2007 Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District

Sometimes a glass of wine can just take you to another place and time. When that place is in the Stag's Leap District looking out across the vineyards to the Stag's Leap Palisades to the east, then I'm a pretty damn happy man. I've had the good fortune to visit Napa Valley many times, but for me there is no place that has memories quite like my visits to the Stag's Leap District. The landscape around the Silverado Trail is just beautiful, and I love that it still feels a little bit like you're off the beaten path. There are many fine wineries there, and one my favorites for the wines and the tasting room is Chimney Rock. Every time I have a glass, my mind takes me back to that beautiful place.





In your glass this outstanding Stag's Leap District Cab is a deep purple-red in color. You get aromas of black cherry, blackberry and just a hint of vanilla. In your mouth you get some fantastic fruit and just enough acid, but its really the tannins that make this wine stand out. They are somehow big and soft all at the same time, and they help frame a really nice and sneaky long finish. For me, I think this is what makes wines from the Stag's Leap District so special. When done right, they have a mouthfeel that is just wonderful and absolutely unique to this tiny little slice of Napa Valley. In 2007, Chimney Rock has clearly done it right!



From a pairing standpoint, this wine was made for grilled red meat. It would be perfect with steak, lamb, or venison. At a price of around $60, its not an everyday red, but it's well worth it for special occasions.




Cheers!

Girard Petite Sirah 2009 Napa Valley

Over the last month or two we have been drinking a whole lot of Syrah, so I figured why not open and write about a bottle of Petite Sirah. Petite Sirah or Durif, as it was called in France, is the offspring of Syrah and Peloursin, that was developed in the Rhone valley but never really had much success there. When brought to California, however, the grape thrived. Petite Sirah typically has very small berries, which result is a lot of color, flavor, and tannins. These are wines that can pack a whole lot of punch due to all that dark skin.

One of my very favorite examples of Petite Sirah year in and year out is the Napa Valley Petite Sirah from Girard. The 2009 vintage is intense, opaque purple in your glass. The bouquet brings black raspberry fruit along with some cherry pie, but it also has notes of vanilla, lavender, and spice. In your mouth you get a big blast of up front fruit that is dominated by black raspberry. On the mid-palate you get a little bit of very pleasant spice. Then a wave of mouthwatering acidity and some bold tannins take you for a hedonistic ride to the finish. There is nothing subtle about this wine at all, but with all the fruit, acid, and tannins working together, there is a nice balance and structure to this somewhat complex Petite Sirah. For a price tag in the mid $20's, this is a real crowd pleaser that has something for everyone.

As far as food goes, this big, bold Petite Sirah wants some big and bold food. Get me something that has the fat and flavor to stand up to all those tannins and fruit. This would be fantastic with some slow smoked baby back ribs or a juicy cheeseburger. Its early in the AM as I write this, but I'm already thinking about firing up the grill and popping the cork on another bottle this afternoon. Sitting outside on this ridiculously warm spring day with a big ol' cheeseburger and a glass of Girard Petite Sirah sounds just a little bit like paradise.

Cheers!

Girard Artistry Napa Valley 2008

Recently a friend of ours asked what California wines we can recommend for someone who likes Bordeaux blends much more than typical California Cabs. As it turns out I just recently tasted the 2008 vintage of Girard Winery's Artistry blend, which is year in and year out a great Bordeaux style blend. It is a wine that gives plenty of fruit for those who like California Cabernets, but it is very clearly a Bordeaux style blend that strives to bring some balance and finesse.

The 2008 Artistry is purple red in your glass. Made from 59% Cabernet Sauvigonon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 6% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot that is aged in 50% new and 50% once used French oak, the wine brings plenty of the classic Napa Cab blackberry and cassis aromas. Underneath that, though, there are layers of plum, cedar, and some mild earthy and spicy nuances. On the palate, you get more of the same blackberry and cassis with an added element of black cherry to go along with it. Very well integrated tannins and decent acidity bring some structure to the blend, and the finish has some nice length to it. This is a wine that you can enjoy as you smell it, sip it, and as the complex flavors linger on your palate.

Overall, this is a really nice wine for the price, which ranges in the low to high $30s depending on where you are. The up front fruit is outstanding, and it has plenty of structure and complexity to back that up. It would pair well with a nice steak or any grilled red meats.

Finally, I can't write about Girard without mentioning that it is one of my absolute favorite stops in Napa Valley. Their tasting room is right in the heart of Yountville and is one of the most enjoyable, relaxing tasting rooms you will find in Napa Valley. If you're out that way, definitely stop in to see them.

Cheers!

Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2008

It's pretty safe to say that the royal family of California wine is the Mondavi family. What started as a small business with Cesare Mondavi and his sons Peter and Robert has spread into something huge, and along the way there have been family dynamics playing out that could provide story lines for any of the remaining daytime soaps.

Robert Mondavi left his family's business many tears ago to start the now better known Robert Mondavi Winery which was sold to Constellation Brands. Robert's sons and daughter are each involved in different ventures now. From Robert's side of the family, you have an outstanding Reserve program from Robert Mondavi Winery, some up and coming really good Cabs from Marcia and Tim's Continuum label, and a variety of wine businesses from Michael.

Peter Mondavi's family on the other hand, has been consistently making wine under the Charles Krug label that Cesare purchased decades ago. Peter's sons Peter Jr. and Marc are more involved than ever, and I'm here to say that the results right now are fantastic. Charles Krug is consistently turning out really good Cabs in the $20 to $30 range that are delicious, balanced, and food friendly. The 2008 vintage is no exception.

In your glass the the Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 is deep purple-red in color. The nose brings blackberry and cassis with a mild floral element. This has the bouquet of a classic Napa Cab. In your mouth you get outstanding blackberry fruit up front, but this is not just just another fruit bomb. The fruit is backed up by very well integrated tannins, nice acidity, and a medium-full body that is restrained compared to so many Napa Cabs that err on the side of syrupy.

Then Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 is simply an outstanding value in the low $20's for a bottle. It brings plenty of fruit but also shows some restraint and it makes for an excellent pairing with any grilled red meats. It would go particularly well with a grilled tenderloin with shallot reduction. The recipe can be found here http://acoupleofwines.blogspot.com/2009/09/grilled-tenderloin-with-shallot-demi.html Treat yourself to a bottle of this delicious cab and give it a try with some nice filets.

Cheers!

Beaulieu Vineyard Chardonnay Carneros 2008

Although its not much compared to the long histories of some of the old vineyards and chateaux of Europe, Beaulieu Vineyard is the longest continually operating winery in Napa Valley. Beaulieu Vineyard or BV as many call it was founded in 1900 by George de Latour, who upon seeing the area in Rutherford that became home to his winery exclaimed "beau lieu" which is French for beautiful place. After some early success, de Latour signed contracts with the Catholic church in 1908 to provide them with sacramental wine, which ended up being a key move for the survival of the winery. Being a key supplier to the church allowed him to keep the winery in full operation through the Prohibition.

The winery not only survived but expanded through Prohibition times, and not long after Prohibition, de Latour hired Andre Tchellistcheff, a native Russian who learned the craft in France, to be his winemaker. Tchellistcheff was a key figure in the development of Napa Valley and brought many innovations to all of Napa Valley at the time. Some of the things he introduced to the fledgling Napa Valley wine industry include cold fermentation of white wines and malolactic fermentation for red wines, which became industry standards. Much of Napa's success is owed to the expertise that Tchellistcheff brought to the valley.

Today BV is still making very many good wines. I recently had the occasion to try their 2008 Carneros Chardonnay on a lazy spring afternoon with an assortment of cheese. The wine is golden straw color in your glass, and the nose brings elements of peach, pear, and a bit of vanilla. In your mouth you get beautifully pure pear fruit with well balanced oak and very nice acidity for a California Chardonnay. The finish is really enjoyable and has a little bit of length to it.

Overall, this is a very nicely done Chardonnay that has full body, some oak, and plenty of fruit without being too over the top like so many other offerings from Napa and Sonoma. Its also one of the few Chardonnays I've seen in the high teens price wise. Usually you see the $13 and under stuff and then jump right to the mid $20's. For about $5 more this is giving you a lot more balance and finesse then you see from the huge pack of California Chardonnays in the $10-$15 range. Drink this with fish, shellfish, or chicken. It would go especially well with lobster tails.

Cheers!

Archstone Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Napa Valley

Everyday wine. That's what its really all about isn't it? Oenophiles can talk all they want about the best years for a top growth Bordeaux or that $9000 bottle of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti or even a $50 bottle of Napa Cab, but most of the time most of us are drinking wines that we can afford on a regular basis. These everyday wines may not be perfect, but they bring you something that you enjoy and are easy on the bank account.

One of these everyday wines that I recently discovered is the Archstone Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Napa Valley. Try as I may, I can't find out much about this winery. I have heard from unverified sources that this is a phantom label of Sterling Vineyards, although seeing as they put their name on their Vintner's Collection bottling, there is not that much reputation to protect by going to the phantom label. In your glass the wine is deep purple in color. The nose brings blackberry jam, cassis, and black cherries with a very subtle element of cloves. On the palate, the wine is fruit forward with very nice black fruit flavors and smooth, very mild tannins. Its certainly not a wine for the cellar, but it sure drinks nicely right now. It also has some fruit that lingers very quietly on your palate for quite some time. Its a much better finish than you would expect from a fruit forward Napa Cab, especially in this price range.

Overall this Cabernet delivers a whole lot more than just about anything I've seen from Napa Valley in this price range. I highly recommend spending the $13 and trying some yourself. You might just find an ever day bargain that works for you. Pair this with pot roast or a soft, creamy blue cheese like a Saint Agur.

Cheers!

Girard Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill 2006

There are certain wines that just take me to my happy place. Just about anything from Girard Winery has that wonderful effect on my state of mind. Girard is a little discovery from one of my fortunate visits to Napa when travelling for my real job. Last summer, during a visit to my friends at Elizabeth Spencer Winery, I asked for suggestions for other wineries to visit, and I was told to look for the Girard tasting room in Yountville. From the moment I walked in, I knew I had found something special. The décor is classy yet relaxed. The tasting room staff is knowledgeable, but they also know how to make wine tasting relaxed and fun. Even the music they played in the tasting room was to my liking. The most important thing, though, is that the wines were simply outstanding.

A couple nights ago, sitting here in the Buffalo, NY area, I decided that I needed a little taste of Yountville to conjure up my happy place. Lucky for me I had a bottle of Girard’s Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 laying down in my cellar. I opened it up and let it breathe in decanter for a couple hours, and then I took the wonderful journey to my happy place.

In your glass the Girard Pritchard Hill Cab is deep garnet red in color. The nose brings aromas of blackberry, cassis, and black cherry with subtle notes of licorice and vanilla. On the palate the flavor is stunning. Although this wine is no simple fruit forward bomb, it does bring an initial blackberry explosion to get things started in your mouth. Smooth tannins and nice acidity for a Napa Cab bring some structure and balance to the deep, dark, and delicious fruit flavors, and the finish does not disappoint Overall this is an absolutely delicious offering from winemaker Marco DiGiulio, who I think is making some of the best wines in Napa today. In my humble opinion, he knows how to walk that fine line between intense fruit flavor without crossing over into too much weight on the palate. Retail on this is $75 and if you join their wine club it’s only $60 which is a bargain for wine of this quality.

As far as food goes, this is a pretty food friendly Napa Cab for the right pairings. I had this a couple nights ago with a grilled filet mignon with a crimini mushroom reduction. It would also pair very well with a nice blue cheese.

Cheers!.

Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006

Elizabeth Spencer is one of those small Napa wineries that make really nice wine that not many people know about. Established in 1998, their distribution is limited and most if not all of their retail sales are through their website and their charming little tasting room in Rutherford. They make many different wines ranging from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for whites to Grenache, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Merlot for the reds; however, my belief is that their best wines are their Cabernets. They have a few different Reserve Cabernets as well as their basic Napa Valley Cabernet, and all of them are quite good.

Today I’m taking a close look at their basic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. It has a relatively small production of 2000 cases, but this is a lot compared to some of their reserves that have as little as 100 cases made.

In your glass, the wine has a beautiful purple red color. The nose brings classic Napa Cab aromas of blackberry and cassis with some black cherry in the mix as well. There is also just a little bit of a minty, herbal element to the bouquet. In your mouth, you’ll find a fruit profile that is similar to the nose along with a surprising and very pleasant hint of earthiness. The mouthfeel is really nice and not at all overwhelming like some Napa Cabs can be, and the tannins are very much present but beautifully integrated. This Cabernet has some really nice structure to it, and although it’s drinking nicely now, it should only get better over the next couple of years.

As far as food goes, this will pair perfectly with grilled steak or game just like any good Cabernet, but it also is food friendly enough to work with braised lamb shanks or a beef or lamb stew. At a price of $40 this is a nice value. If you join their wine club and get it for $32, it’s a great deal! As an added bonus, I think it’s a little bit better than any of their reserve Cabs which go for $60 to $80 a bottle.

Cheers!

Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville - Napa Valley 2006

Just about everybody who knows even a little bit about wine is familiar with the Mondavi name. Robert Mondavi played a huge part in putting California on the world's wine map and built quite an empire before selling the business. What many people don't know, though, is that Robert got his start in his family's winery business before leaving rather suddenly, and his brother Peter and his family still own that winery.

Robert's father Cesare got his start in the winemaking business in Lodi, before eventually buying the Charles Krug Winery in Napa Valley. Eventually, Cesare's two sons, Robert and Peter, took over the business with Peter heading up winemaking operations and Robert in charge of sales and marketing. Business boomed and everyone got along on the surface until Cesare passed away. After this, the infighting built and built until the now infamous fist fight between Peter and Robert, which resulted in Robert's ouster from the family business and a lengthy lawsuit between the Robert and Peter Mondavi families.

Today, the Robert Mondavi Winery is owned by Constellation Brands and Robert's sons Tim and Michael are involved in their own winery projects. Peter's family still owns the Charles Krug Winery, and in recent years they have been making some really nice wines. This 2006 Yountville Cab is no exception.

Deep purple in color and almost opaque in your glass, it brings aromas of blackberry and cassis with a little cedar and subtle notes of vanilla. In your mouth the wine has a wonderful feel. It is full bodied without being too weighty. The blackberry and cassis fruit shine along with hints of cherry. Very smooth tannins provide some nice balance. The finish is not particularly long, but it is truly mouthwatering and quite enjoyable.

Overall this wine provides a very nice value in the mid to high $20's. In fact it provides a lot more bang for your buck than the better known Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet. With 50,000 cases made, it should be pretty easy to find.

From a pairing standpoint it would go very nicely with a nice steak or grilled game, or it would go quite well with aged or blue cheeses.

Cheers!

Louis Martini Lot No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Louis Martini’s Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best values in Cabernet Sauvignon just about every year. For a price around $13, this wine gives you consistently good quality at a great price. For me, it’s part of my regular rotation of value wines. For my friend Dan, who has shared many a fine bottle of wine with me, it is the ultimate value Cab. So when I had the opportunity to visit the Louis Martini Winery and pick up one of their reserve wines, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy a bottle of their Lot 1 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon to share with Dan.

The Louis Martini Lot No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 is sourced from the best fruit that Martini has access to from multiple AVAs in Napa Valley. The wine has a beautiful deep purple color in your glass. The bouquet gives you blackberry and black cherry with notes of blueberry. I will note that this was after 3 hours in decanter, and when first poured and for the first couple hours, the fruit aromas were somewhat masked by alcohol. In your mouth, you get a wonderful, rich mouthfeel with sweet cherry and blackberry fruit dominating the palate. The very nice tannins were firm without being overpowering. The finish was decent and had OK length, but I have to say that for the $120 price tag, the finish left me wanting more.

Overall, the Louis Martini Lot No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was a very nice Cabernet with delicious, fruit forward flavors with nice tannins to give it some backbone. Unfortunately, I think the $120 price tag just isn’t worth it. When you’re shelling out that much of your hard-earned money, you want everything to be just about perfect, and this wine starts off strong but just doesn’t deliver as much as I’d like on the finish. Although there is no doubt that this is a much better wine than the Louis Martini Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, the $13 Sonoma County offering is a much better value.

From a pairing standpoint, this would go very nicely with a prime filet mignon or a Blue Stilton cheese.

Cheers!

Johnson Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006

After having tried and really enjoyed the Johnson Family Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, I had very high hopes that there Cabernet Sauvignon would be another great find at a very reasonable price. Johnson Family is not actually a winery, but as I understand it, a negociant type business of David Bowler Wine, although they seem to be keeping this information as quiet as possible.

The Chardonnay and I believe also the Pinot Noir were made by a very well known and well respected winemaker in Sonoma, and both are outstanding values. This 2006 Cabernet is rumored to be made by a very well known and well respected consulting winemaker for numerous Napa Valley wineries. The fruit comes from Coombsville which is just east of the city of Napa and south and east of most of the better known Napa Valley growing areas. Slightly cooler than most of the rest of Napa Valley, Coombsville is an area that is generating some buzz in the valley as they are working towards becoming an official AVA (American Viticultural Area). The slightly cooler temperatures allow for longer and slower ripening of the Cabernet grapes, and at least in theory that should yield great results.

Knowing what I know about Coombsville and how much I liked the other Johnson Family wines, I went into this tasting with pretty high expectations for the Cab. Unfortunately it did not live up to my somewhat lofty expectations. Don’t get me wrong, its not a bad wine or a horrible value, but in my mind it has some flaws and is simply a fair value at a price point of about $18.

In you glass the Johnson Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 brings intense, deep purple color. The nose brings some very nice fruit aromas of blackberry, cassis, and plum; however, the fruit does get a little lost in all the alcohol which was still overpowering on the nose after 2 hours of decanting. At 15.5% , the alcohol can be a bit overwhelming. I have to say that 15% seems to be the magic number for me when it comes to alcohol. I can enjoy wines right up to 15% alcohol, but as a general rule anything even a couple tenths of a percent over that is just too much for me. In your mouth the wine is fruit forward with blackberry and cassis flavors and a rich, full bodied mouthfeel. The tannins are pretty strong and a bit harsh (I’ll say again that I did decant this for two hours), and I’m a guy who really likes tannins. There is also a bit of a burnt oak taste on the finish which overwhelms the fruit. This in combination with the harsh tannins, leads me to believe that there was either too much new oak used in the aging of this wine, or the barrels were simply toasted too much. I should also note that my wife and tasting partner here at A Couple of Wines enjoyed the fruit flavors in this wine so much that she was not bothered by the strong tannins or what I considered to be too much oak.

From a pairing standpoint this wine was actually pretty good with a prime steak I had on the grill. All the marbling in the meat coated the taste buds enough to counter those strong tannins and allow the fruit to come through. When I had a glass on its own after dinner though, I found this wine to be over the top in tannins, oak, and alcohol.

If your looking for something that has the muscle to stand up to a prime steak in the under $20 category, this might fit the bill depending on your palate. Just know that you might get a lot more muscle, alcohol, and tannins than you hoped for. There is also a 2007 vintage which was just recently released. I'm very curious to see how that one turns out. I think the Coombsville fruit they used in 2006 has great potential if it sees less new oak.

Cheers!

Jessup Cellars Juel 2006 Napa Valley Red Wine

Recently I had the opportunity to make a second visit to the Jessup Cellars tasting room in Yountville to pick up some more of their very good wines. My main objective was to simply buy some of their Merlot, but while I was there I also picked up a few bottles of their Juel 2006, which is a Bordeaux style blend that I did not get an opportunity to taste on my first visit. This past weekend I had the right occasion to open this excellent wine and enjoy it.

Jessup Cellars is one of those many little known gems that are sprinkled throughout Napa Valley. Jessup was started by winemaker Mark Jessup in 1996, after a couple decades of experience making wine for other wineries. Mark is a Napa Valley native, who started in the cellar at Inglenook over 30 years ago. From there he went to work for Robert Mondavi Winery, where he worked closely with Tim Mondavi on their reserve wines as well as on the Opus One joint venture between Mondavi and Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Now he is putting that experience to work at Jessup with some very nice results. Their tasting room is a fantastic space not only to taste some fine wines, but also to see some outstanding artwork by Northern California artists. Grant and Sarah in the tasting room were wonderful hosts and very knowledgeable, and they were kind enough to accommodate me right at closing time. Unfortunately they do not distribute, and the only way to get their wines is in the tasting room or by joining their wine club.

The 2006 Juel is a wine made in the Bordeaux style, and in particular Jessup is going for something in the Right Bank style. Merlot is the predominant grape in this blend, but there are also significant amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, the wine shows a very nice purple-red color in your glass. The nose brings wonderful aromas of black cherry, blackberry, and black raspberry, with much more of the same fruit flavors on the palate. Along with the fruit, you also get a hint of mocha and some mild earthiness on the nice, long finish. Firm tannins and a bit of pleasant acidity round out this very nice Bordeaux style blend. If Mark Jessup is truly looking to make wine in the French style, he has hit the mark with this offering.

The Juel 2006 was perfect with my grilled tenderloin with shallot demi-glace (recipe can be found here http://acoupleofwines.blogspot.com/2009/09/grilled-tenderloin-with-shallot-demi.html ), and it would complement just about any steak or grilled venison beautifully. Priced at $89, it’s not necessarily an outstanding value but certainly a good one. It’s a very good and very well structured wine. Cheers!

Girard Artistry 2006 Napa Valley

Last month I had the good fortune to be able to visit some wineries and tasting room in Napa Valley while I was in the Bay Area for my real job. While there, I picked up some great wines from wineries I knew and discovered some wonderful places that were new to me. One of the places I discovered was Girard. Although they were new to me, Girard is by no means new. They have been making wines in Napa Valley for over 35 years. Winemaker Marco DiGiulio is a UC-Davis grad who learned more on the job at places like Pine Ridge and Atlas Peak, and if the 2006 Artistry is any indication, he sure does know what he is doing.

I should also mention before I get into the wine, that Girard has a very nice tasting room right in the heart of Yountville, and if you are ever in the area I would highly recommend stopping in to see them. I hope to stop back in and see Erin and Meg in the tasting room next month when I will be back in the area. I already wrote a little bit about this wine and winery in a post recounting my visit to Yountville this summer, but I recently had occasion to open a bottle and enjoy it with my wife and tasting partner.

Consisting of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 13% Petite Verdot, 8% Malbec, and 7% Merlot with fruit sourced from Oakville, Yountville, and St. Helena, the Artistry 2006 is deep purple-red in color. The bouquet brings black cherry, cassis, and plum fruit with notes of leather and herbs. In your mouth you get a rich, full bodied mouthfeel and a fruit forward wine with black cherry, blackberry, and cassis. There is also a very subtle dark chocolate undertone and a touch of toasted walnut. The long and impressive finish is what sets this wine apart from other California Cabs and blends in the $30 to $50 price category. The finish builds like a wave that gains intensity as it slowly rolls into shore.

Overall, this is a very nice Bordeaux style blend that has more than a little complexity and some wonderful flavors. It is a very solid value at a price of about $40. I will caution that if you want to drink it now, you should definitely decant it for at least two hours. This is a wine that would also benefit from another year or two in the cellar. I know that I'm certainly going to pick up a few more bottles to test that belief.

From a pairing standpoint, I think this wine would be perfect for pot roast or a nice beef or lamb stew. Cheers!

Elizabeth Spencer Napa Valley Chardonnay 2006

One of the great things about visiting Napa Valley is discovering some of the small, lesser known gems that seem to be scattered throughout the valley. On a visit to Napa a couple years ago I discovered Elizabeth Spencer in Rutherford which is a great little winery that produces small lots of a number of different wines each year. Their winemaker, Matthew Rorick, is a purist who believes that his job is simply to express the character of the fruit he has to work with, and as a result he produces some very fine food friendly wines. Their wines do have limited distribution, but your best bet with these is probably to buy them online from the winery at http://www.elizabethspencerwines.com/index.html

This 2006 Chardonnay is fermented on the lees in stainless steel barrels. It sees no oak at all, which is largely a result of Matthew Rorick's belief that the fruit is the focus. If you are a lover of heavily oaked California Chardonnays, then this is probably not the wine for you. My wife, who is a lover of new world Chardonnay was rather unimpressed by this wine due to the lack of oak. Medium-pale straw in color, this is a very nice looking wine in your glass. The nose brings pleasant aromas of apple and pineapple with a hint of citrus. On the palate you get green apple and pear with notes of lemon. The wine has wonderful acidity for a California Chardonnay, and is a little more Burgundian in style than Californian. The medium bodied mouthfeel of this wine makes it a very food friendly and versatile Chardonnay. It has very nice fruit, crisp acidity, and a nice medium bodied mouthfeel which results in great overall structure. It would go very well with a number of foods, but it would be perfect with some seared sea scallops or a broiled lobster tail.

As far as value goes, the $30 price tag is a little on the steep side, but when you compare it to White Burgundy rather than California Chardonnay, it is pretty much in line. If you join their wine club, you can get a 20% discount on all your orders, which brings the price down to $24. I wouldn't open this for any old meal, but if your having a tasty lobster tail or some succulent sea scallops then its well worth it for a pairing that will be perfect. Cheers!

My Visit to Yountville in the Napa Valley

This is my fourth and final post regarding my good fortune in being in the Bay Area for business early this week with some time to visit wineries and tasting rooms in the afternoons. I love when things work out like that!

This posting is focused on three tasting rooms of some smaller wineries that I visited right in the center of Yountville. Jessup Cellars, Girard Winery, and Hope & Grace wines all have tasting rooms located right on Washington St. in Yountville.

The first stop I made was at Jessup Cellars, which has a very nice tasting room with a nice art collection adjacent to it. Jessup’s founder and winemaker is Mark Jessup, who has a background working at Robert Mondavi and Opus One among others. Here I tasted 4 different red wines and a Cabernet Port. The Cabernet Port was served with chocolates, and I must say that the Port and the chocolate made a great pairing to finish my visit there. As far as the other wines, their 2006 Merlot was quite good. It had aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, and cherry with much of the same on the palate. Strong but pleasant tannins and some acid provided a bit of balance. The Jessup 2006 Table for Four was a blend of 65% Cabernet, 15% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petite Sirah (yes it is indeed Petite Sirah and not Petit Verdot). This wine had a very nice bouquet and flavors of blackberry and cassis. This and all of Jessup’s red wines were interesting in that the color was on the lighter side, but the flavor profile was very much dark blackfruit.

Girard Winery was my next stop in Yountville. Located in walking distance from Jessup, Girard was a very nice tasting room with some unique wines and some excellent wines. Meg and Erin here were excellent hosts. In the interesting category was a blend called 2006 Mixed Blacks which consisted of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignane. All the grapes are mixed throughout the same vineyard in Calistoga and picked at once.

In the excellent category was their 2006 Artistry which is a much more traditional Bordeaux blend consisting of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 13% Petite Verdot, 8% Malbec, and 7% Merlot with fruit sourced from Oakville, Yountville, and St. Helena. On the nose you get aromas of black cherry and cassis with an herbal undertone. The wine has classic purple-red color with a nice full bodied, rich mouthfeel and solid tannins. It is very good now, and I believe it will become even better in a few years. This excellent Cab was a very good value at $40.

My final stop of the day was Hope & Grace wines. Here I was greeted by Tiffani, who was friendly, very knowledgeable and shares my love for Stag’s Leap District Cabernets. The winemaker at Hope & Grace, Charles Hendricks, has a long history of making wine in the valley for wineries like Regusci, Barnett, Bacio Divino, and several others. In 2001, he started making his own wines under the Hope & Grace label, which is named after his two daughters. They are a small production winery with overall production at about 2000 cases. All seven of the wines I tasted here were quite good with a couple standouts. Their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and their 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir were both very good, but their 2006 Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon was the star here. This Cab, with fruit sourced from the Regusci Ranch, had beautiful deep, blackfruit aromas dominated by ripe black cherry and blackberry. This is one of those Cabs that I could just smell all day long. In your mouth, you get a full bodied Cab with intense fruit flavors and classic Stag’s Leap District tannins. This Cab is just absolutely delicious! Although you could, it would be a shame to enjoy this while it’s young. It should just get even better over the next 5 to 10 years. This was a perfect finish to my afternoon in Rutherford and Yountville.

Well, here I am writing from my home in the Buffalo, NY area already missing some of the wonderful wineries and tasting rooms that I visited. At least I have some wine from each of them that I brought home to enjoy over the next several years. Each time I uncork one, it will be a wonderful reminder of the great little diversion I had this week in beautiful Napa Valley. On those occasions, I will not only have some great wines, but I will also uncork some fond memories.

My Visit to Rutherford in Napa Valley

Tuesday I had the pleasure of visiting some wineries and tasting rooms in Rutherford and Yountville after doing some business for my real job in the Bay Area. For this post I’m going to focus on Rutherford and then I will cover Yountville in a later post.

My first stop in Rutherford was a second visit to the tasting room at Elizabeth Spencer Wines. This is a great, simple little tasting room right on Rutherford Rd. across from the Rutherford Grill and Beaulieu Vineyard. Owned by partners Elizabeth Pressler and Spencer Graham, they are a small winery making very limited amounts of quite a few different wines. On this visit I tried eight different wines and there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. All the wines were made in a style that had very nice balance and would be very food friendly.

For the whites, they had a nice Sauvignon Blanc that had crisp citrus aromas and flavors without being too fruity. Nice acidity balanced out the fruit in this organically farmed and produced Sauvignon Blanc. I also tasted a 2007 Chardonnay, which was unoaked and very crisp with strong but nice acidity for a Chardonnay.

For red wines I tasted a number of excellent wines. They had a pleasant Merlot and Petite Sirah, but the Cabernets were the standouts. Their 2006 Crossroads Cuvee Cabernet was a wonderful example of a well balanced, food friendly Cabernet. Fruit was sourced from multiple locations in Napa Valley including Rutherford, Oakville, Howell Mountain, Pritchard Hill, and Mt. Veeder. Aromas of blackberry and cassis dominated the nose and you got much of the same on the palate. What was very interesting with this Cabernet is that the fruit was delicious but not overpowering. It had good acidity, decent tannins which should soften with a little time, and great overall structure. The 2006 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon was also excellent. This offering has fruit sourced from a single vineyard near the ridgeline of Howell Mountain in the northeast of Napa Valley. This mountain fruit produced a more fruit forward Cabernet that had great intensely dark fruit flavors of cassis and black plum. It had big tannins to back up the fruit and a wonderful finish where I picked up a hint of cola to go along with the fruit.

I should also note that Mark in the tasting room was friendly and extremely knowledgeable, and largely responsible for mapping out my itinerary for the rest of the day. Finally I will point out that although I did not spend any time in them, they have a nice garden, picnic area and tasting cottage that Mark showed me before I left. I will be sure to spend some time there in my next visit to the Napa Valley. This is a great winery that is a conveniently located and easy stop on just about any Napa Valley itinerary.

My next stop was Frog’s Leap Winery on Conn Creek Road in Rutherford. This was perhaps the most relaxing winery I’ve ever visited. I tasted wine while sitting on a covered porch near a wildflower garden listening to birds chirping and roosters crowing. They poured all four wines at once to taste at your leisure and served a cheese, nut, and fruit plate to go with it. The whole experience changed the gears of my day from run, run, run, to sit back, relax and smell the roses – literally. They did have a nice rose garden , but I must confess I did not actually smell them. I was much more interested in smelling their wines.

The wines and winery at Frog’s Leap are a little bit different than what you typically see or taste. They practice dry, organic, and sustainable farming, and they built the first LEED certified tasting room and administrative center in the industry. They also run their operation on all solar energy. The wines are also a little bit different than the norm in that they are extremely well balanced and much lower alcohol than many other California wines. They even have a Zinfandel that is only 13.4% alcohol.

All the wines I tasted were very good, but the standouts for me were the 2007 Zinfandel and the 2007 Chardonnay. The Zinfandel as I previously stated has a remarkably low alcohol percentage in a time where its no longer unusual to see Zinfandel’s well over 15%. Slightly lighter in color than most Zins, it had sweet cherry aromas with some subtle spice. In your mouth you get a pleasant mouthfeel with none of the syrupy or raisiny qualities that plague so many Zinfandels these days. Flavors of cherry and wild berry along with some spice are balanced by acidity and a bit of earthiness. This is actually a Zin with structure that can be enjoyed with food. Highly recommended!

The 2007 Chardonnay also showed excellent balance and structure. Made with Carneros fruit in 78% new and neutral oak and 22% stainless steel, this was a wonderful Chardonnay. On the nose and the palate you get nice but subtle fruit flavors and a subtle hint of oak, but what really set this apart is the crisp acidity and minerality that it exhibits. This is not your typical oaky and buttery California style Chardonnay. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was drinking white Burgundy.

Well that about sums up my visit to Rutherford. Soon I will be posting the details of my visit to some tasting rooms in Yountville. Thanks for reading!

Stag's Leap District Visit Part 2

I'm still pinching myself for having some time to take a couple diversions while travelling to the Bay Area for my real job. This past Sunday I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon in the Stag's Leap District visiting five wineries in total. For some information on the Stag's Leap District in general and on Clos Du Val, Chimney Rock, and Regusci please see my post for Stag's Leap District Visit Part 1. This post is going to focus on the last two wineries I visited - Baldacci and Pine Ridge.

Baldacci Family Vineyards was recommended to me by the folks over at Chimney Rock. They are a relative upstart in the Stag's Leap district, having just released their first wine in 2003. They are small and family owned as the name suggests, and with that you get the attention to quality and detail that often gets overlooked in larger wineries. Their winemaker, Rolando Herrera, has a number of years of experience working for well respected wineries like Paul Hobbs. He also has extensive experience working in the Stag's Leap District as the former Cellar Master at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. The tasting room staff were friendly and knew their stuff.

The wines at Baldacci were quite good. Two in particular stood out for me. Their 2005 IV Sons Cabernet Sauvignon may just be the best value in the Stag's Leap District. It is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remaining 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged in 40% new French oak, it has very nice blackfruit aromas and flavors with a touch of Bordeaux style earthiness to it. In the mouth you get those silky Stag's Leap District tannins. Although it is not quite at the same level of some of the world class Cabernets I tasted on this afternoon, it is a very strong value at $35.

The 2005 Baldacci Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon was, in a word, lovely! Aged in 70% new French oak for 20 months, it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It had beautiful blackfruit aromas dominated by cassis with more of the same on the palate with complex hints of multiple other flavors. Even as a young wine, this has classic Stag's Leap District tannins with a fantastic finish. I know this is hard to believe for those of you are less serious about your wine, but at $65 this wine is also an outstanding value. The Baldacci family is a very welcome addition to the Stag's Leap scene.

My final stop was a winery I was aware of and drove by many times, but had never really paid attention to in the past. After visiting them, I am now regretting that I didn't get to know them sooner. Pine Ridge Winery is making some very nice wines with a pretty extensive library. Chris in their tasting room was knowledgeable and I enjoyed spending time with him and the rest of the staff. They were serious about their wine but a lot of fun to be around. Wines ranged from unique and good to excellent. Their 2006 Onyx was a Malbec Blend consisting of 43% Malbec, 38% Merlot, 10% Tannat, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Although it wasn't a standout for being one of the best wines there, it was a very unique wine that was a nice change of pace.

Pine Ridge's 2006 Napa Valley Cab was made primarily with fruit from the Oakville and Rutherford AVAs. It had nice purple color to it with aromas of blackberry and blueberry. On the palate you get more of the same with some black cherry. The finish was unique and very long. The Pine Ridge 2005 Stag's Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon was excellent. Consisting of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, and 5% Malbec it was aged in 75% new French oak barrels. It had a bouquet of blackberry and cassis with some subtle blueberry. The fruit was balanced by decent acidity and classic Stag's Leap District tannins. This was an excellent wine from a winery that I need to pay more attention to going forward.

Well that about does it for my Sunday afternoon in Stag's Leap. Luckily I also had some free time to hit other parts of Napa on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. I will be highlighting those tasstings in other posts later this week.

Stag's Leap District Visit - Part 1

Yesterday I had the fortune of spending a Sunday afternoon in Napa Valley while out in the Bay Area for my real job. I spent about 3 hours total and hit 5 wineries that are all in the Stag’s Leap District in the southeast of Napa Valley. If your not familiar with it, the Stag’s Leap District is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) well known for producing some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in the world – primarily from fruit grown on or near the hillsides that frame the eastern edge of the valley. The grapes get excellent afternoon sun exposure combined with cool mornings due to the district’s proximity to the San Pablo Bay. This combination of cool nights and mornings and hot afternoons along with some great, rocky, volcanic soil and extensive sun exposure produces some very unique wines.

The Stag’s Leap District AVA gained fame even before they officially became an AVA thanks to the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine tasting that pitted California wines against much more well known French wines in a blind tasting. The top red wine in this tasting was a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet, and a Clos du Val Cabernet also did well in the competition. Eventually some of the wineries and growers came together to lobby for recognition as a their own AVA, which is no small feat considering that Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and Stag's Leap winery had a longstanding lawsuit going over the Stag's Leap name. They eventually received the AVA designation in 1989. The wineries and growers argued – and I agree with them wholeheartedly – that the terroir in the Stag’s Leap District makes Cabernet Sauvignon grown there unique and different from other Napa Valley Cabernets. I also happen to think it makes them better than any Cabernet Sauvignon in the world.

Stag’s Leap District wines are powerful and gentle all at the same time. Warren Winiarski from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars referred to these wines as having “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” It sounds crazy, but it is a perfect description of what great wines from the Stag’s Leap District give you. The hot days give you big, beautiful fruit flavor, and the cool nights help maintain decent acidity for balance. The soils and climate somehow deliver tannins that are always present but unbelievable smooth and silky.

Well that’s enough background for now. Let’s get to my visit to the Stag’s Leap District. I hit five wineries and spent 30 to 45 minutes visiting and tasting at each one. Because of my limited time, I chose not to tour any of the wineries but simply to visit their tasting room. The wineries I visited on this trip were Clos Du Val, Chimney Rock Winery, Regusci Winery, Baldacci Family Vineyards, and Pine Ridge Vineyards. On previous visits to the area I have also been to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Steltzner Vineyards, and Cliff Lede, which are all very nice in their own right, but not the focus of this posting.

My first stop was Clos du Val which is the southernmost property I visited. Situated on beautiful grounds with very nice landscaping and a charming area for picnics, this winery has been making outstanding Stag’s Leap District Cabs since the early 1970’s. They also participated in the 1976 Judgment of Paris. In a follow up tasting of the exact same wines 10 years later, they were the winner.

At Clos du Val I tasted one Chardonnay and a few different Cabs. Their 1998 Reserve Cabernet was one of two standouts for me. It had aromas of blackberry, cassis, and blueberry with a hint of spice. The tannins were very pleasant and the wine was very well balanced. The 2005 Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon from Clos Du Val was even better and less expensive than the Reserve. It had a nice purple-red color in the glass with gorgeous aromas of blackfruit with much of the same on the palate. The tannins were strong but not harsh. With some time this could be a very nice wine.

My visit to Chimney Rock Winery was everything you could ever want in a winery visit. As you pull into the parking lot you get stunned by the beautiful scenery of the Stag’s Leap Palisades right in front of you. The winery building itself is rather simple outside, but very warm and inviting once you step inside. The tasting room staff – especially Tom – were friendly and knowledgeable, and it was a pleasure to spend time with them. The experience was made all the more pleasant by meeting and spending some time in the tasting room with a very nice young couple visiting from Chicago who were also sampling some of the fine wines that Chimney Rock has to offer. Why is it that wineries always have so many nice people visiting and working for them? I guess it’s just an added perk to go with all the great wine.

The wines at Chimney Rock ranged from good and interesting to outstanding. Their 2003 Arete Cabernet and the 2004 Reserve Cabernet were unique in that they had tannins so soft and so smooth that I actually wanted a little more iron fist and a little less velvet glove. Two wines that stood out were the 2005 Ganymede Cabernet and the 2006 Tomahawk Cabernet, although I have to say there basic 2005 Stag’s Leap District Cabernet was also quite good. The Tomahawk may have been the best wine of all the wines I tasted during this visit. It had wonderful aromas of blackberry and cassis with a hint of black cherry and spice. This is a wine I could sit down with and just smell it for an hour before drinking any of it. The bouquet was absolutely gorgeous. On the palate the wine was very fruit forward but with incredible balance. The fruit was the star, but there was an excellent supporting cast of acid and those silky Stag’s Leap District tannins. I can’t believe how good this tasted at such a young age. It should get even better with a little time.

The next stop on my trip was Regusci Winery. Situated right next door to Chimney Rock, this stop was a last second drive-by decision, and I was happy that I made it. The staff here (especially Vickie) were warm, friendly, and informative, and I also met some very nice folks here tasting wine (from the Carolinas I think). This family owned winery has roots that go back to the 1800’s, and the property was acquired by Gaetano Regusci in 1932. He made wines at the time, but also dedicated a lot of land to other crops and livestock. Eventually his descendants put the focus entirely on grapes, and they grew them for other wineries and now for their own.

I tasted a number of different wines here with some surprising standouts for me. I thought they had a very nice 2007 Chardonnay with grapes sourced from the Carneros region in the southern end of Napa and Sonoma counties. I was also surprised by their 2006 Merlot. It had beautiful blackfruit aromas with a subtle lavender undertone, and it had the great velvety mouthfeel that you get with Merlot done right. The blend included about 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and aside from the velvety mouthfeel, you could almost convince me I was drinking a Cab not a Merlot. Vickie was right to tell me that they have a “kick ass” Merlot. This also tells you a little bit about how fun the atmosphere is in this winery.

Regusci also had an excellent Bordeaux style blend. Their 2006 Patriarch Proprietary Blend had a great bouquet with flavors of blackberry and cherry with nice acidity and classic Stag’s Leap tannins. It was a very enjoyable wine to finish my visit to Regusci.

Well that’s part one of my visit to the Stag’s Leap District. In the next day or two I will write about Baldacci Family Vineyards and Pine Ridge Vineyards. Thanks for reading!

Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

The Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet 2007 is a wine that took a long time to open up, but it was worth the wait.

Intense, dark purple in color, this wine is very full bodied - almost syrupy. It has a very high alcohol content and legs that just keep going. When first tasted after decanting 2 hours, the alcohol was still overwhelming the other flavors. I let this wine sit in glass an additional hour and came back to it at which point is was much more ready for drinking.

On the nose you get intense aromas of blackberry and cassis with underlying scents of licorice and caramel. On the palate you get much more of the same with the blackberry taking center stage. The mouthfeel is ultra rich - almost too rich and a little bit syrupy. The tannins are about as silky smooth as they get. After swallowing you get a very pleasant finish with more than a little bit of length to it. Overall a very nice wine that is wound quite tight at this young age. This needs a little time to mellow out or a lot of time decanting.

At a price tag of about $70, this wine is an OK but definitely not great value. It is quite good, but in this price range you can find better.

Peter Paul Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Peter Paul Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 is an excellent Napa Valley Cabernet that can be had for under $20. This intense, delicious wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that come primarily from famous grower Andy Beckstoffer's Georges III and Melrose vineyards. All the fruit is from either Rutherford or St. Helena.

In your glass, you will see deep purple color. A beautiful bouquet of blackfruit is dominated by blackberry and cassis with much of the same on the palate. This full bodied, classic California Cab is balanced out by smooth, silky tannins.

I should also not that there is actually a Peter Paul who owns this winery, and it is not 2/3 of a sixties folk group. Mr. Paul made his fortune in financial services before getting into the wine business, and today he donates a good portion of the proceeds from his winery to his charitable foundation which focuses on underprivileged children.

So go get a bottle or six of Peter Paul Cabernet. It's a very good Napa Cab for under $20, and some of your money will also make its way to charity. You can't lose with this one!

Serve with grilled steak or venison for a great pairing.