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R.H. Harrison Family Cellars is run by Roger Harrison who has a long history at Beringer Winery working on their Nightingale Wine Project. He was trained on making Botrysized wines (noble rot) by the husband wife team of Myron and Alice Nightingale when they were at Berigner. This husband/wife team has near mythic status at Beringer and all the late harvest wines Roger makes for Beringer carry their name on the label. For Beringer's Nightingale wine he grows all the Botryitis spores himself on cultures that have been continuously grown at Beringer since the 1970's. If you've never seen advanced stages of botrytis cinerea covering grapes you are not missing much. It looks like rotting fruit and you think to yourself how can these grapes end up being in a wine that tastes so incredibly good?! Talk about being niche within the wine industry. There are only a handful of wineries in the Napa area who make this type of wine on a continuous basis.
RH Harrison Vineyards is a very unique winery in Napa as their entire production is focused on Botrysized late harvest wines. The first vintage was in 2006. Unlike the wine Roger makes for Beringer he is at the whim of mother nature with his late harvest wines. He does not grow the Botrytis spores himself, rather he lets nature take its course. This is more risky as Botrytis spores need certain conditions late in the year to actually grow and some years they do not develop at all, and or do not develop to the extent that you need. Other trials of being a late harvest only winery are harvesting well after the rest of the vineyards in the valley have been picked. Roger lost a significant portion of one of his recent harvests due to flocks of birds who devastated one of his vineyard sources within a matter of a day or two. All his Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Gamble Vineyard in Yountville which has some of the most sought after Sauvignon Blanc fruit in the Napa area. We tried his 2006 late harvest Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is best served at about 45 degrees and will of course open up and produce slightly different flavors and aromas as it warms up. This is a delightful wine that was tank fermented with lots of notes of honey on the nose. Ripe apricot and flavors of pear appear served at this temperature with hints of sage appearing on the palate as this wine warms and opens up. We also had the privilege of sampling a 50/50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon which had not yet been bottled. This label will be called Nobility. It was tasting excellent at this young age with a nose that was more oak driven then the final product will actually be. This wine spends 18 months in oak and then another year in bottle. By the end of its year of bottle aging, the fruit flavors will come around and the oak will subside. Based on Roger's work at Beringer with their late harvest wines, it can be theorized that his own wines will age extremely well. The older vintages usually gain in color turning more amber and picking up nutty flavors including caramel and crème Brule. You can find their wine locally at JV Wine in Napa and the St. Helena Wine Merchants in St. Helena. In addition you can taste their wines in the open to the public collective called Wineries of Napa Valley, located in downtown Napa. Also visit the website: www.raharrisonfamilycellars.com |
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Ramian Estate is run by Napa vintner, Brian Graham who originally is from Texas. His path to wine comes after earning a degree in architecture from Texas Tech. However soon after graduating he started working in wine stores and then as a wine buyer. Bitten by the wine bug at this point, with a career in architecture quickly fading in the rear view mirror he sold everything he owned save for what could fit in 2 suitcases and moved to France. He then he enrolled in the University of Bordeaux and worked several harvests in Burgundy and Bordeaux. Gaining valuable winemaking experience from a European point of view, Brian was ready to put his knowledge to the test in a prominent wine making region which is how he soon found himself in Napa.
One of the professors at Napa Valley College was nice enough to let him in to his class 5 weeks after courses had already started - after Brian cold called him in the middle of the quarter. As Brian learned from some of the high end Chateau's in France, the primary aspect reflected in the wines were the hardships of the actual vintage - was it a cold year, hot year, lots of rain etc? Everything else remained consistent from year to year from the type of barrels to vineyard sources. As a result, Ramian tries to lock up long term contracts for most of his vineyard sources. The 2005 Grenache Rouge is sourced from Lake County (North of Napa county), from 60+ year old dry farmed vines. Don't be fooled by the light appearance of this wine - this color is in no way indicative of the actual structure of the body and palate. It is extremely hard to find a Grenache from a Napa producer due to the fact there just isn't much of this varietal grown in Napa and Napa wineries have to source from elsewhere. This wine is a winner with a smooth rounded mouth feel - great fruit including strawberries and cherries. It is quite versatile - chill it for hot summer days or enjoy at room temperature for more moderate weather. Brian has been intrigued with wine history for a long time and this theme is carried throughout his different wines. The La Mora is a unique red blend of Dolcetto and Nebiollo. The name La Mora can be traced back to the 15th century when Pontiffs would bless the wine, and they would shout "La Mora" after tasting a particularly delicious wine which literally means "a beautiful day with beautiful wine"! Brian imported budwood from several well-known estates in Italy and it now grows in the Sierra foothills. The Nebiollo provides the structure and tannin backbone for the wine while the Dolcetto fills in the mid palate with some nice fruit and chocolate characteristics. The nose is very elegant with almost earthy qualities and hints of raspberry and cinnamon on the palate. His Chapter series are proprietary Bordeaux red blended wines in which the chapter number changes each year. We tried Chapter 5, the 5th year Brian has made this wine (2005 vintage). There is a nice sweetness in the elegant bouquet, some vanilla and cherry fruit followed by a big mouth feel full of complex layers of flavor including blackberry, coffee, toasted oak and chocolate, with an extremely long finish. There is a ton of life in these bottles of wine, and will age quite nicely. Brian is also a firm believer in building core blends and then adding to these blends as needed during their time in oak. This is rather than vinifying everything together immediately after fermentation. The thinking behind this is if you have wine that is not as high quality as the rest, you have a chance to isolate that wine during later blending rather than making the final blend right after fermentation. Look for his high end reserve wine, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon named J.Garret after his son. Merely 2 barrels of this wine were produced! As a small winery, Ramian has a lot of flexibility to produce small lots of various varietals. We also barrel sampled some delicious fruit including a Viognier/Roussane (nice weight on this wine already), and the Two Petites, which is anything but Petite. This is a blend of Petite Sirah and Petite Verdot - want a huge wine with an explosive mouth feel, this is the wine for you. Ramian's wines are very easily identifiable. There is no label on the bottles, just a small black circle with a white R in the middle. This "label" is actually a replica of the R key from an old Smith Corona typewriter. All Ramian's wines are produced in small quantities, typically under several hundred cases. They make their wine at Silenus Vintners, a wine making and tasting collective located just south of the town of Yountville. Silenus has a full tasting facility and you can taste Ramian's wines as well as other producers there. Visit: www.ramianestate.com |
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This is the only winery open to the public on Zinfandel Lane; it is located just a few miles south of St. Helena. While you can sometimes see the traffic of Highway 29 from the winery, the feel here is anything but the busyness you often experience on the "wine strip" south of St. Helena. Today there are several buildings on site; the one closest to the parking lot that looks like a 50's style ranch house contains the modern looking tasting room. In the early 1990's additional barrel storage and winemaking facilities were constructed. As of press time they have scaled production down somewhat, focusing more on their core business which is high quality wine from Napa. As a result they ended up with unused space as well as extra tanks. These are now being put to good use as a variety of small wineries without physical winery facilities currently make their wine here. This is all state of the art equipment and Raymond has even taken a further step for small wineries. They provide a full time consulting winemaker devoted to just helping out their custom crush clients. Choose from two tasting flights - one is heavier on the whites and lighter wines and the second is predominately reds and their small lot wines. They produce four distinct labels, the Napa Valley Reserve (Flagship wines), Limited Edition Wines (small lot production - typically only available at the winery and are produced in quantities of 50 to 500 cases - as of press time, all very reasonably priced), the R Collection (premium vineyards from various statewide locations) & their Amberhill (everyday drinking wines). They offer more of a variety of wines than most area wineries but their focus is on Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons and they offer several for tasting. The 2004, 100% varietal Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is a winner. There is a reason people talk about Rutherford dust. This wine has it, with initial aromas offering up notes of crushed rock, mineralities - a neat dustiness intermingled with the fruit. It has a smooth and supple mouth feel full of ripe layered fruit including blackberry and black cherry. There is just a touch of mocha and spice from the oak on the finish. Also of note is their "Generations" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2004 vintage is rich and layered in flavor and strikes a nice balance between acidity and structure. The bouquet has floral notes with very ripe fruit aromas including blackberry and blueberry. Elegant chocolate and pepper are interwoven with cherry and blackberry notes. This is a fairly big wine but with a structured finish that doesn't overwhelm, is quite approachable now. If you enjoy dessert wines, try their Late Harvest Chardonnay, titled "Eloquence". This wine is not made every year and is made from some of the ugliest grapes you will ever see. If you've never seen advanced stages of botrytis cinerea covering grapes, you are not missing much! This is a type of mold that needs to be on the grapes used for making this type of wine. It looks like rotting fruit and you think to yourself how can these grapes end up being in a wine that tastes so incredibly good?! The 2005 vintage is a rich wine both in sugar, flavor and alcohol. Tropical aromas including honeysuckle are found on the bouquet and tropical notes also continue in flavor to the palate. There are also notes of apricot, raisin and a satiny honey caramel nuance towards the finish. It even comes in its own unique box which is deserving of a wine with this name. Dessert lovers also look for their Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Tours must be reserved at least 24 hours ahead of time and leave every morning at 11am; a visit involves seeing the actual winemaking facilities and barrel room (its huge) as well as provides information about their rich and unique history. The tour ends with a tasting in the main tasting room. Look for the colorful onyx countertop. Private events can be reserved and are held on the grounds of Roy Raymond's original home which now also serves for wine club functions. Raymond is distributed in select markets in all 50 states. Visit: www.raymondvineyards.com |
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Razi winery has built a beautiful modern tasting room which opened for appointment only tastings in March 2009. Because the winery is small and the owner lives on site, you will often taste with either the owner or winemaker. The actual winery is located at the southern part of the east side of Silverado Trail almost across from the Silverado Trail Wine Studio. Cross the small bridge directly off of the Silverado Trail and take the left road at the fork in front of their metal sign. As of press time Razi only produces a single wine, a Chardonnay. This would be odd to open a tasting room if this was the only wine you could taste. Fortunately several wines from the other small producers are also available for tasting and these wines rotate weekly. More about these momentarily. Razi's Chardonnay is made from grapes grown right on the property and as you sit at the bar stools at their steel topped tasting counter look out the window; the vineyard you see merely feet away from the tasting bar is entirely planted to Chardonnay and is the source of the grapes for this wine. Along with providing the fruit for Razi's wine, this 10 acre Chardonnay vineyard also provides fruit to a premium Napa winery who has popularized their "unfiltered" Chardonnay. Astute students of Napa wineries will know that Newton Vineyards produces what is probably the most recognized "unfiltered" Chardonnay in the valley. We tried Razi's newly released 2007 vintage. It has very good color in the glass with a deep straw color that is darker than many Chardonnays on the market. This color is in part from the 9 months of 100% American Oak barrel aging. The wine went through partial malolactic fermentation and was aged on the lees. Toasted oak along with pleasant tropical fruit overtones make up the bouquet followed by a clean refreshing palate that has nuances of the oak along with pear and red apple. The long finish is clean with notes of citrus and lemon zest. Despite aging on the lees and being occasionally stirred on the lees, the wine is not overly creamy or viscous. This wine also has excellent acidity. Razi already has several vintages of a yet to be released red blended wine in barrel. Their 2007 vintage will be their first release of this wine - look for it to be released sometime in 2010. A real highlight of a tasting here (if available) is the B Wise Vineyards, Brion Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coombsville region, located a bit south of the actual winery. B Wise sources fruit from several premium vineyard sites including their own Sonoma Vineyard located just below the famed Martini hillside Monte Rosso Vineyard in neighboring Sonoma County. The Brion is why single vineyard (Bennet Vineyard), 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines such as this one are helping to put Coombsville on the map. When you have great terroir, such as from this vineyard, and a knowledgeable passionate winemaker, you are going to have one stellar wine and this one does not disappoint. It is a big wine that needs time to age and evolve. Their current release at the time of our tasting was 2004. This wine has a rich very concentrated flavor profile. It is a dark wine with a nose full of intense fruit including blueberry and blackberry. There is also a somewhat elegant vanilla undertone present in the bouquet. Mostly new French Oak was used during the aging. The palate contains layer upon layer of flavor with a finish that is well structured, yet in balance and also slightly smoky or dusty. Another treat (if available) is the one time to date produced Lito Vin Santo found under the Monticelli Brothers label. Massimo Monticelli, a UC Davis graduate is a fourth generation winemaker and aside from being the winemaker for Razi Winery, runs his own label with his brother, appropriately named Monticelli Brothers. In addition Massimo makes wine at Razi winery for the various other small producers who are located here. The Lito Vin Santo is a blend of style's combining the best of both worlds in regards to dessert wine from both Italy and France. Its winemaking was partially conducted in the French Sauterne style as well as the Italian Vin Santo. Only 350 cases of the 1/2 bottles were made in 2003. This is wine that is well balanced between sugar and alcohol. It only has 2% residual sugar and the alcohol is around 13 percent. As a result, it is a wine that Massimo rightly claims is for "drinking, rather than sipping"! In other words its not going to overwhelm your palate; its not a sticky syrupy dessert wine. A number of white varietals are used in this wine including Malvasia Bianca. It is very dark amber in color with nice stone fruit flavors including peach and nectarine with honey undertones. Also ask about the Monticelli Brothers solera styled red wine called Rolando Rosso (non vintage, no dominate varietal) -- this is a red wine style that is extremely uncommon in the Napa Valley. It contains 50% current vintage juice and 50% of various older vintages. Out of nearly 550 commercial wine producers in Napa that we have visited, only a couple of wineries make even a non vintage table wine. This is a wine with quality behind it yet is a great every day wine. Razi Winery is one of the more personal tasting experiences along the southern part of the Silverado Trail. It is a unique opportunity to taste very limited production wines (some as low as merely 50 cases) from a number of different producers. Located only minutes from the town of Napa this makes a good appointment only stop for serious wine enthusiasts in the southern part of the valley. For nice days there is a patio for outside tasting - also serious enthusiasts may be able to try some barrel samples. We have visited Razi Winery several times and have already reviewed two other wines made here including Burly and Monticelli Brothers. For more information about Razi and or to make a tasting appointment, call: (707) 224-4299. Their website is not yet active: www.raziwinery.com |
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Realm Cellars released their first vintage in 2002. They source fruit from several premium vineyards located within and around the Napa Valley including the Crane and To Kalon vineyards. These are the type of vineyards that have instant name recognition with most people who work within the Napa wine industry. Realm is run by four partners whose mission is to produce limited amounts of wines in very high quality. High ratings of their wines by industry leaders are a testament to their mission. Their wines tend to be high in alcohol typically in the mid 15% range and they focus on big red wines including several Cabernet Sauvignons and several red blends. During a recent tasting we tried their 2005 The Tempest Napa Valley Red Wine. This vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Verdot. It is a very inky dark wine with concentrated fruit flavors notes of chocolate on the palate towards the finish. Some of the fruit for this wine is sourced from the Coombsville region near the town of Napa. We also tried their 2005 Farella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Again this is from a vineyard in Coombsville. Red rocky soil combined with the cooler weather of the south Valley as well as this particular clone, produces a big wine! While being a huge wine that will do well with aging, it is able to retain a fairly smooth mouth feel.
Lastly look for a new wine called The Absurd which combines the best 'juice' from each year. Visit: www.realmwine.com *Major* update planned with revisit, as this is currently our shortest review out of 590+ reviews. |
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In 1998 Tom and Desiree purchased land on Howell Mountain and at the time much of it was literally covered in a dense thicket of brush. After securing all the necessary permits, they planted the vineyard in 2003 and released their first vintage in 2005 which was merely 50 cases. With production this limited, the wine of course does not go far! 2006 is their first official release and total production as of press time has been increased to over 200 cases. Tom also sells fruit to several high end Napa wineries and as a result has the ability increase his own production down the road. Once you have seen the soil of these vineyards you will quickly determine how they decided upon the name Red Cap. The soil is very red and rocky, lava in nature. Also note the swinging boy on the label. Tom & Desiree have three children and were inspired to create a label such as this one to "...represent the spirit of wonder and fun that we all try to embody on a daily basis." Tom's true passion is in the vineyard and as he says, "this is his best job to date"! We can see why after visiting; the vineyards are in a very peaceful location and are surrounded by tall pine trees; this is hillside Napa at its best. During harvest he often picks at staggered intervals and harvest can easily reach a month or more. The reason being is Red Cap only picks when the fruit is ripe and often this may mean picking just several rows or blocks of the vineyard. As a result, all wine is fermented in small lots with whole berry fermentation (no jacks or stems) and punch-downs are done by hand. Some of Napa's hillside wines can be quite tannic - not so with Red Cap's Cabernet's. Native yeasts are used, the fruit is picked perfectly ripe and cooler longer fermentations are conducted. The typical aging is 20 months in French Oak. Coming from a culinary background Tom understands the importance of pairing food with wine. The 2006 vintage is a perfect food wine; it is not an in your face Cabernet Sauvignon, i.e., huge fruit bomb and as Tom says, it has a "power combined with elegance". All their vintages are 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon from the 3 distinct clones that are planted on site. We initially tried the 2006 about a month after bottling - so this wine still had some time before being released. However, it was already drinking quite nice with bright lively fruit and great acidity. The wine is dark ruby in color with a nose showing notes of cocoa, cherry cola and floral nuances. As the bouquet opens up even additional layers of fruit aromas are released. The palate is rich with cherry and plum and just a touch of vanilla from the oak. Their oak program is structured to not dominate, rather to let the varietal characteristics show. The finish lingers with notes of spice; the tannins are structured, in balance and fairly delicate. We had the opportunity to also try this wine again after it had seen another year of bottle age and after it was officially released. Along with the rich fruit it shows a pleasing earthiness both in the bouquet and on the palate. The flavor profiles are very well integrated and layered - with good balance throughout. This is a rather impressive first vintage and the year of bottle age has treated it well. Locally you will be able to find the wine at the St. Helena Wine Center in downtown St. Helena or also consider joining their mailing list on line. Visit: www.redcapvineyards.com |
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The tasting will vary depending on wines available but always includes their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. One note about the oak aging program here - they strictly use American Oak. A tasting also typically includes Chardonnay and Estate Merlot or their very limited Estate Zinfandel. They make a very nice Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is darker than a normal Rose with good structure and for a wine of this style packs some nicely concentrated flavors. You are in the Stag's Leap District - you have to try their Cabernet Sauvignon. They make two versions, one is blended and their 2004 Angelo's Hillside vintage is 100% varietal. Their hillside Cabernet is made during only select years where the quality of the "juice" is at the caliber they are looking for. As a result they have only made this wine 4x in the past 9 years. Sometimes you would think American Oak would dominate a wine and in some cases it certainly does, however there are many factors with regards to oak aging, cooper, toast, length of aging time, age of barrel etc...just ask Silver Oak Cellars. This is a very well balanced wine with concentrated flavors including some black cherry. The friendly staff is very knowlegeable and the winemaker may even stroll in as he did when we visited. As a humorous side note, this is the only winery we've ever been to in which we saw about 10 people walk out of the tasting room with beers in their hands! We thought they were tourists but in actuality they were hard core wine drinkers within the wine industry and were actually "washing out their mouths" with some beer (in between tastings) - incredible! Total production of all their wines is about 5000 cases. Visit: www.regusciwinery.com |
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Relic Wines was started by Michael Hirby & Schatzi Throckmorton. Michael has an interesting story of how he ended up working as a winemaker in Napa. He was in college in Colorado when he found out one of his classmates owned a restaurant, interestingly named Primativo. With a restaurant name like that they are sure to have a nice wine list and Michael ended up working as the sommelier and gaining valuable insights and tasting knowledge of Domestic and International wines. He eventually moved to France to take a job at a winery but just before he was to start he was informed there was no job available. Talk about a shock worse than bottle shock! He stayed in France longer and eventually found his was back to the USA and to Napa. He arrived in the area without knowing anyone, having housing lined up or having a job and fortunately found Behrens & Hitchcock winery high on Spring Mountain. He served as their assistant winemaker learning valuable winemaking information from owner Les Behrens and then branched out on his own and today runs Relic and is also winemaker for several other boutique wineries. Schatzi also moved to Napa after college on the spur of the moment and now is the General Manager for Behrens & Hitchcock & Erna Schein.
Note the name of this winery and its connotation. One of the common meanings of the word "relic" is a historical association with something in the past. Relic Wine's philosophy is tied into how wine has been made for many years. Depending on the wine, racking (siphoning the wine off the lees) is kept to a minimum and contact is made with the wine during the aging only when necessary. Out of 500+ commercial Napa wine producers that we have visited and tasted with to date Relic is the first one to mention to us that they crush grapes by foot stomping (the original method). Don't worry everything is well sanitized before hand! A number of small wineries in Spain & Portugal and other parts of Europe still use this method as their primary means of crushing the fruit. Relic sources fruit from Napa County as well as from Alder Springs in northern Mendocino County. Many wineries in Napa of course source their Pinot from the Carneros region or maybe the Sonoma Coast or Russian River in Sonoma county but the Pinot Noir from Alder Springs has its own unique characteristics. First of all its grown at elevation (vineyards up to 2700 feet) - try finding that elevation in Napa County and you will come up empty, with steep hillsides and specific soil types. Nice cola / cherry flavors are often representative of Pinots from this region. It is a fairly popular vineyard for select wineries and locally Patz & Hall & Behrens & Hitchcock have used fruit from the Alder Springs Vineyard. We had a chance to taste many of the component barrels that would form the final blends for their Pinot Noirs, the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Following the theme of the winery name, their predominately Cabernet Sauvignon blend is named Artefact. This wine is dark with great aromatics; could the 30% Petite Verdot have something to do with this! In addition, 10% of Syrah is part of this blend. The one released vintage we tried was the 2006 hillside grown Richard Perry Vineyard Syrah. This is a big wine, dark in color and rich in flavor. There are nice exotic pleasing aromas on the nose including violet, black cherry and hints of dark chocolate. The Syrah for this wine was not at the peak of its ripeness curve when it was picked which in part helps contribute to the more elegant nose rather than a fruit dominated bouquet. The fruit follows right onto the palate and finishes with moderate and well structured tannins. Unfortunately this is the last vintage from this remarkable vineyard, but Mike has many contacts within the Napa wine scene and can find other high quality vineyards. Their total production is quite small usually between 450 - 700 cases annually. Locally you can often find their wines at ACME wine shop in St. Helena. Visit: www.relicwines.com |
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Renard is owned by long time wine veteran Bayard Fox and his wife. Bayard is the winemaker and his wife designs the labels. Bayard was born in France and has a connection to French styled wines; today he works for a French Cooper and is able to visit France from time to time and he also worked a harvest there early on in his career. Renard is somewhat of an anomaly in the Napa area, because while they make their wine in Napa and source several varietals from the Napa Valley, their specialty is Syrah and other Rhone varietals. As a result their production is very "atypical" from the normal grown Napa varieties and this is uniquely refreshing (especially in our position after tasting through hundreds of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - which by the way is one of our favorite varietals). Much of their fruit comes from hillside cooler climates in neighboring Sonoma County to the west and the Santa Ynez Valley to the south in Santa Barbara County. What other Napa based wineries offer such an array of non traditional Napa wines? Choose from Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne and Viognier. These are among some of the better value to quality wines being produced from Napa - and this includes their most expensive wine, the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (more about that in a bit).
We started with the 2007 Rose Table Wine which is primarily Grenache. Grenache is an interesting varietal in that it produces huge amounts of fruit which for a variety of factors can have a hard time ripening evenly. This wine is clean, crisp with lively acidity and fruit including notes of watermelon and wild strawberry. The 2006 Roussanne is a weighty viscous wine that is a brilliant dark yellow color. As Bayard describes; it has a certain "phenolic grip" or "white wine tannins". This "waxiness" characteristic is typical of a Roussanne and is noticeable as soon as it hits your palate and is a wine that really shines with some food; it pairs well with a variety of cheeses or fish. It is blended slightly with Viognier which brings additional aromatics to the bouquet and a hint of apricot to the palate. Stone fruit, honeycomb and a slight nuttiness are also found on the palate. The 2006 Grenache is from Sonoma County. This is a rather "big" Grenache from its voluptuous aromas to wide fruit flavors and a plethora of spices on the palate. This is a wine with very nice acidity. Since Syrah is their specialty, Renard always has several Syrahs available, all sourced from very unique vineyards. The vineyard sources are carefully selected by Bayard and each site brings special terroir characteristics to the wines. Our favorite is the 2005 Kick Ranch Syrah (look for the gavel on the label - the owner of the vineyard is a lawyer). This a very dark inky wine from a vineyard that sees a fair amount of fog which helps ensure a long hangtime. As a result the fruit is very well developed and on the palate it is rich and layered in flavor. There are two sides to this wine, the big layered fruit and an elegant side represented with the elegant floral like aromas and soft mouth feel with silky tannins. The 2005 Tres Ninos is a predominately a Cabernet Sauvignon blend with Petite Sirah & Syrah, all sourced from well-known winemaker Elias Fernandez's small vineyard in the northern part of the Napa Valley. Elias has three kids who always help with the picking hence the name, Tres Ninos. For the quality of the vineyard and fruit this wine is priced remarkably well. It has both structure and softness. Lots of fruit bursts to life in the nose with flavors of plum and black cherry with some herbal notes, and this ripe fruit follows right onto the palate with a touch of spiciness from the Syrah. While taking their winemaking and vineyard fruit sources very seriously, from their labels, you can obviously see that Renard has a sense of humor and do not take themselves too seriously. All their tasting notes on the back label start out with nice tasting note descriptions and then end with 'and blah, blah, blah'. Nice! Let your own palate tell you if you enjoy the wines or what flavors and aromas you find. For most of their winemaking years, Renard was without a tasting facility. However in recent years they make their wine at Silenus Vintners, a wine making and tasting collective located just south of the town of Yountville. Silenus has a full tasting facility and you can taste Renard's wines as well as other producers there. Visit: www.renardsyrah.com |
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Renteria Vineyards is owned by Salvador Renteria and his son Oscar. Salvador immigrated to the USA from Mexico in 1962 following his brother up the continent to work a harvest. Soon thereafter he landed a job at Sterling, managing their vineyards and while there helped clear the land at the top of the knoll where Sterling Vineyards now sits. Early in his career he also helped oversee initial vineyards for well-known area wineries such as Beaulieu Vineyards, Clos Pegase, Cuvaison and Silverado. Later in his career he managed premium vineyards for cult wineries such as Screaming Eagle and Dalle Valle. It is a story told several times over, in the valley, where someone comes to Napa without any experience and many years later is considered a leader in his or her respective part of the wine industry. Such is the case with Salvador. He started his own vineyard management company in 1987 and his son Oscar took over the day to day management in 1993. Today they are the second largest vineyard management company in Napa Valley and as a result have many fine pieces of real estate to source their grapes from. Some of the vineyards they source from were originally planted by Salvador and today yield very low quantities of intensely flavored grapes. Their first vintage of wine was in 1997.
Also of note is their new caves were recently constructed in the hills of the southern most part of the Mt. Veeder Appellation in the Mayacamas mountain range. We recently had a chance to see these caves; this is in a relatively undeveloped vineyard part of Napa just north of the Carneros region. Only one other winery is in this area. Upcoming plans call for the construction of an actual winery building. Karen Culler is their winemaker; we have tasted most of the wines that she makes for other wineries and it is always a treat to sample her wines. Renteria focuses on two varietals, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Only one other winery we have visited during our Napa odyssey focuses on the same two varietals and they are Dovetail Vineyards. As of press time Renteria makes two Pinot Noirs - one from the Russian River area in neighboring Sonoma County and the other from the Napa side of the Carneros district. We tried the 2004 Carneros Knittel Vineyard. This has great Carneros fruit flavors including lots of strawberry (also in the bouquet). Let this wine sit for a while before serving as it needs time to open up, the mid palate is velvety which helps balance out the stronger tannins on the finish. Overall, this is a well balanced wine. Several Cabernets are represented including hillside grown fruit from Mt. Veeder and Stag's Leap. Also of note is Renteria has two other labels: Salva Tierra which means "salt of the earth", which is Oscar's wife's maiden name and Tres Perlas, named after their children (Magnum versions only). The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Salva Tierra is a rich wine with soft tannins that is definitely ready to drink now. Renteria's prices are typically quite reasonably by Napa standards. Visit: www.renteriawines.com |
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Retro Cellars is owned by the husband wife team of Mike and Kara Dunn. Perhaps you recognize the last name - Mike's father Randy is a winemaking and vineyard pioneer on Howell Mountain. Mike is currently cellar master at Dunn Vineyards and makes the Retro wines here. Both Mike and Kara have been involved in the wine industry for many years. Kara works with several wineries in regards to their sales and marketing including running this part of the business for Retro Cellars. She is the daughter of notable Napa vintner Robert Pecota. Mike grew up in the cellar, is the winemaker and also helps manages the vineyards. This is truly a family run affair and even their son had a hand in the business; he designed the artwork for their label.
This is a unique opportunity to try wine from a very small producer who focuses exclusively on a single Petite Sirah wine each year. As of press time, this wine comes from the Park Muscatine vineyard on Dunn's own property on Howell Mountain. This 3+ acre vineyard was planted well over 60 years ago and the yields are extremely low - try 1/2 ton to a ton per acre. Normally vintners would pull out these vines but Retro has been able to save some of the vines by carefully nurturing new suckers to grow and eventually produce when the main part of the vine has died. In addition, they replant new vines as necessary. The vineyard is located at an elevation of about 1800 feet. We recently had a chance to walk the vineyard and we can see why the yields are low. Some of the vines hardly have any fruit set - some vines have just a few clusters. The vines have no trellising, the spacing is quite wide as was favorable during the years when it was originally planted. The soils are reddish and very rocky; this is good terroir for growing these types of grapes. For many years the fruit from this vineyard was sold to notable Napa wineries such as Stag’s Leap Winery, La Jota and Elyse. Fortunately Mike was able to convince his father to let him use the grapes and Retro released their first commercial vintage in 2003. We tried the 2004 - you know this wine is going to have some structure just by looking at it. It is seriously dark and then take a whiff of the nose. It is seriously big! Rich aromas of dark chocolate mingle with blackberry and hints of smoke. The palate is juicy, spicy and dense with tons of fruit. There are notes of leather, graphite, tobacco and nice blackberry nuances on the mid palate. The tannins are gripping and chalky with a finish that lingers for quite some time. This wine is a meant for a big juicy steak. The 2005 which at the time of our tasting was almost released has even more fruit than the 2004 vintage. Unfortunately it will be difficult to find as only 125 cases were made. As expected this wine is just as dark as the earlier vintage. Earthy aromas lead to a rich core of blueberry and blackberry on the palate with great acidity and again big structure on the finish. It will be very interesting to see how these wines age and evolve over time. As you can see, Retro is the perfect name for this wine and vineyard - a retrospective if you will which taken as its literal definition is "looking or directed backward". The name is a tribute to their family as well as a throwback to earlier days of winemaking in California. Methods that used to be common in the wine industry but are no longer common are still "in vogue" at Retro Cellars; head pruned vineyards, managing the vineyards yourself (we've seen statistics that up to 80% of Napa's vineyards are under the management of vineyard management companies), make the wine yourself and never pick when the sugars are too high. Looking for additional fruit and to increase production, Mike planted another acre nearby (appropriately titled Los Abuelos) - using bud wood from the parent vineyard. Their total production is merely several hundred cases with very select distribution in just a handful of states. Locally you can find the wine in Groezinger's wine shop in Yountville and Backroom Wines in the town of Napa. Visit: www.retrocellars.com |
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Revana is located on the east side of St. Helena Highway just south of Lodi Lane. It is a fairly new winery as the land was purchased in 1997 and planted soon thereafter. Their first vintage dates from 2001 and the winery opened in 2004. All fruit comes from this estate vineyard. The actual vineyard is located directly behind the winery; it is 9 acres planted to several clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. These two additional varietals are often used to bring additional complexity to the palate as well as build structure on the wine's finish. Despite being relatively small at only 9 planted acres, there are many different soil types spread throughout this vineyard and their rootstocks and plantings have been adapted accordingly. The main focus here has always been on a single wine, an estate Cabernet Sauvignon (under 2000 cases). Well respected Napa vineyard manager Jim Barbour planted the initial vines and has managed the Revana vineyards since then. Jim is the one who actually found this property for Dr. Revana. Tastings are by appointment only (when you face the winery from their parking lot, walk all the way to the right and enter the last door which opens into their elegant tasting room). A typical tasting includes different vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is popular; Revana has built up a loyal following and vintages tend to sell out rather quickly. Such is their focus on this one wine that they have taken many steps to ensure this wine is of the highest quality. Dr. Revana has assembled an A class caliber team of wine related professionals including well-regarded winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett. Heidi has a long history of making wines for some of Napa's most prestigious and boutique wineries and still is winemaker for a select few including her own label La Sirena (you may see a few bottles of this around the tasting room). She also makes her own wine here as well as Jim Barbour's wine and you can taste any of these with special request. Heidi has a masterful attention to detail both in the vineyards and in the winery. Her wines are expressive, balanced and food friendly. Heidi was also instrumental in helping design the winery. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon was just released at the time of our tasting. Their wine tends to be aged slightly longer than is common with current releases. The nose shows a dusty or earthy component complemented by ripe black fruit including blackberry and black cherry. This is a soft elegant wine with intriguing layers of flavor (mostly black fruit). It shows a well rounded finish anchored by broad tannins. There is ample structure on the finish yet it is in balance, complemented nicely with the lingering plum/berry flavors. Heidi estimates this will drink nicely through 2020. Should you find yourself in the Willamette Valley (about a hours drive south of Portland) in Oregon stop by Alexana Winery in the Dundee Hills appellation. Alexana is also owned by Dr. Revana and the name comes from combining part of his last name and his daughter's first name. The focus of Alexana is on Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Not to sit still for very long Dr. Revana has branched out Internationally and has more recently planted vineyards in Mendoza Argentina. Visit: www.revanawine.com |
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They are located about 1.5 miles in on the narrow winding Diamond Mountain Road just up the road from von Strasser Winery. Their vineyards are all located on fairly steep rocky soil - perfect terroir conditions for producing high end wine! All fruit for their wine comes from this estate property. There are not many wineries who will see visitors by appointment in the Diamond Mountain Appellation and these two wineries are the only wineries in this particular area. Might as well visit both when you are here. All Reverie's wines are estate grown with the utmost attention to detail during the growing and winemaking processes. In addition, all their wines are unfiltered which often leaves a better representation of the true varietal taste in the actual wine. Typically you will walk around the property during your tour with a stop in their small working wine cave for a taste at the long table in the back. Note the realistic cave painting on the doors of the cave but be sure not to walk straight into it! Reverie has beautiful grounds designed by the late Evelyn Kiken who was a Master Gardener. A visit here, regardless of weather always stops in their circular redwood grove (yes umbrellas will be provided if you don't have one). If the weather is nice, your tasting will be here otherwise you will spend much more time in the cave. Typically you will start out your tasting with their Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay both of which are fermented in stainless steel tanks. They produce great complex hillside grown Cabernet Sauvignons especially their "special reserve" which meets their strictest requirements for only the best lots and blends; you can really pick up an earthy and mineral component to this wine and the tannins on the finish are well structured. We tried the 2004 vintage; its a wine built to age with a lot of structure not only on the finish. Big fruit including blackberry and black currant is complemented with subtle herbal and cedar notes. Reverie is well-known for its ASKiken brand which is typically a 5-varietal Bordeaux blend. The owners last name is Kiken, and well, you get the rest! A shirt with this name on it even appeared in one of the front covers of Rolling Stone Magazine. We tried the 2005 vintage. This wine shows very ripe fruit on the palate, black cherry, raspberry and perhaps a little plum with hints of oak and spices. The pleasant finish contains tannins that are alluring and not overwhelming. The owner's son who is often at the winery runs a wine event service (www.butterflywineevents.com). Ask about their "wine quiz" for a possible bottle of free wine! For more info visit: www.reveriewine.com |
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If Steve is around perhaps he will invite you to try some barrel samples. You can also make appointments for private tours, the barrel tastings as well as vineyard education tours. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is actually a blend of 3 Cab clones, the common 337 and 4 and the not so common Weimer clone which was originally developed at UC Davis for shorter growing seasons such as on the east Coast, but this clone actually thrives in the Napa area. Not every winery in Napa Valley makes a Pinot noir but Reynolds makes a delicious well-balanced one grown from vineyards in the cooler Carneros region. Their 2006 Chardonnay is a creamy delight, it undergoes no malolactic fermentation, the aging is in neutral oak (isn't buttery, just creamy) with tons of fruit on the palate including some tangerine and pear flavors. Also be sure to try Persistence, Steve's trademark Cabernet Sauvignon blend. It is by far the biggest of the reds we tried and is full of spices, black cherry and hints of chocolate. Reynold's is most well known for their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2004 vintage does not disappoint. Note the nice use of the Centellino decanter attached to the wine bottle for their Merlot...don't see these at many Napa wineries. We love their label for the reds which is a single mustard bloom...so simple yet elegant. As of press time, their production is about 7000 cases and some wines are sold only at the winery. The owner is also involved in several other interesting winery projects which we have reviewed, including Thirteen (wine made from Napa's 14 sub-appellations, and another label called Naughty which is tentatively slated to be tasted at Reynolds by mid summer 2008. Visit: www.reynoldsfamilywinery.com |
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It was at Monterey Vineyard that he came up with his ingenious yet simple invention which is now found in the majority of all wineries that we have ever visited. It is the steel double barrel pallet (Peterson Pallet) used for stacking barrels on top of each other. Richard never sought a patent for his invention, instead he presented it as a gift to the industry for the first time at WITS (Wine Industry Technical Seminar) in Fresno in 1974. Before his invention he remembers the incredible work and detail that would go into managing wine barrels, moving, rolling, stacking with wood chips, dropping empty barrels onto tires and then catching the barrel as it bounced back into the air, etc. This invention quickly revolutionized the production side of the industry. Within 5 years this pallet was commonly used and today is found in wineries worldwide. In addition, while perhaps not appearing to be earthquake friendly - the Peterson Pallet has already proven itself during a number of earthquakes. Richard remembers one article talking about a number of items that crashed down in a winery during a particular earthquake in California's Central Coast but how the author made a point to mention that the pallets and the stacked wine barrels remained intact. Dr. Peterson also holds several wine related patents including a process to physically inject antibiotics via a screw into the grapevine's trunk to fight Pierce's Disease. Ever enjoy a Seagram's wine cooler? Richard developed their first wine cooler. Richard's daughters Heidi Peterson Barrett and Holly Peterson continue to have much success in the food & wine industry - Heidi is a much sought after winemaker and Holly is a well-known chef. Look for some of Holly's special recipes to pair with this Pinot on their website. Richard has judged (still does) a number of wine competitions and in 1980 found himself judging a competition in England. Always curious about wine he asked to try some of the local wines and the head of the wine judging said "have we got the wine for you". A very old vine "discovered" in 1950 was growing next to an old stone wall in the village of Wrotham - no one knew anything about this vine other than it was very old and that it looked different from most vines when the leaves were out. After tasting the wine Richard knew it was a special varietal. He had a plethora of previous experience working with fruit from native rootstalks and vines in North America and knew this fruit was clearly of much higher quality. He took several cuttings back to the USA where they remained in quarantine for a number of years (were found to be completely disease free). He eventually planted the cuttings among his rose bushes and watched as the cuttings leafed out and over time never contracted powdery mildew while the rose bushes of course had little immunity. This particular selection of Pinot Noir was resistant to powdery mildew which is a common fungus that vineyard managers spend much time and money fighting with sulphur and other sprays. As a result he took some cuttings to UC Davis where they are genetically trying isolate this particular gene(s). If they are successful this has the potential to completely revolutionize vineyard management and certainly significantly cut down on sulphur uses. We recently had the chance to see the 2 acre vineyard in mid summer. The vineyard is growing in a cooler part of the Napa Valley - a bit north of the Carneros district. The vineyard stands out in stark contrast to typical shiny yellow green grape leaves of the other surrounding vineyards. Richard's vineyard of Wrotham Pinot Noir is actually a grayish color due to all the small white/grey hairs that cover all of the leaves. Another unusual attribute of this Wrotham selection is during bud break and for a time thereafter the small leaves are a distinctive red/pinkish color. This is certainly the first vineyard of Wrotham Pinot Noir growing in the USA and presently there are not even 4 acres planted worldwide. Pinot Noir is a varietal that tends to mutate and sure enough Richard has found several mutations in his own small vineyard. One vine produced one shiny yellow green leafed shoot in contrast to the muted whitish/grey leaves found on the rest of the vine. During a recent harvest he also found one vine that produced both red and white fruit. These mutations can then be isolated and once they bear fruit it can be determined if the quality is good enough to continue to propagate them. Because of the limited amount of fruit Richard makes either a sparkling wine or a red wine each year. There are merely 8 or 9 producers that we know in the Napa Valley making at least one sparkling wine each vintage; it is certainly not that common. We normally do not drink much sparkling wine but this is certainly one of the nicer sparkling wines we have tried on this project. The first vintage of any wine from this vineyard was released in 2000. We tried the 2001 sparkling Blanc de noir. This wine is a pronounced peach/pink color in the glass with a fine bouquet showing wild strawberry and kiwi notes. The mouth feel is pleasing with just a note of creaminess from the time spent on the yeast. Subtle and delicate red fruit flavors show including strawberry, cranberry and a pleasing note of ruby red grapefruit flavor towards the clean crisp finish. This wine should be drinkable anytime from release up to 15 to 20 years. At the time of this review, 2005 was the most recent vintage which won't actually be released for several more years. The 2006 Pinot Noir was the first ever release of a red wine from the Wrotham clone Pinot Noir. Since this is the first table wine from this particular clone Richard is still experimenting with the winemaking side of things including barrel selection and aging. 516 cases of this wine were released. The bouquet has nice notes of perfume and is somewhat floral including aromas of violet and lavender with some mineralities present. Ripe red fruit shows on the palate including red cherry, raspberry and plum. This is a fairly smooth Pinot throughout the palate with great acidity as well as nice structure and a lingering taste of berries on the finish. From his work at Beaulieu Vineyards Richard discovered that some of Andre Tchelistcheff's early crafted Pinot Noirs at Beaulieu Vineyard actually held up longer than some of the Cabernet Sauvignons. Richard expects this wine to also age very well. The Wrotham clone dates from at least 1700 years ago when the Romans came to England - the varietal probably was used for wine at that time and then fast forward all those centuries to today for the "modern" take on this Pinot selection. Richard's friend has planted another acre in even cooler Monterey and as a result in the next few years he will have this additional fruit source to work with. This particular varietal of Pinot Noir while several thousand years old, is certainly so "new" that Richard is still determining the best way to work with it in the winery (oak program, winemaking style etc). It is a varietal that prefers cooler weather and the vineyard in Monterey is even cooler than Richard's vineyard - it will be interesting to see differences between the two vineyards in the coming years. Incidentally the "source" vine in Wrotham died in 1990 but soon thereafter two small seedlings sprouted - which is probably how this vine regenerated itself over almost 2000 years. Based on Richard's long time involvement as a wine judge it is only natural that the wine from his vineyard has been entered into a number of competitions. Out of 1800 entries at a recent National Women’s Wine Competition only 6 double gold medals were given out and Richard Grant took home one of these. He has also won a number of medals at other competitions including nationally and internationally. The production is so limited each year (usually under 500 cases) that its distribution is almost all within California. You can find the wines locally at Dean & Deluca in St. Helena and JV Warehouse in the town of Napa. The best way to acquire some of the wine is via the website. Visit: www.richardgrantwine.com |
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Richard Perry Vineyards dates from 1988 when the owners Richard and Sheila Perry planted 20 acres in the Coombsville region just east of the town of Napa. The vineyard location is all hillside with most of the vineyards terraced. It backs right up against the large Napa Valley Preserve so the nearby land will never be developed and will retain its natural state. The Perry's purchased the property in the late 1970's and at the time weren't sure what this would lead to as they did not have a background in vineyard management. Fortunately their nearby neighbor is Caldwell Cave Winery and over time the owner John Caldwell gave them invaluable advice about vineyards and provided the original impetus to become grape growers. For many years they sold the grapes to other area wineries such as Rombauer and Newton. Then in 1997 a winemaker at Rombauer who was already purchasing their fruit noted the high quality of the vineyard sources and mentioned they should try making their own wine. As a result their first vintage was made at Rombauer in 1997.
Today they focus on two varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Two French clones are used for their Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 and 337, each of which contributes its own character and complexity. We tried the 2005 Syrah. This is a rich juicy mouth watering wine that is well layered on the palate. The word approachable can easily be tagged onto a description of this wine. The aromas are fruit and spice driven with blackberry and white pepper followed by more blackberry and blueberry on the palate; nuances of chocolate and spices form the backbone to a slightly smoky incredibly long finish. The mouth feel is super smooth anchored by a well structured tannins. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal and the nose is a mix of plum and cherry with an exotic cinnamon and all spice characteristic. Let this wine open up before drinking as additional aromatics and flavors will creep out. Chocolate, spices and a flavor that can only be described at ripe blackberry juice still covered in dust is present representing nice earthy terroir driven characteristics. All their wine is made at the state of the art new Porter Family Winery. A large vintage is a production of about 1800 cases. You can taste Richard Perry wines at the first rate tasting collective, Vintner's Collective, located near downtown Napa. Visit: www.perryvineyards.com |
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RigArt Garage Winery is not open to the public and yes, as the name implies this winery is run directly out of a garage. As a result, this was one of the oddest Napa tastings we have done...sitting in the garage in the dark watching residential traffic cruise by the neighborhood streets! We have since visited a number of "garagist" wineries in Napa, but in fact this was the only one where our tasting was actually in the bonded garage winery. Crush is done on the driveway and 1/2 of the garage is separated with a chain link fence. A small number of Oak barrels are aging wine inside the garage. As of press time, this is probably the first write-up of this winery as they just received their winery bond in 2007. Unlike some counties, Napa county will actually issue a winery bond to a garage. This was the first Napa area garage winery that we visited on this project. It is run by Dean who has been making home wine for a number of years. Dean toured the world working on the sound and light shows for popular bands and was never home that much. This of course makes it hard to make wine but more recently he has started limiting his time abroad.
RigArt concentrates on a Syrah with plans to produce a Cabernet Sauvignon. Their first vintage was only 70 cases and the per bottle price is very reasonable. The grapes for Dean's Syrah come from a small vineyard on the west side of the southern part of the Silverado Trail. Syrah is a wine that can exhibit a huge range of characteristics in the final product. We tried this wine; for you Syrah lovers who like a lighter wine with a lot of fruit in the flavors and aromas this is the wine for you. It is easily drinkable by itself or with food - especially seafood. It has a very nice strong fruity nose with hints of cranberries, raspberries and even some black figs. The finish is quick and leaves you wanting more which is not a bad thing! RigArt will only ship within California or if you are in the Napa area you can buy RigArt wine at Groezinger Wine Merchants in Yountville (Phone: 707 944-2331) or visit RigArt's website: www.rigart.com |
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Note As of late May 2009, Rios has just opened a stylish new tasting room on main street in Calistoga just west of Brannan's Restaurant. We will revisit their tasting room in mid to late 2009 and provide an updated review here. Their wines are bottled under the Solovino label which which literally means "one wine" in Spanish. The story of how they arrived at this name is based on family history...and a horse. Solovino was the name of their grandfather's horse. Their grandfather lived in the Mexican state of Michoacán and one day this horse totally disappeared. A year went by and they just figured they would never see this horse again. Another year went by, then 6 more months and while they were relaxing in their house one day they heard a terrific noise; the front porch swinging doors came crashing open. Here was their missing horse, walking right inside their house and was still attached to its hitching post! All fruit for the wines are sourced from select area vineyards which are under the control of Manuel's vineyard management company. With over 750 acres under his management, he has a rather large selection from which to pull high end grapes. We recently met for a tasting with Rafael, who handles much of the marketing and sales for their fairly new winery. The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (sourced from Yountville) was aged for 7 months in neutral French Oak and aged sur lie. As a result it has a nice weighty mouth feel. The aromas are all about the fruit - both tropical in nature as well as citrus with a few minerality notes. The palate is well textured and balanced between acidity and fruit. Apple and tangerine flavors linger. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (sourced from Rutherford) was aged for 20 months in French Oak. Delightful fruit driven aromas fill up the glass including blackberry and black cherry. There is just a hint of vanilla and spice from the oak aging. The body is full and very juicy with layered flavors of blackberry, dark chocolate and cassis. The finish is elegant and smooth with structured but delicate tannins. In addition, this wine is priced very reasonably based on the quality. As of press time the wine is mostly distributed within Northern California and the total production is under 1000 cases. You can find their wine locally at JV Warehouse in Napa, the Sunshine Market in St. Helena and the Wine Stop in Calistoga. Visit: www.rioswine.com |
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Their driveway off of the top of Spring Mountain Road is a shared driveway for other area wineries & residences & contains many forks in the road; stick to the forks that contain the signs for their address (4024) and their name. The actual winery is located below their residence down a very narrow somewhat overgrown gravel and dirt road. There is parking for 1 or maybe 2 cars and the turn around is somewhat tight. Their production is very low and due to their location they are only setup for very small groups and serious wine enthusiasts. All tastings are by appointment only and note that they may not offer tastings in the winter or summer (spring and fall are better times to get hold of the owners Pete & his wife Maggie). This is a rare tasting where you get to meet with Pete, one of the long time winemakers in the valley who is still actively involved in his own winery. Tasting is at the small winery that Pete built (Pete is the winemaker and vineyard manager) and you are surrounded by native vegetation, many chirping birds and tall fir trees; you are in a forest! Bothe-Napa State Park backs right up against his property and this only adds to the natural ambience of the area. The actual Ritchie Creek starts on their property and flows all the way down to the Napa Valley floor. When we visited we sat down at a table next to the actual winery with Pete and tasted his 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is blended with Merlot is all estate grown and is very well balanced. Pete also makes a very nice Pinot noir which contains some floral aromas and deep berry flavors. We challenge you to name other Spring Mountain wineries growing Pinot Noir in Spring Mountain! Here is one varietal you will not find in Napa outside of this winery: Blaufrankisch which is native to Austria. Ritchie Creek only has a few rows of this varietal and as a result the case production is extremely limited. Visit: www.ritchiecreek.com |
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Road 31 Wine Co , formerly Green Truck Cellars, is owned and operated by Kent Fortner. As with several other small wineries we have visited with, he is a wine man show..err, one man show - vineyard manager, the winemaker, and sales guy. Nothing like having the vintner show up in his green truck with bottles of his own hand crafted wine available for sale. The specialty of this winery is merely one vintage produced each year of a stellar Pinot Noir. This Pinot is made from several vineyards in and around the cooler Carneros region of South Napa. One vineyard is even south of the Carneros region.
As of press time Kent makes only about 700 cases each year and typically sells out quickly to his mailing and distributor lists. Most winery owners name their wineries after themselves; last names, first names, middle names, name combinations - we've seen it all, but not Kent! He had the refreshing idea to initially name the winery after his truck which is green and yes, despite the winery name change is still in use! Road 31 pays homage to a rural gravel road which runs by both his mother and father's family homesteads in Kansas. The green truck was actually willed to him by one of his grandfathers. A tasting is very informal - Kent says "don't show up wearing a tie". The tasting is always held with Kent at White Rock Winery where he makes his wine. You will taste through several "future vintages" from his barrels in the small cave and then taste current vintages from the bottle. We tried his wine from the barrel merely several days after it had finished fermenting but it had not yet gone through malolactic fermentation. At this stage it is a very rough wine which gives one a great perspective on how far this wine actually comes before its ready to be bottled. The fruit really shows in his wine which is complemented by a combination of French and Hungarian barrel aging. We tried the 2005 vintage which has nice notes of cherry, cola and mocha on the nose followed by a juicy palate rich in flavor and spiciness. Be sure to visit his website as well as his PLOG (Pinot Blog). As Kent says with confidence "reading about wine is not nearly as good for your soul as drinking one!" "Truckers" is the name you earn when you join the mailing list as this is the best way to acquire the wine once it is released. His distribution includes mostly California but also Vegas, parts of Utah, New York & New Jersey. Visit: www.road31.com |
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Robbins Vineyards was founded by long time farmer Phil Robbins in 2002. He owns 18 planted acres just off of Zinfandel Lane south of the town of St. Helena. At one time his acreage was part of a much larger property owned by the Christian Brothers. The Christian Brothers had their well-known winery on Mt. Veeder (now the Hess Collection) and also owned this second location on Zinfandel Lane. Phil's vineyards were originally part of what was 200 acres of vines. This land has been planted to vine since the late 1920's and before that was home to prunes and cattle.
Phil grew up near Chico California in the Central Valley north of Sacramento. Farming has been in his family's blood for many years every since they immigrated to California from Ohio in the late 1890's. Phil owned a vineyard near Davis where he experimented with growing a number of varietals as well as different trellising methods on various varietals. Looking to grow premium grapes he started looking for land in the Napa Valley in the mid 1990's. Vineyard land at this time was rather scarce and after looking for a number of months essentially Phil put his dream of owning vineyard land on hold. However he left his business card with a realtor in Napa whose specialty was vineyard land. Shelving the search for vineyard property, several years soon went by and one day more than 3 years after he started looking for property he received a call out of the blue from the same realtor. This person had lost Phil's card and had found it when he was cleaning out his desk. Not recognizing the card, the realtor placed it on top of his desk until one day he remembered Phil and the fact that he was looking for land in Napa. As luck would have it, the last piece of the old Christian Brothers vineyard was for sale and this is the piece that Phil ended up purchasing in 2002. Phil and Leopoldo Ceja (of Napa's Ceja wine family) manage the vineyards. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot are planted on site. A balanced vine makes a balanced wine - and Phil and his vineyard management team are extremely focused in their vineyard efforts. The property is managed sustainably; cover crops are in part used to help maintain the health of the soil. Phil learned the art of wine making a number of years ago and also took courses through the UC Davis extension program. He has made their wine since day 1. However he was inspired to make wine commercially after his son Chad made home wine for their family's enjoyment. A year later Phil and his wife Leslie brought a bottle of this wine to a party hosted by wine professionals and it was entered into a blind tasting. This "garagiste" home wine ended up taking the top award at this tasting. The production is currently about 500 cases split between two wines, the Big Alibi Red and their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Phil makes the wine at a winery within a golf clubs drive of his vineyard. A variety of oak programs are used including French, some Hungarian and several barrels that include the heads of American Oak with the bodies of French Oak. Phil strives to produce lower alcohol Bordeaux styled wines - with structure but not overbearing. His wines are meant to be consumed with food and are approachable at a young age. 2005 was his first commercial release. We tried a number of components from various barrels that will form the final blends for their finished Big Alibi Red. The 2007 Merlot shows nicely despite at the time of our tasting still 7 months away from bottling. The bouquet is somewhat earthy or dusty, with notes of cedar and blackberry. This is a rich example of this varietal; the palate shows soft but concentrated flavor including blackberry and blueberry. A certain chalkiness and notes of minerality are found on the broad structured rather lengthy finish. Besides making his own wine from the estate, Phil also operates a custom wine brand service. He already has several clients utilizing his services including a wine shop. Here is a private label service in which you know where the wine is coming from. It is private labeling but is from an artisan producer sourcing from an estate vineyard. This isn't bulk wine private labeling; the wines can be made in the style you enjoy. All packaging and development is included with the service as well as several bottling options. The wines are currently available direct through their website and mailing list. Plans are in the works for additional distribution in Northern California. For more information about Robbins Vineyards visit: www.robbinsvineyards.com |
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Note the interesting signage when you drive into this fairly new winery facility. The speed limit is 5 and 1/2 MPH (bet you wont see that speed limit posted at any other Napa wineries!), and note the sign on the tree that says "Watch for Black Chicken". There is a very interesting story behind this sign which ties into one of their wines. When Robert Biale was in his mid teens he made wine, but because of his age could not sell it. Party lines were the norm in those days and he was concerned people would find out an underage person was selling wine. As a result, he coined the term "Black Chicken" which he told only his customers about and they would mention this on the phone when they wanted to order his Zinfandel. So when someone ordered his typical farm items, usually eggs and prunes and they mentioned wanting some Black Chicken he automatically knew they wanted his wine and it was "safe" to sell it to them. Unfortunately for his customers in later years his wife was never initially privy to the "code words" and she would tell customers she could sell them white chickens but not black ones! Zinfandel is a grape that doesn't typically ripen evenly. As a result, after veraison the Biale's have to continuously keep a close eye on the vineyards and will often walk row by row removing green fruit or other grapes what will never reach their maximum maturity. Today Biale Vineyards makes the Black Chicken Zinfandel and it is by far their most produced and popular wine. The 2006 vintage is full of rich fruit, blackberry, raspberry and black cherry. There are good spices present on the palate and even slight notes of vanilla. The mouth-feel is nice and soft as well. One of their other Zinfandels is the Party Line Zin and it is a lighter somewhat less complex wine than the Black Chicken - made for drinking now, more of an everyday wine. Some of their fruit comes from the oldest Zinfandel vines in the Napa area. In addition to Zinfandel they also produce very small quantities of Petite Sirah, Syrah (under the Hillclimber label), Barbera, and Sangiovese. A special note about Barbera; we challenge you to find other Napa Barbera's - it will not be easy! This wine comes from a small vineyard in Calistoga which contains the oldest Barbera vines in Napa County. Their wine club is even named after the infamous "chicken". The tasting room is in the back of the winery and the outside porch is surrounded by the vineyards. The tastings are relaxed, informal, personable and very down to earth. Forget about ordering online; the customer winery relationship is very important to Robert Biale - new customers become new friends. In the outside shot that you might live in the town of Napa, Robert Biale will deliver wine for free. This goes back to their original farming days when they were not delivering wine but rather fruit, walnuts and other agricultural products. Visit: www.robertbialevineyards.com |
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This winery was started by Robert Craig in 1992; he has been involved in the wine industry for many years, most notably at The Hess Collection as their General Manager. In addition he helped develop 300 vineyard acres on Mt. Veeder and was instrumental in forming a sub appellation for the Mt. Veeder area. As a result of his background and interest in mountain vineyards his own wines come from a vineyard on Mt. Veeder as well as his estate vineyards on Howell Mountain. Been scared off by big bold mountain grown wines that you have to lay down for years before they are reasonable to the palate? Not so with Robert Craig's wines. They tend to show the fruit extremely well, the tannins are not in your face, and balance and integration of all the components in the wine plays a key role in their winemaking style. The tasting room is just minutes driving north of downtown Napa and is located among standard businesses in what looks like an old auto garage complete with a pull up metal door. Looks are deceiving and it is wineries such as these that are fun to seek out. The inside tasting room has been tastefully restored from its previous industrial uses and is very modern. Robert Craig is appointment only and is setup to take only small groups. The tasting is not rushed; it is very personal and informative. There is a winemaking facility on site, used by other wineries as well, and sometimes you can smell the wine drifting into the tasting room from next door. After your tasting you can walk into their barrel room contained in what looks like a large warehouse and you will be given a sample directly from one of the wine barrels. While their focus is on Cabernet Sauvignon they do make one white, a Chardonnay sourced from the Durell vineyard in Sonoma County. It is a vineyard that remains moderated by cooling breezes throughout the day due to its proximity to the bay. This wine has wonderful stone fruit aromas including pear and peach with a floral characteristic - mainly honeysuckle. The palate is rich with some of the fruit aroma characteristics continuing into the flavors. Their wines are very balanced so not one aspect jumps out and dominates your palate. They are soft on the tannin structure and very easily drinkable now. Their Affinity Cabernet is like drinking liquid velvet. Two other must try wines are their Howell Mountain and Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. The Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon was in fact their first wine produced as they did not yet have their Howell Mountain property. The 2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet is one of our favorite Robert Craig wines. It is unfined and unfiltered for maximum flavor and color. There is a mix of blackberry and white pepper on the palate with some subtle spices towards the finish (cloves, more pepper and even some anis). Ask about the Downtown Napa Wine Tasting Card- multiple downtown area tasting rooms participate in this and for a one-time fee you can visit & taste at each of their tasting rooms. Visit: www.robertcraigwine.com |
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Robert Foley Vineyards is run by long time Napa vintner Bob Foley and his wife Kelly. Bob has been winemaking in the Napa area since 1977 which puts him in a select number of winemakers still practicing their art today who were working in the 70's in the Napa area. If you ever get the chance to meet him you will soon realize his passion for his wines is great! He is the winemaker for several other small wineries, one of which supplies some of his fruit. After many years of custom crushing at local wineries, he recently built his own winery and cave high in the Howell Mountain area (nicknamed the Foley compound). His winery and vineyards are at about 2000 feet in elevation. His focus is on big mountain grown hillside red wines although he does produce one white, the Pinot Blanc (sees only stainless - no oak).
As a result of the hillside fruit, his wines are typically very well concentrated both in aroma and flavor. Some of his Cabernet Sauvignon is among the last picked in the valley, often into even November! We had a chance to taste through many of his reds including his well-known Charbono. This is a varietal that is extremely limited in production with most of these vineyards in the USA grown in and around the Calistoga area. Charbono likes temperature swings during the growing season and Calistoga certainly has these. The northern part of the Napa Valley is the warmest but during the summer nights the temperature can drop 30 and 40 degrees from that day's high. It is hard for us to be biased in regards to this varietal as we have tasted Charbono from almost all the Napa wineries producing this and it is always one of our nicer tastes. It is this wine that in fact got Bob into winemaking. When he was in high school in the late 60's he tried a Charbono from a local Napa area grower and fell in love with the varietal. Much later when he was looking for Charbono sources to make his own wine he contacted this grower who was just about to pull out the rest of his Charbono vines. Talk about good timing! Another very popular wine in Foley's portfolio is the Claret. Scores in the mid 90's by Robert Parker have helped to also put this wine on the map including a 2001 vintage which received an amazing 99 points! We tried his 2005 vintage which is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. This is a wine true to previous vintages; its big with lots of fruit flavors on the palate with structured tannins on the finish and is definitely a candidate for aging if you can resist drinking it now! Also look for Foley's Howell Mountain Cabernet, a Petite Sirah and his long time standby, the Merlot which in 2005 was released for the first time as a stand alone varietal. Visit: www.robertfoleyvineyards.com Did you know that Bob Foley has his own band and has been touring since 2006. Visit: www.robertfoleyband.com for details. |
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Robert Keenan was the original owner and his first vintage was 1977 - this is one of the older wineries in the Spring Mountain District. This winery is still family owned (multi-generational) and Robert's son Michael now runs the winery operations. They specialize in hillside grown fruit for the following varietals: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Most of their wines are intense but approachable with concentrated flavors. As Robert used to say to his son Michael "the key to life is balance, taking anything to the extreme is usually a mistake". These are good words to live by. You will find Keenan's wines very well balanced between acidity, tannins and flavor. They actually grow a little bit of Chardonnay on site which is not a varietal you think of when it comes to Napa hillside based wineries. However there are several other Spring Mountain wineries growing this varietal and it has its own unique characteristics compared to the more common cool weather Chardonnay sourced from the Carneros district to the south. Their first release in 1977 was in fact a Chardonnay. We tried the 2006 which is a very crisp wine that does not see any Malolactic fermentation and is aged sur-lie. Despite some aging in oak, the oak flavors have not been imparted to this wine; rather is all about the varietal characteristics and flavors of pear, apple and other mineralities are present. It has nice weight and creaminess which is partially due to how it was aged. They make a very limited production Zinfandel which typically is only available for purchase at the winery. They also use some fruit from the valley floor which helps bring a softness to the bigger richer hillside grown grapes. If its not to crowded your host may walk you through the barrel room and out to the vineyards. Quintessential views of Spring Mountain and the nearby hills can be seen by walking out into their vineyards. This winery sometimes can be popular with small tour groups on the weekends. For a boutique "mountain" winery with a relatively long history and acclaim, their prices have been kept very reasonable. There is a small picnic area on site. Stand in front of the winery and look down at the vineyard - to the right of the pond, all around the edge of the vineyard you will see all their pole mounted solar panels. Visit: www.keenanwinery.com |
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Robert Mondavi was well known in wine circles and had a role in founding the Copia Center in the town of Napa and the performing arts center at UC Davis is named after him. Almost single handedly the Mondavi family has played a huge part on the Napa wine industry by introducing state of the art wine making equipment to the area and marketing the Napa Valley to the rest of the world. Many of the late 20th century Napa Winemakers got their start from him including well known winemakers Warren Winiarski and Mike Grgich. His influence was great - just look at all the winemakers who have gone out on their own after stints working at Mondavi. Word has it that Mondavi used to sell his wine out of the back of a truck! Be sure to visit the intimate Vintners Room and also view the display and photos that show Mondavi's history in the Napa Valley. Mondavi offers some of the most well-rounded wine educational seminars, tastings & tours of any winery in the Napa Valley. We highly recommend their To Kalon Tour & Tasting. Allow at least 90 minutes for this very informative tour and make advance reservations if possible. It caters to all levels of education in regards to wine. Yes, on our tour someone asked if Mondavi puts Cranberries and Cherries into their wines to give it those flavors. Uh huh. You are given a small colored token which indicates you have paid for the tour and then you meet on the walkway or grassy section near the entrance. As soon as the tour guide showed up the first words were "grab your cameras, turn off your cell phones and lets go"!. The tour starts in a side room with an informative overview of the winery, its history and general information about the region. Questions are invited. You then proceed out to the vineyards (weather permitting) for a quick vineyard overview followed by a visit to the massive fermentation room. Many giant fermentation French wood tanks are lined up on both sides of the room. A production video is shown at this point; during crush this room becomes a hive of activity. The barrel aging room located below this giant tank room is a sight worth seeing. Mist released from ceiling misters combined with the romantic play of light helps create a unique ambience in this, one of the largest and most seductive barrel aging rooms of any Napa winery. It is truly a sight to see. In 1966 Robert Mondavi created what he called the first Fume Blanc from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Today there is a barrel aging room devoted entirely to this wine. You will pass by it before you enter the room where you will taste. There are reasons that Mondavi became well known of course and one of those is that people really enjoy their wines. With 250,000 cases produced per year as of press time, they are large by Napa standards but in the real scope of the wine world they are just medium size. They have been able to really hold onto quality in some of their higher end wines which helps when they source from top notch vineyards including the famed To Kalon Vineyards on site. In our opinion this is an example of a winery with a relatively large production that has not compromised quality for their higher end wines. The 2006 Fume Blanc is a crisp wine with citrus aromas and flavors and some interesting minerality characteristics. The 2006 Pinot Noir Reserve which is mostly from the Carneros growing region is actually one of the nicer Pinot's we have had from Napa. Dijon clone perhaps? It has lots of cherry and cranberry with layered flavors and well structured tannins. The 2002 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon has rich aromas of blackberry, violet and chocolate which also carry into the palate. This is a good example of a high end California Cabernet that people come to Napa seeking. The Moscato d'Oro (Muscat Canelli) is a light, sweet crisp wine very popular for summertime drinking or for pairing with spicy foods. These are just a few of the wines we have sampled at Mondavi during multiple visits as as they produce a huge variety of wine. Visiting in the summer? Mondavi's Summer Music Festivals (held annually since 1969) are extremely popular. Their website has a plethora of information. Visit: www.robertmondavi.com |
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Robert Pecota Winery was founded by long time Napa veteran Bob Pecota in 1978. He was a coffee buyer in the early 1970's for Hills Brothers and MJB Coffee in San Francisco (not the first time on this project that we've met a vintner who has a background in the coffee business). Bob came to the valley in 1970 in what was to become his initial exposure to Napa's still small wine industry (as far as number of producers). Nestle had acquired Beringer Winery (St. Helena) and he was offered a job purchasing grapes, and worked at Beringer for several years. Having taken to the wine industry he purchased 40 acres near Calistoga in the northern part of the valley and built the winery. He learned much about the wine industry by "doing", on the job as well as attending UC Davis. After 28 years, in 2006 he sold this winery to Jackson Family Estates (Kendall Jackson).
You have to admire someone who has been in the industry as long as Bob who has the passion and energy to start over in his early 70's. At the time of this review he is currently putting the finishing touches on what will be called the "Calistoga Artisan Village". This small facility is literally just down the road from his old winery (now Atalon), is surrounded by his vineyards (18 acres to vine) and contains the winery and and an olive oil pressing and processing facility. We have met with so many vintners and others in the Napa Valley who truck their olives out of the county to be processed, most commonly over to Sonoma County. This is a much needed resource for Napa olive producers; both the winery and olive facility are set to handle their first crush/press in time for the 2010. A co-op will also be part of the olive oil facility - if you have less than a ton of olives the oil will be blended with a number of small producers. In addition, Bob has secured the permit for a cheese production facility. We will revisit the winery and olive oil facility once everything is operational. The vineyards that surround the winery are planted to a number of varietals including the majority to Petite Sirah, and smaller blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. The land in this area was most recently used in a small ranch but records show that it was planted to wine grapes well before that. Petite Sirah is a varietal that Bob says does very well in this northern part of the valley. It is ideally suited to the large diurnal temperature swings that this part of the valley experiences. Its not uncommon to see a temperature range of between 40 to 50 degrees between the day and night during certain times of the year. Carl Doumani, when he ran Stag's Leap Winery helped to popularize this varietal and a good portion of the fruit he was using for his Petite Sirah wine came from the Calistoga area. This is also the first wine Bob made commercially in 1978. We spend maybe 5% of our time on this project north of Calistoga as there just aren't that many wineries in this part of the valley. This is definitely one of the most northerly wineries within the Napa Valley. The winery is surrounded by views of Mt. St. Helena (tallest mountain that surrounds Napa Valley) as well as excellent views of the Palisades - volcanic formed rock cliffs. While the winery and vineyards are on the valley floor it may surprise you to know that the elevation here is not at sea level while the southern part of the valley is much closer to sea level (closer to the San Pablo Bay). While still "valley floor" the elevation at the winery is above 400 feet and just further north the valley floor tops at about 450 feet. Pecota focuses their winemaking efforts on three wines, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Petite Sirah and a Muscat Canelli. We have reviewed 2 of these wines below and will add our tasting notes on the Sauvignon Blanc soon. The 2007 Petite Sirah is an extremely inky dark wine -dark purple to almost black; this is a wine that will "stain" your teeth! The bouquet shows a sweet candied fruit perfume with more subtle aromas of pencil shavings and dark chocolate. The palate displays tar, leather, and lots of big black fruit. The concentrated fruit continues on the finish and the broad widely distributed barrel and fruit tannins linger for some time. It is always nice to try a little dessert after sampling a plethora of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year for nearly 30 years Pecota has made a Muscat Canelli. This wine has been sourced from the same historical vineyard each year (Solari Vineyard)- one of the most northerly located vineyards in Napa right at the base of the mountains that form the edge of the valley. This is one of the finest Muscat Canelli vineyards in Napa and several prominent Napa producers source fruit from here. Calistoga is a good place to grow a number of varietals that maybe you don't normally associate with Napa Valley and Muscat Canelli is definitely one of these. The 2005 vintage is not super high in alcohol clocking in at 10% and neither is the residual sugar, also at 10%. This wine is all about the varietal characteristics; fermentation occurs entirely in stainless steel tanks at colder temperatures. The wine is pale straw in color. The bouquet invites one in with enticing aromas of red apple, pineapple, honeycomb, tropical overtones, passion fruit, honeysuckle and browned sugar. This is a lighter styled wine but the mouth feel is well rounded with a viscous slightly creamy mid to end of palate. Pleasing balanced flavors of pineapple and honey extend across the palate; the finish is smooth and clean with just a touch of lingering citrus flavor. Tastings at Robert Pecota Winery will be by appointment once officially open - tentatively planned for later in 2010. Currently their production is about 2500 cases with plans to stay fairly small. This is a bit more manageable compared to the 40,000 cases Bob's first winery produced annually. They have select distribution in a number of states and locally you can find the wine at Cal Mart and the Wine Stop, both in Calistoga. Their wine has also been served at the White House. For more information visit: www.robertpecotawinery.com |
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This is one of the few walk-in Napa wineries where pairings are automatically served with their wines...which is not a bad thing as you don't need to make an appointment. Their philosophy is wine pairs much better with food and we are definitely not one to argue this! Oh, and this isn't just deli purchased items. Maria Sinskey, their well-known culinary director is in charge of all their food operations. She manages a beautiful kitchen near the tasting counter and is also in charge of their organic gardens. As a result, some of the ingredients for these food pairings come from their on site gardens. She is a published author and has appeared on TV food shows many times. During one of our visits we found the food pairings included Zucchini & Goat cheese with Thyme, Gouda with Fig & Quince jam, and some very nice Tuscan style olives. Try their Abraxas; it is an interesting Alsatian-style blend you won't find anywhere else in Napa containing Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc. This wine sees no oak during fermentation and aging and is crisp clean and full of exotic fruit and floral aromas and flavors. We tried the 2007 vintage. The finish is lively, long and leaves you wanting to try more. Their high end Pinot noir is from the Four Vineyards in the Carneros region and the 2005 vintage is about 600 cases compared to their much more widely distributed Pinot noir of about 8000 cases. The Four Vineyards 2005 vintage is very well balanced with a nice depth of flavor not often found in "lesser" Pinots. The P.O.V is a Bordeaux blend in which the varietal percentages change every year. POV is a term found in photography; Dr. Sinskey is a photographer and several of his images grace the labels of the wine including this one. The 2005 vintage is an elegant wine with great soft plum flavors and hints of chocolate and anis towards the long finish. The 2005 Vandal Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is from the Carneros region. There are very few Napa wineries who make Cabernet Sauvignon from Carneros due to its cooler climate but Sinskey does an excellent job with this one. It doesn't have the high alcohol that you find in some of the up valley Cabernets and on the other hand its doesn't have any vegetal characteristics as you might find from a cooler growing region. They call this the Cabernet for Pinot noir drinkers. Bright acidity with lively fruit including plum, berry and currant combined with silky smooth tannins make this a refined elegant wine. Lastly of note, their late harvest Zinfandel is one of the best of its kind that we have tasted in Napa Valley and that is saying a lot. Only a 1/3 of an acre is planted; during one of our visits the writing on the blackboard screamed "an erotic experience when paired with chocolate". Nice! Delicious ripe fruit is complemented with a variety of subtle spices including cedar and vanilla with just a touch of minerality towards the finish. We've tried the 2003 and 2004 vintages. Some years this wine is actually dry but these two years it has residual sugar. Instead of just walking in and tasting, consider a Culinary Tour which starts at 11am M-Thursday or a Cave & Cellar tour or their Bento Box tasting which includes five seasonal wine & food pairings - food in a box! The above tours are by appointment only and are limited to 6 or less. Tours can be arranged by appointment only. Sinskey has a sense of humor - all employees have interesting titles such as "drifter", "zen master", "motivational goddess" etc! Lastly, check out their extensive and very informative website. Visit: www.robertsinskey.com |
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The almost 18 acre vineyard used for Roberts + Rogers is located on the slopes of Howell Mountain and is primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. This vineyard is in prime Howell Mountain terroir. Nearby historical winery neighbors include La Jota and Liparita had its start in the area. Just down the road is long time Napa veteran WH Smith's winery. Roberts + Rogers have a very long term lease with this vineyard which ensures the fruit quality remains consistent which is not a bad thing at all for consumers of high end single vineyard Napa Cabernets. The Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard itself is planted to several varietals which can be used for blending including small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The vines grow on white chalky volcanic tuffa type soil which brings its own unique characteristics to the wine. The elevation alone ensures they don't see much fog which effectively increases the ripening window and growing season. In addition, they maintain a very low yield per acre (usually around 2 tons) ensuring they are using only the highest quality, richest concentrated fruit. The first vintage was released in 2004. It saw 24 months on oak, 60% of which was new French Oak and the remaining was slightly used oak. This vintage has great color and is dark crimson. The bouquet is initially very earthy with aromas of dust, crushed rock and mineralities. As the nose opens up wisps of cedar box aromas, blackberry and chocolate come to the forefront. There is nice black cherry on the palate with a very long finish touched by nuances of vanilla. This wine has good structure, is well balanced with tannins that anchor well yet are delicate. This is not a light bodied Cabernet Sauvignon! This wine will pair well with big meats, thick sauces and anything barbequed. The best way to acquire the wine is via their mailing list or their website as production is quite limited. Click on the photo link above to view several shots of the actual vineyard. Visit: www.robertsandrogers.com |
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The original owners, Norman & Helen Robinson purchased the land and ran cattle and horses - however several well-known area vineyard growers convinced them to plant their land to wine grapes. Tasting can be either in the main tasting room next to the winery, or above the main house on the lawn or on the deck. On a clear warm day it doesn't get much better than sipping wine overlooking the green vineyards of the famous Stag's Leap District. Behind the tasting room is their original wine library - older vintages are now covered in dust, some are from well-known wineries in France. Someone had a sense of humor in the beginning - an acronym on one of their labels spells F.A.R.T. Behind the wine museum is one of the smallest functional wine caves we've seen at any of the Napa Wineries. You are in the heart of the Stag's Leap District which is certainly one of Napa's best known red wine appellations. As a result, their focus is on several red varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Both wines are delicious. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon has a very long finish, is well structured but doesn't overpower with tannins. Great fruit flavors show up front as well as blackberry and raspberry fruit aromas on the nose. The 2004 Merlot is a big wine, yet velvety with a smooth mouth feel. There are nuances of blackberry and cherry as well as hints of vanilla on the palate. Looking for a long finish - this wine has it! In addition they make a Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Malbec and a red wine blend. Wine leaving residue that slides down the glass is often referred to as the "legs" - you can take the Robinson's Syrah release at this face value or perhaps there is more to the story! Their latest Syrah is interestingly titled "Great Legs". Compared to other Stag's Leap district wines their prices are quite affordable. Their property backs up to the famous Stags' Leap Winery and one of the Robinson Family owners remembers visiting this "manor" when it was completely abandoned. Visit: www.robinsonfamilyvineyards.com |
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NOTE: Their tasting room on Main Street in Napa is no longer open. Rocca, however is still making their delicious wine. Their focus is on reds and in our opinion the primary hallmark of Rocca's wines are their incredibly soft luscious mouth feels with tons of fruit but delicate tannins anchoring the finish. Their wines do not overwhelm the palate and are meant to be consumed now. Part of this mouth feel comes from how they handle the fruit and the winemaking of course - during harvest and fermentation they handle the fruit as minimally and gently as possible which helps avoid some of the harshness you sometimes find in red wine. In addition their wines are unfiltered and minimally fined as maximum flavor is the key here. You normally start your tasting with the Bad Boy Red - note that Mary's husband is pictured on this label! There is a very interesting story behind this name. In 1999 during a pump-over on one of the tanks one of their employees accidentally blended in 10% Zinfandel into their Merlot. These were meant to be stand alone wines and they had no backup wine so they had to bottle this. The short story despite this "bad boy's mistake" is this wine turned out to be a hit and they have produced it every year since then. Sometimes accidents work out for the best! This is a fantastic steak wine that is priced very affordably for Napa standards. The 2005 is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and small amounts of Merlot and Petite Verdot. There are nice notes of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry throughout the palate. The soft entry of fruit continues all the way to the finish and then lingers tantalizingly. The 2004 Syrah is a winner. It is not the normal huge peppery Syrah your grand-dad may have enjoyed in his day. It is dark almost black featuring rich ripe fruit. Smoky oak and dark fruit aromas are found on the bouquet with lots of rich ripe layered fruit on the palate. Like all of Rocca's wines this one melts in your mouth. During our latest visit they even had a 1999 Syrah (their first vintage) and this was tasting like your more classic Napa Syrah. There is a certain sweet note that permeates throughout the palate mixed with with toasted oak and big fruit flavors. If you are a white wine drinker,- perhaps you will be convinced to come over to the red side after drinking Rocca's wines. The tannins are always well managed, the flavors are always killer and the mouth feels are incredibly smooth - like liquid velvet. Their Cabernet Sauvignon's tend to age fairly well. Due to their limited quantities, these wines often sell out quickly. They do have a mailing list on their website. For premium Napa red wines, your not going to find this type of quality combined with these types of reasonable prices from most Napa boutique wineries. Their wines have won top honors in several stateside based blind competitions as well as one in Bordeaux France. They also run the Grigsby-Rocca Foundation which has provided medical help to some of the poorest areas in Africa. From time to time they hold fundraisers at the tasting room - inquire about any upcoming events. In the late afternoon's patron's of Cole's Chop House sometimes wander next door. Free parking is directly across the street. Also ask about the Downtown Napa Wine Tasting Card, a number of downtown area tasting rooms participate in this and for a one-time fee you can visit and taste at each of their tasting rooms. Visit: www.roccawines.com |
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Rockledge Vineyards is located in the hills in the north Eastern part of Napa Valley. They produced their first vintage in 1999. This winery was founded by Peter & Linda Snowden. Peter used to visit his aunt who had a house within a mile of their current property and during these visits was introduced to good wine. He slowly developed a palate for fine wine and decided to become a farmer and vintner. The vineyard is planted to four different Cabernet Sauvignon rootstocks and this is the varietal that they concentrate most of their production on. Over time they have learned more about their property and have identified the different soil and microclimates that grace the vineyards. Each of their rootstocks brings a different facet to their wine and all are blended into the final product. The grapes from one of the 4 rootstocks bring pleasant aromas to the wine and this is very noticeable on the nose which contains a lot of cherry flavors, ripe blackberries and some cloves.
Their winemaker has a very interesting story; he spent his savings to go to France to be trained at a winery but when he arrived he found out the winery no longer had a job for him. He then came to Napa Valley with his few worldly possessions and during his interviews ended up sleeping in his car each night! Well the rest is history and now he is producing excellent wine for Rockledge as well as several other high end wineries. Their Cabernet Sauvignon, appropriately called "the Rocks" (based on their very rocky vineyard) is a wine that is well balanced with structured firm tannins which do not actually overpower the wine. Production is about 800 cases and this wine is made at Terra Valentine on the opposite side of the valley. As of press time, Rockledge is starting to produce several hundred cases of a Chardonnay and also a Rousanne (Rousanne is a varietal not often produced by Napa wineries). The owner's cousin has property nearby and also makes his own wine at Snowden Vineyards. Rockledge is not open to the public but they do have a mailing list available on their website. Visit: www.rockledgevineyards.com |
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For a more personal tasting experience, we recommend getting here early, just before they open - make it your first stop. Most current releases are typically available for tasting. They also have a variety of what are called Proprietor wines and "specialty" wines and sometimes they have some of these wines open for additional tasting. If you have a chance try their late harvest "Joy" Sauvignon Blanc. This is a rich viscous dessert wine that is not made every year. It is only produced when the conditions allow for natural botrytis to occur which is an ugly grey mold that forms on the grapes in part due to moisture and rainy conditions. Looking for buttery oak and fruit driven Chardonnays? Look no further than Rombauer. Their Chardonnay from the Carneros growing region has quite a following. Predominately American Oak is used during the aging of this wine. It is a rich buttery Chardonnay with creamy characteristics and notes of toasted oak on the palate. It has a great nose with tropical fruit aromas and hints of citrus and pear. They also produce a delightful Late Harvest Chardonnay from fruit from the same vineyard. Unlike almost all Napa wineries Rombauer pours their big reds first followed by the Chardonnay and their Zinfandel which are much more fruit driven wines. One of the Zinfandels we tried is a huge fruit explosion full of very jam like characteristics. Try strawberry, raspberry and blackberry jam all rolled up into one wine. There is so much fruit in this wine that your palate is often tricked into thinking it is somewhat sweet but in actuality the residual sugar is less than 1%! The owner Koerner Rombauer is a former airline pilot who is well connected with celebrities. Signed celebrity photos line the walls of the tasting room including Barbara Streisand, famed pilot Chuck Yeager, and the late coach Bill Walsh. The owner's aunt is the well-known Joy of Cooking, author Irma Rombauer. Koerner also keeps a one of a kind classic car collection and perhaps someday these can be put on public display. Today Koerner's children are actively involved in the business side of the winery operations. Almost a mile of caverns have been built into the hills. Call for an appointment to take the tour. Visit: www.rombauervineyards.com |
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Romeo Vineyards is owned and operated by Eugenia Romeo whose vineyards are in the northern part of the Napa Valley just south of Calistoga. The 16.5 acre vineyard is somewhat unique as they are located on & near one of the few actual knolls rising from the valley floor. This vineyard is named "The Blue Heron" in tribute to a Blue Heron that was killed by a poacher when they were in negotiations to purchase the property. A pair of blue herons now live on the property as well as a bunch of other wildlife.
The wine label is called Sempre Vive Latin for "Always Alive". This is a tribute to the grape even when its in wine form in the bottle as wines constantly change and are not static in aroma and flavor. It can also be construed as being a tribute to the land the supports these vineyards as well as the variety of plants and animals which call this property their home. Fruit from the vineyards was used by nearby Chateau Montelena for many years and when the Romeo's purchased the property in 1997 they slowly phased out growing contracts and started using the grapes for their own wine. The oldest block in the vineyard dates to 1971 and is an unidentified Cabernet Sauvignon clone. This clone produces excellent fruit so they have cultured and propagated additional vines and named it after their son. A number of their earlier vintages are available for purchase as of press time which is great for the consumer as these wines have already had additional aging time in the bottle. All grapes for the wines comes from their own vineyard. We tried the Eugenia Cabernet Sauvignon which is blended with 8% Petite Verdot. This wine has delicate aromas of cherry and some cedar which follows through stronger in the palate. The finish is long and smooth. The 2002 Miscella includes wine from three Cabernet Clones plus 15% Petite Verdot. Merlot lovers often think this wine has characteristics of Merlot even though there is no Merlot juice here! The rich fruit flavors of blackberry carry through the entire palate. Looking for a Petite Verdot wine? You will have a hard time finding this varietal from Napa as the dominant varietal in a wine, but Romeo makes a very nice version. Not to be missed is their Siempre Vive Cabernet Sauvignon. It has been nicknamed "Candy" by Romeo's customers and even in competitions sometimes gets called out as judges believe there might be some residual sugar in this wine. Not so, it is bone dry but with concentrated fruit flavors and juicy tannins it can often be mistaken for "candy"! Romeo often has older vintages available for sale online. Their total production is around 3000 cases. Note that Romeo Vineyards is currently remodeling an Old Victorian and gardens on main street Calistoga (1224 Lincoln Ave) and plans to turn this into a tasting room once open. Stay posted for details. We will visit this as soon as it opens - as of the end of July 2009 the site is currently waiting for its license. Visit: www.romeovineyards.com |
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The new winery has a very Italian feel to it with the palms, succulents gardens and olive trees. Note the palm grove in front of the winery; these were imported from Riverside California. Due its massive weight these palms even bent the crane as they were lowering them into the ground! Round Pond was originally founded by Bob and Jan MacDonnell in the early 1980's. For many years they sold grapes from their vineyards to other premium Napa wineries. The name "round pond" comes from Bob's memories of a round pond in New York where he used to camp and fish every summer. The brother sister team of Miles and Ryan MacDonnell became involved in later years and today both are running the winery. This is truly an estate property with its 350 acres of vineyards, stunning gardens and orchards. All agriculture crops on the estate are grown either organically or sustainably. A tasting here typically includes a short tour of the facilities including the winery. This is an extremely photogenic estate and property and the main building is very tastefully designed. A tasting includes one extremely rare varietal in the Napa Valley, the Nebbiolo (an Italian varietal) and their annual production is usually merely 50 cases of this wine. Out of 600+ commercial Napa wine producers tasted with to date, this is one of just several Napa wineries producing wine from this varietal. It is a delicious wine with nice cherry notes both in aroma and flavor. Because this wine can be somewhat tannic during its youth, Round Pond ages it for three years in oak. This is a great food wine as it has just the right amount of acidity, fruit and tannins. Your tasting starts in their reserve room downstairs, followed by the tour and then weather permitting, you will taste on their lovely outdoor patio upstairs. There is also a nice tasting bar inside where you can look through glass windows in the floor down to their barrel room. In the summer of 2009 Round Pond introduced their "Sensory Garden" for guests. This garden is comprised of fruits, vegetables and herbs which contain similar flavors and aromas to that which is found in Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Guests to the garden can also observe a number of Biodynamically farmed practices in action. In addition this garden supplies produce for pairings along with Round Pond's wine. The estate is 400 acres, much of which is planted with grapes and in the summer, it is a sea of green leaves in all directions. The upstairs patio is a great place to relax and taste wine. There are nice cushioned chairs, a fireplace and stunning views in all directions including Mt. St. Helena to the north. You will try several other wines including their Cabernet Sauvignon which is typically offered as several vintages in a vertical tasting. The 2005 vintage while still young at the time of our tasting showed great fruit, acidity and structure. This is the heart of Rutherford (long know for the "Rutherford Dust" that can be a part of wines produced here) and this wine displays a nice earthiness on the bouquet. The tasting is always paired with some delicious appetizers, often using produce grown on site. Round Pond also offers an exclusive dinner called the Twilight Tasting & Dinner and this is held on the 4th Saturday of every month. Enjoy Round Pond Wines with a multi-course meal! Visit: www.roundpond.com |
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Rowland Cellars was founded by Gerald Rowland with his first vintage dating from 1991. Gerry is one of those rare vintners in the valley who manages the wine from vineyard to bottle to consumer. Rather than just purchasing grapes from growers, he actually manages the vineyards he sources fruit from, makes the wine, as well as handles the majority of his marketing and sales. He also got into the business locally rather early on as there have literally been hundreds of producers in Napa since the early 1990's. Rowland Cellars produces between 8,000 to 10,000 cases a year, not a small task for a one person winery.
Gerry currently manages two distinct labels, Ramspect (his family name) which are Napa Valley wines and Cenay (single vineyard wines - his wife's family name). Ramspeck was the first label introduced in 1991. If you are looking for length of time between when a family first produced wine and when their successive generations restarted the label, the Ramspect label probably has one of the longest "gaps" in the world. When Gerry restarted his family label in 1991 it was 454 years since his ancestors released their first wine in Germany and distributed it in parts of Europe under the Ramspect label (in 1537). As Gerry says, "With a family tradition beginning four and a half centuries ago, it adds a little extra weight on your shoulders to do it right." I'll say. Winemaking and grape growing have certainly been in his family for many years. His father grew grapes in Australia's Barrossa Valley and Gerald earned his viticulture and enology degree in Australia. Coming to Napa in 1987 he initially worked at Stags' Leap Winery and then furthered his studies at UC Davis. He spent a number of years working with hillside grown vineyards at Chappellet Winery and today focuses on his own labels as well as consults for several other producers. Rowland's wines tend to come from from the Southern part of the Napa Valley including from parts of the Carneros, Oak Knoll, Coombsville and Atlas Peak appellations. He typically works with smaller privately owned vineyards. As Gerry says, a hallmark of his wine is the "delicious factor, rather than the wow factor". In that regards his wine making style is more old world in focus although he certainly combines new world wine making techniques. His wines are generally in the mid 13% alcohol range. Today you don't find that many wines from Napa in this range. These are not "score grabber" wines but rather are balanced affordable wines meant to be enjoyed with food. We tried the 2007 Pinot noir under the Ramspeck label. This is a Pinot noir that has some very nice weight both in its structure and also on the finish yet retains an elegant feel, especially for such a young wine. Because this was a lower yield year in the valley and the berries were generally smaller the fruit had a lower juice to skin ratio. This is clearly evident in the darker color (for a Pinot noir) of this vintage. The bouquet is well layered, with floral characteristics including notes of dried rose petals as well as aromas of raspberry and graphite. Because the pH is not high it does not retain lots of oak and or vanilla characteristics. Concentrated flavors of red cherry and blueberry show well on the palate and there is just a hint of oak towards the very long and pleasing finish. The Cenay label really allows Rowland to showcase individual vineyards and how their unique terroir differences can influence the wine. These wines are made in an old world style to showcase varietal flavors and characteristics that are often lost in the showier, "riper" wines. The Blue Tooth Vineyard (not to be confused with another Napa Vineyard called Blue Print) is located in the Oak Knoll district and is owned by a dentist who says, "Great Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon should stain your teeth blue!" So with that in mind, one would almost expect this wine to be fairly dark in the glass, and it is. The 2006 vintage is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot (both from the same vineyard). This wine has a bouquet of baking spices and dark fruit followed by a palate that shows flavors of plum, dark chocolate and black cherry. The finish is balanced and slightly dusty with a medium tannin structure. The 2006 RB 90 is sourced from a vineyard in the heart of Rutherford. RB 90 is sometimes mistaken for a Robert Parker score but RB stands for for Rutherford Bench, a part of the Rutherford appellation that has deep well drained soils composed of a good portion of gravel. You might think this is going to be a "big" wine just from the weight of the bottle - yes it is a normal 750ml bottle but it feels like twice the weight. This is the premium wine from the Cenay label and the 2006 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a big wine, but its well structured and balanced which is why it is so drinkable young. Wonderful berry and mocha aromas rise from the glass leading to a palate full of red cherry and plum flavors. The finish is firm with chewy tannins and just a bit of smokiness lingers after you swallow. Every cork under the Cenay label is also printed with "Carpe Caelum" which means "seize the heavens. Gerry also makes a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot (a fairly new addition) under the Ramspeck label. Rowland Cellars does not sell direct to consumer - rather they have a number of distribution channels in various states including California, New York and a number of Southern states. Locally in the valley, you can find their wines at a number of wine shops including JV Warehouse in Napa, Groezinger's in Yountville and the small supermarket, CalMart in Calistoga. Visit: www.rowlandcellars.com |
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Roy Estate is owned and operated by Charles Roy and his wife Shirley. They are East coast natives who fell in love with the Napa Valley and eventually moved here. There original intent was to just build a house overlooking vineyards, however the "Napa Allure" kicked in and set the wheels in motion. Soon finding themselves grape growers they discovered the richness of their property and quickly became vintners. They are located on a very unique piece of property in the southern part of the valley just south of the Stag's Leap District. It is a gorgeous wine estate with rolling hills covered with vineyards - reminiscent of wine country in Bordeaux or even Tuscany.
They initially decided to plant just a few acres and sell the fruit. However well-known winemaker Helen Turley was introduced to the property and quickly saw its potential as high end terroir capable of producing some terrific wines. With her help the Roys planted 17 acres to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Verdot (now producing some of the nicest Petite Verdot in the Valley). The location is very distinctive in that its fairly open to the south and receives the cooler moderating breezes from the San Pablo Bay. However, the northern part of their vineyard is supported by hills which tend to block some of the warmer summertime temperatures that you often find in the more northern reaches of the Napa Valley. In addition this location receives a fair amount of cooling breezes where if you move just a mile in another direction there won't be much wind at all. Perhaps the Native Americans recognized this unique micro climate. The site was home to Wappo Indian camps located next to a seasonal creek and the county has recognized this which is now fenced off from the rest of the vineyards. As a result of its location and unique terroir, the estate vineyards have less dramatic hot and cold spells throughout the year resulting in a very evening growing and ripening environment for the grapes. Their focus is about terroir and a significant amount of the winemaking is actually conducted in the vineyards. Even two separate irrigation systems are installed - a main one and then another one specifically introducing water to vines that for whatever reason need special watering requirements. Micromanagement is key here! The Roy's are not looking for huge alcohol wines, rather they seek a balance between ripeness, flavor and acidity. Their wines are typically around 14% alcohol. The highly respected long time Napa family, the Pina's are in charge of the vineyard management. Well known winemaker Philipe Melka has enology and viticultural degrees and is in constant communication with the vineyard managers. Roy Estate currently produces two wines, a Proprietary Red and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Initially they were planning on producing just the Cabernet Sauvignon but based on the actual terroir, Philipe recognized "two voices" in the vineyard and decided to express this with two wines. As Charles says, "we ended up with two singers rather than a choir!" Their first commercial release was in 2003. Both wines are masterfully crafted. The 2005 Proprietary Red is our favorite; the blend changes every year (sometimes dramatically) depending on the vintage and type of fruit they have. The 2005 is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 7% Petite Verdot. The bouquet is voluptuous and elegant at the same time. Sweet notes of wonderful vanilla from the all French Oak used during the aging, with a touch of cedar complement the nice fruit aromas. The layered fruit carries all across the palate and includes blackberry, blueberry and black licorice. The flavors are anchored by delicate tannins with a slightly dusty finish. There is nothing angular about this wine - it is soft, velvety and very rounded. It is an elegant wine with good acidity that will only improve with some cellaring, yet at the same time it is already well balanced for consumption now. Decanting is recommended before serving. The 2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is 90% Cabernet and 10% Petite Verdot. Because there are 17 individual blocks on the property they have a wide range of clones and soil types to choose fruit from for this wine. Like all great wines, this one continues to evolve in the glass - earth and fruit driven aromas evolve to blackberry with slight chocolate nuances as the wine opens up. The body is rich, rounded and smooth with soft yet structured tannins on the finish. Their total production on both wines is about 2000 cases. The Roys have secured their permits for a winery on site and have the initial design for future caves and the winery building already sketched out. Visits are typically reserved for mailing list customers, serious wine enthusiasts and collectors. Also of note is they grow 6 varietals of olives on the property and produce their own olive oil. You can find their wine at the French Laundry and other high end local Napa restaurants and we've come across magnums at Copia in the town of Napa. Also V Wine Cellars in Yountville typically carries their wine in their "cult" room. Visit: www.royestate.com |
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To enter the winery, drive down a long paved driveway off on the west side of Highway 29. This driveway is located just north of the Rutherford Cross Road and almost across from the great BV Winery. The end of the driveway ends in a semi-circle where you will be greeted with a smile and by the obligatory words, "Welcome to Rubicon Estate". Your "chauffeur" will complimentary valet park your car. From here you walk along a lengthy red carpet (we have been here several times and the carpet is never quite as clean as the red carpet they roll out for you at Universal Studios!) to the entrance of this historic winery. There is a $25 estate entrance fee which you can ask to be waived for your "designated driver" if you have one. This fee includes a 30 minute historical tour. Cute "passports" are given to you upon entering which will include your very own stamp which you receive at the wine tasting counter. It also contains general and historic information about the winery. This "passport" is good for 2 days, for a visit and tour only. The fee includes 5 tastings from their main room, a guided tour and a self tour of the movie and sailing rooms. The main building is very fancy both inside and outside. There is a beautiful reflecting pool in front, and a large stately oak tree on one side adds a dimension of history to the winery. The movie director Francis Ford Coppola, of Godfather and Apocalypse Now fame, has been the owner of this winery since 1975. Coppola has long enjoyed wine (his grandfather used to make home wine in the basement of his New York apartment) and this is not the only winery he owns; he also operates Rosso Bianco in Geyserville in neighboring Sonoma County. Tastings are mostly Cabernets Sauvignon. All estate wines come from their vineyards on site which are all organically farmed. Rubicon has many acres some of which extend all the way up into the Mayacamas Hills to the west of the actual winery. We enjoyed the 2004 Rubicon which is a very full bodied, smooth rich wine with lots of fruit on the palate. This is a big fruit driven wine but without the huge tannins. You are free to take the last taste with you as you walk throughout the building. Be sure to visit the small sailing room downstairs which includes mementos and memorabilia from the original owner, Gustave Niebaum. As you will quickly learn from visiting the winery, he was a sailor. Upstairs you find the Movie Museum with many of Francis Ford Coppola's awards, movie props and other interesting movie memorabilia. Exhibits upstairs are often displayed on a rotating basis. A grand staircase leads up to this museum and provides a good photo op at its base. Think Jack & Rose at the base of the staircase in the movie Titanic as you wave to your friend's camera. One of their Reserve wines has a wooden label. We challenge you to find another wine on the market with such a label! If its a warm day, there are tables outside for your relaxing enjoyment - also towards the south end of the winery there is another winebar called Mammarella (named after Francis's mother). This winebar provides additional tastings in a relaxed Parisian cafe style atmosphere (small food items are also served). Visit: www.rubiconestate.com |
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In early 2008 ownership transferred to Rubissow's two children who by this time already had successful careers in their respective industries. Rubissow is now run by the brother sister team, Peter and Ariel and their first vintage under the Rubissow label was 2004. A visit here is for serious wine enthusiasts who are looking for a very personal Napa winery experience at a family run vineyard. The vineyards are located about a mile off of Redwood Road, west of the town of Napa. The last mile is on a gravel road with the final push through the actual vineyards. A visit is relaxed, casual and all about the vineyards and the wine. You meet at the 130+ year old Italian farmhouse which for a time served as a hunting lodge. Weather permitting the tasting will be outside on the porch overlooking their vineyards and the rolling hills with glimpses of Napa Valley far below you. Winemaking starts in the vineyards and Rubissow's vines look very healthy and are meticulously farmed. You will also walk within the vineyards for an up close look and explanation about the vines. Weather and stamina permitting, be sure to walk up to the top of their vineyards where you will have great views of the Bay, Mt. Tamalpais and also Mt. Diablo in the distance. Their winemaker has an impressive resume of working at some of Napa's top wineries including Opus One, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and Cliff Lede. Rubissow's style of wines are Bordeaux in nature using hillside grown fruit; they are not huge overly fruit driven tannic wines, but rather smooth, well balanced, rich and elegant. As of press time they focus their efforts on three primary wines. The 2003 Trompettes is a very aromatic wine which has a smooth velvety mouth feel with natural mouth watering acidity. The flavors are extremely well integrated, seamless in their presentation on the palate. The 2004 Merlot is a juicy wine with aromas of blackberry and black currant and as the wine opens the bouquet reveals more chocolate and mocha undertones. The fruit carries onto the palate with additional hints of oak, vanilla and spices towards the finish. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend like the other two wines and contains 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc. It was unfined and unfiltered for maximum color and flavor. The nose is delicate with beautiful earthy aromas; parts of the nose are like opening a cedar box. The mouth feel is smooth and refined yet rich in fruit, including blackberry and black cherry. Looking for a finish that never seems to end? This wine has got it! Want more Cabernet? Rubissow has an extremely limited production 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve wine (under 100 cases!). Their logo has an interesting story. It was designed on a napkin in a cafe in France while the original owners were describing their Mt. Veeder property and how the vineyards drape over the hillsides. The body in the label represents the appellation, the knees signify the two summits of Mt. Veeder, the lines are the vineyard rows and the trumpets represent the two founders. Visit: www.rubissowsargent.com |
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The terroir in this region is fantastic - just look at the wineries and or vineyards that run through this west to east belt of Oakville. Wineries such as Harlan, Paradigm, Silver Oak, Screaming Eagle, Tierra Roja up to Dalle Valle. This is prime and rare vineyard terroir. Rudd established this winery in 1996 when he purchased what used to be Girard Winery and then incorporated only the state of the art into the new design and expansion of the winery. He had 22,000 feet of caves dug, put in custom-designed square fermentation tanks (don't see that at to many Napa wineries!), and incorporated the use of concrete egg tanks (one local winery has even named their "eggs" Humpty and Dumpty), again, these are not often used in Napa Valley. Leslie has seen that every attention to detail be factored into his wine making and it shows with the extremely high quality of wines. They have two main tours; one in the morning which takes about 2.5 hours at minimum and includes a tasting & food pairing and an exhaustive estate tour, and one in the afternoon which typically runs about 30 minutes and concentrates on tastings but may incorporate a very quick tour. If you have a chance, be sure to check out their wine library which is enclosed within glass walls in one of the cave tunnels. This is how a top wine library looks for a wine and food connoisseur of Leslie's caliber. He has many rare and older vintages from wineries world wide. The elegant wood paneled tasting salon is upstairs - simply take the elevator from one of the cave tunnels and you are whisked right up to the tasting room in a matter of seconds, it's like being in the movies! Rudd has excellent Cabernet Sauvignon blends including their "Crossroads" label which can only be bought directly from the winery. The Crossroads like their estate Cabernet Sauvignon is entirely grown on the property. The 2005 vintage while still young at the time of our tasting, already showed that classic red dirt Oakville characteristics. Chocolate and cherry are found on both the bouquet as aromas, followed onto the palate as flavors. The mouth feel is super soft and supple with an elegant delicate tannin supported finish. The nicest Sauvignon Blancs we've tried in the valley have either been from a combination of both cool and warm weather vineyards, or have the addition of Semillion. In this case Rudd chooses to blend with Semillon which comes from warmer Calistoga and their Sauvignon Blanc which is grown on Mt. Veeder. The 2006 vintage has a very aromatic bouquet followed by a palate with rich concentrated fruit containing both melon and tropical overtones. A visit here is for serious wine enthusiasts and is well worth the appointment. Visit: www.ruddwines.com |
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Rudius Wines There are the types of vintners you can't help but admire who have come to the wine industry solely on their own accord. They do not come from wine making families where you have the support structure should you want to get into the wine industry. In this case it is Jeff Ames, the founder of Rudius. Jeff is originally from Alabama and was on the fast track to become a lawyer - coming from a family of lawyers. Eventually after deciding law was not for him, he started working in a wine shop which was his first real exposure to wine at the time. As we have seen time and time again on this project, regardless of your background, when the wine industry gets in your blood it may become a life long passion. Jeff sent a bunch of his resumes to wineries on the west coast and secured his first job at an Oregon winery. He later moved to the valley and gained invaluable experience working at Napa wineries including Freemark Abbey, Flora Springs, Duckhorn and Outpost (where he worked with Grenache - more about this in a bit).
After working for a number of vintners, Jeff decided to create his own wine commercially and today he also is consulting winemaker for several clients. Such was his passion to get into the winemaking business he sold his home to fund the initial project. Jeff is a perfectionist when it comes to quality. His winemaking approach is minimalist, taking more of a hands off approach by doing whole cluster fermentation, foot treading, and using natural yeast with no fining or filtration. In addition, his wines are racked as minimally as possibly, leaving the fruit to remain in contact with the lees and not exposing it to unneeded oxygen. While his wines often stay in the barrel for significant time, his type of aging program ensures the wines are not over oaked. The Rudius wines often see extended bottle aging which is not a bad thing for the consumer! With small production lots (sometimes just a barrel or two), all hand crafted, this is a boutique Napa winery at its best. Rudius wines reflect a sense of place and in other words are true to the vineyard site, the varietal and the conditions of that particular vintage. The name Rudius has interesting origins - it was the name of the wooden sword that was presented to a gladiator when he was freed by the emperor of Rome. The sword was wood and symbolized that the gladiator was done fighting and was now a free man. Jeff has already worked for a number of Napa wineries as indicated, and his winery is appropriately named as it represents the freedom to make wine in his own style. The focus of Rudius wines are site specific vineyards for Syrah and Grenache. In addition, they make a nice fruit forward Napa Cabernet (we tried the 2006 vintage from barrel) and have plans to make a Napa Chardonnay. We had a chance to taste a number of Jeff's wines including verticals of Syrah and Grenache both from barrel and bottle. We spotlight the current releases here. The 2005 Russian River Syrah was fermented entirely with wild yeast including the secondary malo-lactic fermentation. As a result it took several months to finish the fermentation and to reach dryness; it was pressed into the barrel where it actually finished fermentation. This is a dark purple wine that is well structured and definitely well balanced. The one thing that stands out in this wine is decidedly the fruit; layered flavors of blackberry and blueberry burst onto the palate with underlying nuances of chocolate and spicy clove. There is just a touch vanilla on the pleasant finish. The 2006 Emerald Pool Vineyard Syrah from Mendocino County is a huge rich voluptuous wine both on the bouquet as well as on the palate. Its juicy but not jammy. There is a nice herbal quality you may pick up in the nose and some earthiness but in reality this wine is all about the fruit! Rudius also produces a vineyard block designate Syrah from Alder Springs (Mendocino County) and later vintages of this see small amounts of viognier which help enhance the aromatics of the wine. This wine like the Grenache is pressed sweet to barrel where it finishes its fermentation. We love the aromatics and mouth feel of the Grenache varietal in general and in our tasting of many Napa wines, it is not often we get to enjoy this wine. There are very few vineyards of Grenache located within Napa and as a result, Napa vintners who make this usually source fruit from other areas of California. Such is the case of Rudius where they get the fruit from the Russian River area in neighboring Sonoma County as well as in Mendocino County (north of Napa). Alas, only 75 cases of this wine are available. Definitely decant this wine before serving. Jeff told us that Grenache tends to darken in the barrel and this wine is not too dark, more of a ruby red color. The 2005 Russian River Grenache has very floral almost perfumy aromatics - violets combined with notes of sweet red fruit (raspberries). The palate has earthy notes and white pepper anchored by raspberry and cherry flavors. The finish is warm and slightly spicy. Rudius wines are enhanced with decanting and often improve over the course of several days after being opened. As of press time all of the Rudius wines are produced in extremely small quantities. Jeff makes a variety of wines but most range in quantities of merely 50 to 200 cases with a total production as of press time around 500 cases. Interestingly as a small producer, they have some distribution in Canada, Denmark and Japan but the best way to secure these wines is to join their mailing list. Visit: www.rudiuswine.com |
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A tasting in good weather is usually with John under a trellis overlooking the actual vineyards (the house is used during bad weather). This is as low key of a tasting you will find in Napa and a visit here is for serious wine enthusiasts. John's mom was instrumental in securing excellent rootstock from some of the most famous vineyards in Napa through her connections as a local Napa grower. Ruston has several Bordeaux varietals planted on site and they also source fruit from other growers. Their winemakers have included the well-known Philippe Melka, Pamela Starr and Josh Krupp. Their current winemaker is Julien Fayard who is assistant to some of Melka's projects. We've met Julien at a harvest party before, he has trained with some of the best and really knows his viticulture. What separates Ruston from some of the other high end Napa wineries is that while their actual wines are completely hand crafted in small quantities they have been able to keep their prices quite reasonable by Napa standards. We enjoyed La Maestra which is named after John's mom who is fluent in Spanish and is called the Maestra by the vineyard workers. This rich wine is predominately a Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot blend with small percentages of other varietals which are all from the certified organic vineyards on the estate. It shows wonderful fruit with a nice mix of blackberry and blueberry combined with other red fruit flavors. All other wines produced are sourced from select high end area vineyards. Additionally Ruston makes a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stagecoach Vineyards; these vineyards are quickly growing in popularity as a world-class Cabernet source. Just a side note regarding these vineyards; we met with the owner of Stagecoach, Jan Krupp who told us how when he originally planted the vineyards he had to make 40-50 cold calls to even find a winery to purchase the grapes. Wow, amazing how fast this vineyard has come to fruition and is now producing extremely high quality fruit for a variety of wineries. Look for Ruston's wine in many national high end restaurants and especially in the Bay Area, LA and New York markets. Visit: www.rustonvines.com |
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The winery sits in Chiles Valley accessed via Chiles & Pope Valley Road and then Lower Chiles Valley, both of these roads typically have very few cars on them. They are winding roads that head through the eastern Napa hills. This originally was a working ranch dating from the 1950's for thoroughbred racehorses. There are still horses on the property but today the property contains the winery, and a lovely South Western style clean rustic B&B with a pool and a tennis court. If you stay here there are lots of things to keep you busy. Its rural Napa and as a result there is plenty of bird watching (35 different species have been identified on the property), hiking or if the weather is decent, just sit around the pool relaxing and reading a good book. Or if you happen to be there for harvest, the owners Jim and Susan might even put you to work! Driving into the ranch is like driving back in time to how the Napa Valley floor must have been many years ago with dirt roads, pastures, horses, and a totally rural setting. Susan is the winemaker and Jim runs the day to day operations; he was a former horse racer who grew up in Hollywood and was in the film industry for many years. In addition he worked with a trainer that was part of famed racing horse Seabiscuit's team and when this trainer died, Jim inherited a number of Seabiscuit's riding items (saddle, helmet, twitch and whip), which are now on display at their Bed & Breakfast. The winery sits against the hills at the back of the property and the relaxed style tasting is held in a room adjacent to many of their wine barrels. Their pricing is very reasonable by Napa standards and unlike many Napa wineries, they often have older vintages available for sale. Some of our favorites are their 2005 Estate Chardonnay, the Sauvignon Blanc, & the Cabernet Sauvignon. The Chardonnay is aged surlee which helps give a rounded whole mouth feel to the wine. In addition different yeasts are used in each barrel bringing further complexity to this wine. All grapes for this wine were dry farmed. The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc is a veritable treasure of tropical aromas which also carry onto the palate as flavor. Also check out their Racehorse Red & White labels as well as the Zinfandel. The well-known Rosenblum Cellars has part ownership in this winery and Kent Rosenblum is the consulting winemaker. Zinfandel is Rosenblum's by far most produced varietal and it only makes sense that RustRidge also produces a Zin! Also of note is their wine has appeared in several Hollywood movies. Visit: www.rustridge.com Starting in May 2009 Rustridge in conjunction with Napa Valley Adventure Tours offers mountain bike tours for 6-10 people per outing. The ride takes place on the ranch, typically in the morning and then returns to the winery for lunch combined with wine tasting. For more information and to make reservations visit: www.napavalleyadventuretours.com |
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The Pestoni's manage their own vineyards which is actually becoming more and more rare in today's climate of wineries using professional vineyard management companies. Their total production is under 10,000 cases a year which by winery standards for those who have tasting rooms along Highway 29, is not large. The tasting room atmosphere is relaxed and friendly although as with other nearby wineries during busy days, the tasting room can become quite crowded. This is a good tasting room to meet other wine enthusiasts; the several times we have dropped by on the weekends there has always been a welcoming crowd! When you walk into the tasting room note their creative use of recycled materials from the old ranch - the lights are covered with old chicken brooders (used for raising and keeping small chickens warm) and the oak bar used to be part of a huge fermentation tank. A window behind the tasting counter opens into their barrel room and winery. Because this winery is small and family owned often you might find a family member helping out behind the bar. A tasting typically starts with their Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel and then you get to choose several other wines. Their focus is on red wines including Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah & Sangiovese. A perk to tasting here is the free use of their large picnic grounds in the back of the winery as well as their bocce ball court. They often hold club member get-togethers and dinners as well as special events including wine and cheese pairings and a rare (held 1x/year) barrel tasting with their winemaker. Parking is plentiful with an additional overflow lot in the back. About 50% of their production is their popular Sauvignon Blanc which is the only white wine they make. We tried the 2006 vintage which was entirely aged in stainless steel (no oak). As a result it is fairly crisp and clean with true varietal characteristics represented both in aroma and on the palate. There are lots of citrus notes in flavor with a nice finish. Two lighter style wines are their 2006 Quackenbush Mountain Zinfandel (Lake County vineyard) and the 2006 Estate Sangiovese from the vineyard directly in front of the winery. The Zinfandel is quite refreshing as it is not a huge, bold, jammy and spicy Zinfandel that is often produced in California. For a lighter styled wine, the Sangiovese has a surprisingly long finish. The 2005 Howell Mountain Estate Reserve Cabernet is a winner (blended with 25% Merlot which helps soften the wine). The vineyard itself grows on thin rocky soils, stressing the vines and in part producing small berries that contain concentrated flavors. For a mountain grown wine, the tannin management has been conducted very successfully as this is a wine that can easily be consumed young, yet at the same time has the structure and acidity for long term aging. Nice smoky cigar type aromas interwoven with ripe blackberry dominate the nose followed by the palate which is rich in flavor yet very smooth. There is just a touch of vanilla on the finish. Also note the Pestoni Family owns and operates a small Bed & Breakfast in Calistoga called Hotel d'Amici. With only four rooms, all very tastefully decorated be sure to reserve well in advance. Visit: www.hoteldamici.com Not to be outdone by the winery, garbage company and B&B, the Pestonis also make their own grape seed oil (cold pressed) under the name, Napa Valley Grape Seed Oil Co. Visit: www.napavalleygrapeseedoil.com Bottles of this and other souvenirs are found next to their tasting room. Visit: www.rutherfordgrove.com |
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Their tasting room underwent major renovation in early/mid 2007 and during this time the tasting room was located outside with many heat lamps nearby! Fortunately the room has been completely finished and is now open; the rectangular bar serves all sides. Rutherford Hill makes a large variety of wines including Merlot, a Rose of Merlot and a Reserve Merlot. Be sure to also try their Winemaker's blend, a red wine that typically includes a number of the Bordeaux varietals. Their limited production label features wines produced in small quantities of course, but also wines often used in blending such as Petite Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. We enjoyed their delicious 2004 Zinfandel Port because its not overly sweet but packs concentrated fruit aromas and flavors. Many Napa wine caves are very similar in appearance; barrels of wine will be stacked up inside gunnite coated (type of sprayed on concrete) tunnels. The caves here are no different however what sets them apart is that they are one of the oldest of the "modern caves" built in the Napa Valley. In addition, the tunnels are very wide, and tall and extend for almost a mile. As a result, their cave tours are extremely popular during all times of the year, but especially during harvest. Allow an hour for the tasting combined with the tour. The tour is general & introductory and is very good for someone who is fairly new to wine tasting. Daily tours are given 3x a day and accommodate up to 30 guests so if you are visiting during a 'slow' time you may be able to reserve tour space that day by buying a "tour pass" from their tasting counter. Merlot blending seminars and a variety of cave and other meals can be reserved On a limited basis. Also check out the nice secluded shaded Oak Grove Picnic area, reserved for guests of the winery. We should also mention that for Napa quality, their prices are rather reasonable. Visit: www.rutherfordhill.com |
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They have a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon planted on site just behind the winery at the base of the hills and source the rest of the fruit from select Napa vineyards. Prices start at approximately $5 bottle with most of their wines priced under $20/bottle including their Napa Valley Cabernet! Rutherford Ranch is located right off the east side of Silverado Trail set among old oak and olive trees. Its a great place for relaxing while you sip some wine. Look for their "Port and Chocolate" sign which is always located on the edge of the road during their normal business hours. As of press time, they offer three tasting flights - their normal wines, Estate & Red wines, and a "sweet" tasting which includes a Moscato and a Zinfandel Port (served with chocolate). Again, both wines are priced very decently. We tried the 2005 Zinfandel which was almost sold out the time of our tasting (a popular wine) it has pleasant smoky white pepper characteristics and is not jammy but rather fruit forward with an elegant finish. The Cabernet Sauvignon is a great deal as it is one of the few Napa Cabernet's priced under $20. We tried the 2005 vintage; the tannins are well balanced, with lots of fruit flavors. The Moscato is delicious because it is a light wine, is not syrupy, is not a huge sweet fruit bomb and is not high in alcohol. Their 2005 Rouge Zinfandel Port on the other hand, is a very rich full bodied wine with lots of sweet cherry fruit flavors especially on the mid palate. Dip your cigar in this wine or pair it with chocolate. This port is popular as when we were there someone made a beeline for the tasting counter to try this wine and ended up buying a case! Be sure to also try their reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and also their Rhianon blended wine. They do a number of private labels, their closest client being the famed Auberge du Soleil resort just up the hill. Private tastings can be arranged. Inquire for details. Also consider signing up for their "Rutherford Dirt" which is their online mailing list. Visit: www.rutherfordranch.com |
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