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W.S. Keyes is part of the Jackson Family Wine portfolio - owned by Jess Jackson of Kendall Jackson fame. The actual vineyard is located at about 1800 feet and is situated in very chalky dusty volcanic soils which of course contribute to the complexity of this wine. Select blocks are hand harvested from the vineyard and the wine is made by Tom Peffer who also makes Jackson's Atalon wine. Today W.S. Keyes is somewhat of an anomaly in the Napa Valley as they produce one vintage each year of Merlot. All the grapes for this wine are sourced from the W.S. Keyes vineyards including a small touch of Cabernet Sauvignon which is blended into this wine. This vineyard is located within the same area as Jackson's high end La Jota vineyard and in fact some of the fruit from this vineyard is used in their Atalon and another label. As a result of their extremely small production and little marketing only those in the "know" are aware of this Napa gem. It is a rare wine indeed - 2003 was their first vintage and they were essentially sold out of this at press time. Merely 274 - six bottle cases were produced of the 2004 vintage and as of press time the only place you can taste or purchase this wine is through Cardinale Winery in Yountville. This vintage saw 20 days maceration helping extract additional flavors (juice to skin contact) and then 26 months in barrel for aging. It was blended with 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has elegant aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate with hints of cedar leading to a rich concentration of fruit, especially on the mid palate. This is not a light weight Merlot. It is full bodied yet is in balance with a smooth velvety mouth feel and just the right tannin structure on the extended finish. Visit: www.wskeyes.com |
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Watermark Wine is a small boutique winery run by long time Napa Vintner Phil Steinschriber. Phil is also winemaker for the much coveted Cabernet Sauvignons of Diamond Creek Vineyards on Diamond Mountain and because of his long history working in the wine industry in the Napa Valley has access to extremely good fruit sources. He has been around the beverage industry ever since he was a child. He later worked as a wine buyer which ended up in part being the path to fueling his interest in wine. He earned his degree in Agriculture Chemistry from Fresno State and then after a short stint in Israel making California style kosher wines, and as winemaker for a winery in New Mexico he moved to the Napa Valley and worked for a now defunct winery for several years. In 1991 he became winemaker for Diamond Creek Vineyards and has since made his mark for this winery, often earning top scores for his Cabernet's.
The Watermark wines are layered and complex and need we mention available at much less the cost then the Diamond Creek Vineyard wines. Phil's wines are all hand produced. They are made in a Bordeaux style. The grapes for the 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested by hand in the very early morning, then cold soaked for 4 days, pressed sweet for the free run juice and then fermented. No pumps are used, punch downs are carefully regulated and are done less often in the later stages of fermentation to help ensure a wine that is less tannic. All aging is done in small French Oak barrels. Recently we had a chance to taste the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon with Tim Mertz who works at A Dozen Vintners and has helped Phil with a number of harvests. Now here is a wine worth getting your hands on! Napa's secret and sometimes not so secret recipe is combine unique high end terroir with a long time well-regarded wine maker veteran and you have the recipe for success in the wine industry. You can tell this wine is full of ripe fruit as soon as you get a whiff of the bouquet. The aromas are big with raspberry, and spice components including black pepper. The palate continues with raspberry and cherry with notes of chocolate, cloves, cinnamon and subtle nuances of tobacco, vanilla and toasted oak to round out the finish. Speaking of the finish; it is clean and very long. There is a lot packed in this wine, both in fruit and spice flavors! Watermark focuses entirely on Cabernet Sauvignon with the one wine mentioned above as well as a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Their wines have good acidity and backbone structure and will age nicely for a number of years. Their first vintage was in 2004 and production is tiny at merely several hundred cases of each wine. As a result the easiest way to find their wine locally is to pay a visit to A Dozen Vintners, the collective tasting room just north of the town of St. Helena or visit: www.watermarkwine.com |
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The tasting room is very large and well decorated. They are in a "green" building which means the building materials and furnishings are environmentally friendly. Check out their mostly green wine bar countertop; it is made from glass pieces of recycled wine and olive oil bottles. This tasting room has a slight wine lounge feel with tables and chairs scattered about (even the cushions on the chairs are made from recyclables!). They have a kitchen on site offer sit down wine and food pairings, by appointment only. For a set tasting fee you choose 5 tastes out of 10 wines, (5 Waterstone wines and 5 Mahoney wines are available). We tried their 2005 Merlot which is very reasonably priced. It is a juicy wine with lots of fruit flavors including plum and cherry and you can pick up just a hint of vanilla from the oak aging. It is an elegant Merlot. We also tried their Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon which is priced head and shoulders above the rest of their wines, but for a good reason. The fruit for this wine is high end fruit from undisclosed locations in the heart of Napa's Cab country, the Oakville and Rutherford Appellations. It sees entirely 100% new French Oak and undergoes extended Maceration before the oak aging. There is a lot going on with this wine with complexity of aromas and flavors - the nose has some cedar and the palate has notes of chocolate and tobacco. This is a wine with a long finish. Lastly, we tried their 2005 Syrah; this wine has a huge nose with lots of white pepper flavors on the mid palate. 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. You can buy this card in each of the participating tasting rooms. Visit: www.waterstonewines.com |
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Waugh Cellars is a winery truly "going places". Ryan Waugh founded this winery in 2001 at the young age of 25. Many 25 year olds are still trying to figure out what to do with their careers. At the time of our visit Ryan is project manager for his own 22,000 square foot completely underground-contained cave winery (including the crush pad) 900 feet above the valley floor in the famed Stag's Leap District. Once completed this will serve as custom crush facility for a select few already chosen winemakers. The views from this ridge top location are fantastic with full 'aerial' type spreads overlooking the entire southern and central part of Napa Valley. In addition, Waugh Cellars has plans to build out a large deck with kitchen and other amenities and a fractional ownership community nearby the winery - all of which looks down on Napa Valley.
Ryan is one of the new generation of Napa winemakers - young, lots of enthusiasm, with initiative, International wine experience and an unbridled passion for working with vineyards. He was bitten with the wine bug while studying to be a Doctor at Santa Clara University. His girlfriend's father inherited a large collection of wine and spirits from his father who owned a wine shop. One day he asked Ryan if he likes wine and then promptly indicated to Ryan that he was not a fan at all, but that he had like 300 cases in his basement and Ryan was welcome to try a bottle. Ryan had never really consumed wine at this point so he stated the obvious which was he had no basis to form a decision on the matter. He was then instructed to pick out a bottle from his birth year, which turned out to be a Warren Winiarski Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Lot 2 Cabernet Sauvignon from 1976. One bottle turned into 3 and Ryan was hooked at this point. It is quite fortuitous to note that Ryan's new winery is located in the home appellation of Winiarski's winery - Stag's Leap. Almost immediately Ryan started looking for a wine job and a change in career direction; the Santa Cruz Mountains were close to Santa Clara and this was a good fit while at school. Other stints were at Chateau Potelle, (commuting 2 hours each way to this job shows just how serious Ryan was at the time), Trefethen, he was the first non-family employee at Del Dotto and he also worked several harvest in Australia. As with most winemakers, he knows the unique benefits of terroir and as a result sources fruit from a variety of locations within California based on where specific varietals grow best. All his vineyard sources are locked up into very long contracts ensuring he is not excluded from this high quality fruit anytime soon, and in addition he actively provides the vineyard management for the many locations that his fruit is sourced from. In several cases he has come in and changed the trellising systems, pruning and a variety of other factors to meet his specifications. Case in point was for his Petite Sirah; it took 3 years for him to update the vineyard all the while it was producing fruit - however the quality was not up to his standards and no wine was released during this time. It is extremely rare to see this type of control and full vineyard management from wineries who exclusively source fruit. From the outside, Waugh's wine is easily identifiable by the "W" on the label. From the inside Waugh's wines can be characterized as smooth, with velvety mouth feels and tannins that are well structured but do not dominate the wine. In addition Ryan is a perfectionist for ensuring each cluster of grapes ripens evenly - he does no acid adjustment on his wines and if a wine ends up needing this adjustment, he will not release this wine commercially. As a result, the mouth watering flavors and feel of Waugh's wines are all from natural acidity. The 2007 Chardonnay is from the Indindoli vineyard in the Russian River area of neighboring Sonoma County. It sees no malolactic fermentation, is barrel fermented and there was much stirring of the lees. As a result this is a "heavier" Chardonnay with aromas of citrus, tropical fruit with some citrus following to the palate and notes of toasted almond toward the finish. There is great acidity structure in this wine. We've had some big Petite Sirahs with huge tannins during this project; the 2006 is not one of them. It is sourced from Dry Creek in Sonoma County and is available in very limited quantities. Rich fruit aromas open up to notes of chocolate on the nose - great mouth feel. The 2004 Napa Cabernet combines fruit from two mountain vineyards and valley floor. As with Waugh's other wines this has a smooth mouth feel, rich in flavor and aroma. There are nice flavors of blackberry fruit represented on the palate and notes of various spices which continue to linger well after you swallow. He also makes a Zinfandel and a cool weather Riesling from Santa Barbara County (not the warmer Santa Ynez valley, but rather on a ridge almost overlooking the ocean). Six Degrees is another very interesting project - here is a Napa winemaker who has created a high-end second label featuring a premium neighboring Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon. Nice! It was created with two ideals in mind; produce a stellar Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County and connect with each person who tastes it. This is a special wine that has the "it" factor Ryan speaks of. It is a wine that is easily on par with any of Napa's best Cabernet's; it has that special richness combined with elegance. It is sourced every year from a 2-acre vineyard located on the northeast side of the Napa/Sonoma Mayacamas Mountains above the Russian River Valley (Redwood Hill). It is fermented in special barrels that are from trees in France, which are at least 150 years old. This ensures the wood grain is extremely tight and 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!). Waugh Cellars operates the "Friends of Waughs" wine allocation list as well as a general mailing list. Visits are for serious wine enthusiasts. Visit: www.waughcellars.com and www.sixdegreeswine.com |
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There is no website (the only Napa winery with a tasting room not to have a website), so don't even bother checking, the tasting room is very small and somewhat dusty; it is located next to the owners house, and this winery has no outside distribution whatsoever. There are maybe 3-4 Napa wineries who have this feel; it is not the "Napa sophistication" that you find up and down Highway 29 - that's for sure. Recently the main winery phone number stopped working so the only way to contact Wermuth Winery is to physically be here when Ralph is open. Compared to the other 650+ Napa wineries/producers we have visited with a visit here is weirdly refreshing. He typically is open from 11-4pm but it all depends on Ralphs schedule on any given day. The bonded winery is on site and the owner is the winemaker. A small dirt parking lot is adjacent to the tasting room and can accommodate no more than 3-4 cars at any one time! Due to space restrictions, back in for ease of departure. If Ralph is not in the tasting room or you cannot visually spot him on the grounds, ring the bell at the tasting room or simply make a short beep or two with your car horn. When open, only Ralph pours his wines as he has no employees. The bearded bespectacled Ralph Wermuth is the aforementioned owner and he falls into the "character" very nice guy category. He has a chemistry background and is a physician. Ralph told us he's been making wine on the property for at least 30 years, but the years are running together so he can't really give an exact date. During another one of our visits we narrowed him down to find out that his first commercial vintage was 1982. The vineyard you see in front of the tasting room is the source for his wine. Its less than an acre so as a result his wine is produced in quantities of under 200 cases annually. He can also tell you about the "old days" along the Silverado Trail, when grass grew through cracks in the middle of the pavement or the high cost of sending kids to college these days and will be happy to hit upon any topic you wish to discuss. It is extremely easy to spend an hour or more here talking with Ralph. Today he focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon - he used to make Gamay, Zinfandel and one year made a Cabernet Franc as those wines were sourced from area vineyards. Tasting is $2 - not an amount you will see at any other Napa wineries. All tastings are poured in Ralph's trademark small almost port like glasses. They won't be the crystal clean glasses you are used to finding at area tasting rooms. As a result when we went to swirl, we spilled some right over the top, not being used to such small volume glasses. His wines have a very interesting nose and a bit of a metallic almost tangy finish. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is light to medium bodied. If you let them open up and breath there are some nice fruit flavors on the palate. Wermuth's wines are typically lower in alcohol than most of the Napa Cabernet's you will find, typically they are in the low 13 percent range. Ralph doesn't let his grapes get overly ripe before picking. The price of his Napa Cabernet will be among the lower priced Cabernet wines in the valley. Look for the small black chalkboard hanging on the wall - this is supposed to be used to provide pricing; when we were there it looked like the prices had been crossed out a number of times so we couldn't even read them! Ralph will sign all purchased bottles. When he made white wine, his label simply read "white wine"! Also of note his wife Smitty paints and her colorful cards are available in one corner of the tasting room. Ralph is interested in photography - he mentioned that its hard to get good film anymore; he will take a photo of you in his vineyards if you request. Note: Contrary to what Yelp says, "closed" - this winery is still in business. We drive by all the time and see the "open" sign hanging out on certain days. |
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The bulk of their production is Pinot Noir (four different Pinot's produced) as this is one of his favorite wines, as well as two Cabernet Sauvignons, the Purple and Bronze label. Bill used to produce big bold high tannic Cabernet Sauvignons but enjoys the softer lower tannin more velvety mouth feel Cabs which is what he now produces. These are the types of wines that we enjoy and seek out. To produce these "softer" wines he removes the seeds during every step of the winemaking process. Grape seeds have a lot of tannins and when they are sitting in alcohol, the actual alcohol will cause the seeds to release their tannins into the wine. Their first commercial vintage was in 2001. The source of the Cabernet Sauvignon is from his Piedra Hill Vineyard which is located next to the winery. The location is above the fog line which provides a cooler overall climate compared to the Napa Valley floor. This means longer ripening, higher acidity and a more even ripening of the grapes. W.H. Smith selects only the most intensely flavored and aromatic wine from select barrels for his final blends. He also keeps fruit from individual clones separate until the final blends are constructed. We tried several barrel samples during our visit including what will be their 2006 bronze label. This dark wine has a very round mouth feel; even so young, it is already an elegant style of Cabernet Sauvignon. We thought it was impossible to find a winery producing high quality Pinot Noirs located in the hills of Howell Mountain until we visited W.H. Smith. Of course this isn't Pinot country and they don't grow these grapes here, rather all their Pinots are sourced from premium vineyards located along the Sonoma Coast region in Sonoma County. We tried a bunch of these Pinot's while still in barrel. Our favorite is the Pinot Noir produced from the Hellenthal Vineyard which is located at about 1800 feet. This is a very dark wine with earthy notes on the bouquet followed by vibrant cherry and raspberry flavors. A number of area wineries have discovered this vineyard and source fruit from it. The vineyard site is only 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean so it receives a fair amount of wind and fog, which are perfect growing conditions for this varietal. Their Maritime is their "high end" Pinot Noir and the fruit for this wine is selected from several vineyards all within close proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Compared to their Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir this wine is darker and more shows more concentrated fruit both in the bouquet and on the palate, all the while retaining the wonderful elegant smoothness. The palate shows a variety of fruit including plum and cherry with a soft lingering finish. The bronze label 2006 Howell Mountain estate wine has a distinctive nose that shows hints of evergreen mixed with aromatic dark fruit followed by a palate that is surprisingly smooth for this mountain grown wine. The tannins are balanced and form the structure for a pleasing finish. The 2006 purple label, also an estate wine from their Howell Mountain vineyard is a decidedly bigger wine than the bronze label - its a wine for you serious Cab lovers! Hints of vanilla and ripe black fruit show in the bouquet followed by rich concentrated dark fruits on the palate. The wave of new tasting rooms within city limits is riding up the valley - it all started with Napa and has finally reached tiny Calistoga. This is the latest of several new tasting rooms to open or be opening soon in Calistoga. Ask about the "Wine Sensory Experience" a 1 hour course filled with very educational sensory exercises about wine. The class is taught by one of the owners, T'Anne (by appointment only) Friday-Sundays in the mornings. She has over 30 years experience in the industry and during this course provides information about how to recognize wine aromas, wine profiles and soil characteristics and how they affect wine. At the end of the class you will taste all wines offered in the tasting room as well as cheese and light appetizers. This course is always held in the mornings before their general tasting room is open and as a result the course is entirely private. Often times you can find winemaker Bill and his wife Joan in the tasting room. WH Smith plans on holding special events from time to time in this tasting room. For more information about WH Smith's wines visit: www.whsmithwines.com For more information about the wine sensory experience, visit: www.winesensoryexperience.com |
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This building used to be a winery and during World War II was a distillery. It was actually vacant for about 15 years until Whetstone moved in. This is the "find of the year" in our opinion in Napa for 2011. Whetstone focuses on Pinot Noir from neighboring Sonoma County utilizing the counties top Pinot Noir producing regions of the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River valley. Jamey also makes a Chardonnay from Sonoma and his one Napa wine, the Syrah. All their wine is made at a custom crush facility located just south of the city of Napa. Jamey Whetstone has certainly put in his time from the "bottom up" in the wine industry. He managed Mustards Grill just north of Yountville before working at Turley Cellars. When you are passionate and focused about making wine sometimes any door into the wine industry will do; Jamey was hired to drive a tractor for Turley Cellars in 1998. He soon moved beyond that as working at Turley was an invaluable educational experience. He helped plant and manage many acres of vines, became an assistant winemaker, then started Whetstone with the first vintage released in 2002 and eventually started consulting for other boutique producers. He also has International experience having worked at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy France in 2001. The Syrah comes from the Phoenix Ranch located on the eastern side of the southern part of the Silverado Trail. This is a cooler climate (in relation to the northern part of Napa Valley) known as Coombsville. The vineyard experiences a long hang time in part from the cooling influences of the San Pablo Bay to the south. Merely 250 cases of the 2006 Syrah was produced. The 2006 Syrah shows powerful aromatics straight from the bottle into the glass. It has an unctuous nose with wild berry and a floral component; the integration of the fruit and floral driven aromas make this an inviting wine to smell. It is a dark inky wine and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Pleasant spices show from the mid palate to the finish including black and white pepper and vanilla. The finish is well integrated with smooth tannins and notes of brown chocolate. The mouth feel is rather soft and rounded with good acid balance. Jamey is also an owner and co-founder of Manifesto! wines. Whetstone typically tastes their wines by appointment - For more information visit: www.whetstonewinecellars.com NOTE: We will re-visit this new tasting room and update this review by mid 2012. |
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At press time, they specialize in three types of wines, Chardonnay, a red blend called Claret and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Their Chardonnay is quite nice as it retains a bit more acid than some of the typical Chardonnays; this gives it a very nice crisp mouth feel and also allows it to age nicely for a number of years. This wine only undergoes partial malolactic fermentation so as not to mask the fruit and floral aromas of the wine. It is left on the lees and regularly stirred which gives it some nice weight and creaminess. Their Claret is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot and is barrel aged for up to 2 years, then bottle aged for up to two more years so by the time it reaches the market it has had 4 years of aging. This is not a bad thing for the consumer! The blend of this wine typically changes each year but Cabernet Sauvignon is always the majority varietal. It is a very Bordeaux style wine that is great with food. The 2002 vintage is all about the fruit with juicy flavors across the palate as well as structured tannins that provide the backbone to a pleasing finish. There are small caves within the main cave walls and it is here that the bottles are packed very tightly during their aging process. This is not a common practice and we can think of only other winery with this type of system - the "sparkling house"...Schramsberg. For those of you who have never been in the company of fermenting wine or listened to the sound it makes, White Rock Vineyards has creatively recorded an almost 3 minute audio for your listening enjoyment. Don't expect a Pavarotti type performance! Lastly, you should also be aware that White Rock's reds tend to be very ageworthy wines. To purchase wine online or for more information visit: www.whiterockvineyards.com |
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This winery has a well rounded slate of premium wines (at decent prices) which have won numerous awards; their Cabernets and Merlots are very rich and complex both in aromas and flavor and these are in fact their two most produced wines annually. They have long used screw cap enclosures (among Napa's first wineries to do this) for some of their wines and the reserve Cabernet is actually enclosed with what is called a Vino-Seal, a glass enclosure. As well as being perfectly functional, this enclosure also makes a neat conversation piece as well as a souvenir from the bottle of wine. This is the first Napa winery to use an enclosure such as this one. The cost is a little more than a cork but the overall savings and benefits to both the winery and consumer is great. These type of enclosures prevent the problems you sometimes have with corked wine. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon has a pleasant fruit driven nose followed by a palate rich in fruit including blackberry and black cherry. A soft entry carries all through the palate and is anchored by velvety tannins. It has just the right amount of tanginess and tannin structure to pair very well with a variety of foods. This wine is also priced well for the quality. The 2005 Reserve Cabernet is 100% varietal and shows concentrated dark berry fruit on the palate with smoky nuances and hints of mocha. For dessert wine lovers their Belmuscato (an Orange Muscat) is sweet with a long finish and not overly syrupy like some of the Muscat wines we have tried. We also had the privilege of trying their Belforte Port. This type of port is not often found in Napa as it is made from Petite Sirah grapes. Most area wineries that make a port often use Zinfandel grapes. The 2005 vintage is rich in alcohol and flavor with a moderate balanced amount of residual sugar. In other words you won't be left gasping because of the sweetness in the back of your throat! The tasting room is rather spacious and the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly and can give you recommendations for other area wineries. Like other nearby Highway 29 based wineries the tasting room can become very crowded especially on summer and harvest weekends. If you are looking for a more private tasting experience Whitehall offers a reserve tasting program. This is a private tasting with a wine guide and lasts about 1 hour. Ask about their annual open house, typically held in September. You can also join their mailing list online. Visit: www.whitehalllane.com or check out their blog here: www.whitehalllane.com/blog |
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Wicker Vineyards | Tweet
is operated by long time Napa Valley natives, Ron and Lisa Wicker. Ron runs a successful Napa Valley based vineyard management company currently managing approximately 300 vineyard acres in the valley. Over the years, he has certainly left his mark on a number of vineyards up and down the valley and in 2010 was named "Napa Valley Grapegrowers 2010 Grower of the Year." Ron grew up in Pope Valley (eastern Napa County) and remembers in the early 1960's his vineyard neighbors used to exclusively farm with horses. His first vineyard experience was helping out on this farm and he swore he would never sucker another grapevine in his life before leaving for college to Fresno State. Never say never. Upon returning to the Napa Valley he started working in the vineyards in the late 1960's and by 1972 had formed his own vineyard management company. Their four acres of vineyards were planted in 1990; Ron purchased the property in 2000 and replanted nearly half in 2001. Today the vineyard is entirely planted to two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon - the fruit for their one Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% estate and 100% varietal. While the upper part of the vineyard reaches 1400 feet (the elevation where the Howell Mountain appellation starts) their vineyard is not actually within the appellation (due to how the appellation contours were drawn). The vineyard itself is rather unique; this is rare terroir for this part of the Vaca Mountain Range. The vineyard is on the western facing side of this mountain range but the entire vineyard's exposure faces directly north! Due to their elevation they are right at the edge of the inversion layer - so often times in the summer it will be completely clear in the early mornings while the valley below is blanketed in a layer of fog, but later in the morning the fog starts rising and sometimes reaches their vineyard. The vineyard is super rocky - even to the point that large slabs of rock visibly show in places below a shallow topsoil. This certainly stresses the vines adding additional complexities to the fruit. In addition, the vineyard is very steep, even with the terracing in place. All work is completely done by hand from the trellising, pruning and picking. Small bins are used during harvest and the fruit is sorted during picking before it is taken to the winery. Harvest usually runs several weeks as they do not pick the entire vineyard at once, rather focusing on only the sections that are ripe, even down to flagging certain rows. Ron has developed a very unique system of watering the vines (first we've seen at the hundreds of vineyards in the valley we've visited). In his vineyard Ron noticed that when watering on the surface next to each vine, much of the water would drain off down the hill (acidic soils also aren't the best for absorbing water) and would also support the growth of weeds in the summer. One day he had the idea to develop a water delivery tube system. These plastic tubes are buried in the ground up to 16 inches. The drip system drops water into these tubes which delivers the water directly to the root system. Additionally, this system conserves water so that its delivered directly to where its needed while at the same time avoids supporting surface vegetation. While in the Marlborough wine region of New Zealand Ron witnessed a large winery composting on a big scale. He thought why not do this on a small scale for his own vineyard. All their cuttings are chipped, composted and then redistributed in the vineyard. Wicker's winemaker is Dennis Johns (former owner of White Cottage Winery on Howell Mountain) - Ron has known him for many years, since they went to high school together in St. Helena. Dennis has made every vintage since their first commercial release in 2001. Ron has long known the style of wines he prefers to drink; wines that are lower in alcohol, have good acidity and well managed tannins. Along with the very important aspect of "balance" - these are the wines Wicker Vineyards strives to produce. Wicker Vineyards represents Ron's 40+ years managing vineyards - as he says, "40 years of his career in a bottle." There is absolutely no substitute for experience in this industry. Another "never say never" story is why they currently produce a rather unique Chardonnay (by Napa standards). Ron never drank much Chardonnay because of the common stylistic extremes this varietal takes. On one hand you have the oaky buttery Chardonnay contrasted with the much more lean minerally style. Wicker Vineyards has developed a wine that is a balance of the two. The 2010 Chardonnay was the first vintage of this varietal that they released. In 2009 they ended up with a little extra Chardonnay so they made some non commercial wine. And as Ron says, "we poured it for everyone who had an empty glass." It was a hit and a number of people encouraged them to make the wine commercially. They source the fruit from a rather unique vineyard - 2-3 extremely long rows of vines planted alongside the road in the Napa Airport industrial park! This park in South Napa requested that Ron plant Chardonnay as part of their landscaping some 20 years ago (he's managed the vineyard ever since). Sometimes you get lucky on terroir - especially since the vines grow on industrial park soil which was well excavated and moved around during the actual construction of the park. The 2010 saw no malolactic fermentation, and the lees were stirred 3x a week during its aging. As a result there is both good crispness and acid balance along with some nice viscosity. Aging was in stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. It is a balanced wine which is entirely what they are striving for. Some mineralities, tropical overtones and citrus show on the bouquet with rich concentrated fruit on the mid palate. The finish is clean, shows some baking spice notes and lingers delicately. With their commitment to quality and releasing wines that are ready to be consumed at the time of purchase, the Wickers hold back their wines significantly longer than common "current" releases. As a result, current releases are often 6 and 7 years old. They even released their 2005 before their 2004 as the 2004 wasn't quite ready. The 2004 is an expressive wine both on the bouquet and on the palate. The lively nose shows notes of cigar box, brown chocolate and a hint of white pepper but at its core is a beautiful mix of both red and dark fruit aromas. The mouth feel is supple and smooth and there is no mistaking that mouth watering natural acidity. The fine grained tannins linger softly. The 2005 takes a bit longer to open up than the 2004. Initially it shows savory aromas of meat fat but then as it evolves in the glass more fruit comes forward. A sweet core of fruit aromas show, more red fruit than dark fruit. The mid palate is rich with a finish that is structured and slightly larger than the 2004 vintage. At the core of both of these wines are balance, natural acidity, the expression of Cabernet Sauvignon and their approachability. Look for Wicker Vineyards to release a premium Cabernet Sauvignon dessert style wine sometime in the future. Premium spirits were used for the fortification of this wine (2006 vintage). Too many producers use lower grade spirits in these style wines and that defeats the purpose. While the grapes were picked late, the leaves were still green and the fruit still had a decent amount of acid to balance the higher sugar. This is a wine we look forward to tasting once its released. One word will form the back label, "Yummy"! 750 Wines in St. Helena carries both their Chardonnay and their Cabernet Sauvignon. They are selectively distributed in California as well as Georgia. For more information and to join their mailing list visit: www.wickervineyards.com |
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Everyone has their own taste in Cabernet's and their Cabernet fits our palate like a glove. Our visit here was early on in our project and after tasting this wine this was the first winery where we said "yes, we get it"! We are always looking for the "it" Cabernet Sauvignon wine during our Napa wine odyssey and this is definitely one of those. A local winemaker we met with previously describes "it" as having that special richness combined with elegance. The 2004 vintage is one of the nicer Cabernet's that we've tried in Napa Valley. It is structured so that nothing dominates the wine, rather the acid, tannins and alcohol are extremely well managed and the overall structure is smooth and velvety. The nose is full of aromas of cherry and touches of vanilla from the French oak which lead to rich fruit flavors with a touch of mocha. Everything contained within this wine is representative of a very high quality Napa Cabernet. 2.5 acres are planted on site and extreme micro management goes into the making of this wine - there are even micro terroir (soil) regions within the small property and each of these regions is treated as its own unit during harvest, fermentation, aging and the actual winemaking. The estate is gorgeous - it is located right next to Highway 29 North and you can drive by their location day in and day out and never know its there due to its hidden location behind the trees and bushes as well as the non signage. It is one of the first stone wineries built in St. Helena (dates from 1876) and originally opened as the JC Weinberger Winery. Starting in 1883 Hannah Weinberger became one of Napa Valley's first woman winemakers. This was because her husband became a victim of St. Helena's first murder after a disgruntled employee tricked him with a fake telegram and then shot him in broad daylight at the train platform. Yes, in our experience every ghost winery we have visited in the valley has some interesting history! The current winery dates from 1997 which is over 90 years between vintages. Over the last few years a huge renovation and restoration was conducted and now the winery and grounds look sparkling. Parts of a more modern restoration and addition date from 1938 and include the pool and gardens behind the actual winery...definitely the oldest pool at a Napa winery! Also of note is William Cole typically places within the top barrel lots at the annual charity Napa Valley Auction. A visit here is for very extremely serious wine enthusiasts and collectors as all visits and tours are private and the estate is opened for your party only. Visit: www.williamcolevineyards.com |
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Bill's family traces their winemaking back to the early 1500's in Italy. They made wine in California since 1902 at various locations including Healdsburg in neighboring Sonoma County. Bill's grandfather, Antonio was actually the first California winemaker to have a wine-making degree. Bill grew up with the wine industry in his blood. Besides his family contributions to the California wine industry, his personal claim to fame is he started the first ever mobile bottling service for wineries. Drive to the wineries, bottle using all your own equipment and then leave. The cost of an individual bottling line is almost prohibitive for small wineries and he saw a niche that wasn't yet filled. However, it wasn't easy proving this service to the banks as he applied for 39 loans before one bank actually gave him a loan on his 40th attempt! As they say the rest is history - as today mobile bottling is huge business in the wine industry. His original bottling business spawned many new similar businesses and today many of the owners based in Napa and Sonoma & beyond received their training under Bill. During our most recent visit, we saw him out front appropriately working on a mobile bottling truck. He still runs his original bottling company called Estate Bottling. We started our tasting with a 2007 Carneros Chardonnay. This only undergoes partial malolactic fermentation and is not overly creamy. The fruit is well represented both in the bouquet and on the palate. Honeysuckle, dried apricot and minerality nuances are found in the aromas with pear, vanilla and just a touch of toasted oak towards the finish. The 2005 Simpatico is their "Right Bank Bordeaux" version using estate grown Rutherford fruit. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This is very drinkable now. The 2005 Estate Cabernet Franc has some minty herbal qualities in the bouquet with touches of mocha followed by a palate layered in flavor - raspberry and some earthiness. The 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has a nose full of black currant with notes of cedar and mocha and the palate is juicy with black cherry and black currant flavors. The Rutherford Red is their high end wine and is always made in fairly small quantities; the varietal percentages vary from year to year. The 2005 is a very dark wine and contains a healthy amount of Petite Verdot which contributes to the color, richness and structure of this full bodied wine. Their total production rarely exceeds 1500 cases which makes them one of the smaller wineries in the Napa Valley to have their own tasting room. As a result of their low production the wines often sell out relatively quickly. A number of red varietals are planted on the 9 acres surrounding the winery. These are used for their high end estate red wines and in addition they source fruit from cooler growing regions for their Chardonnay and Pinot noir. Note: the winery is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Visit: www.whwines.com |
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The tasting room backs right up to their main cellar storage room, which is huge. Be sure to ask to step inside for a better view. Look through the windows and you will see hundreds of cases piled up in this large room. Gallo is a huge wine company, but compared to other wine corporations of even smaller size, they are first rate. We have been to several of their tasting rooms (not only in Napa) and in our experience, their staff are always top notch, informed, professional and helpful. The estate tasting is "the" tasting here! It typically covers 7 or 8 of their varietals. A very unique feature of this winery is all their red wines are blended with small quantities of Petite Verdot. The reason for this is it helps create a Bordeaux style blend and brings color, tannins and a nice backbone to the wines. We started out with a 2005 Napa Valley Chardonnay with production at 28,000 cases and compared this to the same vintage Reserve Chardonnay of which only 3,500 cases are produced. The Napa Valley Chardonnay is a great outdoor wine; its rather light, crisp and slightly creamy with melon and citrus aromas. The Reserve on the other hand is all about the fruit; this is a rich Chardonnay that will easily stand up to foods higher in fat, salt or oil content. The 2003 Merlot has the most fruit driven aromatics of any of their wines we tried. Think of a cross between a Pinot noir and a younger Cabernet with concentrated cherry flavors. William Hill makes two radically different Cabernet Sauvignons. The 2004 vintage is one of the lighter bodied Cabs we have tried during our Napa wine odyssey. Despite being made from fruit from similar vineyards this wine is radically different. The keywords for this wine are "more, more more"! More aging, more French Oak, more tannins, more body. Some wines are also only available for purchase or tasting at the winery; these are their "Winery Exclusives" which are produced in extremely small quantities and typically include varietal wines often used for blending in other wines, i.e., Cabernet Franc, Malbec & Petite Verdot. The 2003 Petite Verdot deserves special mention. It is a big wine, bigger than a number of Cabs we have sampled. PV is a grape that produces wine extremely dark in color; this version bursts into your mouth with a variety of flavors including cherry and plum with some subtle notes of vanilla. If the weather permits special outdoor tastings can be arranged by appointment. Check their website for any tasting specials. Visit: www.williamhillestate.com |
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A visit to this winery is about as far from the "normal" preconceived notions of the "Napa wine experience" that you can have! Don't even think about taking a 2-wheel drive car down their road - over the years a number of cars have gotten stuck. Wing Canyon sits in the heart of the Mayacamas Mountain range. Bill and Kathy purchased 160 acres in 1982 and then cleared 10 acres to vine. Their first vintage was in 1991 and their typical annual production is merely 400 to 700 cases. The small winery building is built of rammed earth which is a mix of earth and concrete which has been compressed. The walls are 2 feet thick and as a result moderate the temperature inside very well throughout the year. Wing Canyon specializes in two types of wine; a Cabernet Sauvignon and their Lolita Merlot. All their wines are hand crafted and grown on site with the exception of a blending varietal which they source from one of their Mt. Veeder neighbors. Because of their small production they can pick when they want and may only pick certain parts of their vineyard at a time. As a result harvest can stretch out over multiple days or weeks. This is important in making high quality wines and ensures that only the best, ripest fruit is used. Most of their acreage is dry farmed resulting in lower yields (merely 1.5 tons/acre on average) but more richly concentrated fruit. In addition, they use 100% sustainable farming practices and plant beneficial cover crops both for the soil and to attract beneficial insects to the vineyard. They don't use herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fungicides. The fruit in this part of the Napa area is extremely concentrated and they typically harvest between 1 and 1.5 tons which is quite low compared to valley grown fruit. This type of fruit produces very concentrated flavors in the actual wines. We tried their 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon; it definitely has some cherry flavors as well as spices including cinnamon. It is a very nice wine. Besides the two reds sometimes they have a very small amount of Chardonnay available but often production is so small (1 or 2 barrels) that they often do not even commercially produce it. However sometimes there is some left over from what they consume at the winery and you can find this for sale on their website. Kathy hand paints a different label for each vintage. Visit: www.wingcanyonvineyard.com |
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There are a number of very small producers in the Napa Valley, many of whom produce under 500 cases - but then there is "tiny" and this is uniquely defined by Wise Acre Vineyard. This 1/2 acre commercially producing vineyard is managed by Lynn and Kirk Grace and is located at the 600 foot elevation below Howell Mountain. They are currently one of the smallest commercial producers in the Napa Valley. The Grace's purchased the property in 2003 and planted their vineyard in 2005. Lynn grew up in the Napa Valley; her family owned a small ranch in Oakville and she grew up managing vineyards. Naturally she spends significant time in and among their vines however, when you are responsible for a small label, financially it does not make sense to have employees. She wears many "hats", handling all aspects from the vineyard details, to sales and shipping. Kirk's parents founded Grace Family Vineyards in St. Helena and Kirk and Lynn sourced both rootstock and cuttings from Grace Family when establishing their own vineyard. The vineyard is 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and produces one wine each year. With larger vineyards you hear about managing block by block - here with such a small piece it is literally vine by vine. This has to be one of the most loved small vineyards in the Napa Valley. Their philosophy is to "manage the soil, not manipulate it" - they realize quality starts with the soil or terroir if you will. They spend significant time managing both the soil and the vineyard - sheep are brought in to graze seasonally, great care is spent on their cover crop, compost teas are made on site and they use use "bio correct" and organic farming practices. This is a unique location; it is somewhat of a banana belt. Even during 2008 when Napa was hit with its coldest freeze in 35 years and some vintners in the Vaca mountains (rising above the eastern part of the valley) lost significant portions of their crop, their vines sustained minimal frost damage. Kirk is most at home when he is farming - he has been working with vineyards in the Napa Valley since the late 1980's - today he is responsible for managing the vineyards at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and the best of the practices that he has developed over the years are put to good use here. Ideally with a "normal" year and their farming practices Wise Acre would like wines around 13.5% alcohol. Kirk remembers some of the top wines in the valley from 30 years ago were often in the high 12 to low 13 percent alcohol range. Wise Acre's highest alcohol wine to date has been 13.9%. Their wines are elegant, balanced and traditionally styled. We sampled the 2010 vintage from barrel - about a month before bottling. The bouquet is elegant featuring plenty of fruit but without being too showy or too ripe. Red fruit, raspberry, cranberry and a floral component show on the nose. A delicate smokiness underlies the fruit - a smokiness that shows no greenness of aroma. The wine's acidity is all natural and immediately causes one to salivate. For such a young wine and for being a barrel sample, the palate is remarkably balanced between fruit, acidity and structure. Notes of both black and red fruit including black cherry and cassis show with lingering delicate tannins which anchor a pleasing rounded finish. While young wines have many rough edges you can often determine the character and quality of a vineyard in the early stages of the wine's development. The 2011 barrel sample while not yet integrated by any means, with some air reveals a lively mid palate already showing a complexity of fruit. With only one other vineyard nearby and most of the land behind their property in its natural state - they have a significant bird population. This hasn't been favorable to their crop - until recently they've lost a significant portion each year to bird damage. The vineyard will be netted from now on which will help protect their already tiny production. While their farming and vineyard management practices are serious - the name of their label is not so much. "Wise Acre" stands for the fun and joy they have with farming and also represents their philosophy of managing this vineyard - using wise practices that are natural, clean and focus on drawing out the most desirable qualities that their soil has to offer. Their label contains the symbols for the sun, moon and rain on soil - and represents the interaction of the primary elements that are needed for successful farming. Ideally their production would be merely around 100 cases each year in a normal growing season. To date they've produced commercial releases ranging as low as 20 cases to 70 cases. With such a small production, they have no distribution whatsoever and nearly all of their wine is sold directly through a mailing list. Because of their very limited production, pedigree of clone, and attention to detail and quality in the vineyard already serious collectors have discovered their wine. To join their mailing list for the opportunity to purchase this truly hand crafted gem, visit: www.wiseacrevineyard.com |
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Wolf Family Vineyards was established in 1997 by Jane and Doug Wolf, and their winemaker Karen Karen Culler has been on board since the first vintage. Their property includes about 30 acres of which 7 acres are planted in vines. The winery is located almost against the Mayacamas mountains just a touch south west of the town of St. Helena. A small winery on site was built in the 1980's and the surrounding acreage was already planted at the time of the Wolf's purchase. At the time the vineyards were mostly planted in Merlot which perhaps wasn't the most ideal varietal for this location due to the soils and microclimate. The property runs from the hills of the Mayacamas mountains to the flatland of the valley floor.
After purchasing the vineyards, the Wolfs with Karen Culler's insights replanted the entire vineyard with Cabernet Sauvignon and smaller percentages of other varietals. The only varietal that was not removed was the Cabernet Franc; it was originally planted in the 1970's and these vines are still producing fruit today. In fact their first vintage in 1997 was from their Cabernet Franc vineyard. They also have a separate Sauvignon Blanc vineyard on site as well as small amounts of other Bordeaux varietals. As of press time, they focus on three wines, a Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and a predominately Cabernet Franc. Wolf also runs a second label called Phaedrus, or in Greek meaning Wolf. We tried their 2006 Sauvignon Blanc which like all their wines, is produced in limited quantities. Compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, there certainly is not a lot of Sauvignon Blanc grown in the St. Helena appellation and their vineyard showcases this varietal well. The focus on the winemaking side of things is to present the varietal characteristics rather than over stylize the wine. Case in point is the minimal use of oak, as the the fermentation is mostly conducted within small stainless steel barrels and then left to age on the lees. This wine is a blend of two Sauvignon Blanc clones, the Musque clone and the Sauvignon Blanc clone 1. It has a luscious round mouth feel with lots of fruit up front and more of a herbal minty flavor on the mid palate. Great natural acidity and a clean crisp finish make this wine perfect for pairing with a meal. It is always a delight to find a nice Cabernet Franc and Wolf's 2006 vintage does not disappoint. A small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is blended to provide additional depth and structure on the finish. Their Cabernet Franc vines are vigorous yet older, which as a result produces berries that are quite small resulting in very concentrated flavors. This is a smooth elegant wine with soft delicate tannins that anchor the long finish. Also be sure to try their 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon - in our opinion, this wine has good aging potential. You can find their wines in local wine shops and they are distributed in select markets in NY, Chicago and California. Their total typical annual production runs between 1000 and 1500 cases. When you have olive trees growing on you property you might as well harvest the olives! Wolf Family also produces a very small quantity of olive oil each year. Visit: www.wolffamilyvineyards.com |
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