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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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Having land in Napa allowed them to be bitten by the wine bug and for several years they made home wine in their large garage. High placement in various home winemaking competitions spurred them on to eventually build what was Kirkland Ranch winery. They initially sold grapes to other Napa area wineries and now hold back some of their grapes to make their own wine. The inside of the building has a rustic western motif with lots of hard wood, USA flags and remnants of animal kills hanging on the walls. Souvenirs and other wine related goodies are sold downstairs. This is a winery built for mass tourists and as a result most of their wines are sold through the winery with a select number of wines only available for purchase at the winery. The wine bar is upstairs and it is quite large. Tour buses have made this winery one of their stops and it can be insanely busy during certain times of the day when the large buses drop off the masses of people who typically all head straight for the upstairs tasting bar. We've been upstairs when 1 or 2 large buses roll in and we rapidly complete our tasting flight although we admit, for some the group tasting experience is definitely one of the highlights here :) Weather permitting there is a very nice outside deck surrounding the upstairs tasting area. There are at least 8 wines on the tasting flight - two whites, the majority are reds and several desert wines. Their Sangiovese is light and very affordable. What is one of their The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is one of their more popular wines and is on the lighter side for a Cabernet and very soft. The Viognier Late Harvest is very light, non syrupy - not too sweet, in general a great summer dessert wine. This winery often holds fun events including BBQ's and hors d'oeuvres with wine and games. **NOTE**: Kirland Ranch Winery has permanently CLOSED to the public and is no longer offering tastings or taking visits. This winery is now Valley Gate Vineyards, (nice name based on their somewhat "entrance to the valley" location) a custom crush facility operated by Napa's Bin to Bottle. Valley Gate Vineyards expects to soon roll out additional services including a distilled spirits plant, wine storage and bottling line. We will update and probably just remove this review (especially if the owners do not make their own wine and or the tasting room part of this winery does not re-open) over time as new details emerge. |
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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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Vare Vineyards is owned and operated by George and Elsa Vare. George is a long time veteran in the Napa and Sonoma wine scene. Many people who are George's age have pursued retirement when they are coming from other industries but in our experience, long time veterans in the winemaking industry rarely "retire". Rather they start new winemaking projects and manage additional vineyards. George is one of the founders of Napa's Luna Vineyards on the Silverado trail and his own vineyards planted in 1996 supplied Luna with grapes for a number of years. No Stony Hill is not the only exclusively white wine producer in Napa - enter Vare Vineyards! This is such a rarity in the red wine dominated industry of Napa winemaking that in our wine odyssey of visiting and tasting with well over 500 commercial Napa wine producers, this is only one of 2 wineries focusing entirely on white wines. Most wineries have the obligatory Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc or maybe even Viognier, not so with Vare Vineyards.
They focus on North & North Eastern Italian and Slovenian white grape varietals which are fairly obscure in the USA and are really obscure in the Napa vineyard scene. Try varietals such as Ribolla Gialla, Pinot Grigio, and Tocai Friulano for starters! In fact the Ribolla Gialla is the only known planted commercial vineyard in the USA. Their vineyards are in the cooler Oak Knoll district towards the south end of the Napa Valley, backed right up against the Mayacamas mountain hillsides. As a result part of their vineyard is slightly elevated above the valley floor. We walked some of the vineyards; George uses a number of vineyard management techniques that are practiced in northern Italy and Slovenia as far as canopy and cordon management as well as tight spacing. Genetically speaking, Pinot Grigio (grey Pinot) is an unstable varietal. A normal Pinot Grigio grape will be reddish with some grey coloration but Vare has found all levels of this genetic instability in their vineyards. A select number of their vines produce only white/green grapes, a few vines produce white and reddish/grey clusters, some clusters have been found to contain white and reddish/grey fruit and get this, one year they found a berry that was so well delineated, that 1/2 of the grape was red and the other half was white! A few interesting pictures of these variations can be found here. Vare released their first commercial vintage in 2004. One of the benefits of being small and having an open mind with regards to different winemaking techniques and methods means that Vare often makes small lots. Case in point is their 2004 Biano Sulle Bucce. Sulle Bucce means "on the skins" in Italian and that is exactly how this wine was fermented. It is a blend of Ribolla Gialla, Tocai Friulano, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Each varietal brings some neat characteristics to this wine. The Tocai we tried had very fruit forward aromas with an interesting spicy palate; the Ribolla Gialla brings body to the wine and doesn't actually take away from the other varietal characteristics. This wine is really a food wine and needs to be paired with a meal. It is extremely dark amber in color (don't see this color in Napa current release white wines very often!) with a fantastically strong nose with notes of caramel and toasted nuts. The wine is full bodied and the palate contains some interesting spices with lots of fruit and a hint of ginger snaps on the very long finish. We tried both the 2004 and 2005 Pinot Grigio. The 2004 wasn't commercially released and contains 17.4% alcohol. And we thought we had seen high alcohol with Charbay's 16.5% alcohol Rose! All of the Vare wines we tried have very nice aromatics, rich concentrated flavors with long finishes and the 2005 Pinot Grigio is no different. A nose of honey, caramel, melon and peach jump out of the glass with the fruit flavors continuing on to the palate. Time the finish on this wine! Also note Vare's Bianco and Bianco Reserve, a unique proprietary blend you won't find anywhere else. All their bottles use Nomex corks - no TCA in this wine. With a certain percentage of all wine being corked, this was a wise move especially when you consider the uniqueness of the varietals and the fact most people probably have never tried these types of wines. You don't want to take the chance of making a bad first time impression. In addition Vare uses 500mL bottles rather than the standard 750mL. This is the perfect size for restaurant wines and is a size rather under utilized by the wine industry due to these bottles being the same cost for the winery but the consumer receiving a third less wine. Vare also has 1.5 liter bottles for larger uses. Note the simple colored brushstroke on each bottle. Different colors stand for the type of wine. Due to very limited releases of each wine and a few partnerships with local area restaurants, the best way to acquire some of the wine is to join their mailing list. Visit: www.varevineyards.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 JV Wine in Napa and the Sunshine market in St. Helena. Visit: www.varozzavineyards.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. As of press time, Venge has some serious plans for the property and is moving quickly to implement these. Architectural blueprints have already been drawn up for a new winery / production facility and cave to be built on the site, followed by a remodel of their ranch home into a hospitality center which will include a tasting salon and also a VIP room. Until the new facility is built, Venge makes their wine at Silenus Vintner's which is where you can currently taste the wines. 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 is 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. Note that Verismo's tasting room hours do vary depending on the time of year. Call or check their website before you stop by. A number of paintings and several other boutique items are for sale within the tasting room. Visit: www.verismowines.com and or their vineyard location and information site: www.dbicnapa.com/vine.htm |
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Versant Vineyards are located high on the slopes of Pritchard Hill at about 1500 feet and on a clear day you can easily see the San Pablo Bay at the far end of the Napa Valley and sometimes even the skyscrapers of San Francisco in the distance. In the last 15 years much of this area has been planted with vineyards and their nearby neighbors are Continuum, Chappellet and Stagecoach. Versant has about 30 acres of planted varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Merlot and Petite Sirah. As of press time they currently make several hundred cases of a single vintage Cabernet Sauvignon and also sell quite a few of their grapes to other wineries. They have plans to ramp up production to about 1000 cases.
This is a small family run winery; the owner and founder Richard Martin is an architect from Los Angeles who was good friends with Gustav Dalla Valle. Gustav was a vintner in the Napa Valley who encouraged Richard to plant vineyards - he also gave his stamp of approval after walking their current vineyard. The soils in this area are extremely rocky and often quite shallow. There is a cross section of the earth on site that clearly shows the characteristics of this soil. The first 4 or 5 feet are completely riddled with rocks and boulders leaving little soil and underneath the "soil" is solid bedrock. To grow and thrive in this environment is a testament to the strength of these grapevines and vineyard management. Initially Richard wanted to grow and sell grapes exclusively but the "Napa Allure" of owning a winery took over. The vineyards were planted in the mid 90's and by 2000 they released their first commercial wine after dabbling with home winemaking. The primary definition of Versant means slope or angle on the side of a mountain and this is a very true representation of their vineyards. We tried their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon which is slightly blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is wine such as this that gives Napa its reputation of being an excellent Cabernet producing region. The alcohol is not too high, the tannins are well managed and the mouth feel is what you expect of very high quality Cabernet Sauvignon. It is soft, silky and smooth in the mouth with just a touch of tannins and smokiness on the finish. The nose is strong and opulent with aromas of ripe blueberries and blackberries. The grapes for this wine are whole berry fermented and aged in new French Oak for some 18 months. A variety of Tuscan olive oil varietals are planted on site and each year Versant produces high quality olive oil. It is always refreshing to try olive oil from small producers after having tasted more than our share of the mass produced bulk olive oil. This is an oil that has its own unique flavors and tastes much more "natural" compared to the mass produced oils. www.versantvineyards.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 |
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Their vineyard is quite unique; it has three distinct soil types within the small acreage, a tufa, a rocky section and a very clay like block. In addition, the vineyard is entirely south facing for optimum exposure and sunlight and sits in an area where nice breezes flow through the vineyards. As a result, mildew and other molds that might cause problems are kept to a minimum. Art is the vineyard manager; he keeps the watering to a minimum. He compares this to how vineyards are managed in Bordeaux France where you can water for 3 years to get the vines established and then they are dry farmed after that. The terroir, minimal watering, dropping of fruit, clonal choice and long hang time ensures they have fruit that is rich and concentrated. They produce the one vintage each year, entirely estate grown and 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result of their small vineyard and the fact that they do drop fruit, their typical production runs merely approximately 300 cases a year. A variety of French coopers are used for the aging; all who produce tightly grained barrels including one cooper in which the trees have to be at least 150 years old before the wood is used. This tight grain in the wood allows for very slow integration of flavor into the wine and does not dominate (yes these barrels are more expensive then the typical French Oak barrel!). All new French Oak is used. Andy Schweiger, their winemaker has been on board since day 1. He works at his own family winery located at a similar elevation in a neighboring mountain appellation. As a result he has lots of experience with mountain grown fruit which is exactly what the Goulards were looking for when they hired him. Their first commercial vintage was in 2004 and right out of the gate it earned a 92 rating from the Wine Spectator. Not a bad way to start with your first vintage! We tried this aforementioned wine. It is unfined and unfiltered for maximum color and flavor. Natural yeasts are used during the fermentation - the winemaker's philosophy is "let the grapes speak for themselves" and this wine is certainly an excellent example of this. Yes, it is very dark and inky with earthy aromas, think forest floor. As the wine opens up the bouquet evolves into more fruit driven aromas with additional notes of mocha and chocolate. The fruit explodes on the palate - rich and layered, its mouth watering attributes are all from the natural acidity. Flavors of blueberry, blackberry, plum and black current lead to a wonderful long finish! A rounded mouth feel with a smooth velvety touch on the palate makes this wine a delight to drink. You can find their wine locally at Sunshine Market and Press Restaurant in St. Helena or through their website. They also have a mailing list. A small exclusive private guesthouse is located on site accessible by an automatic gate. Come here when you want a "secret" vineyard getaway and are looking for *absolute privacy*. A hot tub overlooks vineyard land through pine trees and a full kitchen is available in case you want to cook or hire a chef to provide meals. If you want to enjoy a full package - stay here and also request a tour of the property, vineyard and a tasting. For more information about their cottage and to make reservations visit: www.villahermosacottages.com and for their winery site visit: www.villahermosacellars.com |
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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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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 4 to 6 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 is at the desired level. They will go back a number of times to pick only ripe clusters throughout the harvest. 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. The terroir is volcanic rock and red soil which are perfect growing conditions for high end Cabernet. As a result, yields are low and flavors are concentrated. As of press time their production is extremely limited often just several hundred cases. Recently they introduced a "fun wine", as during Kiky's trips to Southern France she would enjoy Rose wine. Not often finding a "true" Rose in Napa, they decided to produce small amounts of this. Enter Enjoie, 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. It was picked lower in sugar thus allowing the acidity to be higher. This wine pairs well with food or can also be served as a stand alone wine, especially in summer. Nice citrus orange aromas followed by vibrant fruit flavors on the palate including strawberry and cherry. 2004 was their first commercial release. We tried the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. There is just a nuance of cedar in the bouquet with nice ripe fruit that is well balanced between acidity and structure. You can certainly drink this now, but its going to continue to evolve with some aging. When attention to detail is provided on a micro level such as with Vin Roc you can't help but make stellar wines. This is reflected in many of the tastings they participate in, often receiving very high accolades for their Cabernet Sauvignon. As they say, this wine will "roc-U", but in a good way! Visit: www.vinrocnapa.com We will visit the physical winery at some point and will update this review then. |
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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 |
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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! Visit: www.vinoce.com |
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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: Ahnfeldt Wines, Ancien Wines, Buoncristiani Family Winery, Destino Wines , Gregory Graham, Longfellow, Melka Wines, Mi Sueno Winery, Parallel, Richard Perry, Showket Vineyards, Spelletich Cellars & 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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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 |
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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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