Dinner with Joel Aiken and Scattered Peaks 2017 Small Lot Cabernet Sauvignon

Scattered Peaks is a relatively new Napa Valley brand created by Derek Benham who is leveraging long-time Napa winemaker Joel Aiken to "curate" exemplary Napa Valley Cabernet. The first two vintages featured a Napa Valley wine blended from three vineyards scattered through the AVA. In 2017 Aiken continued that tradition but also introduced a Small Lot version derived from two select Napa vineyards.

During a short east coast tour, Aiken visited D.C. and briefed several media influencers on the Scattered Peaks brand -- all over a delicious meal at Officina at the Wharf. Aiken related that the brand's name is derived from Benham's love of surfing and extreme skiing - helicopter skiing. That's intuitive with skiing, but with surfing, Benham refers to the waves between the best rides as scattered peaks.

Another anecdote Aiken relayed was that because of the Scattered Peaks brand name, Benham preferred sourcing exclusively from mountain-grown fruit. Instead, Aiken suggested a vineyard in Rutherford that he had discovered during his twenty years overseeing the winemaking at Beaulieu Vineyard.  This Morisoli Vineyards is located on the valley floor on the Western Rutherford Bench but experiences excellent drainage from the alluvial gravelly soils and cooling late afternoon shade as the mountains block the setting sun.

Fruit from this vineyard provides structure and firm tannins for the new Scattered Peaks Small Lot 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and is joined by fruit from the Sage Ridge Vineyards that provides intensity and depth. This vineyard is located at a higher altitude on the eastern hills of Napa south of Howell Mountain. The shale and clay soils reduce vigor to produce smaller berries enhancing complexity and intensity. The result is a luscious wine, layers of dark fruit with fleshy depth and finishing firmly with structure and a lingering finale.

Aiken also poured the Scattered Peaks 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($35) - a continuation of the brand's two other vintages of this wine that is sourced from three vineyards scattered throughout the Napa Valley. First, however, this is a plush wine, dark fruit enveloped with black licorice, sometimes chocolate, sometimes coffee, sometimes, dusty. Like the Small Lot, this is 100% Cabernet and includes a dose of Rutherford fruit - this time 21% from the Round Pond vineyard. A majority of the grapes, however, come from Usibelli Vineyards in the Pope Valley - located in eastern Napa and separated from the rest of Napa by the Howell Mountains. During the summer, the Pope Valley is warmer than most of Napa during the day but enjoys a large diurnal shift during the cool nights. The remaining fruit is sourced from the Gordon Valley, situated in the far southeastern corner of Napa Valley where the surrounding hills provide a similar landscape as Rutherford - just perhaps a little on the cooler side.

Aiken also wanted to demonstrate the age-worthiness of Napa Cabernet so he graciously poured two ten+-year-old wines from the Rutherford Bench and from his days at Beaulieu Vineyard. When originally released, these wines were part of the Maestro Collection -- a series designed to celebrate Beaulieu's first winemaker André Tchelistcheff - the Maestro - and who Georges de Latour first met in 1938.  The first wine was the 2006 BV Beaulieu No 1 Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the second the 2008 Beaulieu Vineyard Ranch No 1 Cabernet Sauvignon. Each wine was still fresh, plenty of acids and still velvety with firm tannins.

Note: The dinner was also hosted by Berryessa Gap Vineyards where winemaker Nicole Salengo introduced us to this winery. Expect a post next week on these delicious wines. And special thanks to Officina for excellent service and courses.

Going Yard with Chateau Montelena's Potter Valley Riesling

The Potter Valley AVA is located in the northern section of California's Mendocino County and centered naturally on the town of Potter Valley. The appellation is elevated 200 feet higher than surrounding areas so is conducive to colder climate grapes such as our current topic Riesling. Calistoga's Chateau Montelena sources fruit from this region to produce their 2017 Potter Valley Riesling ($27) as "growing the right grape in the right place" has long been the guiding principle behind the wines from this storied winery. Thus decades ago the winery entered into a long term contract with an organic vineyard whose location provides the abundant sunshine and cool nights to ripen fruit and retain acidity. In fact, the grapes are harvested fully ripe just before botrytis sets in and this ripeness provides both tropical and stone fruit notes minus the petrol often associated with ripeness and high sun exposure. The wine also maintains its dryness and creamy texture throughout, elicits subtle spices and minerals, and finishes with abundant acids. Following the record-setting MLB All-Star game, Chateau Montelena hit a dinger with this tasty Riesling. Cheers.

Miner Family Winery 2017 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc

In July 1993 the Oakville and Rutherford AVA's were carved out of the central Napa Valley AVA in order to accentuate their specific micro-climates best suited for Bordeaux varieties. Both areas contained well drained gravely soils and moderately warm with each region influenced by early morning fog and afternoon breezes (with Rutherford warmer, lower in elevation, and less affected by wind and fog). Whereas Cabernet Sauvignon is the principle crop in both AVAs, each also shares an affinity for Sauvignon Blanc. The same is true with the Chiles Valley AVA, another sub-AVA in northeastern Napa Valley. This AVA is located in the Vaca Mountains and has a cooler climate than the majority of Napa Valley due to its higher elevations and a cooling breeze from the Pacific Ocean. Miner Family Wines encompasses these three AVAs with their 2017 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($22) where 40% comes from Rutherford's Shartsis Vineyard, 52% from Chiles Valley Sage Creek Vineyard, and 8% from Oakville's Crossroads Vineyard.  It is an excellent wine, lemon but not New Zealand grassy, more Bordeaux with texture and depth, finishing with refreshing acids.

A Trio from Napa Valley's Hess Collection

The Napa Valley winery, the Hess Collection, is now in its 32nd vintage with most of the wine produced from hillside vineyards such as Mount Veeder. In the mid-1970s, Donald Hess implemented a model to follow European practices and plant on "mountains, hillsides, ridges and bench lands". To accommodate the steep mountain slopes, the vines are planted to ridges which also forces the vines to struggle. I recently received the bounty from Mount Veeder in the Hess Collection Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley ($65.00). The small berries grown on Veeder provide intense fruit in the Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot which comopse this wine. It is delicious - slightly spicy, with both red and dark fruit. The finish is firm, with solid tannins but smooth.

The Hess Collection's Allomi Vineyard is located in Pope Valley on the eastern base of Howell Mountain, a topography that provides rolling hills and well drained soils. The vineyard is sub-divided into 35 unique growing blocks with six different Cabernet clones. These clones are used in the Hess Collection Allomi Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Napa Valley ($32.00); this is an approachable yet sophisticated wine with dark fruit, smokey spices, and firm tannins. Nicely done.

Su’skol Vineyard is the exception to the hillside model as the vineyard is located on flat land situated fewer than 10 miles from San Pablo Bay. The cooling marine influence provides morning fog and afternoon breezes that lower the average daily temperature - an ideal climate for growing Chardonnay like the Hess Collection Chardonnay 2015, Napa Valley ($22.00). Once again multiple clones are used -- providing balance between fruit and acidity. Since only a small portion is fermented in new French oak, the wine possesses depth without the overbearing buttery character. And a Napa bargain at this price.

A Summer Red: Chateau Montelena Winery 2014 Calistoga Zinfandel?

I suspect, like me, most of you associate Napa's Chateau Montelena Winery with their Judgment of Paris Chardonnay or their Cabernet Sauvignon. And rightfully so since these are consistently excellent wines. But even with a visit to the winery many years ago, Chateau Montelena's other wine varietals never became ingrained in memory. That changed when I received a sample of their 2014 Calistoga Zinfandel ($29). The marketing sheet exclaimed that this was "the wine you should be drinking on the beach this summer" and my initial reaction was right, I bet. Lodi and Paso perhaps, but from Napa - nah.

According to winemaker Matt Crafton, the Chateau Montelena Zinfandel is "re-invented" each year and the noticeable aspect is that the fermented Zinfandel was aged in a combination of French, American, and Irish oak casks - the first time this later oak treatment has been used in California in over a century. Also noticeable is that the grapes used were a combination of old-vine Zinfandel from the Tofanelli Ranch and new plantings of estate Primitivo. And the wine is made in the rustic Italian style, lighter in color and fruit, but complex with notes of earthy dirt, tobacco, cinnamon, and cherries. The finish is very smooth with approachable tannins and light pepper and chocolate.  Thus, this wine is ready for a summer BBQ or an evening sip on the deck. The Chateau Montelena Zinfandel deserves respect alongside their more accomplished Chardonnay and Cabernet. Cheers.

A Quad from Miner Family Winery

I recently received four wines from Miner Family Winery, the well known winery located along the Silverado Trail in Napa's Oakville. They source fruit from primarily Napa Valley but will branch out to other well know regions in the Golden State. Like Garys’ Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. In this tasting, most of the fruit was harvested from the Stagecoach Vineyard. This site is situated at 1,500 feet along a stagecoach trail from the 1800s with the vines planted between large rocks and boulders.

2012 Miner Family Winery Wild Yeast Chardonnay ($50.00) This barrel fermented and ML induced wine is made from grapes sourced from vineyards in Carneros and Stagecoach Vineyards. As you can expect this is a full bodied wine, both buttery and velvety but not over the top. Pears and sweet spices on the palate. Usually not my style but there's enough acidity to produce a fresh wine.

2014 Miner Family Winery Garys’ Pinot Noir ($60.00) This is another heavily oaked (15 months) wine from Garys’ Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. Even with the oak, this is a light fresh wine, raspberries and white peppers, and a fresh, lingering, long tail.

2013 Stagecoach Miner Family Winery Merlot ($50.00) From the Stagecoach Vineyard and includes 11% Cabernet Franc that was aged 21 months in French oak. This is a big Merlot, feels very Cab-ish. Lush and juicy with a structured and highly tannic finish.

2013 Stagecoach Miner Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon ($75.00) Includes 6% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc and spent 21 months in French oak. This wine is meant to age but is ready now. It's not a giant Napa bomb, but lighter and dustier, nice acids, and appropriate tannins for the body. Expensive, but a well made wine.

#FCWinterWines with Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery

This time of year wineries across the country market selected seasonal wines ready to be uncorked for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last week Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery participated in this trend by hosting a #FCWinterWines Twitter tasting.  Executive Winemaker Sarah Quider lead this event  focusing on three wines they feel fit into this category.A little about Ferrari-Carano first. Don and Rhonda Carano started the winery in 1981 with the initial release in 1987 with a Fumé Blanc and an Alexander Valley Chardonnay. Both Quider and Steve Domenichelli, Director of Vineyard Operations, have worked for the winery for over 25 years which speaks for itself. From those first two wines, the winery now produces dozens of wines sourced from 24 vineyards located in five different appellations.


2012 Ferrari-Carano Reserve Chardonnay Napa Valley Carneros ($38) - produced from Wente clones grown primarily from their Carneros vineyard. The wine is heavily oaked, from primary fermentation, to malolactic fermentation, and aging sur lie (on lees) for eight months.  The individual casks are then blended together and the wine is aged an additional five months in neutral French oak. Thus, this is one oaked wine where the spice and malo creaminess are dominant. Initially the Chardonnay flavor gets lost among the oak, but resurfaces near the finish as the acids transport the flavor forward. There is plenty going on within this wine; maybe too much. The winery suggests pairing with shellfish, poultry and richer foods that "enhance this fuller bodied and deliciously creamy wine".

2013 Ferrari-Carano Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($36) - produced from three ranches in Anderson Valley and processed in a FC owned facility dedicated to solely to Pinot Noir. Why Anderson Valley? Quider mentioned that this region provides more tannins and denser fruit than in Russian River Valley- thus a bigger wine. After primary fermentation, using multiple yeast strains, the blended wine is treated 10 months in new and neutral French oak barrels. The result is an excellent wine starting with the dusty tobacco nose and moving to the creamy red cherry-currant center. The wine finishes rather long, with light tannins and some baking spice. This is a wine well worth sipping on its own, but the winery suggest "salmon, fowl and meat entrees such as beef bourguignon or rack of lamb".

2012 Ferrari-Carano Sonoma County Trésor ($52) - five grape Bordeaux blend (71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc) harvested from the best lots in the winery's Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys vineyards. After primary and malo fermenting the wine is aged 21 months in various types of French Oak. And the wine stands tall with this oak treatment as the dark fruit is prevalent on the nose and in the palate. There's also plenty of chewy tannins that linger with the acids. Another fabulous wine. If only I could afford it more often.CF suggests that the "Trésor complements lamb, beef and duck dishes that are roasted or braised. Try Trésor with strong-flavored cheeses such as Gorgonzola and sharp Cheddar". I'm thinking brisket.

Another Unique #WineStudio Featured Rosé: Y. Rousseau 2014 Rosé of Tannat

"I don’t follow trend, I make wine of conviction. I make wine I want to enjoy myself." ~ Yannick Rousseau

The final Protocol #WineStudio Rosé series features Yannick Rousseau and his "one of a kind" Rosé of Tannat. Yannick was born in the Gascony region of South-West France and was introduced to wine making at an early age from his grandfather's homemade wine. As an adult he worked at various French wineries before relocating to Napa Valley in 1999 where he interned for Newton Vineyard and consulted at VGS Chateau Potelle Winery. In 2007 he set out to create his own brand, focusing on varietals from his native South-West France; first  with Colombard and then Tannat. Whereas Y. Rousseau Wines base of operation is in Napa, for this rosé he sourced fruit from Saralee’s Vineyard in Sonoma's Russian River Valley. During the tasting, Rousseau mentioned that producing a rosé using Tannat is very challenging - particularly with such a bold, dark grape. He also said his approach with Tannat is different from those produced in Madiran.  He wants his Tannats to be enjoyed early but also to age well.


Y. Rousseau, 2014 Rosé of Tannat Russian River Valley, Sonoma County ($24, 13.5%) - 100% Tannat from Saralee’s Vineyard – Matthew's Station; 75% pressed, 25% saignée; fermented in stainless steel; aged for 5 months on the lees with no stirring. The wine starts with a watermelon aroma moving towards strawberries on the elevated palate, finishes dry and acidic.

#SipWithKaren Unexpected #NapaValley Wines

This week Karen MacNeil, of the Wine Bible fame and Keynote Speaker at the upcoming 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference, hosted a twitter tasting (#SipWithKaren) featuring six "unexpected" Napa Valley wines. The event was sponsored by Napa Valley Vintners and included  Bottlenotes and The Daily Sip, in which MacNeil is the Editor-in-Chief. The tasting was heavy on whites with an Albariño, a Chenin Blanc, an unoaked Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc; and for the reds and Cabernet Sauvignon, and 100% Petit Verdot.  I know what you are thinking, what so unexpected about a Napa Cab. I had the same question. Besides tasting the wines, the most informative part of the program was the tweets regarding Napa Valley by our sponsored host. I was generally aware of some of these facts; others, not so much.

• #NapaValley was designated California’s first American Viticultural Area or AVA in 1981.
• #NapaValley has 16 sub- or nested AVAs demonstrating the incredible diversity of our region
• #Napa has a Mediterranean climate, which affects only 2% of the earth’s surface – characterized by sunny, dry summers
• Within #Napa can be found half the world’s soil orders..
• Did you know that only 9% of #NapaValley is planted to grapevines?
• In #Napa we grow more than 3 dozen wine grape varieties – from #albariño to #zinfandel
• #Napa’s warm, dry growing season and morning fog allows grapes to fully ripen & maintain acidity
• Did you know #Napa’s To Kalon Vineyard was planted in 1868 by HW Crabb? To Kalon is Greek for “highest beauty".
• Fun fact about Napa: over 60% of wineries produce less than 5k cases per year.
• Did you know #NapaValley has about 1/6th the planted grapevine acreage of #Bordeaux?
• Once widely planted, today only about 25 hectares/60 acres of Chenin remain
• #SauvBlanc is the fourth most widely-produced wine grape variety in #Napa.
• #Chardonnay is #Napa’s 2nd most widely planted wine grape (behind #cabernet) - 6,900 acres/30,500 tons in 2014.
• Mighty #Cabernet is the king of grapes in #Napa w/ 20,600 acres planted (40% of the total 45k acres planted)
• #Napa’s quality #Cabernet commands the highest average price per ton of all CA winegrapes – $5,500/ton in 2014
• Lots of #petitverdot grown in #Napa (2,900 tons/2014) but very little bottled as a stand-alone variety

The six unexpected Napa Valley wines

2014 Artesa Napa Valley Albariño ($28, 14.2%) - fermented and aged 5 months in stainless steel (85%) and new french oak barrels (15%).  Starts with peach, then pineapple-lemon, then honeysuckle, with a long acidic finis. Karen MacNeil: This #albariño from @Artesa is easy to love. It’s a perfect #apéritif & great way to start the flight.

2013 Cornerstone Cellars  Napa Valley (Oak Knoll District ) Chenin Blanc ($25, 15.5%) - white fruit aroma; citrus, velvety texture, and mineral palate; finishes with plenty of acid. Karen MacNeil: Not as full bodied as #chardonnay, but not as light bodied as #pinot grigio. This #chenin is right in the middle & I love the crisp finish on this @CornerstoneNapa #cheninblanc #EasyToDrink.

2013 Robert Mondavi Winery  Napa Valley Fumé Blanc ($17, 15.5%): Napa Valley – 89% (61% Wappo Hill Vineyard, 20% To Kalon Vineyard); Mendocino County - 11%. Starts with lemon grass, but palate is deeper with minerals and finishes strong & long in acids. Karen MacNeil: This @RobertMondavi Fumé Blanc has beautiful focus and a lovely salinity. Long flavors of spice and bitter citrus.

2013 Alpha Omega Unoaked  Napa Valley Chardonnay ($33) - sees no ML or oak, but spent 6 months “sur lie,” which contributes to it’s creamy texture and and allows apple-tangerine-citrus notes to shine through. Karen MacNeil: I like the @AOwinery “Unoaked” #Chardonnay a lot. It’s a wine that’s effortless to drink all day long.

2012 Robert Mondavi  Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($29, 15.5%): 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Blackberries prevalent throughout; herbaceous and textured, some chocolate, long soft finish. Karen MacNeil: This @RobertMondavi #cabernet offers a tremendous value. Each glass would only cost you the equivalent of a Starbucks latté.

2010 St. Supéry Estate Vineyard & Winery Dollarhide Ranch Napa Valley Petit Verdot ($50, 14.5%):
97% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; 100% French oak (50% new oak), 20 month.  Big dark fruit, spices, chocolate, lingering barnyard notes - envelop the mouth.  Karen MacNeil: This @StSupery #petitverdot is very focused and precise. There’s no static – it sings its song exactly.

A Tasting of Four Napa Valley Wines from Ca’ Momi

Just in time for the Christmas holiday, Ca'Momi Winery sent me four wines from their Napa Valley establishment. "House of Momi" honors the three owners Italian heritage, specifically, the name of the family house in Italy's Veneto region.  The winery offers a few brands with the fruit sourced from the estate in Carneros or throughout Napa Valley. I received a shipment of their Passion brand, consisting of Merlot,  Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. They also produce a Cabernet Sauvignon in this series.

My first thought was that it will be intriguing to sample Napa Valley Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. And they both were tasty with the 2013 Zinfandel ($26) focusing on blackberry and spice and the 2013 Pinot Noir ($26) dark cherry. Both are fruit forward, easy drinking, with a shadow of tannins at the tail. Nice wines, but I would prefer other California regions with these varieties.  The 2013 Chardonnay ($22) was a more typical Napa Valley wine with a big citrus fruit flavor, with vanilla and butterscotch in the mid-palette, and a but of spice at the finish. Good acidity as well. For those who enjoy a little oak, but not over the top, this is for you. My favorite was the 2013 Merlot ($22). There's plenty going on in this wine starting with the cherry leather aroma, gummy berry flavor, dirt texture, pepper, and big tannins on the tail. Nicely done.

Napa's Cairdean Vineyards on #Winechat

 I have been fortunate enough to be included in several #winechat tasting sessions, where wineries or importers send samples to several bloggers. But the latest #winechat sample was coolest in that the host, Cairdean Vineyards, allowed the bloggers to select two wines from a list (2011 Napa Unoaked Chardonnay, 2010 Russian River Chardonnay, 2010 Cabernet, 2010 Merlot, 2010 Malbec, 2012 Hailey Margaret). Since I had just finished two successive Malbec tasting, I chose two whites: the 2010 Russian River Chardonnay and 2012 Hailey Margaret Napa Valley White.

Cairdean (Scottish Gaelic for friends) Vineyards was created by husband and wife Edwin and Stacia Williams St. Helena, Napa in 2010. Their first vineyard is named Acquaintance Vineyard, is located in the Coombsville AVA, and is planted with Bordeaux red varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot. Their second vineyard is named Confidant and hosts Pinot Noir and Syrah in the Russian River Valley AVA.  I believe their Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2010 ($42) is sourced from throughout the valley and is certainly barrel fermented,  aged sur-lie over 18 month, and underwent complete malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged in a combination of French and American oak. The result is a wine that portrays a strong vanilla aroma, a spicy chardonnay flavor, with a slightly buttery finish.I had moved away from this style of Chardonnay in favor of the unoak style - but this may pull me back.

The second wine I selected was the Haley Margaret 2012 Napa Valley White Wine ($38) which honors the life of Haley Margaret Dowdell and her fight with Cystic Fibrosis. For every bottle sold, $10 is donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Fountain. The wine, itself, is a blend of 43% Roussanne, 43% Pinot Gris, and 14% Viognier - with the later contributing the major stone fruits evident on the nose. The flavor is a combination of peaches and sweet grapefruit with the finish full of silky acidity. A very nice wine. Cheers

The United Grapes of America - California - Flora Springs Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Franc

It was only a matter of time that we turned to a California wine in our The United Grapes of America series and I want to feature one of our favorite Napa valley wineries, Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards. This three generation, family owned farm winery is best known for their Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, Meritage blend, and Chardonnay. Dezel from MyVineSpot, just reviewed these wines last

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

month. And Dezel also provided me with a bottle of their limited release 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc ($50) as a birthday gift last year. A year later, I finally opened the wine.  More often than not, I consume either Chinon or Virginian Cabernet Franc, and the Flora Springs was neither; more full bodied than a Chinon, and less peppery and earthy than a Virginian. It was actually more Pinot-ist: fruity, feminine, and creamy with just a touch of pepper at the tail. Basically, it was delicious; the cherry and vanilla flavors melted throughout the palette and the finish was nice and easy. Too bad it's not an annual release. Cheers.

Winerist - A Global Wine Travel Portal

We've always enjoyed visiting wineries when we traveled - whether the wineries were destinations in themselves, or when we wanted to find a winery in a unique location. WineCompass was basically the result of these travels. Over the years other wine related travel sites have emerged, many with more robust features, and understanding the limitations of our site, we readily use these alternatives to augment our travel planning. One of these is Winerist, a relatively new platform focusing on world travel that connects wine tourists with local experts, special accommodations, wineries, and tour guides. For each region, they publish a short wine making history; a map; suggested itineraries and tours; and guides on where to taste, stay, and eat. Plus many attractive photos that are an incentive along to start making travel plans.

The site currently provides information for 30 wine regions, with France (8 regions), Italy (4 regions), Chile (4 regions), Spain (2 regions), and South Africa (2 regions) having multiple regions represented. In North America, Winerist includes travel information for Napa and the Okanagan Valley - perfect timing for the bloggers attending the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference.  And they've also included other popular regions such as  Mendoza, Barossa Valley, Dubrovnik-Dalmatia, Douro Valley, Tokaj, and Santorini. For the last two, I will be providing a short overview of the region's wine history and wineries in the coming months.

Besides self interest, I encourage you to check out Winerist; there's plenty of cool information like Bike & Wine in the Casablanca Valley or Cooking & Tasting in Santorini. Plus with the social aspect, you can contribute your own wine travel experiences. Cheers.

Cakebread Cellars 2008 Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Our final wine from the comp December Wine Chateau shipment was the Cakebread Cellars 2008 Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon ($85). Now, we have been long time fans of the Cakebread Chardonnay but, for some reason, have never tried any of their cabs. The Benchland Select is sourced from the their Hill Ranch vineyard in Rutherford (57%) and vineyards in the Oakville appellation (43%).  In 2008, the Hill Ranch suffered through early season frost so yields were low - resulting in very concentrated fruit. The juice was fermented in various tank sizes and then aged 22 months in French oak barrels, with almost half in new barrels. The wine starts a little hot on the nose, in which the alcohol eventually dissipates to reveal dark berries and leather. Tart blackberries surface in the palette with a creamy texture and bits of cocoa. The tannins are subtle, creating a fruit forward, easy drinking wine, closer to a pinot than a big Napa cab. To reach its full potential, the wine may need another year in bottle, but this is one that we finished rather quickly. And the 2009 has now been released, so you have two vintages to choose from. Cheers. 

2006 Bennett Family "The Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon

After the Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Chardonnay, we finally opened our next wine from the Wine Chateau, the 2006 Bennett Family "The Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon. We were excited about this wine because we tend to shy away from  Napa Valley cabs, primarily due to budgetary constraints. However, this one is definitely within our means, on sale for $20 at the online retailer. And what a QPR - particularly now that  the wine has been able to mature in the bottle. The wine starts with a big aroma as dark cherry and chocolate engulf the nose. I thought my face was going to get stuck in the glass; I couldn't get enough of this sensation. Dark cherry continues in the palette, combined with bits of earthy dirt and a creamy texture that ends with subtle tannins and a little spice; but a smooth, smooth finish. This is an easy drinking wine where the 14.5% alcohol is barely apparent. Not bad from a family of whisky distillers. Cheers.

#SauvBlanc Day with St. Supery 2011 Napa Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc

Yesterday was #SauvBlanc Day and one of Napa's best producers, St. Supery Vineyards & Winery held a reception at the winery in order to celebrate the day. Being almost 3,000 mile away on the East Coast, St. Supery sent us a bottle of their 2011 Napa Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc ($20.00) to sip and tweet.

St. Supery Vineyards is an interesting winery, located in Rutherford California, but owned by a French family - the Skalli's. The family has been making wine in the south of France for several generations and Robert Skalli recognized the potential for Napa to produce world class Bordeaux styled wines. Besides reds, these Bordeaux grapes included Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. And today St. Supery is recognized as an excellent producer of white Bordeaux.

Lately, many of the Sauvignon Blancs I've tasted has been very one dimensional - either all citrus and acid or all grass. On the other hand, the St. Supery was a nice balance of citrus and grass with low acids - the later thanks to the hotter Napa climate. But I enjoy lower acidic Sauvignon Blanc so this fit perfectly into my palette. And the mouthfeel of grass and citrus (both grapefruit and lemon) mingled together nicely, neither claiming superiority.And priced at $20 - this is a wine worth considering for any summer night. Cheers to St. Supery and #SauvBlanc Day.

California Wine Tour Day 5 - Napa Valley

Being regular sparkling wine drinkers, we had neglected this style since our excursion to J Vineyards. We decided to head directly to Mumm Napa, where we knew a wide array of sparkling wines would await us. We had tried several of these wines at this year’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival and thought that many of their wines were great values priced at $20. In 1979 Guy Devaux was sent by the French Champagne house, G.H. Mumm, and its parent Seagram to seek a location to grow and produce sparkling wines using traditional Champagne grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier) and traditional processes: methode champenoise. He settled in Napa Vally and established Mumm Cuvee Napa, which became operational in 1986. Currently Champagne born winemaker Ludovi Dervin carries on this tradition, using only Napa Valley grown grapes and allowing the wine to secondary ferment in the bottle.

When we arrived the winery was quite crowded, but we were quickly seated on the patio. Their system for handling visitors is simple and makes the tasting process very personal. Basically you choose a table, and then the wait staff handles your wine order – answering any questions or suggesting flights. It’s like being at an outdoor café. Another nice policy is that they serve each wine with an associated coaster that contains the label of that wine. It makes it much easier to remember each wine. We sampled four wines, the Reserve Brut, Cuvee M Red, the Grande Annee, and the Sparkling Pinot Noir. Each of these wines retail for $30 and were excellent – flavorful with small bubbles. The Reserve Brut was as dry as its name suggests, but also fruity (white cherry) with a slight vanilla finish. It is a 60-40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay aged three years on lees. The Cuvee M Red is a unique blend of Pinot Noir and a little Syrah. This is a dark red wine, which tastes a little like a sparkling elderberry wine that’s a little spicy. The whole Pinot Noir berries are soaked for five days to extract the color and flavors, and then fermented with the skins pressed off after fermentation. A Syrah-based liquor is added to each bottle after disgorgement. The result is one of our favorite sparkling wines and one of the winery’s best sellers. The 2001 Grande Annee or “Great Vintage” is only produced when the winemaker determines that the grapes will age perfectly. The 2001 vintage is another 60-40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and is aged 5 years on lees, then another 3 months after being disgorged. This is a complex wine, with honeysuckle aromas and a vanilla finish. The mid palette is a jumble of differing tastes. It truly deserves the Double Gold at the 2007 California State Fair Competition. The final wine was the Sparkling Pinot Noir, another red wine with a slight plum and cherry flavor. For some reason this was our favorite; it was quite out of the ordinary – like a true Pinot Noir with fizz. If you are unable to tour Napa, Mumm Napa’s sparkling wines are generally available throughout the country. They are extremely affordable and great values.

While cruising Highway 29, we frequently passed an interesting line of trees bending over a driveway with a chateau inspired building in the rear. Our curiosity was finally relieved when we drove under the Sycamore tress into Peju Province Winery. Without even tasting the wines Peju became one of favorite destinations. The grounds are awesome, with multiple fountains, sculptures, gardens, and even a small creek. We toured the estate for at least 45 minutes before venturing inside the tasting room, which itself, is housed in a pretty cool building: the Peju Tower. The building is composed of stucco and stone and interestingly, the posts and beams are made of lumber salvaged from old Midwestern barns.

In the early 1980’s, Anthony Peju and his wife Herta Behensky (HB) decided to enter the wine industry and searched for the appropriate location throughout California. They found the perfect location in Rutherford, purchasing an estate of vineyards that included 60 or more year old Cabernet Sauvignon and French Colombard. Location was the key, since the estate bordered the existing Robert Mondavi, Inglenook and Beaulieu enterprises. They then turned to creating the proper tasting room that they envisioned as well as creating the fantastic landscaping we saw today.

Upon entering the tasting room, we were greeted by very friendly hosts who help facilitate a trip to the bathroom during a bad potty training episode. They were completely understanding. Afterward we were guided into the main tasting area where a large stained glass window greeted us. This magnificent window was created a century ago and depicts “the three Greek graces in a beautiful garden”. Whatever that means. Our official tasting was in the Uluru Room, or The Addition, which shares the stained glass window with the main tasting area, but also has a quartzite tiled floor and silk lamp shades. A very unique look.

We started out with a nice Estate Bottled Chardonnay from grapes grown in the Persephone Vineyard. The wine was aged in French Oak which gave it texture but not a buttery finish. The wine was quite refreshing – but not as interesting as their Provence, a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and French Colombard. This is the type of unique wine that makes wine touring interesting – since it is probably not stocked in many retail stores. The wine is dry, yet fruity and refreshing which explains why it was the wine of choice for a few couples picnicking in the gardens. And after the tasting, this was the most popular wine purchased by our fellow visitors. After the Provence, we moved to the full-bodied Bordeaux reds, starting with the Estate Bottled Napa Valley Merlot. Even though the wine was aged 16 months in oak – it is a very smooth and fruity wine, probably due to the extra 10 months aged in the bottle. From this tasting and a few previous, it’s nice to see Merlot still prevalent among established wineries. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was also aged a year and half in oak and is a full-bodied wine. It has an intense dark cherry flavor with a slightly spicy finish – we describe a lot of cabs that way, don’t we. In any case, we like this wine, but even more the Napa Valley Cabernet Franc. It had a stronger cherry flavor and seemed smother than the Cabernet Sauvignon. In sum, the wines are excellent – another winery where each offering was suburb. Add in the architecture and you have one of our favorite places.

After a fulfilling late lunch at Taylors (try the meatball sandwich and coconut milk shake), we explored the back roads of Howell Mountain in order to allow someone to sleep in the car. After an hour driving, we got the urge to visit another winery before the 5:00 o’clock closings. While driving from the Silverado Trail to Route 128 we came upon a sign for Silver Oak Cellars and charged ahead. And found a construction site. Actually, the winery is being completely reconstructed after a fire destroyed the historic dairy barn where the winery was located. The new winery\tasting facility is expected to be completed by the end of the summer. In the meantime, the tasting room is housed in a temporary – but spacious – trailer. Upon entering the facility we found a very different enterprise than those we had visited earlier.

Over thirty five years ago Ray Duncan partnered with Justin Meyer (then the winemaker at Christian Brothers) with the idea to make wine from a single variety: Cabernet Sauvignon. And not just a typical Cabernet that’s tannic content requires several years of aging. They wanted to produce a wine with “fully developed flavors and a velvety soft texture on the day it is released for sale”. In order to do so, they purchased vineyards in two premier appellations (Napa and the Alexander Valley) and developed a partnership with a Missouri cooperage to ensure a steady supply of high quality American oak. Over the years they manipulated the blends within the appellations and between new and used oak to produce duo of wines that evidently have a large following. Mr. Meyer selected Daniel Baron to succeed him as winemaker and eventually sold his shares back to the Duncan family. With several years working experience in the Bordeaux region, Mr. Baron’s experience further contributes to the Silver Oak Cellars philosophy.

We were both relieved and surprised to find only two wines awaiting us in the tasting room. After a day of tasting, we were starting to tire of wine, so we figured we could handle two more. On the other hand, we have never visited a winery that had this few offerings. Interesting. We started with the 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from several Alexander Valley vineyards. The irony of finding an Alexander Valley wine in Napa the day after traveling specifically to Alexander Valley and finding mostly Napa grown wines was not lost on us. The wine is aged in 50% new and 50% once-used American oak barrels for 25 months, and then spends another 15 months aging in bottle. The wine has a full black cherry flavor that lasts throughout – from the nose to the tail. This wine is a fine example where wineries should serve beef cubes while tasting – it must pair well with beef.

The 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was actually a Bordeaux blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine is blended than aged in 100% new American oak barrels approximately 25 months, and then spends another 20 months aging in bottle. No need to store this wine; drink immediately. This is a smooth wine that is probably worth its steep price ($100). It is neither fruit forward or earthy, but rather a nice combination of the two. Even though this wine appears a little spicier than the Alexander Valley wine, it seems to be more drinkable on its own – without a meal – and even during a hot day. We enjoyed this wine – an instant classic. And good luck to Silver Oak Cellars on this reconstruction.

After leaving Silver Oak, we decided to drive once more along Route 29 near Rutherford, before finishing our last day in Napa. Along the way we noticed that Alpha Omega Winery was still open. Why not one more. The winery is a little over a year old and the permanent tasting facility is still under construction. We walked around the front after our tasting to examine the new facility and it will be impressive – particularly the large deck\patio that overlooks the lake. For now, the temporary tasting area is located next to the fermenting tanks. Who cares, the wines were great. Winemaker Jean Hoefliger has crafted wines in several styles that we really enjoyed. Unfortunately, we lost our tasting notes of the session – probably left behind in the rental car. The rest is based strictly from memory.

Alpha Omega was offering two white wines, a few red wines, as well as a rosé styled wine – finally a few white wines to finish our trip. Both the 2007 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and 2005 Napa Valley Chardonnay were very nice; both refreshing with the Chardonnay fruity not “oaky”. The Sauvignon Blanc will be very popular once the deck is finished – we can envision spending an afternoon basking in the Napa sun. The 2007 Napa Valley Rosé was a hit – a dry wine with a strawberry flavor and an acidic finish that popped in the mouth. It’s nice to see this wine style being offered along with the full bodied reds. As for red wines, we tasted the 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2005 Napa Valley Proprietary Red. The Cabernet Sauvignon was jammy, while the Proprietary Red was earthier – but they both were very drinkable now. We were also privileged to sample the 2006 Napa Valley Proprietary Red in the barrel. This will be a great wine – already smooth and earthy. We were ready to drink directly from the barrel all day. We will keep an eye open for when this wine is bottled.

After a long week of tasting, our trip was over; time for fireworks and sleep in order to catch an early flight in the morning. Thanks to everyone we met for their hospitality and for making this a wonderful experience. As always, see the Compass Tours section at Wine-Compass.com for pictures.

California Wine Tour Day 4 - Northern Napa

We started our day by crossing over the mountains for our first wine venture into Napa. We had visited Calistoga the previous evening to see the Old Faithful Geyser and Petrified Forest and to explore the northern Napa area. We came upon Castello di Amorosa - an immense castle hidden from St. Helena Highway. The Open sign was still displayed on the highway at 7:00 PM – so we ventured in, only to see the castle closed. Our son was excited for the chance to tour a “real” castle so the next morning we headed out early – knowing we had an appointment back in Sonoma that afternoon. After crossing the draw bridge, his and our excitement quickly faded into bewilderment when we were informed that children were not allowed on the premises. “What, you got to be kidding.” “Nope” was the reply.

So we headed almost directly across Route 128 for the best next thing: a tram ride up to Sterling Vineyards. And our greeting would be the complete opposite. Sterling Vineyards was founded in 1964, a good year, by Peter Newton who was one of the first to plant Merlot and Chardonnay in large quantities in Napa. The winery was finished 8 years later, 300 feet above ground and painted entirely white to mimic the buildings in the Greek island of Mykonos. So that workers and visited didn’t have to “climb” to the hilltop, a tram was installed – which shuttles visitors and workers continuously to the top. In the late 1970’s the winery moved from a family enterprise into the corporate realm with Coca Cola purchasing Sterling, then to Seagram a few years later and eventually to Seagram’s parent Diageo. But even with this corporate ownership – the winery still maintains a family environment.

When we arrived at the tram entrance we found that other families had gotten the hint – and that the tram was expensive: $20 per adult. That explains the $5 discounts we saw advertised in several brochures. Fortunately the long line moved quickly and our son’s excitement – particularly when informed we would have to return on the tram as well. The $20 ticket also included a tasting of 5 wines and a self guided tour of the facilities. What’s nice about the tour is that you can set your own pace – we hurried through – and Sterling had positioned stations at the beginning and end of the tour to taste wines. They start with the Cellar Club Pinot Gris and end with the Cellar Club Viognier. The last was very good – a good representative of the few Viogniers we encountered in California. The remaining three wines are poured on a veranda overlooking the picturesque Napa countryside. Immediately after we sat down a representative arrived with a juice box and coloring book for our boy. This reception may explain the couple play-groups in line ahead of us. We receive a pour of their Cellar Club Syrah. The day was already scorching so it was not a good environment to assess this red wine and the Rutherford Cabernet that followed. However, the Cellar Club Malvasia Bianca nailed it. Sterling is one of a few wineries to vinify this Italian variety and they make it off dry. It is a delicious wine, if one can be described as such – with refreshing acidity and a honey\nut flavor. If we didn’t have to move on – we would have kicked back with a bottle. Instead we had to move on to our next visit in order to stay on schedule.

A Sterling Vineyard tram operator had recommended that before leaving the Calistoga area we needed to visit the Chateau Montelena Winery in order to view the Chinese inspired gardens. Perfect for a Kung Fu Panda obsessed youth. The winery was already on our list to visit since it was recorded as one of America’s top 40 wineries in the Paul Lukacs book "The Great Wines of America: The Top Forty Vintners, Vineyards, and Vintages" and produced one of the wines that won best overall wine at the famed 1976 Paris Wine Competition. The one that gave Napa wines an international reputation and forever raised the price of California wine. We decided we had a short amount of time to spare so we raced ahead.

From the driveway, there did not appear to be anything impressive about the Chateau. The tasting room entrance looked like a one story building with the only semblance of a Chinese garden being a small Koi pond at the entrance. Looks are deceiving. We ventured around back to see that the section viewed from the front was actually the top of the structure, with the rest hidden below a slope. Quite an impressive building. A little further along the gardens exposed themselves with ornamental bridges and an array of water life: swans, ducks, turtles, and even a crayfish. The winery even stocks bread for visitors to feed the water fowl. Half our team stayed behind to feed the animals while the remaining ventured inside.

Chateau Montelena was founded in the late 1880’s when Alfred L. Tubbs purchased land he thought suitable for vineyards at the base of Mount Saint Helena. Over the next decade he tended the grapes, built the chateau, and hired a French winemaker and opened in 1896, operating as a truncated form of the neighboring mountain: Chateau Montelena. By Prohibition the winery was one of Napa’s largest producers, but production ceased entirely as the Temperates gained power. The Tubbs family continued to tend the vines and sold the grapes to home winemakers and other wineries with the repeal of Prohibition – but eventually sold the estate to Yort and Jeanie Frank. The Franks excavated Jade Lake as part of creating a remote retirement sanctuary. Eventually James Barrett led a team that cleared and replanted the overgrown vineyard and in 1972 wine production resumed at Chateau Montelena. Four years later the winery was a member of the contingent of California wineries to send wine for a grand tasting at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Paris. Six California Chardonnays competed against 4 white Burgundies in a blind tasting by French officials. You can read here how these officials rated the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay above all the other wines. The strength of the winery is also displayed in the fact that it was their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, not the Chardonnay that Lukacs featured in his book.

The tasting room was already crowded early on this Thursday afternoon – with many visitors travelling from San Jose to start their day at the Chateau. The winery’s history and achievements are on display so venture down the hall to receive a more complete history of the operation. Fortunately for our time allotment, the winery was pouring only a handful of wines and we opened with the famed Napa Valley Chardonnay. The wine is made without malolactic fermentation since there is no need to soften the wine. It is more fruity than earthy with a lemon-honey feel. This was an instant favorite. The winery recommends aging for a more mineral feel – it you have the patience. We like the wine as is. The other white was the Potter Valley Riesling and this was a good representative of the variety. In fact, it may have been the only Riesling we tasted on the trip so it was nice to find one of our favorite varietal wines. It had the characteristic Riesling flavor with a refreshing acidic finish. Perfect for a hot day like today. He first red we tasted was the Estate Zinfandel, a medium – full bodied wine full of black fruit. This wine was actually earthy and with low tannins – extremely smooth. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was more full-bodied with black cherry flavors and actually less spicy than the already smooth Zinfandel. This is another wine that they recommend aging. The last wine was the famed Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and this is a dense wine – almost like chewing plums or black cherries. The finish is a smidgen spicy with low tannins for such a big wine. At this price, $125, we don’t often find the opportunity to sample this caliber of wine – but it is truly one of the best cabs we’ve tasted. No wonder the consistent 93-94 ratings.

Chateau Montelena Winery is a must visit for any visitor to northern Napa. The wines are truly outstanding and allocate enough time to explore the Chinese gardens. Thanks again to Castello di Amorosa for not allowing children; otherwise we may have missed this gem.

See the Compass Tours section at Wine-Compass.com for pictures.