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The owner, Lou Kapcsandy was born in Budapest Hungary and has an interesting and diverse background. While in Hungary he played professional soccer. He left Hungary in 1956 and eventually came to the USA where he worked in petroleum and pharmaceuticals engineering and design and later ran Baugh Enterprises, a large industrial general contractor in Seattle. His first trip to the Napa Valley was in 1962 and subsequently he made many trips after this. He remembers personally knowing "all 14 winemakers" in the valley in the 1960's! Today that number would be measured well above one hundred - in the valley alone. Lou has long been interested in fine wine and in 1999 co-founded Grand Cru Imports, www.grandcruimports.com, a company that focuses on importing fine wines from Bordeaux, Hungary and Spain. Upon "retirement" Lou decided to follow his passion and with a little luck was able to find the property on State Lane. Today his wife, son and daughter in law manage the winery operations. He has his own degree in winemaking from the UC Davis Extension program and several prominent winemakers act as Kapcsandy's consultants including Rob Lawson from Napa Wine Co and Dennis Malbec. Denis came to Kapcsandy from Chateau Latour, the 1st Growth estate in Bordeaux. Renowned winemaker Helen Turley made the first several vintages and helped plant their initial vineyards. All wines are produced from fruit grown on the estate. The property is 20 acres of which 15.5 are planted. Despite a relatively small piece of property there are an amazing variety of soil types and they have the planted acreage separated into a number of individual blocks. Initially satellite illumination studies were conducted on the property to best help determine which direction to plant the rows and how to deal with the angles of the sun depending on time of day and year. The vineyards are all sustainably and hand-farmed. Despite being on the valley floor the soils are rather shallow with an extremely hard clay layer beneath the top soil - perfect terroir for stressing their red wine varietals. There are three things held close to the vest at Kapcsandy Winery. One is the micro-management and quality of their vineyards, two - picking fruit when it is physiologically ripe (wines with lower alcohols - usually between 13.5 and 14%) and lastly maintaining absolute cleanliness within the actual winery. You don't taste any Pyrazines or greenness in their wines (despite the lower alcohol) - they pick at lower brix but all of the grapes that make it to fermentation have been extremely carefully selected. They hand select a number of times beginning after set in the vineyard dropping significant amount of fruit that doesn't meet their exacting specifications. An elaborate sorting system is in place once the fruit actually comes into the winery. Only the premium highest quality "berries" are allowed to go to fermentation, nothing else. As Lou says, there is "no substitute for bringing in average ripe fruit". The winery is kept extremely clean and they use a number of techniques and materials to ensure this. Literally there is no wood inside the winery except for the oak barrels. Both French and Hungarian wood are used. For a small winery they produce a number of wines, but all in small production - usually in quantities of merely several hundred cases. Some of our favorites are spotlighted below. The 2008 Rose is quite unique to Napa. This is a robust Rose, it has flavor and character and body. How often have we said that about Rose's produced in Napa?! It was aged entirely in stainless steel and stirred on the lees for 9 months and then went through malolactic fermentation. It is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. It holds an orangish hue in the glass; the bouquet shows floral aromas as well as strawberry and rhubarb. The mid palate is slightly creamy. 2003 was their first vintage and the 2003 Proprietary Red was such a big wine and production was so small that they held it back for several years before releasing. It is available exclusively at the winery. Some of Napa's finest Merlot is being produced at Kapcsandy. They have several acres planted close to the Napa River on the west side of their property located in a slightly cooler area on top of heavy clay. Because of its particular location its much easier to keep the sugars under control. They have matched the rootstalk and clone very well for this micro-climate. Lou says, "we are trying to resurrect the nobility of the Merlot grape"..and that they are doing very well. This wine has already garnered very favorable reviews from a number of people in the industry. The 2006 Roberta's Reserve is a Merlot based wine named after Lou's wife. It hints of brown chocolate with subtle notes of cedar. The layers of flavor on the palate are big but are integrated beautifully, balanced by the wine's robust structure - it is a big Merlot but like their other wines, is in balance. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark in the glass with spices and dark fruit on the bouquet. This is a rich wine - red and dark fruit flavors show throughout the palate with notes of leather, licorice and red currant. With well integrated flavors and good acidity this will be a good wine to pair with a variety of foods. The finish is very long and flavorful anchored by sweet tannins. Again this wine is lower in alcohol coming in at 13.7%. The 2007 Estate Cuvee is a winner and won't formally be commercially released until September 2010. This is a dark wine with a very pleasing bouquet (dark chocolate, herbs) and we think its even better integrated than the 2006. Layers of flavor are woven smoothly together with a tantalizing finish that is long and leaves traces of berry flavors. Both the entry and the finish are very clean. Like all their wines, this one is definitely built to age. A real treat, but produced in extremely small quantities is their Merlot based dessert wine, Vino del Sol. The 2007 is entirely Merlot however later vintages include other varietals grown on the property. This wine is perfectly enjoyable by itself; there is no burn from high alcohol (good quality grape brandy used) and this wine stays away from the sometimes syrupy characteristics of some port wines. A big part of enjoying this wine is the bouquet. The aromas are layered and elegant; you can keep on enjoying the aromas as the wine opens. Black cherry and apricot flavors run the breadth of the palate finishing clean, smooth and with lingering notes of berry. Tours are always private and are for serious wine enthusiasts - typically their mailing list customers or referrals. Either Lou or his son will give the detailed tour which ends with a tasting in their elegant tasting room. visit: www.kapcsandywines.com |
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All the grapes for Karl Lawrence's Cabernet are currently sourced from premium Napa Valley vineyards located in popular Cabernet producing districts such as Rutherford, Oakville and near Howell Mountain. However, Karl Lawrence has its own 40-acre vineyard on Howell Mountain that will be coming into production in the next few years (planted to the 5 major Bordeaux varietals). Michael is excited about finally having his own vineyards come into use for his label. As of press time, their total production is about 1500 cases. They have a mailing list which can be tough to become a member, as due to the popularity of this wine there is currently a hefty waiting list. High end restaurants in very select markets also receive some cases and you can find their Cabernet in some well-to-do restaurants in the Napa Valley. Michael was taught to make wine to express the "grape"and its varietal characteristics. As a winemaker he says you have to be patient and do not over manipulate the wine, especially when its still young. He strives to makes balanced wines that are enjoyable today but will evolve over the next 5 to 10 years. As he says, his wines are "pleasurable when you open it young, but even more pleasurable when you cellar it." When you smell the Karl Lawrence wines you are not going to be able to pick out which cooper and oak that was used during the aging! In addition, Michael Trujillo runs a second label called Aldin (also derived from another partner's middle name) of which their are two wines, a Red Table Wine which is a Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux style blend and the only white wine Michael makes - a Chardonnay. The total production on these two wines is extremely small, only about 250 cases. We tried the 2005 Chardonnay. This wine has a nice golden color in the glass with aromas containing nuances of minerals, honeycomb, lemon twist and wet straw. The palate has a nice phenolic grip and is rich from the higher alcohol; flavors of lemon, and pear are most noticeable with some nice spices towards the finish, which by the way for a Chardonnay has excellent length. The tasting room / house is located right next to the Beckstoffer's Crane Vineyard - this vineyard is one of the instant name vineyards in Napa and its fruit is much sought after. Karl Lawrence now has a banner on Highway 29 - the tasting room is in a stand alone house overlooking this vineyard (away from the highway) behind several stores. All visits are by appointment - no walk-ins. Visit: www.karllawrence.com |
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Today their two children are involved in the day to day operations with Jason Keever handling much of the cellar duties. After your initial tasting, you will take a quick tour of the actual winery equipment; this is interesting because you get to see up close some equipment that you normally will not see on general winery tours and a lot of of it is state of the art machinery. A great deal of thought went into the design of the actual fermentation room and it shows. Tours also enter their cave - you might be shown some neat acoustic cave tricks (by Olga) and then you will end the tasting in the main room with their Cabernet Sauvignon. All of their wine has been made from day one by the well-known Napa winemaker, Celia Welch who also produces her own small label here called Corra. Celia focuses her consulting efforts typically on single vineyard high end wineries. Keever produces one high end Cabernet Sauvignon which is often only sold at the winery due to the limited availability after it ships to their mailing list customers. This what you expect of a beautiful Napa Cabernet when everything comes together from the vineyards to the winemaking. It is smooth, velvety and a pleasure to drink. They also have a Chardonnay and recently sourced fruit from Pope Valley for their Sauvignon Blanc. Note that only specific amounts of wine are released through their website (not their entire production). Because of this wineries location, on a clear day you will have excellent views of the Napa Valley and the Palisades which rise behind the famous Stag's Leap district in the distance. Be sure to get directions and the gate code ahead of time as they are located in a gated neighborhood. Keever also has a mailing list. Visit: www.keevervineyards.com |
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You can choose to taste in their fancy wine room or outside on the veranda if the weather permits. Kelham currently produces a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc but their real focus is on the Cabernets for the serious wine enthusiasts and collectors. Unlike other wineries who make Cabernets which are soft and low in tannins thus readily drinkable right out of the bottle, Kelham's philosophy has been to make Cabernet's that are extremely rich, bold, very high in tannins and are meant to sit for 10 to 15 years. We tried the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon which is blended with 10% Merlot. Big aromas, good spices, rich fruit layers and strong tannins follow through on the finish. Releases tend to be a bit older than most other wineries giving these "big wines" additional aging time before reaching the consumer. Their best of the best is the 100% Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Letting these wines age properly will allow all components of the wine to come together, creating a balance that results in an extremely high quality wine. Visit: www.kelhamvineyards.com We will stop by this winery again as much as ocurred since our last visit. Stay posted for an updated review. |
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While selling their fruit to a number of local well known vintners the Kelleher's never actually made their own wine. Guests would come to the restaurant and try to order wine made from grapes grown on the property as they could clearly see the vineyard behind the restaurant. Over the years more and more customers asked if Brix made their own wine which helped lead to the decision to bottle a wine unique to their own vineyard. Their vineyard is located in prime Cabernet Sauvignon country (Oakville Appellation) and is entirely planted to this varietal. In 2003 with the help of at that time their new winemaker Craig Becker, the vineyard began to be micro-managed; the farming techniques were updated to reduce vine size, crop load and introduce specific beneficial cover crops with minimal irrigation. All of these practices help produce lush, full bodied wines. As a result, several transitional years ensued while the new farming techniques were implemented. 2003 and 2004 were transition years leading to 2005 which is their first full year of farming under the new methods. Craig consults for a number of small Napa wineries and his specialty is working with small single vineyards. He intentionally seeks out small high end vineyard terroir for a number of his projects as he can quickly see the results of his vineyard management practices in the quality of the wine. The majority of winemaking is actually conducted within the vineyard and if you already have excellent terroir (as in the case of the Brix Vineyard) then a truly great wine comes from well cared for vines. We tried the 2004 “Brix Vineyard” unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon. It shows a smoky dusty earthy quality in the nose which over time opens up to fragrant aromas of candied fruit. The mid palate is smooth and rounded showing red and black cherry flavors. The wine is medium bodied with good tannin structure but not overwhelmingly so - the finish is pleasant leaving lingering flavors of plum and red cherry. And in regards to their newest releases made under the new farming methods, as the Kelleher's say, "we believe it has been well worth the wait." We agree! With a current production of merely several hundred cases, the wine is limited but you can find it on the wine list at their own restaurant of course as well as select restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. They also maintain a mailing list. Brix Restaurant provides a number of private dining options as well as garden space for outdoor weddings overlooking their "Brix Vineyard. This is a special spot and we even have family who have been married here. For more information visit: www.kelleherwines.com and www.brix.com |
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is located in the northern part of the Napa Valley, nestled in a narrow canyon against the steep hillsides. From this part of the Napa Valley you hardly know you are in the Napa area. Rugged hillsides, narrow secluded canyons and forested slopes all form the backdrop for Kelly Fleming's 12 hillside planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. This is prime Cabernet Sauvignon country and nearby neighbors include Araujo Estate and Woodbridge. Kelly founded the winery in 2002; she visited the Napa Valley for over 20 years and and like many others before her fell in love with the area. She purchased property in 1998 and soon thereafter planted various Cabernet clones on an assortment of root stalk. This particular hillside soil is extremely rocky and well drained. As a result, cover crops and the addition of organic layers to the surface are extremely important which help with erosion control as well as ensuring the soil retains additional moisture. The vineyards are certified CCOF organic. As Kelly says, building a winery and brand come in small steps. She made these steps one at a time. She used to make her wine at another winery in the south valley but with the completion of her caves, all wine making operations moved on site in 2010. Both arms of her cave were drilled through solid rock so the shotcrete covering typically used in wine caves wasn't used except at the entrance (to protect against dripping water). Natural rock is exposed in the rest of the caves. The property is 300 acres so the vineyards take up only a small portion of the total acreage. Kelly is a firm believer in creating a healthy balance between the vineyards and the natural environment. Bee hives have been introduced to the property, a native plant reseeding program is in place and additional plans call for possibly solar and wind generated power sources. Speaking of winds, it is often breezy in this area from the steep canyons that rise behind the property. One advantage of this over the valley floor is these winds really mitigate stagnate air and colder temperatures which can produce frost damage during and after bud break. Kelly Fleming's first vintage was in 2002 with merely 300 cases released at that time, but since then each vintage has grown slightly; they do have the capacity to produce additional amounts. They also make a French styled Sauvignon Blanc part of which was sourced from one of Napa's best known vineyards - To Kalon. This vineyard is actually extremely coveted for its high quality of Cabernet Sauvignon but other varietals are planted here including several rows of Sauvignon blanc. The 2011 has great aromatics with both tropical and citrus notes - but more tropical in nature. Respected local winemaker, Celia Welch consults for a number of boutique high end Napa wineries including Kelly Fleming. Celia's specialty is working with single vineyard estate properties such as this one. Kelly was the sole proprietor for many years but now her son Robert and daughter Colleen are involved with the business. We tried the 2004 100% Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. All the Cabernet clones in this wine are picked separately based on individual ripeness, and are also fermented and aged separately until the final blending. This wine is inky and dark in color which are perfect color characteristics for hillside fruit. As the wine opens up seductive aromas of ripe juicy blackberries are revealed along with exotic earth driven spices. The palate is rich and well layered with lots of fruit on the mid palate which leads to a well structured elegant finish. Visits are for serious wine enthusiasts and are typically hosted by Kelly, her daughter Colleen or their assistant winemaker. Tastings are either outdoors overlooking vineyards and this beautiful "side" valley or are in the beautiful stone winery which adjoins the cave. You can find their wines locally at Dean & Deluca, Enoteca in Calistoga and Backroom Wines in Napa. Visit: www.kellyflemingwines.com |
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However today, not all fruit is sold; in 2002 he released his first commercial vintage under his own label as he holds back select blocks on his estate for his own wines. He has a large number of varieties and clones planted (mostly Bordeaux varietals). As of press time they produce a slightly blended Cabernet Franc and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Future vintages will include a Merlot. Kenefick strikes a balance between the high alcohol fruit bombs that may not age very well and the lower alcohol wines that contain additional acidity with less sugar in the fruit at the time of harvest. We tried the 2004 Cabernet Franc. This is one of the nicer Cabernet Francs we have tasted in the Napa area. Sometimes Cabernet Francs are associated with vegetal or bell pepper characteristics. Not so with this wine. Their Cabernet Franc is a reflection of where it is grown and the type of climate that Kenefick's vineyards experience. The nose is complex with various spices and hints of cedar and the smooth tannins do not overwhelm the black fruit flavors on the palate. It has a very velvety mouth feel. We also tried their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a dark wine with a great nose that includes touches of chocolate and some vanilla imparted from the New French Oak aging. The tannins are mild and the fruit flavors include ripe cherry and plum. Both of their wines are very reasonably priced and hold up extremely well in competitions in which the other wines are often priced significantly higher. The fruit for their Cabernet Sauvignon was used in a Behrens and Hitchcock (a local winery) wine which was "wine of the year" in a recent Sunset Magazine "Western Wine of the Year" competition. Kenefick produces only about 1500 cases and has national distribution in select markets. In the valley, you can find their wine at Enoteca wine shop in Calistoga and at the fancy Solage Resort just south of the town of Calistoga. They also have a mailing list which of press time is still open to new customers. Kenefick Ranch is part of a shared tasting room called Up Valley Vintners - open to the public, located at 1371 Lincoln Ave in downtown Calistoga.This tasting room is much bigger than it initially looks - it is long and rectangular and extends all the way through the building to a very nice outdoor patio in the back. The patio has a very European feel and other than hot summer afternoons is a pleasant place to relax. The tasting bar is modern and chic with nice artwork in the main hallway which is for sale and rotates about every 2 months. In the summertime there is often live music during Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Visit: www.kenefickranch.com |
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Kent Rasmussen Winery has relocated their original winery in Carneros (the sub appellation south west of the city of Napa) and are currently leasing their Silverado Trail winery to another winery. They have no tasting room and are not open to the public. This winery was started by Kent Rasmussen with their first commercial vintage released in 1986. It is truly a family owned and operated winery (Kent and his wife Celia) with Kent doing all the winemaking since day one. Kent is a former librarian who later decided he wasn't up for the "indoor" life and at that point he was already making home wine. They moved up from the Bay Area, borrowed $20k and set about planting the vineyards and setting up shop in Napa. Today $20,000 will hardly get you a few tons of the most premium Cabernet grapes in the valley!
Their focus is on his favorite varietal, Pinot Noir. They own 15 acres of vineyards in Carneros not far from the San Pablo Bay, all planted to Pinot. The vineyard was planted in 1979 making it one of the earlier Pinot Noir vineyards in this part of Napa. Kent remembers standing in his vineyard and looking out at grazing land in all directions. Today in Carneros you are hard pressed to find any grazing land among the rolling sea of vines! The Carneros region skyrocketed in popularity for cooler weather varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the 1980's. The current winery and surrounding property was purchased in 1995 and since then has been the production facility for every vintage. However their real "roots" so to speak are in the Carneros where they used to make wine and as of press time they are planning to upgrade the original winery and in a few years start making their wines there. The one wine that sets themselves apart from most of the other wineries physically located in the "up valley" is their delicious Pinot Noir. In fact this varietal comprises about 70% of their total production and is their flagship wine. They currently offer three different labels: 1. the Kent Rasmussen wines are all from Napa vineyards, 2. the Ramsey label includes wines priced affordably that are from mostly from North Coast vineyards (Mendocino and Lake Counties to the north of Napa). Most of their wines are produced under this label which is about 30,000 cases. Their third label is called Esoterica. This label incorporates its own flagship wine, the Petite Sirah as well as non mainstream very limited production wines which often include varietals from Napa and beyond that only the most hard core of wine lovers will have heard of. Try, Touriga Nacional, Sousao (both Portugese varietals), and Carmenere (hails from Bordeaux France). Some of the past vintages have included late harvest Viognier and a rare Napa grown Riesling. The word Esoterica means "secrets known only to an initiated minority", well the secret is out on these wines. Combined with their small productions and uniqueness they often sell out rather quickly. We tried the 2006 Chardonnay sourced from Rutherford. It should be pointed out that for any fruit sourced, Rasmussen has locked up these vineyards in long term contracts thus ensuring the consistency of the terroir each year. Due the abundance of Chardonnay in the Napa Valley and the scope of our project we have tasted more than our fair share of this varietal. As a result, it is always refreshing to find a take on this varietal that is slightly different than what we are used to. Try this. It was barrel fermented (both the initial and the malolactic) and aged for about 7 months in American Oak (50% new, 50% used). A portion of the wine was fermented very cold to help retain additional fruit flavors. Is this wine "oaked" as you would think it would be, both in aroma and on the palate? Not so at all. This is a crisp golden colored wine, not overly creamy in nature with tropical notes including honeysuckle on the nose as the bouquet opens up. The palate is refreshing with lots of fruit including apple and even a touch of stone fruit flavors. The 2006 Estate Pinot Noir is their flagship wine. It is quite dark for a Pinot and is sourced from some of the oldest Pinot vines in Carneros (their own vineyard). It has a wonderful herbal, somewhat floral bouquet with lots of fruit showing through - mainly raspberry. Balance is the key to this wine as in... perfectly balanced! The mouth feel is rich, smooth and rounded, anchored by wonderful fruit on the slightly spicy finish. This is a great food wine; think of anything tomato based. We have slowly been developing our palate to Pinot Noir which is harder than you think with the focus of this project entirely on Napa wines. There are certainly fewer Napa Pinot Noir producers in comparison to the hundreds of Cabernet Sauvignon producers in the valley. However, this is definitely one of the nicer Napa Pinot's we have tried. If you would like to pick up some wine, you should call ahead to make sure someone is at the actual winery. By in large the majority of their wine is sold only through distributors and as of press time they typically do not sell direct to the consumer. However you can find their wines in select markets in about 35 states and locally in Napa's Whole Foods. Visit: www.kentrasmussenwinery.com and also their blog here: http://kentrasmussenwinery.blogspot.com |
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The winery is located at about 1500 feet in elevation and this area is far enough to the south that it still receives the moderating influences from the San Pablo Bay. As a result the growing season is usually a long one. Because of their location the vine growth is generally behind the valley floor; this can be a good thing especially during late season rains when their vines have not yet gone into flower. Kenzo Estate is the brainchild of Mr. Kenzo Tsujimoto - businessman and CEO of the Japanese video-game publisher Capcom Co. (this company is most known for creating games such as Resident Evil and early arcade games). Mr. Tsujimoto's model for the winery experience is refreshing; showcase luxury wines and luxury experiences in a welcoming setting at affordable prices. Word has gotten out; despite recently opening there were already a number of people enjoying the various tastings. Mr. Tsujimoto has traveled the world and has enjoyed wine for many years. He visited Napa numerous times before acquiring this piece of property in 1990. Prior to his ownership the land served as an equestrian center and incidentally in 1984 the Olympic US Polo team trained here. The property was originally planted to vines in 1998 and the first vintage was released in 2005. With 4000 hillside acres you won't see vines planted on the entire property. Only 70 acres are currently planted at the time of this review with another 30 acres being developed later in the year. Flat land is at a premium here - the terrain is mostly rolling hillsides with lots of native vegetation. Due to the elevation and deep aquifers wells had to be drilled down over 700 feet! Architect Howard Backen has certainly left his mark on various high-end properties within the Napa Valley including Kenzo Estate. His works tend to blend in with the surrounding environment and he uses a lot of earth tones and dark wood in his architecture. He has worked on a number of exclusive wineries in Napa including Harlan and Dana estates. Kenzo employs both a dream team in the winery and vineyard - Heidi Petersen Barrett is the winemaker and David Abreu is the vineyard manager. A 20,000 foot cave has been built into the hillside - its been designed with the winemaking team in mind and is extremely functional from the wide tunnels to having all the extra square footage so barrels can line the walls without having to be stacked on top of each other. There are a few Napa wineries and or producers who will pair food with their wines but its rare to find a partnership like the one Kenzo has with chef, Thomas Keller. Kenzo has partnered with Mr. Keller (French Laundry, Bouchon, Ad Hoc etc) to offer a Bouchon prepared lunch and small plates: sandwiches, salads, charcuteries and other tasty delectable's with their wines. This experience is certainly one of the highlights of visiting the estate. Kenzo produces one white wine, a Sauvignon Blanc. The 2008 Asatsuyu (meaning "morning dew" in Japanese) shows more citrus notes rather than tropical characteristics although hints of Passion fruit show on the bouquet as this wine opens up. Notes of grapefruit and lime continue from the bouquet with some interesting mineralities. Sometimes this varietal with its citrusy characteristics can be too tart or "green" on its own but this wine doesn't have those aspects and actually has a rather rounded mouth feel. This wine does not see any malolactic fermentation. Many of Heidi Peterson Barrett's red wines for her clients are priced above $100; the "signature wine" from Kenzo Estate, the Rindo is not. This wine is a red blend usually with about a 1/3 of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The 2006 shows a dusty almost earthy nose in which similar characteristics show up somewhat on the finish. The tannins are balanced and linger for some time. The 2006 Murasaki (meaning "purple" in Japanese - a proprietary red blend) is our favorite. It sees slightly more new French Oak then the Rindo and longer aging. The bouquet reveals elegant notes of mocha powder some of which show up on the finish. This wine has great balance and acid management - it has structure and good flavor (mostly darker fruits). The 2006 Ai Cabernet Sauvignon is named after the Japanese art of creating indigo dye...appropriately named for the wine's dark color. This is Kenzo's "show wine", their boldest wine in the portfolio, a wine meant for aging. It is a big wine, with tons of layers, flavors and structure. The bouquet initially shows an herbal note, dustiness and a bit of cigar smoke. Spices, black pepper and black fruit follow on the palate. Kenzo Estate has some distribution in Japan and at select restaurants in California including Thomas Keller's but for the most part the wine sales are conducted directly through the winery. Allow at least 20 minutes to the winery from the Silverado Trail. For more information visit: www.kenzoestate.com or the Japanese version: www.kenzoestate.jp/ |
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Kind Cellars | Tweet
For David Yorgensen, the art and science of wine making is intensely personal. While never formally trained in wine making he has dedicated his life to a passionate perseverance of fine tuning his craft. He grew up in New England, earned a degree in Fisheries & Wildlife and then ultimately became interested in wine. Finally deciding upon a career change, he moved to the Napa Valley in 2004 to become a winemaker. While not owning any vineyards himself, he works very closely with small family owned vineyards - establishing close grower and vintner relationships. In the winery his attention to detail is great. He believe in a minimalist approach to wine making - preferring to avoid contact with the wine as little as possible. He keeps barrel samples and racking to a minimum. He believes in showcasing a vineyards fruit - producing wines with all natural acidity and bottling the wine unfined and unfiltered. He likes texture and mouth feel in his wines - and looks for character, a uniqueness that expresses the terroir of a certain vineyard. It wasn't long after moving to the valley that he released his first wine - in 2005. David is not afraid of using oak either on his white or red wines. As he says, "there is not something as too much oak, rather the challenge is in finding fruit that will hold up to the oak". He has been fortunate to work with a number of very small premium French coopers, one of which produces less than 7000 barrels a year. The 2009 Chardonnay is the first wine Kind Cellars has released of this varietal. The bouquet reveals pomelo, along with tropical overtones, honeysuckle, baking spices and toasted oak. The mouth feel is rounded and strikes a good balance between weight and acidity. Vanilla bean/banana and baking spices linger for some time on this long finish. This wine is a good example of what David describes of lees "as being an incredible tool in wine making". Besides being a natural fining agent, careful lees management certainly can add complexity and weight to a wine. He often equates wine with music - some wines are like a Jazz trio with music that is light and lively with clear and definable notes. However he relates this wine more to a symphony experience where the notes are blended together, the sum of the parts creating something powerful. His flagship wine is a proprietary red, a Cabernet Sauvignon based wine (blended with a bit of Cabernet Franc). David doesn't necessarily strive for a "sameness" or consistency in his wines each year - although he tends to source fruit from the same vineyards each year. Rather he is more focused on showcasing the varietal characteristics and or the vintage variation from year to year. The 2007 shows both floral and dark fruit notes on the bouquet. The rich aromas are meaty, savory and seductive; black fruit dominates. The palate shows dark fruit including blackberry, and black cherry. The finish is big and expressive lingering with fruit for some time. The 2008 proprietary red is just as inky dark and concentrated in color in the glass as the 2007 vintage, but aromatically shows brighter lively notes of fruit - somewhat floral in nature - black fig, sweet ripe red fruit aromas complemented with lesser notes of toasted vanilla. This is a balanced wine, yet in a big way. The fruit holds up to the alcohol and there is certainly some weight, especially on the finish. Some wines can hold up better in the bottle after being opened than others; this is one of them. This wine did not drop off even after several days; it continued to develop additional nuances and complexities (including a softening of the tannins) as it was exposed to some air. The bouquet changes too - it becomes more integrated and elegant - notes of cherry liqueur develop. The ability to hold up remarkably well after a few days is certainly a characteristic of the quality of fruit and extraction. But, perhaps in part, this additional "life" can also be contributed to David's strict control on keeping his wine away from additional oxygen during its aging. The 2009 Cabernet Franc is his first stand alone release of this varietal. Historically David has used Cabernet franc for blending and his vineyard source produced so little that he never had more for a stand alone wine. This is a lush mouth filling demonstration of what this varietal can do. David does not like pyrazines (greenness) in his wines and this wine has none of that. The bouquet presents a cigar box, smokiness, dark fruit, lavender and a pleasing earthiness. This is a mouth filling wine - with blackberry, blueberry and dusty chocolate the lingers deliciously on the finish. Two new exciting wines for Kind Cellars are currently in barrel - a rare Howell Mountain Sauvignon blanc from the Henry Brothers Vineyard - at about 1900 feet and an intense Syrah from the highest block in a vineyard over 2500 feet on the uppermost slopes of Mt. Veeder. This is from the second highest vineyard in the county and the highest vineyard in Napa that rises above the immediate valley floor. We had the privilege to try this rare wine - it is dark, inky, meaty and rich - a wine that will beg to have some age upon release. Only 120 cases will be produced. When David started researching names for his wine label he discovered that the name "kind" was remarkably never trademarked. "Kind" reflects his philosophy on life - both positivity and negativity will come back to you. As he says, "life is too short to focus on the negative". In Hawaiian, the pidgin phrase, "da kine" is also a word that references "high quality" or premium products. David has no retail presence whatsoever - it is rare to find a Napa producer who maintains a wine club for such a small production. His annual production is around 500 cases - but he does make a wider variety of wines than most small producers of this size. These are small lot, hand crafted wines - each production is usually no more than 120 cases. His wine is only sold direct. David enjoys the personal relationships that come around wine - he has no website other than a placeholder with contact information. Serious enthusiasts can contact him directly - visit: www.kindcellars.com |
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Interest in wine began in the early 1980's for proprietor Peter Kitchak when a friend invited him to a premium wine tasting where most of the wines were priced above $40/bottle (which at that time was extremely expensive). He had never tasted such wine before - (all French producers) and was immediately hooked. Within weeks he started building out his own wine cellar and the owner of what was the largest wine shop in Minneapolis at the time told him about a young wine writer (that no one had heard of), named Robert Parker Jr. who had just given top scores and ratings to the 82' vintage. Peter went out and purchased a number of cases of French First Growths and other premium wine from this vintage. As it were, the 1982 vintage was generally hailed as one of the great Bordeaux vintages of the 20th century. And certainly prices then were not what they have become today for First Growths, regardless of the vintage. The Kitchak's first became serious about living in Napa in 2004 when they started looking for property as a second home, a place to enjoy the unique lifestyle that the Napa Valley offers. They had no intent of owning vineyards or building a winery. But as the allure of the valley has affected so many others who are now in the wine industry, Peter enrolled in the UC Davis wine-making extension course (certificate program) and "went back to school" for three years. His first commercial release was small and was made in 2005 at Crushpad when they were located in San Francisco (a custom crush facility specializing in thousands of boutique labels). He continued making the wine there until his winery was completed and permitted in 2010. Hardman Lane cuts through many vineyards but Kitchak Winery is the only winery on this road. Nearby neighbors include a vineyard owned by Stagecoach, William Hill and Razi Winery. Peter has been involved in a number of businesses for much of his life but readily admits that the wine business is the most time consuming and demanding. He takes an entirely hands on approach to all aspects of wine making. He does not hire out a vineyard manager - but rather employees several workers and oversees the vineyard management. He designed the winery, the small lot tanks (variable sizes) and is the primary winemaker. When Peter jumps into a new business his philosophy is to do it right and be exemplary in that respective field. In this regards, he feels strongly about taking a very hands on approach to wine-making. Often wine-making involves decisions that need to be made quickly and he wants to be comfortable that he has the knowledge and ability to make those decisions without the need of calling someone or even hiring other winemakers. As he says, "the pleasure, joy and satisfaction of making my wine from scratch would not be there if I hired a winemaker". Their estate property was home to a dairy farm in the 1950's and one of the additions at that time was the construction of Lake Cynthia. Water has an affect on vineyards - it can provide a moderating influence during the cold of the winter months (no fans are needed on site) while nearby vineyards have to use these for frost control - and it adds additional reflection of sunlight to the nearby wines. Extended maceration plays a critical component in the making of their red wines. Peter keeps a close eye on the latest research of tannin development and the role maceration plays in wine-making and development of wines. He believes in the benefits of both seed and skin tannin management - while skin tannins are generally released quickly during warm fermentation - seed tannins slowly and steadily come out over time which (one recent study showed - in contrast to traditional beliefs) in turn can soften and smooth the wine. Peter has long enjoyed classical music and its not uncommon for this genre of music to be serenading the aging barrels of wine in the winery. It is not so different than the Gregorian Chant that Artesa Winery plays over their wine barrels 24/7. Nearly every wine is named after a musical term which in some way describes the character of that particular wine. Their total annual production is only around 1000 cases. The 2010 Scherzo is a very unique wine. It is a rose of Cabernet but is not made in the traditional French Saignee method where juice is bled off from the grapes. Rather the grapes are kept on the skins for several days, then pressed and fermented and aged in neutral oak. This wine was aged sur lie for 6 months. It is a bright shade of pink in the glass, bordering on purple - it is fresh and fruity on the bouquet with aromas of strawberry and cranberry. The mouth feel is clean with good acidity and a lively finish. The Vivace is a very unique to Napa blend with its inspiration coming from Languedoc in France, despite the fact that this particular blend would be illegal to make there. Peter was visiting a winery in Languedoc and enjoyed one of the best white wines he had tasted to date. Upon inquiring about the varietal characteristics he was taken into the vineyard and shown a small block of Chardonnay among Rousanne and Marsanne. This winery had actually experimented with all three varietals and found that a small amount of Chardonnay really added complexity to the mid palate. Peter now makes this unique to Napa blend. This is a wine that tends to age well based on its good acidity, fruit and barrel aging. The 2006 vintage reveals a plethora of pleasing tropical and citrus aromas on the bouquet with a palate that is soft, smooth and satiny. It shows baking spices, (nutmeg, cinnamon), honey and balanced fruit. The 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc is 100% varietal; this wine has a bouquet true to the varietal. Its smoky, shows black pepper, a hint of bell pepper, a pleasing floral note and mushrooms and damp almost forest floor like aromas. This is a bouquet that certainly stands out and stands on its own; it is very aromatic. Peter has also used this wine to make a reduction sauce for red meat; it also pairs very well with wild game. The Tokalon Vineyard in the Oakville appellation is one of the coveted, historical and most well-known single vineyards in the Napa Valley. As a result the fruit is fairly sought after; relatively few producers source fruit from the vineyard. When starting Kitchak Cellars, Peter wanted to produce a wine from a vineyard with good name recognition. The 2007 Concerto has an appealing bouquet, floral in nature with both red and dark fruit aromas. The palate shows expressive and elegant fruit flavors - mostly dark fruit, blackberry and cherry. This wine has mouth watering acidity, balance and a fairly long finish. The 2007 Adagio is a proprietary red blend (Merlot based) with fruit from both their estate and sourced from other vineyards. This wine is dark in the glass. The bouquet is vibrant with layers of aroma. The palate shows ripe black fruit, mainly blackberry and black cherry and dusty tannins that start mid palate and slowly develop onto the finish. With good acidity and a pleasing flavor profile, this wine will pair well with a variety of foods. Visits are for serious wine enthusiasts and are always held with either Peter or his consulting winemaker. Often small producers only make one or two wines. However Kitchak Cellars makes a variety of small lot wines and they are one of the few producers of this size in Napa to have their own wine club. They have no retail or wholesale distribution whatsoever. All wine is sold either through their mailing list, wine club or from personal visits. Peter has personally met nearly all of his customers. Tastings are for those who are looking for a private visit with the owner and or winemaker, a unique estate, a personalized experience, tour and tasting and a diversity of wines - some of which are uncommon to Napa. Visit: www.kitchakcellars.com Kitchak Cellars Winemaking, UC Davis Extension |
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Kobalt is run by Kevin Kerriker and his friend Mark Herold is the wine maker. Their first vintage started in Mark's garage alongside Merus in 2001. The impetus for starting Kobalt was Kevin's desire to make his own wine coupled with a small vineyard in Coombsville that needed a home for its fruit.
Kevin comes from a farming background in Southern California and as he says, "I moved north". He first tried wine while working in Yosemite National Park and incidentally it was a Napa wine, a 1970 Beaulieu Vineyards. He later visited Napa and eventually was enticed to move to the valley for not only the wine industry but the dedication to agriculture and preservation of both agriculture and native land. He quickly immersed himself in the wine industry - moving north and running one of the oldest wine shops in San Francisco. He also worked a harvest at Napa's Grgich Hills. He later met Napa winemaker Mark Herold and was Mark's cellar master for a number of the Merus vintages. Mark Herold was studying bio chemistry and aquaculture at UC Davis and learning how to as he puts it, "to raise fish" when a professor convinced him to make a few barrels of wine. His initial professional foray in the wine industry was at Joseph Phelps where he studied phenolic profiles of grapes from all over Napa but kept coming back to grapes from the Coombsville region. This is a somewhat cooler growing region located just east of the town of Napa (but with its own number of unique micro-climates). Mark has been working with fruit from this region since the mid 1990's and has identified some of this areas top vineyard sources. Kobalt's primary wine is their Cabernet Sauvignon. Their fruit is sourced almost exclusively from premium vineyards in Coombsville. While not owning any vineyards, Kobalt only works with properties in which they can have full control of the vineyard management. Their attention to detail in the vineyards is great. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended slightly with Cabernet Franc and Malbec. All varietals and fruit from various vineyard sources are vinified separately until the final blends are created. This is a very dark inky colored wine in the glass - somewhat black - testament to the Coombsville fruit. As the wine breathes more complexities show including baking spices, mocha, dark chocolate and hints of cinnamon. The mouth feel is rounded, lush and juicy. This wine is beautifully textured and layered. There is a unique dustiness or earthiness to the bouquet interwoven with dark fruit flavors that makes for an extremely long finish. This wine shows excellent natural acidity - they don't need to do acid adjustments. The tannins are certainly there but do not dominate. In addition Kobalt makes a delightful vintage port wine (true vintage style and not your typical California port). We've sampled most of the ports coming out of Napa County and in our opinion this is one of the finest. With that said, typically only several barrels are made and it is only made during years where the quality meets their exacting expectations. The fruit is entirely sourced from Coombsville. The first vintage dates from 2005. Viognier grapes that were triple distilled from one of Northern California's finest distilleries are used for fortifying this wine. Viognier grapes are blended into red wines at times to bring a certain floral component and its no different with port. The 2007 we sampled from barrel opens beautifully into rich spicy enticing black cherry liqueur aromas followed by a well-layered palate (mostly black fruit); this is a port that is really hard to stop drinking! The name Kobalt comes from a challenge Kevin made one night over a game of Scrabble. After months of trying to come up with a name for the wine he challenged his friends to come up with a name in exchange for a free case of wine each year for life. One person grabbed the thick dictionary and happened to open to the K's where Kobalt caught their attention. Kobalt is actually a term that refers to an underground spirit associated with mining. The label is very cool and certainly stands out well; it is somewhat goat like, an artists representation of this type of spirit. After making Kobalt for a number of years in Mark's "garagiste winery" the new state of the art custom crush winery, Juice Box opened up in a south Napa industrial park. Mark's makes Kobalt here as well as his other wines including his own labels (see Herold Wines ). Kobalt will see serious wine enthusiasts on an appointment only basis. You can find their wines in a plethora of locations within the Napa Valley - at most of the wine shops from Napa to Calistoga including Backroom Wines and V Wine Cellars. Visit: www.kobaltwines.com |
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A cave shrouded in silence is perhaps the ultimate studious environment to work within an underground winery. A cave with classical music playing quickly changes the atmosphere and ties the science of winemaking into the art of winemaking. Judging by John Kongsgaard's large collection of CD's in the wine cave - his work here is seldom done in silence. In getting to know John, you will quickly discover music and mountain vineyards are two of his passions. He is a fifth generation Napan; his roots run deep in the valley - John's Great Grandfather Lilburn Boggs was Governor of Missouri and moved west in the 1840's working for General Mariano Vallejo (he lived at the General's adobe house in Sonoma) and eventually retired to the city of Napa. John's grandfather owned a stone quarry in Napa (across from what is now the Napa Valley College). His quarry provided the rock used to help build Treasure Island in San Francisco. John's father was a Napa County Superior Court judge for more than twenty years (the downtown Napa Post office in fact bears his name). John grew up as he says, "on the edge" of the wine industry in Napa. When he graduated high school in the late 1960's the number of active wineries in Napa was counted in the "teens". Within a few years after graduating from UC Davis with a master's degree in viticulture and enology the number of wineries had more than doubled in the valley. Jobs for newly trained winemakers were plentiful and this was a time when Napa was truly at the forefront of greatness. He briefly worked at long time Napa Chardonnay producer, Stony Hill in the 1970's but his first long term job at a winery was at Newton Vineyards where he worked from 1983 to 1996. He was the first winemaker in California to make and promote an unfiltered commercial white wine. He began Newton's unfiltered Chardonnay program - today that wine is highly sought after. John was one of the first three students in California of Bordeaux based master blender Michel Rolland - the other two being Napa winemaker Zelma Long and Harlan Estate proprietor Bill Harlan. At the time Michel did not speak English so their language of communication was in Spanish. While working at Newton John had the privilege of visiting and researching some of the most prominent wine regions in France. During one of his trips he had a revelation about where the pH needs to be in some of his wines as well as wine style. This came after tasting though a number of wines from the mid 1940's from some of France's most prominent producers (first growths). John's wine making style is decidedly European influenced - he considers Michel Rolland to have had a huge influence on his career and especially on his style of white wines. John and Maggy Kongsgaard purchased their Atlas Peak property in 2004; they are only the second owners since the original homesteader. The property rises high above the valley floor and the surrounding foothills of the Vaca Mountains. Their vineyard is one of the three highest vineyards in all of Napa County (the other two are Lampyridae on Mt Veeder and the Blue Ridge Vineyard in the south eastern part of the county which tops out at 2810 feet). Kongsgaard's uppermost vines are planted at slightly more than 2500 feet and the winery itself is at 2300 feet which is certainly among the highest wineries in the Napa Valley. The property is 150 acres of which most is still is in its natural state - rugged and often steep hillsides. Only five acres are currently planted - to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Viognier and Roussane. This is a property with truly spectacular views from any number of directions. On a clear day in the wintery looking to the east, you can see the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains rising far in the distance (just north of Lake Tahoe) and also south into the central valley. In the other direction you see a patchwork of vineyard blocks covering the Napa Valley floor far below. In between you have major wine estates with several thousand acres between them, Antica Napa Valley (run by one of the world's five oldest family businesses) and Krupp Estate - one of Napa's largest vineyards. The Red Aiken loam soils on the property are unique as these are the southern most extension of the red rocky iron rich volcanic soils that make up the ground in the hills above the eastern part of Oakville and Pritchard Hill. It is unusual to see huge red stained boulders lining the vineyards in this part of Atlas Peak - this is more akin to what we've seen on Pritchard Hill further to the north. Directly to the south of Kongsgaard's property the hills drop in elevation dramatically and the soils in contrast at the lower elevations are fairly white, composed of a volcanic ash-like material called tufa. While seemingly a long way from the Pritchard Hill part of Napa (and it is when there are no connecting roads) - it is only about a two hour hike from John's property to one of his closest winery neighbors in Pritchard Hill, Ovid Winery. Because of their location and elevation, bud break, bloom and set is always behind the vines on the valley floor. However growth catches up quickly as because of their elevation during late spring and summer an inversion layer sets in. Often in the early morning the temperature is much higher than the valley floor below - where fog can sit until mid morning. The temperature is moderate here in the summer, rarely too hot or cold - allowing for even ripening. The elevation ensures they have plenty of sunshine hours. The vineyards that John sources from to make his current wines are all extremely low yielding - often around merely a ton per acre. The first vintage of Kongsgaard dates from 1996 - today John makes two Chardonnays - a Napa Valley and one from his Judge Vineyard. In addition, he makes a blend of Viognier and Roussane, a Syrah and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Their production is limited to what John and his son Alex can comfortably make - currently it is around 3000 cases annually. The making of a Kongsgaard Chardonnay is a lesson in patience. John sources fruit from vineyards low in nitrogen and low yielding. He barrel ferments the wine - some of his fermentations take up to a year to complete to dryness and sometimes the malo lactic fermentation finishes before the primary fermentation. He does not inoculate with commercial yeast and like his work at Newton, his wines are bottled unfiltered. He keeps his use of sulpher to a minimum and the wines spend two years in barrel. The 2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay is sourced from both the Hyde and Hudson vineyards in Carneros. Aromatically this wine shows apricot, a toasted nuttiness, slight tropical notes and a hint of caramel. Despite sitting in oak for 2 years John has crafted this wine so that as he says, "the wood is on the horizon" or in the background. A big part of the reason these wines are not "oaky" is the intensity of the particular fruit he works with - it can certainly stand up to the oak. Another reason for this is the wine sits on the lees for the first year building weight but not woodiness. The wine shows a richness and sweetness of fruit (totally dry) along with mineralities on the palate without being too heavy. The finish is surprising - the wine waits to make an impact with the fruit at the end rather than on the entry of the palate. This finish is lively, zesty and has great length; it is somewhat tropical along with lemon and lime notes. The 2009 Judge Chardonnay (named in tribute to John's father) is sourced from his family's property just east of the city of Napa - he planted the first Chardonnay grapes here in 1975 when one of his neighbors (who just happened to be influential winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff) suggested this varietal would grow well here. The property was originally intended to be a quarry site for John's grandfather. This vineyard supplied Newton with the grapes for their unfiltered Chardonnay for many years. This wine is darker in the glass than the Napa Valley Chardonnay. It is more refined and subdued aromatically. The palate shows stone fruit, white peach and white nectarine - the mouth feel is oily, viscous and rich. It has mineralities - John takes this description a step further and describes it as "salty, almost briny" in feel. This wine will age - with a track record of Chardonnay from the Judge vineyard going back more than thirty years John has noticed that the wines will typically keep their classic characteristics (continuing to evolve in the bottle of course) for five to eight years before reaching a plateau. The 2010 Viognier and Roussanne blend is cleverly called the VioRous. The Roussanne ripens and then is allowed to ripen even further - allowing the skins to turn a beautiful bronze color. The Viognier is slower ripening and once it is fully ripe, both varietals are picked simultaneously and then co-fermented. Borrowing from John's musical interests, he describes this wine as having "a chorus of flavor". It might as well have a chorus of aroma. The bouquet is very aromatic - floral in nature with notes of iris, jasmine and white peach. Rather than the two years of age, this wine was aged in older oak for a year. The showcase of this blend is all about the fruit - it is opulent and ripe. Both Roussanne and Viognier are among the more "tannic" of the white varietals and you can clearly sense the structure in this wine, especially with the lingering tannins on the finish. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is from a neighboring Atlas Peak vineyard and is blended with a small amount of Merlot. The bouquet is aromatic showing gravelly notes, a hint of toffee, cigar, leather and blackberry. There is plenty of flavor on the palate - mostly black fruit. The tannins are broadly distributed on the outside of the palate towards the finish - this wine is about the density and minerality of the fruit - black in nature showing graphite and deeper notes of charcoal. John has worked with Carneros growers Lee Hudson and Larry Hyde since the 1980's and continues to source from from both their vineyards. John came up with the concept in the 1980's (now more common when contracting premium vineyards) to pay by the acreage rather than the ton and as he says, "this effectively turned a grower into a winemaker". Quality becomes the focus rather than quantity. His Syrah comes from a special 2.5 acre block in the Hudson vineyard that is not composed of the typical claylike uplifted ocean bottom soils that is common in Carneros. Rather this tiny block has slight elevation and is in the foothills of Mt. Veeder; it's soils are made up of volcanic ash. Such is the nature of this varietal and particular vineyard that it is their most expensive to manage. 2009 Syrah. Here is an example of a cool weather syrah where one can get lost in the layers of aromatic diversity on the bouquet. The aromas are very floral with dried and fresh rose petal. The nose shows faint hints of white pepper, a dustiness and roasted meat. The palate is about the black fruit. Good acidity touches the palate on the finish - mouth watering, salivating natural acidity. With Kongsgaard's vineyard perched at the highest reaches of Atlas Peak and with its south and west facing exposure their highest plantings receive the last rays of sunshine over the Napa Valley most every day in the summer. The development of this property is the culmination of John's experience built upon his thirty plus years in the valley and with his son's involvement in the winemaking - a lasting gift for his future generations. With John's love for music, he is quick to state, "the wine has a strong presence surrounding European opera houses". Makes sense - after performances artists and concert goers often frequent local cafes. However, most of their wine is sold via a one time per year release via their mailing list (which sells out quickly). Other select distribution includes twelve states (restaurants) and several countries both in Europe and Asia. Locally you can find their wine in a number of Napa's finest restaurants. For more information and to join their mailing list visit: www.kongsgaardwine.com |
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is owned and operated by its namesake, Kristian Story. Less than 15 years ago Kristian wasn't even remotely connected to the Napa wine industry. After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering he went to work for a micro-electronics firm in San Diego for the next 15 years. As with a number of vintners in the valley Kristian attributes some of his winemaking styles and influences to Robert Mondavi. His father Peter Story was a salesman for IBM in the early 1970's. Peter's first client was Robert Mondavi who wanted to buy a computer system that would provide a variety of measurements for his winemaking team. Stylistically, Mondavi was trying to take a more hands off approach to wine making. Kristian approached his father about joining the family winery business in 2000 but the timing wasn't quite right. After approaching his father again in 2002 with an offer no one could refuse Kristian started developing his own small wine brand. His father would have no financial liability and Kristian would be his largest buyer of grapes. After launching several small labels ultimately Kristian launched Kristian Story Wines in 2006. Kristian's style of wines are minimalist in nature - with a number of winemaking influences coming under the mentorship of winemaker Mark Herold and Sarah Gott. In 2000 Kristian and his father placed a classified ad in a local wine making magazine asking for a winemaker who would be willing to teach them more about winemaking. Mark answered the ad and along with Bulmaro Montes (long time vineyard manager at Joseph Phelps) were instrumental in both Kristian and his father's wine careers. Kristian has never been formally trained in wine making rather his education came in the vineyards for a number of years. He develops his wines to be approachable early on. The sediment you see in the bottle and glass from the red wines is nothing to be concerned about. Kristian does not fine nor filter his wines. 2010 was the first year Kristian commercially produced white wines. Wanting to limit his losses in case these wines were not well received he produced just several hundred cases of each wine. Not to worry, demand has been great - and he now has a reason to increase the production for future vintages! The 2010 Ratt N Roll Chardonnay (under his Artist Wine labels) is made from four different clones of Chardonnay grown on the Sonoma Coast. We tried this wine at several temperatures but the nose really "pops" when it is served chilled. Tropical fragrances, orange peel and tangerine blossom show. The palate is rounded with good viscosity and notes of green apple and some oak on the finish. The 2010 Los Carneros Chardonnay is golden in the glass with a bouquet showing notes of tangerine blossom, graphite, honeysuckle and white peach. This wine has good weight and a rounded mouth feel. The palate shows intense flavor with a lively finish that shows lingering notes of Meyer Lemon as well as toasted oak. The 2006 Soiree is the softest of the red wines. This Meritage is composed of 45% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with the remainder Petite Sirah and Petite Verdot. This is Kristian's "Vegas" wine - or as those actually in Vegas say, "a party in the mouth". The bouquet is like candy featuring sweet red and black fruit. The mouth feel is soft and rounded with dusty tannins (always in the background) and a very long finish. The 2007 RED Special Vineyard Select is a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and a small amount of Petite Verdot. Kristian's red wines are about big aromatics and this one is no different; the nose is all about the fruit showing generous aromas of cassis, black berry and black cherry. The entry is soft and supple and dusty tannins start about mid palate and run through the finish. Rhapsodie has been made under the Kristian Story label every year since 2006 and is one of the wines Kristian is most proud of. This wine speaks to his philosophy of layering to add additional nuances and complexities in a wine - a "crescendo of flavors" if you will. He sources some of the fruit from his father's vineyard in St. Helena (clones his father secured from nearby premium wineries) as well as Rutherford. He uses three different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Merlot, Petite Sirah and Petite Verdot in the blend. The 2006 Rhapsodie is a dark wine in the glass with big aromas and big flavors. The bouquet is mostly about black fruit including black cherry. The palate is soft and rounded upon entry but soon picks up the intense fruit flavors complemented by the large tannins and a fairly long finish. In addition to his own label, Kristian makes wine for a number of private label clients as well as his "Artist" wines for a number of musicians who want their own labels. For more information about this visit: www.artistwine.com Kristian's wines are well distributed at fine wine shops and restaurants. For more information visit: www.kristianstorywines.com |
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Jan told us about rocks the size of his own vehicle which were moved. This has been a major undertaking and Jan estimates over 500,000 tons of rock were moved to make way for the vineyards. There were vineyards planted in the area in the late 1800's but those owners did not have the equipment to move the large rocks and they just planted around them. After workers would dynamite the huge rocks, it would then take a week to even clear them. For the most part Stagecoach Vineyards are off the radar of most Napa wine consumers. This is slowly changing as Krupp Brothers increases their production, other vintners use their grapes, their vines mature and the word gets out that these grapes are producing quality wine! After the vineyard tour we sat down with Jan and tasted through several of his wines. His son has been the winemaker and convinced his father to branch out into other wines besides the core varietals of Cabernet and Merlot. As a result, Krupp Brothers now makes a well-rounded selection of wine including several nice white wines. They have three labels; Veraison, Black Bart and their Estate Wines. The Black Bart label was named after the notorious stage coach robber Black Bart who took down some stagecoaches nearby the main vineyard property. We started out with their Marsanne a delicious structured floral wine with a slightly viscous mouth feel and flavors of peach. For a white wine, this has a very long finish. Not every Napa winery makes a Marsanne and it was a treat to taste it here. We also had the privilege of sampling their Black Bart's Bride before it was released. Again this is a delicious white composed of Marsanne, Viognier and a lower amount of Chardonnay. That is just the whites! They have a large selection of wonderful reds including our favorite, their Cabernet Sauvignon made under the Estate label; it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy Syrah? Krupp Estate makes a 100% varietal and also a Syrah Rose. You can taste their wines at A Dozen Vintners in St. Helena and if you would like to taste & buy additional Krupp Brothers wine, consider making an appointment. Visit: www.kruppbrothersestates.com |
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Once you enter the main gate and punch in the pre arranged code (appointment only), you drive up an extremely narrow and windy road about 1.5 miles to the top on the edge of a high ridge. The actual winery sits at about 1600 feet and the nearby steep slopes are planted mostly with vineyards. All wines made here are Estate wines. This is a working ranch and you will find rabbits, sheep, chickens and other farm animals on the property. They have a fantastic garden and all the produce for their cooking classes comes from on site. Pat Kuleto, a famous designer of almost 200 restaurants owns this property and built up the winery in the early 90's. His beautiful house (Villa Cucina) is on site and you will see the outside of the house during your tour. Arguably the highlight of the tour is the scenic overlook next to Pat's weight room and the pool. Here you sit under stately oaks and drink wine looking out over Napa Valley far below you. If you visit during a warm spell, well groomed men and women may be lounging around the pool enjoying life. The pool literally seems to end at a cliff and where the water ends, the sky begins - when the fog rolls in here, it is truly a walk in the clouds. When its clear as it often is - it seems as if you are perched on the edge of the world watching nature unfold below you. When we were sitting here dreamily sipping excellent wine the wine dog shows up and someone says "oh the dog has brought us some wood" - the concierge then says, nope its just another dried frog!" Not even that could wreck the "it" or ambience of the moment we were enjoying. Kuleto has excellent Sangiovese. Also try their Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Their "lightest" wine is the Rosato which is a blend of several types of grapes. They also make a Muscatto and Port in extremely low quantities which pretty much guarantees these wines will be sold out. Several cheeses, fruits and nuts are provided at the end of your tasting. A gourmet chef's kitchen is located upstairs as well as beautifully furnished rooms. The parties here are supposed to be out of this world and are available for wine club members. One party had 500 people; we don't know where they all park! www.kuletoestate.com Note: Major update coming by mid 2013. |
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