April 7, 2014 – Wine: 2008 Saint Clement Oroppas

After tasting the 2005 vintage of this wine, I was eager to try the 2008.  Noting how many of the 2008’s are starting to come alive now, I thought I should open a bottle of this before it misses its peak.  Most of the Oroppas blends tend to peak after about eight to ten years after harvest, so I thought I should check in on this one.  Immediately after opening, the wine was expressive and tending towards fruits.  After an hour open, the wine was fairly soft, well balanced, but lacking any kind of wow! characteristics.  On the palette, I noted black fruits like blackberry, sweet prunes, leather, and minerals, and a note of lime on the finish.  This wine still needs more time in the bottle.  I’ll open another after a year or so.

Elizabeth Spencer Wines, March 31, 2013

www.elizabethspencerwines.com

The one problem I can think of with the Elizabeth Spencer Wines tasting room is that it is too convenient to the main highway.  Nearly every time I pass through Rutherford, there it is, beckoning with its quaint exterior and tasty wines.  Ordinarily I make an effort to resist, but I figured my friend might have more wine to pick up, so I had better check.  Sure enough, his February wine club shipment was chilling in their cellar.  Since I would be seeing him in the next two weeks, I picked up his bottles and brought them with me.  I really do enjoy visiting the tasting room, even on a rainy day such as today.  I have always been attracted by brickwork, latticework, and wine racks, and this place offers all three.

The quaint exterior of Elizabeth Spencer's tasting room.

Of course, it would be a crime to step into the tasting room and not taste any wine, especially with the staff so generously offering up a sample or two (or four?).  I started off with a pour of the 2011 GPS red blend, which was reasonably ripe for the vintage.  I followed with the 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Special Cuvee), the 2010 Sonoma Chardonnay (which was in his shipment), and the 2010 Rutherford Cabernet (also in his shipment).  I enjoyed the Napa Valley cuvee best, but this Rutherford Cabernet will be very nice in a few years.

A full review was written already about Elizabeth Spencer Wines during my visit on November 2^nd, 2012.

April 3, 2014 – Wine: 2005 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon

One of the challenges every wine collector faces is when to open that last bottle.  In tonight’s case, it was the last bottle of a 2005 Cabernet from Paradigm Winery.  I first discovered Paradigm while completing a case purchase of half-bottles online.  Then, I found these 2005’s at a wine shop in Saint Helena while visiting Napa Valley and scooped up a few.  On my second visit to the winery, they poured this wine and it was showing beautifully.  And by then, there were no remaining half-bottles to be found.  So, I had to hold onto the lone remaining half-bottle for as long as I could.  Tonight, I relented and opened it.  The wine is in a great phase of development.  The nose is potent, and the palette is equal parts richness, elegance, and power, all delivered with balance (after a 60-minute decant). 

2005 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Sequoia Grove Vineyards, March 31, 2014

Winery - 6 / Wines - 6
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Nestled among the few redwoods in Napa Valley.  Cabernets and interesting whites.
www.sequoiagrove.com

This place has a lot of wood … and some tall redwood trees in the middle of the vineyards.  It had been a few years since my last visit to Sequoia Grove.  My first visit here was motivated by a friend’s recommendation (he’s a cellar rat and has some experience in the area).  I don’t recall being too enthusiastic about my visit then.  Everything was nice it seemed, but …  This time, I suppose that the vintage smiled upon the folks at Sequoia Grove as I found some of their wines to be remarkable, especially when factoring in the price.  And, I have to admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for these gentle evergreen giants.  And, perhaps I paid closer attention to all the woodwork inside, especially the giant oak casks that seem nearly as large as the trees outside (in their own way). 

The Sequoia Grove tasting room nestled among the redwoods.

Driving down the Sequoia Grove driveway in the light rain, the winery building nestled between the redwoods takes on a mystical sense.  (Most of the time the weather is sunny, so this effect isn’t seen.)  Of course, you have to focus your view in order to see this, as the vineyards are a mere thirty feet away to each side.  The building is finished in redwood which has a neutral stain finish.  Inside, the woodwork abounds.  The walls and ceiling are finished in a nice redwood.  As the only light to the room comes through the French doors and a window above them, this woodwork tends to darken the room.  Fortunately, the redwoods themselves solved this dilemma by dropping a heavy branch onto the roof of the tasting room during a storm, motivating the winery to install a skylight where the branch had fallen.  Flanking the French doors are two massive oak casks that stand nearly two stories tall.  The tasting bar lines the back wall of the tasting area and can accommodate a dozen or more people comfortably.

One of the two giant casks inside the Sequoia Grove tasting room.

I opted for the red wines on the basic tasting menu.  I started with the 2010 Cabernet Franc, which has nice fruit.  I moved on to the 2010 Merlot, followed by the 2010 Rebellious Red which is a tasty blend of the classic Bordeaux grapes.  I finished with the impressive 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.  While the Reserve Cabernet was my favorite, both the Napa Valley Cabernet and the Rebellious Red represent terrific values, and I bought a bottle of the Rebellious Red to take home.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 6 and the wines offered as a 6.  This is consistent with my previous visit.

March 27, 2014 – Wine: 2005 Provenance Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

When this wine was young, it showed promise.  Of course, I succumbed to the hoopla in the media about the quality of the vintage and started seeking out these wines.  At one point, the half-bottles were reduced in price by 50%, so I snatched up another case.  (The one good thing to come from the economic downturn was these wine opportunities.)  It wasn’t long before the wine began to shut down, featuring flavors of mineral, tamarind, and tobacco above the flavors of fruit.  Then, about a year ago, this wine started coming back into balance, presenting more tasty red fruit flavors and more muted earth notes.  Today, this bottle was spectacular, presenting a wonderfully smooth and beautifully balanced palette, with flavors of delicious red fruits featured prominently above a subtle, yet complex bath of earth and minerals.  (It is interesting to note that I found the flavors in the half-bottle more interesting than in the full bottle from last December.)  Dang if there isn’t just one half-bottle remaining.

2005 Provenance Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa Wine Company Tasting Room, March 31, 2014

Winery - 5 / Wines - 5
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Taste many wine labels in one place.  The menu varies each week.
www.trnapawineco.com

My wine-tasting buddy (who had to cancel this trip) had recently recommended Oakville Winery’s 2010 Cabernet, based on a dinner he had attended.  I looked about and found that the only way for a consumer to get this wine locally was at this tasting room, so I decided to make a quick stop to pick up a bottle.  The tasting room spotlights a different winery each week, and it wasn’t Oakville Winery when I went.  But, fortune had smiled on me as someone else had requested a sample of the same Cabernet earlier that day, so I was able to taste the wine.  And, because I was able to taste it, I decided to buy two bottles instead of one.  (It shows a lot of promise).  If you are looking to experience new wines, this place is for you.  If you are looking to try a specific wine that they sell, you may need to keep an eye on their weekly tasting menu at their web site to plan your visit.  If you call ahead of your visit, they might be able to accommodate a special tasting arrangement.

You’ll find the Napa Wine Company’s tasting room at the corner of Oakville Cross and Highway 29.  From outside, the tasting room is only slightly distinguished from the surrounding operations buildings.  Inside, it’s obvious that an attempt has been made to make visitors feel welcome.  The room is ample and accommodates many small groups of people tasting at the same time at the two tasting bars that line two adjacent walls of the room.  In the center of the room, some comfortable leather chairs are set on a large wool carpet that helps absorb some of the sound that would reflect off the many hard surfaces.  Behind one of the tasting bars, a wine rack runs from counter height all the way up to its tall ceilings.  The lack of natural lighting was exaggerated by the cloud-laden skies outside.

Inside the tasting room at Napa Wine Company

As I was asking about the 2010 Oakville Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, I asked whether it would be possible to have a taste.  The young lady serving me indicated that the wine was already open and she poured me a sample.  The wine tasted nice enough that I bought two.  I asked her which was her favorite, and she smiled and poured me some 2010 Liparita Oakville Cabernet.  This second wine was even better, but it cost more as well, so I left with only my original purchase in hand.  This truly is a great way to shop for wine.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 5 and the wines offered as a 5.  (I may revise the wine rating as I taste other winemakers’ offerings.)

March 24, 2014 – Wine: 2005 Saint Clement Oroppas

I still remember when I first discovered a few half-bottles of 2001 Oroppas online and ordered some.  The wine rating was 93 points, so it couldn’t be too bad.  The description mentioned something about full-throttle delivery, and sure enough, that wine delivered.  This 2005 vintage, the first under the guidance of a new wine maker, was a little softer, yet each time I tasted it young, I craved for a bottle it.  It offered the best of the red fruits that typified the vintage, and when I had misplaced a couple of bottles, I nearly cried.  (I later discovered them in the secret aging box beneath the other boxes in my cellar.)  Tonight I pulled the cork on another one, and was pleased.  Perhaps most notable was the nose, which I could discern through my allergy-congested nose.  On the complex palette I noted flavors of pomegranate, cherry, vanilla, minerals, and baking spices.  This wine still has a few years of life remaining in it for cellaring.

2005 Saint Clement Oroppas Cabernet Sauvignon

Hestan Vineyards, March 31, 2014

Winery - 8 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Beautifully decorated tasting room in central Yountville. Cabernet blends and Chardonnay.
www.hestan.com

When I first discovered Meyer Vineyards Cabernet (the 2003 vintage), I went looking online for their tasting room.  I learned that Meyer was part of the Hestan Vineyards project, which was situated in the remote hills on the south-eastern side of the valley.  Because of their remote location, they offered no tasting facility.  Then, two years ago, I received a newsletter announcing ground-breaking activities in Yountville for their new tasting room.  On every visit to the valley I would drive past the construction site in anticipation.  Of course it would take four more visits to Napa Valley after its completion before I would have an opportunity to stop in for a tasting, but it was well worth the wait.  Not to be one to complain about the rain during a severe drought, but I was caught in a heavy downpour as I was pulling into the small Hestan parking lot.  The heavy rain lasted about two hours before easing back.  While grateful (for the vines’ sake), it was really a wet blanket tossed on my afternoon.  Still, visiting this new tasting room helped me forget about the rain for a while.

The Hestan Vineyards tasting room in central Yountville

As the tasting room was being built, I could tell that it was going to be an eye-catcher.  I just was uncertain whether it would catch my eye because of its luxurious design, or its vein attempt at stand-out design that went horribly wrong.  It ended up somewhere near the middle of those two extremes.  The building makes good use of glass and modern lines for most of the building.  The oddity is the half-arch abutting the entry to the building, which attracts the wrong kind of attention to the building.  The designers managed to make this all work, incorporating just the right balance of weathered metals, dark glass, and creamy stucco.  Inside, the design is unquestionably agreeable.  Multiple textures and surfaces bring a rich palette of colors to the room, from the warmth of the wooden tasting bench in front of the window, to the soft putty of the upholstery, to the rust-colored accent wall, and the genius tile work on the floor.  Surrounding the tasting room where one might expect to find bottles of wine proudly displayed, you find instead the parent company’s shiny gourmet cookware set out for those with kitchen ambitions to admire.

Inside the Hestan tasting room

While I have enjoyed several vintages of the Meyer Cabernet and recently relished a 2003 Hestan Cabernet half-bottle, I have longed to experience the entire line up of wines made by the Hestan projects.  I started off with the 2010 Hestan Chardonnay, which was amazingly rich.  Then I sampled the 2009 and 2010 Stephany Merlots.  Next was the 2009 Meyer Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2008 and 2009 Stephany Cabernet Sauvignon, and lastly the 2008 Stephany Proprietary Red blend, which was my favorite wine of the flight.  I was able to sample so many wines because the tasting room uses the new (and pricy) Coravin tool to extract the wine from the bottle directly through the cork (via a narrow syringe).  The device displaces the wine removed by argon gas, leaving the remaining wine unexposed to air.

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

March 10, 2014 – Wine: 2003 Chateau Duhart Milon Pauillac Grand Cru Classe

I bought two half bottles of this wine years apart.  The first I bought (naively) back in 2006 before I knew much about Bordeaux, let alone about wines in general.  It cost me $17 at that time.  The second bottle I picked up about two years ago for more than twice that price.  Had I but known …  I bought the second bottle after opening a half-bottle of the 1982 in 2009 and being absolutely amazed by the wine.  Back in 2006, I added a piece of masking tape around the capsule instructing me to hold onto the bottle until 2008.  After tasting the 1982, I decided it should wait much longer.  And I am so glad I waited.  The 2003 is in a nice place, with good structure and modest tannins, and a gradually diminishing finish that lasts a while.  On the palette, I noted mineral, cherry, currant, leather, and tobacco, all in good balance.

Ridge Winery, March 16, 2014

www.ridgewine.com

Every year, Ridge Winery puts on a barrel-tasting event for their Monte Bello flagship wine.  Only those wine club members who buy Monte Bello on futures are invited to attend.  Since the event is held in mid-March, the weather can be a little unpredictable, ranging from cold and blustery, to a damp drizzle, to the nearly perfect weather conditions brought on by a severe drought.  The sun was shining and the temperatures were idling in the low 70’s – perfect for enjoying both red and white wines.  It had been quite some time since my previous visit and much of the renovation work that had been started was now finished, lending a touch of elegance to this otherwise rustic, mountain-top winery.  The weather drew such a crowd this year that drivers were directed to a “remote” parking lot the better part of a mile up the mountain from the winery.  A shuttle took visitors down a vineyard trail on the backside of the winery, revealing terraced mountain slopes full of vines, with the cover crop just beginning to green up.  This unique view made up for the inconvenience of dealing with the shuttle.

The completed renovation work at Ridge includes a new garden path.

Upon registering at the event, you are handed a pour of the 2012 Estate Chardonnay.  (Note to half-bottle fans: this is the first year the Estate Chardonnay is available in half-bottles.)  From there, you move on to each of the barrel tasting stations where you will first try the four components (Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon) that make up the Monte Bello wine individually, and then the 2013 First Assemblage (a prototype of how the wine will be blended), giving you the first glance at the 2013 vintage and seeing first-hand how each of the components contribute to the final product.  Finally, you get to sample the newly released 2011 Monte Bello (and pick up your order to bring home), which seems rather locked-down and restrained compared to the 2013.  This 2013 is performing nicely, and I am eager to taste it again at the Final Assemblage event in May.

Poppies decorate the sunny hillside at Ridge (taken in April)

A full review was written already about Ridge Winery during my visit on March 3^rd, 2012.

March 9, 2014 – Wine: 2004 Rudd Estate Proprietary Red

I tasted this wine at the winery and sought out a case of it.  (Yes, it was that good.)  Then I let it sit for three years before opening the first bottle.  Again I was disappointed that one of my premium wine purchases was thinning, restrained, and lacking its youthful richness.  Of course, this is probably the stage of wine development known as locked-down.  Tonight, I opened my second bottle and the results were quite different.  Similar to the development trend of the 2002 release of this wine, this vintage is tending now towards elegance, with power to back it up.  The wine is delightfully smooth, with flavors of sour cherry, raspberry, blackberry, tea, and leather.  Now I am glad that I have nearly a case remaining to enjoy.

2004 Rudd Oakville Estate Proprietary Red

J. Lohr Vineyards and Wine, March 9, 2014

www.jlohr.com

One thing that I appreciate about J. Lohr winery is that they recycle used (natural) corks from wine bottles.  I always feel a little conspicuous because I save up corks for months before bringing them in to recycle.  Enjoying a tasting of their wines helps me forget about the feeling, and it gives me an opportunity to see how their latest vintage is developing.  As it turns out, the J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet is usually one of the first Cabernets released each vintage and it allows me to get an idea about how the vintage might turn out.  Today they were pouring the 2012, which I had been waiting to taste.

As I was running other errands, I decided to try only three wines, partly to save time, and partly to reduce the affects of the alcohol.  So, I started with the recently released 2012 Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, which seems a little locked down (wait about two months and enjoy your 2011 in the mean time).  Next I tried the 2010 Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon followed by the 2010 Cuvee Pau.  Of the three wines, the Carol’s Vineyard was my favorite for its development and depth.

A full review was written already about J. Lohr Vineyards during my visit on March 25^th, 2012.