Saint Clement was patiently holding onto my July wine-club shipment, so the primary motivation for my trip today was to relieve them of my shipment. (I had until the 23rd before they would ship it and charge me extra.) When I arrived at the winery, it seemed as though I was the only guest. Even so, I was directed up to the winemaker’s studio to conduct my club-member tasting, which was great for me because it meant another tasting under the oaks that gently shade the patio there. There is an indoor tasting option at the studio for when Goldilocks would be unhappy (“too hot” or “too cold”), but Goldilocks was nowhere to be found on this beautiful summer afternoon. Always looking for creative ways to make use of old wine barrels, a small display had been set up with some summer flowers in a small vase on the old barrel to soften the atmosphere there.
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| The late afternoon view from the Saint Clement patio |
My club pickup included the 2011 Napa Valley Merlot and the 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, so I was eager to try these wines. I was convinced to start with a sample of the 2012 Abbott’s Vineyard Chardonnay. I followed this by the 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (which I won’t be giving away) and the 2011 Oroppas blend. Then I tried the two mountain Cabernets, the 2010 Steinhauer Ranch (Howell Mountain) and the 2010 Armstrong Ranch (Diamond Mountain). I have long been a fan of the Howell Mountain Cabernet from here and this was again my favorite wine of the lineup. (Of course, I went home with a bottle of the 2010 Rutherford Cabernet, which is drinking wonderfully now.) I guess I’ll have to try the 2011 Merlot on my next visit.
A full review was written already about Saint Clement Vineyards during my visit on May 12th, 2012.
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