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The original winery was called August Hersch, named after the owner and 20,000 gallons were produced annually. The property is less than the 10 acre county minimum for having your own winery, unless a pre-existing bond can be located. When they purchased the property, the Tilley's had no idea there was an operating winery on site and only after the dedicated work of a local historical researcher uncovered a story on the front page of an old St. Helena Star newspaper, did their dream of having a winery on site take off. The Victorian style building which served as headquarters for the lodge still exists and is built on top of the original stonework for the old winery. At the time of this review, they are currently in the midst of restoring the old ghost winery and have completed construction on a nearby redwood barrel facility. Three and a quarter acres are planted with clones 337 and 15 of Cabernet Sauvignon; their first commercial vintage was in 2004. As Chris says, he thought he was was going to own the vineyards when they were first planted but in fact these are really the domain of their winemaker because of the time he spends here! Chris Dearden (winemaker for Benessere) has been V Madrone's winemaker since day 1. Their wine has been made at Benessere Vineyards but will be made on site starting with the 2009 harvest. V Madrone specializes in a single vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon each vintage - this is from their estate vineyard. However, they also source fruit for other varietals and these are always very limited productions - typically under several hundred cases (Old Vine Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Petite Sirah). We tried several "young" wines and while they had just been released the week before, they tasted anything but young. The 2007 Chardonnay from a vineyard in Carneros to the south shows excellent fruit, but the key to this wine is its balance at such a young age. It was aged in French Oak for approximately 16 months. The bouquet is fruit forward with citrus blossoms and subtle hints of oak. The palate starts with flavors of red apple and pear with more citrus notes towards the finish. Its presentation on the palate is seamless throughout. Only 160 cases were produced and it is only available at the winery. The 2007 Old Vine Zin (vines planted in 1922) is blended slightly with Petite Sirah. This is an elegant styled Zinfandel in contrast to the juicy jammy peppery Zinfandels that we have often tasted. The bouquet contains notes of blackberry and raspberry with spices followed by a palate that is oh so smooth from start to finish. The 2005 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in a combination of new and used French Oak as well as a touch of American oak. Some of the principal components to producing high end wine are terroir and a well managed vineyard...and having an excellent winemaker doesn't hurt either! The fruit for this wine comes entirely from their home vineyard. It is an elegant wine with a fruit driven nose of blackberry and plum with underlying notes of minerals, even graphite and a touch of cedar. The mouth feel is plush, soft and rounded. Structured tannins and good acidity will ensure this wine will age well for years to come. In late 2008, V Madrone finished building a beautiful new barrel storage facility along with a crush pad. Their first crush will take place in 2009. This is a nice setup as the crush pad is located seconds away from one corner of their vineyard and by now having the winery on site they have added an additional level of micromanagement to the wine making. The proximity of the crush pad allows for a seamless vineyard to fermentation process. Also, if if they want to pick just a row at a time, and isolate it during fermentation, this has become much more feasible. Tastings are by appointment only, for serious wine enthusiasts and typically take place inside their bonded barrel facility. Don't expect this to be a short tasting - allow at least 90 minutes minimum. Although located fairly close to the highway, this building is set back far enough that you hardly even notice or hear the traffic, especially during summer. A tasting here is very relaxed, personable and down to earth. The property is beautiful with its blend of history, architecture and vineyards planted on reddish bench land soil, all of which lies at the base of the wooded Mayacamas mountains. As a testament to the quality of wine, it has found its way into some of the Napa Valley's premium restaurants and resorts including Redd, Meadowood, Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Auberge du Soleil, and the French Laundry. Visit: www.vmadrone.com |
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The winery itself is beautiful - stately oaks grace the property and the Italian style rock moss covered winery buildings provide good photo ops. Walk down the stairs of the building with the tower and take the free self-guided tour of their cellar room and small wine museum. Their members only wine club and tasting bar is in a side room adjoining the cellar and its usually much less crowded then their often frenzied main tasting room. This winery has an excellent huge selection of cheeses, meats and other fine dining items. The deli is located in the front of the main winery building just before you walk into the main tasting room. Free cheese and other samples are given out on the weekends and BBQ's are often held outdoors, weather permitting. Tasting is complimentary for 6 tastes which you choose from a list of about 10 wines. A small fee is charged for their estate tasting. The wine tasting bar lines the walls of 3/4 of the main room; it is divided into sections so when it gets crowded another section will open up. This is the largest tasting area of any of the Napa Wineries we have visited. It is large for a reason; the tasting room can get extremely crowded. Many picnic tables are on the grounds, but are only to be used for wine and other winery purchases and there are often many people lying around picnicking on good weather days. Dario Sattui, the founder of this winery also owns the gorgeous Castello di Amorosa just south of the town of Calistoga in the north part of Napa Valley. New wineries in Napa typically do not have permits for holding public events. A larger older winery such as V. Sattui has these permits and is very popular for weddings. They hold a number of interesting and fun events throughout the year. Check their website for details. Visit: www.vsattui.com |
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V Wine Cellar used to be located in the back of V Marketplace and their old location is now home to the well known TV Celebrity chef, Michael Chiarello's flagship restaurant, wine bar and gift shop. For hard to find wines especially from small local area wineries, V Wine Cellar cannot be beat. It is one of the most elegant nicest looking wine shops in all of Napa. A nice touch are the corks that hold up many of the bottles on display. Just by quickly browsing their selection we came across many lesser known Napa wineries and small producers that we have tasted with on our Napa wine tasting odyssey. In addition a good number of the wines they taste and sell are from wineries that are completely private so you will never be able to visit the physical locations. One of their rooms is devoted entirely to "cult" wines, some of which are much older vintages from Napa wineries such as Harlan, Bond, Far Niente etc. Large format bottles are also available on site. If you are stumped by their large selection, ask the owner Scott Lewis or employees for recommendations especially if you are looking for a specific type of wine. They also have in stock much older French wines - often dating back to the 1920's and at times they have had wines dating back to the late 1800's in stock. The tasting bar is good sized and looks into a very large mirror. Their tastings always vary which is a nice thing and you never know what types of wine will be served. Cheese pairings are often included. Typically there will be at least a few Napa wines pouring, but their collection includes California and beyond. They also have a large selection of Charbonno wines; very few Napa area wineries make this wine and V Wine Cellar is a great one-stop source for this varietal. Weather permitting there are some tables nearby in their nearby patio for outdoor tasting; this overlooks a lawn area and is great place for relaxing! Bummed that most Napa wineries close at 4 or 5pm? Stop by V Wine Cellar where they are open until 7pm for tastings. A seductive sofa/lounge seating area is available next to the fireplace. The interior is nicely furnished, from the antique wood and beveled glass doors to the original red brick and mortar and the hardwood flooring. Look for their "wall of wine antiquities"; this is next to the fireplace and features empty bottles all from premium producers - most dating back at least 50+ years! Come here for the tasting and to shop for wines but also spend additional time browsing the quaint stores located in this shopping complex including antiques and art galleries. A plethora of parking surrounds both sides of the Vintage 1870 center but on busy summer weekends sometimes even this is not enough. Yountville is small and chances are a brisk stroll will get you here from one of your nearby hotels or top restaurants. Throughout the year special events are often held at Vintage 1870 including the Taste of Yountville Appellation event in which main street is closed to traffic (vendors setup on the street during the actual event). V Wine Cellars has plans to create a room within the store specifically for Yountville producers - this would be called the Yountville AVA Room and would feature wines from Yountville producers and in addition would be the site from time to time for special events promoting Yountville's wines. In addition, CRN (Cable Radio Network) from south California would conduct some of their broadcasts from the room. The owner of V Wine Cellars, Scott Lewis is actively involved in Sense Yountville, an annual event promoting both area restaurants and wineries. This is a unique event not only because of the caliber of the participating wineries and chefs, but also because it is a rare opportunity to taste pre-releases from the wineries bringing "futures" of their wines to the event. More information about this can be found here: www.senseyountville.com Looking to host a private event in the Napa Valley? Look no further than V Wine Cellar. In conjunction with Villagio Inn & Spa and the Vintage Inn on The Vintage Estate, V Wine Cellar offers a unique location for private events, wedding receptions, winemaker dinners or a special wine-tasting event hosted by sommeliers. Getting married? V Wine Cellar offers a bridal registry in which you sit down with one of their sommeliers and try different wines based on taste and sensory evaluations. Interested in the art of blending? V Wine Cellar offers a small private blending seminar (by appointment only) and will work with you depending on your level of experience and palate. As you can see, this is not just a wine shop! Visit: www.vwinecellar.com |
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Valance Wine is owned by Michael & Valerie Raymor. The name comes from a type of balance that most Howell Mountain area Cabernets develop over time. The owners noticed this balance and elegance for their 01' vintage while it was still in barrel. Creatively combining V from Valerie's first name with the word balance, they came up with Valance. Michael grew up in a family with an agricultural background and farmed stone fruit crops in the East Bay (SF Bay area). Michael has over 30 years experience working with vineyards and was vineyard manager for many years at Robert Mondavi and helped manage their famed To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. His passion is with vineyards and his enthusiasm for the vines clearly shows.
Today he manages and farms 3 acres of hillside vineyards near the Howell Mountain Appellation. He purchased the property in 1973 and planted the original vines in 1978. He recalls visiting a local rootstock nursery and receiving a sales pitch about the benefits of AXR rootstock and how it was the future of rootstock (adaptability, easy to graft etc). Unbeknownst to many this rootstock was not resistant to a new form of the insect phylloxera that eventually developed. Fortunately Michael went with the tried and true St. George rootstalk (after enduring questions about his decision from some vineyard managers!) but as it were, he did not have to pull up any vines when phylloxera hit in the early 1980's. He is in a prime growing region with several very high end vineyards located within walking distance of his property. This is one of the smaller producers we have met with; Valance's total annual production is usually 75-90 cases. If you are seeking high end single vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with extremely limited production from unique terroir combined with micromanaged vineyards Valance is an excellent choice. Michael takes a holistic and organic approach to vineyard management and farming in general and handles all aspects of this himself. Native trees are not removed and water and fertilizers are kept to a minimum, instead relying on native cover crops. Yields are extremely low even by hillside standards, often running 1/2 to less than a ton per acre. This is low! For comparison most hillside vineyards are higher with valley floor yields often significantly higher with averages ranging from 2-4+ tons depending on the year. There are several key reasons for Valance's extremely low production. It helps ensure longevity and the sustainable health of the vines and vineyard soil as well as enhances phenolic maturity and allows the grapes to develop rich concentrated fruit flavors. Valance also uses a variety of methods for deciding when to harvest; tasting the seeds and skins, tracking items such as dates of bud break, bloom & veraison, laboratory analysis of berry samples, overall assessment of canopy management, seasonal conditions and quality of the grape clusters. Michael was very much influenced by French viticulture and winemaking practices from his many trips to France while working at Mondavi. His wines often see a month of maceration, 2 years in barrel plus another year in bottle before even being released. Consequently once they hit the market they have already been aged longer than most current releases which is not a bad thing for consumers. We tasted a vertical of their Cabernet Sauvignon from 2001 through 2004. The earlier vintages are presently available in very limited quantities. The inaugural release 2001 is a rich wine with a rounded mouth feel. Sultry tannins are smooth and elegant and provide a well structured backbone. The nose is pleasant followed by layered flavors of cherry and currant. Our favorite of the 4 wines is the 2002. This vintage has the elegance and grace of a Degas ballerina. The nose has wonderful fruit driven aromatics which continue to open the longer you leave it in the glass. The palate is a mix of cherry and red currant with cinnamon, tobacco and other spices present with almost an earthy characteristic. The tannins are slightly larger than the 01 but this wine is certainly ready to drink now! The 2003 was a tough year for ripeness and maceration time was much shorter. It doesn't have the aromatics yet of the earlier vintages and only time will tell as to what it does in the bottle. The 2004 is a characteristic terroir driven Valance wine which as of this review had not yet been released. There are nice plum and cherry aromas which follow through to the palate as flavor. With its bright fruit and lively acidity, this is a beautiful wine. Because Valance has such low production their distribution is very limited. If you are in the area, try Meadowood Resort in Napa Valley, but the best way to acquire the wine is via their website. Visit: www.valancewines.com |
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Valley Legend is owned by Greg Lawson. His family has been in the Napa Valley for nearly 40 years. Greg's grandfather was the first president of Beringer Winery after this winery was purchased from the Beringer Family by Nestle in 1971. Greg's family is still very much in the wine business. His brother Jeff works for a large wine distributor in Santa Barbara and his other brother Rob is a former CEO of Napa Wine Co where today he is their winemaker as well as winemaker for a number of select Napa brands. As expected, Rob helps craft the Valley Legend wines. Mark Beringer (formerly at Duckhorn) is one of Greg's childhood friends and is also the winemaker.
Perhaps the name "Valley Legend" might lead you to believe this wine is named after a certain secret wine legend that exists in the Napa Valley. Actually, no - in this case, "legend" refers to a chart on a map explaining the symbols used. All bottles show the latitude and longitude of their source vineyard's location which can easily be plugged into Google Earth or similar programs - even down to the specific vineyard block. The outline of Mt. St. Helena, the tallest mountain surrounding the Napa Valley is also represented on the label. Making wine commercially has been a dream held close to the vest for Greg for many years. His passion about wine and artisan winemakers is clearly evident when you talk to him. In 2003 the timing was right and he and his family moved back to the Napa Valley. Greg initially helped make wine in 1985 at Vichon Winery (now Diamond Oaks) in Oakville and worked more recently at O'Shaughnessy Winery high on Howell Mountain. The wines are made in their vineyards; they only source from vineyards that meet their exacting standards of approval. Their picking decisions are critical and once the fruit is in the winery they secondary sort both by machine and by hand. This is a very meticulous process in which they remove all stem jacks, leaves and raisins. The focus is on using only ripe clean berries in their fermentations. Valley Legend's focus is to showcase Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a variety of top vineyard sources in various Napa sub appellations. The first commercial vintage was from 2006. By 2010 they will have released three Cabernet's - from Oakville, Atlas Peak and from Conn Valley and plan to continue to release 3 distinct Cabernet Sauvignons each year. Each of these wines are limited in production, typically around 200 cases. Valley Legend's first wine was sourced from Narsai David's vineyard in Conn Valley (east of the town of St. Helena). If Narsai's name is familiar perhaps you may know him from his national radio and TV shows (also the food editor for KCBS, a San Francisco radio station) - he is a noted author and culinary authority (based in San Francisco). As Greg says, "my number one word in winemaking is balance". He stays away from the overpowering "wow" wines that are high in alcohol and overwhelm your palate with the overripe fruit or wines that have the huge mouth drying tannins. Greg thinks the pendulum from high alcohol wines is moving in the other direction back to more moderate food friendly wines such as the wines he produces. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is medium to dark ruby in the glass. A touch of Malbec and Petit Verdot are also blended in the wine. It has an elegant nose, hints of graphite, espresso and sweet notes of blackberry, that are slightly brambly. As the wine opens up more dark fruit is revealed. Blackberry, blueberry and hints of tobacco show on the well layered palate. There is good structure to the finish with fine grained broadly distributed tannins, the finish is balanced and slightly smoky and earthy with lingering berry fruit. It is recommended to decant this wine for at least an hour prior to drinking. While we tried this wine when it was just a baby, it has already developed nice character and will be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years. You can find their wines locally at St. Helena Wine Center and at V Wine Cellars in Yountville. V Wine Cellars was actually the first retail outlet to carry their wines. They also have a mailing list. Visit: www.valleylegend.com |
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The tasting room is in a small wooden room located right next to the fermentation tanks and wine making equipment. After parking next to the vineyards, walk all the way towards the back near the fermentation tanks for the tasting room on the right hand side. A plethora of cool knick-knacks are housed in this small room (covering the walls) including old casings from WWII, a large insect or two and very interesting signs which may be for sale, depending on the sign! Look for "Friends and Wine should be old" -- and our favorite, "there will be a $5 charge for whining"! Their first commercial vintage was in 1984. Andre's family was in the furniture business and he never considered a career in winemaking in the early days. Then a friend gave him a Cabernet Sauvignon and at that point he was hooked on finding out more information about the wine industry. He then took a home winemakers class and in 1977 he and his family moved to the Napa Valley to their current location. Today they have about 23 acres and are growing 11 different varietals. Andre has never been formally educated in wine making. For a winery that typically makes between 2,500 and 3,000 cases, they offer about 30+ different wines, all made in very low production and some quite unique and rare. By numbers of wines, most of their wine is only available through their wine club. Andre is not afraid to experiment during the winemaking and over his long winemaking history in the valley has learned much about winemaking from the "learn by doing" motto. In addition, Van Der Heyden is not afraid to make new types of wines. That in and of itself can be very refreshing, especially after tasting with 500+ commercial wine producers in the Napa Valley! Case in point is their Chardonnay. This is the most un-Napa Chardonnay you will find. It is one of the darker Chardonnays you will see and is a rich gold color. Van Der Heyden typically holds their wines back longer than most wineries, both in oak and in bottle. For many wineries, Chardonnay is a "in the barrel/tank, out the door wine", with a relatively short time from production to consumer. Not Van der Heyden. In addition this wine sees some skin and seed contact which also contributes to the color. The aromas are almost like a late harvest Chardonnay, very fruit driven with notes of caramel, melon and tropical nuances that continue to the palate. As of press time all wines produced are entirely from the vineyards that surround the winery with the exception of their Sauvignon Blanc. This is sourced from Mendocino County and sees no oak during its aging and fermentation. The mouth feel on the 2007 vintage is soft and rounded and it is wines such as this that terroir makes such a difference. We are willing to bet if the grapes used to make this wine were grown on Van Der Heyden's property this wine would have entirely different characteristics. This was our favorite of their white wines with its nice floral nose, hints of green apple, and citrus; it is very well balanced... a winner! Their late harvest Cabernet Sauvignon is the only one made year after year in Napa Valley. We are aware of at least one other Napa winery who has made a late harvest Cabernet and a few International wineries who produce this but perhaps not every year and certainly not as a flagship wine like Van Der Heyden has made this over the years. This wine is not fortified with spirits and is a must try when you taste at the winery. It is also well aged before even being released to the public. We tried the current release, a 2002 (6 years old at the time of our tasting). Great chocolate, cloves, other spices and touches of vanilla on the bouquet, a veritable drinkable sundae! The sugar, alcohol, acidity and flavors are extremely well balanced. There are also nice notes of cherry on the palate. They also make another unusual delicious late harvest wine out of Merlot. Their aging on some of the sweeter wines can easily go several years. During one visit we tasted through a vertical of several older vintages of their late harvest wines. This was a good opportunity to see how these wines age and change in the bottle. Our recommendation is to buy some of their newer vintages and let them age properly for several years. If you can't resist the urge to drink, buy an extra bottle for consumption when you get home and leave the others to age! Their wines are premium quality and are priced accordingly especially their older vintages. Many Napa wineries close at 4pm or maybe 5pm. Not Van Der Heyden - they are open until 6pm and their southerly location on the Silverado Trail makes a good stop for folks heading back south out of the Valley. For more information visit www.vanderheydenvineyards.com |
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Varozza started offering tastings by appointment inside the ghost winery towards the end of 2008. A visit here is very low key and is always with one or both of the husband wife team owners. Weather permitting you will taste wine outside close to the actual vineyards with some cheese and crackers. A recommended walk is to the their pond on the far side of the property. From here you will have good overviews of their entire vineyards as well as both the Mayacamas and Vaca mountains which form the West and the East, north south boundaries of the Napa Valley. Varozza has records that show grapes were first planted on site in the early 1860's. This winery has been within the Varozza family since 1913 and until the current owners released their first vintage in 2000, the last wine made here was from the 1940's. Originally they managed the vineyard and sold all the fruit to nearby well-known wineries. Today their total production is about 550 cases and they do still sell grapes to other winemakers. Each year they produce a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Petite Syrah. Their refreshing philosophy is that wine is meant to be consumed upon purchase (because it has already been aged by the winery) and be affordable to the majority of the population. As a result their wines are very reasonably priced by Napa standards. Varozza has a longer aging program than many small wineries with about 36 months in Oak and then another year in bottle. We tried their first vintage ever which is the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a very elegant nose with some blueberries on the palate and hints of vanilla from the type of oak used. The tannins are soft with a pleasing long finish. Their 2002 Petite Sirah is a wonderful big wine that is very dark and inky in appearance with aromas of ground pepper and lots of dark blackberry flavors on the palate. Its ready to drink now but you can certainly lay this wine down for the next 8 to 10 years. You can find their wine locally at Sunshine market in St. Helena. Visit: www.varozzavineyards.com |
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Veedercrest Vineyards | Tweet
There are a number of wineries that come and go in the valley and then there are those who were well regarded and then for a variety of reasons no longer produced wine commercially. Take for instance Veedercrest - this winery released their first vintage in 1972 and produced wine until the mid 1980's. Then for twenty years no wine was released. However, it was resurrected under the leadership of sole proprietor Ron Fenolio with his first "new" release coming in 2005. He began the label again as a tribute to his friend and co founder Al Baxter, a tribute to Veedercrest's unique history and to both his and Al's passion for wine. Al Baxter who did not have a background in wine, (had a PHD from UC Berkeley in Philosophy and was also an accomplished mountaineer) started making wine in his basement. For several years he made this home wine; then renowned winemaker and viticulturist André Tchelistcheff heard of Al's home wine, invited himself over to Al's house and tasted through a few samples. Realizing the quality he was tasting he encouraged Al to make wine commercially. Veedercrest was then co-founded by Al and Ron. Al was a pioneer in the California wine industry - making California's first true Bordeaux blend with all five varietals, (at the time he was only able to located one acre of Malbec in the entire state!), making fruit forward wines, and giving consumers the "full story" on their front labels. By this he would list the full varietal descriptions and vineyard name and or location. Today Veedercrest still lists three core components to the wine on the front label: the residual sugar, alcohol and total acidity. As Ron says, "I want people to know what they are drinking". The label other than the word "vineyards" which was removed is exactly the same as what was used when they started in the early 1970's. After earning excellent reviews in the early 1970's Steve Spurrier (the organizer of the famed 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting) selected Veedercrest to be one of the representatives in the tasting (their Chardonnay). This wine was was deemed the most "French" of all the wines in the competition. After this competition Veedercrest's wines were noticed on an International scale, served at several White House Dinners and to Pope John Paul II when he visited Philadelphia in 1979. Ron's family has been making wine for over 130 years. His great grand parents farmed vineyards in Northern Italy and his grand parents owned a farm in Contra Costa County (San Francisco Bay area). When wine is in your blood the passion for the industry runs deep. One of his distant relatives owned Charles Krug Winery in the 1920's (before the Mondavi's took over ownership). Five of Ron's cousins own or make wine in California and he's been involved in a number of wineries over the past 40 years including Jacuzzi & Cline Cellars in Sonoma County. The style of wine has changed since their original vintages. Today under Ron's direction, his wines are aged a minimum of 36 months up to 54 months in new French Oak. This is certainly a long time to be in oak but Ron wants the wine to have integrated and smoothed out for the consumer by the time it is released. Ron's wine influence in part comes from many trips to Italy (tasting & comparing various wines and meeting with local winemakers) and a number of Italian wine regions where it is actually against the law for a wine to be released until it is at least 4 years of age. There are some pitfalls to aging wine so long. First you have to be careful of the coopers you use so as not to allow the oak to completely dominate the wine. This longer period of aging before release is certainly not the greatest business model for cash flow. And when Robert Parker and other reviewers are tasting current releases, Veedercrest's wines are still in the bottle! Their total current production is several thousand cases. Today Veedercrest makes seven Cabernet based wines, two Chardonnay's with plans to release their first Pinot Noir. Since oak is such an important component of aging their wines, choosing the types of coopers is very important. Having a number of coopers to play with is like their "spice rack" - and each adds certain nuances to their wines. With oak being such a critical part of aging their wines it might come as a surprise that their Chardonnay sees no oak and also does not go through malolactic fermentation. Ron wants to create a food friendly Chardonnay one that goes with some of his favorite dishes, fillet of sole and oysters. The 2010 Chardonnay has a very clean nose with a rounded, creamy expressive mouth feel. Notes of Meyer lemon and tangerine continue mid palate to the finish. The wine sits on the lees where it is stirred; this in part helps contribute weight and a rounded mouth feel. Their Vintner's Reserve wines are aged a minimum of 4 years. The 2005 Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 54 months on new French Oak. That's 4 and a half years - plus time in the bottle before release. This is a certainly not your quick to market red wine! There is a sweet core of fruit, raspberry and plum on the bouquet with nuances of spices - including white pepper as well notes of mocha. The bouquet shows a number of nuances and baking spices contributed from the different coopers used during the aging. This wine is very approachable - it is soft on the entry with a plush mouth feel with lingering fairly smooth wood and fruit tannins anchoring the finish. The 2006 Mt. Veeder 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon is from a vineyard at about 1500 feet on the slopes of Mt. Veeder. Its 15.4 % alcohol with good color - it is very dark in the glass. The acidity is noticeably higher than the 2005 Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is somewhat brambly, with darker fruit showing - blackberry and black cherry and even a bit of cinnamon. It is an elegant bouquet and like Veedercrest's other wines this bouquet does not reveal overly ripe and or explosive aromas. With that said the palate shows a complexity of fruit, bigger than what you would expect from the bouquet. And the finish is anchored by course strong tannins that continue to show for some time. This is a well structured muscular wine that will benefit from some additional aging. You can taste the Veedercrest portfolio of wines at Savour, a winery collective started by Ron in the town of St. Helena. For more information visit: www.veedercrestvineyards.com |
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Vellum Wine Craft | Tweet
is run by two individuals with a passion for wine - winemaker, Karl Lehmann (graduate of U.C. Davis Viticulture and Enology program) and Jeffrey Mathy who has an advanced certification from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust in London and has managed wine programs for the American Center for Wine Food and the Arts. Jeff enjoyed a career mountain climbing for a number of years and has reached the summit of six of seven of the world's highest mountains on every continent. He quickly realized that climbing tall mountains boasting a serious pedigree required some serious cash. He decided to enlist the help of corporate sponsorship - this was not easy: after targeting and researching potential companies for sponsorship - he started calling them directly. Climbing the world's tallest mountains is no easy feat but seeking corporate sponsorship as a 22 year old posed a challenge in its own right. After 200 phone calls he finally received his first returned phone call which ultimately turned into a successful sponsorship. Like their wines that are built to improve and can handle significant aging, Jeff and his partner did not enter the wine industry as a short term business. The dedication and perseverance that Jeff demonstrated during his mountain climbing career is something you cannot teach. These are characteristics that are essential to starting, building and growing a successful wine brand. Jeff received a number of wine related advice when he and Karl started their brand. "Be the cheapest or be the best" - it is Napa of course and their wines are all hand crafted with the goal to produce a premium product. Another quote of wisdom came from a president of a Napa winery who Jeff met on one of his climbs - he simply said "do not die" - wisdom that makes sense considering their time together on the mountain, but he was actually referring to a building a new wine brand. It takes time - from speaking to vintners on this project it usually takes at least 10 years to create a viable wine brand. If you are making premium wine it takes time to get noticed by critics, the public, build a wine club/mailing list or build distribution, if that is your business model. Jeff has certainly come full circle - from living out of a backpack and trying to enjoy sometimes palatable food at insane heights during his days mountain climbing to living in wine country surrounded by good food - and now a part of its premium wine industry. Vellum Wine Craft was founded in 2006 and their first release was from 2007. Vellum's primary focus is on producing a Bordeaux styled wine with ageability, yet be approachable upon release, containing lower alcohol and a palate that has mouth watering acidity. Their winemaking is old world style - applied to Napa fruit. Early in the project they located a 2-acre vineyard in what is now the Coombsville appellation (north east of the city of Napa). This vineyard was in its 7th leaf at the time but the fruit had never been sold to other vintners or ever used for making wine. Interestingly enough, every harvest went into making home made jam! And it was good jam, according to Jeff. But it is Napa after all and harvests of wine grapes won't be turned into jam for very long. After Jeff and Karl were introduced to this vineyard, they built a solid relationship with the grower that has since evolved into a long term lease on the vineyard's fruit. Hang time and development of flavors in the grapes from this property is long - each of their harvests has been the last few days of October. One might think the sugars would be much higher by this time of year but to date they've been able to pick around 23 brix. This vineyard provides the fruit for their flagship Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Their wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered (including their new Sauvignon blanc with Semillon blend). Their approach to winemaking is as minimal as possible preferring to showcase the vineyards' fruit rather than their own winemaking style. The 2008 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon is also blended with smaller amounts of Petit Verdot and Merlot. The wine is 13.8% alcohol. The bouquet is very aromatic with floral notes, cassis and as it breathes additional aromas of soil and hints of cedar show. The palate is soft but not overly plush and has a nice balance between fruit, alcohol, oak and acidity. The pleasing finish lasts for some time and showcases fine grained delicate tannins. Several wines are made entirely for their wine club and are always made in small quantities (usually just several barrels). The 2009 Napa Valley Black is one of these - named as such for the intensity of color that the prominent varietal in this wine has - Petite Verdot. This bouquet initially shows nice notes of earth, dustiness and a gravel component - with that said, the fruit is definitely present and shows more prominently as the wine evolves in the glass. A core of high toned fruit shows throughout the palate lingering on the finish with notes of red currant and red cherry. As in their Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the hallmarks of their wines show through - mouth watering acidity - especially on the finish. This wine is structurally bigger then their Cabernet Sauvignon and the finish lingers for some time. The 2009 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon had been bottled merely weeks before our tasting - but aromatically it was already showing well with notes of red licorice, cassis and red currant. The name "Vellum" ties in nicely with their style of wines. Vellum is made from animal skin, can age very well and its earliest use dates back thousands of years. Important books, treaties and document have been written on vellum including the Bible, the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence. Vellum uses some of the best corks you can find for aging - they are longer than the average cork to match the long neck of the bottle. Much of their distribution is direct - through their mailing list and wine club. Word of mouth has been largely responsible for their growth although recent recognition includes came from winning medals at the World Wine Awards presented by Decanter Magazine. For more information visit: www.vellumwines.com |
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Some days during our tastings we heard the Venge name dropped at almost every winery we visited; this well-respected family has their hands in an large number of wine related projects within the Napa Valley. Kirk's new vineyard is planted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon and is situated on a stunning piece of land that is located against the edge of the jagged Palisades in the northern part of Napa Valley just south of the town of Calistoga. The property sits well back from the Silverado Trail. This is a secluded part of the Napa Valley far removed from the busy "wine strip" along Highway 29 south of St. Helena. A number of prominent vineyards are located in this area and the famed Eisele Vineyard which produces fruit for the cult Araujo Estate, runs right down to one corner of their property. Venge Vineyards has named this location the "Bone Ash Ranch" after the high volcanic material found in the mostly whitish rocky soil. Their wines are always made in small quantities (the total production is under 4000 cases annually) and typically sell out very quickly. For a relatively small winery Venge makes a wide variety of wines. A number of these wines are vineyard designates as Kirk likes to produce small quantities of wines from select vineyards - showcasing that particular vineyards' fruit. Believe it or not, 2007 was the first vintage that Kirk has made a Chardonnay for commercial release under the Venge label. There are two things about this wine - one good and one bad; first it is a beautiful wine and two, the inaugural vintage was produced in such a low quantity that its is mainly available just for the wine club - in other words it is a difficult wine to find. The 2007 is made entirely from the Dijon Clone in the style of a French Chablis. This wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation, it sees some oak during aging but it is not imparted in the actual flavors. It is quick to win you over with its delightful nose of lemon zest, pineapple and various mineralities. It is a rich yet refreshing Chardonnay with an explosion of citrus, stone fruit (peach), and pineapple flavors. This is a prime Chardonnay to age for a few years and see how its color, character and complexities will continue to develop. One of our our favorite Venge wines is "Scouts Honor", a unique primarily Zinfandel Blend with smaller percentages of other varietals that vary slightly from year to year - Petite Sirah, Syrah or Charbonno. This wine is their workhorse wine; it is the most produced wine and is made every year. It is named after the Venge's first winery dog, Scout who today is a legend among Napa winery dogs! Sometimes specific blends hit upon that golden formula where the wine's flavors appeal to a broad array of palates (think The Prisoner, Orin Swift). Well, Scout's Honor also falls into this category. This wine is aged in American Oak (Missouri); the 2005 contains Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Charbonno. The nose is full of fruit including dark cherry and is intermingled with pleasant cedar aromas. The palate follows through with a dusty quality and wild blackberry and raspberry fruit flavors. This is a wine that easily pairs with everyday food and as Kirk says, it is his "Monday through Thursday wine". The 2006 Mulhner Steps Vineyard Syrah is a dark inky, chewy, juicy Syrah. The vineyard is located in eastern Napa County (Chiles Valley) and is named "steps" after its terracing - the soils are thin and mostly rocky, perfect conditions for growing rich concentrated fruit. Both Syrah's that Venge makes are great examples of terroir expression; this wine shows a big backbone and mouth feel. The nose is all fruit hinting at what follows on the palate which is an explosion of black fruit flavors. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve is their signature wine and is always hand harvested by the Venge Family - aunts, uncles, cousins all descend on the vineyards at Saddleback Cellars to pick the fruit for this wine. Their philosophy with this wine is to start with the highest quality fruit as possible, micro-sorting several times (removing unusual, sun damaged and bird pecked berries), employing a gentle bladder press and using only the highest quality free run juice and whole berries in the fermentation. Also this wine sees 100% new French Oak during its aging. The result is typically this wine can be bottled unfined and unfiltered for maximum flavor. The 2005 vintage is dark ruby in color and the nose shows ripe cherry with just a hint of vanilla from the French Oak. The palate is smooth from start to finish with very well integrated tannins. There is a slightly dusty earthy component to the super long finish. It is very fruit forward. They also make a Late Harvest Zinfandel but only in amounts of several hundred cases and this sells out rather quickly. We are fortunate to have a 2007 bottle of this and will add our tasting notes as time permits. Venge moves fast when it comes to their winemaking - after purchasing the property within a relatively short amount of time they had built their new winery. The winery is not open to the public but can accommodate club members and their guests on an appointment only basis. Venge wines are popular with a number of serious collectors and large format bottles are produced. Their wine club is appropriately titled "In Venge Veritas" - their wines can be found locally at the Culinary Institute in St. Helena and at Cal Mart in Calistoga among a number of other locations. Visit: www.vengevineyards.com |
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Verismo Wines are owned by the D'Ambrosio Family, long time entrepreneurs and grape growers in the Napa Valley. The name Verismo is Italian and translates into "absolute truth" or the "truth" in wine. As the D'Ambrosio's say, "Our wines embody the passionate relationship between the vineyard and the winery and all who contribute to the making of this wine."
Today the D'Ambrosio's own and manage over 125 acres of vineyards in the Napa Valley separated into 5 unique vineyards ranging in location from St. Helena in the north to the town of Napa in the south. Their focus is on micromanagement of the vineyards, separating out individual blocks within each vineyard and then managing these blocks as needed based on specific soil characteristics, vines, slope, drainage and a number of other characteristics. Their focus is to bring out the full expression of fruit from each grapevine. For many years the D'Ambrosio Family concentrated on growing the best quality grapes possible and selling the fruit to other area vintners. However with the release of the movie Sideways in 2004, they soon found themselves without contracts and or demand for their Merlot grapes. Seeing this, they decided to crush these grapes themselves and soon found out they had some "terrific juice"! This was also the impetus for starting to make wine from other varietals - their first release was in 2006 and in 2007 they brought on fruit from their own vineyards and now produce a combination of fruit grown themselves as well as sourced from other area vintners. At the time of this review, they make their wine at a custom crush facility in south Napa but have plans to build their own winery on one of their pieces of property in the area. The two main labels are the Stretto and Verismo with a third wine called Stella (a blended red wine). All wines produced by Verismo are made in very limited quantities, typically only several hundred cases. Their wines are priced extremely affordably by Napa standards; the Stretto label are wines that are made to typically drink soon while the Verismo wines are more age worthy. We started our tasting with the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (no malolactic fermentation and no oak). This wine has a very fruit driven nose that is somewhat floral with tropical overtones including pineapple. The crisp palate has a complexity of flavors ranging from green apple to various notes of citrus. The 2007 Stretto Red wine is predominately Merlot and contains some fruity characteristics in both the nose and on the palate. The 2006 Malbec is a dark rich colored wine with some dusty earthy characteristics that lead from the aromas and are also represented on the palate. It has just the right tannin structure to pair well with a variety of foods. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is not a huge wine, rather its more refined with a smooth entry and soft supple tannins on the finish. It shows good fruit flavors including blackberry and plum. Visit: www.verismowines.com and or their vineyard location and information site: www.dbicnapa.com/vine.htm |
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Vermeil Wines has a total production of merely 1200 cases but from this they make an unusually high variety of different wines. As a result many of their wines are produced in very small quantities. This winery is owned by winemaker Paul Smith - MarySue Frediani-Smith, Jim Frediani, Jeanne Frediani, Dick Vermeil and Carol Vermeil. Paul has a long history in the Napa Valley working at prestigious wineries such as Opus One, Robert Mondavi and Joseph Phelps. Wondering about this unique winery name? We were until we found out its based on the fact that their property is located right on "the edge" of the Napa / Sonoma County line on top of the spine of the Mayacamas mountain range which separates both counties.
The winery itself is located in off of Langtry Road not far from Cain Winery in the midst of the Spring Mountain District. Due to its isolated winery location, narrow windy roads and limited use permit - their "public face" is their tasting room in the town of Calistoga right next to the creek that runs through town. In fact they have outdoor seating available which makes this a perfect spot to taste wine during the warmer months. Much of their fruit source comes from the dry farmed Frediani Vineyard located on the valley floor just off of the Silverado Trail - a bit south of Calistoga. As you turn off of highway 29/128 at the stop sign onto Lincoln Ave (the main street through Calistoga), the tasting room is in a corner location 2 blocks down on your left side (look for the blue roof). In mid 2009 they re-opened after being closed several months for renovation. Their tasting bar used to be located within the Hurd Beeswax Candle store which has been moved to the town of St. Helena and is now open by appointment only. The renovation inside the building looks fantastic with lots of open space and the focus now being on the wine. Famed football coach Dick Vermeil (Dick has made two trips to the Super Bowl) was born and raised in Calistoga and at one point coached at Napa College in the south part of the valley. He is friends with the Frediani's and has teamed up with OnThEdge wines to produce his own label (Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Proprietary red and a Cabernet Sauvignon). A fair collection of memorabilia relating to his storied career is found within the tasting room including several footballs from his playing career and lots of photos. An autographed movie poster of "Invincible" hangs on the wall. This movie is based on a true story of an out of work 30 year old who makes the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976 during an open tryout held by then coach Dick Vermeil. The tasting room opened in 2002 initially for a number of years as OnThEdge Winery - making it one of the older tasting rooms in Calistoga - a town that has more recently sprouted several new tasting rooms. Vermeil Tasting Room is open to the public and walk-ins are welcome. If you want to see the actual winery on Spring Mountain you have to make an appointment (very small groups only). A nice perk of a visit to their Calistoga tasting room is Vermeil often has older vintages available for tasting; this is fairly uncommon in Napa where most tasting rooms only pour current releases during their general tastings. There are several wines that have stood out from our several tastings here. They make an excellent softer styled Charbono, an uncommon varietal in the Napa Valley which requires a very specific growing climate. There are just a few handful of wineries making this varietal in the Napa Valley and because of the northern valley's unique growing climate Charbono production is centered here. In the summer, this varietal thrives on very hot days with much cooler nights - we've seen 50 degree temperature swings between night and day in the Calistoga area. Charbono is a unique grape, one that can have a very distinctive taste that is almost wild or gamey at times. Their 2005 vintage has some of this but also delicious fruit, soft tannins and a wonderful lingering finish. Their Syrahs are juicy in style with ripe concentrated fruit that makes for a very plush big mouth feel while still retaining a very nice softness. The 2004 shows great fruit with a core of black fruit including blackberry and black currant. They also offer a vertical tasting of their Zinfandels; you will pick up subtle nuances in aroma and flavor depending on the actual vintage. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is named Jean Louis Vermeil after two of Dick Vermeils' great grandfathers. Dick and his wife literally helped hand craft this particular wine. In an interesting twist of fate, Dick's ancestors used to own the Frediani Vineyard which supplies OnThEdge most of their fruit. This Cabernet Sauvignon has already received some very good press and high ratings by respected wine critics. Several of their wines are named for the year when their vineyards were first planted including the 1908 Late Harvest Zinfandel harvested from 100+ year old Zinfandel vines. Yes, this is definitely considered "old vine zin"! Their 2003 vintage is certainly not the overly ripe, viscous, prune-like late harvests you can sometimes find, rather the sugar level is controlled with just the right amount of tartness to actually make this wine ok to pair with food including a variety of steaks and or spicy food. The well structured finish shows good tannins and is part of the reason why this "dessert" wine can be paired with a meal (to help cut through the tannins). Be sure to open the "bee doors" (one of the more interesting attractions found inside a Napa tasting room!). Built inside of the building's wall is is a live colony of buzzing honeybees very much at work in their hive! Visit: www.vermeilwines.com |
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was founded in 1983 by Jean-Noel & Marketta Fourmeaux. Today Jean-Noel is sole proprietor. Jean-Noel & Marketta came to the Napa Valley in 1980 after the famous Paris tasting of 1976 - the French government wanted them to research Napa Wineries and report back on their findings. They decided against returning to France since they fell in love with Napa Valley and instead opened their own winery - which was located on the steep slopes of Mt Veeder for many years until it was sold in 2007. Their original introduction with Mt. Veeder was in the early 1980's when they were making the Chateau Potelle wine at Hess Collection. Wanting to take some time off and re-energize after the sale of the winery and health issues, one would have not thought twice if Jean-Noel would have wanted to spend some time on a deserted island relaxing on the beach. Rather he headed to India where he spent a number of months on a spiritual trek mainly walking and also bicycling over 2000 miles from the south to the northern part of the country. After returning from the "trek of a lifetime" Jean-Noel rebranded Chateau Potelle, located new vineyard sources (primarily from the hillsides) and decided to scale their production down. He went from 20,000 cases to about 3,500 cases today. VGS is an acronym for a really "un" Napa sounding name - Very Good "Sh**"!. The name of the winery however, is rooted in history and French wine tradition; it is named after the original 500+ year old Chateau Potelle in France. Today Jean-Noel is their "wine stylist" - while one of their long time winemakers is in charge of the day to day activities. Jean-Noel takes a minimalist approach to their wines - using natural yeasts for fermentation, focusing on mountain vineyards that develop great natural accidity and showcase where the wines originate from - highlighting the fruit rather than oak. The focus of Chateau Potelle is to create wines that are age worthy, continue to develop additional complexities and nuances over the years and very importantly -are food friendly. Chateau Potelle concentrates their production on two main series of wines, their primary VGS label and the VGS Explorer series which focuses on unique blends and varietals that are not as well known as say Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The 2010 VGS Explorer Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from Pope Valley in eastern Napa County. A touch of Semillon helps round out the mid palate and adds additional weight and floral characteristics to the bouquet. This wine shows some nice mineralities, tropical notes and lingering notes of apricot on the finish. Oh and a first of its kind that we've seen in Napa - the bottle is square! The VGS Explorer 2007 "The Illegitimate" is a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Syrah (the blend changes each year). Who knew blending certain varietals could result in jail time - well not in the USA, but in France where wine regulations in this regard are fairly strict. As Chateau Potelle says in regards to this wine, "it is for the wine drinker used to taking the road less traveled"! The Zinfandel certainly makes its presence known in the bouquet - rich and ripe and the fruit dominates with undertones of cedar. The entry is soft and the mouth feel plush and rounded with notes of red fruit including red cherry and cranberry. The tannins carry some weight through a long finish. Their Zinfandel is one of their signature wines and their 2009 delivers in a good way - this mountain grown wine has an elegant but rich aromatic bouquet including red fruits with notes of fine chocolate as the wine opens. Layers of fruit flavors show on the palate with an enticing complexity that also includes baking spices and a touch of white pepper. The tannins are well managed and complement a long balanced finish. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon includes 10% Merlot - the fruit for this wine comes from about 1600 to 1800 feet on Mt. Veeder. This wine is about the red fruit - red cherry and even hints of red licorice. The grapes are mountain grown but with tannins atypical of mountain wines. Rather they are well integrated and for a relatively young wine, is already fairly well balanced. Their only non-Napa wine is a Late Harvest Zinfandel (non fortified) sourced from a 200 acre property in West Paso Robles that Jean-Noel owns. Note the cougar prints that are on some of their labels and wine glasses - they were taken from an imprint of a cougar footprint found on Mt. Veeder. Tastings are now offered in two locations; by prior appointment for serious wine enthusiasts during good weather months (typically April-September) are held at 1800 feet in the Mt. Veeder appellation next to a small redwood grove adjoining the primary vineyard where they source much of the fruit from for their red wines. As expected the views here on a clear day are stellar. Despite the plethora of excellent food in the Napa Valley, it is somewhat rare to find unique culinary tastings in the vineyards such as the ones Chateau Potelle offers. They have partnered with several restaurants to offer premium lunches including their Epicurean experience in which you are served a 5 course lunch from the Michelin starred La Toque Restaurant, based in the city of Napa. Or choose lunch menu's from the Oakville Grocery or from "the Iron Chef's" Morimoto Restaurant in the city of Napa. And their newly opened second location. During our work on this project we hear of a number of "plans" to open stand alone tasting rooms in the valley. Most never materialize. When we first heard of the plans for VGS to open their open tasting room on the valley floor we knew they were serious. Consider it a 30 year birthday present to themselves, their fans, and a physical presence along busy highway 29 to attract new consumers. This elegant and picturesque stand alone tasting room is located at the corner of Dowdell Lane and Highway 29, just south of St. Helena and opened in April 2013 (look for the French and American flags in front!). You don't just come here to taste the wines - as with the tastings they offer high on Mt. Veeder - the wines here are paired with delicious nibbles - prepared by La Toque Restaurant in the city of Napa. These tastings are hand selected to match each of the wines served. There are no cash registers inside - orders are taken entirely by iPad. Several rooms are available for more intimate tastings; walkins can also stop by for a tasting - with a tasting bar setup near the main entrance. If the weather is warm - you can taste outside in their small garden courtyard area - merely steps from the tracks that the Napa Wine Train uses. Special mention must be made about their "grape picking knife" art display hanging on the wall as you enter the building. The artist is from France and spent a week installing this. It is a tribute to Jean-Noel's heritage - the knives were used in France during many harvests - one is even 400 years old. The artist added his own touch - creating colorful plastic "knives" interspersed with the real ones. For more information visit: www.vgschateaupotelle.com |
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She has taken many techniques from the French wine industry and used them in this winery. She speaks 6 languages fluently and has several degrees from prominent universities. When her father asked why she wanted to go into farming with her strong educational background, she told him she would be an educated farmer! Her knowledge and wine making skills are showcased perfectly at this small winery. She does not want to evolve into a large producer as she needs to know and understand all of her wine before it is released to the public. Two of her children are actively involved in the wineries operations; son Alan is the Director of Operations and Winemaking and her daughter Janet is the Director of Marketing and Sales. The soil on the slopes is typically only about 8 inches deep and before planting the vines, the rock under the soil was cracked by machines to allow the roots to grow deeper into the ground. Their vineyards are representative of Howell Mountain's very rocky volcanic soils. Unlike most hillside Napa Valley vineyards Viader does not use terracing, rather they plant their grapes in East/West facing rows with the vines flowing straight down the up to 32% grade slopes. This is a vineyard design you would see much more often in parts of hillside European wineries. A visit here is always private and is for serious wine enthusiasts. Part of your tour will be inside their wine caves which were tunneled out of solid Basalt rock. On slow days the drill only moved merely a foot forward! While inside the caves, note the not often used in Napa concrete "eggshell" tanks. There is a beautiful hospitality center built on the side of a hill which overlooks their vineyards. This is where you will enjoy your sit down tasting of 4-6 of their current releases. Allow at least an hour for a visit here. Viader's flagship wine is simply called Viader which is a Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon blend and unlike most wineries that create this blend who use only a touch of Cabernet Franc, the "Viader" wine showcases both varietals. Viader has one of the nicest Cabernet Francs we have tasted in Napa Valley and is found under their DARE label. They also produce an excellent Tempranillo, and a light yet rich Rose of Cabernet grapes. All their vineyards are farmed Biodynamically. You may see other wineries in the valley farming in this manner. Briefly Biodynamically farming involves three things; you build the soil naturally using special natural compost, philosophically farm in which you prune and harvest based on phases of the moon and planets, and control pests and diseases without chemicals (cover crops, use plants that attract beneficial insects). The well regarded Michel Rolland is their consultant on all blending decisions. He is the world's "master blender", consulting for many wineries in Bordeaux France as well as a number of International wineries. We read somewhere that he tastes between 30,000 and 35,000 different wines each year. Whew! Viader consistently receives high awards from some of the wine industry's most notable critics. If Delia is not there during your visit you can pose for a photo with her real size cardboard cut out! Visit: www.viader.com Viader Overview by WineSpectator: |
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Choose from two tastings, one includes select wines from both Villa Mt. Eden and Conn Creek and the other contains entirely single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from Conn Creek. Their 2005 Pinot noir from the Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley (central California) is full of mature fruit and not as earthy as some Pinots. Thats not a bad thing! Their 2004 Grand Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet is one of the best Napa Cab quality to price values in the valley. At $18/bottle this is almost the lowest priced Napa Cabernet we have found out of 500+ commercial Napa wine producers. It is an everyday drinking Cabernet, light to medium bodied with nice flavors of plum and hints of toasted oak on the nose. Just a touch of Cabernet Franc rounds out the smooth finish very nicely. Several Zinfandels are also available for tasting. Their Orange Muscat is probably the lightest Muscat we've tried in the valley and the vintage we tasted was only 4% alcohol. This is definitely the lowest alcohol wine out of the 500+ wineries we have tasted with to date! Sometimes you can get a free tasting coupon if you visit the Conn Creek Website & signup for their mailing list. Another neat feature of this winery is their appointment only barrel tastings which started in mid 2008. Their barrel room contains one barrel from each of the 14 distinct appellations within the Napa area. These barrel tastings represent specific terroirs and is a rare opportunity to taste from all 14 AVA's in one location. We are sure you will notice some differences in the samples based on the terroir and microclimates. Visit: www.villamteden.com |
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Vin Roc is owned by Michael Parmenter and Kiky Lee. We have met with Napa vintners from a variety of backgrounds including a former prison guard, a marine biologist, cattle rancher, but this is the first vintner whose background involved shoe manufacturing. Looking for a change in the 1990's and to "escape" Los Angeles for a country location Michael & Kiky started looking for property specifically in wine country. They have both enjoyed wine for many years. After nearly 2 years of looking for property they purchased 35 acres in the hills east of the Napa valley floor in 1999. This was raw land with no other vineyards in the immediate vicinity. With no intention of making wine commercially they soon planted 5 acres of vines - to three clones of Cabernet Sauvignon. As their wine interest grew they both decided to enroll in viticulture classes at Napa College. After a few years the fruit was ready and so Michael re-enrolled, this time taking enology classes. By this time Napa Valley College was building their own winery. They waited 4 years after planting their vineyard to produce wine. By this time they had significantly increased their knowledge of both the vineyard as well as the winemaking. Michael also wanted to help build the reputation of region and together with a nearby vintner helped start the Atlas Peak Association (he was their first president). This is truly a small family owned winery as both Michael and Kiky handle everything themselves from the vineyard management to the winemaking. The vineyard is at an elevation of 1600 feet, planted on south west facing slopes just below Atlas Peak. Growing conditions are excellent as they are above the fog line which along with their vineyard's orientation allows them to receive additional sunlight hours. Even though the days may warm up in the summer, the nights are typically cool; this diurnal difference is instrumental in long hang time and ripening fruit evenly with good acid balance. This is mountain grown Cabernet Sauvignon country and that is the varietal they focus their efforts on. Everything at this winery is completely micromanaged and often their harvest can take 3 to 4 weeks as not every block ripens at once. Only a ton is picked at any one time and only specific clusters are harvested when acidity, flavor and sugar are at the desired level. They will return a number of times to pick only ripe clusters throughout the harvest even to the level of picking specific rows. This of course is not the most cost effective way to harvest a vineyard, but is what counts when your focus is on quality. The ripe blocks of their vineyard are harvested and then allowed to ferment and age totally separate from the other blocks until the final blending decisions take place usually 18 months later. The soils at the vineyard site are volcanic in origin, very rocky and red underneath the surface - ideal growing conditions for high end Cabernet. As a result, yields are low and flavors are concentrated. Their "fun wine" is a dry Rose; a wine that Kiky enjoyed during a number of trips to Southern France. Not often finding a "true" Rose in Napa, they decided to produce small amounts of this. This wine is a very unique blend of Grenache and Barbara. These varietals are not usually found in Napa and as a result they source the fruit from Lodi. This wine was not created by bleeding off juice, i.e. the commonly used Saignee method. Rather it was made in the tradition of Southern France where the juice is allowed to sit on the skins for a short while, creating a nice dark pink color. The fruit was picked lower in sugar with a higher total acidity. This wine pairs well with food or can also be served as a stand alone wine, especially in summer. 2004 was their first commercial release. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon shows just a nuance of cedar in the bouquet with nice red and black fruit on the palate that is well balanced between acidity and structure. You can certainly drink this now, but its going to continue to evolve with some aging. During a visit to their property we also tried the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. This estate wine is their signature wine. The bouquet reveals appealing baking spices which as the wine opens shows more fruit. Earthy and dusty aromas are also present. The entry is soft and continues smooth and rounded throughout the palate. Blackberry, blueberry and dark fruits show. The finish is defined by silky tannins which linger gently for some time. This wine is delicious and certainly ready to drink young but will continue to evolve and drink well for a number of years. At second label is simply titled Enjoie RTW or "red table wine" - this includes fruit from the estate as well as purchased fruit from Napa Valley. It is interesting to note that government laws specify that wine called "table wine" must be under 14% alcohol and this wine is under 14% alcohol. Kiky has an artistic background and designs all their labels. Michael speaks of a type of "zen" approach to winemaking... patience of course, but discovering how things evolve both in the vineyard and winemaking. Also like the sacred "mandalas" which are a thing of beauty but then disappear when the artist blows them away, so to with wine, once its consumed it is gone. The word on the door to the cave means "wine" in Chinese and there is an Asian theme to the house right below the cave. Production is extremely limited - usually around 400 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate. You can find the wine locally at Backroom Wines in the city of Napa and V Wine Cellars in Yountville. Distribution is at select restaurants in California with very select placement in New York, Shanghi and Tokyo. Tastings are for serious wine enthusiasts by appointment. Visit: www.vinrocnapa.com Review currently in progress of being updated.... Wine with Tony |
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Vinatieri Winery is owned by Pat Vinatieri. He has a long history of making wine for himself, friends and family and after receiving much encouragement and praise for his wine, decided to offer it commercially. The first vintage was released in 2001. It is called the Grand Meritage and incorporates five Bordeaux varietals which include Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. This is a dark inky style unfiltered wine blend which is very rich in flavor. It is well extracted with delicious fruit on the palate including cherry. The wine is full bodied with a beautiful long finish. The tannins are well managed and having a few extra years in the bottle has really helped this wine come together.
Pat has visited Italy many times and fell in love with the old-world style of winemaking. During his time in Italy he would visit a region and ask to visit the most "well-known" winery, and or winemaker in that region. He would make the most of these visits, often sitting down with the winemakers and "picking their brains" for ideas and techniques both enologically and viticulturally. It is these ideas that gave him the basis for creating a vineyard and a winemaking style that closely resembles the top winemakers in northern Italy. His family name Vinatieri literally means "wine of the earth" and "winemaker". Pat has lived in the Yountville region of the Napa Valley since 1978. During the mid 1990's many vineyards were planting their Cabernet Sauvignon on their highest quality land and planting other varietals elsewhere. Pat planted all the Bordeaux varietals on prime vineyard land with the thought to blend all the varietals from only the best "teroir". It is this type of field blending (varietals planted that are interspersed with other varietals) that creates such a captivating wine. As in Italy where meals can be quite lengthy, Vinatieri's wine is very food friendly and is meant to be consumed with meals. Compatible conversation, with good food and this wine makes for a memorable time! As of press time, the wine is *only* available by visiting the website and contacting the winery directly via phone or email. Production is very small - typically only 150 to 450 cases per year, depending on the individual harvest. This wine has already been well received and its just a matter of time before its scooped up by high end restaurants and retailers. Plans are in the works for distribution in select markets, restaurants and wine shops. Stay posted for more details. Visit: www.vinatieriwine.com/ |
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This is a fairly low production winery and often their wines sell out extremely fast, which means when you do a taste, you probably will be barrel sampling. If you want an excellent Petite Sirah, you've come to the right place. This is the wine they are most known for and in which they concentrate their efforts on. In fact they always sell out of their Petite Sirahs before they are even bottled from the barrels! Customers buy "futures" on this wine. They also make a Petite Sirah Port; we tasted this from the barrel and while still a little young, it already had good tannin structure, awesome fruit and was well on its way to becoming a delightful desert wine. The winery was started by Vincent, a former mechanical engineer from Silicon Valley who was looking for a more "rural" lifestyle. He was attracted to the farming aspect of the business and today still helps manage the vineyards as well as is the head winemaker. When he purchased the property there was much work to be done - prunes still grew on site (yes, Napa used to be full of prune and walnut orchards) and he removed many of the older vines and replanted. Vincent Arroyo has really grown from 23 acres at the time of purchase and just a few hundred cases to over 85 acres today and about 8000 cases. All of their red grapes come from from the estate vineyards. For such a low production winery their prices are very reasonable. Vincent, the owner and winemaker, purchased land here in 1974 but typically sold the grapes to other winemakers and released his first vintage in 1984. The wines are only sold at the winery; there is no distribution whatsoever other than from the winery or if you are a wine club member. They make one white, a Chardonnay and all the rest are red varietals. Even the "winery dogs" get in on the winemaking action. This is something you have to ask about! They have a variety of oak aging programs with their Bordeaux varietals seeing only French Oak and the Petite Sirah and Zinfandel seeing some American Oak. Some of their wines barrel age up to 24 months. Also of note are the variety of events held at the winery; a highlight is their "Amigos de Arroyo" in which up to 80 people help with harvest by picking grapes and taking them back to the winery for crush. This is open by lottery system. In addition they hold an annual winemaker dinner, open house every May, and a wonderful barrel sampling event held every February. Visit: www.vincentarroyo.com |
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If the weather permits you may even taste outside in the shade of the nearby trees overlooking the pond and other parts of their property. The caves are nicely laid out with no stacking of the barrels. Their production varies each year but is around 7000 cases with plenty of cave space left over. Ask for Steve if he is working - he knows many of the wineries in the Napa Valley. He has been in the industry for a long time and as a result has a wealth of information. Steve can discuss vintages from different area wineries like child's play and can provide insights in regards to variations with vintages. Vine Cliff makes high end highly crafted wines, always striving to produce improved vintages. They concentrate on two varietals, several Cabernet Sauvignons and a Chardonnay from the southern cooler Carneros district. They own three vineyards spread out over Carneros, Calistoga and of course their main estate property. All vineyards are farmed sustainably. We started out with the 2006 Chardonnay which is a nice example of what you can do with Carneros grown Chardonnay. Much of this wine is from the highly regarded French Dijon clone. There are nice aromas of tropical fruit as well fresh stone fruit, with more fruit on the palate including apricot as well as notes of toasted almond and crème Brule. The 2005 Cabernet Franc is a juicy perfectly crafted wine of this varietal; it has no vegetative characteristics and is all about the fruit. The story you often hear with Cabernet Franc in the Napa area is that it is rarely made. Well, compared to Cabernet Sauvignon this holds some credence, but we've seen it as its own varietal at, at least 50 Napa wineries. The 2005 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is from the estate and is a very good representation of their hillside terroir and the multiple clones and vineyard blocks that go into making this wine. This is a classic California Cabernet with rich ripe fruit full of berries, a muscular wine if you will but restrained with mocha, chocolate and a exotic smokiness gracing the nose. The real high end Cabernet Sauvignon is the Private Stock 16 Rows from their Calistoga vineyard. If you enjoy their wines, be sure to join their wine club. The club is small but gives you access to limited production reserve wines. It is a well managed club with members being those who actually enjoy the wine and want to be a part of the Vine Cliff experience. Private meals can be arranged in their cave or on site. Several wines are sold exclusively at the winery. As of press time, additional plans have been approved to dig into the hill and create a unique tasting tasting room that is outdoors and set back against the hill. This is slated to open by mid summer 2009 and will give Vine Cliff a true tasting facility, rather than in the caves or in their barrel aging room. For more information visit: www.vinecliff.com |
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Everything at Vineyard 29 is micro managed and as the owner Chuck says jobs here can take up to 10x as long as at other area wineries. Their focus is on quality and limited productions. Rather than harvesting grapes in large containers, they harvest grapes into small 40 pound boxes. Gentle handling is priority throughout harvest; grapes start fermentation as soon as they become crushed. Vineyard 29's post picking efforts result in fermentation that starts when they want it to. They hand sort individual berries several times and only the highest fruit is allowed to go into tank, berry by berry! During harvest, if you stand at the end of where their sorting table drops off, all you will see are perfectly ripe berries - no jacks, stems or other distractions. Fermentations tend to be long as they are trying to extract as much flavor as possible. The "guts" of this winery are a real treat to see. Everything is very modern as the main facility was completed in 2003. They have several huge new French oak barrels that are only used 5x and then replaced. How many Napa wineries can gravity feed wine from their main tanks located in a separate room into barrels in their caves? This is a state of the art process perfected by Vineyard 29 in which wine is transferred directly from their tanks through a conduit in the wall to the barrels in the caves. Pretty slick! They generate their own energy on site and are one of the most environmentally friendly wineries in the Napa Valley. Lights in the cave's automatically turn on as you walk in. The caves are plush, elegant and a fine blend of function and beauty - they culminate in their sensuous dramatic Library Tasting room where you will typically try three wines. This is definitely among the most elegant tasting rooms that we have visited in Napa. These are also among the few caves we've seen in Napa Valley that are sloped, which helps with managing the barrels, water flow and other winemaking efforts. Their wines are like drinking liquid velvet - all the ones we tasted are well balanced between flavor, acidity and tannin structure. If you will, a bottle of Vineyard 29 contains the best fruit their vineyards can offer - it is a true balance between terroir and technology. Their well-respected winemaker is Philippe Melka who also has his hand in other high end Napa Wineries including Marston and Roy Estate. Vineyard 29's main wines are a delicious Zinfandel from their nearby Aida vineyard (Turley used to produce Zinfandel from this vineyard), the Aida Red Wine (blend) and their very high end Cabernet Sauvignon. Their wines often score very high among wine writers especially with Robert Parker. They have a mailing list but there is a multi-year wait to get on this. Vineyard 29 historically supports a variety of charities; one of their wines was hand crafted to support Hurricane relief efforts and raised more than $150,000, all of which was donated! You can find their wine locally at some of the high end Napa restaurants. We could go on an on about this winery but you can wet your appetite with a visit to their website: www.vineyard29.com Introduction Video by the WineInsider: |
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Chardonnay is not a varietal that first comes to mind when discussing hillside vineyards in Napa but Spring Mountain has several growers of this varietal. Merely a few miles as the crow flies across from their winery sits the Howell Mountain Appellation. You would not even think of growing Chardonnay there, despite the relatively close proximity as that area is much warmer than Spring Mountain which sees more cooling coastal influences. A bit of snow often falls here in the winter and in the summer this area is typically above the fog. Growing conditions are unique in that in the summer the warmest parts of the day are usually in the mornings, becoming much cooler by late afternoon and then warming up a bit at night as the cooler air descends to the valley floor. The winery sits a short ways in on the Spring Mountain "summit winery" road and affords one fantastic views of Mt. St. Helena and the neighboring mountains. The entrance to the winery is built to resemble a home and you would not guess the size and functionality incorporated into the building until you go downstairs or see it from the backside. A massive 700 pound copper door greets you at the entrance and once inside you step into a room with a 180 degree windowed view of the surrounding mountains. The massive table in this room is made from wood dated at over 40,000 years old. It is Kauri wood from New Zealand and is considered some of the oldest workable wood in the world. Amazing! During their initial years they sold entirely wholesale but now they also sell direct to consumers. The owner's son Wesley is assistant winemaker after working as cellar master at the famed Harlan Estate cult winery. Their winemaker comes from a French winemaking family and as a result has significant experience working in France and in the Napa Valley. Since the Steffen Family purchased the vineyards, great attention to detail has gone into the actual vineyard management as well as during harvest. Specific rows are picked only when they are ready meaning specific blocks of the vineyard are picked at multiple times to ensure only ripe fruit is used. A number of small tanks ensures that they have enough room to micro manage fermentations block by block. A kitchen is located on site and private food and wine pairings are offered. Total production is quite limited at about 1800 cases, some of which is distributed in the far east including China (the number 8 is considered lucky in some Asian cultures!) Their 2004 Chardonnay is a very nice representation of what you can do with Spring Mountain grown fruit. Its an elegant wine with a nice nuance of lemon, pineapple and some toasted nut flavors. The other wine produced is Cabernet Sauvignon. We tried the 2004 vintage. An interesting nose contains some mocha, very ripe berry fruit, think raspberry and blackberry. The palate is nicely balanced and the tannins integrate very well on the very smooth and long finish. Visit: www.vineyard7and8.com |
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Vinoce Vineyards is owned and operated by a husband wife team, Brian & Lori Nuss. Their vineyard is the northern most vineyard in the Mt. Veeder Appellation. We recently had a chance to visit their vineyards which contain 24 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc and Merlot perched on hillsides entirely surrounded by native vegetation. Mountain Lion, deer and sometimes black beer call this area home. The Mt. Veeder Appellation has some of the most remote vineyards in all of Napa County and Vinoce's Vineyards are no different. Rugged hillsides and forested slopes in all directions make this one of the more remote vineyard locations in Napa County. Brian & Lori moved here in the mid 1980's seeking an alternative to the urban life they left behind in Los Angeles. Brian was involved in a non wine related business but as has happened with a number of people we have met who moved to the Napa area was bitten by the Napa Allure. Within several years they had cleared and planted the slopes to grapes. Brian is the vineyard manager as well as the winemaker. He subscribes to the adage that most of winemaking occurs in the vineyards and as a result great attention to detail is given to every single vine from pruning and trellising to crop management.
All grapes for their wine come from their estate vineyards with the exception of their Sauvignon Blanc which is sourced from Napa's Pope Valley. Vinoce's total production is about 2000 cases. We started our tasting with the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. This is a nice easy drinking wine that would pair well with appetizers or by itself before a meal. Aromas of orange, lemon, lemon grass and other herbaceous qualities fill the glass. As the wine opens up melon and slight hints of pineapple come out on the palate. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon we tried was produced in extremely limited quantities. The reason for this downturn in production is a freak hail storm hit the vineyard after fruit had set and destroyed the majority of the crop. An event such as this is much more likely to occur in the Mendoza wine growing region of Argentina (where special nets are placed on top of high end vineyards to guard against such damage). In any case what ended up in the bottle is very representative of Mt. Veeder grown fruit. It is a dark inky wine with a big nose with earthy aromas and white ground pepper followed by flavors of cherry, plum and chocolate. The finish is slightly spicy, warm and is extended in length. The third wine they make is a proprietary blend of predominately Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. You can taste their wines at the Vintner's Collective (described immediately below) located near downtown Napa. Vinoce was the first winery to have its wines available for tasting at Vintner's Collective. They are also well distributed within the USA and can be found in select locations in southern Vietnam of all places! The owners also produce Twenty Rows. Visit: www.vinoce.com |
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If a winery builds their own tasting room Vintner's Collective will typically remove the wine from its inventory. This is Napa boutique at its best! They try to cater to your taste so you get to pick wines based upon what you like from what they currently have open. The collective is located in Napa's oldest stone and surviving commercial building (used to be a brothel, saloon & a deli). Reminiscent of the buildings' "brothel days" you might see a few "Position of the Day" books lying around - for strangers standing next to each other at the bar, this book can be an exotic erotic conversation starter! The inside of the building is beautifully decorated and each winery has their own plaque at the tasting bar. Friday afternoons are a great time to hit this place; regardless of when you visit, the staff is always friendly, attentive and quite knowledgeable (they do a great job keeping track of many different wines from all their vintners). The owners of Vintner's Collective also make their own wine under the Las Bonitas label. This wine is always very small production and the types of varieties vary each year depending on availability. Vintner's Collective is within walking distance of the historical downtown Napa and there is ample street parking in the area if for some reason you cannot find space in their own good size parking lot. Private tastings and pairings are held upstairs in their "vintner's room" by appointment only. In addition to being a hub for tasting wine from small producers, Vintner's Collective also can secure special rates on hotels, can help with private winery tours and reservations and provides exclusive access to La Casita Bonita, a Cottage under their same ownership located in historic downtown Napa. This is a small 2-bedroom home built in 1927 and is located within walking distance of many of the tasting rooms and restaurants. Large plasma TV, gourmet kitchen and even hens producing fresh eggs are all part of the experience. Well received press from a variety of well-known newspapers and wine guides has made Vintner's Collective one of the hottest places to visit in the downtown Napa area. As of press time they were tasting the following wineries: Ancien Wines, Buoncristiani Family Winery, Clark-Claudon, D Cubed, Gemella, Hestan, Lamborn Family, Longfellow, Melka Wines, Mi Sueno Winery, Parallel, Phelan, Richard Perry, Showket Vineyards, & Vinoce Vineyards. We enjoyed the D Cubed Cellars Howell Mountain Zin (one of the few exclusively Zinfandel wineries in Napa Valley - and the awesome Cabernet made by Phelan Vineyards. Ask about the Downtown Napa Wine Tasting Card - multiple downtown area tasting rooms participate in this - for a one-time fee you can visit & taste at each of their tasting rooms. Visit: www.vintnerscollective.com |
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Vinum Cellars is run by two winemakers, Richard Bruno and Chris Condos who met when they were both studying at UC Davis. They are certainly not the first Napa winery to start after meeting while studying at Davis! This winery produces varietals not often found from Napa based wineries including Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, Grenache & Mourvedre. All fruit for their wines come from vineyards they have locked up in long term contracts. Sourcing from the same vineyards builds consistency and overtime the winemaker becomes familiar with the type of fruit produced from each vineyard. To be fair, most of this fruit does not come from the Napa Valley, rather it is sourced among other varietals from 10 vineyards in California ranging from Santa Barbara in the south to El Dorado County in the north (Sierra Nevada foothills). However, this is done for a reason. Both winemakers feel that specific teroirs best represent specific varietals and the Napa area is certainly not the premium growing region for a number of the varietals that they produce.
Napa is synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon and they do make a Napa Cabernet. They are open to experimenting with different types of yeast and typically use specific strains of yeast based on the actual varietal. Their white wines are aged sur lie which help create bigger mouth feels and more complexity to the flavors. They stress skin contact during their fermentations - only open top fermentors are used, punch downs are all conducted by hand and the grapes go through extended maceration before the juice is pressed out. Their focus is on the varietal characteristics and older French Oak barrels are used. They have scoured California for the best growing regions for each of their varietals. One of their vineyards in El Dorado County is organically grown by someone who also grows stone fruits (peaches, apricots etc). This farmer ensures his vineyards and crops are carefully managed and it is vineyards such as this one that helps this winery stand out. The one vineyard they source from in the Napa Valley is located in the far north of the valley near the town of Calistoga. This vineyard supplies the grapes for their delicious Cabernet Sauvignon Rose. This is an affordable easy drinking wine with flavors of raspberry, strawberry, and cherry. It is a soft wine and the finish has hints of red cherry and spices. All their wines are made at the famous Napa Wine Co in the heart of the Napa Valley in Rutherford. You can even taste an array of their wines at the Cult Tasting Room at Napa Wine Co. Their wines are priced extremely reasonable when you think about the fact that they are all hand made in fairly low quantities. As of press time, their Chenin Blanc is a steal at $10/bottle! Visit: www.vinumcellars.com |
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was founded by Emily Richer in 2007 and currently focuses on one varietal, Cabernet Franc. Emily "parachuted out of the investment banking world", as she explains and after slowly migrating north from Los Angeles, eventually moved to the Napa Valley in the late 1990's to begin a new career and lifestyle. She describes herself as "an investment banker turned right banker". Cuisine always appealed to her and she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in St. Helena where she met Karen MacNeil (author of the Wine Bible). Emily took a variety of cooking classes and then worked as a wine educator and consultant for the CIA and for Karen. It was here that she developed her palate and wine education which would eventually prepare her for starting her own wine label. Virage focuses on wines from cooler more temperate growing areas. As a result their grapes are sourced from the cooler southern parts of the Napa Valley where temperatures typically do not spike as much in the summer as up valley (Calistoga). She is a partner in a 20 acre vineyard located on what she calls the "foothills of Mt. Veeder" - the small rolling hills right above the Carneros appellation. This is good vineyard terroir - Hyde Vineyards and Cakebread have vineyards next door. Emily has long been inspired by wines from the "Right Bank" in Bordeaux, France. She enjoys wines that were made from grapes picked at lower sugar levels (lower alcohol). Following in the Bordeaux tradition her flagship wine is a Bordeaux based blend. She first became excited about Cabernet Franc and its textural and satiny mouth feel after trying a wine from this varietal from Napa's Havens winery (no longer a winery although the label still exists). "Virage" in French literally means "a turn in the road" - or a banked turn and metaphorically, a change in perspective. This word aptly describes the lifestyle and career change that Emily has made. Currently she makes the wine herself with the help of a consulting winemaker. A very unique wine by Napa standards is the Virage Rose of Cabernet Franc. We know of less than a handful of Napa wineries producing a Rose from this varietal. Virage's first release was in 2010 - the 2011 is the first Rose Emily has made that is 100% varietal Cabernet Franc. It is light pink in the glass and drinks very easily. The wine saw only a short saignee and then went through whole cluster pressing. Emily is not looking for tannins in a Rose. Initially notes of lime and lemon show but as the wine opens it reveals more fruit, strawberry and raspberry. Emily calls this wine her "pink salmon satin sheet". The mouth feel is certainly that - clean, and velvety. The first ever release of Virage was a 2007 Cabernet Franc, a Bordeaux based blend including Merlot and a tiny bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is pretty and inviting in the nose. The aromas certainly are not one dimensional, rather contain layers of sensory satisfaction. The mouth feel is soft on entry with a supple yet rich texture throughout. It is slightly savory, shows mineralities - perhaps a note of iron and earthiness and delicious fruit with both red and darker components - plum and blackberry. The fruit is certainly there but in an elegant way. This wine has no hint of greenness in either the nose or the palate. You won't see any "green" components in Emily's Cabernet Franc. This is not a characteristic she likes in her wines. While the grapes grow in a cooler part of the valley - she looks for long hang time and even ripening. There's no reason why the grapes need to stop working at night - and the moderating day versus night temperatures from the nearby San Pablo ensure this is the case during the growing season. Emily calls this wine her "Pinot lovers Bordeaux". Virage is mostly distributed in California, but with ties to Los Angeles still, has good distribution there as well as in San Diego. Her wine appeals to restaurants for several reasons - with the wine's flavor profile and good acidity it pairs ideally with a variety of food - oh and its good on the wallet to! For more information and or to purchase wine, visit: www.viragenapavalley.com Video by Cork'd |
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Voces | Tweet
is owned and operated by Fernando Candelario. His parents immigrated from Michoacán Mexico in 1979, a region of the country that a number of Mexican-American vintners in the Napa Valley are originally from. Sometimes you don't know what path life will lead you on - Fernando certainly was not on a career path to become a winemaker. Fernando came to the valley in 1984 and soon after arriving started school. After a few years he took a job at Robert Mondavi Winery in the cellar where for the next seven years he gained invaluable wine making experience. His next job took him to Calistoga where he worked for Greg Brown (at that time the owner of T-Vine Cellars). This is where he learned a lot about boutique winemaking - working with Greg and making wine with a number of varietals. He also started making Voces here with his first commercial vintage released in 2002. Today Fernando is the primary winemaker for T-Vine Cellars. Voces is Spanish for "voices" representing what Fernando feels passionately about - through a collaborative effort of working together and community involvement, dreams are always possible. You do something for yourself, yet at the same time your actions benefit others - always with the community in mind. Fernando and Voces Wine are one of a select group of charter members for the Napa Valley Mexican-American Vintners Association (NVMAVA). In early 2010, a number of Mexican-Napa vintners were invited down to Morelia Mexico for a wine tasting and the absence of a Mexican-American Vintner association was discussed. Upon returning stateside a number of mostly Napa owned vintners formed this association. Their goals are to promote their own wines, support Mexican Americans in the wine industry and provide a forum for wine education. Voces focuses on two wines each year, each 100% varietal - a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Petite Sirah. Fernando wants to best express these varietals and his wines are 100% varietal. Based on the connections and experience he gained working at T-Vine Cellars in Calistoga much of the sources for his grapes are from the Calistoga Appellation. He likes to source and blend the same varietals from both valley floor and hillside vineyards. Fernando's winemaking style is straight forward - no cold fermentation, fermenting to dryness and then going straight to barrel. He uses a combination of both American and French Oak. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon has an opulent nose. The influence of the American oak shows nice notes of baked cinnamon and other pleasing spices often used during the winter holidays. The mouth feel is fairly soft and rounded. The tannins are medium bodied, dry and slightly dusty but not overly so. The finish is clean with lingering notes of coffee bean. The 2006 Petite Sirah is dark and inky in the glass - as this varietal should be. As in all his wines the acidity is natural from the vineyard. This wine is certainly about the fruit on the bouquet and the palate. Aromas of luscious ripe dark fruit including black berry and black cherry show and as the wine develops, pleasing notes of chocolate and cinnamon come forward - there is even a hint of sage. The mouth feel is soft and supple upon entry but quickly gains in complexity towards the mid palate with flavors of ripe plum. The finish is anchored by rounded well-managed lingering tannins. Voces produces just several hundred cases in total annually and is selectively distributed, mostly in California with some distribution in Colorado. Locally you can find the wine at the Wine Stop in Calistoga and Backroom Wines in the city of Napa. visit: www.undertheradarwine.com/voces.html |
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Wine enthusiasts and those looking to get away from the main part of Napa Valley should seriously consider a visit to the Eisele vineyard property. We recently had a chance to walk the vineyards; they are in a beautiful secluded location and the vineyards are a combination of hillside and valley floor. Volker Eisele has 400 acres of which 60 are planted to vines. They are hidden away, east of St. Helena in Chiles Valley, an extremely narrow arm of the Napa Valley that seems worlds away from the crowds you often find in the main part of Napa. Here there is a nice balance between the natural landscape and vineyards. The Eiseles have always used a holistic approach to their farming. They've farmed organically since the vineyards were planted and have since earned their CCOF and Green certifications. Vineyards in this area were originally planted in the late 1800's and these original "footprints" were still in place at the time the land was purchased. The Eiseles have only planted where the original vineyards were and as a result have not had to remove additional trees from the property. Volker Eisele has served as president of the Napa County Farm Bureau as well as of the Napa Valley Grape Growers. The original winery is still standing, Rather than the typical Napa ghost winery that is mostly built out of local quarried stone, this winery is completely wooden. The original press and some of the old wood tanks are also still preserved. On average Chiles Valley is cooler than the main part of Napa Valley and sees a fair amount of fog. With proper fruit thinning and canopy management, combined with the cool weather, veraison and harvest are usually 3-4 weeks later than the valley floor. They often pick until the end of October with up to a month between their first and last pickings of the Cabernet Sauvignon. This results in a very long growing season helping to ensure that the fruit ripens slowly and evenly. We started our tasting with the 2006 Gemini. This white wine is an unusual blend (for Napa that is) of 72% Semillon and 28% Sauvignon Blanc. This is a white wine that will actually age quite well with the characteristics of the Semillon helping in this regard. It has a certain phenolic grip - not as much as the more weighty Roussane white grape varietal but just enough to give a bigger mouth feel than just a Sauvignon Blanc. Nice floral and tropical notes are found on the bouquet, with a rounded rich mouth feel including pear and stone fruit flavors. The finish has slight mineral notes with a pleasant almost a dusty graphite quality. The 2004 Estate Cabernet (blended with Merlot) is a very nice wine to pair with food - think something tomato based. It has bright fruit and lively acidity with a very elegant nose with notes of dried rose petals. Beautiful fruit shows on the palate including dark cherry with a structured finish that is slightly smoky. This is their most produced wine. A real "winner" is their Terrzetto which was inspired by Mozart's operas of the same name. Terrzetto means three and every year Eisele blends exactly equal percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot in this wine. After a number of years the Eiseles have really learned their specific terroir and microclimates and have planted these three varietals in select locations so that they all ripen at about the same time. We tried the 2005 vintage. You can pick up the terroir in the aromas and towards the finish. It has a neat "dusty" quality with ripe blackberry in the bouquet and soft delicate tannins anchoring the finish. The layered fruit up front continues all across the palate. Visit: www.volkereiselefamilyestate.com Wine with Tony |
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After returning from France but before starting this winery, Rudy also gained additional experience at Napa wineries, Trefethen and Newton. von Strasser focuses on three types of wines; Diamond Mountain grown fruit from their own vineyards in which the blocks are hand selected for only the highest quality fruit, Single Vineyard wines and their Reserve wines which are only made in select years when these wines are of superior quality. When made, this wine always contains the following blend: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Petit Verdot, and a blend of Cabernet Franc and/or Merlot for the remaining 20%. You won't find any other Napa wineries with this strict of a regiment in regards to a Reserve wine! Their estate vineyard produces the fruit for their Cabernet Sauvignon and they also source from a number of typically small area vineyards. How about the most non Napa wine you will ever find? von Strasser grows and makes a wine from Gruner Veltliner, an Austrian varietal. This is so rare, that von Strasser is the first California winery to even bottle this varietal! Tours (no more than 10 people) will visit the surrounding vineyards, the caves and end with a tasting. Weather permitting the tasting is on their small deck under the oaks, a very intimate and quiet place for tasting wine. In fact the entire property screams privacy - a visit here is not your typical large winery / Napa crowds experience. During the rainy season the tasting is typically held within the wine cave. Some winery caves have waterfalls or fountains to increase the humidity; the von Strasser caves have natural water drips which have actually started to form small stalactites. The main winery is housed in an old barn originally built in the 1880's but has since been totally remodeled. Each of their wines comes from specific vineyards and the name of the vineyard appears in the name of the wine. The wines are crafted such that they are approachable upon release but also have good acidity and structure for cellar aging. They make a small production beautifully big Zinfandel from their Monhoff Vineyard. Some of their wines are only available direct from the winery and this is one of them. It is the only Zinfandel they make. Bright fruit aromas on the bouquet and especially flavors of raspberry on the palate are the hallmarks of this wine. Their Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is by far their most produced wine; it is a soft elegant Cabernet. They also make a Cabernet Franc - vineyard designated Cabernet Franc vineyards are actually quite rare. von Strasser has a "futures" program in which you "buy" some of their wine while it is still in barrel. This is one way to make their wines available when you have limited production and your wines are in great demand! Visit: www.vonstrasser.com |
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