Range: 1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Exceptional autumn views. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Cabernet.
www.cuvaison.com
My sister was the one who first convinced me to visit Cuvaison winery. As a fan of bubbly wines, she had been visiting Domain Carneros and spotted the entrance to Cuvaison while leaving. She immediately joined Cuvaison’s wine club and invited me to come along. I ended up bringing home a number of her wine-club shipments for her during my visits to Napa Valley. Then, her finances changed and she dropped her wine club membership. Years have elapsed since then, so I decided it was time for a return visit. Being in Carneros, Cuvaison’s vineyards tend to cling to the last of the morning’s fog, and today the skies were just beginning to clear as I arrived at noon. The weather and the setting combined to give me a glorious experience there, with spectacular views, very agreeable weather, beautiful architecture, and tasty wines.
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| The Cuvaison Winery Carneros tasting room |
To get to Cuvaison from Napa, you will drive west on Highway 121 and then turn left onto Duhig Road. (Domain Carneros should be visible before the turn.) The driveway entrance to Cuvaison is well marked, directly across from Domain Carnero’s entrance. You will drive about ¼ mile up a driveway to get to the tasting room. The tasting room and operations buildings are done in a modern style with redwood integrated into the sides, large windows overlooking the vineyards below, and exposed metalwork. Inside, the modern elegance continues the woodwork throughout the interior of the tasting room. A number of tasting tables have been set up around a large rack of wine bottles in the center of the room. Most of the room’s floor-to-ceiling window panels swivel 90-degrees to bring the beautiful weather indoors (or shut out the bad stuff). Tasters are welcome to sit outdoors under the extended roof or exposed to the afternoon sun. I chose to sit indoors as there were already a number of guests outside.
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| Inside the tasting room at Cuvaison Winery |
My tasting flight started out with small plans but grew as I talked with the sales associate. I started off with the 2012 Kite Tail Vineyard Chardonnay, and followed that by the 2012 Estate Pinot Noir. Next, the sales associate convinced me to try the 2011 Mariafeld Pinot Noir. Next on the tasting menu was a Syrah that I never got to. Upon learning that I enjoy elegant Zinfandels, she poured for me the two Zinfandels from their Brandlin label, the 2012 Estate Zinfandel and the 2012 Bald Mountain Zinfandel. I finished with the 2011 Brandlin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I ended up bringing home a bottle of the 2012 Estate Zinfandel.
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| The vineyard view from the Cuvaison Winery tasting room |
Based on this experience, I would rate the winery an 8 and the wines a 7. This is consistent with my prior visits.
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