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| Page Wine Cellars is a one man operation founded and run by Bryan Page. Bryan has a "garagist" winery, as the actual bonded winery is in a garage/warehouse location in the city of Napa. He is a former professional chef (has cooked since the age of 16) who worked at some well known local area restaurants before deciding on a career change. His first vintage was released in 1997 and he now concentrates on two labels, the Page and the Revolver. The Revolver focuses more on single varietal wines and Page Cellars is more Left Bank Bordeaux style blends. The Revolver theme as you may have guessed is western in nature with nooses, old looking buildings and guns built into the marketing and packaging! Total production on all his wines as of press time is about 1800 cases. Some small wineries have several people involved with a case production such as this - and it is a testament to Bryan's dedication and passion to wine in regards to managing this amount of wine. All wines are unfined and unfiltered for maximum color and flavor. Everything is very much done by hand, even some of the bottling! Small lot T-bins are used to micromanage during crush. Most of the grapes are sourced from long time vineyards in Carneros and Yountville. We tried the 2005, Revolver called The Fury. Yes, there is a "strong" story behind this wine but due to its personal nature cannot be described here! It is predominately Cabernet Franc with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot blended in. It is aged for 3 years in 100% New French Oak - try finding many Napa Cabernet Francs with this type of oak program. This is a very nice wine - great fruit on the nose continued onto the palate with dark fruit flavors including blackberry and black cherry. The finish has some herbal qualities, is mild and the tannins do not dominate. Page also produces other wines ranging from Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon to a red table wine. Visit: www.pagewinecellars.com |  |
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Pahlmeyer Wine released their first vintage in 1986 - they currently make their wine at the popular Napa Wine Co in Oakville. They started producing wine at the Napa Wine Co in 1994 soon after Napa Wine Co underwent a huge renovation to accommodate production from wineries who do not actually have their own physical winery. This winery was started by Jason Pahlmeyer a former attorney who once his wines started becoming popular, stopped his legal work and dedicated his full time to his wine. Timing is everything in wine - the producers for Disclosure, a moving staring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas were eating at Spago's in Beverly Hills and they were served a bottle of Pahlmeyer's 1991 Chardonnay. They fell in love with this wine and as a result, it was used in a scene in the movie which ended up being the perfect tool for initially marketing this wine. Pahlmeyer has 80 acres in the Napa area as well as some property on the Sonoma Coast. In addition, they work with area growers and purchase grapes for their wine. We tried three wines.
Their 2005 Chardonnay is a delicious wine from their Ritchie vineyard which is fermented with 100% wild yeast and undergoes 100% Malolactic Fermentation. It is a wine well-balanced between acidity and fruit. The nose is very floral with lots of honeysuckle. Their 2005 Pinot Noir was their first ever Pinot produced ...not bad at all for a first effort! This is a darker style Pinot with some mint on the nose and raspberry and blackberry in the mouth. Their 2004 Red Table wine is their "big" dark inky wine"; it is well extracted with lots of colors from the skins. Again this wine is fermented with 100% natural yeast. It does not disappoint - it has more than 75% Cabernet Sauvignon so technically they could call it a Cabernet, but it is the four other Bordeaux varietals that give this wine its real full-bodied strength. There are lots of black cherries in the mouth - with a strong tannin backbone that ends with a slightly smoky finish. Pahlmeyer is well distributed nationally as well as in select markets in Asia and in Europe. You can often taste their wine in Napa Wine Co's "cult room". They recommend calling ahead to make sure their wine is available as the tasting room does rotate the wines available for tasting. They are also found in select local wine shops in the Valley including V Wine Cellars in Yountville and St. Helena Wine Center in downtown St. Helena. Visit: www.pahlmeyer.com |
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The tasting is held in a special room within the cave winery; what an elegant room! You sit at a long wooden table surrounded by stone arches - all wines are paired with cheese and other tasty specially prepared hor d'oeuvres. As of press time, part of the winery is still under construction - the tasting site will be moved at some point to the cavern area. For a winery of this size the production is currently only several thousand cases although they may increase that at some point. They make several whites including a Riesling (which tends to sell out quickly), a Chardonnay, a beautiful light Muscat Cannelli dessert wine with a huge floral bouquet on the nose, and their core wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon. Their Library Releases only use the premium free-run juice for the Cabernet and is not made every year. You will taste several vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignons. Their "Gaston" Cabernet is smooth, well balanced with a long finish. Visit: www.palmazvineyards.com |
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Their focus is on estate grown Merlot (not too many Napa wineries doing this) with a small block of Cabernet Sauvignon planted which is always blended into the Merlot wine. Their production is very limited and they sell out every year - and as a result sometimes there is only barrel tasting. The winery is at the owners home and you do your tasting with either Barbara or Jim - a visit here is typically reserved for customers or serious wine enthusiasts. The winery site is on top of the ridge accessible via a narrow windy gravel road totally off the beaten path. They are not setup for large groups (the tasting is very informal and personal) - you must call to make an appointment. The winery sits among Douglas fir trees; this area typically receives snow in the winter at least once a year. A winery overview is usually given from the deck of their home and then you proceed to the actual winery building below. On the way you will pass a lone Zinfandel grape which dates back many years when the land was originally planted to vineyards. They even still find old redwood stakes from time to time. This grape plant was inadvertently covered when the gravel road was put in a few years back but has shot up on the side of the road with new vines. It produces several bunches of Zinfandel grapes which every year are put into their Merlot wine for good luck! In regards to the high quality of their wines, there are two factors working in their favor each year - one is the terroir - they are in a superb microclimate for growing Merlot and the other is the great attention to detail that both Jim and Barbara give their vineyards throughout the growing season. This micro-management is also part of the harvest, as they pick many times during harvest, choosing only the grapes that are ripe at any given time. We tried a young Merlot (2005) still in the barrel - its a big wine as are most their Merlots, but at its early age is very approachable with a silky mouth feel and already extremely well balanced. The tannins are well structured but not overpowering so they complement the long finish very well. The Merlot is always blended with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich aromas are always present in their wines - this one has blackberry, chocolate, and mineral nuances. This was one of the wines early on in this project that when we tasted it we said "wow", this is an "it" wine! Their wines have been served at Presidential dinners in the White House in recent years. Check out the photos in the winery building of people holding their wine bottles in various countries. High ratings from prominent wine critics as well as recognition such as the Wine Spectator in 2003 voting them "wine of the year" have at times swamped this small winery with demand. The best way to acquire their wine is to join their mailing list - however you can sometimes find their wine locally at Backroom Wines in downtown Napa. Visit: www.palomavineyard.com |
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This is a small operation and the owner is around some weekends (he and his wife often commute up from Los Angeles), and the winemaker himself is often on site - chances are you will be able to meet either the winemaker, Gianni or his wife during your stop here. A tasting is in their winery building/tank room (it is kept nice and cold regardless of the time of year) - perhaps some old Italian love songs will be playing when you walk in. Sit down at the table with all the wine bottles on top - they typically pour 6 wines which is only a small representation of the actual number of wines they make. The winemaker specializes in Bordeaux and Super Tuscan blends. As of press time they make entirely red wines; including one wine you will not find anywhere else in Napa. Out of nearly 500 Napa wineries visited with, this is the first Nero d' Avola wine we've come across - it is a very important Sicilian varietal - often compared to the New World Shirazes. Paoletti owns 3 vineyards in Napa including the estate vineyard which is where this varietal is grown. The nose is somewhat subdued and doesn't reveal how big a wine this actually is! It has rich bold flavors and some interesting peppery notes and spices. They also make a rather uncommon wine in the Napa area which is a Rose of Sangiovese. Paoletti's version is delicious, light, fruity; a great pre-meal wine. One of our favorites is their La Forza which is a blend of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon - lots of great fruit flavors in this wine. Another interesting note is often they will be pouring older vintages. We've been here several times and have been able to try some of their Merlots and Cabernets 7 and 8 years old. You just won't find too many wineries in Napa pouring older vintages. The 2000 Merlot has that nice brownish tinge acquired from time in the bottle; it has aged very well while retaining its fruit characteristics. Also be sure to try the Non Plus Ultra a Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec blend from "Lilia's Vineyard" in Calistoga. Touches of oak are in the aromas followed by rich plum, fig and other fruit flavors. Several vintage ports show up on their tasting sheet but are not actually poured. These ports are 20+ years old and you can buy them directly from the winery on site. Gianni has an office in Los Angeles and also operates the popular Italian Peppone Restaurant (www.peppone.com) just off of the 405 in the Brentwood Village (not far from UCLA). Their winery site is: www.giannipaoletti.com |
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Most wineries take their name from the owner's last name - not so with the Harris's. They held a contest to allow others to come up with a name. A gentleman from Calistoga suggested the name Paradigm - which means an "example that serves as a pattern or model" or in the case of their wine, is a "pattern for perfection". The Harris's are long time Napa vintners having first grown grapes in 1964. It is very unusual to find those who started in the Napa wine industry in the 1960's still actively involved in the day to day operations of their winery. Such is the case with Ren & Marilyn - they both started growing grapes when they were young and today are often found at the winery. Ren, in fact usually is in charge of the tastings which are always kept to small groups (typically no more than 6 people), by appointment only - for serious wine enthusiasts. They have 55 vineyard acres which surround the winery and as of press time focus on four different wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, one of those "of course" varietals, considering the fact that they are in the heart of Napa's Cabernet country, Merlot, Zinfandel (quite rare to find an Oakville Zinfandel producer) and Cabernet Franc. To give you an idea of the type of terroir in this area, nearby vineyards include Harlan and Opus One. They currently still sell the majority of the grapes from their vineyards to other high end wineries including Groth, Nickel & Nickel and Far Niente. We had a chance to walk part of their vineyard - the vines in the block we visited are planted much higher off the ground than most Napa vineyards - first, this makes it easier on the workers for harvesting the fruit and secondly allows for good airflow through the vineyards and a longer hang time (lower vines means the fruit is closer to the ground's influence which means slightly warmer temperatures over time). With the effects of global warming, perhaps other vineyards will start trellising like this. The tasting is in a small room in the back of the winery which has west facing views of the nearby Mayacamas mountains. There is a very long window inside this room with nice views overlooking the hills and vineyards. Check out the nice commemorative photos hanging on the wall from Thai Airways (their wine has been served on board) and from Yosemite National Park recognizing Paradigm's previous contributions to this park. The two wines usually being poured form the bulk of their production - the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot. Both are stylish big wines, very approachable upon release and can easily be consumed now without having to cellar them although aging these wines is certainly not a bad idea! Those in the know, already know this: Paradigm is one of the best high end values in all of Oakville. All their wines are blended. We tried the 2005 Merlot (soon after its release) blended with 5% Cabernet Franc which helps provide some structure. This wine has great acidity and bright fruit - a nice earthiness is found on the palate with a rounded full mouth feel. The finish is slightly spicy with soft tannins - with flavor that lingers on and on well after you swallow. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. This beautiful wine shows very well in the glass; it is crimson red ruby in color with an elegant nose full of fruit aromas. The palate shows plum, blackberry and various spices. The mouth feel is so silky smooth anchored by delicate tannins. Paradigm's wines tend to age very well. Paradigm donates 1% of their total gross profits to an organization called 1% For The Planet - funds from businesses who participate in this are distributed to organizations protecting the environment worldwide. Paradigm was the one of the first ten businesses to participate in this and the only Napa winery involved. Also of note is a special project in which all vintners in the Oakville Appellation contribute finished wine from their individual vineyards to be blended & then bottled in 3 Liter bottles. These bottles are hand numbered, etched and a number of them are sold to raise money for various charities. This wine is made at Paradigm - there may be a bottle or two on site. Visit: www.paradigmwinery.com |
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Parador Cellars is run by Steve Ventrello who is also the winemaker. This winery started as a dream with visits to Spain and many tastings of various Tempranillo wines. He started thinking about how Tempranillo was such an under-rated varietal in California. During one trip to Spain he secured Tempranillo budwood from well-known vineyards in the Ribera del Duero and Rioja wine regions. He then had had it shipped to California. A friend has a large vineyard in Wooden Valley east of Napa and this wood was budded onto existing vines. Parador is a Spanish word and represents castles that have been converted to lodging. It also means a place to stop, rest and enjoy life. Parador's wines are all about enjoying life with good food as they are meant to be consumed with meals. Steve has a long history of working within the wine business running a popular wine distribution company, Vintage Wine Marketing. He learned the winemaking business over the years and released his first commercial vintage in 1998. He uses all high quality Bordeaux based oak barrels for aging as well as the much larger oak Puncheons which allows the wine to age slower and longer. As a result, his wines see a minimum of 4 years of total aging from harvest to release. All their wines are unfiltered.
We tried his 2005 Tempranillo. There are not a lot of Tempranillo producers in the Napa area and this is an excellent example of how this fruit can really shine. The grapes were not harvested too ripe so its not a major fruit driven wine high in alcohol, rather it has tight acidity with structured smooth tannins on the long elegant finish. Also of note is their Reserva which is predominately a Tempranillo with Cabernet Sauvignon blend. We enjoyed their 2004 vintage. This has a great nose similar to the Tempranillo we tried - it is a full bodied wine with notes of plums on the palate and structured tannins on the finish. This wine blend typically varies in the percentages each vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo used. Also of note is they make several Cabernets from fruit sourced from different vineyards. They have very good distribution in California (which is their main market), and are represented locally at JV Wine in Napa, Dean & Deluca in St. Helena and Enoteca in Calistoga. Additionally, while they are a small producer (as of press time, one of their wines is under 100 cases) they sometimes have older vintages available on their website priced very decently. Visit: www.paradorcellars.com |
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Your tasting experience will usually include a vertical of their predominately Zinfandel Cabernet Sauvignon blend simply called, Napa Valley Red Wine. Hard to find a blend quite like this at other Napa wineries. On occasion at Paraduxx, we have heard "newbies" to the wine tasting experience thrown off by this type of blend when they are used to only drinking wines of these individual varietals. These blends have pleasant Zinfandel type aromas with nice fruit flavors and integrated tannins. All of their their wines are blends and typically zinfandel is at least 50% of the wine with Cabernet Sauvignon comprising the majority of the rest of the blend. We tried the 2005 Rector Creek Vineyard sourced from vineyards which are adjacent to the winery. There is lots of spice in this wine, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla as well as great cherry and raspberry flavors. In the same style as Duckhorn tasting, your wine educator will bring you the wines on a metal tray paired with a few snacks. Their 10 sided fermentation cellar is the centerpiece of this winery and can be viewed as you drive in. Paraduxx also offers popular blending seminars. Ever see Walk in the Clouds starring Keanu Reeves? One of the scenes was filmed on site. Similar ducks (as with their Duckhorn label) appear on most of their wine labels & literature - the owner's last name is Duckhorn. Their "Postmark" collection contains very limited production wines. Visit www.paraduxx.com |
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Parallel is the only Napa winery with an association between Park City Utah and Napa Valley! Perhaps someone likes to ski in this partnership as Parallel refers to the lines first left after an initial run down ski slopes. The label is creatively designed and reflects these "ski lines". The winery is owned by 4 couples all who have an interest in wine. They met in Park City and have developed long term friendships that carried over into this mutual business. The owners have donated over 1 million to various charities and organizations in the Park City area. Their first vintage was released in 2003. They specialize in a single vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon each year although upcoming plans call for a Chardonnay. Much fruit for their wine comes from their 62 acre owned spectacular located vineyard above Lake Hennessey and they have contracts with other growers in the valley. This is in the same general mountain area as other well-known Napa wineries including Colgin and Chappellet. The climate is in part dictated by the moderating influences fo the lake below allowing a very even growing conditions and moderated temperatures. Only 7 acres is planted in very well drained soils which when combined with their particular Cabernet clone produces very small grapes with rich concentrated flavors. No wonder this particular hillside area of the Napa Valley is so highly coveted by wineries.
However even prime hillside vineyard properties have their quirks. One section of the vineyard is named the Turkey block as one year, one night before harvest a flock of wild turkeys descended and devastated most of this block. Not the first time we've heard of this happening in the Napa Valley! Philippe Melka has been the winemaker since day 1 (named winemaker of the year in 2005 by Food & Wine Magazines) and so has Jim Barbour - also very highly respected as a vineyard manager. All their wine is made at Fantesca Winery on Spring Mountain above the town of St. Helena. We tried the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 8% Merlot & 1% Petite Verdot. This is a dark ruby in color with a rich complex nose that includes floral and black current characteristics. The elegant mouth feel is soft and full bodied with black cherry, chocolate and a cigar box type smokiness that completes the finish. Unlike all other Melka produced wines that are priced towards the upper end of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon pricing, Parallel's wines are very reasonably priced, often described as 'mid range'. Due to the overwhelming response they received to earlier vintages (based on price to quality ratio) they have now established a mailing list. Lastly, their 2006 lot earned the 9th highest bid at Premier Napa Valley, a trade only fundraiser held annually in February. Not bad for a winery that did not exist several years ago! Visit: www.parallelwines.com |
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Paras Vineyard is owned by Jim Paras and contains 22 acres that he purchased in 1990. It is located on the hillsides of Mt. Veeder just off the road that leads to Mayacamas winery. Jim founded Jade Mountain winery in 1988 of which the label has since been sold. This is a unique piece of property in that Jim searched for a number of years for one piece of property that could support both Red & White Rhone varietals as well as Bordeaux varietals. In the late 1980's it was hard to find good Rhone varietals and Jim saw that these varietals were lacking in the Napa area. Vines had been planted on site since the early 1900's but after he purchased the property he conducted extensive soil research and replanted to a number of Rhone Varietals - Viognier, Grenache & Syrah. Soils are shallow on the property, vines are planted closely and production is extremely limited typically in the range of 1 to 1.2 tons per acre. The result is highly concentrated fruit with rich flavors.
During a recent tasting of multiple Napa mountain appellations this was the only winery who had a white wine available! In this case it was their 2006 Viognier. This is an amazing wine very true to its varietal characteristics. It tastes like a Viognier, not like a Chardonnay! Part of this has to do with their wine making program. It does not undergo Malolactic Fermentation - it sits on the lees rather than being stirred among the lees. This wine has wonderful aromatics (there is a reason why Viognier is sometimes blended in with other red varietals) including tropical notes. Its off dry so there is some residual sugar - it is very well balanced with a rounded mouth feel. Delicious! The 2005 Syrah is blended with 6% Viognier. This wine is full of rich Mt. Veeder fruit flavors - blackberry and blueberry dominate the palate with more subtle notes of vanilla and chocolate. What is somewhat unusual is the vineyard is producing all of these flavors rather than the actual aging in the French Oak! The 2005 Merlot has a touch of Grenache blended in which only helps to bring out the flavors and aromatics in this wine as well as bring up the acidity slightly. Again good fruit flavors are present most notably raspberry and blackberry. Lastly the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon has 12% Petite Verdot, 8% Malbec and the Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 3 different clones, each providing a unique feature to this wine. Drink now if you can resist cellaring this wine. It is a big wine but their specific barrel aging program has helped soften the tannins somewhat. Visit: www.parasvineyard.com |
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Parry Cellars is not the smallest overall production winery that we have visited in the Napa Valley, but it is certainly one of the smaller ones. However, they are the smallest single vineyard/one winery producer in the valley. Their 1/2 acre vineyard sits slightly above the Silverado Trail in the north part of the valley. It was planted by one of the most respected vineyard management companies in the valley - Abreu Vineyard Management. Before the Parry's purchased this property, the grapes from this vineyard were being used in a Pahlmeyer Red wine. Pahlmeyer is a premium winery. Parry Cellars focuses on one wine only - a 100 % Cabernet Sauvignon. The same winemaker (Andy Schweiger) has been with them since their first vintage in 1999. Their wine is made at Schweiger Winery which is located on the top of nearby Spring Mountain district. The owners have a local well-respected vineyard manager who oversees the vineyard and they also personally keep a very close eye on how the vineyard is grown and managed (thinning, dropping fruit, pruning, etc). With a vineyard this size you can provide excellent micromanagement in all aspects.
We tried a vertical flight of their wines from 2002 to 2005. It is always neat to experience how different vintages have unique characteristics which make each year's wine very recognizable from the other years. It is even more amazing when all vintages use the same grapes and the same oak aging program. The one thing that all their vintages have in common is smooth silky tannins - their property and the specific planted clone do not produce monster wines. These wines pair very well with fruit, are well balanced and a joy to drink. Our favorite is their 2002 - it has an elegant light nose with hints of blackberries in the aromas. The 2003 was their current release at press time. Their wines typically see about 20 months in French Oak (combination of new and used), and then another almost 2 years in the bottle. These wines are aged very well before they are released. With a production of about 200 cases annually they have very limited distribution. You can find their wine on the wine list at Redd in Yountville and LA Toque in Rutherford as well as select restaurants in SF, LA, San Diego, Las Vegas, Washington DC and parts of Connecticut. Parry Cellars has a mailing list which you can join on their website. Visit: www.parrycellars.com |
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The owners originally met when they were both working at Flora Springs Winery. As with a number of other vintners in the valley who started out small they both worked second jobs until their wines started to become "noticed". Unlike most area wineries Patz & Hall specializes in two wines only - single vineyard designate Chardonnay's and Pinot Noirs. As of press time they make 7 different Pinot Noirs and 6 different Chardonnays. Your tasting typically includes 3 Chardonnay's and 3 Pinots paired with a cheese and several small delicacies. Several of these wines are only available for tasting here or through their wine club, i.e., they are not distributed. Our Pinot Noir recommendations are their Alder Springs (a rich wine from Mendocino County hillside grown fruit) & Burnside (Sonoma Coast vineyard). For a delicious Chardonnay try their Zio Tony Ranch Chardonnay (Russian River area of Sonoma County - a top Chardonnay growing region). Visit: www.patzhall.com |
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Pavi Wines was founded by a husband wife team, Pavi and Rob. Besides the obvious reason for the name of this winery, Pavi pays homage to her strong Italian heritage and all their wines are made from Italian varietals. Rob is the winemaker and has a long family history in the wine industry. Rob was past CEO of the well-known Napa Wine Co and naturally his wines are made here. They specialize in three very affordably priced wines, two Pinot Grigio's and a Dolcetto and if you know Napa wines, these are not varieties you typically find at area wineries. As a result, it is always refreshing to taste some "lesser" known area varietals. We tried their 2006 Pinot Grigio sourced from various California vineyards. You won't go broke with this wine as it is amazingly priced. It has the viscosity, weight and character of a Pinot Grigio that is priced much higher. We tried their flagship wine which is their Napa Valley Pinot Grigio. The fruit for this wine comes from the Oakville and Carneros appellations. This blends grapes from a warmer with a cooler growing climate. In addition, the grapes are harvested at different sugar levels throughout the harvest to best obtain flavors and show the varietal characteristics. This wine is aged Surlie (aged on deposits of dead yeast and other wine matter formed after fermentation which helps provide additional flavors). The end result is very nice. The wine has a viscous mouth feel with lots of floral tropical flavors in the aromas. Drinking this wine can magically whisk you off to Hawaii or some other exotic tropical place! It has more depth of flavors than their California version with some pear fruit characteristics on the palate.
Dolcetto is a northern Italian varietal rarely made in the valley. Pavi's version is characteristic of how this varietal tastes but with ripe California grown fruit. Its a nice easy everyday drinking wine that is somewhat fruity with raspberry and cherry flavors. Both their grapes for the Napa Pinot Grigio and their Dolcetto come from certified organic vineyards. Look for several other interesting varietals to be released in the near future including Vin Santo which is a sweet Italian dessert wine and a Super Tuscan blend. Rob is actively involved in several Italian winery projects as well as with the Vines of Mendoza, in Argentina. You can taste Pavi Wines in Napa Wine Co's Cult Tasting Room (they have their own identifying plaque and tasting section on the counter). Visit: www.paviwines.com |
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PB Hein Vineyards is owned and operated by Paul Hein a 5th generation Napan whose family has wine making roots dating back to the early 1870's on Mt. Veeder in the Mayacamas mountains which form the north south spine between Napa and Sonoma counties. In fact Paul has records that show his family had an operating winery in 1871 with vineyards totally 29,000 vines. If Paul is ever able to acquire that property he could advertise his winery was founded in 1871- that is only 10 years after Napa's first winery, Charles Krug!
Their first commercial vintage was in 2005. Paul has no formal training in wine making and started making home wine in 2002. A next door neighbor who owns a small vineyard said to Paul, "you do everything, do you make wine". The answer at the time was no, but here was the opportunity to learn how literally handed to him. After producing home wine for several years and taking some top honors at various competitions Paul's friends started encouraging him to make wine commercially. Any new varietal that Paul plans on making commercially he will initially make as home wine - often testing different barrels to determine quality and complexities between each of the lots. He always works with very small lots during this time to also prove the quality of the vineyard sources - usually around a ton at a time. His winemaking is a throwback to old world techniques - more manual labor with less mechanical intervention. As a result there are no mechanical pump overs, the punch downs are all conducted by hand and only small lots are used for fermentation. Paul is also active in the management with the vineyards that he sources from - besides his own vineyard he makes critical decisions on other vineyards - when to drop fruit, canopy management, when to pick etc. We recently caught up with Paul at his winery south of Napa in the middle of an industrial park where he makes his wine in the same facility as two other vintners. Paul is a busy guy involved in a variety of projects - the latest one involves building automation into parking garages in San Francisco. Paul was bottling on the day we visited and the winery was a buzz of activity. His first vintage was a Syrah and each year the types of wines vary depending on the fruit sources he is able to acquire. However Paul owns 47 acres near Howell Mountain in the northern part of the Napa Valley, part of which is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result, his Cabernet Sauvignon fruit source remains constant each year. Eventually Paul would like to build a winery on site. We tried the 2007 Rose of Syrah sourced from a vineyard near Suisun City - east of Napa County. This is a fairly robust Rose - think grilled meat for the pairing. The nose has notes of crushed black pepper leading to lots of fruit on the palate including pomegranate, fruity raspberry and dried currant notes. There is so much fruit flavor in this wine you might even think there is some residual sugar - not so, its completely dry. The 2004 Charbono was grown near Howell Mountain. Charbono is an interesting varietal - sometimes described as rustic in nature. It grows well in the northern part of the Valley where during the summer growing season you often have very hot days with much cooler nights. It thrives in terroir with these large temperature fluctuations. If there was ever a candidate for a wine that pairs well with grilled or BBQ wild game this wine is it! Only 175 cases were made. It is a dark inky wine with pleasant aromas with good fruit up front leading to a dusty, cigar smoke like finish. We tried the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from barrel - Paul's vineyard is planted to two different clones, both of which are co-fermented. It is a dark wine with dark fruit aromas on the bouquet with touches of chocolate. It is layered with a soft mouth feel - there are nice earthy qualities on the palate. The fruit entry is smooth with the finish sporting structured tannins completely in balance. P.B. Hein also makes two completely different styled Syrahs - we tried the 2005 vintages. The Trailblazer from the North Coast is a very soft rounded wine - a great everyday wine. The Trailblazer Napa Valley Syrah is a much larger wine with some serious structure. As a winemaker it can be fun to make two different types of wine despite using the same varietal; as a consumer it is neat to see how the terroir and winemaking style produces wines completely different from each other both in aromas, flavor and structure. A western artist has designed several of Paul's labels. Michael Swearngin's website is: www.contemporarycowboy.com As of press time, PB Hein produces about 1200 cases. Visit: www.pbheinvineyards.com |
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A visit is on a limited basis for serious wine enthusiasts and you will always meet with the owners or winemaker. Craig Becker has been their winemaker since day 1. What is nice is before he became Peacock's winemaker he was already familiar with Spring Mountain grown fruit having previously worked at nearby Spring Mountain Winery; today he consults for a number of area wineries. As with many of his consulting jobs, his focus is on hillside grown single vineyard produced wines. As with a number of Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons we have tried the local terroir is very well represented in Peacock's wines. We tried their current release which at the time of this review was 2004. This wine is dark and inky in color and is very representative of concentrated Spring Mountain fruit, layered in flavor but not overly tannic. This is a very smooth wine with an extremely long finish. The nose is elegant and opens the more you leave it in the glass. Mocha, vanilla and fruit make this a very aromatic wine with the fruit following onto the palate including cherry and plum with notes of baking spices and subtle hints of oak towards the finish. The tannins are definitely there but do not overwhelm, rather they complement this already very well balanced wine nicely. Native yeasts were used during the fermentation and the wine was unfiltered. You cannot miss their wine - the label is a large colorful peacock with feathers that take up most of the label. You can find their wines at various local Napa wine shops and they are distributed in select markets nationally. Total production is around 600 cases. Visit: www.peacockfamilyvineyard.com |
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We've stopped in several times and found that the walk-in tastings are "timed" which means when there is an opening at the tasting bar, the host will escort you and other people who are waiting back to one of their tasting bars. Until there is an opening, most people typically hang out in the retail room. The main tasting room in the back of the winery behind the large stained glass window is quite nice - it is spacious with beautiful cut Brazilian Quartzite marble lining the counter as well as the floor. The marbled iron ore in this rock will actually glow in the dark at night. Also note the beautiful antique stained glass window - this dates from 1906. A variety of wines are typically available for the tasting. The tastings are rather structured if busy and usually take 15-20 minutes. During a recent visit we started the tasting with their 2006 Carnival which is actually the first wine ever made at Peju back in the early 1980's. This wine is made from French Colombard - now here is a varietal you rarely see from a Napa winery! In this case they source from vineyards located in more northern Mendocino County. This is a white wine varietal sometimes compared to German Rieslings. It is both creamy and crisp with notes of red apple and a lemony citrus quality. There is just a hint of Residual sugar. The 2007 Peju Pink is a Rose wine most decidedly pink in color. That is only part of the reason for the name - 25% of the proceeds from the sales of this wine are donated directly to breast cancer research and during the first year this wine was released, they donated over $64,000. The image of one of the ladies in their stained glass window appears on the label. It is a very unique blend of Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Colombard. It is fruity with aromas of strawberry, kiwi and watermelon with stone fruit flavors including nectarine and peach. As one of their employees says about this wine, "Chill it, fill it, kill it"! The 2005 Syrah is light on the oak with lots of fruit flavors and a characteristic spiciness that's not really found on the bouquet, but more so on the palate especially towards the finish. Peju has made a name for themselves with Cabernet Franc. The 2005 vintage has notes of chocolate floral nuances on in the bouquet and is smooth and rounded on the palate. It shows nice flavors of plum and blackberry. Part of the experience at this winery is visiting with the people pouring the wines - Alan Arnopole, "The Yodelmeister or rapper, will sometimes be singing or performing in the tasting room. He's one of the few people in Napa to consider a tasting room a personal "stage" and is a "Peju tradition". He will sing about most anything, often on the spur of the moment with quickly composed lyrics! Peju owns and manages over 450 acres in the valley which gives them some serious property to play with. They offer wines for all tastes ranging from several not often produced white varietals, to the big deep reds such as their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, and they even produce a Zinfandel Port for those who have a sweet tooth. Rotating art exhibits on display are usually from prominent San Francisco Bay area artists. You can take a "self guided" stroll around the property taking in their various gardens & art displays. This is a "fun" winery and and attracts people from all over who want to not only taste good wine but to have a "fun experience" as well. Visit: www.peju.com |
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Perata Vineyards has a long history in the Napa Valley dating back to the mid 1940's when the grandparents of the current owner purchased land in what is now the Stag's Leap district. Today they own 45 vineyard acres in the Yountville appellation and sell a majority of their grapes to other area wineries. In the early 2000's they started holding some of the fruit back for themselves and released their first commercial vintage in 2003. We had a chance to walk much of their vineyards which lie just below the Silverado Trail, east of the town of Yountville. The vineyards are separated into blocks based on clones or soil types and the soils do vary quite a bit from the fertile valley floor soils to cobble strewn old creek bed soils. Great attention to detail is given to the vines and the owner is also the vineyard manager. They have already drawn up plans to build their own physical winery set among the vineyards and as of press time, this should be completed within several years. Perata employs long time Napa winemaker Gary Galleron as their winemaker. Gary has a long career working at stellar Napa wineries such as Chateau Montelena, Grace Family, Hartwell and Vineyard 29 among others.
Perata currently produces merely several hundred cases of each vintage, but they have the vineyard sources to increase this and once their physical winery is built, look for production to increase. They were able to hold back their first release to allow an additional year of bottle aging which is of course very nice for the consumer. Their wines to date have been 100% Cabernet Sauvignon - although they do have some nice older Zinfandel planted so perhaps one day we will see a wine from this varietal. We tried their 2003 Yountville Estate 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (this is their first release). It is dark violet and you know this wine is layered as soon as you get a whiff of the aromas. Deep chocolate and cedar on the nose which follow with great fruit flavors including plum and blackberry. The cedar creeps back in on the finish as well as some mild toasted oak. For 100% estate grown Napa Cabernet, this wine is priced very reasonably. We also tasted their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from what they call the Frank's Vineyard (named after the grandfather) and is a combination of several Cab clones. This is a lighter version of their 2003 - lots of fruit in the aromas and on the palate and the finish is very smooth and soft. You may be able to find their wines at the walk in Gustavo Thrace Tasting Room, located in downtown Napa. Visit: www.peratavineyards.com |
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Peter Franus has been involved in the Napa wine industry since late 1979. Originally from Connecticut he moved out west to attend UC Berkeley where he earned a journalism degree. His first exposure to Napa was when he was in his late teens though a friend's family but it wasn't until later that a passion for wine began to develop. Not satisfied with being an educated wine consumer, he went back to school at Fresno State in their viticulture and enology program. Soon after Fresno he worked at several area wineries before starting at Mt. Veeder where he worked as winemaker for more than 10 years. During his time here, he became familiar with mountain grown fruit and especially Zinfandel which soon became a varietal favorite. As a result of his exposure to Mt. Veeder he worked with the Brandlin Vineyard - a very historic in part Zinfandel vineyard located at about 1200 feet on Mt. Veeder. If the name of the vineyard sounds familiar, it is because it is owned by Cuvaison Winery (Brandlin Cabernet Sauvignon). As of press time the vines are more than 85 years old (some of the oldest vines still in production on Mt. Veeder) and as a result their production is small. Peter's first commercial release was none other than Zinfandel in 1987 - and he has worked with the Brandlin vineyard every year since 1991. He knows this vineyard and what it is capable of. Sitting outside at Laird Family Estate Winery (where Peter makes his wine) this vineyard is rather noticeable. Look to the west and spot a single tree in a saddle in the hills and you have the exact location of the vineyard.
The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is from two vineyards in the cooler Carneros region. This was tank fermented and then left to sit on the lees in the barrel for 3 months which helps contribute a slight creaminess to the wine while still retaining its crisp component. However no new oak is used, rather Peter wants to focus on the varietal characteristics of the wine. This wine is not overly filled with citrus components that you sometimes find in Sauvignon Blancs - rather you may find pineapple, melon and even ginger. There are good mineralities anchoring the pleasant finish. The 2005 Peter Franus Red Wine is an alluring gem that is very dark in color. The elegant nose starts off slightly floral in nature with the core of the palate being all fruit - blackberry and cherry. Spices start on the mid palate and finish slightly spicy and smoky with just a touch of toasted oak. The 2004 Peter Franus Zinfandel (merely labeled PF on the front of the bottle), is from the aforementioned Brandlin vineyard. While the majority of the varietal in this wine is Zinfandel it is actually a field blend which includes small amounts of several other varietals including Charbono, Mourvèdre, & Carignane. The first word out of our mouth when we tried this was "delicious" - which is a word Peter has grown accustomed to hearing about his Zinfandels! The nose is elegant with notes of graphite, dried fruit, and red cherry. There are some briary characteristics - with deeper notes of blackberry, chocolate and just a touch of vanilla. As the nose opens up it you find even more fruit aromas. This is not a spicy zinfandel either in the bouquet or on the palate. Its extremely well balanced. There are rich fruit flavors along with cedar box spices, toasted oak and earthy components. The finish is balanced, rather lengthy, rich and warm. Peter also makes a Napa Valley Zinfandel which unlike the Brandlin gives him more blending flexibility and is not always sourced from the same vineyard. While the Brandlin is his flagship Zinfandel the Napa Valley Zinfandel is more of a "drink now" with food styled wine. Oh and we haven't yet mentioned that their prices are really quite reasonable. They have rather good distribution in parts of Canada - you can find their wine locally at JV Warehouse in Napa and Groezinger's Wine Shop in Yountville - or online. Visit: www.peterfranus.com |
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| Phantom is run by several mysterious partners - even their winemaker is noted as "phantom" and his/her identity is not revealed. We caught up with Phantom in Pasadena to try their inaugural Lava Rock release. Yes, sometimes we travel far and wide to taste Napa wines! Their Lava Rock is 100% Napa Valley grown red wine from two vineyards both located in volcanic soils. The owners have ties to a very large vineyard management company in the valley and as a result have lots of acreage to choose from for their grape sources. No you cannot miss their bright orange, red and black label with the glowing words Lava Rock in the center which is a tribute to the type of soils in their vineyards. Their first vintage is from 2005 which was a very late harvest for most growers in the valley. Long hang time ensured their grapes were rich in color and completely ripe. This wine is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon. Their "phantom" winemaker creates a style of wine that is fruit forward and ready to drink at the time of purchase. There is an abundance of fruit aromas on this one including strawberry and wild blackberry. The palate is rich with a complexity of fruit flavors - it is a well balanced wine that is light to medium bodied. Hints of oak and spices complete the finish. Yes this wine is real, not merely a conjured up phantasma by Phantom! Almost 1900 cases were produced. Other plans include making a Pinot Noir and a Sauvignon Blanc. To order contact Phantom directly and visit: www.phantomwines.net | |
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Phelan's vineyards were developed and are carefully maintained and monitored by Arlene - everything from detailed watering schedules, to fertilizing to canopy management. The owners are so tied into their vineyard they never schedule vacations during the actual growing season. They specialize in one wine and that is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; it is available in several bottle sizes. All fruit for this wine comes from their vineyards; nothing is sourced from elsewhere. Note the copper colored lining on the actual label. It is representative of Arlene's husband who has been in the copper business for many years. The logo is not the upper 1/3 of California cut off - rather the jagged section represents the slopes of Mt. George, site of their vineyard. We enjoyed the 2004 vintage of this Cabernet. It is a very deep, dark colored full bodied wine. The aromas hint of toasted oak and chocolate with the dominate part of the nose showing black cherry. It is smooth in the mouth with notes of plums and other berries. This wine is perfectly balanced in tannins and acidity and can easily be consumed now although it has the structure to age for a number of years. Despite this being a private winery - their wines are available for tasting to the public at the popular walk-in Vintners Collective in downtown Napa. Visit: www.phelanvineyard.com |
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Understandably their philosophy is that winemaking starts in the vineyards and as a result they spend much of their time effectively managing the various hillside blocks. Their winemaking style is minimal manipulation rather letting their work in the vineyard show. There is a saying that Syrah likes a hillside view - well Cabernet Sauvignon does quite well with hillside views and this winery proves that point well! The Togni's first purchased the property in 1975 and the first vines were planted in 1981, having since been replanted several times as needed. All hillside vineyards are located around 2000 feet. Yes, they do get a bit snow in the winter. Almost half of the property is planted to vine leaving the vineyards surrounded by much of the natural forested land. There is a nice natural balance to the property and they farm sustainably as much as possible. They have even installed solar panels. Along with select nearby Spring Mountain land their property was planted to vineyards in the 1880's. In fact, they found one of these original vines still living and have nurtured it back to health; it grows in the corner of one of the vineyards. Philip Togni is entirely a self contained winery and that is somewhat rare to find in Napa. By this we mean they handle all the vineyard management, wine making, bottling (no mobile bottling trucks here) and shipping and handling. All wine in bottle is even stored on site and then for the most part shipped from the winery. In addition, they don't buy grapes, they don't sell grapes. All wine is from the estate. The winery and storage is built into the hill which helps keep things cool even in the heat of the day. Consistency is key here - with a large number of harvests under their belt, they know what works and what does not. They also know the prime parts of their vineyard. High end yeast is used for the fermentation - the free run and the pressed juice are kept separate from each other until their final blending and bottling. Only French Oak is used from a variety of select coopers. Their wines are released soon after bottling with the caveat to the consumer being "age for best results! Togni's wines age extremely well and only become better after being in the bottle for a number of years. They don't encourage drinking the wines upon purchase - lay them down..10, 15, 20 years! Their specialty is Cabernet Sauvignon blended in approximate proportion to the varietals planted on the property. As of press time the majority is Cabernet, with Merlot and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. Togni also produces a second label called Tanbark Hill. This is named after a prominent hill near their property that you can even recognize from much further south on the valley floor. This wine is not made every year and when it is, is only produced in maybe several hundred cases. In addition, a tiny amount of an obscure varietal (for Napa), Black Hamburgh bottled under the Ca' Togni is produced as a dessert wine. More about this shortly. We tried a number of wines from barrel including both free run and pressed juice from their 2006 and 2007 vintages. The older vintages were of course already more polished with a better integrated tannin structure. As expected, the free run wines were more polished than the bigger "pressed wines". The free run vintages we tried had very nice earthy aromas to the elegant bouquet with rich concentrated fruit flavors. With such young wines you get hints of how well these will age and the quality that is intrinsically part of Togni's terroir and wine. To the best of our knowledge they are the only commercial Napa winery to produce wine from the Black Hamburg varietal. Out of 500+ Napa winery reviews, this is the first time we've seen this grape being used in Napa. It is a fairly large grape, almost table grape sized that is planted to merely 1/4 of an acre on site. As a result you can well imagine there is just not much of this available. The Togni's pick these grapes quite late so that the brix (sugar level) does a real number on their refractometer's meter (high sugar content)! This particular grape requires extreme manual labor, especially when some of the fruit gets to this late stage and is wrinkled and shriveled. Manual removal of the fruit has to occur even after it has gone through their de-stemmer. Then individual grapes are removed; those that are bird pecked or have served as food sources to wasps. This wine is then aged for 5 years before it is even released. We tried the 2007 vintage from barrel. Wow! It has amazing floral characteristics with great viscosity on the palate. Wonderful layered aromas and flavors of red ripe lychee. While young, this wine is very fruit forward - give it time to age and it takes on more of a tawny characteristic. Philip Togni is one of the few California wineries represented in Robert Parker's book, The World's Greatest Wine Estates. This book features 175 of the world's most accomplished and spectacular vineyard estates - only 23 from the USA are represented and it is a great honor for Togni to be included. Also of note, is a blind tasting that occurred in Brussels, where some of Belgium's best professional wine tasters rated California and Bordeaux wines. Togni took top honors over all the other wineries represented and the tasters even thought they were a French producer! You can find information about how to join their mailing list via their website. Current releases are always released to the mailing list first. Also every year, they release a 10 year old wine in limited quantity to their mailing list. Besides the mailing list some of their wine is exported to Europe and Asia, most notably Japan. Total production varies but is usually around 2000 cases. Visit: www.philiptognivineyard.com |
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You come here for their 100% single vineyard designated Cabernets because that is all they make - no blends. They source from 5 select vineyards in Napa. They planted each of these vineyards and have provided the vineyard managment since day 1 (they own the Rutherford and Oakville vineyards). This is a small winery with only about 4000 cases produced annually and some of their wines are produced in quantities of merely several hundred cases. Typically they sell out way ahead of when the bottles are ready to be released to the public so you have to buy "futures". As a result, depending on the time of year your tasting may be from barrels only. There are a few qualities characteristic of Pina produced wines - rich aromas and flavor, smooth refined structured tannins with very velvety overall mouth feels. A couple highlights; the 2005 D'Admamo Vineyard is by far their most produced wine. The 2005 Howell Mountain has wonderful earthy aromas, almost dusty. The palate is rich yet refined - it is extremely well balanced with notes of blackberry and chocolate towards the finish which is long and slightly smoky with just a touch of toasted oak. The wines from their Oakville, Rutherford and Yountville vineyards are produced in quantities of typically no more than several hundred cases each vintage. Come to the winery to buy these! The 2007 Wolff vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from barrel was already drinking very nicely merely 9 months after fermentation. If we had to choose one word to describe this wine it would be "rich" ...in aroma and flavor. Their wine club is appropriately called "Tilda" after the accent mark over the "n" in their name. Visit: www.pinanapavalley.com |
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There is an old radio commercial for milk that you may have heard if you grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area - "cows in Berkeley, mooo" - Berkeley being a very urban environment. Chardonnay grown in Stag's Leap? Ha, Stag's Leap is an appellation known entirely for its Cabernet Sauvignon and it is surprising to find 2 acres of two French clone Chardonnays grown on a small hillside behind the winery. This is one of maybe 2 blocks of Chardonnay grown in the entire Stag's Leap district! These particular clones and growing climate produce an intensely flavored Chardonnay. Try approximately 180 cases - that is nothing as far as production goes, and this wine very quickly sells out every year. The release date is usually in May or June and its best to call the winery for exact dates for this Le Petit Clos Chardonnay. A tour is recommended if you have the time (allow 1 hour 30 minutes). The tours are geared to the lowest wine education level of the attendees and covers a wide variety of topics ranging from vineyard management, to barrel aging, to fermentation and more. You will see their winemaking facilities, caves, and end your tasting in their small sit down tasting room next to their wine library. They also offer Reserve Cabernet Barrel tastings, their Sunday Food & Wine Paring Seminar and even a Cabernet Cave Dinner. You are in the heart of the Stag's Leap district...try their Cabernets! Choose from two tasting flights - their current release and an all Cabernet Sauvignon selection. They offer several Cabs from their own properties ranging from Oakville, Rutherford, Howell Mountain to Stag's Leap. We thoroughly enjoyed the Andrus Reserve; it is not cheap but is a multi layered rich wine. Their most popular and by far most produced wine is the interesting Chenin Blanc - Viognier Blend. Great aromas and flavors and talk about an excellent price! Ask to see the film titled "Discriminatory Practices at Pine Ridge" which is all about how they discriminate against the grapes to make superior wines. All tours are strictly by appointment only. Visit: www.pineridgewinery.com |
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