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D Cubed Cellars , if you are looking for Zinfandel this is the winery for you. It is run by Duane Dappen, Napa ZinMaster, whose first vintage was in 1994. Duane had an interesting start and inspiration to become a winemaker. When he was in 4H one of his projects was to make wine. He used donated must from a local winery as well as made wine from blackberries. He entered some of this wine into the county fair and won a best of show. Well this was enough inspiration to study winemaking and with a brother already at UC Davis he went to Davis and completed the enology program. Before Duane started D Cubed he worked at a variety of high end Napa wineries including Grgich Hills, Storybook Mountain (a top notch Zinfandel producer and grower), Rombauer and Frank Family. Besides his own winery, today he also consults for several other Napa Wineries. Duane is heavily involved in the vineyard management aspects of the vineyards that he sources fruit from.
D Cubed subscribes to the old adage that states "80% of winemaking is done in the vineyards" and as a result they take a very hands on approach to maintaining specific control of the vineyards. We loved their 2005 Primitivo. Primitivo is produced by only a handful of Napa area wineries and when we find a "winner" vintage, we definitely want to "toot" the horn in a good way! This varietal is a clone or cousin of Zinfandel and in general is not as peppery or cinnamony (if that is a word), as a normal Zinfandel. This wine is a bit more rustic than a Zinfandel especially in the aromas. The bouquet shows a bit of earthiness and moss characteristics; think damp forest floor. There are hints of strawberry on the palate and smokiness on the finish. Oh and we did not yet mention that the 2005 Primitivo was the first non Zinfandel wine made by D Cubed! The 2005 Howell Mountain Zinfandel is sourced from two high altitude vineyards, one at 1800 feet and one at what is among the highest vineyards in the Napa Valley at 2400 feet. One of the vineyards contains some of the youngest Zinfandel on Howell Mountain. This medium to full bodied wine has great spice aromatics on the nose followed by notes of berry including raspberry and blackberry. A bit of dry cigar smokiness also follows on the finish. As of press time, D Cubed makes 4 different Napa Zinfandels plus one Zinfandel Port. You can taste D Cubed at the walk-in Vintner's Collective, near downtown Napa. Also visit: www.dcubedcellars.com |
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Dana Estate (pronounced da-nuh) is a fairly new winery to the Napa Valley however it occupies an estate with a long history. Dana Estate is located in the heart of Rutherford on benchland just above the valley floor and is nestled against the Mayacamas Mountains. The site is home to a ghost winery (typically stone wineries built before prohibition) that was built by a German immigrant in 1883.
The winery is owned by South Korean businessman Hi Sang Lee. Mr. Lee has been an avid wine collector and enthusiast for many years and in South Korea founded a fine wine distribution company (Nara Food Company). He has long held an appreciation of Napa Valley, especially for Cabernet Sauvignon. Mr. Lee's passion for Napa wine has strongly influenced the luxury and cult wine market in Korea. He was influenced and introduced to Napa by the late Tom Shelton (former President and CEO of Joseph Phelps). Trips to Napa became more frequent and in 2005 Mr. Lee purchased the old Livingston-Moffet Winery from John and Diane Livingston with the intent to produce premium wines reflective of their location. At the time of his purchase the old ghost winery was crumbling and only parts of 4 walls were standing. Mr. Lee hired well known architect, Howard Bracken, the man responsible for designing Harlan Estate, Poetry Inn, Robert Redford's Sundance Institute in Utah and a number of prominent International designs. What a difference several years makes. After all the renovations, today the old ghost winery is now state of the art and has been restored to a modern sophisticated elegance blended with function. The architecture incorporates very well a sense of history and place into this old winery. This is a "winemaker's winery" and is setup entirely with their vineyards and small lots in mind. Unlike all other Napa wineries we have visited to date, stainless steel tanks are nowhere to be found - they are not used for fermentations. Two separate tank rooms contain customized concrete and wooden tanks. The well-regarded Philippe Melka, a humble star in the Napa Valley has been the consulting winemaker since day 1 and he also had significant input during the design and construction phase. With his expertise in the vineyards including geology, the winemaking and his blending mastery, he is much sought after in the Napa Valley. The estate is 30 acres of which 6 are currently planted to vine. In addition to their Rutherford property they also own two distinct vineyards on Howell Mountain, the Hershey and Lotus Vineyards. The Helms Vineyard is their estate vineyard which surrounds the winery. This vineyard sits on Rutherford benchland so that it is not entirely on the valley floor yet it is not directly part of the Maycamas mountains either. It is a raised section of land on the western side of the Rutherford appellation that has formed during millions of years through erosion. As a result, these soils are composed of both gravel and loam and provide excellent drainage. Their vineyards are all farmed organically and attention to detail is such that the vineyards are farmed vine by vine based on their individual needs. Productions are also low especially from their hillside vineyards - usually under 2 tons per acre. Dana Estates presently focuses their winemaking efforts on producing three unique wines, a single 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from each of their 3 vineyards. Production will remain small. Their first few vintages in total are under 500 cases; each wine is produced in very limited quantities. During a recent visit to the winery we had the privilege to taste the 2006 Helms and 2006 Lotus vintages. Both wines are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and were aged in 100% new French Oak. The 2006 Helms Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in color with a sophisticated elegant bouquet that shows enticing aromas of spice intermingled with red and dark fruits as well as a pleasing floral characteristic. The palate expresses layers of flavor tending more towards dark fruit including black cherry and black currant. The finish shows dustiness with broad sweet tannins and lingers beautifully on the palate for some time. This is a rare wine that shows both elegance and power. The 2006 Lotus is a big dark mountain grown wine that delivers an unbridled richness in the nose and on the palate. Aromatically the bouquet is quite appealing - it is complex "candy store" showing black licorice, baking spices, black fig and other notes of black fruit. This superb richness carries to the palate with dark fruit including more black licorice, black cherry and blackberry. Hints of mineralities and earthiness also show. These complexities of flavor lead to a big finish with broad structured tannins. Again this wine has a super long satisfying finish. The wines of Dana Estate are superbly hand-crafted with their terroir or location in mind. These are wines that will appeal to serious wine enthusiasts and collectors. Their wines have the power to age gracefully for a number of years yet the elegance to drink now and Philippe estimates they will age well for 20+ years. With the structure, fruit, acidity and balance these wines will continue to evolve and develop additional intriguing complexities. The name Dana is Sanskrit, translating to "the Spirit of Generosity" and ties in to the "generosity" that nature hopefully gives each year with its production. In addition, each bottle of Dana Estates contains 12 lotus flowers, each representing the 12 months of the calendar year. Lotus flowers also signify rebirth and in this case symbolize the rebirth that the vineyards experience every year. Dana Estates sells directly through their mailing list. You can also find their wine locally at several premium wine shops in the Napa area including ACME Fine Wines, St. Helena Wine Center and Dean & Deluca, all based in St. Helena. For more information visit: www.danaestates.com |
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Dancing Hares Vineyard During what was probably the best artisan tasting event of 2009 to date in the Napa Valley (Atelier tasting at ACME Wine Shop in St. Helena) - we were able to taste some of the top wines coming out of the valley with a number of the valley's most well regarded winemakers present. During this event while sampling the various wines, rather than taking tasting notes like we normally do at tastings we simply wrote down a few of our favorites. Dancing Hares was clearly one of these for us. As a result, we followed up with owner Bob Cook.
This winery is owned by both Bob Cook and Paula Brooks. Bob spent 3 decades in the computer software business and has enjoyed drinking fine wines for many years. He first fell in love with the Napa Valley during one of a number of trips to the area. In the mid 1990's he started looking for property and by the late 1990's had purchased a hillside estate. The "Dream Team" of winemaking as Bob refers to his team, has been on board since the beginning. They are big names in the business ranging from David Abreu (top vineyard manager) to Andy Erickson (winemaker - clients include Screaming Eagle and consulting for Dalla Valle among other premium producers) to Michel Rolland (consultant and blending master - we read somewhere that Michel tastes over 35,000 wines year year!). There are 5 vineyard acres planted on the 31 acre estate which lies in the northern part of the valley below Howell Mountain; their property is hillside, located just above the valley floor. The vineyards were planted in 2000 and are separated into a number of very small unique blocks. Major Bordeaux varietals are planted on site. Look for the very interesting black & grey label that has been silk screened on the bottle - with the same theme carried over to the corks. Upright hares are depicted dancing. This may be an unusual name of a wine; however it is a catchy one and is a name that originated from a statue located next to their vineyards which depicts several rabbits frolicking upright. The statue was nameless until one day Bob's daughter came up with the appropriate title, "dancing hares" and this became the name for their wine. The first commercial release of Dancing Hares to date was the 2004 vintage. However they also made wine in 2003 and that vintage may or may not be released commercially depending on how it benefits from additional aging. They also produce a second wine called Mad Hatter which is only released in certain years (reasonably priced). We tried the 2005 Dancing Hares Bordeaux blend - this vintage contains 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot and 3% Petite Verdot. The wine is a dark ruby in color in the glass. The bouquet is very distinct and representative of their unique terroir. This is a complex elegant nose with excellent depth of aroma including baking spices, a distinctive earthiness, graphite, and red cherry. The palate is smooth and soft and for a young wine is already well in balance. The entry shows just a touch of toasted almond and vanilla with concentrated ripe fruit flavors from start to finish including red cherry, plum and raspberry. The finish shows broad well structured tannins that do not dominate the wine, rather they complement the long finish. Enjoy with food or just by itself! It is recommended to decant this wine as introducing some oxygen before serving brings out additional complexities both in aroma and flavor as well as softens the tannins. With premium meticulously cared for vineyards and "the dream team" on board, this is one of the more affordably priced wines of this caliber and yes the production is low. Typically only 550 to 700 cases of their Bordeaux blend are released each year. They made the first several vintages at a nearby winery but as of mid 2009 have nearly finished their cave and are building a small private winery on site. You can find their wine locally at a number of restaurants including the French Laundry, Go Fish and Press among others. They are also selectively distributed in parts of Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York & Florida. Several wine shops in the valley carry the wine including ACME and the St. Helena Wine Center. Dancing Hares also maintains a mailing list which is still open to new customers. Visit: www.dancinghares.com |
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The winery building dates from 2004. Besides their wines, this is a destination winery (one of only a few "Destination Wineries" along the Silverado Trail). At the entrance, you drive past the metal gates which are always open during their normal operating hours. Then you drive down a very long narrow road with water bubbling up in the grass median and arrive at the winery. In the prestigious tradition of Opus One, at this point you have to choose whether you are a "right side" or "left side" parker - as parking lots are available on both sides. If its raining courtesy umbrellas located under a larger umbrella are available for you to carry between the parking lot and the winery. Walking up to this winery is like walking onto a Hollywood set. This winery is a modern looking building which "looks old" as it takes its historical influences from ancient Persian looking columns and general architecture. Many columns supporting nothing greet you at the main entrance. You saunter into the main room and may well see chic well dressed men and women lounging at the nearly 360 degree square wine counter. If they look up at your entrance, they are merely looking to validate that you are one of them. If they don't look up, they are too into their wine and this is a better sign. If tasting in the winter, enjoy a seat in front of the blazing fireplace. The fireplace's headstone, appropriately rests on the heads of two metal men and contains what appear to be ancient hieroglyphic scribbling. Ask the wine pourer at the wine counter to translate for you. There are a number of couches and coves throughout the tasting room area and you will often see people sitting down enjoying a more relaxed tasting. The tasting counter is rather unique; it looks like a broken windshield but is actually composed of several layers of glass with the broken glass being the bottom layer. The wine tasting fee is $25 and includes at least one white, a red or two, and their signature Cabernet Sauvignon. What sets this winery apart from other wineries other than the very unique architecture are their unique tastings (by appointment). Darioush has a distinctive partnership with Marin County's, Cowgirl Creamery. On Darioush's $50, 90-minute tour and tasting called Fine Wines, Artisan Cheeses, you are treated to hard-to-find limited production cheeses from family farms, and special winery release and library wines which you cannot find outside of this winery. This tour and tasting is offered once a day at 2pm. Advance reservations are a must. Another very exclusive event is Darioush's "By Invitation Only" event. This once a day event is offered only on the weekends and will appeal to serious wine enthusiasts. It is a two hour experience in which you will try wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy as well as their Signature series wines. This is a rare opportunity at a Napa based winery to actually taste wines from some of France's top producers. Two outdoor spots worth mentioning are the amphitheater which is for small intimate performances it only seats about 180. They also have a special section setup in the vineyard just north of the winery for private tastings - this is a beautiful spot in summer as you are entirely surrounded by vines. During our latest visit, we tasted through their flight of current releases. A few are listed here. The 2008 Viognier has a pleasing bouquet showcasing well integrated flavors including notes of pear, red apple and citrus blossom. The palate is slightly creamy with a nice weight that carries from start to finish. The finish is fairly long. The 2006 Signature Merlot (blended with 5% Cabernet Franc) shows some notes of cigar smoke and blackberry in the glass with a somewhat soft entry but a surprisingly intense long finish (all fruit). The 2006 Duel (60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Shiraz) has a nice bouquet that is somewhat spicy but reveals more fruit as it breathes. Sour plum and cherry show on the palate with dusty tannins anchoring the finish. The 2006 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is a fairly dark wine in the glass with flavors of blueberry and blackberry. Like the Merlot this wine also shows intense fruit. Darioush also produces a 100% varietal Cabernet Franc. The bouquet on the 2006 vintage is the most elegant of any of their wines we tried - the palate is clean with notes of blueberry and red cherry leading to a clean lingering finish. This was our favorite wine. For more information visit: www.darioush.com |
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What today is called the Bon Passe vineyard was originally planted in the late 1970's and was owned by Gil Nickel of Nickel and Nickel & Far Niente Wineries. For many years the vineyard was planted entirely to Chardonnay. In the early 2000's the vineyard needed to be replanted and up stepped one of the limited partners, Richard Bump who bought out the rest of the partners and became the sole owner. At this time the vineyard was replanted to several Bordeaux varietals including the majority to Cabernet Sauvignon (various clones). This is very much a family owned and operated business. Today, Richard's daughter Tricia is the General Manager and is who we met with for this review. Her sisters are also involved in the sales and marketing of the wines. Larry's background involved operating an International pipeline company. His initial investment in Crichton Hall was because of his interest in wine but little did he know that this initial investment would lead him more seriously into the wine business. From "pipes to wine" upon his retirement, this is certainly one of the more interesting transitions into Napa winery ownership! Well regarded winemaker Brian Mox has made all their vintages. Brian was the first winemaker at Laird Family Estates (a very popular custom crush facility in Napa) and as a result the Darms Lane wines are made there. For several years after the replanting no wine was commercially produced from Crichton Hall and the name change officially came in 2008. The first vintage of Darms Lane is from 2005. The typical production is always small - usually under 500 cases. The vineyard is nestled against the southern hills of the Mayacamas Mountains right at the northern edge of the Oak Knoll District. This is an excellent vineyard neighborhood as several wineries and producers have vineyards nearby including Trefethen, Groth, Shiflet Estate and Dr. Peterson's Wrothem Pinot Noir vineyard. The Darms Lane property encompasses 50 acres of which 14 are currently planted. The vineyards include a nice mix of both benchland as well as hillside. This is the southern part of the Mayacamas mountains and its benchland soils start approximately in this area and run all the way up to near St. Helena. These soils have formed during millions of years through erosion. As a result, the soils are composed of both gravel and loam and provide excellent drainage As of the time of this review they focus on a single wine each year, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; however they do make much smaller productions of a stand alone Petite Verdot and a Cabernet Sauvignon from "Linda's Vineyard". The 2007 vintage from Linda's Vineyard is the first such vintage. Once released, $25 from every bottle will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The vineyard and wine is named in honor of Tricia's mother Linda who passed away several years ago from Ovarian Cancer. The 2005 Bon Passe Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in the glass. The nose is very aromatic with pleasing floral characteristics and an aroma of chocolate as the wine opens up. The palate leans more towards displaying dark fruit including black cherry and black currant. A dustiness or smokiness forms on the edge of the palate and shows from the start to the finish. The mouth feel is soft and medium to full bodied in structure. The tannins are supple, smooth and balanced. We also had the privilege to try the 2006 and 2007 vintages. These wines are consistent in quality and all show a pleasant earthy or dusty quality. The 2007 incorporated fruit from their hillside knoll. This bouquet is dark and brooding leading to a rich layered juicy palate. This is a wine that has a lot going for it in terms of complexity of flavor and it will be very interesting to see how it develops over the next few years. It should also be noted that we tried this soon after bottling and it won't be released for another year or two. Darms Lane is currently distributed in Texas and Oklahoma (family connections) as well as parts of California. You can find their wine locally at Napa Style and Bottega Restaurant in Yountville as well as at AKA Restaurant in St. Helena. They sell direct; visit their website at: www.darmslanewine.com |
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Because tours are not always scheduled, call for a reservation. When we visited the group size was 25-30 people. Out of these people many were friends and almost everyone had been on one of his tastings before! A big plate of food was brought out - several folks brought David wines and other spirits from around the world. Many people at the tasting were from Texas and other mid-western states. David spoke about his family's history and then his daughter started pouring us wines. The tasting was very casual - just standing around talking to other people on a warm Spring day. This is Napa Valley personal at its best. We enjoyed a rich Chardonnay from 2006, an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, and also their Meritaggio which is a super Tuscan styled wine (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese). Their flagship wine is the Elevation 1147 named after the elevation of the vineyard that this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine is sourced from. The fruit for this wine represents the best selections from this vineyard. One of their late 90's vintages received an amazing score from the Wine Spectator which helped put them "on the map". This winery actually started by exclusively making Chardonnay before branching into other varietals. We are glad they did! Their new winery and fermentation room has been completed - for a personal tasting and tour call for an appointment. You can sign up for their mailing list online. Visit: www.davidarthur.com |
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The first three wineries in Napa Valley were under construction in 1861, Krug, Crane & David Fulton - and of those, Crane is no longer in business and Krug while still family owned, isn't under its original family ownership. David Fulton was quite an individual. He ran the towns first saddlery and was a blacksmith; he sold his saddlery shop in downtown St. Helena to help fund the vineyards. When you drive down busy main street St. Helena think of David Fulton; he planted St. Helena's first vineyard here in 1858. He also was instrumental in helping create the area's first viticultural organization which at the time was called the "Sonoma, Napa, Solano Grape Growers Association. In later years he invented what today is called the "Fulton Plow" (the one horse plow) and there are one or two of these sitting on the property. An image of this appears on their label. 130 years passed between commercial vintages at this winery. The "new wineries" first commercial release was made at a nearby winery in 1999 and relatively soon after they were producing wine on the site of their original winery. 14.5 acres of vines are planted mostly to Petite Sirah and the majority of these vines date back to the 1950's and 1960's. Unfortunately Fulton's original wooden winery building blew down during a violent wind storm in 1973 leaving just the stone foundation walls. The historical house located nearby is still standing and dates from the mid 1860's. Today this winery has been reconstructed in the exact same location as the original winery. In fact the two massive oak trees which surround the new winery even predate the original winery. A visit is for serious wine enthusiasts looking to meet with the owner and try limited production hand crafted wines. Fulton Mather (David Fulton's great grandson), his wife Dink and their son and daughter also help run the winery. Fulton and his son are the winemakers and they also have two consulting winemakers. They will celebrate their 150th anniversary in 2010 - not bad for a small winery that started when you could count the number of commercial producers in the valley on one hand and considering today there are approximately 750 commercial wine producers in Napa County! Because of its rich historical presence in the Napa Valley a visit here typically includes an overview of their history, a quick tour and the tasting which is held within the new winery building or if the weather permits outside on their spacious deck. This outdoor setting overlooking the vineyards is a beautiful spot to relax with a glass of wine from one of Napa's finest Petite Sirah producers. Their vineyard and winemaking focus is on Petite Sirah with this varietal comprising the majority of their total production. As of press time they produce about 700 cases of this wine as well as smaller quantities of Zinfandel & Cabernet Sauvignon - all blended with smaller amounts of Petite Sirah. David Fulton does sell some of their grapes to other vintners and in 2007 had a batch of Petite Sirah that was supposed to be purchased but never was. They decided to make Port of this and are planning to make very limited quantities (maybe 25 cases total) of this each year. They typically age their wines a bit longer than many wineries - at least 2.5 years in barrel with another half year in bottle. We tried the 2005 Petite Sirah mere days after being released. This is one of the nicer Petite Sirahs coming out of Napa Valley that we have enjoyed on this project. The nose is deeply layered with rich aromatics. Aromas of baking spices, berry and cassis are pronounced, followed by a rich very juicy palate with minor touches of oak; a wine that is all about the dark fruit flavors including black cherry and blackberry. The wine is full bodied with a velvety mouth feel that persists from the entry all the way to the smooth finish. The tannins are delicate but structured. While they typically have not submitted their wines for review, word has already gotten out. One notable Napa winery has an internal tasting every year of their own wine as well as other Napa wineries. Their winemakers actually chose David Fulton's wine as their favorite, even over their own wine! In addition the International Wine Review gave Fulton's 2004 Petite Sirah their highest rating (only 7 wines out of 185 were given this score). Their wines are typically found in very select wine shops in California with a small distribution in just a handful of other other states. Locally they have good distribution at wine shops ranging from JV wines in Napa, to Dean & Deluca in St. Helena to Cal Wine Shop & Enoteca Wine Shop in Calistoga. Visit: www.davidfultonwinery.com |
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Over 20 years ago decided to farm all their vineyards organically and today they are fully certified organic growers, which puts them into a very select class of Napa growers. Being organic has the obvious advantages to the environment but they also typically use much less water than their non-organic counterparts. Both brothers are in charge of their vineyard management, which is actually becoming a rarity in Napa's world of larger vineyard management companies. The brothers supervise all activity in the vineyards including weeding, composting, canopy management and crop adjustments. No herbicides and pesticides are used in any of their vineyards. The winery is located about a minutes drive off of the busy Highway 29 just north of the Robert Mondavi Winery. A visit here is a complete contrast to the often busy nearby Highway 29 walk-in winery scene. You will always meet with one of the family members for your tasting and tour. We met with Rich whose tasting and tour provides an invaluable look at the behind scenes of a small winery operation. Del Bondio produces a Chardonnay, Syrah and a Cabernet Sauvignon. None of these wines are blended as they are true to their varietals. We tried the first vintage ever produced of their Chardonnay, which is not bad at all for a first effort, and it is extremely reasonably priced. When you think of the Oakville appellation the varietal that quickly comes to mind is Cabernet Sauvignon. However, their Chardonnay was grown in this district, which because of its soils and warmer climate certainly has different characteristics than say a cooler Carneros grown Chardonnay. This wine is very well balanced with lots of citrus on the nose; the palate follows with concentrated fruit flavors. Pleasant spices are also present including cinnamon. Syrah can be a very finicky wine to coax along during its fermentation and can really vary in flavor and concentration depending on many factors in the growing and winemaking. Del Bondio has spent the last few years working very carefully with this varietal and their resulting wine shows extremely well. Their Syrah is not characterized by the pepper flavor and boldness that some Syrahs exhibit; rather it is an elegant wine, full of ripe fruit with a very long finish. A visit here is highly recommended for those looking for a more intimate one on wine tasting experience at a small Napa winery. Visit: www.delbondio.com |
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Not many wineries can boast of having three wineries within the Napa Valley area (Atlas Peak, the old Girard Winery on Pritchard Hill) and now this one. Not one to stop with merely three wineries, Del Dotto is already looking ahead to building a 4th winery perhaps near Yountville. Real estate and TV infomercial man, now Napa winery mogul, Dave Del Dotto is the brains behind this "palace". He traces his roots all the way back to the early 1100's to Venice Italy. As a result his heritage plays a big part in the style of his wineries as well as the actual winemaking. This winery is everything a classic Italian villa should be from the ancient gnarled olive trees in front to the marble facade on the outside of the building to the gorgeous 1 ton marble columns inside. In addition, check out the colorful and ornate tile work, the Venetian chandeliers, the ancient mosaic marble floors, and a beautiful bright orange onyx window upstairs. It took several years to build this masterpiece. Italian stone masons were brought over to build the intricate brick ceilings as well as to work on the detailed floor tile designs. Oh and did we mention their sound system is tops with fantastic acoustics in the main part of the winery and into the caves. Thanks Dave for turning us on to the modern opera band, Amici - good taste! No expense has been spared on the construction and furnishing of this winery. As you look at the main winery building from the parking lot it appears to be quite low to the ground - however as you walk towards the building you will see that most of the building is set into the ground so the inside two stories are actually quite spacious. This is the only Napa winery that we know of and have visited that has a cave built right into the valley floor! Almost without exception, winery caves are built into hillsides. Del Dotto came up with some unique engineering to construct this cave. Vines are planted on top of the cave - and from the outside of the winery you have no idea this winery even has a cave. The tour takes at least an hour and includes stops at hand painted murals built into the walls which correspond to historical winemaking events. However when you are planning your schedule allow at least 2 hours for a stop here as you will need some time in the wine salon after the actual tour. As with tour groups at their Atlas Peak winery small groups of people simultaneously take the tours with individual tour guides. Besides being functional, the cave is really a shrine to the history of winemaking. The tour also includes healthy barrel samples of very high end wine - typically you will try 8 to 10 barrel samples. Believe it or not Del Dotto is probably the Napa Valley's number one producer as far as making the largest number of different styled Cabernet Sauvignons. As of press time they make approximately 350 different types of Cabernet's with many very small lots, i.e. maybe 50 cases or so. As a result this is an excellent opportunity to see how various types of aging can really change the characteristics, aromas and flavors of a wine. Your guide will give you samples of the "same wine" but after it has aged differently. The differences are pronounced. Lets just say the barrel thieves get some serious workouts on these tours. At the end of the tour you will head to their fancy wine salon where you will try the actual finished products (from bottle of course) and you will also be served some nice edibles from their on site chef, including home made pizza. A top former French Laundry chef is currently at Del Dotto and he has reign of one of the nicest kitchens you will see in the valley. Any oak used for aging is 100% new, either American or French - they use only organically grown fruit and it is always hand picked and hand sorted. In addition only free run juice is used (the highest quality juice) that comes before pressing. The number of wines created by a variety of different winemaking methods is probably the single most key factor that separates Del Dotto from every other commercial wine producer in Napa (and yes there are nearly 800 of them). Del Dotto makes such a variety of wine that it is truly consumer oriented and with a variety like this they have wine for most every taste. Consumers are the king and at Del Dotto they can mix and match from what seems an almost limitless number of choices! Hopefully by now after reading this review and our review of their parent winery, you will have concluded that Del Dotto is known for fun, experimentation, and creativity. This carries through to their wine aging program. They are already a Napa winery leader in oak barrel experimentation as they use many different coopers and types of oak. How many wineries carve out additional grooves inside their wine barrels to increase the surface area? Del Dotto does this for some of their experimental programs. Now they have taken aging wine a step further. For some of their wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Zinfandel etc) starting with their 2005 vintage, they are conducting the fermentation and aging of the wine in large clay amphora vessels built into the earth. The original vessels they used for this are over 300 years old. This is how wine was made starting two thousand years ago and Del Dotto is even burying several of these vessels to represent historical duplication. This type of aging brings a certain earthiness and softness to the wine. We know of several high end Napa wineries aging their wine in what those in the wine industry affectionately called "eggs", or concrete cylinders from France that are approximately in the shape of an egg - but only Del Dotto has taken the step to use clay and bury the vessels in the ground. No specific website exists for this winery so visit their main page: www.deldottovineyards.com |
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This is by far the most humorous tour that we've been on in the Napa Valley. You will be laughing. If its busy there may be several tours circulating through the caves at once - the tour guides all seemed to be extremely happy with big smiles across their faces (our guide was enjoying each barrel sample along with our group). One side cave we entered was completely covered with slimy moss and our guide told us that if you lick it with your tongue, you would probably end up naked in a desert somewhere. Try their "mofo" barrel blends - which in this case is not a derogatory term, rather it stands for "Missouri Oak, French Oak" aged. Red stoppers in a barrel means that barrel is already sold out. One of their barrels is a Colbert, which at press time runs about $1600 each. Its French Oak and only 200 of these are made each year. The tour starts with a very interesting explanation and display about oak barrels. This winery does a lot of experimentation with various oaks. Oak trees in France have to be at least 80 years old by law before they can be cut down. One of their French Oak barrels has staves (wood) from 9 different coopers (suppliers). Their wines consistently receive high awards. The highlights of the wines we tasted are their Cabernet Sauvignons and various blends. Also their Cabernet Franc was excellent - you cannot always find a balanced Cab Franc in Napa. In addition they offer 6 different ports (only one is included for tasting on the tour). Del Dotto understands the importance of having top brandy fortified in their ports. One of Napa's best Port houses is "behind" the brandy which contributes to the high quality of these ports - and its not Prager. The winery boasts a great collection of International wines as well as small harder to find wines from other Napa Valley wineries. They are probably the only winery in the valley to have such a large collection of wine from around the world for sale. We mentioned above that this winery is "going places" - right now they are still "boutique" in size as far as having a small production however their tour feel certainly isn't representative of a small boutique winery - and in late Fall 07' they opened an elegant new Italian style winery & caves just south of St. Helena along the "wine strip". (See above) The owner of this winery is Dave Del Dotto who traces his family back to Venice in the 1100's. He was famous for a nationally syndicated program about get-rich investment strategies. Del Dotto also owns the old Girard Winery (which we have already visited) on Pritchard Hill and signs there indicate a visit is by appointment only. Looking for another amazing Napa Del Dotto winery and tour, visit our review of their estate winery located just south of the town of St. Helena. Visit: www.deldottovineyards.com |
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This winery was founded in 1995 by Gerhard Reisacher & his wife Linda. Gerhard (who is also the winemaker) is originally from Austria and comes from 8 generations of wine making. He fell in love with the Napa area when he visited at 19 years old, and never left. Delectus purchased & planted a large piece of property north of Calistoga in neighboring Knights Valley - and long term plans include building a winery on site. 40 acres of vines have been planted and Delectus is looking forward to producing wine from these vineyards. The location is historical as well; there is old toll road that used to be used by miner's going up to the Lake County quick silver mines. Also of note, famed author Robert Louis Stevenson used to spend time on the property writing his poetry. A typical tour and tasting will include sampling the wines in the tasting room and trying the barrel samples from the actual winery which is located in the back of the building. The crush pad is in the back and all wine is produced on site. The highlight here is tasting the wine and the individual attention you will receive from the Reisacher family. Their focus is purely on premium hand-crafted red wines and the high quality is quite apparent during your tasting. We love Cabernet Sauvignon and their Cabernet from the Sacrashe Vineyard does not disappoint. It is a big wine, full of flavor. Their wines are meant to be consumed when you purchase a bottle - but they will hold up very nicely for many years. We tried one of their 99 Cabernet Sauvignon vintages - it was like drinking velvet, smooth and soft - everything you want in a high quality Cabernet. All their labels have stories behind them; their daughter Julia has a very small production Cuvee named after her and the labels contain her artwork from each year. Also be sure to try their Dog-Gone Good - a red wine blend made as a tribute to their dogs. There is a refreshing low key atmosphere to the tasting and the staff are very friendly. The owners are usually on site. Visit: www.delectuswinery.com |
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Delgadillo Cellars is owned by the father son team, Ignacio Sr. and Ignacio Jr. Their partnership is ideal as Ignacio Sr. handles all the vineyard management duties as well as winemaking and Ignacio Jr. handles the marking and business side of the operations. Ignacio Sr. first came to the Napa Valley in 1972 from Jalisco Mexico and started working in vineyards in Rutherford. He then worked at Freemark Abbey and became their cellar master during the 1980's when they started earning a stellar reputation for their Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché, one of California's first vineyard designated wines. Over the years Ignacio developed a palate for older Cabernet Sauvignons but was not able to find a Napa Cabernet that specifically matched his palate.
Often winemakers who have small productions will produce wines they enjoy to drink and then their customer base often has similar tastes. Ignacio loves drinking older wines and decided to create a wine that would be aged before being released to the consumer, a wine that was smooth and elegant upon release. Delgadillo's first release is a 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon making this the oldest current release of any producer we have met with on this project. This wine spent 3 years in oak and then another 5 years in bottle before being released. As a result this wine has significant bottle age giving the consumer who is interested in aged wines an alternative to most wineries' much newer first releases. Wines from their first few vintages came from the Mill Creek Vineyard located between St. Helena and Calistoga; the vines were mostly budded over from the famed Nathan Fay’s Stag’s Leap Vineyard (an integral vineyard for Stag's Leap Wine Cellars). Later vintages have came from a vineyard in the Coombsville region much further south and just east of the town of Napa. Their releases each year are always 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon. Ignacio's expertise is among the vineyards and he carefully manages each vineyard they source fruit from. He has been the winemaker since the first vintage. The 2001 vintage has achieved the smoothness that Ignacio desires in his wines. Despite the additional aging this wine shows lots of fruit, almost as if it were a younger wine. It is a higher alcohol wine coming in at just over 15%. The bouquet shows some floral notes as well as hints of graphite and vanilla leading to an entry that is extremely soft and lush (shows plum and red cherry flavors) which carries throughout the palate. The finish is smooth and long and shows velvety tannins. We also had a chance to try several barrel samples of what will become their 2007 vintage. The vineyard they source from in Coombsville produces extremely concentrated dark black inky fruit and it will be very interesting to see how this wine develops considering that while being such a young wine it already has complex flavors. Ignacio is also a founder of Wine Country Cases a premiere custom wood box and packaging company for shipping wine bottles. When he was working at Freemark Abbey the market for wooden shipping boxes was geared to larger companies and there wasn't an option for smaller made to order custom boxes. Seeing a need for this, Ignacio and his partner started hand crafting boxes on a small scale. Today, more than 20 years since this company was founded they employ a number of people and produce over 50 different styled boxes - mostly for the wine industry but also for the food industry and other retailers. Visit: www.winecountrycases.com for more information. As expected, their wines are packed in custom wooden boxes. Delgadillo's wine is currently cellared in one of their warehouses on a 12 acre site between Calistoga and St. Helena. They have plantable vineyard land here and have plans to develop a small vineyard which will ultimately produce the fruit for their single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons. At the time of this review the only way to acquire their wine is via their mailing list as they are not currently sold in any retail locations. For a small producer the personal relationships with their customers are extremely important and its no different with Delgadillo Cellars. This is a unique opportunity to taste hand crafted wines from someone who manages the vineyards and makes the wine (somewhat rare in the valley to have the same person doing both) and to have a wine that is truly aged upon release. Their production is so limited and definitely varies depending on the vintage and fruit sources (2002 saw only 92 cases) that their distribution, once in place, will be limited to just a number of high end retailers and restaurants. For more information visit: www.dcellars.com |
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Destino Wines is owned by Chris Calkins. The winery name in Spanish means destiny, fate or journey. It is Chris's philosophy that the journey of winemaking itself is in fact the destination. Chris has a long background in the coffee industry, working with Starbucks in Seattle and then later co founding the well-known Spinelli Coffee Company based in San Francisco. He sold the company in 1998 and then soon after founded Destino Wines in 1999. He has always been interested in wine having made home wine off and on for a number of years. Making high end wine is similar to producing excellent coffee. It all starts with the specific terroir source (influence on flavors and aromas) and in this case Destino sources from a number of very high end vineyards mostly in the Napa area. For the most part their vineyard sources are consistent from year to year and Chris is personally involved in various vineyard management aspects (determining crops loads, when to pick etc). He has been the winemaker since day 1. His wines are made in a style where they are approachable early on and the tannins are well managed.
Destino makes a wide variety of wines (each wine is under 1000 cases totally and all are quite reasonably priced) including two Chardonnays, one from the Russian River in Sonoma County and a Napa Valley Chardonnay. The 2005 NV Chardonnay has a very aromatic nose with notes of citrus and other herbs followed by a palate that is rich in fruit - pear, melon and more citrus with hints of toasted oak and almond to round out the finish. The 2007 Rose of Syrah was the first year Destino produced a Rose. This is not your typical light Rose. It is a robust Rose with very distinctive flavors - some raspberry and watermelon are mixed with various spices which round out the palate. This wine was made by the French saignee method in which juice is "bled" out of the red wine during an early stage in fermentation (rather than merely letting the juice sit on the skins for a set amount of time). The 2005 "The Mask" was the first vintage released of this proprietary blend. Chris has a mask on the wall from Guatemala and the image of this mask now graces the label. The wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Syrah. This is a wine with big fruit aromas that carry into delicious flavors on the palate. It has a very smooth mouth feel with a nice long finish. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is made in a Bordeaux style but wines such as this do no harm to the well-deserved image of Napa's Cabernets! Bordeaux yeast is used during fermentation and the wine sees extended maceration. This is an excellent wine at a great price. Hints of chocolate and mocha on the nose lead to berry & cherry flavors on the palate. The tannins are well managed and soft on the finish. You can taste Destino's wines at the multi-winery tasting room Vintner's Collective, located near downtown Napa. In addition, Chris owns a cruiser Yacht and serious wine enthusiasts can taste with Chris at the dockside guesthouse in South Napa. Destino club members who order 2 or more cases in a single calendar year can also enjoy a cruise of the Napa River and nearby wetlands. Visit: www.destinowines.com Chris has interviewed a number of Napa winemakers and other notables in the industry on his podcast here: http://winepeople.podbus.com/Podcast/Podcast.html Chris has also put together a website profiling the "art of winemaking" and several of the local artisan winemakers. Visit: www.artisticwines.com |
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This property has changed hands a number of times; it was most recently owned by Dinesh Maniar who came from a real estate background and in the 1970's had the foresight to begin purchasing Napa & Sonoma vineyard property with the intent to grow and sell grapes. Land was significantly cheaper back then! It makes sense to start a winery when you have a large portfolio (over 550 vineyard acres). With acreage like this they can afford to pick and choose only the highest quality fruit from these vineyards. Their long time experience in the valley has really carried through to their wines as a number of their wines have already placed very high in various competitions. Today this winery is owned by Bill Harlan, also founder and owner of nearby cult winery, Harlan Estate. As of press time their total production is about 5000 cases which is actually fairly small. As you stand at the counter its easy to become drawn into the large bucolic old world mural that covers the wall in the tasting room. Choose from several different tasting options. We highly recommend the Chardonnay's; these were the first wines produced by Diamond Oaks and their commitment to the quality of this varietal definitely shows in the Chardonnays we tried. The 2006 Carneros Estate was fermented in both oak and tank and has a subtle nose that hints of pineapple. Its crisp, clean and a very good everyday wine. The fruit for this wine comes from their Carneros Vineyard located in the southern part of Napa Valley - a cooler growing climate ideally suited for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The 2006 Chalk Hill is very golden in color and has totally different aromas and flavor profile than the Carneros. The aromas are more toasted almond, with hazelnut and caramel notes on the palate intermingled with tropical notes. Quite nice! Not many wineries in the main part of Napa Valley have a Pinot noir - but this winery has a delicious one - from the Carneros region. The 2006 Carneros Pinot noir is an aroma spice box with notes of cedar and pepper leading to a palate also rich in spices with cinnamon and cloves. The palate also shows nice fruit including raspberry, cola notes and strawberry. They make a Merlot and also several Cabernet Sauvignons. Picnic tables are available under the oaks on a small hill just outside the main entrance. If the tables are not reserved for other parties and the weather is nice you can elect to have your tasting outside. For a winery that doesn't require any appointments to visit - this is definitely one of the more private Napa experiences. They are one of just a couple "hillside" wineries anywhere surrounding Napa Valley that you can simply walk in for a tasting; most hillside wineries are either private or require appointments. Also of note are their prices - based on Napa standards all their wine is priced quite reasonably. Visit: www.diamond-oaks.com |
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As of press time their total production varies between 250 to 300 cases making them one of the smaller Napa area wineries we have visited. However their Howell Mountain Cabernet has recently been brought into production. Their winemaker was originally Joe Briggs who owns the August Briggs winery (designed by Hal) and now Thomas Brown of Outpost Winery makes the actual wine. Their Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is very smooth with notes of berries in the mouth with a pleasing finish. We also tried their Howell Mountain Cabernet a year before being actually released (vintage 2005). It was a young wine but already was very pleasing on the palate with lots of berry fruit. It is nice to be able to come back later and try a fully finished wine after trying it early on as we did with this one. As a result, a year later we tried this 2005 vintage after being released. Oh this is a nice wine! The problem is only 90 cases are available; unable to get hold of this?...wait until the 2006 vintage as it has more than 3x the production and from what we hear, is supposed to be superb. It is very interesting to note the differences between their Howell Mountain and Diamond Mountain fruit. The Howell Mountain wine has a lot of subtle chocolate flavors in the mouth, a very aromatic nose and a beautiful long finish that just lingers in the back of your mouth well after you swallow. Both wines are high quality and represent very well the respective soils they are grown in. For a wine of this quality they are decently priced. Diamond Terrace has two interesting labels both with the same overall feel, but one has a holographic grey "soils" image representing the whitish gray ash soil from Diamond Mountain and the other "soils" image is a reddish copper color representing the deep red soil of the Howell Mountain Area. Diamond Terrace's wines are found in several high-end wine shops within the Napa Valley and they have a mailing list you can join. Visit: www.diamondterrace.com |
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Domain Carneros sees more people than many area wineries. Because of its elevated height over the Carneros region, you have great views of the Carneros hills from here. Inside the reserve tasting room is located downstairs and the main wine counter is located in the room to the right of the entrance. You can either stand at the wine counter or sit down at the indoor tables. Not all wineries have as many tables setup for wine enjoyment as this one. You come here for their sparkling wine and our recommendation is to choose their Sparkling tasting flight rather than their regular wine (this is no comment on their wine; they are mostly known for their sparkling wine). Our favorite sparkling is their Le Reve Blanc de Blancs - this wine ages longer than most of their other current vintage bubblies and as a result is very smooth. It is a blend of several different Chardonnay clones, each of which brings a unique characteristic to this wine. It means "the dream" and was created to be the answer to their French high end counterpart - but in this case using only the delicious estate grown fruit. When we mentioned this was our favorite our guide's response was "good taste is both a blessing and a curse"! Right, this is among their most pricey selections. Of the non sparkly wines they have several Pinot's including the nice California styled Estate Pinot as well as a Merlot. Their winemaker has been with them since the inception and has been working at Napa/Sonoma wineries who make sparkling wine since 1978. Their flagship tour is offered daily year round. In addition, seasonal summer tours are also offered usually in regards to their still wines. The general tour takes about an hour. No reservations are required and its best if you show up about 10 minutes before the advertised tour time to pay for your ticket and ensure your space on the tour (especially during busy summer weekends). The tour starts in the reception room and then enters the small vineyard near the main steps leading up to the winery. This is a good time for viticulture questions. Then you walk up to their "media" room for a glass of sparkling and a 10 minute video about Taittinger and Domain Carneros. At the end of the video the screen moves up and lo and behold you are staring through a glass window at large steel tanks. Watching employees walk by, some of whom wave at you is like looking at fish in a tank. Next you proceed to a windowed area which looks down on their large aging rooms, bottling line, and the automatic riddler machines. A few antique wine making pieces of equipment are located here as well as a display on how riddling works. You finish the tour in the Reserve room for a sit down tasting of one of their still wines. Your tour guide might tell the story of a Japanese distributor who wanted to buy 5 cases for his daughter's wedding. Domain Carneros doesn't do much international shipping so they were trying to figure out how to get this to the man asap. Well it turns out his daughter was 2 years old - and he was trying to make a point that yes, Domain Carneros's sparkling wine will age! As a side note, in the back of their building they have one of the largest photovoltaic systems of any winery in the world and they recently earned CCOF which means all their estate vineyards are certified organic. Visit: www.domaine.com |
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They use three varietals for their sparkling as well as their still wines - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This winery was the first California winery to use Pinot Meunier in their sparkling wines; it is a lesser known cousin of the Pinot Noir. Today out of 600+ commercial Napa wine producers that we have personally visited and tasted with, only a handful produce either a still or a sparkling wine from this varietal. Meunier means "miller" in French as in a flour miller. For those with a passion for etymology, when you look at the back of a leaf from this varietal, you will see lots of fine white hairs - possibly resembling powdered flower to those who originally came up with this name! Domain Chandon has been voted Winery of the Year in past years by the California Tourism Association. It is located just off of the main road leading to the Yountville Veteran's home just west of the town of Yountville. If you drive up Highway 29 from the town of Napa, you might see a billboard that contains a picture of a champagne cork and a regular wine cork with the line above saying "Which is more fun?!" From this image, obviously its the sparkling wine. Hmmm. Clever. As you enter this winery you are greeted with signs publicizing their own winery radio station; they are the only Napa winery to have their own station! Be sure to tune your dial to 88.1 as you enter the winery grounds. Very nice landscaping graces the property including rock sculptures held together with rebar and a nice rock "mushroom garden". There is a large rather long parking lot divided into an upper and a lower section. The long driveway enters the first lower parking lot; if the first 2 or 3 spaces are free take these as they are shaded under the oaks and you do not have to drive all the way through the long parking lot and around to exit when you leave. Rather if you back in, when you are ready to leave you can just pull out and be right at the exit already. The entrance to the winery is right next to this first parking lot - cross the small wooden bridge over the water to walk up to the main building. Once you enter you will be greeted by front counter attendees who will provide you more information about any tours and tastings. They offer 3-4 tours all at set times (check their website for the latest, the first tour typically starts at 11am). The tours of course range in price depending on which one you choose. During busy summer, fall and holiday weekends it is recommended to arrive at least 10-15 minutes before the tour starts as tours are served on a first come first served basis. This will also give you additional time to browse their main lobby as rotating artwork is commonly displayed on the walls, wine education displays might be available and there is a small gift shop as well. Note the presidential menus - as of our latest visit, we saw several menus from this year - during previous visits we saw older menus. Obviously, their wine must be served at the White House fairly often if they are rotating these menus every year! A good photo opportunity is next to the curving wine cellar in which hundreds of bottles are on display near the main entrance. These bottles must be rarely moved as if you look past the stem of the bottle, you will notice that quite a bit of dust has collected. A typical introductory tour takes about 40 minutes - you can choose to pay extra for a taste at the end of the tour or just take the tour. Domain Chandon has built raised beds, planted to specific plants depending on the time of the season. This is their sensory exhibit and you can touch and smell the plants, each one representing some odor commonly found in wine. There is also a small demonstration vineyard planted which contains the main varietals used in their winemaking. Domain Chandon actually owns about 1000 acres, mostly in Napa but also in part of the Sonoma side of the Carneros region. The tour takes you through part of their main winery - huge stainless steel tanks dominate the inside of the winery. A small educational exhibit makes for a good stop with a question and answer session about the production and methods unique to making sparkling wine. Here you will find out that most bottles of sparkling wine contain about 56 million bubbles - apparently a French Champagne house has conducted extensive research on this! A quick stop in the lower part of the winery allows you to see their barrel aging facility. Domain Chandon has a wonderful modern tasting room in a lounge style setting. On warm days the entire glass wall behind the pourers opens up and you are treated to views and fresh air of the surrounding grounds. Excellent appetizers are served here and also at the sit down tables. They offer several unique tasting flights. We enjoyed the "classic" taste -these wines are younger and a bit more fruity then their other tastings. Depending on the type of sparkling wine, they will age the wines from one to 8 years. Domain Chandon often holds fun events on a rotating basis. Of mention is the "Bubble & Oysters Hour" featuring fresh oysters from Hog Island Oyster company (located to the west on the coast). They are also open quite late on certain days - ask or check their website for the latest hours. Their eToile restaurant is rated 4 stars and is the only fine dining restaurant located within an actual winery in Napa Valley! Etoile means "star" in French - yes there is a story about this name that dates back to the Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon who is credited with founding (accidentally) the Methode champenoise way of making sparkling wine. Supposedly while drinking his "accidental" Champagne he called to the other monks, "Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!" This restaurant has also been voted among the top winery restaurants in the world by the popular Travel & Leisure magazine. Visit: www.chandon.com |
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Currently winemaker/owner Marie Schutz manages her own wines as well as all the clients who custom crush and store their wine at this location. She runs three labels, the main Dominari, Monet's Palate (Cabernet Sauvignon), and Baccabella. The Dominari wines are all made from a variety of fruit sources from area vineyards. Dominari's first vintage was from 2001 and initially fruit from their vineyard at 1700 feet up in the remote Atlas Peak area, in the hills east of Napa Valley was used for a number of their reds. They no longer own this vineyard, however their current location is 12 acres with about 7 available for planting. Vineyards are scheduled to be planted on site sometime in 2010. Of interest is the property where the winery is located used to be owned by General Mariano Vallejo and then much more recently by the golf pro Johnny Miller (this was not the only property Miller owned in North Napa). The name Dominari in Italian can mean "protected farm house", but in Latin means "superior" - in this case superior quality. Marie's husband Jurgen has lived on Atlas Peak since the early 1970's. He has an amazing survival story that took place during WWII. His house was destroyed in England by enemy aircraft; he was in the basement when the floor collapsed and survived because he was in between two suitcases when a huge beam came crashing down. His family fled thinking he was killed and he was found several days later by Red Cross workers who took him to a Monastery where he lived and learned Latin for 4 years until his grandfather finally located him. It is of course appropriate that the name of their winery is a Latin one. He and Marie began growing grapes in 1992 and sold their fruit to Luna Vineyards until they started making their own wine in the early 2000's. When we initially visited, Marie was in the middle of harvest and had just finished several back to back 17 hour+ days as grapes for her and her custom crush clients were flowing onto the crush pad like wine. Needless to say we appreciated her taking the time to see us for a tasting during this hectic time. Owning a winery is not all glitz and glamour! Marie's philosophy is to make wine that is true to the fruit -i.e. use traditional wine making methods that do not deviate from or hide the original flavors of the grapes. We tried a number of their Cabernet's from several vintages. These wines all have good acidity and fruit characteristics with broad shouldered meaty finishes. The finishes become more integrated within the wine on their older vintages. The Cabernet's are somewhat soft on the entry but big on the finish. These are good food wines and finding these types of Napa produced Cabernets is always enjoyable. Their wines have been entered in many tastings both domestically and Internationally and have earned a number of medals for their quality. The 2005 Merlot has a noticeable higher acidity than the 2001 vintage. It is this wines acidity and structure that will make it pair so well with food. The luscious nose leads to a big body with notes of plum, white pepper and just a touch of vanilla. The wine is anchored by robust broad shouldered tannins that continue well after the flavor stops. The flavor finish is rather quick and clean. One of Dominari's gems is the 2007 Petite Sirah. The vineyard source is at about 1000 feet east of the valley floor (Nichelini Ranch off of Highway 128). This wine is all about the fruit with a noticeable sweet component to the bouquet. Hints of fig and lots of black cherry make up the palate profile. With nice acidity and balance this is an excellent food wine. With well managed tannins this wine is also quite enjoyable as a stand alone. In the last few years with new vineyard sources and contracts Dominari has branched out to making additional varietals including Chardonnay and Zinfandel. Dominari is open for tastings by appointment and currently offers several flights to choose from including their reserve tasting which feature wines made in limited production as well as some older vintages. Tastings are always private - what is nice about a tasting here is all the space inside the actual winery. You do not feel cramped at all; you will be typically tasting with Marie. Not all wineries offer wines that have been aged for several years and this is a good opportunity to try these types of wines. Their production is under 5000 cases and some of their wines are produced in quantities of under 100 cases. You can find the wines locally in Napa at JV Warehouse and Dean and Deluca in St. Helena as well as a number of area restaurants. As of the time of this review, they are distributed in 17 states. Visit: www.dominari.com |
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The building is stunning yet at the same time a humble testament to Christian's desire to build a winery that that does not destroy the natural beauty of the land. The exterior walls are called Gabions which are essentially galvanized steel cages containing natural rock. This basalt rock was mined from nearby American Canyon and sits loosely in the cages providing protection from the heat of the summer as well as allowing natural light to shine through during the day. Both barrel rooms, main tank facility and offices are contained within this one building. This was the first winery design as well as project within the United States for the Swiss architectural firm of Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. Not a bad way to get noticed at all. This firm has since designed the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Tate Gallery in London, as well as the Beijing Summer Olympics stadium in China. Pretty heady stuff for a firm that wasn't even on the International radar 10 years ago! When you are making world-class wines incredible attention to detail is given to the vineyards. Since Christian divides his time between France and California - his time here is mostly spent in the vineyards. Part of the vineyards are dry farmed, only the highest quality clusters are left to fully ripen, the grapes are washed of dust during the dry season to ensure better maturation, clusters are separated from each other to help soften tannins and a number of other meticulous details are conducted. Dominus specializes in two wines each vintage; the Dominus and Napanook - both of which are predominately Cabernet Sauvignon blends which differ in blend percentages each year. There are some notable differences between the two wines. The Bordeaux style Dominus has very long ageability (20+ years), the vines are typically older and are dry farmed - this wine tends to have earthy qualities so representative of its unique terroir. The Napanook on the other hand is a different styled wine. It is very much food friendly meant to be consumed earlier than the Dominus - with bright lively fruit and refined tannins. The 2005 Napanook with 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petite Verdot is a very dark wine rich in aroma with subtle earth driven undertones. This is a well balanced wine with a rounded mouth feel. The palate is full of cherry and other blackberry flavors complemented with herbs and spices with a nice slightly smoky finish. A Dominus saying is "Napa terroir, Bordeaux Spirit". This motto well describes their Dominus wine. We tried the 2005 vintage only days after release (92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc & 3% Petite Verdot). This is a Bordeaux styled wine, again very dark in color (thank the Petite Verdot in part for that contribution). However, you cannot help but notice the beautiful Napa fruit as soon as you smell the elegant nose which shows ripe blackberry and blueberry aromas leading to rich fruit flavors on the full bodied palate. The finish is like a crescendo in a Beethoven symphony - long, elegant, and inspirational, leaving you wanting more. A wine like this should be left to open up or decanted; it will respond wonderfully to just several years of aging, although it can certainly be laid down for much longer. Dominus is a private wine estate and is not open for tours or tastings. You can find their wine locally at JV Warehouse in Napa and also nearby V Wine Cellar in Yountville. Visit: www.dominusestate.com |
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Dovetail Vineyards is an anomaly in the Napa Valley winery scene. At the time of this review their focus is entirely on very limited productions of two varietals, each quite different from each other - a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon. This winery is owned and operated by Michael Logan who is also the winemaker. His first vintage was in 2003. These varietals are two of Michael's favorites as he has long enjoyed Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux France and the Pinot noirs coming out of Burgundy, California and Oregon. He took his first trip to the Napa Valley while he was in college, which spawned an International interest in wine; his travels abroad helped him become an International collector of fine wine. His background actually involves technology and computer consulting so without any wine making experience, he hired a winemaker for the first few years. However, Michael would work side by side with his winemaker and finally became proficient in winemaking to be able to produce his own wines.
No, Dovetail is not named after a Dove's Tail, rather those who are familiar with woodworking will know that Dovetail is a term that describes a joint which tightly locks two distinct pieces of wood together. Taken in a winemaking context, Dovetail Vineyards uses this term to describe how their farming practices are tightly interwoven and tied into their artisan winemaking. Finding inspiration for the name came from an unlikely source, Michael was listening to the radio one day and heard this term from a National Public Broadcasting (NPR) broadcaster! Dovetail understands the importance of hands on control in the vineyards. As Michael says, "we are growing wine instead of simply farming grapes" - this sums up their philosophy very well. They spend significant time within the vineyards throughout the year - working on trellising, thinning, canopy management and other vineyard details. His Pinot noir is all Sonoma County grown and is sourced from various locations including the well-known Russian River region. He produces one appellation blend and two vineyard designated Pinot noirs. Native yeasts are used whenever possible for the fermentation of his wines. We started our tasting with the 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. This is a stylish wine with good color and clarity in the glass. It is fruit forward, easy drinking and medium bodied. His two vineyard designated Pinot Noirs are made in extremely low quantities usually in the 100 to 200 case range. The best way to secure any of his wines is by joining the mailing list. The 2006 Windsor Oaks Pinot Noir is sourced from the Russian River in neighboring Sonoma County and is described by Michael in the following way, "This wine stylistically takes Pinot Noir to the edge"! It is a darker than your normal Pinot Noir but has a subtle nose that is not indicative of the actual richness and complexity in flavor on the palate. Lets just say it doesn't have many characteristics of a "typical" lighter style Pinot Noir. In any case it is big, both in flavor and structure and Cabernet lovers who don't normally drink Pinot would be well off trying this wine! Michael also owns a vineyard (the Ashley Vineyard - named in memory of his mother) in the Oak Knoll district. It is a small vineyard - about an acre and he handles all the vineyard management for this. He farms this intensively and in late Spring often drops up to 1/2 the grapes (always a farmer's nightmare to lose fruit in this fashion!) to ensure only richest most flavorful fruit is used. As a result he limits the vines to merely 1 cluster of grapes per shoot. Depending on the size of crop this acre produces between 100 and 200 cases/vintage. The 2005 vintage is a rich wine both in aroma and on the palate. The bouquet starts out slightly floral with nuances of graphite and pencil lead. The palate has great depth of fruit including black cherry, wild currants and blackberry. The finish is well structured and lingers long after you swallow. Visit: www.dovetailvineyards.com |
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The seeds were planted! Fast forward many years through a successful career in which he runs a real estate and private equity investment business - to 1996 when he acquired 35 acres and soon planted 9 acres of this to vineyards. They released their first commercial vintage in 2002. The family grew up in the northern Napa Valley, just up the road from their current wine estate. Their original intent with the property was not to get into the wine making business but the acreage they purchased, while never historically planted to vineyards is mostly hillside and is perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon as they later discovered. DR Stephens Estate's primary focus is on Cabernet Sauvignon although they do make a delicious Chardonnay from the cooler Carneros region to the south. Their winemaker, Celia Welch specializes in consulting for ultra-premium wineries and is well known throughout the valley for her attention to detail and high quality wines. They make three Cabernet Sauvignons - two vineyard designates and a declassified second label. One is their impressive Moose Valley Vineyard which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon entirely grown on the St. Helena property. Another is their Walther River Block, also 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a 1.6 acre vineyard in Rutherford - 2006 will be their first release. Finally the DRII, which is produced from estate fruit as well as from other Napa Vineyards. The 2005 Moose Valley Vineyard and Walther River Block Cabernet are aged predominately in new French Oak and typically sees no fining or filtration. All grapes are harvested by hand, de-stemmed and then re-sorted so that only the ripest berries are left. These berries are then fermented on the skins before pressing. The 2005 is a very dark wine and its aromas are full of the smell of ripe blackberries. The palate bursts with ripe cherry and dark chocolate. The tannins are gentle and delicate with a finish full of vanilla and tobacco that lingers well after you swallow. Their wines are well placed within the Napa area, usually found at the higher end restaurants and resorts including Auberge du Soleil and Meadowood. Cases of their wine have received some of the highest bids at the annual Premier Napa Valley which is a mid-winter event mainly for trade to benefit charity organizations. Don and Justin also own a label called Hunnicutt. Note that their mailing list is currently full - but you can join the waiting list for the mailing list. For more information about DR Stephens, visit: www.drstephensestate.com |
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The semi-private estate tastings are offered daily and appointments are a must. These are educational tastings in which you taste the best wine they offer (estate and limited production) which are paired with a variety of cheeses. Along with Paraduxx their "sister" Napa winery, this tasting facility is first class and one of the nicest in the valley. Think restaurant dining but for wine instead. The room is surrounded with windows and you have good views out on their gardens. A small circular wine bar is in the center of the tasting room and is surrounded by tables. You can choose from one of two "classic" tastings or choose their "reserve" tasting, which includes a tour and pairs food with the wine. The majority of the wines served are various Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons - they specialize in Bordeaux varietals and have been producing wine since 1976. All wines are artisan in style as they are hand crafted and during fermentation and aging are treated in small lots depending on specific blocks within the vineyard. Duckhorn was among the early Napa Vintners to make Merlot as a stand along varietal wine rather than use it in blending. After visiting Pomerol France (premier Merlot region), the owners fell in love with this varietal. As of press time, they own and manage 7 different vineyards in the Napa Valley area including several on Howell Mountain. Winemaking starts in the vineyards and teroir is extremely important - their website provides detailed information about each of their vineyards. The gardens are very nicely laid out and it is worth a few minutes to stroll around the estate or admire the grounds from their porch. Also take a look at their "duck" collection - which of course is a tribute to the owner's last name & the name of this winery. Visit: www.duckhornvineyards.com |
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The second generation is actively involved and Randy and Lori's son and daughter are working within the winery. Dunn Vineyards sits in a very rural location surrounded by native vegetation. Randy and Lori actually purchased 63 acres of additional nearby land and then quickly donated it to the Napa Land trust so it will never be developed. This is the refreshing type of philosophy they have in regards to keeping a natural balance between the native vegetation and their vineyards. We recently had a chance to walk the vineyards; these are all small hillside vineyards at about 1800 feet and do not dominate the landscape as there are always parts of the natural forest nearby. As they outgrew their storage facilities they built a cave for barrel storage in 1989. Since the early 1980's they have always specialized in two types of wines, a Howell Mountain Cabernet and a Napa Valley Cabernet. Both wines are not blended - they are 100% varietal. As of press time, their total production is about 5000 cases. We recently had the opportunity to try the 2004 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. It is crimson ruby in color with an elegant nose showing dark chocolate and even nuances of raspberry as the bouquet opens. There is a lot of fruit in this wine especially up front with black currant and plum flavors. The tannins are dusty and structured - there are rich layers of flavor in the wine, good acidity and good structure. While full of flavor now, this wine needs some time to cellar and it will continue to evolve and show new complexities. Note the unusual design and placement of the labels - they are set on the bottles at an angle and spiral around the bottle. This design has not changed since the founding of the winery. In addition their Howell Mountain Cabernet is always coated with wax, which definitely makes it stand out while their Napa Cabernet has a foil seal. Their Napa Cabernet tends to have softer tannins whereas their Howell Mountain Cabernet is a bigger wine with larger tannins and more fruit. Both wines are built to age for a long time and will only become more complex if you are able to cellar these - but can certainly be consumed now. Dunn keeps the alcohol percentage lower than most area vintners, typically in the high 13 range which is done by several processes including de-alcoholization if need be, a process that can be conducted by reverse osmosis. Randy's focus is on terroir driven wines; his philosophy is that you need to be able to taste where the wines are from. When you have wines high in alcohol you lose the distinguishing characteristics that allow you to distinguish the "home terroir". In addition, his wines are not trophy wines meant to catch the high scores or wines that will put you under the table due to the alcohol as they are made to be enjoyed with food. As Randy told us, they are not "cocktail wines"! Dunn has a very popular mailing list that is currently full - however you can contact them to be placed on the wait list. For more information about their wines, visit: www.dunnvineyards.com |
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Dusinberre Cellars is run by Napa area vintner Jeff Smith who released his first vintage under Dusinberre in 1986 after establishing the winery in 1982. The name of the winery is traced back to his families' name when his Dutch relations settled in what is now New York in the 1650's. He was living in Calistoga in the 1970's working in a non wine related industry when his neighbor asked if he would be interested in working as cellar foreman of nearby Schramsberg winery. Jeff having no experience in the wine industry at the time did not know what to expect. Perhaps the owners of Schramsberg saw a future wine maker, but in any case he was given the job and gained valuable experience with Champagne & the wine industry during this time here. In later years Jeff worked with well-known Napa notables including vintner Philip Togni and the famous Andre Tchelistcheff.
Today Jeff consults for a variety of clients both in Napa & Mendocino counties and beyond. He maintains two wineries, his bonded garage in Napa and another one in Kelseyville to the north. Jeff's wine has made an appearance at an official White House dinner and also at a U.S. Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations. In addition, over the years his wines have earned a number of high reviews and honors at various tasting competitions. His production is extremely limited and he does not distribute outside of northern California. The wine stop in Calistoga has some of his wine as well as Brannan's Grill, also in Calistoga. You may visit his website (listed below) or contact Jeff directly for purchasing. Because Jeff chooses fruit from various sources each year, his production varies somewhat. Dusinberre is a very small winery but they have a good overall selection of different types of wines and varietals. All wines we tasted are from grapes sourced from the Napa area. Their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is a bright well-balanced wine with lots of color. The nose is decidedly a mix of ripe blackberries with black currants with great fruit flavors on the palate and a soft finish. Jeff also makes sparkling wine and the vintage we tried was a 2004 Cuvee Rouge. First of all there are very few sparkling wine producers in the Napa area and its guaranteed you won't find this type of wine anywhere else. It is a blend of Zinfandel, Gamay and French Colombard grapes and two of these varietals are not often seen in Napa wines (Gamay is a very old French varietal and Colombard used to be California's most planted "white grape" before Chardonnay took over this status). This Cuvee Rouge is red in color with some nice strawberry notes, rose petals and hints of white toast in the aromas. It is soft in the mouth with notes of kiwi & strawberry on the palate. It is a very nice wine and if you are looking for an out-of-the-ordinary limited production Napa sparkling wine, this is a very good choice. Last but not least, the dessert! We enjoyed his incredible 2004 Late Harvest Muscat Cannelli named Tesoro del Sole or in English, the "treasure of the sun". The grapes for this wine are typically picked in late November which is well after the normal area harvest is finished. The Brix at harvest was an amazing 41%! This wine is un-fined and unfiltered but remains remarkably clear. Some wines that do not go through these processes are cloudy and have some sediment - not this one. It is a golden amber hue that will only become more golden as it ages. It is a concentrated late harvest wine full of aromas of honey with some notes of orange peel. This aroma is more noticeable if you breath right from the stem of the bottle rather than from the glass where the wine opens up more. We also use a touch of this wine in our salad. Weird? No, its delicious! Visit: www.winecal.com |
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The winery was named after "Dutch Henry", a mercury prospector who lived in the hills behind the winery due to the fact there were rich pockets of mercury ore located there. One of the uses for Mercury is to extract gold from quartz - visit our Gold Mining Page for more information on our travel site. The original Silverado Trail used to run through the property and the famous stagecoach robber Black Bart used this road for his hold ups. Dutch Henry may have been working with Black Bart in these nefarious affairs. Their first vintage was from 1992 and as they say, the name Robert Mondavi was already taken, so because of the history associated with the property, the name Dutch Henry was an obvious choice! Their wines are individually hand crafted and complement various meat dishes nicely. Sometimes they have older vintages available for sale. The wines range from Chardonnay & Pinot Noir, to Argos a proprietary blend to their estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah. Their vineyards are all organically hillside grown and hand harvested. The small tasting room is surrounded by many stacked wine barrels and there is always at least one of the "gang" there to entertain you while you are drinking...and yes they do love to entertain! Our favorite wine during a recent taste was their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is built to age but can also be consumed now. A number of picnic tables are located in the shade of the oaks next to the hills near the tasting room and several small winery dogs are usually lying nearby. Looking for a romantic place to stay situated right among the vineyards that most people will never find during a visit to Napa? Dutch Henry has a 3-bedroom private cottage on site and there are no minimum stays. Also of note is the new cave located just behind the winery facility. The tasting fee is waived with a purchase of a bottle or more. Visit: www.dutchhenry.com |
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Dyer Vineyard is one of Napa Valley's smallest producers as their entire vineyard is merely 2.5 acres - not the smallest we've tasted with but certainly among the smallest! This winery is run by the husband and wife team of Bill & Dawnine Dyer. They both have a long history in the Napa Valley dating back to the mid 1970's. Bill worked his way up to winemaker at Sterling Vineyards and was instrumental in developing their single varietal wines, including a Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Diamond Mountain is where their small hillside vineyard is located. This vineyard is extremely rocky and the yields are fairly low. When they first put in the vineyard huge boulders had to be removed. They are in a good neighborhood! Wineries such as Diamond Creek, Diamond Terrace, Von Strasser, and Reverie are nearby. Dawnine worked for many years with sparkling wines as winemaker at Domain Chandon. Today both are still heavily involved in the local wine industry with several consulting projects as well as focusing on Dyer.
Dyer's first vintage was in 1996 with merely 75 cases. Current vintages typically are around 400 cases which means distribution is extremely limited; the best way to secure wine is to join their mailing list so you are notified about upcoming releases. Dyer specializes in one type of wine each year, a field blend that is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot rounding out the blend. These varietals are all grown together, and are situated on the vineyard such that each varietal is harvest at similar ripeness of each other. In addition all varietals are co-fermented and aged together. We tried their 2004 vintage. It is a refined elegant wine that is extremely well balanced. It is a wine that can be consumed young, yet doesn’t overwhelm your palate. There are pleasant aromas of lavender and other fruits on the nose, followed by a mix of blackberry and cherry flavors on the palate. The finish is long and smooth. Of interesting note is their label; it was inspired by a mural they saw in a monastery in Tibet during one of their travels. Incidentally it was of high peaks and glaciers called the "Diamond Mountains" featured in the Buddhist Scriptures. Perfect! A San Francisco based painter then produced their label artwork from a photo of this mural. Visit: www.dyerwine.com |
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