|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Sign In / Register |
|
|
|
g Cook Family Winery is nestled next to the hills in the northern part of the Napa Valley. Because the valley narrows down as you drive north there are lots of neat little side canyons and inlets against the hills. This winery is near several of these which really gives it is own "secluded" feel compared the main part of the valley floor. g Cook is owned by Glen and Gayle Cook. Glen is a retired dentist and Gayle is currently a flight attendant. They originally purchased the property in the mid 1980's with the intent to hold it for a few years and then turn around and sell it for profit. They had no intention of moving here, building a winery, growing grapes, much less making wine. Well the "Napa Allure" took hold and didn't let go! They moved up from the Bay Area, and built a small winery which today serves as a custom crush location for a variety of very small producers - some as low as producing just a few barrels. Small personal family owned custom crush wineries such as this one are far and few between in the Napa area and they have a waiting list of prospective clients. They have three planted acres of their own (all hillside) and manage a number of other nearby acres. For many years they farmed, managed the custom crush facility but never made their own wine. This changed in 2004 with the release of their first wine, (only 200 cases), a Cabernet Sauvignon. As of press time each of their wines are typically produced in amounts of about several hundred cases.
The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark and rich in color. The aromas are earthy and full of ripe fruit with almost a slight port characteristic; however this rich ripeness in aroma is tempered in the very well balanced fruit flavors which are complemented with hints of oak, cedar, and mocha. Their non vintage "Ain't your Daddy's Zinfandel" is already a crowd pleaser with its taste as well as the cute label. This wine is essentially a field blend - with several different varietals including Syrah and even white varietals blended into the wine. These "other" varietals are found in only very small quantities. By far the majority varietal is Zinfandel (90%) with also 10% Merlot. As a result, the name of this wine describes it perfectly. It is a non traditional Zinfandel - not your "normal" Zin! It is a lighter styled fruit driven wine with great berry aromas which carry onto the palate. Great with BBQ or chicken. The 2005 Merlot is made with Merlot grapes from their property as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from the cooler Coombsville region in the southern part of the Napa Valley. This is a rich yet elegant wine that is very well balanced. The finish is long with a well structured backbone in part from the addition of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Look for a Sauvignon Blanc sourced from Yountville to be soon added to their repertoire. We should also mention their pricing; for hand crafted Napa wines you cannot beat the excellent prices. Napa hillside grown, hand crafted 100% Cabernet Sauvignon for under $40. Nice! A hummingbird is found on their labels - during certain times of the years up to 100 hummingbirds at any one time will be flying around the many feeders located on the property. Visits are on an individual appointment only basis. An energizing and busy time to visit is during the harvest crush with many of the small producers working on site during various days....a great chance to see small producers in action. You can find their wine locally at Enoteca in Calistoga and at the St. Helena Wine Center in downtown St. Helena. Visit: www.cookwinery.com |
 |
|
|
g Wine Cellars is run by Grant & Garrett, two Napa natives who both have a passion for wine. In addition, each has family members already working within the local wine industry (Garrett's family has their own label - Ahnfeldt). Their partnership works out very well as Grant is the winemaker, making wine since the young age of 16, and Garrett is a vineyard manager for a company managing approximately 1000 acres in the Napa area including the acreage that supplies the grapes for g Wine Cellars. They focus on two Cabernet Sauvignons, a Merlot and one blended white wine. In addition due to both their contacts with vineyard owners, they always have additional grapes which they use to make one barrel of wine at a time. These "one barrel" lots are available exclusively through their wine club as are invitations to wine parties on the estate. Haven't yet been to a party, but with their enthusiasm and estate location - these are bound to be memorable. We haven't seen any wineries in the Napa area offer selections this limited - its boutique at its best! A tasting is always private, held with Grant, Garrett or both and is held on the grounds of a stunning hilltop estate complete with a 3-story beautiful house. From the balcony outside on the 3rd floor you have great views of Mt. Tamalpais towering in the distance as well as glimpses of San Francisco (depending on the season and clarity). Take the grand staircase upstairs or hop in the elevator for the 1 story ride.
We started our tasting with the 2006 "g" Licious, a fun and catchy name for a unique white wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Symphony (UC Davis clone created from a cross between Muscat de Alexandria and Grenache gris) & Semillon. The nose is very tropical floral & fruity and almost leads one to believe this wine might be sweet. Ever eaten a ripe Muscat grape? Hints of this on the nose with great carry through of various fruit flavors to the palate. We tried their 2005 N.V. Cabernet Sauvignon from barrel as this had not yet been bottled. This is a medium to full bodied wine with a very earthy nose with hints of oak. The oak on the nose will dissipate after bottling. Very long finish. Their flagship wine is the Mayacamas Mountain Reserve Cabernet. These are the mountains that form the north south spine rising above the western part of Napa Valley. The fruit for this wine come from three well-known hillside districts, Spring Mountain, Diamond Peak & Mt. Veeder. This is a very big wine, chewy, full of ripe black fruit flavors with some exotic spices & smokiness on the backend before the long finish. They produce about 1000 cases each year, none of it distributed except for a tiny bit of the white wine. This means you will not find it in wine shops or at restaurants. This is partly for the reason that Grant & Garrett prefer to meet their customers in person, and as a result their wine is solely available through their wine club. As of press time they are slated to open for tasting by the end of April 2008 and the tasting will be in what used to be old horse stables which are totally being remodeled. We will revisit once this is complete and provide photos of the tasting room and estate. Grant also runs Tour Napa Valley, a company offering personalized visits and tastings with some of the smaller less visited boutique wineries. Visit: www.gwinecellars.com |
|
|
Much of the tasting room is made from recycled materials - or with materials from other buildings that were being torn down including reclaimed wood flooring from a 1950's Napa gymnasium and chandeliers made from wine barrel staves. Rocks were taken from the vineyards and form the walls of the building. The tasting room is downstairs in the main stone building - it is an intimate location for small groups. Weather permitting we recommend tasting out on the deck or stone patio from which you will have gorgeous views to the south of the sprawling vineyards and hills. A visit here is meant to be relaxed - tours and tastings are for serious wine enthusiasts A circular rod iron staircase winds up to a small second story room; this is a private lounge and serves double duty for quick "jam" sessions. One of Jeff's passions is music and besides this room, he has also built a small outdoor amphitheatre for concerts. Be sure to check out his vintage and handmade guitar collection. Jeff has been involved with farming his entire life having run a small local tomato farming business in Florida which over time he built into one of the world's largest tomato producers. He also served as CEO of Sunkist Corporation. This is one of the only south facing vineyards in Oakville and almost all you see when you look south are rolling hills covered in vineyards. It is an absolutely idyllic location. Local culinary celebrity, Michal Chiarello has filmed several episodes of the TV Show, Easy Entertaining on site in Jeff's kitchen. We've been told by the way, that Jeff is also an awesome chef in his own right! Gargiulo produces a number of wines including several that we tried; the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Money Road Ranch property, a Merlot and their wonderful Aprile which is a blend of primarily Sangiovese with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2004 Money Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon has nice notes of vanilla and cassis on the bouquet followed by a palate that is smooth, supple and full of dark cherry and plum flavors. Structured tannins support a long finish. The 2004 Money Ranch Merlot is a fairly big wine that may appeal to Cabernet Sauvignon drinkers. It has great fruit both on the bouquet and on the palate - think blackberry dessert and cherry pie! Gargiulo strives to create Bordeaux style wines - elegant but not overly fruit driven. They also typically use a shorter oak aging program than many wineries, preferring instead to let the varietal characteristics show. They often donate wine to high profile auctions and their lots have raised thousands of dollars towards various charities. Visit: www.gargiulovineyards.com |
|
|
|
Garric Cellars is owned and operated by two Chicago physicians, Gary Ochwat and Ricardo Cajulis. The winery name comes from combining the first 3 letters of their first names. Both partners have different backgrounds. Gary grew up in an Italian family in Chicago while Ricardo hails from a very small island in the Philippines. Ricardo arrived in Chicago with nothing more than $500 in his pocket, a medical degree and little knowledge of wine. This eventually changed, and in 1988 they met and discovered their passions for wine; many trips to the Napa Valley soon followed with the culmination of a purchase of property just north of the town of Calistoga. During their trips to the Napa area they met a number of local winemakers including the very well regarded winemaker, Pam Starr. She has made their wine since the first vintage which was in 2003. Pam is a very active "viticulture" winemaker, and as a result spends a lot of her time in the actual vineyards making sure vineyard blocks are controlled according to her exacting specifications. Garric Cellars focuses on one Cabernet Sauvignon each year. Both Gary and Ricardo strive to make a first class wine and know the core value of sourcing fruit from superior terroir. Winemaking starts and ends in the vineyards and fortunately with Pam's connections they are able to find such vineyards. Their first few vintages were made from two select vineyards, one in Calistoga and one in Yountville. Future vintages will incorporate additional fruit sources for added complexities.
We tried the 2005 vintage. This is 97& Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Merlot blended. Three Cabernet clones are blended in this wine and each is fermented and vinified separately until they are ready to make their final blends. Gary and Ricardo are involved with all final blending decisions and not all barrels make the cut. One year they had 8 extra barrels which didn't make it into the final blend. Other wineries may have bottled this separately, not so with Garric. Such is their commitment to creating one superior wine that these extra barrels were sold off - effectively limiting their final blend to a smaller amount. All their wine is unfined and unfiltered for maximum color and flavor. The 2005 has a rich fruit driven bouquet with hints of oak, mocha and floral qualities, akin to dried rose petals and violets. The fruit continues to the palate. Rich ripe flavors of blueberry and blackberry combine with lively mouth watering natural acidity. Subtle hints of mocha and espresso carry over from the nose. This wine has a beautiful velvety mouth feel supported on the finish by sweet smooth tannins. Wondering what their logo means? Good guesses include a dolphin, sheep, or even a bunch of wine grapes. However none of these are correct. Look closer and you will see Garric is creatively spelled in a circular pattern. Nice! You can sometimes find their wine locally at Dean & Deluca in St. Helena. The best way to stay posted regarding updates and releases and or purchase new vintages is to join their mailing list. Visit: www.garric-cellars.com |
|
|
As of press time, Girard uses native yeasts to kick off the fermentations for all their wines with the exception being their Sauvignon Blanc which is inoculated with commercial yeasts. We tried the 2006 vintage - this by the way is also the only filtered wine in their lineup. It sees only tank (no barrel), its crisp, refreshing with aromas of guava and grapefruit with the citrus characteristics carrying over to the palate. Think a full malolactic fermented Chardonnay always produces a wine that is buttery. Not so. This wine uses a type of yeast that doesn't create huge amounts of diacetyl, the by product of fermentation that brings the "buttery" characteristics to Chardonnay. As a result, this wine is crisper than you would expect, with a soft mouth feel with a lingering finish full of toasted almond and other nice nutty characteristics. Lots of fruit in this wine on the front and mid palate. A wine of note is their 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel. This is 77% Zinfandel (some vines up to 100 years old) with 23% being a mix of Rhone Varietals. We've long wondered which vineyard is the highest one in Napa County. Look no further - the Blue Ridge Vineyard which provides some of the Zinfandel fruit for this wine is Napa County's highest vineyard at about 2700 feet in the isolated region on the slopes of Mt. Vaca. There are some high vineyards in the Howell Mountain appellation but certainly none as high as this one! This is a more refined elegant Zinfandel not a huge fruit bomb overly spicy Zinfandel that we've certainly tried from other producers. Girard is known for the Artistry blend which incorporates the five main Bordeaux varietals. Aside from the great aromatics and nice fruit, the price has always been attractive. Want their "cult wine" - try the Petite Sirah. This is a big wine from a small berried clone sourced from a fairly warm weather location (Calistoga) and as a result produces very rich concentrated flavors. The Limited Production wines are generally under 1000 cases and are not sold online. The 2005 Diamond Mountain was their first vintage using Diamond Mountain fruit (their winemaker has past experience with fruit from this appellation) and what a nice wine this is. Smooth and soft with juicy fruit this wine sees extended maceration and the tannins are well managed. Their Cabernet Franc is only bottled as its own varietal during "high quality" years and when produced is only available in limited quantities Visit: www.girardwinery.com |
|
|
They concentrate on two European style wines - their Chardonnay and their Cabernet Sauvignon. Mt. Veeder Cabernet fruit in particular is known for its small dense clusters - fruit quantities that are always significantly below the tonnage produced by the nearby Napa Valley. Despite being above the valley fog it is usually colder up here than the valley floor and when it warms up later in the day the mountain slopes help mediate the heat. This makes for a very long harvest often stretching up to parts of 3 months. Redwoods dot the vineyards as the owner decided to leave all redwoods when he was planting. During harvest silver colored strands blow in the wind to discourage birds from eating the actual grapes. You may also hear the "cries of wounded birds" - but pay no attention as these cries are coming from speakers strategically located throughout the vineyards to help keep the birds from attacking the ripe fruit. Godspeed has the luxury of holding back their wines far beyond the normal time most area wineries release their wines. Typically their Cabernet won't be released until it has aged 6 years! For the price their wines are one of the best values within the Napa Valley area. Their cabs are big bold and deeply colored and firm in tannin structure. They age very well. We tried their Chardonnay; it is non Malolactic and is dark golden in color and pairs very well with food due to the reasonable acidity it holds. As of press time, no website is available. |
|
|
A large selection of distinctive wines are available. As of press time 9+ of the 12 acres are planted to vine on site and they also source some of their grapes from other vineyards. Their focus originally and for a number of years was entirely on Chardonnay - as a result their signature wine is this varietal. We tried the 2006 vintage - it has a nice nose with some vanilla and apple notes and if you smell carefully you will even pick up some interesting spices. The palate is rich and somewhat creamy - in part from the sur lie aging in barrel. They have an excellent Viognier, a not often Napa produced Tempranillo (Spanish varietal) and their V AmerItal which is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2005 Syrah is well balanced with a smooth rounded mouth feel and its about this time during your taste that the chocolate may appear from behind the counter. Might as well enjoy this wine with chocolate - it already has nuances of dark chocolate on the palate. It is a juicy wine, with just a touch of spice (this is not a typical peppery spicy syrah), and currant fruit. Both their Cabernet Sauvignons are great with food. The 2005 Estate Cab has good fruit touched by just a bit of toasted oak with delicate tannins on the finish. The 2004 Howell Mountain Cabernet is a bigger wine full of dark cherry with balanced but structured tannins anchoring the long finish. A sparkling Rose was made in 2004 to celebrate their 20th anniversary and is available for sale in the winery. Also note that some years the fruit is fantastic and they are able to select only the highest quality lots for a very limited production red wine called ÆROS. When you visit might be given a short questionnaire sheet by one of the staff - one of the questions is "how did you find us". During our several visits we've noticed the most common answer given was "online". Goosecross is one of Napa's pioneer wineries in the world of online marketing. They were the first Napa Valley winery to start their own Podcast feeds - and these wine educational seminars are available on their Napa Valley Wine Radio website as well as their educational blogs. You can also ask wine related questions, listen to descriptions of each of their wines & visit Colleen's Kitchen (list of unique recipes from the owner) on their main website. Discounts are available on wine purchases by being a Podcast listener. From May through October they offer something quite unique among Napa wineries - the "wine basics" class which is very reasonably priced...it is free! These classes are great for the wine novice as they cover tasting techniques, how to tell a wine's structure, wine storage and more. Additional very hands on tours and wine seminars are also offered - all by appointment only. Lastly, check out their Chocolate coated wine bottles! We have only seen these in one other Napa winery. They make great conversational presents as well as delicious semi-edible gifts. If you are in downtown Napa you may also taste their wines at The Wineries of Napa collective, next to the Chamber of Commerce in the Napa Town Center. Visit: www.goosecross.com |
|
|
Dick and his family first came to the Napa Valley in the mid 1970's and like a number of vintners in the valley we've met with; his foray into vineyards and winemaking was purely accidental. As Dick admits he never originally had the "green thumb" - his extent of growing was a few radish seeds in a Petri dish in Biology class which promptly germinated and then died the next day! This is ironic considering his son is now his own vineyard manager. Dick came to a tasting at Freemark Abbey and the owner of The Wine Country Inn at the time (still there by the way), showed him some nearby real estate that contained a large run down Victorian with much of the property suffering the throes of abandonment. After looking at the property for merely 15 minutes Dick and his wife Ann decided to purchase it on site with the seeds of a vision that would eventually lead to one of Napa's most sought after wines. When we caught up with Dick Grace he had just returned from a long trip to Asia - part of which was focused on efforts to help victims of the terrible earthquake in Sichuan, China that occurred in mid 2008. He spoke of meeting a policeman who ran into a burning building after the earthquake to rescue a child. He came back out with the child, already partially on fire - threw the kid to a bystander and immediately ran back into the building to get another child in what was a total selfless act. Dick spent 4 years in the military and now travels the world for his foundation; he knows and has seen his share of heroism. He spreads his help around globally - medical clinics, orphanages, cafeterias, food for schools, eye doctors and getting people off the streets and trained for job skills. A thick album full of photos is a testament to those his foundation has helped. You can clearly see the evidence of Grace's support in this album - photos of injured or otherwise neglected small children are shown next to pictures of their smiling faces, taken much later in life. The contrast between these photos is enough to convince anyone the power someone has in their grasp to help others. Dick is not a hands off helper - he is often on site of major natural disasters finding out where his foundation can be most useful. Case in point was after the 2004 Tsunami he was on a small island in the middle of the Andaman Ocean helping 16,000 survivors of the 24,000 who lived here before the Tsunami hit. At the time of this review, Dick is 70, an age when many people are already retired however he keeps a packed schedule and is busier than people half his age. In addition his foundation runs several major projects including a medical clinic in Katmandu Nepal which sees hundreds of clients daily. What the Grace Family has done with their wine is essentially use it as a vehicle to help close the gap between those who are needy and those that are not... using "wine as a catalyst for healing the planet". Due to his wine, he has met people in positions to financially help from around the world who are now part of his humanitarian efforts. Initially he was more focused on fundraising and then distributing the money - now he hand picks places and projects to support as well as devoting his efforts to raising consciousness about charitable endeavors. He often brings potential donors with him on trips. As Dick says, for the cost of one bottle of wine at a fine restaurant you can educate, clothe and feed well, a child for an entire year. That helps put his charity efforts in perspective....it doesn't take much. Over lunch in the mid 1970's a friend told Dick that part of his land would make a wonderful vineyard. Thinking this would be a good experience for the family with no thoughts about any commercial wine ventures, they planted 1 acre of vines. Their philosophy in the late 1970's regarding the spacing of grapevines was ahead of their time. They felt that grapevines need to struggle to build character and as a result they planted the vines very close together - much more so than most of the vineyards at the time. Closer spacing means much more labor intensive work as well as lower crop yields. During the first harvest, they brought the grapes to Caymus winery in bins sitting in the back of a number of station wagons. These grapes were going to be used in a blend for Caymus but after Charles Wagner the owner of Caymus tasted the fruit, he decided it was such good quality that it deserved to be made as stand alone wine...thus the beginning of Grace Family Vineyards. Their first harvest was in 1978 and the wine was made at Caymus Winery for a number of years until the winery was built on their property. The small but very functional winery is located merely feet away from the closest grapevines. Only the highest quality French Oak is used with aging ranging anywhere from 18 to 40 months. Only one vintage saw 40 months - when for whatever reason the fruit really benefited by this extra aging. Gary Brookman who also makes wine at Miner Family has been their winemaker since June of 2001. Other notable winemakers for Grace Family have included Charles Wagner, Gary Galleron and Heidi Barrett. Harvest is always a fun time at the winery - since day one it has always been about friends and family helping pick the grapes. Each year more than 100 people show up to help with the crush - with a number coming from around the world. They have several small vineyards planted on the bench-land hillsides of the Mayacamas Mountains north of St. Helena and the grapes for their Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon come from these vineyards. Dick's son Kirk is a vineyard manager in the Valley and of course manages his family’s vineyards. All their vineyards have been farmed organically since day 1, no herbicides or pesticides are used. They have always tried to stay away from the high alcohol highly extracted wines - rather focusing on picking if possible when the flavors are there but high sugar levels have not yet been reached. We tried several barrel samples of the 2007 vintage - the first being the 100% Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon from their estate vineyards. While still very young, this wine already has their noted elegance in the bouquet with a core of layered beautiful fruit that carries all through the palate - black cherry and plum with a nice dustiness and nuances of smoke anchoring the finish. This wine is soft, elegant supple and very smooth. The 2007 vintage Blank Vineyard located in Rutherford was planted with cuttings from the Grace property and has its own unique soil and microclimate. It contains more of a spicy herbal note to the bouquet but it is just as soft and refined as their Estate Vineyard. Historically this wine takes a bit longer to evolve than the estate vineyard, but at the time of our taste, already shows a core of rich fruit on the palate. The Grace's have long used their mailing list as their primary distribution of wine. With several thousand people waiting to get on this list, the best way to buy their wine is online - try K&L Wine Merchants or Wally's Wine or you can sometimes find certain vintages at some of the high end wine shops in the Napa Valley - ACME Wine in St. Helena or V Wine Cellars in Yountville. All large format bottles are kept exclusively for charity with some of their donations topping the $100,000 mark! The Grace's were involved in the original annual Napa Wine Auction which takes place every June and always raises millions of dollars for charity. Grace has also given away over 9700 watches helping spread his humanitarian efforts; each watch contains a simple message "Be Optimystic" which is a statement that is essentially integral to their success. Visit: www.gracefamilyvineyards.com or the direct link to their foundation here: www.gracefamilyvineyards.com/foundation.html |
|
|
We have visited Graeser several times - the latest was after four solid weeks of smoke and hazy days from those infamous California summer fires. Our visit coincided with the first really bright blue sunny day and was perfect for photography with an explosion of the normal expected summertime blue and green colors. Graeser has a partnership with the Spirits in Stone Gallery and you will often see African Shona carvings (from Zimbabwe) lining the walkway to the tasting room as well as located in and around the garden area. These statues are for sale and do rotate depending on how often they sell. As long time collectors and supporters of the Shona artwork, we were pleasantly surprised to find these statues at the winery. The tasting experience is low key and relaxed - nothing about the property screams "new Napa" as you often find along the busy wine strip south of St. Helena to about Oakville. A wooden framed gallery room is located next to the tasting counter - this is for winery events and features rotating works of art. A wide variety of wines are made here, all are available in limited production and often the winemaker owner Richard Graeser is in the tasting room - as he lives on site. He "fell" into the wine business as a second career after coming to the property to assist his mother in settling her affairs in the early 1980's. However his mother passed on within the month and as a result, Richard inherited the property and then decided to plant vineyards. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are grown on site - they do source fruit from several area vineyards. It is hard to find Semillion in the Napa area, especially as a 100% varietal wine. Graeser's 2005 is a an excellent vintage. It has a big mouth feel, with some tropical aromas including honeysuckle. There are some mineral notes on the bouquet which are also found on the palate. Great fruit in this wine - the long finish lingers with notes of melon and apricot. Richard is a big fan of dogs and a number of his wines have dogs on the labels. You will probably see some of his dogs lying around the tasting room - they even have their own wines named after themselves! Case in point are the Two Dog Merlot and Jack's Cabernet Sauvignon. A wine we really enjoyed was the 2003 Coeur De Leon Estate and is a perfect example of why you blend. With 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc the end result is a wine with a great depth of flavor. The nose is big in fruit with some nuances of vanilla and mocha and is a good giveaway to the richness of the actual palate. Blackberry, leather tobacco and cassis lead to a finish that is delicately peppery. Graeser also makes a Zinfandel and an estate Cabernet Franc blend. Finished your main tasting? Enjoy port? If Richard is around he can take you downstairs to the barrel room. He calls this room "funky" and it is, yet at the same time is functional and that is all that really matters. It is rare to find a Port of Merlot from Napa and Graeser makes a fantastic version called Succulence. We tried the 2007 from barrel - while very young at the time of our sample this wine already showed excellent complexity and great fruit flavors including cherry and raspberry. Pair this with dark chocolate or for you tobacco smokers, will go well with a nice cigar.The wine prices are very reasonable for such low production and distribution and often there are older vintages available for sale. Their wines are meant to be paired with food and this is where they really shine. Also note that they conduct sit down private tastings inside the main house which dates from 1875. Click on our photos link above to view some of the interior rooms of this house. Visit: www.graeserwinery.com |
|
|
|
Grant Street Vineyards is owned and operated by Jim and Susie Wycoff. Their vineyard certainly classifies them as one of the smallest commercial wine producers in the valley with a mere 1/3 of an acre planted to vine! The vineyard is located within a residential neighborhood right in the heart of Calistoga. There are actually several vineyards in this part of Calistoga along and near Grant Street and Jim helps manage some of these. The property was purchased in 1967 by Jim's parents which at that time was planted in walnuts and other crops. Jim planted the first vines on the property in 1990 and made "barn wine" for friends and family for a number of years. Today the vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Jim has no formal winemaking training, but when you make home wine in the Napa Valley you gain experience fast especially when you are surrounded by a plethora of "experts". With children off to college and the vines well matured the time was right to jump to commercial production. In addition, making home wine from the same vineyard for a number of years gives you the chance to find out what your "fruit" is capable of and experiment with various barrel regiments to find out what works best with the wine. This is truly a small family production - Jim is the vineyard manager and winemaker, Susie and their oldest son help with the sales and marketing.
As of press time they focus on two wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Zinfandel. 80% of the grapes for the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon come from their tiny vineyard on site with the remainder coming from a few select hillside vineyards in the Napa area which adds additional complexity to the wine. This is their first vintage. It is a medium bodied wine with a soft mouth feel. The initial aromatics include some cedar notes, graphite, earthiness and some nice fruit nuances. The fruit continues onto the palate, a burst of flavor including blackberry and blueberry some some underlying notes of chocolate and oak towards the lingering finish. Not bad for a first commercial vintage! The 2005 Napa Valley Zinfandel was sourced from vineyards in the Oakville appellation and is available in extremely limited quantities. There are several styles of Zinfandel ranging from really spicy, to more elegant to bold and rich. This vintage falls into the rich category. It is a beefy wine with juicy layered fruit. We've had several very jammy zinfandels on this project - this one is only slightly so. The mouth feel is big and plush anchored by ripe fruit flavor - blackberry and raspberry. Note the label - it is a sketch of the old house which dates from 1875, located on site overlooking the actual vineyards. You can find their wine locally at the Cal Mart supermarket in Calistoga and also at Stave Wine Bar in the town of Napa. It is also available for sale online. Visit: www.gsvineyards.com |
|
|
|
Grasso Vineyard is owned by Frank and Fran Grasso. The actual 3-acre vineyard lies in the shadow of Mt. George located north East of the town of Napa in an area known as Coombsville. They have owned and managed this vineyard since 1989 originally selling the fruit to a high end winery located in the Stag's Leap district of Napa Valley. Frank has been a home winemaker for a number of years and also started a local viticulture association. More recently when their growing contract ended, the Grasso's were handed an opportunity to use their estate's fruit for making their own commercial wine. Their small vineyard is planted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon, clone 7 (a popular clone known for high quality fruit). Frank conducts all the vineyard management himself from the trellising system, to pruning to thinning. The vineyard has its own unique terroir; it is rocky alluvial deposits formed from ancient river channels. Interestingly some of the nearby vineyards do not have this rocky type soil. These types of alluvial rock-rich soil are ideal for producing complex red wines with very concentrated fruit flavors.
Also of note is the vineyards' geographical location. It is in a known fairly cool climate area but because they are surrounded by the mountains near Mt. George they receive fairly warm afternoon breezes in the summer somewhat mitigating this areas relatively close proximity to the San Pablo Bay. Their wine is 100% varietal and estate grown. Grasso's first vintage was 2005 and as of press time is their current release. Jay Buoncristiani is the winemaker who also does the winemaking for his own Buoncristiani Family label. He uses a barrel program of new French and Hungarian oak. Their 2005 vintage is a very dark wine which really opens up the longer you let it sit in the glass. The black cherry aromas move to the palate which also contains hints of vanilla and mocha. A slight smokiness with touches of oak and cedar continue through to the long finish. This is a very elegant wine which is meant to pair well with food. Also note the stylish label which was designed by Frank's niece. As of press time the best place to purchase this wine is from their website. Visit: www.grassovineyard.com |
|
|
The vineyards range in elevation from 900 to 2000 feet and are planted in very red soils which are veined with serpentine deposits. Because of this elevation spread fog sometimes is a moderating influence on the lower vineyards as it rolls up the canyon. Compared to the Napa Valley Chiles Canyon has remained little unchanged. Airline miles, its not that far from the actual valley floor, but narrow winding roads, the steep canyon and its eastern location help ensure that this part of Napa has and will remain fairly undeveloped. Jay is a pioneer grape grower in this part of Napa - he was one of the first of the "modern" growers to move into the area (grapes were grown here and in nearby Chiles Valley dating back to the 1890's). He was instrumental in securing an American Viticultural Area (AVA) for this region in 1999, called Chiles Valley. Green & Red is the only winery in Chiles Canyon - they have 200 acres of which 31 are planted to vine. Solar has been installed and helps power irrigation and other vineyard needs. The winery & cave is small, about 6000 cases are produced annually with the bulk of that production being their Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. This is a very terroir driven winery even down to the name; the green reflects the greenish serpentine in their soils and the red is reflective of the reddish iron rich soils. Click on our photos link and you will see just how red the nearby hills are that surround their vineyards. In person, these reddish hills dominate above the vineyard and are among the reddish hills we have seen in Napa County. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc has nice floral notes on the bouquet with notes of mineralites from their unique terroir. This is followed by crisp pear and apple flavors on the palate with a hint of pineapple and spice towards the nice lingering finish. No malolactic fermentation occurred and the wine was stirred on the lees during the barrel aging. This helps bring a nice weight to the palate. The 2006 Chiles Mill Vineyard Zinfandel is named after the old Grist Mill on site which unfortunately burned down in the 1960's. The Bale Grist Mill north of St. Helena is the mill that comes to mind when you think of Napa Grist Mills, but in actuality this mill had a much larger production during its operation. Only the remains of the foundation are still standing. This Zinfandel has some great spices on the nose, black pepper and cloves and even a hint of rose petal - the palate continues with spices, perhaps a little ginger - but you also pick up some black berry and Santa Rosa type plum flavors - with a similar spiciness that you would have in the skins of a Santa Rosa plum. Their label is Greek in origin and depicts a wine chalice painted in the 6th century B.C. This winery is private and does not see visitors, but you can purchase wine online. Visit: www.greenandred.com |
|
|
The wines are excellent including several Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons, their much sought after Old Vine Zin from the grapes planted in 1889 and their delicious botrysized Violetta wine (Chardonnay & Riesling) which is rarely made (4x in past 13 years) and when produced is limited to only several hundred cases. You think this wine sells out fast?! A tasting includes a souvenir glass. A tasteful souvenir section is located near the tasting counters. Mike Grgich Bobble Head Dolls. Now THAT'S AWESOME. This is the only winery we've visited who has memorialized their founder with the bobbing bobble head! You can also take tours given bi-daily by appointment. The tasting on the tours is at the end of the tour in their VIP room. Also note they have barrel tastings every Friday from 2-4pm and this is included with the main tasting fee. Should you be in the area during September and typically much of October, ask about their free grape stomping in which you can help out during this process. You will make juice the old fashioned way; be prepared to get dirty. Be sure to also pick up their Grgich Hills newsletter - available near the main entrance. Lastly Grigich has worked for many years with Roots of Peace, an organization dedicated to removing landmines from war affected countries. Visit: www.grgich.com |
|
|
|
Gridley Family Cellars is run by husband wife team Andy Gridley & Susan Durbrow. They both attended Fresno State (unbeknownst to each other) where they took Enology courses; Andy majored in Ag Business and Susan was Wine Marketing. Several of Andy's roommates were from prominent Napa wine making families and as a result he enjoyed a number of high end Napa vintages as well as the benefit of having knowledgeable guides when he visited the Napa area. As fate would have it, (a story you can only have with winery owners), Susan decided to visit Rombauer's tasting room and it is here that she met Andy. After a number of years of both working in the wine industry Andy decided he wanted to make wine commercially. When it came to needing high end vineyard sources it also helped that he was still in contact with his wine making friends from college. Susan's favorite varietal is Cabernet Franc and her only requirement was that they use this varietal for their wines. They source grapes from Napa however Cabernet Franc represents less than 2 percent of all wine grapes planted in the Napa Valley. In addition they like to source Cabernet Franc from warmer growing regions within the valley which narrows down high end vineyard sites even more. Some Cabernet Francs you may have tried have a sort of green aroma, a little bell pepper flavors - perhaps like biting into a green wine stem. This is from what are called pyrazines, an organic component that can be mitigated by a few factors. Gridley carefully selects their vineyard sources (warmer weather sites for optimal ripeness), looks for good vineyard management and is meticulous during the winemaking.
For a winery to be focusing entirely on the Cabernet Franc varietal in Napa Valley is rare indeed; in fact this is the only Napa winery we know of that solely produces 100% Cabernet Franc - however there is one other Napa winery focusing on Cabernet Franc and that is Lang & Reed. Gridley Family Cellars first commercial release was in 2004 - merely several hundred cases. Later productions are between 500 and 600 cases. Susan is the winemaker. Cabernet Franc is a very aromatic wine by nature and Gridley runs with this aspect in their wines as well as structuring the wines so the tannins do not dominate. The 2004 has some exotic spices in the nose with touches of cedar. The mouth feel is oh so smooth and velvety with great fruit. The palate finds notes of raspberries, black cherry and currant. The 2005 is again a very aromatic wine but the nose is more fruit driven then the 2004. Elegant is a word that can easily describe the bouquet on this wine. Gridley also makes very small quantities of Cabernet Franc Rose - using the French saignee method by bleeding off juice early on in the fermentation. Look for the simple Scallop shell on every label. Rather than displaying an entire family crest which is used by some vintners - they took this shell from their family crest. Susan was born close to the ocean, and Andy grew up on the beaches of Southern California so this logo ties their backgrounds together quite nicely...or maybe it is a hint that their wines are good with shellfish! Both Andy and Susan work in the wine industry by day and run Gridley Family Cellars during "non working" hours. You can find their wine at Silenus Vintners near the town of Yountville. This is a tasting collective featuring the wines of a number of small boutique producers. What differentiates this collective from other Napa collectives is all wineries represented make their wine here. Visit: www.gridleyfamilycellars.com |
|
|
|
|
|
You can either make an appointment for just a tasting or for a tour as well. Tours are given during select times each day. Their claim to fame is they were the first American Winery awarded 100 points by Robert Parker for their Cabernet Sauvignon. Nils Venge was the winemaker at this time and he has since gone on to consult for many other high end Napa wineries as well as run his own wineries. His 100 points set a high standard for this winery as their reserve cabernet is only made during certain years when it meets their very high quality standards. During some periods they will go 4 to 5 years without making this wine. Now that is commitment to quality. Their winemaker and vineyard manager have both been with the winery for many years. This dedication to a single winery is valuable as it builds consistency into the wines and they know their vineyards inside and out. In 2007 part of the winery underwent renovation for a new Reserve room. Check out daughter Suzanne Groth's very colorful artwork on display. She produces a painting for every Reserve Cabernet release. Their wine club is called "Red Stripe" and members enjoy typical wine club perks. Tours are separate from the general tastings and are typically held only 2x a day. Visit: www.grothwines.com |
|
|
placing this and nearby Spring Mountain vineyards as some of the highest in Napa County. Yes they do see a bit of snow here most winters. Vineyards were originally planted on this site date in the 1890's but were completely abandoned during the 1930's and the forest had reclaimed most of the land by the time the Guilliams moved here in 1978. This is a winery you have to seek out as due to their low production they are not well-known and typically will not be found on any of the winery maps or tour guides. Look for the round wooden building up on the hill as you get close to their driveway. Due to the low production, tastings are for serious wine enthusiasts as they are not open to the public. This winery is owned by John & Shawn Guilliams, (originally Bay Area residents) and their first vintage dates from 1985. Typically around 1000 cases are produced and their two main wines are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with the focus being on Cabernet Blends. The 2004 wines we tried are both refined and elegant containing a beautiful softness and rounded mouth feel (only 100 cases of the Merlot and 800 cases of the Cabernet Sauvignon). Because of the small production, attention can really be focused on the vineyards. They pick only ripe fruit separated by groups of vines - not entire rows or blocks which means their harvest can sometimes take up to a month. This type of harvest ensures only the best quality and ripest fruit is used. All punch downs during fermentation are done by hand and new French Oak is used during the aging. The tasting is in the barrel room below their house and the wines are poured into your glass on top of a wine barrel. Website coming soon: www.guilliamswinery.com |
|
|
Gustavo is spotlighted in the movie Bottle Shock which tells the story of the 1976 Paris Tasting in which wines from several Napa wineries won this now famous blind tasting. Appropriately one of the movie posters is framed and hangs on the wall inside the tasting room. The actual winery dates from 1996 with a harvest that year that totaled merely 250 cases of wine. Today they make about 3000 cases, but their focus is still on producing small lot wines - usually in the range of just several hundred cases each. All wine is made in the town of Napa in a warehouse location. Their "3rd bottle" is another label (more information below), and this is a much larger production. Gustavo Thrace used to be a collective featuring other area wines; now they are licensed to just taste their own wines. However they do sell a variety of wine from other boutique wineries as well as other wine trinkets and souvenirs. Special mention can be made about St. Barthelemy Cellars. If you are looking for another "port house" in Napa Valley besides Prager Portworks, St. Barthelemy Cellars is it! They make only approximately 1000 cases, all Port wine made from at least 8 different types of grapes and some vintages are sold on site. All of Gustavo Thrace's wines are very reasonably priced - typically less than you would pay if you visited most Napa Valley wineries. Here is a situation where you have a long time vintner who is extremely well qualified, great fruit sources but no overhead of having a public "Napa" Winery. The savings are passed on to the consumer. Their second label is called "3rd bottle" and includes a White and Red Table Wine. The thought behind these wines is they are the "3rd bottle" you would open after drinking the really high end stuff. This makes a lot of sense - as by the time you've have this much wine your palate is probably "shot"! As a result, this is an affordable alternative and makes a great addition to any party. Their white wine version is a delightful blend of Chardonnay with a touch of Chenin Blanc which has great citrus aromas and flavors. One Zinfandel that may be sold out by the time you read this is their 2002 Signature Zinfandel. This wine has a huge nose that is obviously so deliciously Zinfandel! It is full of fruit including plum and cherry. Their 2004 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon (sourced from Rutherford) is well balanced - medium to full bodied. This wine saw extended maceration which contributed additional flavor. There is a hint of dustiness on the palate with beautiful sweet tannins lingering tantalizingly on the finish. One of the owners of Preiser Key, a printed local publication promoting Napa wineries and restaurants works here part time. Plans call for a large table on site which will handle private tastings or larger groups. Ask about the Downtown Napa Wine Tasting Card - 10 downtown area tasting rooms participate in this - for a one-time fee you can visit & taste at each of their tasting rooms. Also ask about their Rewards Program Punch Card. Visit: www.gustavothrace.com |
|
|
|
|
Copyright
© 2006-2008
