Wine Podcast: The Honest Pour With John Lenart

Sometimes touring Napa Valley wineries can become a bit repetitive. Cabernet, cabernet and more cabernet. Now, I love Napa cab, but a brief departure from it can offer a palate refreshing break. A great place for this break is Benessere. Founded in 1994 by John and Ellen Benish, they wanted a place to remind them of a beloved trip to Italy they had taken. So, instead of planing more cabernet, they committed to planing Italian varieties like sangiovese, aglianico and even sagrantino.  While John sadly passed away in October of 2018, his family is committed to maintaining his vision of producing wonderful wines using grape varieties from Italy. Benessere's winemaker, Matt Reid says he makes wine because "it makes me happy and I want to share that happiness." His wines convey this happiness. Beautiful Italian-like acidity, balanced by the sun-kissed fruit of Napa make for some very special wines.  I met with Ryan Shenk, DTC Sales and Hospitality Manager at Benessere to walk the vineyards of Benessere and of cour