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Note: Crave Wine Co. will host Nat Wong and Blade & Talon wines on Thursday, Nov. 14 from 5-7 p.m. Ticket information can be found on the website
In January 2023, Nat Wong was hired to manage the Siletto Family Vineyards in Tres Pinos. It was a natural match: The wine he made to launch his own Blade & Talon label was a 2020 Rosé of Barbera sourced from the vineyards.
The 125 acres of vineyards are spread out over the San Benito, Paicines and Cienega Valley American Viticultural Areas and represent a museum of the history of early winemaking in the region. As many as 35 varietals are represented, including historic grapes like trousseau, négrette, trousseau gris, cabernet Pfeffer, Greco di tufo, aligoté, mencía, vermentino, Montepulciano, and nebbiolo.
This year ends with Wong overseeing the dissolution of the four properties that comprised the vineyard and the sale of the Siletto family’s interests. As expected, the sale of the property is a shock for the many winemakers, including Wong, who sourced their grapes from the legendary estate.
“We are a famous quality region in the right circles,” Wong said. “But we were always up against a lot of challenges. Not knowing where the grapes will come from in the future, the theme of my portfolio will change.”
The sale comes four years after founder Ron Siletto died in 2020. His three children inherited the property, and his son, John Siletto, took over the management before Wong was hired.
“Even though it’s owned by the three,” Wong said, “It was really Ron’s business. Keeping the vineyard going at this level takes a lot of commitment, and that was very difficult to achieve when everybody’s living in a different state and has different priorities.”
Wong is very proud of the vineyard’s legacy and is working to preserve and share the diversity of the vines, and the valuable wine barrels, as best he can.
”Things will keep going regardless of whether these Vineyards are managed,” he said. “I have good homes for the important wood. A lot of the San Benito wood will be retained.”
Wong also worked to bring in other historic varietals in the two years he managed the property, including Sicily’s Nero d’avola, which was introduced to California in 1910.
When he considers what to grow, Wong says he tries to imagine how San Benito wine pioneer Theophile Vache, who planted the first vineyards in the area in 1851, might have approached the question.
“This a prime place to plant grapes,” he said, “and I think the exercise is warranted now that the world has changed completely. The selections I landed on lean on Southern Italian, Sicilian and Mediterranean stuff.”
Good wood and pine
Wong’s encyclopedic knowledge of wines and processes and his relentless creativity is showcased in his limited-release 2023 Resinato, a blend of 62% Falinghia and 38% Greco di Tufo, with a bit of local pine resin thrown into the mix.
In the absence of wooden barrels, the ancients stored their wine in terracotta amphorae, sealing them with pine resin. The flavor of the resin soon became as much a part of the wine’s taste as the grapes. The Greeks still produce a version of this resinated wine, and a chance visit by PG&E crews to trim the local pines gave Wong a chance to emulate them.
“I collected a ton of resin,” Wong said. “I double-boiled in mason jars, strained it through a double layer of cheesecloth to remove the impurities and poured it onto parchment paper. It hardened almost immediately, and I froze it until I was ready to use it.”
He smashed the resin into a powder before adding it to the same blend as his 2023 Vino Blanco. As it hits the wine, it coalesces into something resembling pine boba, and the CO₂ in the fermentation process keeps the resin suspended.
“The beauty of the wine,” Wong said, “is that you are not using competing tannins. The finish is different, and it plays nicely with the acid. Everything is slightly different, but it’s a legitimate winemaking style.”
Resinato is a bit of an acquired taste. It has a strong pine and menthol aroma that immediately gives it a walking-in-the-forest vibe. The pine resin is less comforting than what an oak barrel would bring, but there is a compelling earthiness and layer of sweetness. As with everything Wong does, it reflects his love of the history of wine.
After Siletto is sold, Wong is considering working the vineyard at Paicines Ranch, which is already making a name for itself with winemakers like Megan Bell of Margins Winery.
“I plan to stay in San Benito County,” Wong said. “The wines I make represent San Benito, and they are part of the community now. I do think changes are on the horizon, and I want to integrate that community into the wine fold and give them something to be proud of.”
The Wines of Blade & Talon
2023 Vino Blanco (11.8% ABV – 62% Falinghia, 38% Greco di Tufo) – “This is my version of a companion white blend,” Wong said. “Greco’s such a laser in the glass; it’s always super electric. It was an excellent way to add liveliness to Falinghia, which typically doesn’t have that sort of raciness.” Tart without being overly acidic, the grapefruit aroma transfers beautifully to the taste of the wine itself.
2023 Rose Madder (48% Cabernet Pfeffer, 26% Montepulciano and 26% Sangiovese) – “Something that people observe in many of our wines is lushness,” Wong said. “With rose, so often we’re used to getting that angular, linear experience and not thinking about that middle that we work so hard to provide in all these other wines.” He swapped out Cabernet Sauvignon for Cabernet Pfeffer, giving the wine a more open flavor.
With a strong aroma of the most fragrant roses, a light ruby red color and notes of fresh red raspberry juice, the fruit carries to the end. The wine is so fun to drink that you might not even notice the balancing act it does with light acids and an undercurrent of dried cranberries. This is a must-try wine; it is very refreshing and would be a perfectly festive holiday selection to go with your turkey and stuffing.
2023 Ruché (11.6% ABV – 100% Ruché) – “I think it has a deeper palate than some pinots,” Wong said, “There are hints of baking spices at the end, which I think makes it a pretty, cozy kind of wine.” It has a light tan-red color and an aroma of violets and scented geraniums. The geraniums carry into the flavor, mingling with sour cherries and a dose of white pepper. The subdued acidity doesn’t press until the finish, leaving a bright aftertaste; a light wine that happily takes you on a stroll through a Victorian garden
2023 Negrette (11.0% – 100% Negrette.) – Wong said that negrette, only grown in San Benito County, is his favorite grape to work with. “It is so difficult,” he said, “and requires you to be on point every step of the way. There’s nothing to hide behind, and even though you hit your target, you still just made a very polarizing wine. You either love it or you don’t.” Wong’s negrette is consistently, for me, the best wine he produces. It has a gorgeous plum color, a dark and brooding aroma, a light viscosity, and a flavor straight out of a bramble patch, with hints of black pepper and cardamom.
2023 Lucky Rabbit (10.8% ABV – 69% Frappato, 31% Montepulciano) – A Year of the Rabbit wine, one of Wong’s yearly tributes to the Chinese zodiac. “People who are rabbits,” he said, “are typically a little more quiet, a little more sensitive, but very smart, and they work very hard.” The blend Wong uses combines the robust and the demure, creating a darker wine with less roundness, a light dry wine that brings together rich fruits with an undertone of herbs and spices and leads to a leathery tone in the finish.
Wong’s Crackling Orange Muscat Pet-Nat, one of the big hits of this year’s Hollister Wine and Beer Stroll, is now available exclusively at The Smoke Point BBQ in San Juan Bautista.
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
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