Murdoch Mulls Buying Bel Air Winery, One Of California's Secret Gems

(Forbes) - Moraga is not an ordinary California wine for several reasons: Master Sommeliers often mistake it for a first growth Bordeaux in blind tastings, Michelle Obama owns a few bottles, and the vineyard is surrounded by millionaires and movie stars. Indeed, the winery is in the heart of Bel Air, and oh by-the-way, the owner and founder, Tom Jones (past Chairman of aerospace company Northrop Grunman) played a major role in the design of the Stealth Bomber. Even bigger news is the potential new owner: Rupert Murdoch. The sale is still being finalized, but Murdoch intends to continue to maintain the vineyard and the winemaking at the same level of care and quality that Mr. Jones values. Murdoch Tweeted in May: “About to celebrate buying beautiful small vineyard right in LA. Great wine, Moraga, owned by great Angelino, Tom Jones, Time cover, 1961!”

Glamour and famous people aside; as extraordinary as this winery is, it’s the wine that really does the talking. Moraga Estate Cabernet Sauvignon blend enjoys that which many other California red wines do not: balance and finesse. Rather than bludgeon you with high alcohol, tannins and dense fruit, this blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite verdot and cabernet franc oozes silky tannins, warm Asian spices and bright juicy cherry fruits. This wine is a classy one, no doubt; maybe it’s the Bel Air ambiance, who knows. Winemaker Scott Rich says it’s the extraordinary vineyard dynamics. “The site itself is actually a winemakers paradise with steep, almost ski slope hillsides, rocky soils and cooling influences from Santa Monica Bay. It’s one of the steepest vineyards I’ve seen in California,” Explains Rich.