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g Cook Family Winery is nestled next to the hills in the northern part of the Napa Valley. Because the valley narrows down as you drive north there are lots of neat little side canyons and inlets against the hills. This winery is near several of these which really gives it is own "secluded" feel compared the main part of the valley floor. g Cook is owned by Glen and Gayle Cook. Glen is a retired dentist and Gayle is currently a flight attendant. They originally purchased the property in the mid 1980's with the intent to hold it for a few years and then turn around and sell it for profit. They had no intention of moving here, building a winery, growing grapes, much less making wine. Well the "Napa Allure" took hold and didn't let go! They moved up from the Bay Area, and built a small winery which today serves as a custom crush location for a variety of very small producers - some as low as producing just a few barrels. Small personal family owned custom crush wineries such as this one are far and few between in the Napa area and they have a waiting list of prospective clients. They have three planted acres of their own (all hillside) and manage a number of other nearby acres. For many years they farmed and managed the custom crush facility but never made their own wine. This changed in 2004 with the release of their first wine, (only 200 cases), a Cabernet Sauvignon. As of press time each of their wines are typically produced in amounts of about several hundred cases.
The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark and rich in color. The aromas are earthy and full of ripe fruit with almost a slight port characteristic; however this rich ripeness in aroma is tempered in the very well balanced fruit flavors which are complemented with hints of oak, cedar, and mocha. Their non vintage "Ain't your Daddy's Zinfandel" is already a crowd pleaser with its taste as well as the cute label. This wine is essentially a field blend, with several different varietals including Syrah and even white varietals blended into the wine. These "other" varietals are found in only very small quantities. By far the majority varietal is Zinfandel (90%) with also 10% Merlot. As a result, the name of this wine describes it perfectly. It is a non traditional Zinfandel - not your "normal" Zin! It is a lighter styled fruit driven wine with great berry aromas which carry onto the palate. It is great with BBQ or chicken. The 2005 Merlot is made with Merlot grapes from their property as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from the cooler Coombsville region in the southern part of the Napa Valley. This is a rich yet elegant wine that is very well balanced. The finish is long with a well structured backbone in part from the addition of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Look for a Sauvignon Blanc sourced from Yountville to be soon added to their repertoire. We should also mention their pricing; for hand crafted Napa wines you cannot beat the excellent prices. Napa hillside grown, hand crafted 100% Cabernet Sauvignon for under $40. Nice! A hummingbird is found on their labels; during certain times of the years up to 100 hummingbirds at any one time will be flying around the many feeders located on the property. Visits are on an individual appointment only basis. An energizing and busy time to visit is during the harvest crush with many of the small producers working on site during various days....a great chance to see small producers in action. You can find their wine locally at Enoteca in Calistoga and at the St. Helena Wine Center in downtown St. Helena. Visit: www.cookwinery.com |
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g Wine Cellars is run by Grant & Garrett, two Napa natives who both have a passion for wine. In addition, each has family members already working within the local wine industry (Garrett's family has their own label - Ahnfeldt). Their partnership works out very well as Grant is the winemaker, making wine since the young age of 16, and Garrett is a vineyard manager for a company managing approximately 1000 acres in the Napa area including the acreage that supplies the grapes for g Wine Cellars. They focus on two Cabernet Sauvignons, a Merlot and one blended white wine. In addition due to both their contacts with vineyard owners, they always have additional grapes which they use to make one barrel of wine at a time. These "one barrel" lots are available exclusively through their wine club as are invitations to wine parties on the estate. We haven't yet been to a party, but with their enthusiasm and estate location these are bound to be memorable. We haven't seen any wineries in the Napa area offer selections this limited, its boutique at its best! A tasting is always private, held with Grant, Garrett or both and is held on the grounds of a stunning hilltop estate complete with a 3-story beautiful house. From the balcony outside on the 3rd floor you have great views of Mt. Tamalpais towering in the distance as well as glimpses of San Francisco (depending on the season and clarity). Take the grand staircase upstairs or hop in the elevator for the 1 story ride.
We started our tasting with the 2006 "g" Licious, a fun and catchy name for a unique white wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Symphony (UC Davis clone created from a cross between Muscat de Alexandria and Grenache gris) & Semillon. The nose is very tropical floral & fruity and almost leads one to believe this wine might be sweet. Ever eaten a ripe Muscat grape? Hints of this on the nose with great carry through of various fruit flavors to the palate. We tried their 2005 N.V. Cabernet Sauvignon from barrel as this had not yet been bottled. This is a medium to full bodied wine with a very earthy nose with hints of oak. The oak on the nose will dissipate after bottling. Very long finish. Their flagship wine is the Mayacamas Mountain Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. These are the mountains that form the north south spine rising above the western part of Napa Valley. The fruit for this wine comes from three well-known hillside districts, Spring Mountain, Diamond Peak & Mt. Veeder. This is a very big wine, chewy, full of ripe black fruit flavors with some exotic spices & smokiness on the backend before the long finish. They produce about 1000 cases each year, none of it distributed except for a tiny bit of the white wine. This means you will not find it in wine shops or at restaurants. This is partly for the reason that Grant & Garrett prefer to meet their customers in person, and as a result their wine is solely available through their wine club. A visit here is for serious wine enthusiasts in what used to be old horse stables which have been totally being remodeled. We will revisit at some point and provide photos of the tasting room and estate. Grant also runs Tour Napa Valley, a company offering personalized visits and tastings with some of the smaller less visited boutique wineries. Visit: www.gwinecellars.com |
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Much of the tasting room is made from recycled materials or with materials from other buildings that were being torn down including reclaimed wood flooring from a 1950's Napa gymnasium and chandeliers made from wine barrel staves. Rocks were taken from the vineyards and form the walls of the building. The tasting room is downstairs in the main stone building; it is an intimate location for small groups. Weather permitting we recommend tasting out on the deck or stone patio from which you will have gorgeous views to the south of the sprawling vineyards and hills. A visit here is meant to be relaxed - tours and tastings are for serious wine enthusiasts. A circular rod iron staircase winds up to a small second story room; this is a private lounge and serves double duty for quick "jam" sessions. One of Jeff's passions is music and besides this room, he has also built a small outdoor amphitheatre for concerts. Be sure to check out his vintage and handmade guitar collection. Jeff has been involved with farming his entire life having run a small local tomato farming business in Florida which over time he built into one of the world's largest tomato producers. He also served as CEO of Sunkist Corporation. This is one of the only south facing vineyards in Oakville and almost all you see when you look south are rolling hills covered in vineyards. It is an absolutely idyllic location. Local culinary celebrity, Michal Chiarello has filmed several episodes of the TV Show, Easy Entertaining on site in Jeff's kitchen. We've been told by the way, that Jeff is also an awesome chef in his own right! Gargiulo produces a number of wines including several that we tried; the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Money Road Ranch property, a Merlot and their wonderful Aprile which is a blend of primarily Sangiovese with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2004 Money Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon has nice notes of vanilla and cassis on the bouquet followed by a palate that is smooth, supple and full of dark cherry and plum flavors. Structured tannins support a long finish. The 2004 Money Ranch Merlot is a fairly big wine that may appeal to Cabernet Sauvignon drinkers. It has great fruit both on the bouquet and on the palate; think blackberry dessert and cherry pie! Gargiulo strives to create Bordeaux style wines that are elegant but not overly fruit driven. They also typically use a shorter oak aging program than many wineries, preferring instead to let the varietal characteristics show. They often donate wine to high profile auctions and their lots have raised thousands of dollars towards various charities. Visit: www.gargiulovineyards.com |
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Garric Cellars is owned and operated by two Chicago physicians, Gary Ochwat and Ricardo Cajulis. The winery name comes from combining the first 3 letters of their first names. Both partners have varied backgrounds. Gary grew up in an Italian family in Chicago while Ricardo hails from a very small island in the Philippines. Ricardo arrived in Chicago with nothing more than $500 in his pocket, a medical degree and little knowledge of wine. This eventually changed, and in 1988 they met and discovered their passions for wine; many trips to the Napa Valley soon followed with the culmination of a purchase of property just north of the town of Calistoga.
During their trips to the Napa area they met a number of local winemakers including the very well regarded winemaker, Pam Starr. She has made their wine since the first vintage which was in 2003. Pam is a very active "viticulture" winemaker, and as a result spends a lot of her time in the actual vineyards making sure vineyard blocks are controlled according to her exacting specifications. Garric Cellars focuses on one Cabernet Sauvignon each year. Both Gary and Ricardo strive to make a first class wine and know the core value of sourcing fruit from superior terroir. Winemaking starts and ends in the vineyards and fortunately with Pam's connections they are able to find such vineyards. Their first few vintages were made from two select vineyards, one in Calistoga and one in Yountville. Future vintages will incorporate additional fruit sources for added complexities. We tried the 2005 vintage. This is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Merlot blended. Three Cabernet clones are blended in this wine and each is fermented and vinified separately until they are ready to make their final blends. Gary and Ricardo are involved with all final blending decisions and not all barrels make the cut. One year they had 8 extra barrels which didn't make it into the final blend. Other wineries may have bottled this separately, not so with Garric. Such is their commitment to creating one superior wine that these extra barrels were sold off, effectively limiting their final blend to a smaller amount. All their wine is unfined and unfiltered for maximum color and flavor. The 2005 has a rich fruit driven bouquet with hints of oak, mocha and floral qualities, akin to dried rose petals and violets. The fruit continues to the palate. Rich ripe flavors of blueberry and blackberry combine with lively mouth watering natural acidity. Subtle hints of mocha and espresso carry over from the nose. This wine has a beautiful velvety mouth feel which is supported on the finish by sweet smooth tannins. The 2006 is one of those vintages where only a small percent of their total wine acually made the "cut" to bottle. In this case they used 25% of their lots. This wine is 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from 4 vineyards and contains a number of clones. This is a complex wine at a young age that will pair well with a variety of foods. The nose is full of luscious fruit showing more dark fruit than red with hints of dark chocolate. The palate is seamless from start to finish and is very much in balance. Again blue and black fruits show including blackberry and blueberry with a very pleasant finish showing fine grained tannins with just a hint of mocha. Wondering what their logo means? Good guesses include a dolphin, sheep, or even a bunch of wine grapes. However none of these are correct. Look closer and you will see Garric is creatively spelled in a circular pattern. Nice! You can sometimes find their wine locally at Dean & Deluca in St. Helena. The best way to stay posted regarding updates and releases and or purchase new vintages is to join their mailing list. Visit: www.garric-cellars.com |
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Girard offers two private by appointment sit down tastings in the VIP lounge. Both tastings include current releases as well as select limited release and library wines - one tasting is paired with a variety of cheeses and charcuteries. Serious wine enthusiasts can make an appointment well in advance to visit their actual winemaking facility. As with the town of Napa, Yountville has seen a serious increase in tasting facilities and several additional tasting rooms are within walking distance of Girard. Pat Roney is the current owner and he has a strong background in the wine industry as past President of several Sonoma Valley Wineries & the famed wine shop, Dean & Deluca. He is also a partner in the well-received custom crush facility south of Napa called, Bin to Bottle. Girard winery is all about the wines. Their motto could easily be "high quality wines at affordable prices" - this is very true. Their wines have great mouth feel, big aromatics and are reasonably priced. As of press time, Girard uses native yeasts to kick off the fermentations for all their wines with the exception being their Sauvignon Blanc which is inoculated with commercial yeasts. We tried the 2007 vintage - this by the way is also the only filtered wine in their lineup. It sees only tank (no barrel), it is a bright wine that is crisp and refreshing with aromas of guava and grapefruit with the citrus characteristics carrying over to the palate. Think a full malolactic fermented Chardonnay always produces a wine that is buttery. Not so. This wine uses a type of yeast that doesn't create huge amounts of diacetyl, the by product of fermentation that brings the "buttery" characteristics to Chardonnay. As a result, this wine is crisper than you would expect, with a soft mouth feel with a lingering finish full of toasted almond and other nice nutty characteristics. There is lots of fruit in this wine on the front and mid palate. A wine of note is their 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel. This is 77% Zinfandel (some vines up to 100 years old) with 23% being a mix of Rhone Varietals. We've long wondered which vineyard is the highest one in Napa County. Look no further - the Blue Ridge Vineyard which provides some of the Zinfandel fruit for this wine is Napa County's highest vineyard at about 2700 feet in the isolated region on the slopes of Mt. Vaca. There are some high vineyards in the Howell Mountain appellation but certainly none as high as this one! This is a more refined elegant Zinfandel not a huge fruit bomb overly spicy Zinfandel that we've certainly tried from other producers. Girard is best known for their Artistry blend which incorporates the five main Bordeaux varietals. Aside from the great aromatics and appealing fruit characteristics on the palate, the price has always been attractive. Want their "cult wine" - try the Petite Sirah. This is a big wine from a small berried clone sourced from a fairly warm weather location (Calistoga) and as a result produces very rich concentrated flavors. The Limited Production wines are generally under 1000 cases and are not sold online. The 2005 Diamond Mountain was their first vintage using Diamond Mountain fruit (their winemaker has past experience with fruit from this appellation) and what a nice wine this is. Smooth and soft with juicy fruit this wine sees extended maceration and the tannins are well managed. Their Cabernet Franc is only bottled as its own varietal during "high quality" years and when produced is only available in limited quantities. As they say at Girard, there is "always something happening at the tasting room". Special days include chocolate pairings, wine and cheese, a library wine day and more! Visit: www.girardwinery.com Note that during the summer Girard regularly is open later than most tasting venues - usually until 8pm and that they are setup to hold private events from 1 to 100 people including receptions or full-service sit downs. |
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They concentrate on two European style wines, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Mt. Veeder Cabernet fruit in particular is known for its small dense clusters, fruit quantities that are always significantly below the tonnage produced by the nearby Napa Valley floor grown vineyards. Despite being above the valley fog it is usually colder up here than the valley floor and when it warms up later in the day the mountain slopes help mediate the heat. This makes for a very long harvest often stretching up to parts of 3 months. Redwoods dot the vineyards as the Strickers decided to leave all redwoods when they originally planted the vines. During harvest silver colored strands blow in the wind to discourage birds from eating the actual grapes. You may also hear the "cries of wounded birds" but pay no attention as these cries are coming from speakers strategically located throughout the vineyards to help keep the birds from attacking the ripe fruit. Godspeed has the luxury of holding back their wines far beyond the normal time most area wineries release their wines. Typically their Cabernet won't be released until it has aged 6 years! For the price their wines are one of the best values within the Napa Valley area. Their Cabernets are big, bold, deeply colored and firm in tannin structure. They age very well. We also tried their Chardonnay; it is non Malolactic and is dark golden in color and pairs very well with food due to its reasonable acidity. As of press time, no website is available. |
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A large selection of distinctive wines are available. As of press time 9+ of the 12 acres are planted to vine on site and they also source some of their grapes from other vineyards. Their focus originally and for a number of years was entirely on Chardonnay and as a result their signature wine is this varietal. We tried the 2006 vintage; it has a nice nose with some vanilla and apple notes and if you smell carefully you will even pick up some interesting spices. The palate is rich and somewhat creamy, in part from the sur lie aging in barrel. They have an excellent Viognier, a not often Napa produced Tempranillo (Spanish varietal) and their V AmerItal which is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2005 Syrah is well balanced with a smooth rounded mouth feel and its about this time during your taste that the chocolate may appear from behind the counter. Might as well enjoy this wine with chocolate as it already has nuances of dark chocolate on the palate. It is a juicy wine, with just a touch of spice (this is not your typical peppery spicy grand-dad's syrah), and currant fruit. Both their Cabernet Sauvignons are great with food. The 2005 Estate Cab has good fruit touched by just a bit of toasted oak with delicate tannins on the finish. The 2004 Howell Mountain Cabernet is a bigger wine full of dark cherry with balanced but structured tannins anchoring the long finish. A sparkling Rose was made in 2004 to celebrate their 20th anniversary and is available for sale in the winery. Also note that some years the fruit is fantastic and they are able to select only the highest quality lots for a very limited production red wine called ÆROS. When you visit might be given a short questionnaire sheet by one of the staff - one of the questions is "how did you find us". During our several visits we've noticed the most common answer given was "online". Goosecross is one of Napa's pioneer wineries in the world of online marketing. They were the first Napa Valley winery to start their own Podcast feeds and these wine educational seminars are available on their Napa Valley Wine Radio website as well as their educational blogs. You can also ask wine related questions, listen to descriptions of each of their wines & visit Colleen's Kitchen (list of unique recipes from the owner) on their main website. Discounts are available on wine purchases by being a Podcast listener. From May through October they offer something quite unique among Napa wineries - the "wine basics" class which is very reasonably priced...it is free! These classes are great for the wine novice as they cover tasting techniques, how to tell a wine's structure, wine storage and more. Additional very hands on tours and wine seminars are also offered - all by appointment only. Lastly, check out their chocolate coated wine bottles! We have only seen these in one other Napa winery. They make great conversational presents as well as delicious semi-edible gifts. If you are in downtown Napa you may also taste their wines at The Wineries of Napa collective, next to the Chamber of Commerce in the Napa Town Center. Visit: www.goosecross.com |
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Dick and his family first came to the Napa Valley in the mid 1970's and like a number of vintners in the valley we've met with; his foray into vineyards and winemaking was purely accidental. As Dick admits he never originally had the "green thumb" - his extent of growing was a few radish seeds in a Petri dish in Biology class which promptly germinated and then died the next day! This is ironic considering his son is now his own vineyard manager. Dick came to a tasting at Freemark Abbey and the owner of The Wine Country Inn at the time (still there by the way), showed him some nearby real estate that contained a large run down Victorian with much of the property suffering the throes of abandonment. After looking at the property for merely 15 minutes Dick and his wife Ann decided to purchase it on site with the seeds of a vision that would eventually lead to one of Napa's most sought after wines. When we caught up with Dick Grace he had just returned from a long trip to Asia - part of which was focused on efforts to help victims of the terrible earthquake in Sichuan, China that occurred in mid 2008. He spoke of meeting a policeman who ran into a burning building after the earthquake to rescue a child. He came back out with the child, already partially on fire - threw the kid to a bystander and immediately ran back into the building to get another child in what was a total selfless act. Dick spent 4 years in the military and now travels the world for his foundation; he knows and has seen his share of heroism. He spreads his help around globally - medical clinics, orphanages, cafeterias, food for schools, eye doctors and getting people off the streets and trained for job skills. A thick album full of photos is a testament to those his foundation has helped. You can clearly see the evidence of Grace's support in this album - photos of injured or otherwise neglected small children are shown next to pictures of their smiling faces, taken much later in life. The contrast between these photos is enough to convince anyone the power someone has in their grasp to help others. Dick is not a hands off helper - he is often on site of major natural disasters finding out where his foundation can be most useful. Case in point was after the 2004 Tsunami he was on a small island in the middle of the Andaman Ocean helping 16,000 survivors of the 24,000 who lived here before the Tsunami hit. At the time of this review, Dick is 70, an age when many people are already retired however he keeps a packed schedule and is busier than people half his age. In addition his foundation runs several major projects including a medical clinic in Katmandu Nepal which sees hundreds of clients daily. What the Grace Family has done with their wine is essentially use it as a vehicle to help close the gap between those who are needy and those that are not... using "wine as a catalyst for healing the planet". Due to his wine, he has met people in positions to financially help from around the world who are now part of his humanitarian efforts. Initially he was more focused on fundraising and then distributing the money - now he hand picks places and projects to support as well as devoting his efforts to raising consciousness about charitable endeavors. He often brings potential donors with him on trips. As Dick says, for the cost of one bottle of wine at a fine restaurant you can educate, clothe and feed well, a child for an entire year. That helps put his charity efforts in perspective....it doesn't take much. Over lunch in the mid 1970's a friend told Dick that part of his land would make a wonderful vineyard. Thinking this would be a good experience for the family with no thoughts about any commercial wine ventures, they planted 1 acre of vines. Their philosophy in the late 1970's regarding the spacing of grapevines was ahead of their time. They felt that grapevines need to struggle to build character and as a result they planted the vines very close together - much more so than most of the vineyards at the time. Closer spacing means much more labor intensive work as well as lower crop yields. During the first harvest, they brought the grapes to Caymus winery in bins sitting in the back of a number of station wagons. These grapes were going to be used in a blend for Caymus but after Charles Wagner the owner of Caymus tasted the fruit, he decided it was such good quality that it deserved to be made as stand alone wine...thus the beginning of Grace Family Vineyards. Their first harvest was in 1978 and the wine was made at Caymus Winery for a number of years until the winery was built on their property. The small but very functional winery is located merely feet away from the closest grapevines. Only the highest quality French Oak is used with aging ranging anywhere from 18 to 40 months. Only one vintage saw 40 months - when for whatever reason the fruit really benefited by this extra aging. Gary Brookman who also makes wine at Miner Family has been their winemaker since June of 2001. Other notable winemakers for Grace Family have included Charles Wagner, Gary Galleron and Heidi Barrett. Harvest is always a fun time at the winery - since day one it has always been about friends and family helping pick the grapes. Each year more than 100 people show up to help with the crush - with a number coming from around the world. They have several small vineyards planted on the bench-land hillsides of the Mayacamas Mountains north of St. Helena and the grapes for their Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon come from these vineyards. Dick's son Kirk is a vineyard manager in the Valley and of course manages his family’s vineyards. All their vineyards have been farmed organically since day 1, no herbicides or pesticides are used. They have always tried to stay away from the high alcohol highly extracted wines - rather focusing on picking if possible when the flavors are there but high sugar levels have not yet been reached. We tried several barrel samples of the 2007 vintage - the first being the 100% Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon from their estate vineyards. While still very young, this wine already has their noted elegance in the bouquet with a core of layered beautiful fruit that carries all through the palate - black cherry and plum with a nice dustiness and nuances of smoke anchoring the finish. This wine is soft, elegant supple and very smooth. The 2007 vintage Blank Vineyard located in Rutherford was planted with cuttings from the Grace property and has its own unique soil and microclimate. It contains more of a spicy herbal note to the bouquet but it is just as soft and refined as their Estate Vineyard. Historically this wine takes a bit longer to evolve than the estate vineyard, but at the time of our taste, already shows a core of rich fruit on the palate. The Grace's have long used their mailing list as their primary distribution of wine. With several thousand people waiting to get on this list, the best way to buy their wine is online - try K&L Wine Merchants or Wally's Wine or you can sometimes find certain vintages at some of the high end wine shops in the Napa Valley - ACME Wine in St. Helena or V Wine Cellars in Yountville. All large format bottles are kept exclusively for charity with some of their donations topping the $100,000 mark! The Grace's were involved in the original annual Napa Wine Auction which takes place every June and always raises millions of dollars for charity. Grace has also given away over 9700 watches helping spread his humanitarian efforts; each watch contains a simple message "Be Optimystic" which is a statement that is essentially integral to their success. Visit: www.gracefamilyvineyards.com or the direct link to their foundation here: www.gracefamilyvineyards.com/foundation.html |
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The property has been with the same family since 1958 but their first harvest was in 1985. The original owner bought the land in the 1880's with profits made after he followed a great tip to invest in the Comstock Lode Silver Mine. Picnic tables for customers are located at the base of the vineyard hill near the long chicken coop - this is a very quiet relaxing location for enjoying wine with your lunch. It has not been uncommon for marriage proposals to occur on the winery grounds! If the weather permits and you have time you can walk on the edge of the main vineyard to the top of the hill for spectacular views. If that is too far, you can walk a few minutes past the old barn to the edge of their other hillside vineyard which is located on very steep slopes directly above the main Petrified Forest Road. Again, on a clear day you will find tremendous views of the rolling hills in the northern part of the Napa Valley as well as of the tallest mountain, Mt. St. Helena to the north. We have visited Graeser several times, the latest was after four solid weeks of smoke and hazy days from those infamous California summer fires. Our visit coincided with the first really bright blue sunny day and was perfect for photography with an explosion of the normal expected summertime blue and green colors. Graeser has a partnership with the Spirits in Stone Gallery and you will often see African Shona carvings (from Zimbabwe) lining the walkway to the tasting room as well as located in and around the garden area. These statues are for sale and do rotate depending on how often they sell. As long time collectors and supporters of the Shona artwork, we were pleasantly surprised to find these statues at the winery. The tasting experience is low key and relaxed - nothing about the property screams "new Napa" as you often find along the busy wine strip south of St. Helena to about Oakville. A wooden framed gallery room is located next to the tasting counter and this is for winery events and features rotating works of art. A wide variety of wines are made here, all are available in limited production and often the winemaker owner Richard Graeser is in the tasting room - as he lives on site. He "fell" into the wine business as a second career after coming to the property to assist his mother in settling her affairs in the early 1980's. However his mother passed on within the month and as a result, Richard inherited the property and then decided to plant vineyards. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are grown on site - they do source fruit from several area vineyards. It is hard to find Semillion in the Napa area, especially as a 100% varietal wine. Graeser's 2005 is a an excellent vintage. It has a big mouth feel, with some tropical aromas including honeysuckle. There are some mineral notes on the bouquet which are also found on the palate. There is great fruit in this wine and the long finish lingers with notes of melon and apricot. Richard is a big fan of dogs and a number of his wines have dogs on the labels. You will probably see some of his dogs lying around the tasting room - they even have their own wines named after themselves! Case in point are the Two Dog Merlot and Jack's Cabernet Sauvignon. A wine we really enjoyed was the 2003 Coeur De Leon Estate and is a perfect example of why you blend. With 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc the end result is a wine with a great depth of flavor. The nose is big in fruit with some nuances of vanilla and mocha and is a good giveaway to the richness of the actual palate. Blackberry, leather tobacco and cassis lead to a finish that is delicately peppery. Graeser also makes a Zinfandel and an estate Cabernet Franc blend. Finished your main tasting? Enjoy port? If Richard is around he can take you downstairs to the barrel room. He calls this room "funky" and it is, yet at the same time is functional and that is all that really matters. It is rare to find a Port of Merlot from Napa and Graeser makes a fantastic version called Succulence. We tried the 2007 from barrel - while very young at the time of our sample this wine already showed excellent complexity and great fruit flavors including cherry and raspberry. Pair this with dark chocolate or for you tobacco smokers, it will go well with a nice cigar. The wine prices are very reasonable for such low production and distribution and often there are older vintages available for sale. Their wines are meant to be paired with food and this is where they really shine. Also note that they conduct sit down private tastings inside the main house which dates from 1875. Click on our photos link above to view some of the interior rooms of this house. Visit: www.graeserwinery.com |
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Grant Street Vineyards is owned and operated by Jim and Susie Wycoff. Their vineyard certainly classifies them as one of the smallest commercial wine producers in the valley with a mere 1/3 of an acre planted to vine! The vineyard is located within a residential neighborhood right in the heart of Calistoga. There are actually several vineyards in this part of Calistoga along and near Grant Street and Jim helps manage some of these. The property was purchased in 1967 by Jim's parents which at that time was planted in walnuts and other crops. Jim planted the first vines on the property in 1990 and made "barn wine" for friends and family for a number of years. Today the vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Jim has no formal winemaking training, but when you make home wine in the Napa Valley you gain experience fast especially when you are surrounded by a plethora of "experts". With children off to college and the vines well matured the time was right to jump to commercial production. In addition, making home wine from the same vineyard for a number of years gives you the chance to find out what your "fruit" is capable of and experiment with various barrel regiments to find out what works best with the wine. This is truly a small family production - Jim is the vineyard manager and winemaker, Susie and their oldest son help with the sales and marketing.
As of press time they focus on two wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Zinfandel. 80% of the grapes for the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon come from their tiny vineyard on site with the remainder coming from a few select hillside vineyards in the Napa area which adds additional complexity to the wine. This is their first vintage. It is a medium bodied wine with a soft mouth feel. The initial aromatics include some cedar notes, graphite, earthiness and some nice fruit nuances. The fruit continues onto the palate, a burst of flavor including blackberry and blueberry with some underlying notes of chocolate and oak towards the lingering finish. Not bad for a first commercial vintage! The 2005 Napa Valley Zinfandel was sourced from vineyards in the Oakville appellation and is available in extremely limited quantities. We have tried several styles of Zinfandel ranging from really spicy, to more elegant to bold and rich. This vintage falls into the rich category. It is a beefy wine with juicy layered fruit. We've had several very jammy zinfandels on this project but this one is only slightly so. The mouth feel is big and plush and is anchored by ripe fruit flavor including blackberry and raspberry. Note the label; it is a sketch of the old house which dates from 1875, located on site overlooking the actual vineyards. You can find their wine locally at the Cal Mart supermarket in Calistoga and several of the wine shops in the Napa Valley. It is also available for sale online. Visit: www.gsvineyards.com |
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Grassi Winery was founded in 2005 and is owned by the Grassi Family, long time residents of the Napa Valley. Mark Grassi moved to the valley in 1974 and has long held a passion for wine and has been a home winemaker for a number of those years. When he first moved to the valley, he had to decide whether to enter the wine industry or construction, and having friends in the construction industry he chose this field. For many years his firm has built some of the finer custom homes in the valley and has more recently developed high end winery estates.
The beautiful Ovid Estate was their first winery project; this led to additional winery projects including building Cade Winery. Grassi has more recently worked on the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in neighboring Sonoma County and Screaming Eagle in Oakville. Their 4 acre vineyard is located along the southern part of the Silverado Trail just south of the Oak Knoll District. This vineyard is not exactly valley floor as its set off the floor a bit - it is rolling benchland on an old river bed (good mix of cobble and soil). Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are planted. Additional acreage has been purchased and cleared and will be planted to vine soon. With 35+ years in the valley Mark has made some connections in the industry; these are good people to know when you plan to make wine. Mary Maher, renowned viticulturist at Harlan Estate and The Reserve took the original soil samples and helped decide what varietals to plant where. While their property was not planted to vine at that time they were certainly surrounded by proven vineyards; nearby neighbors sell fruit to Caymus and Silver Oak Cellars owns a 100 acre vineyard next door. Pete Richmond of Silverado Farming manages their vineyard and long time Napa winemaker Peter Franus has made every vintage. Mark has taken a number of wine related education courses at Napa Valley college and it was in one of his classes that he met his future winemaker, Mr. Franus. They hit it off from the start as they both had similar palates. If they both enjoyed a wine inevitably the rest of the class did not care for that particular wine. Of note is Grassi produced their first vintage of a second wine in 2009. No this is not your typical Napa second white wine of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, rather it is a Ribolla Gialla, a varietal from the north eastern corner of Italy (Friuli) and parts of Slovenia. At the time of this review there is only one known commercial planting in the USA and it is in Napa County. For 2009 Grassi sourced the fruit from vintner George Vare's vineyard (he provides the fruit to a number of small Napa producers). Grassi is in the process of planning a small estate vineyard of this varietal for future production. Their vineyard was planted between 2001 and 2002 and their first commercial release came in 2005. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon includes 9% Cabernet Franc and 9% Merlot. The wine has great color - it is dark ruby in the glass. This is a wine that has a powerful, rich always evolving bouquet; a wine that does well with decanting. The nose shows spices including clove and cinnamon, black licorice, anis, sage, vanilla and a perfumy note of lavender. The wine is nicely balanced and structured with a soft rounded mouth feel. It has a palate that shows additional notes of black licorice, cassis and deep dark fruits. The finish shows smooth, rounded, and slightly dusty tannins. With its nice acidity and flavor profile, this is an excellent food wine. In late 2008 the Wine Spectator featured a number of "hot new" Napa based Cabernet Sauvignon producers. Grassi was included in this select list; of note is their wine was the most affordably priced of any of the producers listed in the article. Grassi donates 1% of their total gross profits to an organization called 1% For The Planet - funds from businesses who participate in this are distributed to organizations protecting the environment worldwide. This organization was formed by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and his business partner Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies (fishing equipment manufacturer). Grassi is one of the few Napa wineries to participate in this program. You can find their wines locally at CalWine and Backroom Wines in Napa. They also have good distribution in New York. For more information and to join their mailing list visit: www.grassiwines.com |
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Grasso Vineyard is owned by Frank and Fran Grasso. They own a 3-acre vineyard which lies in the shadow of Mt. George located north East of the town of Napa in an area known as Coombsville. They have owned and managed this vineyard since 1989 originally selling the fruit to a high end winery located in the Stag's Leap district of Napa Valley. Frank has been a home winemaker for a number of years and also started a local viticulture association. More recently when their growing contract ended, the Grasso's were handed an opportunity to use their estate's fruit for making their own commercial wine. Their small vineyard is planted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon, clone 7 (a popular clone known for high quality fruit). Frank conducts all the vineyard management himself from the trellising system, to pruning to thinning. The vineyard has its own unique terroir; it is rocky with alluvial deposits formed from ancient river channels. Interestingly some of the nearby vineyards do not have this rocky type soil. These types of alluvial rock-rich soils are ideal for producing complex red wines with very concentrated fruit flavors.
Also of note is the vineyards' geographical location. It is in a fairly cool climate area but because they are surrounded by the mountains near Mt. George they receive fairly warm afternoon breezes in the summer. This somewhat mitigates the areas relatively close proximity to the cooler San Pablo Bay. Their wine is 100% varietal and estate grown. Grasso's first vintage was 2005 and as of press time is their current release. Jay Buoncristiani is the winemaker who also does the winemaking for his own Buoncristiani Family label. He uses a barrel program of new French and Hungarian oak. Their 2005 vintage is a very dark wine which really opens up the longer you let it sit in the glass. The black cherry aromas move to the palate as concentrated flavors which also contains hints of vanilla and mocha. A slight smokiness with touches of oak and cedar continue through to the long finish. This is a very elegant wine which is meant to pair well with food. Also note the stylish label which was designed by Frank's niece. As of press time the best place to purchase this wine is from their website. Visit: www.grassovineyard.com |
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The vineyards range in elevation from 900 to 2000 feet and are planted in very red soils which are veined with serpentine deposits. Because of this elevation spread fog sometimes is a moderating influence on the lower vineyards as it rolls up the canyon. Compared to the Napa Valley Chiles Canyon has remained fairly unchanged. Airline miles, its not that far from the actual valley floor, but narrow winding roads, the steep canyon and its eastern location help ensure that this part of Napa has and will remain fairly undeveloped. Jay is a pioneer grape grower in this part of Napa - he was one of the first of the "modern" growers to move into the area (grapes were grown here and in nearby Chiles Valley dating back to the 1890's). He was instrumental in securing an American Viticultural Area (AVA) for this region in 1999, called Chiles Valley. Green & Red is the only winery in Chiles Canyon; they have 200 acres of which 31 are planted to vine. Solar has been installed and helps power irrigation and other vineyard needs. The winery & cave is small, about 6000 cases are produced annually with the bulk of that production being their Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. This is a very terroir driven winery even down to the name; the green reflects the greenish serpentine in their soils and the red is reflective of the reddish iron rich soils. Click on our photos link and you will see just how red the nearby hills are that surround their vineyards. In person, these reddish hills dominate above the vineyard and are among the reddish hills we have seen in Napa County. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc has nice floral notes on the bouquet with notes of mineralites from their unique terroir. This is followed by crisp pear and apple flavors on the palate with a hint of pineapple and spice towards the nice lingering finish. No malolactic fermentation occurred and the wine was stirred on the lees during the barrel aging. This helps bring a nice weight to the palate. The 2006 Chiles Mill Vineyard Zinfandel is named after the old Grist Mill on site which unfortunately burned down in the 1960's. The Bale Grist Mill north of St. Helena is the mill that comes to mind when you think of Napa Grist Mills, but in actuality this mill had a much larger production during its operation. Only the remains of the foundation are still standing. This Zinfandel has some great spices on the nose, black pepper and cloves and even a hint of rose petal - the palate continues with spices, perhaps a little ginger and you can also pick up some blackberry and Santa Rosa type plum flavors, with a similar spiciness that you would have in the skins of a Santa Rosa plum. Their label is Greek in origin and depicts a wine chalice painted in the 6th century B.C. This winery is private and does not see visitors, but you can purchase wine online. Visit: www.greenandred.com |
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They also use solar for most of their power and when you visit you can check out their real time usage screen in the tasting room or view this info online here. They are located on the west side of St. Helena Highway (Highway 29) and the wine train comes right across their driveway. You may be treated to a blast from its loud horn if you are visiting in late morning or mid afternoon when the wine train returns. In fact this is one of only two wineries that the Napa Valley Wine Train stops at. Grgich Hills manages and owns over 360 planted vineyard acres in the Napa Valley ranging from American Canyon & Carneros in the south to vineyards north of Calistoga in a warmer growing region. In fact a small block of Zinfandel in their Calistoga vineyard dates from 1889. Talk about old vine Zinfandel! The small tasting room and gift shop is located right at the main entrance. The wines are excellent including several Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons, their much sought after Old Vine Zin from the grapes planted in 1889 and their delicious botrysized Violetta wine (Chardonnay & Riesling) which is rarely made (4x in past 13 years) and when produced is limited to only several hundred cases. You think this wine sells out fast?! A tasting includes a souvenir glass. A tasteful souvenir section is located near the tasting counters. Mike Grgich Bobble Head Dolls. Now THAT'S AWESOME. This is the only winery we've visited who has memorialized their founder with the bobbing bobble head! You can also take tours given bi-daily by appointment. The tasting on the tours is at the end of the tour in their VIP room. Also note they have barrel tastings every Friday from 2-4pm and this is included with the main tasting fee. Should you be in the area during September and typically much of October, ask about their free grape stomping in which you can help out during this process. You will make juice the old fashioned way; be prepared to get dirty. Be sure to also pick up their Grgich Hills newsletter - available near the main entrance. Lastly Grigich has worked for many years with Roots of Peace, an organization dedicated to removing landmines from war affected countries. Also of note is their Roots of Peace Fountain located at the entrance to the winery. On the 7th anniversary of 9/11, Grgich Hills founder Mike Grgich and Roots of Peace founder Heidi Kuhn placed the first coins in this fountain. From then on, any coins tossed into the waters will be collected and donated to Roots of Peace (their primary focus is to turn minefields into vineyards and or make the land once more productive). Visit: www.grgich.com |
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Gridley Family Cellars is run by the husband wife team of Andy Gridley & Susan Durbrow. They both attended Fresno State (unbeknownst to each other) where they took Enology courses; Andy majored in Ag Business and Susan was Wine Marketing. Several of Andy's roommates were from prominent Napa wine making families and as a result he enjoyed a number of high end Napa vintages as well as the benefit of having knowledgeable guides when he visited the Napa area. As fate would have it, (a story you can only have with winery owners), Susan decided to visit Rombauer's tasting room and it is here that she met Andy. After a number of years of both working in the wine industry Andy decided he wanted to make wine commercially. When it came to needing high end vineyard sources it also helped that he was still in contact with his wine making friends from college.
Susan's favorite varietal is Cabernet Franc and her only requirement was that they use this varietal for their wines. They source grapes from Napa however Cabernet Franc represents less than 2 percent of all wine grapes planted in the Napa Valley. In addition they like to source Cabernet Franc from warmer growing regions within the valley which narrows down high end vineyard sites even more. Some Cabernet Francs you may have tried has a sort of green aroma, a little bell pepper flavors almost perhaps like biting into a green wine stem. These flavors are from what are called pyrazines, an organic component that can be mitigated by a few factors. Gridley carefully selects their vineyard sources (warmer weather sites for optimal ripeness), looks for good vineyard management and is meticulous during the winemaking. For a winery to be focusing entirely on the Cabernet Franc varietal in Napa Valley is rare indeed; in fact this is the only Napa winery we know of that solely produces 100% Cabernet Franc - however there is one other Napa winery also focusing on Cabernet Franc and that is Lang & Reed. Gridley Family Cellars first commercial release was in 2004 and was merely several hundred cases. Later productions are between 500 and 600 cases. Susan is the winemaker. Cabernet Franc is a very aromatic wine by nature and Gridley runs with this aspect in their wines as well as structuring the wines so the tannins do not dominate. The 2004 has some exotic spices in the nose with touches of cedar. The mouth feel is oh so smooth and velvety with great fruit. The palate finds notes of raspberries, black cherry and currant. The 2005 is again a very aromatic wine but the nose is more fruit driven then the 2004. Elegant is a word that can easily describe the bouquet on this wine. Gridley also makes very small quantities of Cabernet Franc Rose - using the French saignee method by bleeding off juice early on in the fermentation. Look for the simple Scallop shell on every label. Rather than displaying an entire family crest which is used by some vintners, they took the image of this shell from their family crest. Susan was born close to the ocean, and Andy grew up on the beaches of Southern California so this logo ties their backgrounds together quite nicely...or maybe it is a hint that their wines are good with shellfish! Both Andy and Susan work in the wine industry by day and run Gridley Family Cellars during "non working" hours. You can find their wine at Silenus Vintners near the town of Yountville. This is a tasting collective featuring the wines of a number of small boutique producers. What differentiates this collective from other Napa collectives is all wineries represented make their wine here. Visit: www.gridleyfamilycellars.com |
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The wines are laid out nicely and most of the wines they sell are from wineries without tasting rooms. There is metal tasting counter which is only opened during times of demand. Friday afternoons are typically good times to stop by here and hang with the owners or others searching for 'off the beaten' path wines. A taste here is not your normal taste, rather it can more appropriately be called drinking. With an eclectic display of artwork, low key atmosphere and fun loving owners, what more could you want during a tasting stop while on vacation! We have not yet tasted and "hung out" here, but will do so during an upcoming Friday afternoon in the near future. Also worth mentioning is their monthly newsletter. It is currently mailed to a number of clients on their mailing list (you can join this mailing list by calling them, hitting the website or by stopping by). This newsletter has an often entertaining introduction with additional intriguing and humorous featured descriptions of mostly Napa red wines. This is a good chance to stay tuned in to their latest releases and be apprised of any deals offered. Groezinger's specializes in offering wines from small, family owned operations that bottle only a few hundred cases each vintage. Typically these wines are not available outside of the Napa Valley. Stop by and introduce yourself to store owners, Rick or Justin. They are very personable guys and are always willing to help out tourists with wine decisions including what to pair with specific wines and where to go in the valley. These guys are among the most humorous people working in the Napa Valley and besides writing their popular newsletter together, they have a penchant for making humorous videos. They really are good actors - perhaps a wine and culinary TV show should be in the making. Look out Michael Chiarello. Need more humor and video's - visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Yountville-CA/Groezingers-Wine-Merchant/ Visit: www.groezingers.com |
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In 2007 major work was completed on the winery; an expanded crush pad was built as was a second state of the art tank room which contains smaller tanks for more hands on management. In addition their Reserve barrel room was remodeled (click on the photo link above to see additional photos of this room). Groth owns two vineyards; the estate vineyard (nearly 100 acres) which produces the fruit for their famed Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the Hillview Vineyard located further to the south in Yountville which produces the fruit for their Chardonnay and the Merlot which is used for blending. Groth specializes in estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - and based on their excellent reputation for these red wines, some people are not even aware that they do produce white wines. We have been here several times and during our latest visit we sampled the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (by case production, their most produced wine) and the 2006 Chardonnay. The Sauvignon Blanc is a delightful summer wine with noticeable notes of citrus and cut grass on the nose followed by a rounded mouth feel with some nice weight on the mid palate probably in part from the sur lie aging. Stone fruit and additional citrus flavors are present with a slightly tropical presence on the finish (note that 4% Semillon is blended in the wine). The Chardonnay sees no malolactic fermentation and carries a nice weight and creaminess on the palate. The honeysuckle nose and melon aromas lead to a palate that is dominated by an explosion of fruit flavor ranging from melon and stone fruit to additional tropical notes. 2005 was a great year for red wine from Napa, especially from Oakville. This was the first year since 1999 that Groth produced a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Their Reserve Cabernet's incorporate only the highest quality fruit from select blocks within their estate vineyard. After 20 years of managing the same estate vineyard they have a pretty good idea of which blocks consistently produce the "best" fruit. The reserve wine always has at least a year of bottle aging before being released. We tried the 2005 estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a big wine with lively acidity and shows bright fruit from entry to finish. While showcasing the fruit, this inspired wine does not showcase huge tannins. Rather, this valley floor produced fruit shows tannins that are well managed and complement food. Blackberry, black cherry and slight notes of cedar round out the mid palate. The finish is long and clean. This wine will age very well. You can either make an appointment for just a tasting or for a tour as well. Tours are given twice daily, are separate from the tastings and require an advance reservation. Allow at least an hour for the tour which includes tastings of the white wines as well as their famed Cabernet Sauvignon. As with winemaking, the actual tour starts in their vineyards and gives you a good overview of the inner workings of a small to medium sized winery with visits to their tank facility and reserve barrel rooms. Their claim to fame is they were the first American Winery awarded 100 points by Robert Parker for their 1985 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. A large format bottle of this is on display near their Reserve tasting room. Nils Venge was the winemaker at this time and he has since gone on to consult for many other high end Napa wineries as well as run his own wineries. His 100 points set a high standard for this winery as their reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is only made during certain years when it meets their very high quality standards. During some periods they will go 4 to 5 years without making this wine. Now that is commitment to quality. Their winemaker and vineyard manager have both been with the winery for many years. This dedication by key employees to a single winery is invaluable as it builds consistency into the wines as well as their intimate knowledge of the actual vineyards. Their winemaker has over 30 years experience of working with Oakville fruit. Check out daughter Suzanne Groth's very colorful artwork on display - prints of some of her works are also available. She produces a painting for every Reserve Cabernet release. Their wine club is called "Red Stripe" and members enjoy typical wine club perks including discounts on the wine. Groth maintains an "Insectary" which is located to the side of the actual winery. Over 40 different species of plants were selectively chosen based on each plant's ability to attract beneficial insects which then act as natural predators to the harmful insects within the actual vineyards. This garden includes a number of small trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses. Groth has long practiced sustainable farming and this is just one more example of their commitment to this type of beneficial agriculture. Brochures listing the types of plants in this Insectary are available from within the winery. Also stay posted for special Reserve Tastings to be held with one of the owners in the near future. Part of their relatively recent renovation was the creation of a fancy new Reserve Tasting Room. This will be a unique opportunity to taste some of their well-known Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (this wine when produced typically sells out extremely quickly). Visit: www.grothwines.com |
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This is a winery you have to seek out as due to their low production they are not well-known and typically will not be found on any of the winery maps or tour guides. Look for the round wooden building up on the hill as you get close to their driveway. Due to the low production, tastings are for serious wine enthusiasts as they are not open to the public. Typically around 1000 cases are produced (only 100 cases of the Merlot) and their two main wines are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with the focus being on Cabernet Blends. The 2004 wines we tried are both refined and elegant containing a beautiful softness and rounded mouth feel. Because of the small production, attention can really be focused on the vineyards. A number of larger wineries will pick the entire vineyard or block at one time, regardless if small portions of the block are not quite yet ripe. Other more detailed wineries will pick specific vineyard rows in a block over time. However, Guilliams is so focused on quality that they pick only ripe fruit separated by actual groups of vines, not even entire rows or blocks which means their harvest on their small property can sometimes take up to a month. This type of harvest ensures only the best quality and ripest fruit is used on the micro level. All punch downs during fermentation are done by hand and new French Oak is used during the aging. The tasting is conducted in the barrel room below their house. No fancy tasting bar is here; wine barrels serve as the bar. This is a true small boutique winery tasting experience! Website coming soon: www.guilliamswinery.com |
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Gustavo is spotlighted in the feel good wine movie Bottle Shock which loosely tells the story of the 1976 Paris Tasting in which wines from several Napa wineries won this now famous blind tasting. Appropriately one of the movie posters is framed and hangs on the wall inside the tasting room. The actual winery dates from 1996 with a harvest that year which totaled merely 250 cases of wine. Today they make about 3000 cases, but their focus is still on producing small lot wines, usually in the range of just several hundred cases each. All wine is made in the town of Napa in a warehouse location. Their "3rd bottle" is another label (more information below), and this is a much larger production. Gustavo Thrace used to be a collective featuring other area wines; now they are licensed to just taste their own wines. However they do sell a variety of wine from other boutique wineries as well as other wine trinkets and souvenirs. Special mention can be made about St. Barthelemy Cellars. If you are looking for another "port house" in Napa Valley besides Prager Portworks, St. Barthelemy Cellars is it! They make only approximately 1000 cases, all Port wine made from at least 8 different types of grapes and some vintages are sold on site. All of Gustavo Thrace's wines are very reasonably priced, typically less than you would pay if you visited most Napa Valley wineries. Here is a situation where you have a long time vintner who is extremely well qualified, great fruit sources but no overhead of having a public "Napa" Winery. The savings are passed on to the consumer. Their second label is called "3rd bottle" and includes a White and Red Table Wine. The thought behind these wines is they are the "3rd bottle" you would open after drinking the really high end stuff. This makes a lot of sense - as by the time you've had this much wine your palate is probably "shot"! As a result, this is an affordable alternative and makes a great addition to any party. Their white wine version is a delightful blend of Chardonnay with a touch of Chenin Blanc which has great citrus aromas and flavors. One Zinfandel that may be sold out by the time you read this is their 2002 Signature Zinfandel. This wine has a huge nose that is obviously so deliciously Zinfandel! It is full of fruit including plum and cherry. Their 2004 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon (sourced from Rutherford) is well balanced and is medium to full bodied. This wine saw extended maceration which contributs additional flavor. There is a hint of dustiness on the palate with beautiful sweet tannins lingering tantalizingly on the finish. One of the owners of Preiser Key, a printed local publication promoting Napa wineries and restaurants used to work here part time. A large table on site handles private tastings or larger groups. Ask about the Downtown Napa Wine Tasting Card - 10 downtown area tasting rooms participate in this - for a one-time fee you can visit & taste at each of their tasting rooms. Also ask about their Rewards Program Punch Card. New! Gustavo Trace has formed a unique partnership with WinePod. As WinePod states, this is "The World's first Personal Winery". It is a state-of-the-art personal home winemaking system and is now for sale in the Gustavo Thrace's tasting room. If you are interested in purchasing this system, you may try samples of wine upon request which was made using the WinePod. Another very unique part of this partnership is a program where you can purchase 4 cases of wine made in the WinePod by winemaker Gustavo. This wine will be personalized to your taste, wine style and varietal and then will be sent later to your address. This is a one of a kind opportunity to have your "own wine" made by a world class winemaker. Visit: www.gustavothrace.com |
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