Winery_Times

What a Week, Day Four!

The next day was Sunday and it was an early pick up in Sonoma at the Eldorado Hotel on the Square.
My clients were to couples from Texas and Kentucky.  Both the men were Doctors with their wives who had known each other for years.  As soon as we got in the car I asked them what wine we were after and the answer  was Cabernet and Pinot Noir. Yikes!  I was informed we had a appointment at Opus One for their daily tour so we were going to the heart of the Napa Valley, which is unfortunately far too warm to grow Pinot Noir.

Opus One puts on a good tour which lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes.  They show you that they spare no expense to build a top quality wine using French Oak barrels for one time only.  This, along with aging the wine, winds up costing them a whopping $100 a bottle, hence the cost of the wine to the consumer is $165 a bottle.  While the tour takes place they give you a nice sized glass of their wine.  Most of the people I bring to taste are fairly disturbed by the reality of buying wine at those prices, they enjoy the wine, but are put off at the cost of it.

My position is this: when I get clients here I take them to the places I think the wine is something they cannot readily get where they live and where the price to quality value is most wonderful.  For these reasons we went right across the street to The Napa Wine Company.  Paul  Torres has placed a new web site up , Cult Wine Central,  which illustrates the type of wine they sell there. I is wine which has such a small production that it is not  distributed,  hence the name  CWC.    This is a wine-room unlike others. It has some 25  producers in the room with over 100 possible wines to pour. They decided to publish a tasting menu once a week as they have too many wines to open all of them at once.  This menu has a white flight, a medium red flight and a big red flight.  I have always said great wine starts with great fruit and if you want the best price, buy wine from the people that make it from their own fruit.  In other words if one makes wine with fruit they grew they are not paying another for it so they can sell the wine at a lower price than those that pay for their fruit and then make the wine.   This is what makes the Napa Wine company great.  They haves wines made by the producers, small producers who can obviously do a better job growing that fruit as they only have a little to care for.  They have many wine makers who talk to each other hence there is a synergistic quality working to produce better wines.  The Wine Room has a track record which includes some of the top wineries in the Valley starting at the NWC, names like Staglin, Lewis, Bryant Family and Larkmead.

The Doctor that was looking for Cabernet was in heaven in the NWC and joined the club to receive wine four times a year.  While we were there, the Oakville Market was spotted across the street and it was decided we would stop there for lunch.  We had to be quick as I had made an appointment at Honig for a 1:30 tasting so we grabbed some sandwiches and ate them on the way to Honig.  We had a wonderful tasting at Honig where the clients sat outside and wine was brought to their tables to taste and discuss.  The Honig's two Cabernets  were really appreciated by the Cabernet  lover and the Pinot  lovers bought  the late harvest  Sav Blanc which is fabulous.

Now we switched gears and decided to go after some wine that the Pinot couple would like and I took them to Sinsky where Pinot Noir is the focus.  They tasted and commented favorably on the fact Sinsky gives food with their tasting but did not purchase.

Now I am on the spot as I want all my customers to get what they want, so we headed to the Carneros where Pinot is king. We stopped at Bouchaine where the wine maker was the one who started Acacia and he really knows Pinot Noir!   It was a hit with both couples and several cases were purchased.
This was it for the day and we returned to Sonoma Square and the Eldorado  Hotel,  another tour  over.

What a Week, Day Three!

The next day was Saturday and the big event in Sonoma County was the Barrel Tasting in Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys.  This year was the first time they held it on two weekends. March 1-2 and 8-9 it was $20 to taste, per weekend, out of the barrel at almost 100 wineries (an impossible task).  My job for the day was to ferry some local tasting veterans who numbered seven all women.   All had known each other for years and decided a day away from husbands and children was in order.  These women knew where they wanted to go and had a road map assembled with some diligent work and thought by Becky (the planner).

First stop was Russian River Valley, the Olivet Lane wineries, Harvest Moon and Hook and Ladder.

Harvest Moon had a Magician, George Winters, entertaining between tastings.  Then over to Hook and Ladder Winery where things were busy and Cecil Deloach was on hand cooking his famous Firehouse Chili.  I picked up some of the great Palo Alto Fireman's Pepper Sauce sold there. 

The morning started out slowly as it took a bit for all seven to get into the car.  Initially
the talk was of past years. The party got started, though, after a couple of wineries. 

We next stopped at Moshin where they were serving Wild Boar Chili. I got the recipe, while they were busy tasting the barrels of the future wines.  The show was complete with the band "Bucky Walters" playing some good Bluegrass music.
   

We jumped in the Limo and headed up Westside Road into the Dry Creek Valley.  Our destination was Armida, home of PoiZin their famous Zinfandel.  These guys know how to party!

Leaving the Russian River we then proceeded to Dry Creek Central or A. Rafanelli, long known for their Zinfandel.  This was quick as they had only two wines to taste. 

Our next stop was the Family wineries there on Dry Creek Road. This was a fun stop as there are about six wineries in the complex and each was doing their own thing so there was lots to try.

Barrel tasting stops at 4 o'clock so we were pretty much done at 4:30 but heading up in the direction of Healdsburg we saw that Wilson Winery was still open and stopped to taste their wines which were being poured despite barrel tasting being done.

That was a wrap and the limo headed back to Petaluma to return the ladies to where we started. The third tour of the week was done!

What a Week, Day Two!

My next tour was for two couples from North Carolina and Pennsylvania.  We started at the Doubletree in Rohnert Park and I took them across  the  hills into  Calistoga at the north end of the Napa Valley.   

Our first stop was Frank  Family Vineyards, owned by the Hollywood Icon, Richard Frank.  This tasting room is undergoing a complete remodel, they were lowering the parking lot by 3 feet and are soon to destroy the old tasting room.   There was much construction noise but the staff was (as usual) the most gracious in the Valley and my clients spoke of them all day long, considering them to have been the most friendly and to have had the wine the best of the day.   They loved the Champagne and the Chardonnay as well a the Zinfandel, which is now sold out.  The Cabernet is fabulous and cheap by Napa standards, they liked the Reserve the best.  It  is now available only in Magnums at $285 I believe, which was more than they were willing to spend.  They did, however, figure out a half case they wanted to ship back home.

Then we were around the corner and down the road to Rombauer on the Silverado Trail.  They, again, liked the Zinfandel here and purchased some of it.  This was a surprise as Rombauer has always been touted for their Chardonnay.  It seems the last vintage was not as well received as the previous ones were as was borne out here.

We then when down to my favorite spot in the Valley, the Napa Wine Company or Cult Wine Central, where there are wines that you can get nowhere else.  So  manywines that they must make a menu each week since it is impossible to open all of them at once.  Each week, the Room has a new white flight, medium red flight and big red flight.  They decided to try the white and medium red flights.  In the end they purchased wine, several reds and a couple of whites.  Now it was time for lunch across the street at the Oakville market. 

Because the wine they favored was Zinfandel, I then decided to go to Elyse for the Morisoli Zinfandel, upon which Ray Coursen has built his winery for the last 25 years.  They preformed as I expected and the clients were pleased with Ray's Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.  Ray does not make a massive amout of wine but he is long on wines available to taste in the tasting room. There were around 20 different wines and all of them excellent!  Well the Cult Wine and the Elyse tasting proved to be all they could manage and the towel was tossed in for the day, so we headed back to Rohnert Park.  Another happy tour complete!

What a Week, Day One!

Well I did 5 wine tours in the last six days, 3 in Napa and 2 in Sonoma County!  You would think these wine tours would be pretty much all the same, but they are not.  They are as individual as the folks that do them.
The first of the week was a Mother/Daughter team from Minnesota out here for a grocery convention  with  the Mom's husband.   It was their first time to Napa,  and  they wanted to try Opus One first.  They make two wines and no expense is spared with their Flagship, new French oak barrels are used, it is properly aged and the wine is excellent. A Bordeaux  style made in California .   

Then we  stopped at Peju  with their beautiful  grounds and the room.   Peju was very quiet.  It seems their new policy of not giving wine to drivers anymore has greatly  injured their traffic, and it also seems they do not understand why they  have  so little business.  Their wine is still very good and it was nice to bring folks that could taste quickly.  I have had many of my clients complain about their "presentation style" .  They want the bar to be full of new tasters so they can make the presentation to the whole bar at once. This requires folks to wait until a bar is clear of the previous group.  I have had many clients walk out because they think it is silly to have to wait.   

Next they wanted to see Rubicon, the old Inglenook Chateau and take the tour of the mansion now owned by Francis Ford Coppola. 

On our way back to Sonoma I mentioned Elyse  and it turned out they had a cousin that was turning 21 named Elyse so they could not resist getting her a bottle with her name on it.  Otto, who was still at the winery and who is in charge of the wine club, was nice enough to allow us to stop by after hours to purchase the bottle. 

We then went back to Sonoma and stopped to get a new style paper grocery bag that they want to replicate for their own markets.  And so I dropped them back at Sonoma Mission Inn, an end to the day.

Winery Times Gets its Own Web Site

Wine Limo has a new unique web site.  California  Wine Limo  I am excited to have lost the "typepad" in the address as now we have a real URL!

Ii is amazing how quickly the readership has grown and we are now getting about 500 visits a week and by the end of the week we will be in the top 70 blogs on local wine events. 

I am going to continue to get the latest information on the best wines available here in the center of the US wine market, Napa and Sonoma Counties!

Please continue reading and remember to recommend me to your friends that might be coming here to do a wine tour!  Planning and executing these tours is my  labor of love ! 

I am going through the next generation  of  my wine list  and soon it will be a page on this site and I will include appellations and  tasting room fees in this next generation.  Nearly 1000 wineries and all the wines and prices available at those wineries.  I will also incorporate a login so that wineries can make a user name and edit their own information on the site to assure that the information is the most up to date anywhere.

Keep reading and thanks for all the comments! I am so happy that you all enjoy this publication and I hope I can be of greater service in the future!

<a href="http://technorati.com/claim/66ifs54x9y" rel="me">Technorati Profile</a>

Ladera Releases New Wines

Wow, this is my 100th post of this blog, I started just nine months ago!

Ladera Vineyards is one of the well kept Napa Valley secrets, it is on top of the Vaca Mountains on White Cottage Road South in Angwin.

History has shown, and I have long adhered to the belief, that the best fruit comes from the hillsides.  This, combined with the correct  rootstock on most desirable clones means you have set the tone for a successful vineyard.  The next important task is vineyard management  and judging from the recent Ladera newsletter, they have that mastered! 

It seems they have just completed the planting of Vineyard N, 5 1/2 acres of Cabernet on 101-14 and 3309-C  rootstock with clone 6,7, and 191 grafted on top.  I am not familiar  with 191 but  6  is the lowest producing Cabernet  clone with fabulous quality.  It is the one  that Anthony Bell  tested at BV  back in the 1980's and came to the conclusion it produced the finest single clone Cabernet he had tasted.

In the last newsletter Pat Stotesbery  wrote a wonderful piece on vineyard management titled "Don't Touch me Again" referring to the number of times the vine is handled during a typical growing season!  It is a great illustration on how and why great wine begins in the vineyard!  It is not by accident but by careful planning  starting with the planting and then the care of the vineyard year after year!

It starts with pruning in late winter,  as late as possible to avoid disease  which can hurt the newly pruned shoots if they remain wet.  Then the  maintenance of the trellis system, tying the vines to the wires with tape and any repair of posts.  As the shoots begin to grow the suckering vines need to be thinned as well as volunteer lateral growth.  On a cordon arm system they want only 2 shoots per bud site along the arm.  An additional thinning may be required as the vines grow, to allow sun into the developing clusters and not let too much energy go to the canopy.  At the same time, clusters from the level of the crop must be assessed to determine quantity, if too many, some fruit should be dropped.  Then again at veraison,  the under ripe fruit must be dropped and the fruit that is touching adjacent bunches must be thinned for the best fruit to ripen fully.  Finally this year's crop is ready to harvest!  All told this requires seven passes through the vineyard!  Some years more. It is a very labor intensive endeavor, but the result is fantastic wine!  Thus it is an easy thing to say, great wine begins in the vineyard, absolutely true, but hard work to execute!

The new releases for Ladera are 2004 Lone Canyon Cabernet $65, 2005 Syrah $40, and 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet $39.  They also have the 2004 Howell Mountain Cabernet $70 and 2006 Sav Blanc $25.  Their Library wines are 1998 Lone Canyon Cabernet $65 (6 bottle limit) and 2002 Lone Canyon Cabernet $65 (6 bottle limit)

I think it is a bad idea to describe wines to others, as I have said in the past "The best way to evaluate is to go and taste ".  They are by appointment, closed Sunday 707-965-2445
Ladera    

Tasting at Cult Wine Central

The other day, after tasting the Honig Wine, I decided to drop in on my Friends at Cult Wine Central and taste what they happened to have open.  Fridays are the day they change their tasting menu so they had even more wine open than usual!

Ozzie and Bryan greeted us in the room and we decided to taste the reds. My pick for the best value is the Vinum Red Dirt Red at $29. Wow! This is great and priced well.  The 2002 Falcor Cabernet made  by Ray Coursen of Elyse has nicely aged soft fruit, very smooth and balanced with a nice long finish - ready to drink!  The 2003 Fife Cabernet was full of rich, dark berry flavors, both black and boysenberry!  It was my favorite regardless  of price and a great value at $50 !  Last, I tasted the 2003 Madrigal from up at the top of the valley. It had some smoky flavors that were very good, it was a real treat.

Paul Torres came out right at the end of the tasting and told us about the Ghost Block 2005, the company's flagship.  It is going to be released in about 6 weeks and most of it is already sold!
This vintage is a little different then the 2004 but still excellent. It is difficult to produce more than 2000 cases and although they have many more vineyards, they could not justify the additional fruit being added, as the quality was just not the same.  This will leave a few people unhappy without wine but at the same time if they made more, the quality would suffer.  So they have held the line and maintained the quality. Where in the past many have increased production to satisfy  demand and lowered quality Paul has decided not to!  In a world of profit driven mediocrity I salute Paul for his integrity!

Honig Winery

I am always amazed at the people that read my blog!  This week I was contacted by Stephanie Honig from Honig Winery.  She had come across my blog while searching for articles on Honig.  We exchanged emails and I decided to go over and check out what they are doing at the winery.  The name Honig stands for honey in German hence the Bee in the middle of the H in their label.

Honig has been growing grapes since the 1960's when the now owner Michael's Grandfather Louis bought a prune ranch and decided to plant grapes. They only grow Sav Blanc and Cabernet.  In the 1980's they decided to make wine and now have two levels of Cabernet and Sav Blanc.  The Sav Blancs are the Napa Valley version and the more specific single vineyard Rutherford version.
The Cabernet is a Napa Valley version. The Spring Mountain, Bartolucci Vineyard, a single vineyard Cabernet, is their Flagship.

The winery is a example of Michael's vision of what a winery should be.  He said he wanted a tasting room that was a reflection of his home, a family winery, with no tasting bar but a table to sit, taste and enjoy his wines.  The tasting room is informal, there are no accessories to be purchased, with the exception of several wine books in which his dogs are featured or the winery mentioned.  He said he wants his place to be about the wine and that is it, no consumer stuff.

Although the winery is not CCOP or certified organic, it is Solar.  They use biodiesel in their tractors  and they call their methods sustainable.   They keep prices down to make their wine more approachable and they want their clients to feel at ease and not feel they are in an environment which is" snotty" by their exclusivity, as they feel much of the valley has gotten.  Their Sav Blanc is $16 and the Rutherford $24.  The Cabernet $40 and the Bartolucci $75.  For the quality of their product I would agree these prices are very reasonable!

They also make a LH Sav Blanc which is very very good,  $55 for a 375 ml. It is a dessert unto itself!

This is a place not to be missed!

850 Rutherford Crossroad, Rutherford Ca 94573  10-4 by Appointment, 707.963.5818 honigwine 

Open Wine Consortium

I just joined Open Wine Consortium, a new networking system for Wine related folks. I have posted a link bottom left column if anyone wants to check it out, 226 members  and several bloggers I know, if you join invite me as a friend !

A Great Two Day Tour

This Saturday and Sunday I had the opportunity to do a great tour, this one the client planned.
He was a person with a lot of previous experience in the wine business, so the schedule was excellent!

We started Saturday with Joseph Phelps, known for their Cabernet and flagship Insignia, grown on their 600 acre estate off Taplin lane behind St Helena.  Then we went to Duckhorn, long known for their Merlot and Cabernet, off Lodi Lane just north of St Helena.  We then stopped at Whitehall Lane Winery another great Cabernet stop just south of St Helena.  Next was Plumpjack on the Oakville Crossroad. These are all great Cabernet houses, are you seeing a trend here?  Next, just next door to Honig (the first winery to receive a 100 from Parker under wine maker Nils Venge for their 1985 Cabernet). I added some pictures here to winery_times 4 in the picture albums.

Next we changed the trend to arrive at Etude out in the Carneros on Cutting Wharf Rd. They are known for their Pinot Noir of which there are several available both the Estate and some single vineyard.

To end the day, we finished up at Domaine Chandon on the oldest vineyard land in the Napa Valley just to the West of Yountville.  A great day, I could not have planned better myself,! Fantastic!

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, more great Cabernet!  We started at Sinsky, who are known for Pinot Noir and are just at the north end of the Stag's Leap, just south of the Yountville crossroad on the Silverado Trail.

Next , we went to Bell where I will soon return to to interview the owner and wine maker Anthony Bell!  This guy is most impressive. He has made a life of researching and improving the making of great Cabernet!  A South Africa born individual who came here for the Master's course at Davis and was so talented he landed a job at BV when Andre T was wine maker and stayed to become wine maker.  He headed a program in 1980 to research Cabernet clones and did extensive research including making single clone Cabernet.  He assembled a team of wine makers to evaluate these wines and came to the conclusion that clone 6 was the outstanding Cabernet clone.  This supports what I have always said that the best clones produce the least fruit. Clone 6 makes the most miserable clusters you have ever seen, however, the resulting wine is fantastic!  The clone produces so little fruit however few people make wine from it as the yield is really ridiculous.  I added more pictures here to also in album 4.

Leaving there , we went to Quintessa, where they make a single wine from their fruit by berry sorting that fruit and retaining only 20%, selling off the rest.  This is a state of the art process and the brain child of Agustin Huneeus, famous for resurrecting  Franciscan and selling it for a huge profit.  They use all underground gravity flow and everything is done absolutely top drawer.

To finish the day we went to Del Dotto on Atlas Peak Road. The facility  is an old distillery created back in the late 19th century, complete with caves and owned by Dave Del Dotto.  They do barrel tastings in the caves as well as tasting their current releases.  The wine is wonderful, they pour generously and all come away sated.  This is the place to finish the day when wine tasting!

This was a tour that I was pleased to be part of as the planning was fantastic. It was a pleasure to be along on the tour, thank you very much Angelo!   

The Grande Dame Passes, Jamie Davies!

In my youth I discovered Champagne, the wonderful thing that was first allowed as legal when Dom Perignon declared," I see stars when I drink this wine".  Up until that time the church had declared that champagne was work of the devil as they had no understanding of the way the bubbles got into the wine.  This had been so for 100 years, until the noble, highly regarded, holy man declared it wonderful, the world had to give way to accepting the drink. 

I first heard of Schramsberg when it was served during the historic visit to China  in 1972 by the first president I voted for, Richard Nixon.  I remember the pictures  which depicted those now old fashioned wide and shallow classic glasses from which the President and Chou En Lai drank!

I was on a mission as I knew that it came from close to where I grew up in Calistoga. Off I went in search of the place. Driving up the road for the first time, I thought I must be lost. What winery could be here?  Being young and intrepid I continued up the road. In those days the place was not so impressive as it was still being resurrected,  but I fell in love with the wine!   The wife of Jack Davies was so beautiful and gracious I was mesmerized by her hospitality and her presence!

Over the years I came back so many times it is hard to accurately gauge.  I remember going there near Christmas in 1978, to be told the winery was closed.  I told them I was going to buy four cases and it was miraculously open.  I bought a case of Blanc de Blanc, a Case of Blanc de Noir, a Case of the Pinot pink stuff and a case of the Reserve!  That was my shopping for that Christmas. I gave bottles away to all my family.  Then I realized some of my family did not appreciate the bubbly!  After, in ensuing years, I justified not sharing my wine with the unenlightened, as it meant more for me!

In 1988 I did  wine tours for the PCA, Porsche Club of America. I was social director at the time and took  great pleasure in sharing my knowledge with the club and  so I planned wine tours.  One followed another with moderate success. Each tour was advertised in the regional magazine, this particular one was to tour the caves at Shramsberg.  We were to meet at the then Nave Lanes in Novato to caravan up to the Napa Valley.  I showed up early to organize the cars and they began filing in 10, 20 ,30... we had 60 cars show up!  More than 4 times any previous tour!  Wow, I was excited I had caused this!  Well you could not believe the view in the rear mirror as we headed out  Highway 37. Porsches stretched out for a mile behind me!  About an hour later we arrived and the tour guide greeted us. She took one look at the group and said you need to get about half these cars out of here as we have a limit of 25 people here and this is a violation of our insurance!  From elation to paranoia in less than 30 seconds!

OK, I took half the folks over to Hans Kornell, I drove up and asked Hans and Dennis Zablosky , the now manager of Frank Family Vineyard if I could bring 25 people into taste. They smiled widely and said sure!  Wow, those guys saved my day and frankly Dennis has never changed, in all these years he has always been ready to do what is needed!

Over the years Jamie was always my idea of the Grande Dame, the Napa Valley's version  of the famous madame that invented riddling  so many years previous  in France!

She always carried herself as an example  and despite her Parkinson's she presided as a great diplomat of Champagne and the Napa Valley. Her efforts were to build an empire of Sparkling wine that she and Jack dreamed of back on that day in 1965 when they purchased the defunct winery which had once been the topic of Robert Louis Stevenson's Book!

Though she has passed she will never be forgotten, but immortalized for her part in the history, which continues, of the great Napa Valley!   

Image Credit

Chateau Boswell Releases Some Special Cabernet

Chateau Boswell has released a newsletter announcing the reservation for purchase of their special Cabernet.  In April they will  release 105 cases of the 2005 Reserve Cabernet. It will be available for $95 a bottle, limit 6.  Also they are taking orders for their 2006 Beckstoffer ToKalon Vineyard Cabernet.  They produce 125 cases of this wine and it will be available to ship in the fall of 2008. It is priced at $165 a bottle, limit 6.  They estimate the reserve to have a bottle life of 10 years while the ToKalon should have a 15 year aging potential.  You need to join their mailing list if you want to order online.
These wines are extremely limited and are offered on a first come first served basis.

Photo Credit

30th Annual Barrel Tasting Coming Up!

30^th Annual Barrel Tasting – Russian River, Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys
03/01/2008 & 03/08/2008
This is a great  way to taste the coming vintage before it is bottled. You will be able to taste wine directly from the barrel and purchase wine for future sale at lower than release prices.  This tasting can give you  insight into how a wine ages and develops.  It is a great way to further one's wine education and is cheap compared to buying bottles or even paying all those tasting fees!

I recommend you start in either the Russian River or Alexander Valley as Dry Creek Valley is in between and you can work either to the east or the west.
Also keep the wineries close together, so you can see more. Visit my wine list for wines poured and web sites.   Since so many wineries participate you will want to plan on tasting both weekends and splitting them up as I outline above by mapping out the wineries you want to visit prior to the event .

I also recommend you retain our services as the tasting ticket is cheap but a DUI is not! Let me drive you!

Reserve a Car

Tickets are only $20 per weekend.
For more information

Sherwin Family Vineyards Releases its 2005 Cabernet

The Sherwin Family Vineyards is up on top of Spring Mountain, right at the crest of the hill, just on the Napa side.

This will mark their 10th vintage, the 2005 will have a certain number of bottles bearing the US Flag to support our troops. A portion of the proceeds from these bottles will be donated to, Homes for Our Troops! This is a charity which provides homes for severely injured military members returning home.  The wine is available at $90 a bottle in 3,6 and12 bottle lots.  Join their mailing list at the web site, email is [email protected], phone is (707) 963-1154 (by appointment only for tastings).

TERRE D' ECLANO IGT 2004- QUINTODECIMO

UVE-AGLIANICO   13.5% Alcohol

Recently I was invited to join a wine Myspace-like  site in Italy Vinix . It is free and has many bloggers and wine related folks on the site.  I was linked to 6  people from midnight to noon the following day-- pretty cool.  One was Ettore Galasso . Here is a review he wrote on an Italian Anglianico. I have translated it so it might read a little differently but he asked that I do this, so check out his site!                      


This is a wine has a steely red color, aged twelve months in barrels of oak, 40% new and 60% of second passage. .

It has all the characteristics and the typical of the aglianico. The taste is full, the tannins are elegant and they are stirred to a mouth (taste?) that is finally of green pepper, and licorice.

This wine is for the estimative lovers of the aglianico, a turbine  of feelings!

Delighting to us, with this nectar, we wait for the next certainty of the university professor...... to your health

I See a Pattern in the Wine Maker's Eternal Argument

In fact I am with Jim on his next article ! It refers to a speaker in Sacramento at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium who called Russian River Valley Pinot Noir big and chunky  in a negative way. 

I feel this argument will never end and is in fact an eternal wine maker's argument.  I like to call it the Green vs the Brown School of wine making.  We could call it the  Californian vs the European  but that identifies the origins and not  necessarily the styles. One could come from Europe and adopt the Brown style or come from California and adhere to the Green style.

The European or Green style has been a style born out of the fact that weather in Europe is generally less warm.  The grapes have less sugar at the end of the growing season, because of the cooler climate, and have been traditionally harvested at lower sugars compared to California vineyards.   The argument for the Green School has always been that the most important factor in a wine's stability over the years is the acidity of the wine at bottling!  As grapes ripen and the sugar content rises, the acidity or PH also wanders higher and is less acid.  The Green School argues that wines made over about 24-25 brix will result in acidity that is too high and the resulting wine will have a shorter bottle life.  They feel this is a disservice to the wine collector as the wine will fall apart and it's aging potential will be compromised.

The Brown School or California style has evolved out of the fact that here in California we have much more heat and the because of this we can ripen fruit to much higher sugar levels.  They argue that the flavors are much more enjoyable. The fruit at 22-25 brix has more vegative flavors  while the fruit at 26-30 brix has more cherry, blackberry and rasberry fruit flavors. These flavors are the ones that consumers seem to enjoy more.  This direction is one the wine critics seem to be favoring based on the ratings they have been giving to wines of this style.  The longevity of these wines, because of less acid, may be compromised according to the Green School.  I have posed this problem to Brown School wine makers who claim acidity can adjusted by adding fruit with lower brix in an amount that does not affect the overall flavors but lowers the PH.

The point I would like to make is illustrates the wonderful art of making wine!  It is the reason it is an art as well as a science.  Because there is no right or wrong, just the Wine Maker's belief in what they feel  their wine should be!  This is the zone,  inbetween these two extremes, that wonderful wines are made!
The fact that these wine makers are so passionate about their individual perspectives is what makes them great wine makers, as they choose and adhere to their individual styles.  They are making wine that is authentic to their own style and adheres to that style year after year!  This is what makes wine an eternal journey. One never knows what one might happen onto in the search for the next fantastic fermentation!

I guess I am a little Defensive about being Italian

On reading my response to Jim Gordons article in The Wine Enthusiast Blog I think I owe Jim an apology.  He honestly said noting derogatory about Italians.   I have been the receiver of a lot of criticism in my youth on being Italian and drinking wine and I just flew off the handle because of the things people said to my Grandfather when I was a boy.  These comments had nothing to do with Jim's writings and it was not correct for me to direct those old feelings at Jim. If anyone reading my Blog felt I did then I say that I am sorry for that!

Why is the Wine Business is Italian?

Wine enthusiast's Jim Gordon just wrote an article on "Why the Wine Business is Italian", Jim's Article
I just could not resist making a comment, after seeing my family take heat over drinking wine my whole life until just recently.  Here is what I have to say.

Wine has been a way of life for Italians for generations. My family has made wine for generations back into the centuries. I started drinking family wine at 5 years old. It is our life’s blood, we had our food and our wine if we had nothing else. During the depression of the 1930’s my family could not afford to buy wine so they made it, not to sell, but for mealtimes. The great wine makers of Italian descent did not make it for money, though recently many have profited because of Americans beginning to drink wine, but because it was their family tradition to do so! Now the rest of the world has come to the party. Why is it a surprise those that were here from the beginning are Italians? For many years Italians endured being called winos, drinking dago red, laughed at and ridiculed for drinking wine. Wine is to Italians like Casinos are to Indians, it is about time we got some payback!

Cult Wine Central is Pouring the Big Boys this Week!

I just received an email from Bryan Betita letting me know the tasting menu this week for the hub of the valley, Cult Wine Central.

He was gracious enough to mention that Plumb Jack and Silver Oak were releasing their Cabernets this weekend-- if anyone is interested in tasting those new additions down the Oakville crossroad.

However, the Napa Wine Company as most of you know as Cult Wine Central has so many wines they must limit the number of bottles open each week, hence they have a weekly tasting menu.  This week the menu is fantastic and better than I have seen for a while. The white flight includes the Pahlmeyer Chardonnay 2005 at $70 with just a few bottles left.

The first red flight has a list that reads like the who's who of wine country wine makers!  William Knuttel Pinot, Downing Family, Randy Mason Syrah, Adastra, Pam Starr Merlot and  Lamborn and Heidi Barrett Zinfandel.  Wow, what a line up and that is their first list! 

Moving on to the bigger reds they start with Madrigal Cabernet, then they pour the Temescal Cabernet (only 120 cases made and the best fruit out of the Napa Wine Company)!  Next the  Volker  Vineyard Cabernet from Chiles Valley, a hillside vineyard, followed by the famous Blackbird  Merlot  from over there in the Oak Knoll district!   What could top that? How about the Proprietary Red  from Palhmeyer? These guys hand sort their fruit and  sell out quickly every year. Here is the opportunity to taste it without putting up $125  for a bottle!
How can you pass up a tasting like that?  Get over there and tell Bryan I sent you!

Agustin Huneeus Releases Faust

The man that raised Franciscan from the dust and then sold it for almost 1/4 of a billion dollars in order to open Quintessa has another company he launched in 2006!  He has named it Huneeus Vintners  and its principal wine "Faust".  He has chosen Valentine's day as the occasion to release his latest vintage of Faust. It is the 2005 which is available at $50 a bottle or $540 a case, limit one case.  Also available is the 2004 at $55 or $660 a case, limit one case.  Last but not least the 2002 is available at $65 a bottle or $780 a case, limit one case.  Please contact Erin Lynch, Sales Specialist, at (707) 286-2745 or the website or [email protected] to discuss any questions or to make alternative arrangements for the delivery of your wine.  Fax can be sent to Faust Consumer Sales at (707) 286-2727.

Valentine's Day Offerings

Martin Estate is offering f their 2003 Cabernet covered in scrumptious E. Guittard Dark Chocolate dressed for the occasion.  The bottle gift wrapped with a card is on sale for $125

Fisher Vineyards in cooperation with Rudd Winery is having a  Valentine's Day party at the St Regis Hotel in SF!  Hosted by Cameron Fisher and Kenny Koda of Rudd, they will start at the top floor veranda and do a blind tasting of international wines.  The dinner will be constructed by the St Regis Chef John Jackson and accompanied by Rudd and Fisher wines.   The price of dinner if you are on the list for either winery is $250 per person. 

It is not cheap to be on the mailing lists for the top wineries, but the  quality is top drawer....

Blankiet Estate Releases 2005

I get these wine releases on almost a daily basis and the things people say to describe their wine can be sometimes silly and other times downright mistakes.  I must however say that Claude Blankiet writes one smoking letter!  Take this statement as an example, "A vintage is the summary of hundreds of micro decisions involving winemaking and viticulture.  Those decisions are based, of course, on experience in anticipation of predicted weather patterns, but with  Mother Nature constantly shuffling the decks, luck can never be discounted."  This is one of the best descriptions of the reality of being a farmer I have ever read!
The Blankiets are not just resting on their laurels, however, they have some of the best staff anywhere on earth to get this process right!  They have brought back David Abreau to oversee viticulture.  Martha McClelland is Winemaker and to assist in blending, famed oenologist from Bordeaux, Michael Rolland! 

To focus, they have decided this will be the last year they offer two wines; one Cabernet based and one Merlot based from their Paradise Hills Estate.  Starting with vintage 2006 they have chosen to pool their resources into one lot and hereafter produce one blend. They will be using all of the wine to make the most ultimate blend that they can possibly create!  Hence from 2006 they will offer only one wine which will include both Cabernet and Merlot as its base! 

Of course the rating people have assigned their numbers once again: around 95 for the Cabernet  and 94 for the Merlot based wine, Rive Droite.  The wine is available in lots of 3, 6 or 12 bottles if you are on the mailing list.  These are big wines which require cellaring and will develop for years to come.

The 2005 Cabernet is priced at $185 a bottle and the Rive Droite (Merlot Based) $125 on a first come first served basis.

Lail Releases its 2005 Blueprint!

The history of the Napa Valley would never be complete without the mention of Inglenook Winery. For almost a century they have been the center of wine making in the Napa Valley.  Inglenook was founded by Gutav Niebaum back in 1879.  He was the great-granduncle of the owner of Lail vineyard, Robin Lail, who along with her husband Jon founded Lail vineyards.

They are about to release their 2005 Blueprint , so named because of Jon's architectural background. This wine has been made by famous winemaker Philippe Melka who has been the winemaker since the beginning in 1995.  It is a blend of  71% Cabernet, 25% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc from  Howell Mountain, Oakville, St Helena and Yountville.  Philppe describes the wine saying it "reveals dark notes of blackberries intermixed with vanilla, cacao and coconuts. In the mouth it is round with a pure attack and good balance, finishing with raspberry and cherry flavors and well-integrated sweet tannins.” The price is $50 a bottle and is available to those in the allocation on 2/1/2008

Wine Tasting Takes Years to Master

Thomas of Vinofictions just wrote a wonderful article on" Finish" which invoked this reaction from me.

I think part of drinking wine is connecting the brain, via the nose with the subject at hand. It does not happen overnight nor without a great deal of work and thought from the drinker. I keep running into individuals that expect, like our society in general, instant gratification.  As if just because they might not detect this or that in a wine it probably does not exist.
Great finishes in wine are what distinguish the outstanding from the mediocre. I was at Revana the other day with Heidi Barrett in the cellar and wandered into the tasting for some clients. The presenter poured some wine and said they felt that their wine had a finish of about two minutes and that is what made it great as one did not have to sip it as often to continue to enjoy it during the evening! I have to agree when one has a wine that has that kind of long finish and it is wonderful, it is an experience which one keeps looking for in wines for years to come.
This year marks 50 years I have been tasting and it has been a continued growth throughout these years. Not only am I more acute in my evaluation but more able to identify the what and where that makes these nuances. I just think some of the less experienced should try and learn more by taking notes and asking questions, and try being less critical of those that have spent years and hundreds of hours learning and growing in knowledge and experience. Some may be a bit full of themselves however their expertise has been gained by years of tasting 1000's of wines and for that there is no substitute!

So what did I do? Ghost Block, Vine Cliff and Del Dotto..

Well let's just hit new stuff or old take your pick.  I have been talking of the Ghost Block which seems to be the new Screaming Eagle of the cult wine crowd.  This is the Napa Wine Company or Cult Wine Central's best Cabernet fruit, voted the winner of "Best of Oakville" and rated 92 across the board by the majors.  Well this  name got me thinking so I decided, on my own time, to visit the pioneer cemetery which Ghost Block borders.  I walked around for about an hour looking at the headstones of settlers that came west and died here back in the 19th century.  These Americans were lead by the original valley settler (after the Spanish) George Calvert Yount who came here in 1831. He was the only one in the graveyard born in the 18th century, 1794!  He was the only American to receive a Spanish land grant. this was Rancho Caymus which stretched from south of Yountville to Rutherford. It was a huge ranch and the original place wine grapes of the modern era were planted!   This guy must have been very tough as both the Wappo Indians and the Spanish decided they did not want to fight with him.  After his death, Rancho Caymus became Inglenook and several other big ranches.  George passed away in 1865, almost 150 years ago, but not before donating the city of Yountville  to be remembered  as his namesake.  Check out his monument there, a picture with a bag on his back and a lot of bravado in his heart.

Now back to the present. I stopped by Vine Cliff which was another early spot that made the Napa Valley famous. Some of the first hillside vineyards on the eastern slopes of the valley were planted there back in the 19th century.  I need to go back and take notes but in general, the Sweeneys have resurrected  the legend and have focused on  just Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet  and Cab Franc  for their wines.   They use a lot of sustainable farming methods and are serious about making the highest quality wines possible.  Their Flagship wine is their Private Stock which is a very select 16 rows of the best fruit of their vineyard.

I also revisited Caymus Winery who has released the special select 2004, apparently last October and it is now $165 a bottle up from 2003 when it was $150.  I took pictures too. Remember you can go there and purchase wine but if you want to taste you must make an appointment between 10-4 and not with no more than a party of ten as that is their limit.

The next place I want to mention is the new Del Dotto Tasting room.  Wow that Dave Del Dotto is an amazing individual!   First he does things right.  His new tasting room is way beyond anything else in the valley for visual impression.   At the same time he is the most humble person and always there and approachable if you want to speak to him.  Most people that meet him do not realize he is the owner as he is so low key and  soft spoken.  The people I brought spoke with him and afterward I mentioned did you enjoy meeting Dave and they said what?  They did not realize he was Dave Del Dotto they thought him just a tasting room guy.  I did not take any pictures of his cave as he asked me not to. He feels it is not ready quite yet!  Wow, it makes all other caves in the valley look crude and unfinished!  The marble in the tasting room is incredible and the columns and countertops are fantastic.  The wines are as excellent  as his efforts to make them. I asked  him if he had showed it to Francis Ford (his neighbor) as Francis would be embarrassed by the comparison. I mean that sincerely and I have seen both and more than once!  Dave has a Cabernet and Cab Franc which are both excellent!   I took many more photos - check them out at the winery_times 4 album!

Wow Too Many Wine Tours!

Where do I start, I did about five wine tours in five days! 

Well, this is what I love being here in the area for! Helping others that love the wines get to the best spots (based upon what they are after)!

This week was intense and is still not over. I am most interested in helping folks that are experienced in wine and are knowledgeable in what they want, as this is my forte.

I want folks that will come out year after year, some as often as quarter after quarter and stock their cellars with the best wine available for them.
People often ask me "Mark what do you like? " My response is that this is not important, what is important is what you like!  My preferences are not what others should focus on, wine is an individual and a subjective thing!  People that go out and rate wines are great, but if you can come here, why waste your time. This is their opinion which is fine but if you are  here and able to taste the wines , then figure it out for yourself! 

So, if you come here and tour with me then lets take advantage and go taste lots of wine based upon your thoughts. We will see what YOU like!  Wow, what a concept.  This is my focus and I cannot tell you how many have been surprised at their choices given this (their own) criteria!

I need to help make a commercial for Ford cars in the morning so I will have to wait to share some of the wineries visited this week, thanks for reading and check back soon..

Twisted Oak's Jeff Stai Wins Menu for Hope Tour!

I am happy to announce a  fellow  Blogger, Jeff Stai,  from the fabulous Elbloggotorcido has won my donation to Menu for Hope, a wine tour in the Napa Sonoma area.

I am so pleased a truly serious wine person has won the prize!

I want to thank Pim of Chez Pim for her commitment  and work  to put together  this great charity which raised $91,000 ! 

I want to thank the Great Alder Yarrow  for his fabulous Blog ,Vinography , for the invitation to participate and the encouragement to blog in the first place!

It is an honor to be part of such a Noble cause and I hope we raise twice as much money next year as we did this year! 

Black Coyote Receives a Nod From Parker

Our old friend Robert Parker has assigned a 91 rating to Black Coyote Cabernet '04. This is a Stag's Leap Cabernet.  Stag's Leap is known for soft tannins, the wine was made at the Judd's Hill Winery and bottled at the Robert Percota Winery.   

The wine sounds very promising , Parker says  black currants, licorice,  underbrush??? and oak.  He says it will age for 12 to 15 years!   (707) 252-2292 to order.

Ghost Block Pre Sale Call From Paul

Paul Torres called me this afternoon and 150 of the club's 200 six packs sold yesterday.
If  you want to order Ghost Block 2005  Paul has asked that you contact Napa Wine Company through their wholesale web site  Bonded #9   . Please tell them that Mark has sent you!
Remember that the charge will not be applied until the wine is shipped some time in April hence Paul is calling it Pre Sale!

Ghost Block Pre Orders!

Well fans, as promised, Paul Torres has decided to give those in the Cult Wine Central wine club  a chance to to place a 2005 Ghost Block Pre  Order!  The production will be similar to the 2004 which sold out quickly so this may be a sign for those who want the 2005. Put in your order before this vintage is gone!  Again the wine will be offered at $55 a bottle and the charge will not go through until the wine is shipped, which is slated for April.
This wine is named Ghost Block for the fact that the vineyard overlooks the Pioneer Cemetery in Yountville where the early settlers to the valley are buried.  In fact this is also an ancient Indian burial ground!  It is said the ghost of George C Yount wanders  the area from time to time hence the name Ghost Block! 
200 six packs have been set aside for the wine club members and I am not sure if you need to join to place a pre order but call Meghann Iredell at 945-1213 or email her at [email protected] if you are interested!