Wine Musings Vol#43

Wine of Merit: ****Staglin Family vineyard, Estate cabernet sauvignon, Rutherford, 1997: Wow. A stately, maybe statuesque wine. I guess it is not bragging if you can do it, and I find the Staglin wines to be the authoritative benchmark for Rutherford cab vintage in and vintage out. This cab possesses just leagues of depth – very much like a powerful Paulliac in a great vintage. Cassis, black and blue fruit, graphite, cedar, tisane…a wonderful combination. Perfect integration across the palate – new oak adds a mocha nuance with more minerals and blueberry and Malabar pepper. Super long, juicy, concentrated finish. A serious wine that is bringing it’s “A” game.

***++Phelps, Insignia, Napa Valley, 1997: Quintessential Insignia. Fresh mint, dark chocolate, wonderful flavor integration. Palate is still full and round, open knit and welcoming. Finish is also full but sweet and fine. Insignia is famous for its timelessness and this is another example of a wine that seems like it could age another 10 years without any effort.

***+Plumpjack, reserve, Napa valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1997: This wine has settled down and actually added some nuance that makes me appreciate it more. Still thick and unctuous, it has a touch of green olive and cigar tobacco that makes it interesting. The palate is chewy, with licorice root and briar added to the chocolate covered raisin base note. The finish is firm and youthful. Another example of a wine still awaiting its prime, some ten years later. Nice!

***+Tom Eddy, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1997: A wine that I have always appreciated and always wondered why it hasn’t taken off. Very Napa, this wine shows yummy cassis, chalky minerals and chocolate, along with bright red fruit. Great depth and breadth on the palate all the way to the furry, fine, peppery tannic finish. Very well crafted and delicious.

***+Chalk Hill, Estate, Sonoma County, chardonnay, 1997: Staying with the theme - this was quite a surprise. Great pale straw color. Youthful but complex and delicious. I would have guessed Corton if served blind. Wonderful lemon custard, linseed, slate and popcorn – not flabby but full bodied and still holding its shape perfectly. Palate is full but still nice, zingy acids and a lovely firm, citrus-y finish. In no hurry at all. Great example of a chard that can be cellared with confidence. Yum.

***+Enrico Santini, Poggio al Moro, Bolgheri, 2005: To celebrate our planning a summer trip to the Maremma, I have decided to dig in to wines from that region from now until then. This is an excellent start. This is a fairly new estate, practicing sustainable, organic viticulture. Yummy, unassuming, $25-30 (in Italy it sells for $14!)…sounds like a winner! 30% Sangiovese, the remainder mostly Bordeaux varietals – with 10% syrah thrown in for good measure. Out of the gate, the impression is mostly the Sangiovese, with spicy red currant and cherry fruit, leather and lavender. The mouth feel is generous and integrates well with the flavors, which now include chocolate, plum and vanilla. The finish is sweet, not terribly firm, and delicious. With time the wine takes characteristics of the other varietals, the red fruit gives into the plum, chocolate, licorice and mint, though somehow it always retains its Tuscan sense of place. Great. Santini’s other wine, Montepergoli, is also worth seeking out – at a higher price point.

***Flora Springs Trilogy, Napa Valley, 1987: Stately, if a bit over the hill. I have always been a fan of this balanced, nuanced wine made by the steady hand of Ken Deis for these last 27 years. I believe at this point it was still made with equal parts cab, cab franc and merlot – hence the name. Since then it has added the other Bordeaux varietals of Malbec and Petite Verdot. In its old age now, it still shows heady aromas of tobacco, morel mushroom, raspberry jam and violets. Touch of soy and black licorice. Thinning now on the palate it does not however drop off at any point – seamless to the furry finish. Very much worth drinking - but I am glad this was a cellar orphan. Owned and stored since release.

**++Zahtila Vineyards, Oddone vineyard, Dry Creek zinfandel, 2004: Very nice. Reminiscent of the Rafanelli – just less so. Perhaps to make up for it, the oak (American) is much more center stage, adding café latte and vanilla elements to the raspberry fruit, spice box and Malabar pepper notes. Given the good QPR of Rafanelli – this wine would have to sit the bench.

Wine Musings LTD: From Angwin to Zahtila

Following are my notes from my recent Napa trip in April. Over all, I note a few trends, some heartening while others disturbing.

1) The general quality of Napa Valley wines continues to improve. Really dynamite stuff.
2) The trend to overripe, high alcohol wines is creating heady, flabby wines that will not age nearly as well. Balance seems to have been lost in translation.
3) There is a belief among many wine makers that your wine MUST cost above $100 a bottle to be considered worth buying. Wow. What happened?
4) With some exception, there is a greater than ever push for folks who are visiting to buy wine directly. These winery visits are becoming more like Tupperware parties. This is not about educating qualified prospects about the brand with longer term brand loyalty the key metric…this is about sales right now regardless of retail wine avails. Yuck.

On to the wines.

Our first stop was Zahtila Vineyards, in Calistoga at the top of the Silverado Trail. The wines are of merit, particularly the cab they make from the Beckstoffer vineyard.

**+Zahtila Vineyards Chardonnay, 2006: Newly bottled. Very Napa valley. Bright, tropical fruits, candied citrus zest, good acids, integrated, mineral finish. A nice palate refresher.

***Zahtila Vineyards Dry Creek Zinfandel, 2004: From the Oddone vineyard. Lovely Dry Creek fruit cloaked in lavish American new oak. The oak is most noticeable on the front of the palate, where it creates a caffe latte like entry. Then the red, spiced Dry Creek fruit takes over. Nice mouth feel and integration. I am not in zin buying mode but bought 3 bottles. Nice.

**+Zahtila Vineyards Oat Hill Estate Zinfandel, 2004: From estate vines. A more Napa, black fruit, brambly style of zin. Over 15% alch. Nice, though not the kind of wine I tend to like.

***+Zahtila Vineyards Beckstoffer Vineyards Georges III, 2003: A Lovely wine. Excellent concentration and depth. Black berry and stone fruit, Rutherford dust, good minerlaity. The oak integrates nicely without ever dominating. Long, sweet finish. I like this wine. At $48, compared to other cabs tried, it is a steal.

Our next stop is Failla, also along the Silverado Trail. The tasting “house” is far out and I would recommend a visit. It is fun and different. Of course the wines are great – in fact, I would say that on the whole the wines poured were amongst the best of the trip.

***++Failla Keefer Ranch Chardonnay, 2004: A significant improvement from the 2003 vintage for this wine in my opinion. Wonderful notes lemon chiffon, Anjou pear and white flowers. Full, lush mouthfeel. Acids are balanced and not quite as brisk as the 2003. Slate. Long finish. Like a really good Chasagne Montrachet 1er cru.

***++Failla Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2005: I really liked this wine quire a bit. Deep, lush pinot notes of black cherry, green tea, cola and baking spices. Not fat, but full. Creamy mouthfeel. Long, peppery finish. Yum.

***++Failla Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir, 2005: Another winner. Not quite as flamboyant as the Sonoma Coast. More focused and intense. Much more structured, this wine offers great complexity already and will reward time in the cellar. Big with great bones.

***Failla Phoenix Ranch Syrah, 2004: Very nice, if a bit of a recipe wine. 50% whole cluster, 50% berry, this wine is aged in 1/3 new oak. Delicious if a bit expected. Very varietal fruit with the whole cluster providing grilled meats and clove to the mix. Full and pleasant. I think I have been drinking too much syrah!

The last stop on day 1 was Cardinale, where we sampled both the Cardinale and the Lokoya wines in a lovely setting, courtesy of the always generous Brian Baker. I will say that the Lokoya wines were indeed very special and very much worth seeking out – note that the winery “MSRP” is a heady $190 a bottle but the wines can be had for as little (!) as $130 retail. The Cardinale wines were also lovely, a blend of the above vineyards, stags leap fruit and merlot, but at the same asking price seem to be a questionable QPR (quality to price ratio) buy.

***++Lokoya Diamond Mountain, 2003: Super. Lovely balance, nuanced nose of bakers chocolate, black fruit and chalk. Wonderfully integrated, smooth mouthfeel, offering casis, black fruit, chocolate and a touch of sois bois. Stately.

****Lokoya Howell Mountain, 2003: Really very lovely. More pronounced aromatics of cigar box, red and black brambly fruit, a touch of tar. Lush mouthfeel with excellent concentration, adding mocha elements. Firm finish with sweet, coating tannins. Elegant. Amy’s favorite.

****+Lokoya Mt. Veeder, 2003: Wow. Great intensity and structure. Blue black fruits, chalk, minerals, pepper, violets. Great depth on the palate and perfect balance. Makes me think of Paulliac. Will reward aging. The purebred of the group. Powerful.

***+Cardinale, 2003: A very good effort. The wine offers mature, perfectly ripe, focused red fruit, chocolate, tobacco, black pepper and smoke. Full, lush coating palate with a pleasing licorice element and a note of minerals. Long, furry, juicy finish. Delicious.

****Cardinale, 2004: Stellar. All of the same characteristics as the 2003, this wine offers even more focus and concentration. The finish is very firm making this a candidate for the cellar.