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H. Posert & Son as the name so obviously suggests is run by a father son team. This is one of the smallest wineries you will find in the Napa Valley as their entire vineyard is just under 1/2 an acre! The vineyard is located in the St. Helena appellation on the valley floor and is farmed organically. With a vineyard this size, great deal of attention and care can be given to the vines and Harvey Jr., the "son" in the H. Posert name, is involved in this aspect. It is mainly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon with a small percentage of the vines being Merlot. The well-known Harvey Posert, often called "the dean of wine public relations" has a very long history in the wine industry dating back to the mid 1960's. He was in charge of the Robert Mondavi Winery public relations for many years and today has his own PR consulting firm with most of his winery clients based in the Napa Valley. In addition he is the author of "Spinning the Bottle" a PR how to book for those in the wine industry.
Their first vintage was in 2001 and all their vintages are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvey Jr. has also been involved in the wine business for many years. He describes the style of their wine as fruit driven, with good acidity and not overly tannic on the finish. His philosophy regarding wine is simple yet refreshing, "when you put it in your mouth you either like it or not", and then he goes on to say "we hope that you enjoy our wine". The wine is made at a winery in Napa and is often in the 100 to 120 case range. As a result this wine has very limited availability and if you are interested in purchasing, it is best to phone direct. They have a mailing list which you can request to be put on when you call; they also hold back a certain number of their older vintages for sale. We have a bottle of the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - only 160+ cases of this wine was produced. We are back logged with quite a few bottles that still need to be tasted but now harvest is finished and we are taking a break from to many new reviews. We will provide detailed tasting notes here by May 2009. Site under construction. Visit: www.hposert.com |
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Ron is a native New Yorker and Sue-Marie is from California. Ron has enjoyed fine wines for many years and made a number of trips to the Valley before eventually moving here. He was involved in his family business, W&W Glass Systems in New York City for many years until selling and "retiring" (although although he is still involved and working full time). It was during a wine dinner that Ron was running in New York where he met the owner of Napa's Clos Pegase Winery, Jan Shrem (as well as Dr. Mark Cohen, the owner of Howell at the Moon Winery.) They soon became friends and over the past several years they have advised Ron in a number of aspects of the wine business. The Haber's located a small property on Howell Mountain that was not yet planted to grapes - in fact there are currently no commercial vineyards planted in the immediate vicinity although just up the road there are some stellar vineyards (Lail, Ladera). The Haber's soon planted vineyards and today have almost 3 planted acres. Their vineyard is entirely planted to Cabernet Sauvignon to a variety of clones. The vineyard is meticulously managed by one of the oldest families in the valley, the Pina's (Pina Vineyard management - also owners of Pina Winery). Ron enjoys "mountain" grown wines and the focus of Haber Vineyards is on single varietal non blended hillside grown wines. As of the time of this review they produce two hillside wines (both very different from each other), a Diamond Mountain 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and their estate, also 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2006 and 2007 vintage are at Cuvaison and the 2008 and this year’s crush will be at Bin To Bottle in South Napa. Timothy Milos is their winemaker (Bounty Hunter, Black Coyote, Rubissow, Howell at the Moon). The 2006 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon will be their first wine released. This wine saw 85% new French Oak during its aging and was bottled un-fined and unfiltered. This is a big intense mountain wine both in flavor and structure. It is dark in the glass with blue fruit aromas including blueberry. The nose also shows notes of cedar and toasted oak. The palate displays complex rich flavors throughout including dark fruits - black cherry, black currant with some herbal characteristics. The finish is very long. This is a good wine to decant now - and with good acidity, fruit and structure certainly has excellent aging potential. The 2007 estate Howell Mountain is a wonderful wine; it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and at that time of our tasting was still in barrel. Their estate vineyards were planted in 2004 and 2005 and this is wine from the "3rd leaf", i.e. the first real year of the vine's production. It is a wine that has come a long ways in a relatively short time and will only continue to improve by the time it is released to the consumer. In contrast to their big Diamond Mountain vintage this wine is already fairly soft and smooth and quickly coming into balance. It has a layered delicious core of fruit from start to finish including plum and red cherry. Hints of vanilla and toasted oak round out the palate with fine grained tannins providing a broad pleasing finish. Note the label - it is a tribute to both Ron's family glass business and the terroir where their vineyard is planted; the image on their bottles looks through a window at night onto Howell Mountain which rises above the valley fog. They are currently working on distributing in select states and will be found at several wine shops and restaurants in the Napa Valley. They expect the bulk of their sales will be by direct mail as there is only 380 cases of the Diamond Mountain release and under 50 cases of the first Howell Mountain release. They also have a mailing list for direct sales. Visit: www.haberfamilyvineyards.com |
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They have one tour each day at 11am but you need to make an appointment ahead of time. This tour starts in the vineyards, tours their production facilities and usually lasts about 20 minutes. It is one of the shorter tours in the valley but is a good basic introduction to a small winery. We can't say enough about the quality of their wines as well as the variety. When we visited they had 17 wines listed on their tasting sheet of which you pick 5. The tasting room is small, relaxed and intimate. Some wines are only available through their tasting room and starred wines on the tasting sheet are their "highly recommended wines"! Their wines have a long history of being served at Presidential State dinners and other White House functions dating back to President Reagan and White House Presidential dinner menu's line the walls. Like a sweet German style Riesling - the 2007 Napa Valley Riesling has 4% Residual Sugar and originates from vineyards in Yountville. It is next to impossible to find a Napa grown Riesling due to the small acreage planted in the valley but if you like sweet wines it is an excellent choice. There are wonderful fruit aromas which carry directly onto the palate including pineapple, apricot and peach. For a complete contrast in Rieslings compare theirs to nearby Van Der Heyden's very dry Riesling. Hagafen is one of only a handful of wineries in the Napa Valley who has produced a sparkling wine; during one of our visits we tried their delightful Brut Cuvee. As of press time, they produce two Pinot noirs including a deep colored rich Pinot noir from vineyards in Yountville. Also of note is their Zinfandel (great fruity nose with nice spices about mid palate), and their Reserve (Black label) Cabernet Sauvignon with its chocolate aromas and rich fruit flavors. It is very rare to find a late harvest Chardonnay in the Napa Valley and Hagafen's is one of the best we have tried. Right - we could go on about the wines here indefinitely but we have limited space! Friendly pourers help complete your tasting experience. Don Ernesto is a second label featuring "fun" and lighter wines - some of these wines you can taste on site. Visit www.hagafen.com |
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Hagen Heights produced their first vintage of wine in 2000. The owners used to vacation in the Napa Valley and fell in love with the area. Unlike many older folks who have fell under the "allure" of Napa, moved to the area after a previous career and started producing wine in their later years, the owners of Hagen Heights are building a winery when they are in the middle of their careers. They have approximately 8 planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The vineyard is planted with a UC Davis produced Cabernet Sauvignon clone 8 and the more common French Bordeaux clone 337. Unlike many vineyard managers in the Napa area, their vineyard manager is also a winemaker and has worked at Buehler Vineyards for a number of years. Hagen's vineyard is located about 9 miles from the San Pablo Bay so they have a cooler climate than up valley. This means longer hang time for the grapes, a slower more moderate ripening climate which means they typically pick the grapes several weeks later then in the northern part of the Napa Valley. Their vineyards are located in the still to be designated "Coombsville" AVA just north east of the town of Napa. They are a small producer, typically producing about 550 cases each year.
All their wine is made at a small winery just south of Yountville and their winemaker has a long history of winemaking at Robert Mondavi Winery. The owners really enjoy Cabernet Franc and their winemaker blends a good amount of this varietal into the wine each year. We tried their 2004 Vintage. It is a very bright wine which has hints of spiciness and a little smokiness on the palate. They tend to hold back on the oak aging with a percentage of neutral/1x used barrels which contributes only a slight spiciness as the wine is certainly not "oaky". It is very well balanced and pairs well with a variety of foods. It has great flavors on the palate with an intriguing mix of ripe blackberries and cherries. These flavors are well managed, and not as intense as you have in some of the "fruit bombs" i.e., the higher alcohol more fruit driven wines. As a result of their growing climate and preferred winemaking style, this wine is more Bordeaux in style rather than the "California fruity". Nice scores in the low 90's for their first vintages certainly have not hurt this winery! You can find their wine locally at the wine shop at Del Dotto Vineyards and also at the St. Helena Wine Merchants. Visit: www.hagenheights.com |
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Attention to detail is paramount here. Harvest often takes significant time as they do not harvest the entire vineyard at once, rather they separate the picking down to individual vines and blocks which are then fermented apart from one another. From the tank room you proceed into the 14,000 square foot elegant caves; these are definitely one of the tour highlights. The cavern roof is lined with handmade Austrian brick, each of which contains a family crest. Alcoves throughout the cave contain modern works of art which are displayed on a rotating basis. Your tour ends in the tasting room. This is no ordinary room - an amazing Chandelier which contains hundreds of Swarovski crystals hangs from the ceiling and its shape is supposed to represent grape roots as you would see them in soil. A massive mahogany table with inlaid white onyx is in the center of this room (this onyx changes color with a turn of a knob controlling the sunken lights). A tasting typically includes 4 wines including their one white, a Sauvignon Blanc. Two amazing wines are the following. The 2004 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant European styled Bordeaux blend with seductive aromas including cigar, blackberry and cedar and some hints of currant as the wine opens up with lots of fruit on the mid palate. This is a well balanced wine with a complexity of flavors including plum and nuances of roasted coffee. As a side note this wine pairs wonderfully with blue cheese. A spectacular wine is their 2005 Diamond Mountain 100% Cabernet Sauvignon which incidentally is their first release and is only available at the winery. This is a big yet totally restrained wine with incredible depths of flavor and a mouth feel that you can only have with such a well balanced wine. The nose is full of exotic spices, the palate is full of chocolate and cherry which lead to smooth refined tannins on the finish. For the elegant ambience combined with art and world class wine, a visit to Hall Rutherford is hard to beat. Also of note: their St. Helena winery is in the midst of a huge construction project which includes the building of the only Northern California Frank Gehry designed building (architect for the amazing Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Spain & the Disney Hall, Los Angeles). This new "wicker basket" looking winery will be a magnet for visitors to the valley as it will be a one of a kind building. Visit: www.hallwines.com |
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Note the numbers of interesting sculptures and other artworks on the property. One color dominates and that is red. The Hall's often collect elective and upbeat works of art from artists who are typically not well known. Notice the very interesting purple glass "rain drop" sculptures hanging from the ceiling. Hall Winery is getting ready to start the final phase of one of the most amazing construction projects the Napa Valley will see in which a new winery, tasting room & visitor's center will be built, to open sometime in 2012. In addition the historical buildings on the grounds are also being restored including the historic Bergfeld stone ghost winery. Currently much of the grounds for the new winery are somewhat hidden from Highway 29 by large warehouse type buildings as construction of the new winery will be behind these buildings. This new winery will be located even further from Highway 29 thus distancing any outdoor tastings from the noise of the traffic. This complex has been designed by the world famous Frank Gehry, who also designed the undulating Bilbao Museum in Spain and the Walt Disney Center in Los Angeles. Expect great things from this new center! Their current small tasting facility is only temporary until the new winery is built. There are very friendly knowledgeable pourers behind the counter, good conversation and excellent wine all makes for a wonderful visit. You can either stand at the bamboo counter wine bar or enjoy your wine at several tables. Hall concentrates on growing Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc which form what they call The Napa Valley Collection. They own a number of vineyard acres in the valley with their primary vineyards surrounding both this winery in St. Helena (all valley floor land) and their hillside Sacrache Vineyard at their winery in Rutherford. A tasting typically includes a choice from two offerings; their standard wines and their Reserve Wines. We've been here several times and during our latest visit we sampled two of their high quality Cabernet Sauvignons under their reserve tasting. You can't go wrong with either the 2005 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon or the 2005 Bergfeld Cabernet Sauvignon, however the Bergfeld is one of those amazing Cabernet Sauvignons that does no harm to Napa's Cabernet image. Soft, supple with a layered well rounded mouth feel make this a joy to drink. Notes of cedar and baking spices are well integrated within this wine's fruit profile. As with some of their high end wines offered at their Rutherford Estate, this wine fit our palate like a glove. There is a reason why when people ask us for our top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon wines, we invariably recommend some of Hall's upper end Cab's. Also check out their popular wine club as many high-end benefits are offered. If you purchase some wine ask for their "Hall Pass" which is a tasting card with either a complimentary tasting or a two for one tasting. Also note Hall winery used to be home of one of the two locations for the old Napa Co-Op and the original winery building here dates from 1885. Before wines became as popular as they are today, vintners used to sell their grapes to the Co-Op and they used to take turns being the winemaker each year. View our review above of their winery in Rutherford including several reviews of the wines. Note: As of mid July 2009, Hall Winery St. Helena has received the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold Certification, becoming the first winery in California to be distinguished as a Gold certified facility by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Green Building Rating System™. There are a number of requirements a winery must meet before becoming Gold LEED® certified including radiant floors (allow for temperature control), solar energy (the cells are located on the top of the barrel cellar and fermentation building), local building materials (most came from within 500 miles of the winery), and water conservation (drought tolerant plants for landscaping and all water used in the vineyards as well as the landscaping is recycled). During certain times of the year, HALL St. Helena offers complimentary LEED tours. Inquire for details. Visit: www.hallwines.com. Project updates, videos, and a project camera are available here: www.hallwines.com/site/gehry-project We will most certainly be visiting their new winery when it opens - the hard part is in the waiting! |
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Mr. Harlan went to school at UC Berkeley and his first introduction to the Napa Valley was in 1959 (at this time, Napa served the purpose of weekend getaways for taking his dates from Berkeley). Lured by the natural beauty and eventually by the potential for growing wine grapes his visits became more frequent. His passion for wine started in his teens. Mr. Harlan attended the opening day of Robert Mondavi's winery in 1966 and by this time was already nurturing a dream of owning his own wine estate. He traveled to Europe and visited some of the great European estates all the while taking copious notes. He fell in love with Bordeaux and was taken in with the quality and consistency of the wines from these estates. Before Harlan there was Merryvale. This was the first winery to be built after Prohibition in the Napa Valley and Harlan and partners brought this winery back to life in 1983 (he sold his interest in the mid 90's). Before Merryvale there was Meadowood, still one of the most exclusive lodging options in the Napa Valley (also home to the annual Napa Wine Auction). Meadowood was established by Bill Harlan in 1979. Not to be outdone is Napa's most exclusive "wine club", the Napa Valley Reserve which was also started by Bill Harlan. Located next to Meadowood this is an exclusive invitation only wine club (wine, use of facilities, special events, trips, educational events) with an initiation fee at the time of this review that runs $165,000. Mr. Harlan purchased his original property in 1984 - at that time, despite being less than 30 years ago, the property was completely forested and covered with native vegetation. The original purchase was 6 acres and this has grown to 240 acres today with 40 acres under vine. Mr. Harlan had the foresight and vision to turn this hillside acreage into a world class "first growth" vineyard of Napa Valley. While his own property was never developed to vineyards - nearby parts of Oakville were certainly had proven terroir including Martha's Vineyard. Oakville has been called "the tenderloin of the Napa Valley" - with such diversity in soils, climates and exposures across a rather narrow band in the valley, Oakville has certainly attracted some of Napa's highest end producers. The property is meticulously maintained. The vines were originally planted by David Abreu - his role today is more of a consultant with viticulturist Mary Haher handling the day to day vineyard management. The elevation ranges from just above the valley floor at 150 feet to their high point on the property at 1200 feet. Harlan's first "vintage" was 1987 but this was not released. Neither was the 88 or the 89. 1990 was their first released commercial vintage (very small production), and at a price point of $65 when it was released in 1996, sounds affordable today, but was among the higher priced wines of that vintage. Harlan was not in a hurry to push wine to market after purchasing the property. Mr. Harlan's focus on Harlan Estate has always been a long term one - thinking out decades in the future. For a winery with such instant name recognition, the entrance is very unassuming. The winery itself is perched on top of hill surrounded by native oaks and other vegetation. As they say, "we let the views do the heavy lifting around here" - looking East you have views of the entire central part of Napa Valley - all across Oakville. The winery was designed by well-known architect Howard Backen (he and Bill Harlan have worked together for a number of years). Backen's wineries are built to be unobtrusive from the outside, but perhaps make a statement on the inside. He has designed a number of high end winery facilities in Napa including Ovid, Dana Estate and nearby Futo Estate. The focus on quality is clearly evident when entering the winery. Cleanliness and aesthetics are key here. All barrels are perfectly lined up using a laser sight. They stay lined up until bottling; Harlan does not rack the barrels. Nevertheless, this is a working winery and function is blended seamlessly with form. Only perfectly ripe berries are allowed to begin fermentation. The grapes are picked and carefully taken to the winery in small picking bins; the fruit then undergoes triage (triple sorting, cluster, destemmer and finally by hand). The wine is fermented in large oak open top casks which are used for 3 harvests and then traded out for new ones. From the fermentation room, the wine is gravity fed to the cellar below. Bob Levy has been involved in the wine making side of the operations since day one (before Harlan he was involved at Merryvale) and was winemaker for many years until more recently. Today his role is Director of Winegrowing and Cory Empting has taken over as their full time winemaker. All critical blending decisions are always made by the core Harlan team as well as flying French consulting winemaker Michel Rolland. The 2006 Harlan Proprietary Red has simultaneous power and elegance; it is an interesting and an intense wine with lots of flavor and structure. Winemaker Bob Levy likes to talk about "tannin development" (which is a critical part of their winemaking program). This vintage certainly has this but not in an overtly bold way - rather the tannins are integrated well in the wine's finish. The 2006 is an intense layered luscious wine on the palate which delivers plenty of flavor. The elegant bouquet shows notes of sweet cassis, brown chocolate and darker fruits including cherry and blackberry. The finish is extremely long. This is a wine built to age but there is certainly no argument from yours truly in drinking it now! Harlan's wine label certainly has an interesting story. It was designed and still is printed by a private printing / engraving company who used to print the currency of the USA before the U.S. Treasury. The idea was to create a label that looked like an engraving for a bottle that by itself was to be a piece of art. Harlan's produces a second wine called "The Maiden". Surprisingly Harlan has distribution in about 35 states and 30 countries - yet with a production of only 1800 cases and their price point, distribution is very selective. Locally you can find the wine at times, at several wine shops including 750 Wines and St. Helena Wine Merchants and St. Helena Wine Center (all in the town of St. Helena). Harlan sells direct, but you must be on their mailing list. To join the waiting list, visit: www.harlanestate.com |
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Harris Estate Vineyards are located on the edge of Diamond Mountain in the hills Northwest of the town of Calistoga on the site of an old private boy's school. Their nearby vineyard neighbor, Grgich Hills has farmed this area for many years and some of the fruit from his vineyard was used in the 1973 Chateau Montelena Zinfandel (same year but different varietal than what won at the Paris Tasting of 1976). Harris has 3 uniquely different vineyards, the Trevas, Lakeview and Jake's Creek. Each vineyard is mostly planted with the same clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. The Trevas is a hillside location with red very rocky soil reminiscent of the soil types you might find across the valley on Howell Mountain or even in parts of Oakville. The wines produced from this vineyard are often high in fruit flavors with higher alcohol i.e. California "cult wines". The Lakeview vineyard is situated in very chalky soil and produces wines that have alot of spices on the palate. The Jakes Creek Vineyard (named after their dog Jake), produces a Bordeaux style wine with tight acidity; it is this wine of their three vineyards that has the longest aging potential.
For small production and small acreage the drastically different vineyards really make this winery unique. Because of the soil types, these vineyards are a classic example of how different teroirs can provide wines with completely different flavors and structure. After walking the vineyards for the first time their winemaker said "If I can't make great wine from this fruit, you should fire me!" Harris Estate uses a 100% new French Oak program using the same Cooperage, and for the most part all three vineyard's wines are treated the same. Generally speaking, there are three factors that make great wines, the vineyard location, the winemaker, and the particular vintage. Harris has definitely nailed the first two factors which is all you can ask of a high end winery. The estate's first commercial Vintage was in 2002. Right out of the gate they earned a 94 rating from Robert Parker for their Trevas vineyard produced wine. What a way to start off with a bang! The owner Mike Harris has only one employee and he is personally involved in all aspects of the vineyard management including dropping fruit, canopy management, trellising as well as harvest and final blending decisions. Harris Estate currently produces about 1000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. We have visited the estate but will provide tasting notes by 2009 as we have yet to taste the wines. You can find their wine locally at Dean and DeLuca Wine shop & ACME wine shop in Saint Helena, and on the wine list at Brix Restaurant. Visit: www.harrisestatevineyards.com |
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Hartwell makes one white, a Sauvignon Blanc but their specialty is really estate grown Cabernet and Merlot and they are very good at hand-crafting both of these types of wines. Their grape production is lower than many wineries as they actually heavily thin back the vines to produce smaller quantities of grapes, resulting in higher quality fruit. All red wines produced come from their hillside estate and their Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from property they own in the cooler Carneros region to the south. This is a small family owned winery and you may get to meet the actual winemaker on your tour. The owner, Bob Hartwell has an aerospace background and you will see several aerospace air filters within the wine caves. You won't see these in any other Napa Wine caves! After you spend some time in the caves you will reach the "tasting grotto", their dimly lit VIP room with a romantic table set for eight people. Here you can really taste the quality of the wines; their Estate Cabernet is awesome - we tried the 2004 vintage. Unlike previous versions which were entirely Cabernet Sauvignon this vintage was blended slightly with Petite Verdot. There is great depth of flavor in this wine and it is very dark in color with layered flavors of ripe blueberry and blackberry. The finish is anchored with smooth tannins and just a bit of dustiness representing their unique terroir. The Miste Hill 2004 is a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend; it is softer than the Cabernet Sauvignon we tried but with great acidity, this also has some ageability of ahead of it. This is perhaps the softest of their red wines. Have a sweet heart who likes sweet wine? Try the 2004 SweetHart, as in the Hart of Hartwell. This is a rare Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Late Harvest dessert wine. There is only one other winery in Napa we are aware of making this type of wine on a regular basis - lets hope Hartwell repeats the 2004 which was their first commercial vintage. Older vintages of their other wines are also available for purchase. Also of note is the blending master Michel Rolland is their consulting winemaker. We read somewhere that Michel tastes between 30,000 and 35,000 different wines a year. Now that is amazing! Hartwell also offers special gourmet cheese wine pairings. Inquire as to availability. On your tour, you might also try a barrel sample paired with a gourmet truffle (the truffles are available for purchase). Ask about their exclusive wine club. Visit: www.hartwellvineyards.com |
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In later years during visits to Spain they noticed a certain wine being served at many of the restaurants. This was Albarino, a varietal you will typically not find in the Napa Valley. Out of 500+ Napa wineries visited to date, this is only one of two or three wineries that we've come across this varietal. The owners secured some bud wood from where it is commonly grown in Spain & Portugal and planted it in their Carneros Vineyards. Havens was the first winery in the United States to grow and make wine from this varietal. They have since planted additional acreage of Albarino in the Carneros region. It has natural acidity and some great fruit flavors including Lychee as well as minimal overtones of honey. Their Merlot's, Cabernets, and Syrah's all exhibit great fruit characteristics with good structure on the palate and all are food friendly wines. In addition, their prices are quite reasonable for Napa standards. Haven's Estate Cabernet sauvignon is produced in such low quantities that it can only be purchased from the winery. Some of their wine has been featured in notable restaurants including the nearby French Laundry and Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Havens has also participates in several charity events. We list a few of our favorite wines from a recent tasting. The 2007 Albarino is the only white Haven's makes commercially. It is always refreshing to find a white wine in Napa that is not the almost ubiquitous Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc that we see on almost every tasting list. This vintage has great acidity which almost makes it imperative you pair this with food. The nose if very floral and fruit aroma driven with pleasant flavors including pear and apple with pronounced mineral notes from the mid palate to the finish. Their 2004 Napa Valley Syrah has a big nose; it is meaty, with nuances of oak, and is slightly peppery with additional spices. For a big nose such as this one the mouth feel is surprisingly soft and even somewhat creamy...perhaps associated to a higher pH. Juicy, ripe fruit flavors dominate with just a touch of peppercorn towards the well integrated finish. Their Bourriquot is a proprietary blend which differs depending on the vintage. The 2004 is a delight to drink; it is an elegant wine composed of 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot. The name in French loosely translates to a "horse with its own mind - an animal that is not easily controlled". However this wine is certainly not out of control - a sign of a good wine is balance and this wine certainly has that. The nose is rich, fruit mingled with slight notes of cedar followed by a very smooth palate with notes of raspberry and blueberry that continue all the way to the pleasant finish all the while staying in balance. Havens is currently owned by a father son team who have a long history in the wine industry (Billington Wines). This company originally started by importing wines to the USA from Chile and while continuing to manage the import part of the business, they currently also own a small number of wineries. Visit: www.havenswine.com Note: As of 2010, this winery is still for sale. The winery is currently **closed for tastings**. We will update this review over time. |
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Their approach to winemaking is somewhat minimal in nature as much of the work that goes into making these high end wines starts and ends in the vineyards. They handle the fruit as minimally and gently as possible although once its picked they have a rigorous sorting program in place which only allows the finest fruit to be used. Gravity flow is used as much as possible rather than pumps - each of the barrel lots is carefully followed throughout its aging and only the "top" barrels are used for their final blends. The tastings are always conducted with the winemaker or assistant winemaker. You will taste the wine at two wine barrels which are setup in the middle of the main barrel room. They produce three types of wine including two Chardonnays (the HdV and the de la Guerra) - one from older vines and one from younger vines. Throw out any preconceived notions you have about Malolactic Fermentation and Chardonnay when you try these. These wines undergo 100% ML with neutral bacteria but are wines that are not characterized by the usual things when discussing ML (I.E. buttery, viscous etc). Their Chardonnays are rather crisp as the acidity plays a big part in this - they are well balanced delicious wines. Their Syrah is non blended with great floral & berry aromas. We tried the same Syrah from a barrel containing a vintage one year older than the bottle (their Syrahs are aged in large oak barrels). The differences between the two wines were very pronounced in the aromas and flavors and really gives one perspective of how quickly a Syrah can "come around" during its aging. One last interesting note is they have donated a barrel of wine to the well-known Auction Napa Valley each year for the past few years. The unique part of this is their barrel was the only white wine out of 100+ barrels of red wines that were donated by Napa wineries! What is great is that their wine has typically been in the top 10 highest receiving bids at this auction. Because this is a small winery and they do receive a number of requests for tastings, you should schedule appointments well in advance. As with other small area wineries, they have more time constraints during harvest in September and October. Visit: www.hdvwines.com |
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The tasting room is in a classy small stone building and your tasting will be held at a long table (not a bar). This is a very intimate tasting experience as the main tasting room is very small, with a cozy fireplace and several comfortable looking well padded chairs to relax in. There is a large shade providing arbor out back with excellent views of their valley floor vineyards. Unlike most "table" tastings in Napa, this is not a sit down tasting, rather you stand at the wood table as your server pours the wine. Laminated tasting notes and other details about each wine will be provided as the wine is poured. The small tasting room is in no way a reflection of their winery size. Heitz actually owns significant acreage in several different locations within the Napa Valley ranging from their winery and property in the eastern hills to acreage on the valley floor to hillside vineyards on Howell Mountain. They farm their vineyards sustainably and organically (CCOF certified). The focus of Heitz Cellars is their premium single vineyard designate Cabernet Sauvignons however they also make several other wines. We tried the 2006 Chardonnay - this wine has pleasant citrus driven aromas which lead to a palate that shows notes of lemon and green apple with some steely minerality notes towards the finish. This wine has just the right amount of tanginess to pair well with food. Heitz also makes a Zinfandel. The 2005 vintage is not a jammy type of Zinfandel, rather its more lean and focused in style. It has spicy notes both on the bouquet and on the palate and screams to be paired with chocolate! Martha's Vineyard is one of the more recognizable vineyards in Napa; it is located in the heart of the Oakville Appellation, one of Napa's prime mostly valley floor Cabernet Sauvignon appellations. This vineyard has been producing high end Cabernet's for Heitz for many years and in 1966 owner Joe Heitz made the decision to bottle this wine as a single vineyard because of its own unique characteristics. He was one of the earlier Napa Vintners to bottle a single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and now today some of Napa's most sought after wines are from single vineyards. This vineyard consistently shows great fruit as well as some minty and herbal characteristics. We had the privilege of trying an older Cabernet, in this case a 1998 from their Bella Oaks Vineyard. Age has treated this wine well; it opens with dark earth aromas, almost forest floor like as well as some tobacco and leather. Ten years later, the palate is still very much fruit driven and rich in flavor. The tannins have been tamed by time, but still present excellent structure and in our opinion, this wine could go at least another 10 years! These are the types of wines Heitz makes, wines that will age fantastically well, are balanced upon release and stay balanced for many years. For the price and the quality, the Grignolino and the Ink Grade Ports cannot be beat. Heitz makes these two ports each year. The Grignolino is a variety that is mostly grown in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. Of 600+ commercial Napa wine producers that we have visited and tasted with to date, this is the only winery we are aware of that grows and produces this varietal. Pretty rare stuff! They make a 100% varietal of this wine, a pink colored Grignolino Rose and their luscious Port. We tried the 2004 vintage of Port; the bouquet opens up with amazing floral and fruit aromas that quickly invite a taste. Flavors of strawberry and raspberry show well with delicate tannins anchoring the finish. This wine in Italy is sometimes referred to as "little strawberry" and these fruit flavors are definitely present in the wine. The Ink Grade Port has been made every year since 1994 and only three times has it been a vintage wine. As a result, most releases are non vintage. With a non vintage wine like this you get the best of both worlds, the great fruit that comes from younger wine as well as the characteristics that only age brings. This wine is rich in flavor and alcohol with a sweetness that is perfectly in balance. Flavor, sugar and alcohol are key ingredients in these types of wines and if one of these is out of balance it can be very noticeable. This wine is certainly not just sugar and alcohol; it has a richness and complexity of flavor not often found in Ports that are even priced much higher than this one. The nose is very fruit driven with a palate showing dark fruit including baked black cherry and plum. Each year this wine contains a number of ancient Portuguese varietals which grow on their property on Howell Mountain. Trust us, you will have an extremely difficult time finding these particular varietals grown in other parts of Napa! There are not a lot of Napa wineries making premium ports, and its always a treat when we find one. We will close this review with a humorous story. Some years back the famed wine critic Robert Parker said one of their wines was lacking in aromatics. After hearing this, Joe Heitz then sent him a box of handkerchiefs insinuating that Parker had a cold when he tasted this wine. Nice! Sometimes Heitz offers International cruise trips as well - inquire for more details. They have fairly good distribution in all 50 states as well as a number of other countries. Visit: www.heitzcellar.com |
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The winery was built in 1988 and their first vintages came out in the early 1990's. Helena View has a very nice philosophy on farming and conservation. Their estate vineyards are entirely dry farmed and are 100% certified organic both CCOF (Federally), as well as being Internationally certified. Not many Napa Wineries are certified organic and to be certified Internationally shows a true dedication to environmentally conscious farming and awareness. In addition they purchase re-sterilized wine bottles for use as the cost is not that much different from buying new bottles; it would be great if more wineries would do this. Helena has three labels, their Helena View Estate, Helena View sourced fruit from local vineyards and an affordably priced Moon Mountain Bordeaux blended style wine. Their on site vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. We tasted a large variety of early and mid 1990 vintages starting off with a 92' Cabernet Franc. Helena View's wines age considerably well especially the wines that undergo extended maceration in which the skins are allowed to remain in contact with the post fermentation wine for up to several months. This elegant Cabernet Franc had lost a bit of its color but who cares after 15 years when all its flavor is there. Another wine we thoroughly enjoyed was their estate 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a very full bodied well balanced wine that has still retained its excellent fruit characteristics. Helena View tries to make their wine in such a way that they reflect the location in which they were grown. The owner/winemaker often experiments with different types of yeasts and varietals. Their unique labels are created by hand by Edward Rooks. Visit their website and or join their mailing list for the latest updates. www.helenaview.com |
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Hendricks is owned by winemaker Charles Hendricks whose wine making history in the Napa area dates back to the early 1980's. Since his initial start in the valley he has consulted for a number of high end well known area wineries including Viader, Barnett Vineyards and Regusci. His philosophy with wine making is to conduct minimal intervention in the wine cellar, but as he says, "if we leave nature completely on its own, we would be in the vinegar business." Good point! Hendricks specializes in serving Hope & Grace Wines which are named after the winemaker's two daughters. Typically four wines will be on the tasting list, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Malbec, and their Cabernet Sauvignon. As of press time most of their wines are sourced from high end vineyards in the Napa Valley but they do source fruit for their Pinot's from Monterey and Sonoma Counties. We loved their 2006 Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir; the fruit comes from the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County. This wine has a great mouth feel and fruitiness with earthy and subtle floral aromas on the nose. Be sure to also try their 100% Malbec; very few Napa wineries produce a straight varietal Malbec (think Mendoza Argentina - typically used for blending in the Napa area) and this wine does not disappoint. The 2005 vintage is from Oakville You may find some some raspberry and with pepper along with vanilla and a hint of oak on the palate. The fruit for their Cabernet Sauvignon comes from an excellent location in the upper Napa Valley, this wine has a great nose; the good acidity, weight and tannin structure will allow this wine to age gracefully for many years. Note their artistic label, it was taken from one of Charles' favorite paintings which hangs on the wall near their actual tasting bar. Click on the photos link to see an image of this painting. Also note that once a year (in March) the Taste of Yountville is held downtown where the main street is closed and area wineries and restaurants showcase their products to the public. Hendricks is open year round but during this event is especially a good time to visit should you be in the area as quite a few of their wines are available for tasting. Visit: www.hendrickswines.com and www.hopeandgracewines.com |
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George is in his 70's now and has a lifetime of experience including some trial and error in the wine industry. The focus of his tours are educational and questions are encouraged. You can tell a true farmer by looking at their hands. If they are spotless they are not a farmer - just before our tour, George had come in from the fields with dirty hands and scuffed up jeans. The tours are typically limited to no more than 8 people. Much of George's tour takes place in the actual vineyards and includes a lot of viticulture information you won't pick up from other wine tours. You will refreshingly see the "other side of Napa" from a farming perspective. Hendry's vineyards are located just north of the Carneros border; the property has several different soil types and micro climates. As a result all parts of their vineyards are block designated based on these characteristics. This allows Hendry to really micromanage their wines and produce the type of wine best suited to the block's specific characteristics. There are 203 acres on site, of which 117 are planted. The vineyards are then separated into 49 unique blocks, each of which is managed and controlled separately both in the vineyard and in the winery. Water is an issue in this area and Hendry tends to dry farm their vineyards after the vines have been well established, usually after 5 or 6 years. His vineyards are extremely diverse ranging from cooler moister regions near a local creek up to higher drier benchland. George has been keeping rainfall records on the property over the past 50 years and on average has interestingly noticed that his vineyard receives several more inches of rain today then when he first started keeping track. After the vineyard explanations you will make your way through their state of the art 22,000 square foot gravity flow winery. What is neat here is how the 2nd story is designed. The second floor wraps around openings of the tops of the steel tanks. The tanks are built right into the design of the winery - rather than having climb ladders to get to the top of the tanks or needing catwalks. They also have their own bottling line which makes it very convenient for bottling both their own wines as well as the several custom crush clients on site. George has conducted tests on his older Chardonnay's that were bottled with corks. He noticed varying degrees of oxidation between each of the wines and also how the flavors were affected. These wines in other words did not age consistently. He also conducted blind tasting tests on some of his wine club members between screw capped wines and wines that were bottled with corks (same wine, same vintages). Finding that most people chose the screw capped versions and based on his studies of older chardonnays, he now bottles his lighter white wines, the Chardonnays and some of his lighter reds with screw caps. He has noticed how screw caps keep the wine fresher, preserve the "fruitiness and extend the shelf life. The end of the tour ends with a rather extensive tasting. You will typically try 10-12 different wines at a sit down tasting in front of their enclosed cellar. Note the unique placemats - these show a map outline of all their vineyard blocks. Unlike all tastings we've been to in Napa where someone pours the wine, George passed the bottle around the table and we doled out our own small portions. Borrowing from wine terminology George holds three "blocks" dear when making wine, keep the alcohol under control for a number of this wines, produce dry wines - not sweet, and do not allow oak to take control of the flavors. George is also passionate about how wine should pair with food and will make pairing suggestions for every one of the wines you taste. If your tour is closer to lunch time you may find yourself becoming quite hungry just listening to his pairing advice! George grows Albarino, a Spanish varietal very uncommon to the Napa Valley (only several producers make wine from this varietal in the area). This is a varietal that grows in the cooler coastal regions of South West Spain and the cooler southern part of Napa makes an ideal area to grow this grape. This is a lighter styled wine that is fairly high in acid. Notes of citrus blossom and pomelo are found on the palate; this wine will pair well with a variety of seafood's especially shellfish. George also uses this wine to make salad dressing (Albarino wine, olive oil and a touch of lemon). An interesting side by side comparison is his un-oaked Chardonnay and his barrel fermented Chardonnay. Its fairly easy to notice the color differences between the two wines and the aromas and flavors are pronouncedly different. The unoaked Chardonnay is a true varietal expression of this grape whereas the oaked version brings a more rounded mouth feel and additional flavors imparted from the oak including a nuttiness, notes of almond and zesty spicy notes. We do not normally drink a lot of Pinot Noir but George's Pinot is quite appealing. With Pinot Noir he subscribes to the "less is more" theory in that this wine shows less intensity but rather displays a broader range of flavor or as he says, "I strive to make a Pinot Noir that is complex rather than macho"! This wine was fermented using wild yeast. The 2006 has an elegant nose with notes of slightly baked cherry and baking spices. This is a very well balanced wine with a long finish. A number of the wines are labeled with a specific block number and include fruit from just that one block. With 11 varietals planted on site Hendry makes a variety of wines. Other standouts include their Primitivo, several Zinfandels, a Bordeaux blend and their "biggest wine", the Cabernet Sauvignon. All their wines are *extremely* reasonably priced for Napa standards. Hendry's wines have generally received positive press but as George says, "the critics can't taste the wines for you" and he encourages you to try them yourself. You must make an appointment for a visit to the winery. Visit: www.hendrywines.com |
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Herb Lamb Vineyards is located on a secluded hillside growing region on mountain slopes below the Howell Mountain appellation. From the vineyards you have spectacular views overlooking mostly rural hillsides far below and in the distance. The Lambs, Jennifer and Herb purchased a small piece of property here in 1987, cleared and then planted about 5 acres of vines in 1988. Despite not being located in the actual appellation, this is prime terroir. David Abreu manages a much saught after vineyard just up the road and we've tasted several other delicious wines from nearby growers. A common thread runs through some of the small boutique wineries in the Napa area. The owners moved to the county with no plans to become grape growers much less winemakers! However, the Napa Allure is strong and soon they began selling grapes to other wineries.
One winery, Karl Lawrence started using some of their fruit for his "new blend" in the early 1990's which would end up becoming very popular among collectors. In addition, the cult winery Colgin Estate discovered the Lamb's vineyard and sourced fruit for many years. Well after seeing your grapes being used in high end wines such as these it is only natural you start getting the "itch" to make your own wine! Mike Trujillo has been their winemaker since day one which was in 1997 when they released their first vintage. They produce several wines each year; their high end HL Cabernet Sauvignon comes from specific rows every year and after 10+ years they know the 'sweet' spots in their vineyard. This wine is much coveted as it is fairly hard to acquire. Due to the limited quantities of these high quality grapes only several barrels are fermented and aged each year resulting in approximately 100 cases totally. A certain number of magnums of this HL Cabernet Sauvignon are produced and are always donated to charities. Join their waiting list to receive updates on releases and other winery news. Locally you may be able to find this wine around their release date in fine wine shops such as Backroom Wines in Napa and ACME in St. Helena. E II Napa Valley Red Wine is from grapes not used in the HL wine and this label is named after their now deceased dog Eeyore. A nice tribute! The only wine they make from grapes grown offsite is their E II Sauvignon Blanc which comes from a vineyard near Yountville. There are several "sweet" spots for Sauvignon Blanc in the Yountville area and we have tried more than a few wines made from this varietal grown in that area. Their 2007 has subtle tropical aromas with some melon, pear and citrus flavors. This is a more flinty steely Sauvignon Blanc rather than some of the viscous ones we have tried. This is not a bad thing, it just depends on your palate and preference. The mouth feel is well rounded. Oh, and their winemaker for this particular wine is David DeSante, the Sauvignon Blanc master who has his own Sauvignon Blanc label. David also happens to produce several of the nicest wines for other wineries, that we have tried in the valley. The 2005 E II Napa Valley Red wine is very approachable now, a cooler year produced more blue berry flavors rather than big blackberry notes. The palate also has a slight herbal or minty quality, and the finish is refined and very smooth. Visit: www.herblambvineyard.com |
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There are only two wineries in the western hills of Napa Valley (Mayacamas Mountains) open to the public by walk-in and Hess Collection is one of these wineries. The shortest way to reach Hess Collection is from the town of Napa as the winery is really in the middle of "nowhere" along a narrow winding road. It is surrounded by wooded hills in a beautiful location that feels far removed from the valley floor. Once you enter the main winery you can either wine taste at their tasting bar which is located next to the gift shop or you can take the elevator or stairs up to the multi-level art gallery. This winery is known as much for its contemporary art collection as it is for its wine and displays the largest art collection of any Napa winery. Tours of the art galleries are self guide, private tours can be arranged by prior reservation. Their art is worth seeing as its unlike anything you've seen before. Here are just a few examples from their very eclectic collection: a typewriter which has real flames coming out of it, a computer programmed "running" exhibit which changes appearance depending on the days of the year, a series of large rocks scattered on the floor which were heated up and changed in appearance and an exhibit of many human torso's. The art gallery also contains what in our opinion is the best piece of artwork in Napa Valley, the incredible large real life looking painting of a beautiful woman; this is the centerpiece of their main upper floor gallery. Hess Collection rotates some of their art on a fairly consistent basis and they do continue to purchase new works. As a result you never know what you may see on display! Hess Collection's production is the best of both worlds, having a large distribution as well as being able to make limited production wines. They produce somewhere around 600,000 cases a year which for Napa standards is enormous. Of this, only about 10% of their wine is made in this facility. They are certainly not a small winery but they have a number of wines that are extremely hand crafted in very small productions, sometimes just a few barrels. These wines are typically only available at the winery. The majority of their wine is distributed nationally and of this, most of their production is Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. A couple of wines we recommend from an earlier visit include their Artezin Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot and a Gewurztraminer. The tasting bar is in an old stone room with rock quarried from the hillside located directly behind the winery. This room was built in 1903 and at that time you tried to use materials already located on site as transportation costs based on the type of technology available would have been prohibitive. This was the old "brandy" room as both brandy and still wine were made at the winery. The wooden bar covers 3/4 of a rectangle and in our experience there have always been plenty of staff on hand to handle the crowds, especially on the weekends. Because of their large production, they offer a number of wines for tasting. Its rare when we can try an older vertical of Cabernet Sauvignon at a general tasting room in Napa and upon seeing this listed on the tasting menu, we quickly jumped at the opportunity. A vertical gives you a unique chance to see how the wines have aged both with aromas, flavor and structure. Hess's wines seem to hold their fruit, and tannin structure extremely well, even on the older vintages. The 2004 shows a great bouquet that is rich in floral aromatics (violets), with a core of sweet candied fruit. The entry is amazingly soft for still a fairly young wine and has notes of black licorice, black cherry and hints of chocolate on the palate. Broad firm chewy tannins anchor the long finish. The oldest wine we tasted, the 2000 vintage has been treated well with age. The backbone is still certainly there with pleasant briary and blackberry aromas. It is also somewhat rare to find a Botrytis late harvest Chardonnay in Napa and in the case of Hess Collection this wine is extremely rare having only been produced 1x to date! This vintage was 2006 and is from their Su'skol Vineyard which is located on the property. Each year a certain amount of Chardonnay is left to hang on the vines and in every year except 2006 the fruit goes to waste. Conditions need to be ideal for creating the "noble rot", or the grey mold that literally covers the outside of the grapes. This wine is very rich in both flavor and sugar with a moderate alcohol level of 12%. It has very good weight on the palate or phenolic grip. There are notes of honeysuckle and citrus blossoms on the bouquet with tropical fruit flavors the carry all across the palate. This is a dessert wine and can certainly be consumed by itself. However, we have found another use for rich wines such as this; we pour a generous helping over fresh stone fruit during the summer (i.e. nectarines or peaches...delicious!). Joining their wine club gives you access to some pretty neat events including one gathering where you get to blend wines with the head winemaker and the winning blend is announced at the day's end. Hess is proud owner of the world's highest commercial vineyards which are located in Argentina at almost 10,000 feet! This winery is Bodega Colome and the vineyards are appropriately called Altura Maxima. Now that is incredible! Visit: www.hesscollection.com |
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Stanley and Helen have enjoyed fine wines for many years and in 1996 purchased property in the eastern part of Napa County. Their stunning estate is located as far southeast in Napa County as you can find - just minutes from the Solano County line. This property is 127 acres, 41 of which are planted to the major five Bordeaux varietals. We recently had a chance to walk the vineyards. The vines are planted on rolling hills and with with a property this size there are a variety of exposures and orientations. While the property was not planted to vine at the time of the Cheng's purchase, the property next door was purchased the previous year (Nepenthes Vineyard) and vines were also planted. This part of Napa County is called Gordon Valley and there are a number of small vineyard growers in the region. It is not its own recognized sub appellation but is next to the Suisun Valley sub appellation (became an appellation 2 years before Howell Mountain became Napa's first sub appellation). Hestan is a producer with not only one but two winemakers (fairly rare in the valley). As a result of their winemaker's styles they produce two very distinctive types of wine. Stanley and Helen were eating dinner one night in a well-known restaurant in Yountville when they happened to try a Merus wine. At the time winemaker Mark Herold was running Merus in a garagist winery at his home in Napa. Enjoying this wine so much they soon contacted Mark and he became their original winemaker for the Hestan and Meyer wines. His wines showcase the ripe Napa fruit very well - big in structure and big in fruit yet both in balance with each other. Today well-regarded Napa winemaker Thomas Brown makes both the Hestan and Meyer. For a number of years Hestan sold their fruit to several other producers in the Stag's Leap District including Clos du Val. However it was after tasting wine from their neighbor at a blind tasting that they were introduced to Jeff Gaffner, their neighbor's winemaker. They found his wines to be true varietal expressions of the grapes and he was soon hired as their own winemaker. Jeff is known for his winemaking work with Bordeaux varietals and producing elegant refined wines. He makes the Stephanie Wines (named after their daughter). Look for the image of Stephanie's concert harp on all these wines - this is in honor of her musical talents. The 2007 Chardonnay (the one white wine from Hestan) is from a vineyard in Vallejo not far from the cooling influences of the bay. This fairly rich wine sees 100% malolactic fermentation and is unfined and unfiltered. It shows a nice golden color in the glass with notes of baking spices on the bouquet. The palate is rather soft and somewhat creamy with notes of ripe pear, browned sugar, a unique nuttiness and melon. The finish is clean and lingers pleasantly. The 2006 Stephanie Cabernet Sauvignon shows some nice spice and dark chocolate on the bouquet with a mix of elegant red and black fruit aromas. The palate is refined with lively acidity and pleasing fruit flavors including berry and red cherry. One of our favorite Stephanie wines is the 2006 red blend, a Bordeaux styled blend. The nose is elegant with a soft entry on the palate showing plum, red cherry and boysenberry. Despite the soft entry, this wine builds in structure nicely leading to a beautiful balanced finish between flavor, structure and length. In contrast to the Stephanie wines is the 2006 Hestan Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a big, bold, bright and powerful Napa Valley Cabernet which shows off tons of fruit and structure. It was aged entirely in new French oak. The darkness in the glass hints at the complexities to follow - both on the bouquet and palate. The nose shows mostly dark fruit leading to a concentrated palate with a complexity of flavors. This is a mouth filling wine anchored by meaty tannins and a super long finish. For those who enjoy a big Napa Cabernet, this is an excellent choice. In addition to his cookware company, Stanley also owns Meyer Solar and as expected their estate property is entirely run by solar power. A good sized pond is also on the property that is both creek and spring fed and provides for the vineyard's water needs. Note the labels on all their wine, you won't see these from many producers in the valley - they are silkscreened in 24k gold. Hestan currently produces about 6000 cases between the three wines. You can find their wine locally at ACME Fine Wine Shop and Dean & Deluca, both located in St. Helena. For more information visit: www.hestan.com |
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Highlands Winery dates back to its days of being owned by another Napa winery, Freemark Abbey. It was sold in 2005 and today it is privately held by two partners, Paul Seagus and Dave Cofran, both Napa wine industry veterans. Dave has a long history in the wine industry dating back over 40 years. He is a graduate of UC Davis during the mid 1960's from a class that produced industry pioneer winemakers for Napa including Justin Meyer (Silver Oak Cellars), Rick Forman (Forman Vineyards) and Nils Venge. Dave worked as General Manager at Silver Oak Cellars for almost 20 years before retiring. We've visited with Dave for a review of another winery he was involved in called Strata. Paul worked as an executive at IBM in the early 1970's, had a desire to get into the wine industry, but had very little wine related knowledge. He acquired Napa property, planted vineyards, took viticulture classes and in a relatively short amount of time his vineyards were being highly coveted by select wineries including Chateau Montelena, Joseph Phelps and Robert Mondavi.
The focus of Highlands is fairly specific, a 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel each year, always from two select vineyards on Howell Mountain. Incidentally Howell Mountain was the first AVA within Napa, formed in 1983 and today there are 14 and growing. One of the vineyards deserves special mention. It is the Black Sears vineyard and is highly sought after by those in the know who produce Zinfandel & Cabernet Sauvignon (try D Cubed, Turley etc). There is only one other vineyard in Napa County higher than this one, as the uppermost part of this vineyards sits and an elevation of about 2400 feet; it is completely organically farmed. The other vineyard they source from is Beatty Ranch which is located at about 1800 feet. This vineyard is source for the oldest Zinfandel grapes on Howell Mountain. Howell Mountain has long been known for producing top quality Zinfandel and today there are still a number of Zinfandel producers and vineyards in this AVA. We tried the lovely 2004 Zinfandel. This is mountain grown fruit and the nose is a characteristic of a full bodied rich Zinfandel. The aromas are intense which lead to a plethora of up front fruit flavors including various berries including blackberry and raspberry with a structured slightly spicy mid palate to finish. You can find their wine locally at JV Warehouse in Napa. With approximately 2000 cases produced each year you can also find the wine in select major markets across the US. Visit: www.highlandswinery.com |
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The tasting bar is small and is not setup for large groups. There is an easy going relaxed atmosphere to the tastings here. Be sure not to confuse this winery with William Hill Estate off of Silverado Trail, a totally seperate winery. Hill Family is truly a family run winery, Doug & his wife Darci and their two children Ryan and Carly are all involved. Their winemaker has been with them since day 1. Ryan has jumped into the family business full throttle and is in part responsible for an ingenious idea - Stained Fender Stratocaster guitars. Several types of wood were stained by a special red blend concocted by the Hill Family and then sent back to Fender where they produced 100 very limited production red wine stained guitars! One of these hangs on the wall near the tasting counter. Click on our photo link to see a picture of this. We tasted their Rose of Malbec which is quite an unusual wine as in the Napa Valley Malbec is typically used as a blending varietal. This is a very easy drinking wine full of notes of strawberry and watermelon and is great for hot summer days or serving with appetizers. Its recommended to serve this chilled. The 2006 Carly's Cuvee, Chardonnay named after the owner's daughter sees no malolactic fermentation. Its fairly crisp with some nice flavors of butterscotch and pineapple. The Barrel Blend is their "surfer wine". A partnership with well-known surfer, Kyle Knox pretty well ensures this is a "fun" wine! It is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and is easy drinking and quite smooth. For you surfing enthusiasts who are up on the jargon of the waves, a picture of Kyle carving a perfect cut in "the barrel" appears on the label. An analogy of this can also be compared to the wines "balance in the barrel". Nice! Oh, and the price is something to be "stoked" about to. Another barrel theme is their Double Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon. This is high end Cabernet Sauvignon and only 50 cases were made. The covering of the bottle is two toned in color to mimic a shotgun shell. You won't find this branding at any other Napa wineries. Lastly, two of our favorites are the 2002 silky smooth Merlot Beau Terre Vineyard and their 2004 Origin which is a blend of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a touch of Malbec. Ask about their Crossroads Wine Club and their Organic Garden tour at their home, also in Yountville. Since the owners live close to the tasting room, sometimes you might find them here helping with the pouring. Visit: www.hillfamilyestate.com |
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Hoffman Family Winery is owned and operated by Peter Hoffman, a fellow Cal Poly, SLO graduate. He grew up in and around what was at the time one of California's largest vineyards in Southern California. Knowing that he wanted to do something with agriculture he attended Cal Poly which was before they even offered their wine and viticulture program. During his time in college he started picking up more interest in wine especially Syrah. While living on the Central Coast, he discovered Alban (makers of fine Central Coast Rhone based wines including Syrah). Peter fell in love with this varietal and found himself planting Syrah vineyards for a local vintner. This turned into additional vineyard management work and soon he was managing high end vineyards that were producing fruit for some premium area wineries including Santa Barbara based Sine Qua Non. As Peter says he took a ten year detour to actually start making commercial wine. However with prior management of large scale vineyards, his experience was in demand and was hired to come to Napa to oversee famed grower Beckstoffer's vineyard holdings. He further refined his palate while working at Stag's Leap Cellars.
In 2000 Peter started making home wine and released his first commercial vintage in 2003. Today he devotes his time to winemaking as well as consulting for a variety of wine related projects. He bonded his home and makes the wine there. All wine as of press time are bottled under the Aum Cellars label (look for the Aum Sanskrit symbol on the label). Peter produces his wines organically and Biodynamically and as of press time is in the process of being officially certified (by 2009 or 2010). Due to personal allergies his wines always contain low amounts of sulfites. Peter takes a minimalist approach to winemaking, rather letting the varietal and vineyard characteristics show. His wines are unfined and unfiltered (vegan style according to Peter!) and native yeasts are used for fermentation. The winemaking is as gentle as possible with manual punch-downs and no pump-overs during fermentation. In addition he has long term leases on vineyards to ensure fruit sources remain fairly consistent. In the future, Peter will be sourcing fruit from outside of Napa, for other varietals that tend to grow better in different terroir regions. As of press time Hoffman Family produces one white wine - an interesting blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Muscat and Pinot Blanc. We tried the 2005 vintage. Initially the Muscat dominates the nose producing a nice fruity overtone but as the bouquet opens up more honeysuckle and melon become apparent. The palate has great fruit; think cantaloupe with notes of other citrus, most notably grape fruit. This is a crisp clean easy drinking wine. He produces two very distinctly different Cabernet Sauvignons. In our experience tasting in Napa, almost all vintners have one certain style of Cabernet, whether it be the rich high alcohol fruit forward California style, or the lower alcohol higher acidity Bordeaux style wine. Hoffman Family actually makes both and quite well we should point out. We tried the 2005, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard in St. Helena. Peter has had extensive experience with specific types of clones and this wine is all clone 7 (good up front fruit with manageable tannins). This wine is definitely made in the French style with the alcohol around 13%. Peter likes to keep it at this or even lower. It is rare to find a Napa Cabernet these days coming in at these alcohol levels. This is the type of style wine that Peter is passionate about; it is a great food wine. You need the higher acidity to cut through certain types of food and the flavors really come alive with a meal. One sommelier called the nose on this a chocolate cake - there are definitely chocolate aromas with other spices and nuances of pepper. The palate has nice fruit including notes of raspberry, plum and red cherry. This wine has a rounded mouth feel with soft delicate tannins. It has great ageability. The 2006 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is a mix of different clones each of which brings a specific contribution to the wine. As Peter says, you want a clone which "brings a hint of corruption to a good Cabernet Sauvignon"! We've had some huge Mt. Veeder Cabernets which blow the socks off your palate when you drink them young. This is not one of them. This is the California bigger rich fruit forward wine. However this wine will be able to carry itself longer due to its higher acidity. It is pronouncedly darker than the St. Helena Cabernet and sees more new oak during the aging. Nuances of chocolate on the nose lead to a palate rich in dark fruit including blackberry and blueberry. The structured tannins are well balanced, are soft and delicate. Look for additional varietals in the future including a Syrah. Oh and we haven't yet mentioned these wines have one of the better quality to value price ratios in the valley! Peter also makes wines under the Aum Cellars label. Visit: www.hoffmannfamilywines.com |
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Hollywood & Vine Cellars , as the name indicates, must have some association to this famous corner in Hollywood, Ca. Yes! True to its name, this winery was founded by two men with backgrounds in the entertainment industry. Doug Barr was the inspiration behind starting this winery and he soon recruited his friend Bruce Orosz. Lets back track a bit. After acting in a bunch of well-known TV series, Doug started looking for a more rural environment to live in than Los Angeles. A copy of the St. Helena star ended up in front of him fortuitously and as with so many others before him, once you live in Napa the "Napa Allure" kicks in and somehow you become involved in the wine industry! As it were, Doug moved into the old house of Maynard Amerine, a pioneer in the California research of grape growing and wine making and a UC Professor and author. Doug soon discovered Amerine's cellar which contained old bottles of wine, Amerine's hand written notes and a winemaking textbook. This discovery of the textbook jump started his interest in making wine. Not having any grapes growing on site, Hollywood & Vine has always sourced from very high end vineyard sources in Napa and today focus on two varietals, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon with a vintage of each released each year.
When you hear about Chardonnay in regards to Napa production invariably you then hear the growing region, Carneros mentioned in the same breath. Not so with the H&V produced Chardonnay. The source for these grapes is two individual blocks on Atlas Peak from a variety of clones, each of which contributes individual flavor characteristics to the wine. Chardonnay does well in cooler growing regions of the Napa Valley (i.e. Carneros) however parts of Atlas Peak due to its elevation and relatively close airline mile proximity to the San Pablo Bay also provide a relatively cool growing climate. Celia Masyczek, their winemaker turns out some amazing wines. We have always enjoyed her wines. The 2006 Chardonnay is a Burgundian style wine, aged sur lie with 2x a week lee stirring (battonage). The result is a golden colored crisp wine with rich layers of apple, and pear flavors on the palate. The finish is smooth and clean. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from separate Napa based vineyards. Each vineyard selection is aged individually and if one of the vineyard selections doesn't make the cut for high quality, it is left out before the final blending. This Cabernet Sauvignon has a very elegant nose and you will pick out notes of blackberry and raspberry on the juicy palate. The finish is slightly smoky but oh so smooth! Labels on their bottles are simple, being merely the number 2480. This is a tribute to Maynard as 2480 was the street address of his old house. You can find their wine locally at Enoteca in Calistoga, Dean & Deluca (St. Helena), and Cal Wine in the town of Napa. Visit: www.hollywoodandvinewine.com |
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Tasting depending on the weather is either held inside their elegantly furnished tasting room our outside under the trees. Because of all the trees and their somewhat hidden location this is an ideal spot for a private intimate tasting. Also of note; there used to be a small house where their gravel parking lot currently is and it was here that Chuck Wagner Jr. of Caymus Winery was born (some local valley history!). Honig produces limited quantities of wine, simply concentrating on a few wines rather than many. As of press time they make three different Sauvignon Blancs, two of which are slightly blended with Semillon and three delicious Cabernet Sauvignons. We enjoy desert wines and for the taste and price their late harvest Sauvignon Blanc cannot be beat. We doubt this will remain aging in our cellar for very long! The 2007 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc is blended slightly with 10% Semillon and 4% Muscat. In addition this wine sees 30% French oak and 6 months of barrel aging. As a result of this blend and winemaking practices this wine has a nice mouth feel and carries some good weight. The nose is decidedly floral in nature with notes of honeysuckle and passion fruit blossom. Flavors include white peach and pear with lots of fruit lingering on the clean finish. Two of their Cabernet Sauvignons showcase individual vineyards and it is interesting to taste these wines side by side as the sugars at the time of picking were about the same as well as the actual winemaking regiment. The 2005 Bartolucci Vineyard (Spring Mountain) is 100% varietal. It is a vineyard that grows on the lower slopes of Spring Mountain and does not display a huge mountain backbone as you might find in higher vineyards. It is rounded upon entry and surprisingly soft yet complex. Notes of black cherry, black plum, blackberry and tar are found on the palate. The 2005 Mitchell Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is from a vineyard in western Rutherford growing on the Rutherford benchland. This benchland 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. The bouquet on this wine is slightly smoky, earthy and herbal at the same time. It is structured throughout but most importantly the structure is balanced by the rich fruit. The late harvest Sauvignon Blanc has been picked anywhere from early November all the way through the first week in December. It all depends on the particular vintage. The 2007 vintage is yellow golden in the glass and shows honey and tropical floral notes on the bouquet followed by a rich palate with broad flavors of mango, apricot and honey. This is followed by a long warm finish. Sip this without food in front of a roaring fire in a log cabin in the middle of winter. We've done it; Lake Tahoe - all snowed in. Honig has always practiced sustainable farming and currently employs several cutting edge bio dynamic farming techniques one of which is using sniffer dogs to find harmful bugs among the vines. Golden retrievers have a sense of smell many times more powerful than of a person and they are able to smell the scent given off by particular pests among the actual grape vines. Honig uses solar to power the winery, has a number of owl, bat and bird houses around the vineyards, maintains honey bee hives and uses draught resistant plants for landscaping. In addition their wines are bottled in lighter weight glass saving both themselves and the customer needless costs. A major annual women's charity event called Wine Women & Shoes was originally founded at Honig. This is now a national event held in select locations across the USA and has raised nearly 4 million dollars to date for various women and children charities. Honig of course has hosted this event in the past. The staff is friendly, very knowledgeable and they can recommend other good local wineries and specific wines. If you dislike Chardonnay or know someone who dislikes this common very popular wine be sure to purchase one of their humorous anti-Chardonnay shirts or hats! Unlike many Napa Valley wineries, the tasting fee is applied towards any bottles purchased. They have an excellent website - be sure to visit their creative postcard section where you can pictures and comments as Ecards. Visit: www.honigwine.com |
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Hoopes Vineyard is operated by Spencer Hoopes who has owned a 10-acre vineyard in the Oakville appellation since 1984. After a law and entrepreneurial career, wine is now Spencer's full time gig. He was originally introduced to Napa during a visit many years ago, fell in love with the area and purchased property. He has been a long time collector of fine wine for many years however his original intention was never to get into the wine business; today he owns three different labels - one of which he purchased in 2006. Initially he sold all the fruit from this vineyard to an area winery for a number of years. In 1999 his friend Mitch Cosentino of Cosentino Winery helped him make a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon which was his first commercial release.
While taking their wine extremely seriously, Spencer also has a sense of humor and and you can see this throughout their packaging and how they operate. He loves dogs and has nicely incorporated this and the play on his last name into the light hearted labels. The Cabernet Sauvignon features a dog jumping through a hoop with a nice ceramic medallion attached to the actual bottle - and the Hoopla shows a dog with one of the hoops in its mouth. The Hoopla label focuses entirely on white wines. We started our tasting with the 2006 Hoopla Chardonnay. The fruit for this wine is sourced from Yountville - the wine is not oaked and does go through malolactic fermentation. It is crisp and clean with a rounded but not too soft of a mouth feel. Citrus and minerality notes on the bouquet lead to similar flavors on the palate with nuances of apple and lime. The 2004 Hoopes Vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is from Spencer's own vineyard and is a winner. Spencer is looking to create wines that are soft, and devoid of harsh tannins, even in their youth (but have the acidity to handle cellaring). He has done an excellent job with this vintage. The wine is a bright ruby color and the nose opens up to seductive elegant aromas of red plum and cherry with touches of spice and vanilla. The fruit is throughout the palate but especially so on the finish which is velvety smooth and very long. This wine will pair very well with food. Also note if you are looking for "value" in a higher end Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, this is an excellent choice as it is priced quite decently for the quality. Spencer purchased the long time Howell Mountain winery Liparita Cellars in 2006. They made several white wines (the last being the Sauvignon Blanc in 2006) and in the future will focus exclusively on appellation specific Cabernet Sauvignon wines, which as of press time includes Yountville, Oakville and the Stag's Leap district. These wines are all about the specific terroir from which they were sourced from and the label features contours (like on a topographical map) representative of this. The nice feature about Liparita Cellars is the fruit sources are locked up into long term contracts which helps build consistency into the wines each vintage. Spencer has the same winemaker for all three of these labels. While his wineries are private you can generally taste these wines at the open to the public by walk-in Napa Wine Co's Cult Tasting room, located on the corner of Highway 29 and Oakville Cross road near the Oakville Grocery. Also visit: www.hoopesvineyard.com, www.hooplawine.com, and www.liparita.com |
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Noah is one of their labels and is the first name of one of the partners. The tasting is in the old winery building and is very relaxed and casual. There is an awning and small deck outside which is a nice place to also taste, weather permitting. Dogs will be walking around, the barrels are stacked nearby and typically some nice mellow non mainstream music provides background ambience. Their Chardonnay is delicious, especially considering it is the only white wine they make and the first vintage was merely 2005. They have a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Zinfandel. Some of their older Merlots are tasting real nice now and sometimes their tasting room manager will make his "own" Merlot blend on the spot for you to taste. Their wines are all hand crafted in small quantities. Be sure to glance at their well worn old leather bound guestbook - judging from the comments, some people have had some pleasurable memorable good times here! Production is only several thousand cases total. Visit: www.hoppercreek.com |
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In the early 1990's Jeff's mother was interested in selling the property - at the time Jeff was living in San Francisco and working in management at Skyy Vodka. Jumping at the chance to move to the valley Jeff soon took over the vineyard management. At this time Phylloxera hit the valley and and as Jeff discussed with us this really caused a paradigm shift within the wine industry. Before Phylloxera struck the valley was farmed with more of a Bordeaux mindset and Phylloxera was like a reset switch in which soils, rootstalks, clones, trellising, vine row positions and many other factors were looked at in new light. After Phylloxera, the Hourglass vineyard was replanted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon although there is a single Chardonnay vine within the vineyard and yes its fruit always goes into the wine each year. Aside from managing the vineyards and talking about viticulture Jeff's other passion is terroir and geology. The name "hourglass" is an appropriate name for their original estate vineyard. During Jeff's early involvement in the vineyard he wanted to find someone to walk the vineyard who had knowledge about specific vineyard sites as well as Napa Valley. Enter Dr. Mark Kliewer (who was Dean of the viticulture program at UC Davis) who proclaimed this vineyard as one of the great vineyard sites in the Napa Valley and explained the location as being the middle of an hourglass. If you look at the Napa Valley from a birds eye view the valley pinches down just north of St. Helena and then opens up again to the north. Their vineyard is located right at this geographical narrowing between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca mountains to the east. As a result of this unique location - there is a fairly large diurnal swing in the daily temperatures during the summer. The warmer part of the valley to the north combined with the cooler part of the valley to the south creates afternoon breezes and wind currents over the vineyard. In addition the vineyard tends to hold the fog later in the morning. So what does this all mean to the vines - because of the unique location the grapes tend to hang on the vine much longer and their ripening is actually slowed down leading to balanced evenly ripened fruit. Having a rock component to the soils is a very important aspect of great hillside vineyards and Hourglass certainly has this in both their vineyards. The Hourglass Vineyard is composed of a fractured bedrock which extends under the vineyard jutting out as a single arm from the Mayacamas Mountains. The Hourglass vineyard is also located in a great "wine" neighborhood, just north of the town of St. Helena; nearby neighbors include Grace Family, Vineyard 29, and Colgin's Tychson Hill Vineyard. Their second and newest vineyard is the 20 acre Blue Line estate located on a 40 acre piece of property along the Silverado Trail south of Calistoga. Jeff spent several years looking for a second vineyard to complement their Hourglass vineyard and at one point called off their search as it was becoming too difficult to find just the right location. One day Jeff saw property for sale and after walking the land knew this would be an excellent site to add to their repertoire. Similar to the Hourglass Vineyard the Blueline Vineyard is mineral rich but nutrient poor. Jeff knew they had a good vineyard site during a particularly rainy winter when walking the property he saw very little mud buildup - it is a rocky porous soil that is very well drained. This name is again a geographical reference as "blue line" is the line on US Forest service maps to indicate riparian zones including creeks and in this case is named after the two creeks on the property. These creeks connect to the Napa River and incidentally are spawning creeks for Salmon (fingerlings) which do actually make it this far from the San Pablo Bay to the south of the Napa Valley. 2009 will be the first time ever that they will make the wine in their own physical winery. The well-respected Bob Foley (Pride, Switchback Ridge, Foley) has been their winemaker since the beginning. We made a recent visit to their new cave during a visit with Jeff. The cave is state of the art - built with functionality in mind in part with input from Bob. It was designed by San Francisco architectural company, Lundberg Design (Rudd Estate in Oakville, and the Slanted Door Restaurant in San Francisco). The cave is set under the hillside towards the back of the property and was dug into almost solid rock. As a result no wall facing was needed and the inside walls of the cave show all the marks from the drill bits. The original plan for the Blueline Vineyard was to create a Bordeaux styled blend but as Jeff says, "sometimes Mother Nature wins out" and during their blending trials they were quite impressed with each wine as a stand alone varietal. As a result, all of their Blueline label wines express varietal characteristics and are all 100% varietal. These wines include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and just a tiny production of Cabernet Franc. 2006 was their first release under this label. As Jeff says the key to Merlot is having the right soils. This Merlot has the right soils and when its presented like this those who don't often care for Merlot may reconsider. The 2006 Blueline Merlot is very dark in the glass with an elegant fruit forward bouquet showing some minerality characteristics, floral notes and subtle hints of cedar. The palate is smooth and voluptuous - with a juicy entry. Red plum, and raspberry flavors are well balanced by refined slightly earthy tannins. This wine shows more red fruit rather than dark fruit flavors. It has great acidity and will pair well with food. The finish is super long. The 2006 Blueline Cabernet Sauvignon is a dark ruby color in the glass. Notes of toffee and espresso from the particular barrel program show as underlying aromas on the bouquet. As the wine breathes more aromas of cherry dominate. The palate has a slightly tart expression showing dark fruit. Broad tannins form the finish to this medium to full bodied wine. Again this is an ideal food wine. The 2006 Hourglass is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Terroir also includes what grows on a site and in this case there are several Eucalyptus trees as well as wild fennel growing near and among this vineyard. These do influence the wine to some extent although Jeff says as the vineyard has matured their influence has become more muted, rather complementing the wine. You can tell this is a rich complex wine just from the bouquet. Subtle hints of menthol and black licorice are found along with vanilla, cigar box aromas and dark ripe frit. Complex layered flavors show on the palate including blueberry and ripe blackberry. The finish shows structure but in an elegant kind of way; this is very well balanced wine. Both vineyards produce dark wines that have great natural acidity and pleasing structure at a younger age but will certainly age well and Hourglass already has a 10+ year history to prove that. Hourglass wines are in high demand and there is a rather substantial waiting list to get on the mailing list however you can find the wines locally at ACME Fine Wines in St. Helena. Incidentally, the owners of ACME played an important role in getting their initial vintage some quick high end exposure when in 2001 they pitted Hourglass wines against some Napa expensive notables including Harlan, Bryant Family and Screaming Eagle during the week of the Napa Valley wine auction. During tastings by professional tasters the Hourglass wines were always rated very highly and were much more affordably priced then these other "cult" wineries. You can also find their wines in the valley at the St. Helena Wine Center and at Dean & Deluca. Visit: www.hourglasswines.com |
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Starting a new winery on Howell Mountain is not without a few bumps in the road as the Angwin area is home to a plethora of wineries, but is also home to the Seventh-day Adventists, whose religion prevents the drinking of wine. Many of his neighbors practice this religion; Marc had an open house to alleviate fears of planting vineyards and building a winery. Only 4 people showed up. Marc then took the step of visiting every one of his neighbors personally to tell them he wasn't going to damage their property or his own. Fortunately the opposition abated and he did finally secure all the necessary permits. The winery name is quite appropriate as his vineyards are located in the middle of the Howell Mountain Appellation. His vineyards are planted to several clones of Cabernet Sauvignon with both a lower (Lillian's Vineyard) and upper vineyard (called the Knoll vineyard). Marc owns a Jack Russell Terrier whose image appears on his label howling at the moon which is a clever play on words for the winery name. Howell at the Moon does not source any grapes rather they focus on producing a 100% estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon each year. In addition no expense has been spared in building the vineyard. A soils analyst with a nickname of "Dr. Dirt" made recommendations for specific rootstalk and clonal types depending on the individual vineyard soil blocks. These clonal recommendations were in part based on the type of wine that Marc enjoys drinking and are in part clones that help produce a softer style of wine. One of Napa's oldest and most well respected "wine" families the Pina's provide the vineyard management services. The Pina's manage their own vineyard on Howell Mountain as well as provide management services for a number of other small vineyards in the appellation. Several well-regarded winemakers are involved in the production of the wine including Sara Gott and the primary winemaker, Timothy Milos. In addition, Marc isn't just a hands off Dr. interested in wine; during the same year that he retired he received a BS degree in Management as he already knew by that time that he wanted to get into the wine business. In addition he has taken courses in wine marketing and wine making from Napa Valley College. Here is a winery owner who as in his former practice has a thirst for new knowledge and information. All vintages are unfined and unfiltered. Native yeasts are used during the fermentation and free run juice (the highest quality) is exclusively used. The wine sees extended maceration. Part of their philosophy is to create a wine that can be consumed now, but also has the structure to hold up for aging. However, this doesn't mean smash mouth in your face big tannic wine. Howell at the Moon's wine's are typically smooth with velvety mouth feels. Each vintage is entirely Cabernet Sauvignon - with a blend of various clones. We tried the 2005 vintage which at press time was still a young wine and can certainly be decanted and open up for 30 minutes before drinking. It has dark color with very nice cedar box spices, vanilla & violet floral aromas intermingled with ripe fruit aromas including blueberry. The palate follows with rich layered flavors, again blueberry, but with some raspberry notes on the mid palate. There is nice toasty oak with some spices including black pepper towards the finish which shows fairly fine grained tannins. Long, longer and longest describe the finish on this wine. Will you have the patience to age this for additional complexity?! During a later tasting we also tried the 2006 to be released in November 2009. This is a noticeably bigger wine both in the power of the fruit and the power of structure. Plans call for a second wine incorporating the best blocks of the upper Knoll Vineyard however this has not yet been released as of press time. You can find their wine locally at ACME Wine Shop in St. Helena, or at the famed resort Meadowood. Visit: www.howellatthemoonwine.com |
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Howell Mountain Vineyards was originally founded in 1988 and specializes in Howell Mountain grown vineyards including Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. What a great name of a winery whose namesake also is the appellation. Howell Mountain sits high above the Napa Valley floor (1400 feet and higher) and is well known for producing high quality Zinfandel's and Cabernet Sauvignon. Many notable Napa area wineries have vineyards here. The Chow's, residents of St. Helena since 1993, relocated to Hong Kong and found themselves missing and often trying California wines (especially from Napa). In 2005 the Chow Family purchased the Howell Mountain Vineyards brand and today they still source from the same vineyards. Special note must be mentioned about their two vineyards; The Beatty Ranch is home to the Zinfandel that goes into their Old Vine Zin and in fact is the oldest Zinfandel Vineyard on Howell Mountain. This vineyard dates from the early 1900's and all the vines are head pruned. There is no trellising like you see on the valley floor and much of the area hillsides. Both vineyards are managed sustainably with little chemicals and are dry farmed.
The Black Sears Vineyard is unique in that it sits at 2400 feet. This is among a very select few Napa area vineyards at this elevation; we know of only one higher vineyard in Napa which sits on the Napa / Solano County line. The vines here are also head pruned and this vineyard is farmed organically. We tried their 2003 Howell Mountain Cabernet which is a blend of fruit from both of their vineyards. This wine is rich with concentrated fruit flavors as you would expect from these hillside vineyards. The 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel named Bear & Lion is one of our favorites. These two animals have been known to appear in the vineyards and as a result are honored on the label. This wine is incredibly rich in aroma with some amazing spices including the dominating aroma of white pepper. There is good fruit including cherry, plum and some chocolate flavors. The 2005 Beatty Ranch Zinfandel has a very fruit forward nose with some spices including vanilla on the finish. The only wine not from Howell Mountain is their Chardonnay. While the wineries' vineyards are private, they have future plans to build a new winery on site but for the time being you can taste their wine at the A Dozen Vintners walk-in collective tasting room, located north of the town of St. Helena. As of press time they make their wine in a custom crush facility in south Napa. Their winemaker is Dave Phinney who runs on his own label, the wildly successful Orin Swift Cellars. Visit: www.howellmountain.com |
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Hudson's estate is historic from a viticulture point of view. In the 1880's this area was the site of the first successful American scientific experiments in which Phylloxera-resistant rootstocks were developed. At the time Phylloxera was destroying vineyards in Europe. Vines have been planted on the site for well over 100 years. Lee is originally from Texas, majored in Horticulture at the University of Arizona and then worked in Burgundy France for 1.5 years. Upon returning to the states he earned his Master's Degree in Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. Interestingly enough, a number of his former classmates from Davis are now his clients. His efforts to produce premium wine grapes have been noticed over the years; in 2008 he was awarded "Grower of the Year" by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers . It wasn't until 2004 however, that Hudson started producing their own wines. The current focus is on three wines, a Chardonnay, a Syrah and the "Pick Up Sticks Red", a proprietary blend which includes Barbera, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Viognier. Each varietal contributes something a little bit different including floral and aromatic characteristics as well as the wine's structure. All wine is made at a small family owned winery in the eastern hills off of the Silverado Trail. John Kongsgaard is the consulting winemaker and Christopher Vandendriessche is their winemaker. The 2007 Chardonnay includes three selections of the Wente clone sourced from the same blocks each year. This is not your typical California Chardonnay. It is made in a Burgundian style and is barrel fermented using resident yeast; it is aged in all new French Oak for about 22 months. The wine is allowed to sit on the gross lees for a number of months before being racked. Several unique blocks are used to source this wine and each block is kept separate from each other during the entire aging including the free run and pressed juice. The separate lots are only combined during their final blending trials. The wine is a rich golden/amber in color. It has great phenolic grip very visible in the glass (great viscosity) and on the palate. You can feel this "grip" in your mouth; the wine has weight and character. However it should be noted that this wine has excellent natural lively acidity and as a result helps balance the weight and structure of the wine. The palate shows notes of spice and is slightly creamy especially the mid palate. Rich expansive flavors include honey, red apple, toasted oak, and lingering notes of tangerine. The finish has just the right amount of tanginess to pair well with foods; it is clean and balanced. Lee says, "the only additions we make to this wine are blood, sweat, tears and sulpher." In terms of a high quality wine, Lee believes "for a great Chardonnay, you should close your eyes when tasting and have it taste like red wine." While wine grapes have been the focus of his operation since the beginning, his working ranch is extremely diverse. They provide fowl to the famed Alice Waters Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, pork to the Fatted Calf in Napa, grow fruit and vegetables for a variety of outlets and local restaurants and also produce olive oil. In addition, they have grown some of the largest pumpkins in the state. One pumpkin grown on site in the summer of 2009 took the top honors for largest Pumpkin grown in the state of California at the annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin contest. It weighed in at a whopping 1470 pounds! Hudson is distributed in California, Texas and New York. Locally you can find the wines at restaurants Bouchon, Redd and Press as well as Groezinger's Wine Shop in Yountville and Enoteca in Calistoga. For more information about their wines and working ranch, visit: www.hudsonvineyards.com |
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Humanitas Wines is owned and operated by Judd Wallenbrock. This is a one of a kind Napa winery; they are different from all other Napa wineries (except for one) in that 100% of their profits are donated to charities. Several Napa wineries will donate part of the proceeds from their wine to charity, or a single label but it is almost unheard of to donate 100% of the profits. As their slogan says "drink charitably". Yes there are a number of select "cult" wineries who participate in charity events and even donate a bunch of their wine, but to drink these you will have to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars. The name of the winery is Latin and refers to philanthropy, human nature & kindness. What other Napa winery offers affordably priced wines for the general public to enjoy with 100% of the proceeds going directly to hunger, housing & educational charities. This winery is a win win situation. Furthermore the financial contributions are directed towards specific regional charities within markets where the wine is sold, rather than the national headquarters.
This is not just "cheap wine" with proceeds going to good causes where the consumer buys the wine to feel good or as a gift because quality is lacking. No, not at all! This is actually very good quality wine from someone who has significant experience in the wine industry dating back to the late 1970's. Judd has worked at some notable Sonoma and Napa county wineries including Mondavi. The wine is made at a variety of facilities including in his Napa bonded garage winery. Small wineries such as this are often marked by a fancier smoother sounding word "garagist", but Judd affectionately calls his winery the "Shedteau". As of press time, his grapes are sourced from high quality vineyards typically on California's Central Coast, Sonoma County and from a premium vineyard in the Coombsville region of Napa. Their initial release was in 2000, self titled "IPO" - or Initial Pinot Offering! This wine was originally marketed by an email sent out by Judd to 200 of his friends, colleagues and family. Imagine his surprise when orders started coming in within hours from people not on this original email list! Humanitas makes several white wines and many of their wines have been inspired by a specific incident or an individual. The Sauvignon Blanc, however, was inspired by Judd's own love of this varietal. The 2006 Monterey county sourced vintage has nice citrus aromas, is crisp, fruit forward with a light smooth finish. Their 2006 Chardonnay is a delightful wine that sees no oak. Great up front fruit flavors include pineapple, peach and even seductive hints of banana. The 2006 Pinot Noir is sourced from an all hillside vineyard in the Sonoma Coast region. This is a medium bodied wine with a great earthiness that comes through on the nose followed by nice flavors of raspberries and cherries on the palate. As of press time Judd makes one very hand crafted high end wine sourced from the well-known Caldwell Vineyards in Napa. He is among the first of the Napa wineries to use what is called the Vino-Seal enclosure (glass which slides out after you break the seal). This enclosure is 100% effective against TCA or cork taint, plus its pretty cool to look at. This is Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at its finest, full bodied, layered, rich and smooth with a long lingering finish ...and this was a wine that was not even released yet when we tasted! As of press time, Humanitas is distributed in merely several states (good California distribution) and can be found locally in the Napa area at the Bounty Hunter and sometimes at Backroom wines, both in downtown Napa. You can purchase from their website at which point you specify from a list of charities which one you would like the proceeds to benefit. Total production is still quite small at about 2000 cases but there is a lot of room for Humanitas to grow. Spread the word! Visit: www.humanitaswines.com |
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Hunnicutt Wines is owned and operated by Justin Hunnicutt Stephens and his father Don. After college he immediately entered the fast paced world of commercial real estate. During a flight back from a business trip it occurred to himself that he was always reading articles about winemaking, wine regions, varietals etc and if he was really interested in real estate he would have been reading real estate journals. This was an "awakening" if you will, a point in one's life where you find yourself not following your true passion and wish you were. Justin actually followed his interest and changed careers. He moved to the Napa Valley and started learning the hands on part of the business at Miner Family. Soon thereafter he worked at other notable Napa wineries gaining additional winemaking knowledge including Saddleback Cellars, Venge and Seavey Vineyards.
Their first commercial vintage was released in 2004. Justin's production is very small at about 650 cases total. All his wines are made under the management and direction of the well-known winemaker, Kirk Venge. The Venge's have a long history of making wine in the Napa Valley and are involved in the ownership and consultation at several local wineries. Justin's wines are very reasonably priced based on the high quality of the source vineyards and the expertise and knowledge of his winemaker. A tasting is always private with Justin and is for the serious wine enthusiast. Their Zinfandel comes from the Chiles Valley region in the far reaches of eastern Napa county. This is a very fruit forward wine which is meant to be consumed with food. The 2005 vintage has aromas that slightly hint of oak, white pepper and cherries which lead to a palate with additional ripe cherry and strawberry flavors. We also tried the 2005 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon which was not yet released due to the wine needing additional bottle aging. The fruit for this Cabernet comes from three high end vineyards sourced from Rutherford, Spring Mountain and St. Helena. All vineyards produce wine that is totally different from each other but when combined, form a very elegant wine. The tannins are firm yet delicate throughout this wine and end with a very smooth finish. This is a well-balanced wine and is an excellent buy. If you try some barrel samples you will notice the very distinct taste, color and aroma differences between each vineyard's fruit. For example the particular wine from the Rutherford Vineyard has a lot of earthiness and a subtle nose when compared to the St. Helena vineyard which screams of fruit in the aromas and palate. Hunnicutt keeps the wine from each vineyard barreled separately until the final blend...and it is these unique differences when blended that come together to form the complex final product. As of press time, Hunnicutt also has released a high end Cabernet Sauvignon named 9-3-5 (ask about the 2 meanings behind this name) and a Chardonnay as well as a companion brand called CUTT under which they produce a Syrah, proprietary red blend known as "Fearless Red' and a Late Harvest Zinfandel from a nearby vineyard. They have a mailing list and you can also find their wines in the valley at Dean & Deluca and ACME Fine Wines - both located in St. Helena. Note: Hunnicutt has located land for their own winery - which will house their brand as well as the D.R. Stephens Estate wine. Construction started in late 2009 and they hope to be completed with the entire winery facilities by early 2011. At that point any tours and tastings will take place then. Visit: www.hunnicuttwines.com |
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Hunter III is owned and operated by Robert E. Hunter the 3rd. Robert has over 25 years of winemaking in Napa & Sonoma including at notable Napa wineries such as Groth, Keenan, Markham, Schramsberg and Sterling. Today he is winemaker for a number of small wineries. His family first purchased land in Sonoma County and now run a winery devoted to sparkling wines, the Robert Hunter Winery. Robert III spent his formidable years working in his family vineyards and has winemaking in his blood! Today he runs Hunter III with fruit sourced from premium Napa vineyards - vineyards that he has come to know during his time in the valley.
His first vintage was in 2004 and he focuses on producing high quality Cabernet Sauvignons however as of press time is creating a Sauvignon Blanc sourced from a Pope Valley vineyard in eastern Napa County. This will be a nice addition to his reds. We tried a tank sample of this from 2007. Robert's specialty at a previous winery was producing very aromatic wines and this one is no different. It has a wonderful nose of citrus and other floral aromas. There is lemon lime with notes of white peach on the palate. This is of course a young wine when we tasted and before its bottled some of the grapefruit tanginess and pithiness will drop out. Robert's philosophy when it comes to Sauvignon Blanc is that the flavor development must happen in the vineyard and the fruit must be allowed to fully ripen if possible. This eliminates the grassy and herbaceous flavors. Robert's initial Cabernet Sauvignon offering was merely 150 cases! As a result, it is hard to find but if you do this wine will not disappoint. Its different than his 2005 (more on that in a moment) mainly due to the fruit sources and different terroir. We describe this wine as Napa Valley in a bottle. It is very representative of the mid valley terroir including a unique chalkiness that comes from the Oakville appellation. When this wine was first released the tannins were almost mouth drying but over time the wine has aged and come together very nicely. There are hints of earth and blackberry jam on the nose with nice black cherry flavors on the palate and some vanilla/cocoa & other exoctic spices on the very long finish. In contrast, the 2005 is a bigger wine which has more of a fruit driven nose (48% of this wine is from a vineyard in Rutherford which typically brings more fruit and jam characteristics to the table). It is very full bodied, inky dark with notes of dusty blackberry and cassis on the palate. It has a pleasant rounded mouth feel. It is always nice to meet directly with the winemaker as we tend to come away with additional winemaking knowledge. Hunter III wines are all hand crafted premium wines. You can find Hunter III wines locally at Cal Wine in the town of Napa or directly through their website. Visit: www.hunteriiiwines.com |
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