Our first stop was the brand spankin’ new tasting room of Jocelyn Lonen, at what seemed to be the very Peak of Atlas Peak road. What a view! The lovely and gracious Brandi Jocelyn Pack was there to greet us, give us a tour of the estate and pour some of her beautiful Pritchard Hill cabernets. It is wonderful to see someone who cares so much about making great wine while incorporating it into a life that still centers around friends and family. I encourage anyone going to the area to visit Brandi and sign up for her newsletter. These are worthy wines at wonderful price points. Fantastic.
In an odd twist, Brandi sells her estate fruit (which had been under contract for some time) while sourcing cabernet sauvignon and cab franc from the Krupps. That is, however, soon to change. Jamie Whetstone, of Turley and Whetstone fame, is Brandi’s winemaker and his commitment to outstanding, deep cabernet is immediately apparent. To the wines:
***+Jocelyn Lonen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003: Wow. Really lovely with pronounced aromatics right from the first pour. More pronounced cab franc elements of mocha, truffle, grilled meats and violets accompany great, rich red fruit notes. Wonderful richness again on the palate with superb depth and mineral notes. Sweet, long, spicy finish. Sexy.
***Jocelyn Lonen Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004: A wonderful wine at a great QPR (quality / price ratio). Chocolaty, fruit forward, lovely Napa cab. Ripe fruit dominates the nose with elements of café latte and vanilla. Firm, full bodied, nicely integrated and palate coating, this wine can be consumed over the shorter term but will benefit from 12 months in the cellar.
***++Jocelyn Lonen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004: Powerful. Brooding. Great mountain fruit elements of briar, blackberry, cassis and chalky minerals. Great structure across the palate. Teeth staining. Firm, furry finish promises rewards for time in the cellar. Very Worthy.
Our second stop was at the other end of the valley – at even higher elevation. Outpost Winery requires a meandering drive up to the peak of Howell Mountain. The views are spectacular – you can actually watch hawks circle below you as they prey upon field animals in the vineyards - and the wines equally so. Thomas Rivers Brown, winemaker to the stars, crafts wonderful wines up here and was kind enough to spend a few hours with us, tasting through nor only the Outpost wines, but barrel sampling the nearly completed Schrader cabs and the new Two Hands bottling. I also took the opportunity to pick up a few bottles of Rivers Marie cabernet from the recent 2004 vintage. I have to say, it is great hanging out with Thomas. He is a rock star in Napa Valley winemaking these days – do yourself a favor and try his recently minted Maybach wines – but down to earth, sincere and earnest in his desire to craft truly exceptional wines. I am a huge fan. Tasted in the beautiful tasting room:
***++Outpost Howell Mountain zinfandel, 2005: Most of you know that I am not a big fan of those balls out, high octane zins. Except this one. Wow. What a sensory experience. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to drink this or just dab a few drops behind each ear. Powerful, perfumed, dripping with jammy, blackberry and boysenberry preserve, church incense, floral violets, minerals and licorice root. Palate staining but not flabby at all – this is a tour de force of mountain zinfandel. Reminds me of older Sky zins I used to appreciate very much back in the day. A great wine.
***++Outpost Howell Mountain cabernet sauvignon, 2004: Powerful. Black, brambly mountain fruit, with an atypical purity and laser focus. Cassis and generous oak. Lovely integration and depth. Lonnnng finish. Gorgeous.
**+Outpost Howell Mountain Petite Sirah, 2004: Not 100% sure of the vintage. I am not a petite fan – this is nice but not my thing. Deep color, pine needles and blue fruits. Slate and lead pencil notes and a finish that packs a wallop.
To the barrel room we went:
Schrader T6 cabernet sauvignon, 2005: Wow. All of the Schrader wines were lovely and this one was no exception. Thomas mentioned that this was specifically from clone 6 in the To Kalon vineyard and I found it impressive and Paulliac like. Inky, deep, blue and black fruit, chalky minerals. Still closed up but clearly a powerful, stately wine built for the long haul.
Schrader “Old Sparky”, cabernet sauvignon 2005: I believe this is a mix of favorite clones from To Kalon. My personal favorite, this is already very expressive, with beautiful cabernet notes of cassis and black stone fruit, menthol and slate. Wow. Really a beautiful wine.
Schrader CCS cabernet sauvignon, 2005: So pretty – but with a steel backbone. This is a lovely wine that offers more feminine notes of red fruit, loamy earth and a floral, violet element – but again with wonderful structure and great length. Wow.
We did not taste, though I have separate notes, on Thomas Brown’s Rivers Marie pinot noir and cabernet. His Summa vineyard wines are worth seeking out and purchasing – now before there is no way to get them. Thomas is amazingly adept at it seems any and all varietals but, in my humble opinion, pinot noir is his calling.
Our next stop as we made our way back down the valley was Vineyard 29. We have been vineyard 29 fans for many years but had lost touch when the winery changed ownership. Well, the new owners not only have more fully developed the potential of this wonderful winery and vineyard, they have taken it to a brand new level. While the facility itself – and the staff – is amazingly impressive, do not let that take your focus away from the wonderful wines they are crafting there. It is a wonderful stop and the wines show equally well. Having added the Aida vineyard to their estate wine, Vineyard 29 now offers a portfolio of wines that should garner a lot of interest and reinvigorate their brand.
*+Vineyard 29 Cru, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004: I did not like this wine very much. I found it thick, overcooked a bit and pruney. I believe it comes from a series of vineyards on the Rutherford bench. It is at a lower price point but really not my style of wine.
***Vineyard 29 Aida Red Wine, 1998: This instead was delicious. Still showing that autumnal, almost prune Danish element that is a signature Aida vineyard element, the cabernet fruit added blackberry, cigar tobacco and sois bois to it that made it refined and sophisticated. Very expressive and ready to drink. Very nice.
***Vineyard 29 Aida Red Wine, 2001: A cab / merlot blend (75/25 I think) this wine is also delicious and presenting itself very well today. Red jammy preserves, flowers, clove and that Graves like tobacco and minerals. Very worthy.
**+Vineyard 29, Aida zinfandel, 2003: Again, not my style of zin. For those Turley lovers out there, I am sure this will fire all of your senses. Take the pruney element of Aida and add bright zin berry fruit and you have – a pruney, hot zin! Not a bad wine, just again not what I prize in this varietal.
***+Vineyard 29 estate cabernet sauvignon, 2003: Stately. A lovely, unmistakably Napa styled cabernet sauvignon. Fruit driven, dusty, chalky tannins. Blue fruit on the palate and menthol on the long, furry finish. A beautiful wine. Candidly, way overpriced at $195.
Or final stop was with Tom Garrett, at Revana Winery. I admit to having a bit of a secondary agenda. Of course, we are fans of the Revana and were happy to visit the winery of its own accord. Our hidden motive was to squeeze a taste or two out of Tom’s Detert Family label – offering some of the oldest cab franc vines in the valley! Tom was gracious enough to pour us a little of each.
***+Revana Family cabernet sauvignon, 2004: Unmistakably a Hiedi Barrett cab. All of the tell tale signs. Good extraction, nice balance, rich, varietal fruit notes, new French oak, silky palate feel, big finish. All there. I admittedly could not differentiate this wine from many that have come before it from other wineries and other vineyards made by the same winemaker. Lovely if somewhat expected.
****Detert Family Oakville cabernet franc, 2004: Now we are having fun! A big framed, muscular wine. Delicious, succulent notes of red fruit, powdered valhrona chocolate, grilled meats and violets. Drenching, with endless depth and mineral goodness on the staining palate. This is good stuff, but it needs time.
***+Detert Family Oakville cabernet sauvignon, 2004: Round Two. Another bruiser. Chewy, dense cab fruit flavors, more floral elements and chocolate. Chalky minerals. Long, coating palate with no drop off. Big finish. Somehow more approachable than the franc, perhaps requiring a little less cellar time? Very nice indeed.
Well that was our trip. We very much enjoyed our time in the area and look forward to our next foray. And a few days of sipping beer and mineral water – hiccup!
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