From Boonfly to Buster's- Napa Valley day two

The second day of Napa Valley April 2013 began much differently than the first. Rather than the twists and turns of a mountain road, we rolled into a Napa industrial park to taste the wines of Buccella before heading up the valley. Each visit very different from the last.

Jon contemplating a non-sequitur

Founded in 2002, Buccella highlights the sleek and luxurious side of Napa Valley. Its wines blend fruit from vineyards in the southerly AVA’s, highlighting the cooler Yountville and Coombsville regions. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, these are in barrel for 20 months in new French oak. The winemaker is Rebekah Wineburg, with consulting by Celia Welch. We tasted the three 2010 releases with Rebekah – all noteworthy for their overall boldness and richness, and underscored by a velvety feel of pure luxury on the palate.

Justin & Jon with Rebekah Wineburg in the winery at Buccella

The 2010 Buccella Merlot, Napa Valley comes primarily from Hyde Vineyard fruit and includes 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. The notes were leathery-floral black cherry, adding a mélange of spice, coffee and tea depth on the palate. This was remarkably silky and seamlessly layered with polished tannins, along with beautiful weight, feel, and depth. The 2010 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley is 86% Cab with the balance a blend of the remaining Bordeaux varietals. This showed similarly seamless layers of polish and bold elegance, adding in more densely packed savory notes of graphite, vanilla bean, roasted espresso, and black olive – along with red currant and cherry fruit – a strikingly beautiful young wine. Last, the 2010 Buccella Cuvée Katrina Eileen is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with a bigger denser structure set apart by mineral, floral and darker fruit notes, on top of cedar and savory spice notes. A little bigger and broader tannins on this wine, along with consistent elegance and polish. The wines of Buccella are unmistakably modern and decadent, while showing great elegance and beauty.

At Rutherford Grove Winery (photo by Justin)

Rutherford Grove lies along the busy Highway 29 corridor heading up into St. Helena. The winery and its ownership, the Pestoni family, have a long history in Napa Valley. It’s an interesting place, in that judging by the looks of its facility and packaging I might have thought the production was much larger and more widely distributed than it is - it has the look of a bigger brand. In reality it’s only about a 5000 case production, spread across several bottlings and sold primarily out of the tasting room. All of the wines are estate-grown, coming from 60 acres of vineyards spread through the Rutherford, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, and Lake County AVA’s. Interestingly, there’s also a huge Pestoni-owned composting facility behind the winery.

At Rutherford Grove

The lineup of wines ranged from Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah – then on to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. My highlights included the 2011 Rutherford Grove Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, Rutherford - from the Musque clone, showing a grassy kiwi profile with nice and bright mineral/slate high tones. The 2008 Rutherford Grove Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Rutherford showed nice cedar and earth notes throughout with savory dark fruit draped in tobacco leaf and leathery depth on the palate, along with nice supple tannins- really good as a young drinking Rutherford Cab with nice flavors, balance & depth, and a good price. I also really liked the 2007 Rutherford Grove Petite Sirah Spring Creek Vineyard, Napa Valley, St. Helena for its big wild dark fruit and integrated savory depth, along a large structure- very nice.

Tucked away in the Diamond Mountain district near Calistoga, Von Strasser Winery was founded in 1990. In 1985 Rudy Von Strasser became the first American to intern at Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, moving on to stints at Trefethen and Newton prior to launching Von Strasser. The winery is located on a historic winery property, part of which was parceled off to become the Diamond Creek vineyards. Von Strasser ended up modernizing the facility and digging caves into the hillside.

At Von Strasser, Diamond Mountain

The Von Strasser wines are primarily single vineyard Diamond Mountain Cabernet. Stylistically these bridged a gap between the brawny fruit and firm structure you might find on Spring Mountain, and the rich polished wines of the valley floor. Throughout the lineup I really liked the dynamic of elegant and subtle flavors with rich fruit over deceptively powerful structures. We tasted four single vineyard wines from the 2009 vintage – all of which I thought were outstanding.

Choosing a top 2- the 2009 Von Strasser Cabernet Sauvignon Post Vineyard, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain showed aromas of vanilla, clove, blackcurrant and red-floral with a complex palate – mineral, juicy cherry, violet, with subtle savory depth – well-integrated with fine polished tannins and a big juicy finish. The 2009 Von Strasser Cabernet Sauvignon Sori Bricco Vineyard, Napa Valley ,Diamond Mountain showed nice lightly sweet aromas of vanilla, anise, spice, cassis and butterscotch. The palate was richly opulent, yet elegant, with notes of blackcurrant, mineral, floral, subtle spice and earthy depth. It finished big with silky-firm tannins. Luxurious and layered- excellent.

View of Kronos Vineyard

Last stop was a refresher visit to Corison Winery. I visited Corison in July 2012 and tasted a very nice assortment of Cathy Corison’s Napa Valley and Kronos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons (new and library releases). This time around I wanted to show my travel companions the wines, so we visited and tasted through a similarly special lineup. Click the link for my 2012 comments on visiting the winery.

"Fly is Open!"- Thanks to tasting room staff at Corison!

Stay tuned for thoughts on the rest of the April 2013 trip. We spent the rest of the weekend in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Click here for a full list of tasting notes on Buccella, Rutherford Grove, Von Strasser and Corison.  

Head for the mountains of Napa Valley

To find classically styled wines and a more down-to-earth side of Napa Valley, just look to the mountains. The hairpin roads up and down Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, and Howell Mountains on a bright and sunny late April day were filled with twists and turns - leading to great wines, history, and personality.

Mayacamas Vineyards certainly provided all of the above. It also ended up being a sentimental time to visit the historic vineyard and winery on Mt. Veeder, as the sale to Charles Banks/Terroir Capital was announced early the following week. Bob Travers and family owned Mayacamas through the previous 45 years and brought the property, a vineyard dating back to the 1880's, to international prominence through its involvement in the 1976 Judgment of Paris and the famed evolution of its wines since. Taking an at-times uncommercial path in its style, Mayacamas became known internationally for extremely long-lived mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay that stayed true to their style, despite popular trends.

The very old press at Mayacamas

In touring the winery, it was striking to see the oldness of the place. From the old continuous screw press, to the built-in concrete fermenter, to the large oak tanks, to the musky cellars - not something you see everyday in Napa Valley. Neither were the 50+ year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines. All of this will surely see a makeover with the new ownership and incoming winemaking/vineyard team of Andy Erickson and Annie Favia. Nostalgia aside, appearances suggest that the makeover is probably coming at the appropriate time. I do hope that large oak tanks will still be used to age the Cabernet Sauvignon before it goes into small barrels - something the winery has traditionally done. I'm guessing this is a key factor to the Mayacamas style.

The cave at Mayacamas

Old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon at Mayacamas

We tasted a pair of Chardonnays from the 2010 and 2006 vintage. Both were impressive in their brightness and complexity. The Chardonnay is fermented in a built-in concrete fermenter and goes to barrel without malolactic fermentation. The 2006 Mayacamas Chardonnay, Mt Veeder, Napa Valley was reveling in its advanced earth and spice notes, complementing the stone and citrus fruit and filling out a big toasty structure. Great Chardonnay and even more amazing to consider the release price of $30. The 2007 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon, Mt Veeder, Napa Valley was showing big earthy brambly structure along with juicy black cherry, currant, leather, mineral and anise. Definitely one for a later date, but a fun glimpse into its future.

Smith Madrone Vineyard- Cook's Flat blocks top-center

My third trip up Spring Mountain to Smith Madrone Vineyards was a great chance to show my friends Justin and Jon what makes brothers Charles and Stu Smith's winery and vineyards so special. There's quite a bit of history here too, with the Smiths founding the winery and vineyards in 1971 high atop Spring Mountain on an old vineyard site. There they dry-farm their Bordeaux varietals, Chardonnay, and Riesling. This is always a fun visit - Charles and Stu are colorful characters, the winery is quaint and rustic, and the views of the valley floor from the vineyard are amazing.

Justin sharing his crazy viticulture ideas with Stu Smtih

A lunch and tasting with the Smiths

Charles Smith teaching me about political cartoonist, Bill Mauldin

We tasted the current releases. The 2010 Smith Madrone Chardonnay, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley was showing nice slate and citrus, balanced and rich, with silky spice depth. The 2007 Cabs were especially impressive. The 2007 Smith Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley was especially notable for its rich silky structure showing notes of black tea, olive, blackcurrant, cassis and vanilla - along with firm tannins and plenty of depth on the finish. This has the structure of past vintages, with nice accessibility as a new release. The 2007 Smith Madrone Cook's Flat Reserve was produced to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the winery. 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, it comes from select blocks in the vineyard and is aged in new French barriques (The estate Cab is aged in American oak). This shows similar flavors to the estate cab, with added depth and structure. Very polished and balanced, and very Bordeaux-like. It's a much higher price point than the estate Cab, but definitely a special wine.

Carole explaining the view at Lagier Meredith

Back on Mount Veeder, the Lagier Meredith Vineyard sits high atop an epic driveway through the trees. Stephen Lagier & Carole Meredith developed vineyards on the property after purchasing in 1986. Stephen was making wine at Robert Mondavi and Carole was a professor of viticulture and enology at Cal-Davis. They grow primarily Syrah, along with Mondeuse, Malbec and Zinfandel. The 4.5 acre east-facing vineyard sits at about 1300 feet on fractured shale and sandstone soils. Justin, Jon and I sat with Carole and Stephen and enjoyed a beautiful bright and rich 2012 Rosé, along with their 2010 Lagier Meredith Syrah, Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley- which was showing nice peppercorn, black olive, floral and currant notes with added layers of flavor on the palate, along with a deep elegant and silky structure. Also of note were Carole's delicious Niçoise cured olives grown on the property.

Last was an ill-fated trip up Howell Mountain. Scheduling difficulties and St Helena traffic had gotten me behind schedule. We were late to Black Sears Vineyard & Winery, and our host Chris had to head out. He left us the 2011 Black Sears estate Zinfandel to taste, but it was corked. Their wines sell out quickly - the 2010 Zin is gone and the 2011 won't even be released for another year. Luck ran out on the day, but it's a beautiful vineyard to get a chance to visit with or without the wine. 

Zinfandel at Black Sears

More to come from late April 2013 in Napa Valley. For full tasting notes on the wines tasted on this day, click the link.

Tasting Sonoma County in a virtual tasting room

I looked forward to working on this post for two reasons. First, I've been interested from afar in the TastingRoom.com product and packaging. Additionally, I had a lineup of Russian River and Alexander Valley wines to taste through. Trione Vineyards & Winery put together a tasting kit of their current release wines through the TastingRoom.com packaging system (disclaimer- I received as a press sample).

I recently saw a Twitter post about TastingRoom.com, and have been curious about the concept. Basically they repackage wine into 50ml and 100ml bottles, to then market themed tasting kits (50ml), and by the glass bottles (100ml). The ultimate goal is to sell the featured wines at full retail, but to me the value of the program is in the tasting kits. Wines sold on the site cover a range of price points, and there are plenty of well-known and premium brands. Most of the wine is domestic, with some international available as well.

The Trione kit came in a black recyclable box. The 50ml bottles are glass with high-quality re-creations of the labels. The transfer of the wine happens in an anaerobic chamber, and the bottling date is listed on the label. Basically the wine is packaged well and the integrity of the wine is intact.

Yes, that's a Pac Man lunchbox in the background

Trione’s wines come from their estate vineyards in the Russian River and Alexander Valleys. Previously growers in Sonoma County dating back four decades, the family began producing wines beginning with the 2005 vintage. I tasted four Russian River wines, all from the clay loamy soils of their River Road Ranch vineyard located in the middle reach area of the valley – 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Chardonnay, 2008 Pinot Noir and 2008 Syrah. The red Bordeaux varietals are grown in their vineyards in Alexander Valley. The 2007 Block 21 Cabernet Sauvignon features Cab grapes from a single block at Cloverdale Ranch, with small percentages of Merlot, Petite Verdot and Malbec coming from Geyserville Ranch. The 2007 Geyserville Ranch Red is a blend of Bordeaux grapes.

If there’s a thread that runs through these wines, it’s accessibility. The whites are nicely balanced with ample fruit, richness and acid, along with good Sonoma character - well priced too. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Geyserville Ranch Red are like big bear-hugs of wine - ripe and mellow dark fruits with roasted coffee, anise and cocoa notes across a stately warm & welcoming structure - totally Alexander Valley. The Russian River Syrah is a smooth drinker of ripe dark fruits along with nice-enough cool-climate savory notes. Click here for individual notes on all the wines.

However, the standout of the group is the Trione 2008 River Road Ranch Pinot Noir, Russian River. This is a blend of clones 115, 667 and 777. It’s made using traditional techniques such as open top fermentation with partial whole clusters and daily hand punch-downs. It’s pretty prototypical Russian River Pinot on the nose with fruitcake aromas of cherry, raspberry and plum. Things get interesting as this hits the palate with darker fruit, earthy forest and mushroom notes, and just hints of spice - all well balanced and nicely layered. It’s sharply textured with fine tannin and nice length on the finish. This is really enjoyable Russian River Pinot with good depth and interest priced below $30 – highly recommended!

The best of the rest

I try to do more than just blog tasting notes, but I've amassed a few over the past month on wines I've not otherwise blogged about. Several of the wines are very nice, so I thought I’d combat writer’s block by dedicating a post to these notes!

~Arrowood 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale, SonomaCounty – Aromas of plum, earth-slate, and currant with deep black fruit on the palate with tobacco, cedar, and blue-floral notes. It’s balanced and rich with round polished tannins and a full finish. Nicely developed and still tastes young. $68.

~Cakebread 2009 Chardonnay, Napa Valley – Touches of mineral, honey and butterscotch, along with stone fruit. It adds subtle notes of citrus on the palate, with polished feel, good acid, solid structure, and a decent finish. Drinking well. $38.

One of the highlights

~Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2007 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley – Popped and poured with Thanksgiving leftovers. Clear ruby and medium body in the glass. Aromas of black tea leaf, red curry, sandalwood and fresh fig. Beautifully expressive palate of open red fruit, melted stone, red florals and flourishes of spice. It’s polished in feel, elegant, and fleshy throughout with balanced acid and fine tannin. It finishes long with nice black peppery fruit. Excellent, really drinking well right now. $38.

~Firestone 2010 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County – Nicely expressive strawberry and cherry fruit throughout with subtle spice and earthy depth. Silky and rich with elegance, roundly structured with good acid-tannin balance. Decent finish. Very good value. $24

~Firestone 2009 Malbec, Santa Ynez Valley – Black and blue fruits dominate with secondary black peppery notes and hints of oak. Full fruit, round on the palate, easy drinking style with fleshy tannins. Good. $24.

Firestone Vineyard in the Fall

~Firestone 2007 Chairman Series Merlot, Santa Ynez Valley – Cedar and leather on the nose draping the fruit. The flavors are black cherry and blackberry with subtle oaky vanilla and mocha notes along with hints of dried herb. Dry firm finish with decent length. Nicely done. $42.

~Firestone 2009 Chairman Series Cabernet Sauvignon, SantaYnez Valley – Plenty of cassis and currant aromas along with dried herb. Cassis and red fruit flavors on the palate nicely integrated with subtle medicinal herb along with oak notes of cedar and espresso. Fine firm tannin and a full finish. Very good. $42.

This big boy needs a little time and TLC!

~Firestone 2009 Proximity Twenty Six, Santa Ynez Valley – Bordeaux blend- mostly Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Red currant, cedar, cherry and licorice are on the bouquet. There’s tons of oak on the palate, with flavors of coffee and cedar with currant, cassis and brown spice. Round and lush with silky tannins and a spicy long finish. It needs time for the oak to resolve. $75.

~Perrier-Jouët Champagne Cuvée Fleur de Champagne Blanc de Blancs – Tasting out of Bordeaux glass so not a great display for the bubbles. Plenty of yeast, toast and brioche notes on the nose. It’s bright with lively citrus on the palate with mineral notes to accent the bready yeasty depth. Slightly honeyed flavors with a deep and long expansive finish. Excellent. $230.

~Tenuta Sant’Antonio Scaia, Veneto IGT – Garganega/Chardonnay. Light straw color. It’s very Sauv Blanc-like on both the nose and palate with tons of gooseberry and grapefruit and very subtle depth. Round and bright on the palate with full body and a crispness to the finish. This is a bright and pleasant casual drinker with an odd similarity to new-world Sauvignon Blanc. $12.

~Sea Smoke 2010 Southing Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills – Aromas of rhubarb, earth and plummy fruit. Well balanced on the palate, showing nice mineral, earth, tea, and dark floral notes that temper the darker fruit. Silky feel on the palate with sharp acid and fine tannins. Medium-long finish. Nice complexity. Very well done. $60.

~Siduri 2010 Sonatera Vineyard, Sonoma Coast – Popped and poured with dinner. Nice bouquet of tea leaf, wild mushroom, white pepper, Christmas spice and cherry fruit. It’s ripe and aggressive to the palate with black cherry and fig jam along with piney, earthy and herbal depth. Fine and polished in tannin with seemingly good acid and a decent finish, it's just not very graceful or balanced with this tasting. The fruit awkwardly sticks out like a sore thumb. Not how I remembered it, perhaps it just needs some time to mature back into balance. Day 2- Much improved with the fruit integrating and adding nuances of cedar and sandalwood. Shows balance and elegance. Nice mouthwatering acidity and fine tannin on the finish. Good on the second day- air it out before drinking or hold. $48

~Silverado 2006 Merlot, Napa Valley – Notes of cigar box, black currant and leather on the nose. This is densely structured palate of cassis, cedar, tobacco and black cherry. It’s broad on the palate, nicely polished, and with big chewy tannins, along with hints of mineral and earth on a full finish. Drinking well. $29.

~Stag’s Leap 2009 Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – Plummy aromas with anise, currant and cedar notes. Black fruit on the palate with stony, black-floral, and ashy-mineral notes. Integrated oak. Elegantly structured with fine tannin and full finish. Very nice. $45.

Napa Vintners tasting of 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Wine Bloggers Conference

I normally miss the cool stuff. By the time the outrageous happens, I’ve already left the party. Or if I manage to be in the loop I end up talking myself out of going. Often the stars just aren’t aligned.

The Wine Bloggers Conference last week in Portland was the opposite. Whether a late night meetup and tasting with an old wine friend as in my last post, or the excursions that I wrote about prior, it was a magical few days in my passion for wine. For those few days the highlights aligned right along with the stars.

Friday morning of the conference I tasted several wines at the Napa Vintners table during a trade tasting. The following day they were to host a private tasting of 2002 Napa Cabernet Sauvignons. 2002 is regarded as a very good to excellent vintage in Napa Valley, yielding wines of good concentration and structure. All this without leaving the hotel… So I etched the time in stone and looked forward to Saturday!

After three unusually hot days in Portland and the Willamette Valley, Saturday turned out to be one of those damp and cool days that you associate with cities like Portland. The cloudy view from the Napa Vintners suite overlooked the Willamette River, downtown, and some residential areas up in the hillsides. The suite quickly filled with people, and seriously tasting these wines among this crowd became more of a mission than leisure.

 There were 11 wines- Spottswoode, Opus One, Heitz Martha’sVineyard, Pride Reserve, Dyer, BV GDL, Far Niente, Chateau Montelena Estate, SpringMountain Elivette, Robert Mondavi Oakville, and Corison. I tasted 10 of the 11 -- by the time I got to the Corison it was gone. Click here to read all tasting notes.

Of the 10 wines that I tasted, there were certainly many highlights. The Chateau Montelena Estate stood out for its earthiness, balance and elegance. Spottswoode and Opus One were so seamless, intricate and complex that one could state just about any descriptor coming to mind and be accurately describing them. Both had supreme elegance and deceptively firm structures. The sleeper for me was Dyer Diamond Mountain. This wine had a beautiful blend of savory brawny mountain notes along with an airy floral quality and expressive fruit.

The wine of the flight for me however was the Heitz Martha’s Vineyard. I was blown away by its exotic aromas and the yin/yang effect of the palate- dark & brooding vs. pretty & expressive. This was a powerful wine with a finish that went on forever.

There were a couple of disappointments. The Pride Reserve promised nice savory complexity, but ultimately carried too much sweet oak and licorice notes with less grip than the others. Similarly, the Far Niente was showing a little too much sweet cherry and spice notes for what I was looking for.

Ultimately it was quite a showcase for 2002 in Napa Valley. I appreciated the opportunity to be there.

Good stuff from the weekend

Friends were in town. Bottles were opened. Highlights below:

Morgan 2011 Pinot Gris R&D Franscioni Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands-

I picked this up as part of a wine club shipment from the Winehound in Santa Barbara. It comes from the R&D Franscioni Vineyard, a cool site across from Rosella's Vineyard. Grown in gravely and sandy loam soils, this is fermented in chilled tanks and aged for 3 months in neutral French oak. 

The wine showed expressive white floral, mineral and Juicy Fruit gum notes. Bright and opulent on the palate with hints of spice. Medium bodied with a full juicy finish. Very enjoyable. It's on the high-end at $18 for domestic Pinot Gris, but it's also nicely expressive and perfect as an aperitif or with sushi or grilled ahi.

Jordan 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

From the cellar. I enjoy Jordan's commitment to balance and elegance and have grown to appreciate the depth and nuance of these wines. The 2004 is 76% cab and 18% merlot with a dash of petit verdot and cab franc. It spent 12 months in French and American oak barrels and 4 months in American oak tanks. Retail is listed at $59 on Jordan's website.

I decanted for one hour. The wine showed dense clear ruby color. Initial aged notes on the bouquet develop into aromas of cherry and red currant with licorice, violet and hints of cedar & leather. Bright and open fruit on the palate- more red cherry and currant with rocky mineral, violet and also hints of leather, cedar and white pepper. Medium bodied with smooth fine tannins. Finished with juicy mouthwatering fruit and medium length. I don't think this is built to last quite as long as the 2002, but it's in a good place right now. Drink up. Very good. 

Day 2- A Sunday in Northern Sonoma

Day 2 of my Napa/Sonoma weekend junket saw me in Northern Sonoma tasting a variety of wines from a variety of appellations. 

Sunday ended up as a trip from Siduri's Santa Rosa winery, throughout the Middle Reach area of the Russian River Valley at Copain and Porter Creek, and up to Ridge-Lytton Springs in the Dry Creek Valley. Aside from plenty of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it was a great day to taste varietals ranging from Viognier & Pinot Noir Blanc to Zinfandel, Syrah & Carignane.

Siduri is located in an industrial complex in Santa Rosa- a large open warehouse space filled with fermentation tanks, barrels and cases- with a tasting area carved out within and plenty of variety to be had. Their Novy Family wines featured Chardonnay, a white Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Syrah, Zinfandel and a late-harvest Viognier- most of which were single vineyard. Overall the Novy wines were distinctive and terroir-driven with good value. Among the Siduri Pinot Noirs were four new 2010 releases including three single vineyards- 2010 Chehalem Mountains Willamette Valley, 2010 Sonatera Sonoma Coast, 2010 Ewald Russian River Valley & 2010 Cargasacchi Sta. Rita Hills. The Sonatera and Cargasacchi were highlights for me.

Copain was a magical and lustrous spot perched up on a hill along Eastside Road. The winery and tasting room overlooks their estate vineyard on one side, and the greater expanse of valley floor vineyards on the other. It's a nice showcase for the wines, which were pure and focused with deft balance and elegance. Tasted were current release "Tous Ensemble" and "Les Voisins" wines from Anderson Valley (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah) as well as a single vineyard Pinot Noir- 2009 "En Bas" Kiser from Anderson Valley. Overall a beautiful assortment of wines. 

The Ridge tasting room at Lytton Springs is a great place to view 100+ year old Zinfandel vines as well as taste a full assortment from of Ridge wines- from the Monte Bello wines in the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Zinfandel and blends from Sonoma. Lastly, Porter Creek has a cool little tasting room along Westside Road overlooking their organic vineyards on one side and a MacMurray Ranch vineyard on the other. Their wines overall show bright fruit with balanced Russian River spice and earth along with a hint of rusticity.

Below are my favorite wines from the day (click the link for price and tech info as available).

Siduri 2010 Pinot Noir Sonatera, Sonoma Coast-

Compact aromas of spice, sagebrush, sandalwood and fig. Interesting red notes on the palate- spice, dates, fig and sarsaparilla. Nicely weighted and smooth fine tannins. Full breathy finish. Very nice.

Siduri 2010 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi, Sta. Rita Hills- 

Dense all the way through. Aromas of sage, plum, mossy earth and violet. The palate featured densely layered red and dark fruit, eucalyptus, earth and mushroom. Smooth and lithe through the palate with fine tannins and a lengthy breathy finish. Very nice, needs a little time.

Novy Family 2009 Syrah Rosella's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands-

Aromas of tea leaf, olive, black pepper, violet & bacon fat- with blue fruit and cassis on the palate accented violet and white pepper. Fine grainy tannins and full breathy finish. Very nice.

Novy Family 2010 Viognier Oley Late Harvest, Russian River Valley-

Aromas of slate, honey and apricot- shown with focused baking spice and gingerbread depth on the palate. Nicely balanced and intense. Full finish.

Copain 2010 Chardonnay "Tous Ensemble", Anderson Valley-

Bright aromas- Meyer lemon, riverstone and spice. Similar notes on the palate, very bright fruit with mineral accents and toasty lees. Rich and silky and bright throughout with a full finish. Very nice.

Copain 2009 Pinot Noir "LesVoisins", Anderson Valley-

Bouquet of clove, eastern spice, fig & sandalwood. Bright raspberry & fig with earthy spice depth on the palate. Elegant textures, fine tannins and a full plush finish. Very nice.

Copain 2009 Pinot Noir "En Bas" Kiser, Anderson Valley- 

Complex and dense bouquet- bright raspberry & fig paste with a myriad of spice and floral aromas. Beautifully layered and textured fruit with earth, spice and wood depth- woven and seamless and still tightly wound but very pretty. Fine smooth fleshy tannin with lingering depth on finish. Needs a few years. Outstanding.

Copain 2009 Syrah "Les Voisins", Yorkville Highlands- 

Plump aromas of black pepper, black olive, marinating beef, violet and plum. Pure fruit and savory depth on the palate- seamlessly woven with fleshy feel and fine firm tannins and full finish. Deft balance. Excellent.

Ridge 2010 Geyserville, Alexander Valley- 

Tasted at Lytton Springs. Aromas of black pepper, blue fruit and wild earth. Juicy and ripe fruit on the palate with savory like leather and spice. Roundly structured and an ample finish. Very good.

Ridge 2007 Syrah Lytton Estate, Dry Creek Valley-

Expressive aromas of anise, savory spice, blueberry and lavender. Peppery dark and red fruit on the palate with accents of blue flowers, licorice and cola. Round smooth tannins and a breathy juicy finish. Very nice.

Ridge 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains- 

Notes of cedar, tobacco, cassis, berry and leather. Layered and complex and elegant. Juicy with nice depth and feel. Fine firm tannins and a medium finish. Very nice.

Ridge 2007 Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains-

Big savory notes on the bouquet- tobacco leaf, earth, shoebox leather; rich and deep with cassis and currant peeking through. Rich and fine on the palate with layered fruit and depth- still very dense and tightly wound. Fine tannins and lengthy finish.

Porter Creek 2010 Old Vine Chardonnay, Russian River Valley- 

Notes of slate, lemon and stone fruit. Rich and balanced on the palate with stone fruit, spice and traces of mineral notes. Medium finish with lingering spice.

Porter Creek 2009 Pinot Noir Fiona Hill, Russian River Valley- 

High pitched spice and plum on the bouquet. The palate led with plum and cherry along with mulled spice and rocky mineral notes that were balanced and integrated. Nicely layered structure with fine tannins and a pleasing finish.

Porter Creek 2009 Zinfandel Old Vine, Sonoma Co- 

Blue fruit on the nose with subtle mulled spice. Red cherry and red currant notes on the palate that are jammy and juicy, along with notes of earth and cracked pepper. Juicy fleshy tannins and a nice long finish. Very nice.

Porter Creek 2009 Syrah Timbervine Ranch, Russian River Valley-

Huge Syrah nose of green olive, bacon fat, cracked pepper and black currant. On the palate is grainy black fruit with savory herb and pepper notes. Nice depth. Coarse tannins with a nice richness on the palate. Breathy finish. Very nice.

A Saturday in Napa Valley in pictures and tasting notes

Last weekend I got away from the Central Coast for a couple of days, visiting Napa Valley and the Russian River Valley area in Sonoma Co. 

Saturday found me in Napa Valley tasting wine with Charles Smith at Smith Madrone in the Spring Mountain AVA; at Corison Winery hosted by Hardy Wallace; and then on to the Envy Winery tasting room in Calistoga to taste new releases from Mike Smith's Myriad Cellars as well as several of his Carter Cellars 2010 reds.

Smith Madrone

It was a nice mix of old-school Napa wines at Smith Madrone and Corison (no reds newer than 2006 tasted in either), and silky and voluptuous modern Cabernet from the Mike Smith wines (mostly 2010's). I enjoyed all three stops- very different experiences and wines that really showcased the diversity and personal experience that can be found in Napa Valley if you dig beneath the surface.

Smith Madrone is completely old school mountain Cabernet Sauvignon with burly brawny savory flavors, black fruit and massive structure. Their Chardonnay is structured as well with green stone fruit and acid along with brisk spice. The Riesling is a beautiful thing as well. It's an old winery structure with a workshop-like tasting area in the winery, surrounded by their mountain-top vineyards set among century-old olive trees.

At Corison you taste in the cellar and walk out into the Kronos estate vineyard, a phylloxera-surviving vineyard predating the massive replantings of Napa Cab in the early 90's (40+ year old vines). The Cabs are ageworthy, balanced and elegant.

Corison Kronos Vineyard- St. Helena

Old-Vine Cab at Kronos

The Mike Smith wines of Myriad and Carter are of the modern variety, showing balanced and integrated flavors set among creamy silky structures. The best of which showed emerging savory notes that should fill out with the fruit in time.

Tasting Myriad and Carter (Carter in half-bottles)

Below are my favorite wines from the day (click the link for price and tech info)-

Smith Madrone 2009 Chardonnay Estate Bottled, Napa Valley- Spring Mountain-

Melon, tropical with light floral, lees and toast accents. Crisp and lively on the palate with good balance and rich depth along a flourishing finish. Very good.

Smith Madrone 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled, Napa Valley- Spring Mountain-

The bouquet is stacked like bricks and mortar- cassis, slate, plum, lavender and cherry. On the palate the savory leathery cedar shows around tight fruit. Firm round tannin and touches of mineral on the finish. The stuffing is there. Good length. Enjoyed tasting but won't touch this for some time.

Smith Madrone 2011 Riesling Estate Bottled, Napa Valley- Spring Mountain-

Aromas of kiwi, orange, slate and white flowers. Crisp and brisk palate, well balanced with bright fruit and depth. Long finish. Excellent.

Corison 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley-

Big aromas of cassis, plum, blueberry, vanilla, cedar and olive. Black currant and cassis on the palate with rocky mineral and blue floral accents. Just traces of oak. Elegant feel and weight. Fine/firm tannin and a full finish filled with floral fruit and dried herb notes. Excellent.

Corison 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley- 

Cedar & leather, cassis, kirsch, licorice and blueberry nose- nice complexity. The palate begins with melted mineral notes ushering in blueberry and black cherry. Tea leaf, black olive and cedar depth. Layered and balanced and complex. Fine tannins holding firm, with a layered full finish. Outstanding.

Corison 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard, Napa Valley- 

Aromas of cassis, leather, violet and blueberry. Begins with high-toned blue fruit and moves to black cherry, tea, olive and cedar. Medium weight and polished on the palate. Fine tannins and a full finish. Excellent. 

Myriad 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley- 

A bit tight on the nose at first, it comes on with graphite, cassis and tobacco leaf. Layered flavors on the palate- creme de cassis, tea, leather, tobacco, blueberry, blackberry and spice. Full bodied and velvety in feel and tannin. Full finish with notes of red fruit. Very nice.

Myriad 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Dr. Crane Vineyard, Napa Valley- St. Helena-

Aromas of tobacco leaf, cedar, spice, cassis and black currant. Pretty notes of mint, clove, red currant and mineral on the palate. Integrated oak. Velvety and polished. Tannins are firm. Spice, melted rock and red fruit on the finish. Good depth and length. Excellent.

Carter Cellars 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard The O.G.- Oakville-

Subtle nose of tea, clove, red currant and anise. Layered primary anise, spice, cola and plum on the palate with ashy earth, cocoa, vanilla and espresso depth. Concentrated and gliding through the palate with silky fine tannin, firm with rock and red fruit on a long finish. Very nice.

Food and wine night at Succulent Café

A recent dinner at stellar Solvang CA restaurant, Succulent Café, provided an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Calluna Vineyards 2009 Culluna Vineyards Cuvée. I've been a fan of this newer Chalk Hill producer for a couple of years. Chalk Hill in Sonoma County, being cooler than either Napa/Calistoga to the east or Alexander Valley to the north, can provide an opportunity for enhanced structure and elegance in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot-based wines.

Calluna Vineyards 2009 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée, Chalk Hill is an estate-grown right bank-style Bordeaux blend featuring Merlot & Cabernet Franc as the primary varietals, with barrel aging in about 40% new French oak. It's a great representation of Calluna's very classically-styled Bordeaux varietal wines. With dinner it showed very well, quickly coming to life with notes of violet, red currant, olive, cocoa, spice and mint throughout the palate- deftly balanced and highlighting the floral and red fruit notes. Polished with fine/firm tannin and a full finish. Excellent overall and even better for the price (selling for around $30), with the structure suggesting longevity (Rating- I like+!).

A word about Succulent Café- it's beautifully done low-key farm-to-table cuisine; French technique and southern influenced. A wonderful cheese plate with fresh local ingredients and main courses of braised short rib and duck confit cassoulet accompanied the wine. The restaurant does charge a corkage, but after offering our server some of the Calluna he responded very kindly by opening up two interesting local wines to taste.

Both of the local wines were Bordeaux varietal wines from Santa Barbara County. The first was Cuatro Vientos Vineyard 2009 "CS/CF", Santa Barbara County- a Cab Sauv/Cab Franc blend. It was a lush blend of fig paste, dates, anise and spice- with round and ripe blue & red fruit and secondary notes of toffee & chocolate along with round full tannins (rating- I like!). This seemed more influenced by the Cab Franc, showing a nice ripeness and depth without the trappings of overly green notes that Santa Barbara County Cabs and Cab Francs can sometimes have. I believe this wine is made by Margerum Wine Company, but I couldn't find any info online.

The second wine was Baehner Fournier 2009 Petit Verdot, Santa Ynez Valley. Baehner Fournier grows Bordeaux varietals in the eastern hills of the Santa Ynez Valley. The Petit Verdot sells for $42 with only 58 cases bottled. It started with aromas of brioche, cassis and slight notes of bell pepper. The palate added dried herb, spice and currant before finishing with round and firm tannin and ample finishing notes of sagebrush and spice (rating- I like!). Enjoyable and interesting indeed- would love to have some more time with this one.

Chappellet Signature '07 vs '06 and notes from Tercero tasting

Retailing in the low $40 range, Chappellet's Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is a good place to look for ultra-premium value in Napa Valley Cabernet. The wine is estate grown in Chappellet's vineyards on Pritchard Hill- located in the Vaca Mountains just east of Rutherford.

It's a big wine with mountain tannins, full fruit and oaky depth. It's typically a blend of just over 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remaining portion split among the other Bordeaux varietals, with substantial new oak on the profile. At its best it adds extra focus with notes of mineral acidity and tertiary flavors like tobacco and herb, and can rival Chappellet's flagship Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at about a third of the price. The 2006 Signature Cab was such a wine and was very well recognized critically.

I recently opened a 2007 Signature Cab and found it to be structured and bold, but lacking the extra oomph of the 2006. To me the 2006 had the acid and mineral components to give balance to the huge fruit and oak, as well as giving the wine a sense of having a life ahead of it. It also had those leafy tobacco flavors that I love in a Cab. In contrast, the 2007 was just huge currant and oak flavors. It did have huge tannins and structure that could resolve and bring more into the picture, but I just didn't get the sense that there was much there beneath the surface. It was an enjoyable wine, but not quite memorable or distinctive at this time. Also interesting in the 2007 vs 2006 is the much higher percentage of Malbec in the blend in the 2007- in the 2006 the secondary component of the blend was Merlot.

~Notes on Chappellet 2007 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley- 3+ hour decant. Opaque garnet color with lightening edges. Notes of cassis, lavender, currant and cedar throughout. The fruit is ripe on the palate yet backwards. The oak notes expand with cedar, espresso and cocoa. There's a nice silky tea note throughout. It drinks polished and plush with fine tannins that are very firm. The finish is dry and with good length along with plenty more dark fruit and oak. It's enjoyable at this stage, but tight overall and centered around black fruit and oak. The depth and length is there, and I could see this maybe developing a little more with oak integration- give another couple of years. (rating- I like!)

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I also recently tasted through a lineup with Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines here in Santa Barbara County. Larry makes balanced and elegant Rhône varietal wines from single vineyards in Santa Barbara County- mostly located in the Los Alamos area. The tasting room is in Los Olivos.

The wines are all about pure focused fruit with naturally balanced spice and savory notes. They are very judiciously oaked with just partial neutral on the whites and neutral oak only on the reds. There's a seriously high enjoyability factor on these wines, and they are very fairly priced.

Here's a link to my notes from many wines tasted with Larry.

Catching up with 2002 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon

The notes on their website for the 2002 Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon proclaim the vintage as the decade's best while also comparing the wine to Left-Bank Bordeaux. I decided to test my 2002 out this past weekend to see how the wine was drinking as it nears ten years of age.

Jordan of course is known for being a hugely popular brand in restaurants and retail, and also for their epic chateau and hospitality. What gets lost in all the panache is how balanced and elegant (and consistently good!) their two wines (Alexander Valley and Russian River Chardonnay) are vintage after vintage. The Chardonnay at around $25-$30 and the Cabernet at around $40-$50 are always very solid buys, especially when you find a retailer discounting them.

What's also sometimes lost is Jordan's intrinsic link to the history of California wine. Jordan was a pioneering winery in the Alexander Valley AVA. André Tchelistcheff, the legendary and seminal figure in California wine, was Jordan's consulting enologist. Tchelistcheff hired Rob Davis as winemaker in 1972, who is still the winemaker today.

The 2002 is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot with splashes of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It  was aged in barrel (65% French and 35% American oak) for 12 months with an additional 3 months in large American oak tanks, before an additional 17 months in bottle before release. The grapes come from Jordan's Alexander Valley estate as well as select Alexander Valley growers.

The notes come after a three hour decant- Full dark ruby color lightening at its edges. Kicks off with notes of currant, cassis, cedar & spice that carry though to the palate. Finely structured with medium weight. Layered fruit flavors with cedar/spice oak notes that open up a bit with air. Balanced and nuanced. Fine round tannins still holding. Medium finish. Still going strong. (rating- I like+!)

I think the wine is in a peak phase and can hold for several more years. It was equally strong on day two. To the website's point on the Left Bank Bordeaux comparison- it was similar in flavor and structure to the 2005 Clos Du Marquis that I opened a week prior- both very enjoyable!

A great deal on a great Cab with an already great price.

There's plenty to debate about Napa Cabernet Sauvignon pricing. It's a weird and ahistorical caste system held together by ratings, real-estate prices, production levels, mailing lists and the latest greatest high-priced winemakers.

Where Napa Valley wine really becomes cool is when you find the producers making great Napa Cabernet off of that grid. Here you can break off of the main drag and visit a Napa Valley winery while having a laid-back and down-to-earth experience. And after you're through you can pay 40 or 50 bucks for a bottle of Napa Cab that amazes you. One that you know is as good as wines priced much higher. And one that gives you the essence of the place you just visited.

A couple of names that fit the description for me are Smith-Madrone and White Rock Vineyards. What got me going on this was seeing White Rock's 2005 Laureate on Lot 18 yesterday. Lot 18 is offering 6 packs for 179.94 through mid-March. The winery's price is listed at $45, so in my book it's a steal. If you like classically-styled Napa Cab with hillside tannins, focused fruit and the ability to age- it's a great deal. And if you're planning a visit to Napa Valley, head down to Soda Canyon and check out the vineyards and underground winery.

White Rock Vineyards

Here's a note I wrote when I visited the winery last year-

Tasted at the winery. Vanilla, cedar, toffee, minerals, currant, and cassis are introduced on the bouquet. A beautiful satiny feel in the palate, with added notes of black tea, iron, red currant, and cherry. Nice weight throughout. Firm, gripping tannins. Big finish with spice and currant. Multi-layered, it's outstanding now and but will continue to benefit with time. (rating- I love!)

One to indulge on!