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When you stand in the vineyards and look out its hard to believe you are close to the heart of the Napa Valley. You really have to struggle to even find a house as in all directions you only see either vineyards, the lake or the natural forested slopes. This winery is owned by Amizetta and Spencer Clark and dates from 1979 with their first commercial release in 1984. When they purchased the estate, the property was in its natural setting and vineyards were soon planted on these steep hillsides in part from cuttings taken from Napa's well-known Martha's Vineyard. Their winery was constructed in 1985 and is also the home to several other small producers. Spencer is a guitarist for a Rock and Roll Band called Noble Rott which tours nationally. He continues to perform, compose and record music. His wife Amizetta who the winery is named for is a direct descendant of Pocahontas. This is a very low production winery and their entire concentration is focused on three types of Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. Initially Spencer sold fruit to other local wineries and made small quantities of wine himself. In 2002 this changed and from that point on all grapes on the estate have been used for their own commercially produced wines. As of press time, total production is about 3000 cases. Bob Egelhoff is their well-known winemaker and his attention to detail in producing these high quality wines really shows. His focus is on ageable wines yet at the same time, can be consumed now, so they are well balanced and not overly tannic. At present Spencer and Amizetta's son Edward is also training as assistant winemaker. A typical visit is usually with Bob or Spencer; they will give you some background information about the vineyards and you will have a chance to barrel taste in their small cave (one of the smaller Napa caves we've seen). During the initial drilling of the cave they were forced to stop as they ran right into a large spring - the water from this is now used on site. As Spencer says "when you want water for a winery you cannot find it - when you don't it is everywhere!". The very elegant well-stocked tasting room is in the adjacent winery building. We highly recommend their Vigneto Reserve Cabernet - Spencer pulled out a bottle of the 2004 vintage and said "this is the good stuff". We can see why, this is an elegant well-structured rich hillside Napa Cabernet, representing the best of their select wines. The mouth feel is soft and smooth with a lingering finish still full of fruit flavors. Their other two wines are the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and a red Meritage blend. Interested in viewing how wine is typically produced. Check out Amizetta's high resolution image timeline on their website which details bud break through harvest to bottling. A visit and tasting here are certainly one of the more intimate experiences you will have in Napa, not to mention combining the excellent wine with the stellar views! Visit: www.amizetta.com |
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