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Local Event
Bask in Basque with the Ursa and D’Elissagaray Winemakers, Deborah Elissagaray and Greg Stokes. We will release THREE new D’Elissagaray wines at this event, and we will feature a vertical tasting of Ursa Petite Sirah.
Featured wines:
The event will be held in the barrel room at Bending Branch Winery. A Basque-inspired charcuterie plate will accompany the tasting.
Ursa Gold Rush club members: Check your email for a $10 off promo code!
About the Winemakers:
Nestled in the pastoral foothills of Placerville, California, Ursa Vineyards was founded in 2001 by husband-and-wife team, Greg Stokes and Deborah Elissagaray. Placerville is a charming “Gold Rush” town named after the placer gold deposits found in its hills and riverbeds in the late 1840s.
Greg and Deborah started their winemaking careers in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and first met in 1992 while working at David Bruce Winery. Greg is a highly respected viticulturist and a consultant to numerous vineyards. Deborah has family ties to Southwest France, and the region inspired her work on the D’Elissagaray Basque Blend that bears her name and makes predominant use of the Tannat grape. The couple fell in love with the grape and were the first to produce Tannat wines in California. They’ve been making Tannat in the Sierra Foothills every year since establishing Ursa in 2001.
A mutual interest in Tannat is also what brought together Ursa and Bending Branch Winery, when Dr. Bob Young hired Greg as a consultant in 2007. Their professional relationship flourished, and when Bending Branch was founded in 2009, its first wines were made by Bob and Greg at Ursa. The Young family purchased Ursa in 2014, making Greg and Deborah a permanent part of the team.
Greg and Deborah were awarded Best Winemakers of El Dorado County in 2017, and we are proud to showcase their beautiful wines at Ursa at Branch on High.