February 22, 2014 – Drought comeback in Napa Valley

Finally, some desperately needed rain has fallen in Napa Valley, and not a moment too soon.  Ordinarily by this time the mustard is two feet high and starting to pop its yellow blossoms, creating a golden shimmer across the vineyards here.  This year, you can just make out the new growth of the cover crop, motivated by the recent rain.  Although the drought is still severe, the late rains come at a time when the vines will need the water most – as they awaken from their winter’s slumber.  Below are two photos I took from around the same time of year, one from 2012 and one today.

From 2012:

Typical mustard growth from February 8, 2012

From 2014:

Dry fields just beginning to sprout cover crop on February 22, 2014

February 1, 2014 – Wine: 2006 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay

I accidentally bought this wine.  After reading about the Judgment of Paris and the wines involved, I had been wanting to visit Mayacamas to taste what they had to offer.  I visited their winery atop the Mayacamas mountain range and took the tour.  At the end of the tour, I decided (after tasting their current releases) to pick up two half-bottles of their latest Cabernet and a half-bottle of their 1984 Cabernet.  (The 1984 was superb!)  I received the bottles in a nice box and drove home (a distance of about 100 miles).  When I opened the box, I found one half-bottle of each cabernet and this half-bottle of Chardonnay.  I called the winery and they corrected the billing, but I was stuck with the Chardonnay.  At the winery, I recalled flavors of green apple and yeast, and enough weight to allow aging.  So, I left the bottle in my cellar.  Tonight I opened it and was quite pleased with the result.  The flavors are more muted than the young wine, but the yeast flavor is gone, and the remaining flavors are nicely balanced and complex.  There is still a suggestion of richness to this wine, and the complex palette offers up grains, pear, green apple, and honey.  Let the wine decant at least 45 minutes.

Provenance, December 21, 2013

www.provenancevineyards.com

After a stop at Duckhorn, it only makes sense to visit Provenance.  After all, the winemaker at Provenance, Tom Rinaldi, made wine for Duckhorn during the 1980’s and 1990’s before coming to Provenance.  And I wanted to compare the wine styles of the two wineries to see how much of Tom’s style remains at Duckhorn.  As it turns out, the current winemaker at Duckhorn started a few years after Tom’s departure, so there was no overlap in training.  And this shows in the wines, as the two styles are indeed different, though I am partial to the style Tom has developed at Provenance.  The tasting experience at Provenance is much more casual and accessible, welcoming guests at the tasting room without an appointment.  Of course, there are no garden-side, veranda tasting experiences at Provenance, but the atmosphere is less fussy.

Relax in the shade on the lawn in front of Provenance Vineyards.

I ended up tasting the same 5 wines (out of 15?) as during my last visit.  This is due in part to wanting share my idea of Provenance’s best with my companions, and in part because I didn’t realize I had tasted the exact same wines.  I started with the 2012 Estate Sauvignon Blanc, then tried the 2009 Three Palms Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon, which was my favorite of the flight.  I ended with side-by-side tastes of the 2009 Hewitt and the 2010 Hewitt.

A full review was written already about Provenance Vineyards during my visit on February 8^th, 2012.

January 25, 2014 – Wines: Bordeaux versus Napa Valley from 2005

 Today I had the opportunity to compare two wines from the same vintage made from substantially similar grapes but grown in different wine-growing regions.  Both wines come from the same vintage, and each vintage produced remarkable wines in each growing region.  The first was a right bank Bordeaux from Saint Emilion while the second was a Cabernet from Rutherford in Napa Valley.  Both wines were truly delicious, but their styles differ substantially.

2005 Chateau Cotes de Baleau Saint Emilion Grand Cru

It turns out that this was the second half-bottle of this wine that I have opened, the first being two years ago.  This wine is composed primarily of Merlot, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon blended in (typical of Saint Emilion).  The nose on this wine was remarkable with a mix of fruit and spice characteristics.  The palette was delicious and balanced, nearly elegant, and restrained in the classic Bordeaux style.  I noted flavors of plum, pencil lead, tobacco, mineral, and black currants.  Checking my notes from two years ago, it would seem that the salty characteristic of this wine has waned and come into balance. 

2005 Chateau Cotes de Baleau Saint Emilion Grand Cru

2005 Bell Cellars Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon

Bell Cellars prides itself on crafting wines in the Bordeaux style.  Unlike the Cotes de Baleau I opened first, this wine is made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes using only the Clone 6 rootstock of the grape.  I remember being impressed by this wine when I tasted it at the winery and thinking it should be cellared for a while.  Today I finally opened my first half-bottle and was quite pleased with this wine.  If you drink this wine without waiting, you may be disappointed – I strongly recommend decanting for 90 minutes.  The nose was great and the palette delightfully balanced.  The distinction between these two wines lies in the wine’s weight on the palette and the presentation of the fruit.  This more substantial wine features beautiful red fruits from the vintage, including cranberry, cherry, red currant, and pomegranate, all balanced nicely by minerals and a hint of pencil lead.

2005 Bell Cellars Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon

January 15, 2014 – Wine: 2006 Steltzner Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine impressed me when it was released, enough so that I bought a couple of half-bottles at the tasting room.  Even though this wine is from the 2006 vintage (which is not one of my favorites from Napa Valley), this wine showed a sense of quality, especially for the price.  I opened the first half-bottle in 2011, and it showed well with nice balance, structure, and fruit and a good sense of quality, leaning toward richness.  Tonight, I opened the second half-bottle to share a glass with two friends.  Because I did not allow the wine to breathe, they felt the wine had bad flavor and gave up on it quickly.  I tasted it and was reminded of the 1997 Duckhorn, which required a few hours to decant and open up.  I found that after about 90 minutes the fruit was beginning to unlock, but it was time to retire for the night so I rebottled the remaining wine.  The next night, I uncorked the wine and found that the palette had opened up, revealing juicy flavors of dark cherry, red currant, leather, pomegranate, and minerals.

2006 Steltzner Cabernet Sauvignon

Duckhorn Vineyards, December 21, 2013

Winery - 8 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Classic Napa Valley experience.  Cabernet, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc.  By reservation only.
www.duckhorn.com

My friend has been a wine club member at Duckhorn for about a year now and wanted to share the experience with me.  I had been to the Goldeneye tasting room in Anderson Valley and really enjoyed the experience, so I had high expectations for the actual Duckhorn tasting room in Saint Helena.  I have to admit that the experience is quite similar, although the Duckhorn experience is a little less intimate due to the sheer volume of customers they attract.  Clearly, the wine-club experience is different from the first-time visitor’s experience, namely in the number of wines that you get to experience.  Wine-club members will have the opportunity to taste a broader selection of wines, including a few limited-release wines, both from Duckhorn and from Goldeneye.  I expect that even the non-club member tasting offers plenty of wine to enjoy – if you are curious about something special, you might want to ask about it.

The entry to Duckhorn Vineyards tasting room

The Duckhorn tasting room is located just off of the Silverado Trail at Lodi Lane, though the winery is easily missed if you are not looking for it.  Signs do mark the turn and the driveway entrance, and the building can be seen from the road (as you drive by).  The building is architected to resemble an old farm house, though on a much larger scale.  Inside, there is nothing old or yesteryear about the place.  Rather, each room is decorated with modern taste and works to blend ideal elements from both the old world and the new.  A crackling fire greets guests in the winter as they wait to be seated for their tasting.  Rich cherry-wood accents are found everywhere providing a gentle contrast to the light oak flooring.  A large, glass, temperature-controlled bottle room provides a visual distraction to the waiting area and the inside seating area.  A large circular service bar occupies the middle of the tasting room where the staff assembles your wine-tasting experience.  Plenty of natural light streams into the tasting room should you prefer to taste indoors, and ample windows connect you with the outside.  In warm weather, guests may choose to be seated outside on the veranda overlooking the garden and vineyards, though you can expect to wait for one of these spots during busier weekends. 

Inside the tasting room at Duckhorn Vineyards

The first thing you will need to visit here is a reservation.  The second thing you will need (if you are a wine club member) is a designated driver.  Duckhorn has a number of wines in their portfolio, and they want you to experience as much of it as possible.  (You should allow a little extra time to do so.)  Upon arrival, each guest is handed a pour of their Sauvignon Blanc, in this case, the 2012 vintage, which I enjoyed while we waited for our table.  Once seated, we were poured a number of wines in quick succession so that you could enjoy a sip of one before the next was poured, but you ended up with all of the wines in front of you for comparison.  We started off with the 2010 Goldeneye Pinot Noir, then enjoyed the 2010 Three Palms Merlot, the 2010 Atlas Peak Merlot, the 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and ended with the 2010 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Three Palms Merlot stood out from the others and was my favorite of the lineup.  Because my friend is a wine-club member, we were also offered a couple pours from other limited bottlings, but as the driver, I had to draw the line for myself.

In good weather, it's worth waiting for a seat on the Veranda at Duckhorn Vineyards.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as an 8 and the wines as a 7.

January 14, 2014 – Wine: 2007 Carmel Road Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir

I first discovered the 2005 Carmel Road Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir during a tasting lineup of 2005 Pinots.  The Carmel Road stood out for its presentation, prominent fruits, and great balance.  It’s price made it an easy decision too.  When I saw this 2007 marked down on one of my online wine sites, I decided to give it a try.  After all, the winemaker had a good style, and the 2007 Pinots are drinking nicely right now.  After a few missed attempts to open this bottle, the cork finally came out tonight.  This wine is drinking wonderfully right now.  It’s flavor profile reminds me of the glorious 2007 Gary Farrell I opened last August, with vintage-typical flavors of blueberry, cherry, baking spices, mint, and minerals awash in a well-balanced, almost elegant wine.  And the price for this level of quality is terrific.

February 7, 2014 – Year Two

So, it has been two years since my first post on February 7, 2012.  In the last year I have posted 163 times and had 5800 visits, which is up 65% from my first year.  So, I’d like to thank everyone who reads this.  This year I have spent more time developing one-day itineraries for those interested in a specific theme or region of Napa Valley.  I have also written about buying wines in a futures program, the patience needed to wait for the futures wines, more experiences with break-resistant stemware, and an observation about rapidly increasing tasting fees.  I have visited 47 wineries in the past year, of which 21 were new visits.  If there is anything you would like me to write about, please be sure to leave a comment about the topic. 

Here are the most visited posts to date:

Hewitt Vineyards, May 12^th, 2012
Unbreakable Wine Glasses
Wine Decanters
Wine:  2007 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon


Here are the most visited winery reviews to date:

Hewitt Vineyards, May 12^th, 2012
Corison Winery, December 28^th, 2012
Gary Farrell Winery, July 25^th, 2012
Summers Estate Wines, August 24^th, 2012


I look forward to my third year of providing information.  I’ll try to build out more of the one-day itineraries with interesting themes, such as those that feature restored old cars.

January 12, 2014 – Wine: 2007 Bell Cellars Claret

This wine is reaching a wonderful stage right now.  This was my third and final bottle of the 2007 Claret and now I am going to miss it.  The first bottle I opened back in 2011 was a little premature.  I opened the next bottle in early 2012 and it was starting to show its merit.  Tonight I opened this wine to share with friends and the wow! simply poured out of the bottle.  The first thing you notice with this wine is its beautiful fruit-forward presentation.  This wine is superbly balanced, complex, and integrated, with vintage-typical flavors of blueberry, blackberry, baking spices, eucalyptus, and minerals.  I shall have to seek out more bottles of Bell Claret soon, as my stock of Bell wines is nearly depleted.

Freemark Abbey, December 21, 2013

www.freemarkabbey.com

My friends and I had just finished a late lunch in Saint Helena and had about 45 minutes to occupy.  We all wanted to visit another winery, but most places want to pour through their entire collection or require an appointment at a specific time.  We selected Freemark Abbey for its proximity to our 3:00 destination and its flexibility around the tasting menu.  (The fact I was a member there didn’t hurt either.)  My friends had never visited the historic stone winery building and enjoyed the setting.  The (gas) fireplace was lit which added visual warmth to the atmosphere indoors, even though the temperature was in the low 60’s outside.

Entry to the historic Freemark Abbey Winery building

We each decided to try different wines.  I opted for just three reds.  I started with the 2010 Mount Veeder Zinfandel, and followed with the 2009 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, and ended with the 2009 Bosché Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  While the 2009 Bosché was clearly my favorite, I also enjoyed the more affordable Zinfandel and bought a bottle.  My friends tasted the 2010 Petite Sirah and bought a bottle.  They also tasted the late-harvest Riesling and later lamented not having brought some home.



A full review was written already about Freemark Abbey during my visit on December 28^th, 2012.

January 8, 2014 – Wine: 2005 Saint Clement Star Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight I am continuing my exploration of 2005 Cabernets and how they are progressing.  This time I selected the Saint Clement Star Vineyard Cabernet from Rutherford (in a 750ml bottle).  This wine was promising during a preview in 2008, and wonderfully rich and expressive when I opened it in 2010 and 2011.  Tonight, this wine has followed a similar progression as the others, tending now towards darker flavors, with the fruits taking a back seat to other complexities arising.  This wine remains lush and balanced, featuring flavors of pomegranate, baking spices, dark cherry, cranberry, and minerals.  I have another bottle of this wine remaining to open … probably in another 18 months or so.