Provenance Vineyards, January 19, 2015

www.provenancevineyards.com

When trying to cut back on the wine you are consuming, it is probably best to avoid tasting at wineries where you are a wine club member.  Such was the case with this visit.  I had to stop at Provenance to pick up a wine order from a few weeks back, so the winery was hard to pass up.  As usually, I was recognized, greeted warmly by old staff (and treated well by the new person), and offered some very nice wines to try, including one that I had tasted two years prior at a special members-only event.  By the time that we left Provenance, I was grateful not to be driving, as I was starting to feel the effects of the day’s wine consumption.

Provenance Vineyards building as dusk settles.

I had intended to taste only three wines at Provenance, but as I was finishing my third pour, I was told that the 2009 Hewitt Double-Plus Cabernet Sauvignon was open and available to taste, which was a very rare opportunity.  How could I resist?  I started my tasting flight with the 2012 Cabernet Franc, followed by the 2010 Three Palms Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2010 Oakville To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon.  Next I was offered the 2009 Hewitt Double-Plus Cabernet Sauvignon.  As I was finishing that, I was told that the 2010 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon was performing well right now.  The only problem was that this last wine faced a lot of potent competition, with the Hewitt Double-Plus being the star of the flight.  Impressive in its own right was the 2010 Oakville To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon, which was my second favorite.

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

 

Joseph Phelps Vineyards, January 19, 2015

Tasting Room - 4 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Outdoor tasting during construction.  Red and white wines.  Reservations required.www.josephphelps.com

After a quick lunch in Yountville, it was onto Joseph Phelps Vineyards where I was eager to taste their 2012 Cabernets.  I had not yet visited Joseph Phelps, and I probably picked the wrong time to visit.  The tasting room has been closed for several months while it undergoes extensive remodeling, so I will still have no idea how nice the tasting experience is there.  The other problem was that after so much mine from my prior two stops that day, the last thing I needed was another six-wine tasting flight, but that’s what we faced here.  I had surrendered my driving role to my friend after lunch because I was already starting to feel the extra alcohol in my system and felt it would be irresponsible to be driving.  Why did I choose to come to Joseph Phelps Vineyards then?  It was at my friend’s request that we visit here.  The good news is that the 2012 Cabernet was well worth the visit.  (Too bad that they were still pouring the 2011 Insignia.)

The temporary visitor center set up at Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Because of the renovation work underway on the main tasting room, Joseph Phelps has set up a small complex of temporary buildings for their visitors’ center.  And, because the weather was spectacular for mid-January (even for May), we enjoyed our wines outside on the patio under the filtered sunlight.  The visitor center is set up for check-in and making purchases.  An array of tables has been set up outside for tasting and education, while a few rooms are also available (for inclement weather?).  The tables all look across and empty field toward the hillside where the future tasting facilities will open.  Because Joseph Phelps Vineyards is off the main roads, you should plan an extra fifteen minutes for your visit (75 instead of 60) to allow for the extra travel, check-in, and extensive tasting flight.  You will also need to make reservations ahead of your visit.

The vineyard view at Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Our tasting flight started off with two white wines: a 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2012 Chardonnay (which was the better of the two).  Then we moved onto the red wines.  Two 2012 Freestone Pinot Noirs where poured, with the second being a single-vineyard (Quarter Moon) offering.  Next came the anticipated 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by the 2011 Insignia proprietary blend.  The Cabernet Sauvignon outshone the Insignia, but this has more to do with the two vintages offered (2011 was a challenging year, while 2012 was wildly successful) than the production quality of these wines.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 4 and the wines offered as a 7.  Look for the renovated tasting room to open in June.

April 27, 2015 – Wildflowers making way for tame flowers

Driving into Napa Valley along highway 29 from the south, I couldn't help but notice that many of the wildflowers that were exploding into bloom last month have since faded, with only the stubborn and persistent golden poppy flashing its fiery orange along the roadside.  I did see the occasional patch of lupine trying to exhibit its purple bloom through the now taller (and browner) grass without much success.  If you don't stop to hunt it out, you won't know that the lupine is growing there.

In place of the wildflowers you'll find the cultivated flowers, most notably the roses.  It is common practice to plant a rose bush at the end of each row of grape vines, and those roses are now taking center stage.  Some vineyards have planted to a monochrome scheme, while others have favored color variety.  Also showing in the vineyards is the beginning of "flowering" (bloom), where the first grape clusters are starting to form.  (The individual berries are less than 1mm across at this point.). This week's rain may have been the saving grace for this fourth dry vintage in the valley, providing much needed moisture just as the fruit is starting to develop.

Roses lining the edge of the vineyard at Saint Clement

Ma(i)sonry, January 19, 2015

www.maisonry.com

While traversing the valley with my wine-tasting buddy, Ma(i)sonry was selected as our second stop (of five).  Planning for visiting five wineries should have included the quantity of wine poured at the tasting, but I overlooked this aspect.  It turned out that each stop offered an abundance of wine to sample, especially Ma(i)sonry.  The good news was that I was able to try three wines that I was eager to taste, and we were able to compare 7 samples of Cabernets (well, one was mostly Merlot) and pick our favorites.  And, the Ma(I)sonry tasting room offers an art-filled look back in time with its historic stonework and eclectic mix of antiques.  This is a very relaxing environment for tasting wines.

A generous mix of art and antiquities upstairs at Ma(I)sonry in Yountville

Each pour at Ma(i)sonry is about two ounces, which is double the size offered in most tasting flights.  My friend and I shared each pour from our two flights.  We started with the 2012 Blackbird Arise, which is remarkable for its flavor and structure.  Next came the 2010 Coup de Foudre Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by the 2012 Lail Blueprint Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2012 Pahlmeyer Jayson Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2012 Pahlmeyer Red, the 2012 Tor Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and ending with the 2010 Juslyn spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  The clear champion of this lineup is also the most expensive, namely the Pahlmeyer Red.  The Blackbird Arise was clearly the second favorite, and it was at the bottom of the price range.  (I ended up buying both.)

Looking past the old cut stone surrounding the windows to the tasting gardens at Ma(i)sonry

 

A full review was written already about Ma(i)sonry during my visit on May 14th, 2013.

Robert Biale Vineyards, January 19, 2015

www.robertbialevineyards.com

My wine-tasting buddy and I had this holiday off, so we decided to spend the day in Napa Valley.  His idea was to start earlier so we could squeeze in one additional winery visit.  I also had pick-ups at three places and he had a pick-up at one, so in all it was a busy afternoon.  Since we would be starting earlier, I wanted to start at someplace on the southern side of the valley, in Oak Knoll.  He had never been to Robert Biale, and I was eager to try their 2012 wines, so we planned our trip to start there.  I took some beautiful pictures of the foggy fields with the mustard starting to open and bloom – and deleted the files by mistake when I tried to copy them to my laptop (the file names collided).  Although I was disappointed, it does afford me another reason to return to Robert Biale, especially during the fog.

The Robert Biale black chicken points the way to the tasting room

In order to visit five wineries today, I would need to keep track of my pours and limit myself.  Of course, once the winery staff recognize your appreciation for their craft, they start to bring out their favorite bottles (not on the tasting menu) for you to try.  In this case, rather than four samples, we were treated to six.  But that’s OK, because I can simply curtail later at the next stops.  (Right!)  We started off with the 2012 Black Chicken Zinfandel, followed by the 2012 Varozza Zinfandel, the 2012 Old Kraft Zinfandel, the 2012 Pagani Zinfandel, the 2011 Old Crane Ranch, and ended with the 2011Thomann Station Petite Sirah.  The Pagani piqued my interests because Ridge Winery also makes a Zinfandel from the Pagani vineyard.  Of these, my favorite was the 2012 Varozza for its balance and elegance, while the Pagani was a close second.

A full review was written already about Robert Biale Vineyards during my visit on March 1st, 2013.

March 23, 2015 – Wildflowers gone wild

On my drive into Napa Valley this day, the one thing that stood out were the flaming California poppies and the purple patches of wild Lupine growing along Highway 12 through American Canyon.  There were many other wild flowers, but these two stood out.  Surrounded by the green natural grasses, these colors popped in the midday sun.  All along Highway 29 through Yountville, Oakville, and Rutherford I came upon these patches of vivid colors.  But the most incredible was not strictly the work of Nature.  At Provenance Vineyards, they have removed about 75% of the lawn that once occupied the front of their winery operations.  They replaced this with a handsome patio and seating area, but still had about 25% of the area left to landscape.  This year they planted perhaps the largest wildflower garden I have seen.

Wildflower garden at Provenance Vineyards

I also noticed another annual milestone in Napa Valley … bud break.  This is the time that the foliage pokes through the crusted-over branches of the grape vine and the leaves start to emerge.  It won’t be long before you see the canopy develop and the appearance of the tiny, infantile grape clusters emerging.

Bud break at Corison Winery

December 20, 2014 – The five components of Bordeaux Blends: Cabernet Franc

Back in 2011, Hendry Winery offered a blending kit for a reasonable price.  The kit consisted of five half-bottles of 2007 red wines, each 100% of a single grape variety.  The idea is that you host a party where each person tries their hand at a blend of the five varietals to see what comes up.  Lacking enough wine-geek friends to drink that much wine in one sitting, I instead decided to open them one-by-one to learn the characteristics of each wine.  In May 2012, when they put it on sale, I decided to pick up a kit. 

 

2007 Hendry Blending Kit 100% Cabernet Franc

Tonight I opened the second of the five half-bottles, a 2007 Cabernet Franc.  This wine is a blending wine, often blended into Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to lend a little lift to the fruit, and some interest to the nose.  Even when it is sold as its own varietal, it has some Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon blended in to lend the wine some richness and depth.  I wasn’t certain what to expect from this wine, but from what I had heard from winemakers, I wasn’t expecting much.  … and I was right.  The fruit on this wine was really quite tasty, although it was not quite vintage typical.  The flavors tended more towards cherry pie and baking spices and lacked any suggestion of blueberry.  The palette was where this wine was lacking.  The fruit performed wonderfully on entry, but on the mid-palette and the finish, the wine became un-dimensional, lacking any kind of structure or complexity.  While uninspiring on its own, it is clear the role that this wine plays in improving the experience when blended into Cabernet Sauvignon.  I have experienced this same effect during the component barrel tasting events at Ridge winery.

Charles Krug Winery, November 24, 2014

Tasting Room - 7 / Wines - 6
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
European-styled winery just north of Saint Helena.  Variety of reds and whites.
www.charleskrug.com
 
I was told about Charles Krug Winery during a visit back in 2008 to Rudd Oakville Estate.  The fellow hosting my small-group tasting had suggested Charles Krug as a good place to visit.  Later, I would notice Charles Krug’s property as I would drive north past Saint Helena, but I did not pass it on every trip.  So, when it came time to visit on this trip, I had trouble remembering where it was located.  Because I have switched to using the Silverado Trail and Deer Park Road to bypass the Saint Helena traffic, I have not been passing the Charles Krug estate.  As I would seldom travel north of Freemark Abbey’s tasting room, my sometimes unreliable memory had me believe that the tasting room was north of Freemark Abbey, when in truth the winery is located just south of Deer Park Road, across from the Culinary Institute.  (Ah, that’s it!  I was distracted by the thought of food every time I drove by.)

The old-world style of the Charles Krug winery building

The Charles Krug winery operations building houses the tasting room and is set back from the main road a short distance.  You’ll walk a bit further from the parking lot, past the gardening structures and around the side of the building to find the entrance.  The winery operations building has an old-world European feel to it, with tall walls, small, arched, brick-lined openings for windows, cornerstones running up each corner, and a gabled roof with dormer windows popping out.  Inside, the tasting area is set up in a large open space.  Unlike the tasting room at Ehler’s Estate, where the floor is divided (buy sofas and tables alone) into nine tasting areas, there are just two tasting bars at Charles Krug.  The vast middle of the room is mostly vacant except for a small cluster of tables near one of the bars.  Behind the main tasting bar they have installed a tall bottle rack much like the handsome backlit rack at Etude, although the rack here is stocked with dummy bottles all bearing the same label (a reference to 1861).  The floors and walls are all unfinished concrete, with some woodwork added to soften the feel.  The overall feel of the operations building is blended nicely with a few visual comforts to create an interesting (albeit dim) tasting room.

The mix of concrete, wood, and interesting items inside the Charles Krug tasting room

 
I opted for the basic tasting flight, but dropped one of the white wines in favor of another red wine.  I started with the 2012 Carneros Chardonnay and followed with the 2012 Carneros Pinot Noir.  Next was the 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet.  I ended my flight with the 2012 Zinfandel, which was added to my flight.  Of these wines, I enjoyed the Zinfandel the most, but I would prefer not to be drinking 16.7% alcohol in my wine.  (The highest Zinfandel I have ever tasted was 17% and was delicious.)

The wine rack wall inside Charles Krug winery

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 7 and the wines offered as a 6.
 

March 1, 2015 – My most important wine tools

There are a number of accessories one can accumulate that facilitate the regular enjoyment of good wines.  The number one item to have is a good, hand-operated cork screw.  Along these lines, I would recommend the basic, two-stage cork pull with either a hinge midway down the prop for the bottle lip, or a two piece solution where one slides out of the way for the other.  The fancy “rabbit” cork pull is fun to entertain with and works remarkably well on new corks, but it comes up short (quite literally) when pulling out old corks, often snapping the old cork in two (or more) pieces and leaving the bottle hopelessly plugged.  The number two item that I recommend is a decanter (and a little patience) to let the air soften the wine before serving.

From left: hinged cork screw, Ah So cork pull, and wine screen

When it comes to serving older wines, I have a different set of tools.  To ensure the complete, secure removal of the cork, I prefer the Ah So cork puller, with its two parallel slats that you wedge between the cork and the side of the bottle.  Once fully inserted, you twist the cork, loosening it, before attempting to list it out of the bottle.  Often an older cork will lock in place as crystals and sediment form against its interior surface.  Twisting the cork breaks this lock.  The next most important tool is a fine screen for filtering the wine.  Sediment accumulates in older wines and is unsightly and unpleasant on the palette.  These fine screens are ideally suited to capture nearly all of the sediment in any bottle and rinse clean easily.  Often, in restaurants, the last ounce or two of wine is not poured from an older wine to avoid transferring sediment into the glass, and the screen is a way to enjoy every last drop of your wine.

December 14, 2014 – 2002 Rubicon Estate Red

When celebrating at a party, you bring a wine that is sure to please all, but not so grand that it would be lost on those who lack any appreciation for what excellence in wine-making can bring to a wine.  So, to honor the birthday celebrator directly, we shared a half-bottle of 2002 Rubicon Estate Red wine.  This wine is one of my top five favorite wines from my collection (and that is saying something).  I originally pursued this wine after noticing that Wine Enthusiast rated it 98 points, and I figured “just how bad can it be?”.  So, I picked up a half-bottle and opened it – wow!  I immediately sought out a case of half-bottles to hold for special occasions (like tonight).  The wine is performing remarkably (as are the best 2002 Napa Valley Cabernets), and is starting to shed a small amount of its power in favor of elegance.  The palette is wonderfully balanced and complex – enough so that describing its flavors would be pointless and might rob you of some of the fun of enjoying this wine.  Suffice it to say that it is developing consistently with other 2002 Napa Valley Cabernets that I have opened so far, only wonderfully so.

2002 Rubicon Estate Proprietary Red

Twomey Cellars, Napa Valley, November 24, 2014

Tasting Room - 6 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Quiet tasting room south of Calistoga.  Pinot Noirs and Merlot.
www.twomey.com

When I first discovered Twomey Cellars, they had a Merlot and a Sauvignon Blanc that they poured.  It wasn’t until a while later that I discovered they also make some fantastic Pinot Noir wines from four different wine-growing regions in California.  While the Calistoga tasting room is nice in its own right, it cannot compare to the magnificence of the Russian River tasting room that they also operate.  Luckily, the same wines are poured in both places.  If you are a fan of Pinot Noir (a Pinotphile?), there are only a few options for you in Napa Valley, and even fewer that offer a lineup of Pinot Noir sourced from the best regions in the state of California.  Here at Twomey, you have the opportunity to compare Pinot Noir grown in the Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, along the Sonoma Coast, and Santa Maria to the south.  You may have to return a few times to experience them all, but they often have two or more open so you can compare them side-by-side.

The cozy tasting room at Twomey Cellars in Calistoga

The Twomey Calistoga tasting room is done in an elegant farm-house style, with large patio surrounding the building like a veranda would.  The exterior of the building, including the framing around the doors and windows, is all white.  The simple gabled roof is a medium gray that lends a richness to the white.  There is a garden with a fountain off to one side where you can take in the fall color.  Inside, the tasting room is modest, though nicely appointed.  A curved tasting counter occupies one side of the tasting room, while a large window exposes some of the cellar operations to guests.  There is also a wine archive which has large windows for peering in and is framed in rich woodwork.  The dark gray floor tiles offset the white walls nicely and tie in the woodwork nicely.  Subdued natural light makes its way inside through a few windows, but there is no direct sunlight because of the porch overhang and the northern orientation of the room.  There are a few tasteful items for sale, including some women’s clothing accessories.

The wine library inside the Twomey Calistoga tasting room

On this visit, I was fortunate to be able to compare three of Twomey’s Pinot Noirs.  (Often you are limited to just two.)  I started with the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, which shows that 2013 will be nearly as good a vintage for this grape as it was in 2012, albeit a crisper palette for the 2013’s.  This was followed by the three 2012 Pinot Noirs:  Anderson Valley, Bien Nacido (Santa Maria), and Russia River Valley.  Of these, the Anderson Valley Pinot was performing the best.  (The Russian River Valley Pinot may be starting to shut down.)  Finally, I enjoyed the 2010 Merlot.  While the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir was my favorite this time, the 2010 Merlot was remarkable in its own right.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 6 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with my previous visit.

December 12, 2014 – Wines for a surprise party

A dear friend was having a birthday, and unbeknownst to him, he was having a small party to celebrate it.  My contribution was the wine.  Since I was invited about five hours beforehand, this was the best I could pull together after work (plus a card, or course).  We started off with a half-bottle of 2007 Clos du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and followed with a bottle of 2007 Provenance Vineyards Winemakers Reserve Blend.  Both wines flaunted the vintage characteristics, and both surprised me a little.  The Clos du Val surprised me by finally coming into its pulled-together stage, where good balance, softened edges, and delicious fruit prevail.  (This wine showed much promise when I first tasted it at the winery on release.)  The Provenance surprised me for the development of elegance it was undergoing.  Regrettably, this was my last bottle of the 2007 Provenance blend, but I have newer vintages standing by.  And this is probably the longest that I have aged any screw-cap bottle in my cellar to date (about five years now).  Tom Rinaldi, who was the master winemaker at the time, suggested that a screw cap could easily go about four to six years.  Implicit in his remarks was that he preferred corks for longer aging of red wine.

Saint Clement Vineyards, November 24, 2014

www.stclement.com

I had two motivations for my prompt return to Napa Valley this week.  First off, I was eager to try out my new SLR on the fall color in Napa Valley before any more weather stripped the foliage from the vines.  Second, I had a pickup at Saint Clement that I had missed by two days during my prior visit.  As I pulled into the valley from the south, I could see that I was nearly too late to capture any decent photographs of the area.  But, the further north I traveled, I soon learned that the weather had been a little more forgiving up this way.  I managed to capture a number of great shots.  (The geek in me took pictures with my point-and-shoot to compare with those from the SLR.)  And, my wine club shipment was ready for pickup as anticipated.  Had I delayed my trip any longer, I might have had to pay shipping so they could get my wine out from underfoot.

Some repurposed wine barrels at the winemaker's studio at Saint Clement Vineyards.

The weather was warm for late November so I opted to try some white wines with my flight.  I started with the new 2013 Bale Lane Sauvignon Blanc (which needs a little time to sweeten and integrate, but shows good promise).  Next I enjoyed the 2012 Abbots Vineyard Chardonnay.  Then it was on to the reds, starting with the 2011 Oroppas, then the 2011 Johanna (a red blend in my pickup), and lastly the 2010 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  Of these, the Johanna was my favorite, but I picked up a bottle each of the Chardonnay, the Oroppas, and the 2010 Star Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

A full review was written already about Saint Clement Vineyards during my visit on May 12^th, 2012.

January 12, 2015 – Revisiting Fall Color

My most recent trip to Napa Valley was on November 24, 2014, and while I captured some amazing autumn color, it is clear that I missed the peak colors by several days.  The weekend before my visit had seen some heavy rains and strong winds that stripped the wines of some of their beautiful foliage.  Still, what remained shimmered and gleamed in the brilliant afternoon sun.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from my afternoon there.  I hope they help to warm you as the trees and vines now lie naked awaiting Spring’s next dress rehearsal and bud-break.

Along the Silverado Trail just north of the Yountville Cross

The view from the balcony at Miner Family Winery in Oakville

Behind the offices at Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards

The driveway leading to Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards

Conn Valley Road near Howell Mountain Road (looking south-west)

At Charles Krug Winery in Saint Helena

November 18, 2014 – Wine: 2005 Saint Clement Progeny Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight was to be a special dinner, so I wanted an impressive wine to serve.  I had narrowed it down to one of two vintages of the same wine:  Saint Clement Progeny Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (from Mount Veeder).  I had just one bottle of 2002, and a handful of the 2005, but I suspected that the 2005 was not yet ready.  Still, I figured the 2002 had yet to reach its full potential either, so I opted for the more plentiful wine, the 2005 (which I had previewed back in 2008).  My company for dinner was not nearly as patient as I, so we only let the wine decant about 20 minutes before starting to drink it up.  (My initial taste suggested a 90-minute decant would be needed, and nearly two hours later it was about ready.)  At first the wine was off-balance, edgy (fuzzy?), and lemony on the finish, but you could sense the power and complexity lurking beneath the maelstrom.  As the wine mellowed, its true nature emerged.  Indeed powerful, this wine was also balanced, complex, persistent, and delicious with flavors of dark currants, raspberry, dark cherry, dark chocolate, minerals, and black licorice.  It is still robust with tannins and should wait another five years to approach its peak potential.