: www.bigwhitehouse.com

Email: winemaker@bigwhitehouse.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

~Tasting room: weekends, noon-4:30, or by appointment; $5 tasting fee (waived with purchase)
~ Established: 1998
~ Owners/Winemakers: John Marion and John Evan Marion
~ Annual production: 1,500 cases
~ Varieties: Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Mourvedre Rosé, Syrah Rosé, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Mourvedre, Sangiovese, Carignane, Dolcetto, Malbec, Petite Verdot, late harvest Viognier, late harvest Syrah, fortified and botrytized Roussanne, and vintage and Tawny Port from Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao, and Souzao
~ Wine clubs: Friends of the Big White House and John Evan's Enomaniacs
~ Original oil paintings of John Evan label art for sale (artists Laura and Diana Marion)