1st Annual 'Local Wino Awards' from 2009

Ok, I'm giving in to the popularity and handing out my version of "Best Of" awards. Although some standard categories are covered, I've done my own personalized 'Local Wino Awards' that will cover my unique travels and observations through wine country over the past year.

Let's get started...

Best New Winery/Tasting Room
Tie - Cuvaison Carneros and CADE Howell Mt.
Both very worthy of this as they combine incredible views and contemporary design with fine wines to back it up. Cuvasion (right) has one of the more unique views looking from South to North with a very special room that is a must see when down south. CADE (part of the Plumpjack wine group) has an equally impressive view from North to South from up on Howell Mt. with a well placed infinity fountain pool that brings it all together so well.
Honorable mention: James Cole - Napa

Best Overall Value Wines
Hill Family Estate - Yountville
This was an easy choice as Hill Family Estate wines in Yountville produces some of the best wines and specialty blends you'll find anywhere. Winemaker Alison Doran continues to progress with her creativeness in putting together a lineup of wines that in these times consistently over-deliver. Match that with a great staff and unique atmosphere within the antique shop that is one of the most welcoming experiences you'll find. Their red Barrel Blend ($25), Carly's Cuvee ($27) and Syrah ($34) alone are worth the visit, but they have a fabulous overall lineup.
Honorable mention: Elyse Winery - Napa

Best Overall Tasting Room Experience
Lynmar Estate - Sebastopol
The minute you walk in to this place, you feel the weight come off your shoulders and the experience continues to delight from there. Very clean, open and somewhat understated, they definitely did their homework on the "feng-shui" presence making you feel comfortable all around. There is a very pleasant table & umbrella patio on one side and an open air porch on the other with big soft comfy couches that both look out over the vineyards. You can stroll through the organic vegetable gardens where they grow almost everything they need for the private dinners they conduct on-premise just down the hill from the tasting room. And oh, by the way, some of the best Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs I tasted all year...hands down favorite all-around tasting day.
Honorable mention: Trefethen Vineyards- Napa

Best Day 'Road Trip'
Alexander Valley
I've done this trek numerous times and I never get tired of it. The stretch up Hwy 128 from North of Calistoga to Geyserville through the valley provides some of the best open spans of road combined with so many great wine stops it is hard to beat. Views at Hanna Winery, entertaining staff at Alexander Valley Vineyards, subdued atmosphere and delicious wines of White Oak, uniqueness of Styker Wines and their tasting room, and the Zins at Sausal Winery all provide for an adventurous day. Not to mention easy side trips along the way to Lancaster Estate and Chalk Hill make this my favorite diversion from Napa.
Honorable mention: Russian River Valley

Best Private Tour/Tasting
Schramsberg Caves
Between the history (they are the 2nd oldest 'winery' in the valley), the grounds, the caves and the bubbly, it is hard not to fall in love with this experience. Just looking at the landmark 1800's picture when you come in of Jacob Schram, Charles Krug and the Beringer brothers, entices you to listen intently on all the stories from the late 1800's to-date. They are touted as "Americas's First House of Sparkling Wine" and so rich in history that it is a must visit for any true wine enthusiast. The great variety and quality sparkling wines make you want to spend the whole day there. Oddly enough though, one of my favorite reds of the year is their J. Davies Red Bordeaux blend as well.
Honorable mention: Crocker & Starr

Best Random & Most Fun Tasting (Tie)
Milat Winery & Del Dotto Caves (St. Helena)
These wines are miles apart in style and costs, but the one thing they have in common is the relentless desire to make sure you have a good time tasting. The Milat brothers usually are manning the post themselves at the small tasting room mid-Hwy 29 and are very entertaining talking about the early days in the valley regardless of your level of wine prowess. We happened to get Dave Del Dotto himself to kidnap up for his barrel tasting in the caves and we were barely able to escape with any brain cells or tooth enamel left after at least 2 hours tasting through 20+ barrels of his special blends. My teeth were never so purple at the end of a tasting day...which by the way, you want to make sure Del Dotto is your LAST stop of any tasting day. They don't call it "Del Blotto" for nothing!
Honorable mention: Fleury Estate - Rutherford

Most Relaxing Wine Tasting
Paraduxx - Yountville
First off, it is the only place to offer almost exclusively Zinfandel blends as their core tasting. The wines are delicious all the way through the lineup and the uber-comfortable outdoor lounging environment under the large oak trees easily make for the most relaxing tasting experience. The staff is very friendly waiting on your every needs as you just sit back and let it all just come to you. They offer a small cheese/cracker accompaniment that just lends to the tastiness of the wines while allowing you to just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Honorable mention: O'Brien Estate - Oak Knoll/Napa

Best "Up And Coming" Winemaker
Massimo Monticelli - Monticelli Brothers
When your dad (Marcello at Gallo) is one of the longest tenured winemakers in all of Napa, your pedigree definitely precedes you to high aspirations/expectations. But, Massimo is making some phenomenal wines while keeping the pricing very reasonable during these times. He has 'M Bros.' (with his brother Mario who is also at Trinchero Winery), Razi Wines, and BURLY Wines to his credits. My every day favorite wine is his non-vintage 'Rolando Rosso' - Cab/Syrah/Malbec blend ($39) that combines up to eight years previous vintages that have been held back in barrel making for one of the most delicious layered 'quaffable' reds you'll find. His '05 BURLY Cab ($60) from Coombsville fruit is one of those Cabs that I ALWAYS have on hand for a guaranteed crowd-pleaser of a wine that shows off a complex well-made Cab that is very drinkable early as well.
Honorable mention: David Yorgensen - KIND cellars

Best "Off the Beaten Track" Wine Experience
Kuleto Estate Winery - St. Helena (Lake Hennessey East)
This wine experience is so multi-faceted, it is hard to fully describe...you just need to go and experience it yourself. Everything from the private drive up the super-tight single wind-ey road (we had to back down twice to let vehicles get by) to the sipping view from 3500 ft. above lake Hennessey sitting in Adirondack chairs just takes you completely aback from the valley floor. It is a complete half-day experience, so allow for it, but completely worth the day. The wines were decent and the small artisan food pairing that comes along with it make is special as you sit and listen to stories about the property. Also, stories about founder Pat Kuleto and the special events they've had there are equally enticing making for a very entertaining few hours while touring the grounds/vineyards high above the lake.
Honorable mention: David Arthur Vineyards - St. Helena (east)

Best "Non-traditional Winery" Tasting Room Experience
Falcor Wines - Napa Valley
To clarify, there have been an abundance of tasting rooms crop up in industrial park settings, but that does not take away from the quality of wines being made. One of those would be Falcor wines in So. Napa in the corporate center near the DMV. With well-known winemaker, Ray Coursen of Elyse Winery, as part of the team, they are making some of the most approachable best-value wines around. For all-around "quaffability" the '05 Le Bijou Red ($45) is a must try when down at their facility, but all of the wines tasted well through vintages going back to 2003 right now.
Honorable mention: Robert Craig Wines - Napa

Best Tasting Where I Felt Most Compelled to Purchase Wine
Ehlers Estate - St. Helena
History, tradition, location, friendly staff, charitable cause and beautiful wines all contribute to a tasting experience where I wanted some of everything. Ehlers Estate is unique in so many ways, but their philanthropic activity through the wine channel is very impressive. They are non-profit in that they donate all proceeds to cardiovascular disease research in honor of the Jean Leducq Foundation. They are also a completely organic facility from vineyard to production. All of the the wines are outstanding and my favorite overall wine for the money is their '120 over 80' ($45) red Bordeaux blend that I should (and will) always have on hand.
Honorable mention: Hill Family Estate - Yountville

Best Overall 'WOW! Factor' Wine Tasted
Tie - '06 Brandlin Cab (rt.) & '05 Ehlers Estate '1886' Cab
The Brandlin Vineyard Cab ($85 - Cab/Malbec/Petite Verdot/Cab Franc) from Mt. Veeder is surprisingly approachable early and you can tell this wine will only get better and better with time. I've revisited this wine many times and I get more impressed each time. The Ehlers '1886' Estate Cab ($95 - 100% Cab) is just one of those wines that you want to savor all night long. After about 45 min. in the glass, you realize that you will be finishing the entire bottle. Not for the faint of heart, it is a huge wine that is complex, rich, and many layers of aromas and fruit going on that you get something different on each sip.
Honorable mention: '05 Louis Martini 'One' Cab

Other 'Wino' Honors:

Best Value Wines to Drink Every Day
Rose - Ideaology, '07 Rose of Cabernet ($9)
White - Milat Winery, '08 Chenin Blanc ($18)
Red - Elyse, '06 C'est si Bon Naggiar Vineyard ($28 - Rhone varietals)
Red Blend - Hill Family Estate, '06 Barrel blend ($25)
Sparkling - Schramsberg 'Mirabelle' Rose ($28)

Best Single Varietal/AVA Discovery
'05 BURLY Cabernet, Coombsville - soon to be the newest AVA, great cab fruit coming out of here.

Best Tasting Room to Revisit Over and Over Again (Tie)
Jessup Cellars, Yountville - ALL the wines are great right down to the port at the end with some chocolate...yum!
Hope & Grace, Yountville - nice atmosphere with new art displays, great wines & staff, regular tasting events showcasing new artists

Best New Discovery/Lesser Known Winery
Allora Vineyards, St. Helena - small family owned property where you taste with the owners in their 'basement' cellar and the wines are very solid efforts with an Italian spin.

Best Winery Event
Hill Family Estate 'BLT' Heirloom Tomato Festival - several types of world-class bacon, over 40 types of heirloom tomatoes along with the their delicious wines make for an event I will always look forward to and already marked on the calendar. HUGE kudos here!

That about wraps up 2009 and a true expression of my ventures. I only visited about 130 wineries/tasting rooms with many more to try this year. It is hard to get to them all and sure to have some new discoveries this year. All the more reason to make these awards an annual thing so as to not leave anyone out...lots of work to do, but someone has to do it!

Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!

Cheers,
James
Chief Wino

First Outing of 2010

After enjoying the break during the usual holiday activities, I was anxious to get back out and hit the ground running on my first exploration for 2010. It has been one of the most interesting starts of any year that I can remember on several fronts. Hard to put in exact words, but the overall 'vibe' in this first week has revolved around 'Karmic' type activities and experiences. Not to get too spiritually out there, but there has been an odd "cause & effect" type theme that has continually played itself out so far and I am just rolling with it as seemingly negative activity turned to positive results have proven to be 'fruitful', so to speak...this outing did not veer from this.

After putting out the usual fires from the morning, I got a bit of a late start. Strangely, while preparing for the planned direction of the day, I received an email from an acquaintance I had met over the weekend about his new job with a winery and wanted to taste me on the wines. We were able to quickly make a lunch meeting plan at a new local joint called the Norman Rose Tavern here in downtown Napa. I was excited to try the new spot out along with the new wine tasting introduction.

After surveying the room and greeting various recognizable faces, some obviously more receptive than others (see Karmic activity above), we proceeded to wait for our table taking notice of the buzz in the (crowded) room with several other wine industry personnel saying the usual warm "hi and byes". This was definitely THE new hot spot in town and great choice.

I was meeting with Michael Magee, representative of "MadoroM" wines. Michael continues to refer to it as the "best red wine in Napa you've never heard about". Right up my alley! MadoroM is a collaboration between Andy and Melissa Amador and winemaker Mike Blom. As often is the case with "under the radar" wines, their story is unique and interesting...their wines extraordinary. Andy comes from a hunting & fishing background and has come up with one of the most intriguing concepts of creating a red wine called 'Camouflage' that showcases hunters and their 'kills' on the back label and a well-designed subtle camouflage front label.

With their first vintage in 2000, I was amazed I had not come across this wine before. I tasted the 2006 'Camaflouge' Red and the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. The Camouflage is a juicy red blend of Cab/Syrah/Cab Franc/Merlot that was outright delicious. And, at $38 retail, I was ready to place an order right there, but the '06 is mostly sold out and '07 just released. We moved on to the '05 Cab ($80), and for a 100% Cabernet, extremely approachable and easy drinking...the 34 months in barrel had been kind to this wine. Almost a bit 'minty' on the nose, but with plenty of good ripe fruit that paired perfectly with our lamb burgers. They also have a Merlot that I did not taste, but surely a winner as well. I look forward to having these wines again with our tasting panel evaluations for the next catalog coming in February.

After a few business stops, I ended up at Patz & Hall winery in the Napa Corporate Center where a few tasting rooms reside that you'd never know to visit. Patz & Hall is a very well-established wine known for their Chardonnays and Pinots. I tasted through several of their '07 single-vineyard Pinots from Sonoma Coast enjoying all of them. My two favorites were the Jenkins Ranch and the Gaps Crown vineyard Pinots. The "tasting salon" as they call it was most impressive with a very well-designed contemporary feel that you'd remiss not to visit.

Although I did not get to taste a great number of wines on this day, it was definitely one of 'quality vs. quantity' and was equally enjoyable.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the featured MadoroM wines mentioned above, I offer the one-week only special Chief Wino Explores discount of 20% and comp shipping good until Jan. 14 with a special coupon code of CWE20 (3 bottle minimum). Contact me directly here.

Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!

James
Chief Wino

For the True Love of Wine

Yesterday was a slightly abbreviated day of tasting as the Holidays draw near. But, that did not deter making a few stops at some places that I had not been to before. This venture was going to be one of true tradition as we had sights on the oldest winery in Napa, Charles Krug, (just outside St. Helena) run by the Peter Mondavi family...if nothing else, good for your wine trivia friends. After the usual lunch at the Rutherford Grill, my wife and I were off with our bellies full and prepared for the day.

As luck would have it, while we were tasting, Mr. Peter Mondavi, Sr. himself was at the tasting room with a friend. Now, this is one of the most iconic figures in Napa outside his now deceased brother, Robert Mondavi. At 95, Peter was moving around just fine and I wished I had been able to corral him for second to get a picture but he was busy with his friend. All I could muster up was a quick "hello" and praise about the wines I had just tasted. Charles Krug is making some surprisingly good wines these days combining a few great value wines with the usual high-end stars. My favorite among the value wines was the 2007 Zinfandel ($25). On the private reserve side, my two favorites were the 'Voltz' Cabernet ($80) and the 'X' Clone Reserve Cab ($100). All in all, a really nice job of bringing the wines to premiere status again.

Our second stop was at a small private winery, Allora Vineyards, owned and operated by the Klein family. Terry and Nancy Klein along with their children have created quite a slice of paradise here that any of us would aspire to. They live on the property with 10 acres of vineyards and create an enticing 'Tuscan' feel amongst the California landscape. We tasted in the cave below their house where all 1000 cases of production reside. It had all the elements of small, artisan style production along with the personal touch of being hosted by the family and Terry Klein himself and his daughter, Cortney. All the wines were as friendly and enjoyable as the hosts. We loved the Super Tuscan 'Cielo' ($40) and the 'Tresca' Cab/Cab Franc ($50). Terry and Cortney were very gracious spending a good amount of time with my wife and I telling all the stories about the wines, the backgrounds and some fun anecdotal bits about the famous artist, Margaret Keane, in creation of the 'Lusso' Cab ($100) label art.

Our last stop was a winery I was very familiar with, but had never had a chance to visit the tasting room, Ehlers Estate. This group has been know for its wines for quite a while, but arguably more known for its philanthropic efforts. They donate all proceeds to the Leducq Foundation that is 100% focused on research to fight cardiovascular diseases. They are also an organic vineyard and bio-dynamic farming estate. But, make no mistake, their wines are phenomenal and hard pressed to pick out a favorite. If had to pick my two that combine good value and early drinkability, it would be their Merlot ($45) and my personal favorite, their 'One-twenty Over Eighty' ($45) (i.e. perfect blood pressure numbers) Meritage red. However, for outright weight, complexity and well-structured big red, the '1886 Cab' ($95) is well worthy of cellaring for several years and the '05 I tasted had the 'WOW!' factor. The bottle design and overall package alone make this wine must-have. Along with an incredible historic structure for the tasting room and background, the staff (Mo & Scott) make this one the must visits when heading north past St. Helena.

Ahhh, just another day in wine country where the holidays seemed so distant only to realize it was Christmas Eve-Eve. Time to prepare for wrapping up 2009 and see what 2010 has to bring.

Napa's Quandary and Hidden Pinot Gem

Since I had some business to attend to in the actual town of Napa, I decided to spend a little time tooling around some of the downtown venues for wine tasting. Surprisingly, most people do not know that there are several tasting rooms downtown and it presents a dilemma for those wineries that have set up shop here. Most people that are visiting for the first time here (or several times for that matter) just buzz right on by Napa "proper" because once you hit the highway coming in from San Francisco, you never really notice 'Napa' off Hwy 29 and it is a bit of jog in to the actual town of Napa. Before you know it, you're down the road past the town and your next stop is Yountville where everyone stops.

Anyway, Napa has a bit to overcome unless you are actually staying in the town. Event then, most people head up Silverado Trail or Hwy. 29 where are the wineries reside. But, there are some hidden gems from a wine tasting standpoint and some very good wineries represented in town.

One of the great spots to leverage your tasting efforts is a little known historic building that was turned in to a collective tasting room called - Vintners Collective. They usually represent 16-20 wines that do not have their own tasting rooms and is a great place to try several featured wines in one spot.

There are also several tasting rooms scattered around the town including - Ceja & Whetstone along with Mason and Gustavo Thrace at the Oxbow Market just outside of downtown - that is more like the walk-up tasting bar type experience.

One stop that I was excited about was Robert Craig Winery. I had been very familiar with the brand from previous tasting experiences and always loved the wines. Bob Craig is also a very nice gentleman and has a very good reputation of consistency of fine winemaking here in Napa. They have a new tasting room a bit outside of town next to the River Terrace Inn and new Westin properties. The wines are phenomenal and definitely worth the visit whether in town or just passing through. My standout favorites are their Affnity, Howell Mt. Cab and Mount George wines, but enjoyed the entire lineup. Ask for Jeff Roman, the tasting room manager, and he'll take real good care of you when there. Look them up or stop by on your next visit...it is an easy diversion on your way up or down Silverado Trail and you'll be glad made the effort.

It was a short day and I hit a few other places on the way back home. One of note was a place that I have passed at least a dozen times and never stopping was the Silverado Trail Wine Studio custom crush facility that is home to Bighorn Cellars and Expression Wines. This unassuming studio is easy to miss, but don't. The Expression Wines are great and known for their mastery of Pinot Noir in both Napa/Sonoma and Oregon. Apprently they are also coming out with a big Bordeaux style red that is called Tetra Wine that I am anxious to try as well.

One last stop was to Stag's Leap Cellars just because it had been over 15 years since I had been there, but they were just finishing up a remodeling and were not quite finished. I quickly tasted a few wines but had to be on my way.

Although a fairly uneventful shorter day of tasting, I was glad to have made the stops I did in such short order. And, some good finds as well. All in a days "work"...

Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!

James
Chief Wino

From Castle to Mountain

I finally made it to the infamous Napa Castle, or more technically named, Castello di Amorosa, just north of St. Helena. I'd heard about the extensive project many times and everyone had raved about it, but I was generally not all that interested as it seemed to fall in to the "touristy" category not for real oenophiles. I must say, I was impressed on many fronts.

In short, the castle was patterned after castles from 10th to 16th centuries and is an amazing piece of vision, construction and attention to detail 15 years in the making. Our guide, Kerry, was extremely knowledgeable, informative and organized in her presentation. She whisked us through the labyrinth of levels within the walls and through the myriad of cellars, cubbyholes and chambers finally arriving at our own private tasting room.

The wines were actually better than I had expected with so much attention to the aesthetics of the property and really enjoyed the entire experience. Two wines stood out most was the Gewurztraminer and the Super Tuscan blend. What was most impressive is their model to hold on to the wines in bottle longer than almost anyone giving the wine up to 4 years in bottle before release. Walls and walls of wines from the early 2000's still waiting for release...I'll be waiting.

Second was our visit to CADE on Howell Mt. This is one of Napa's newest properties and one of the most contemporary designs to come along in quite a while. The views are amazing and I really enjoy their wines. We tasted - '07 Sauvignon Blanc, '06 CADE Cuvee, and '06 Cab - along with some simple but delicious food pairings to go with each. DJ & Kent Nielsen are the resident chefs there and they have always done a great job in both presentation and attention to wine pairing. My favorite wine was definitely the straight Howell Mt. Cabernet.

Anyway, short week this time around with family in town...more to come next week!

Till the sip, swirl ya' later!

James
Chief Wino

Touring the Parents

Since it is the holiday, I'll make this one short and sweet. Plus, I had the 'rents in town for Thanksgiving an it was more of a tour-day for them. However, that did not deter from a wonderful day out and about some places that I was already familiar with and people that I currently do business with.

Anyway, a full day of tasting and dining in the valley...

We started at O'Brien Estate and met with my friend Bart O'Brien the proprietor there. They are a super-friendly comfortable picnic style tasting in the heart of Oak Knoll district where you are right in the vineyards. They are known for their 'Seduction' wine that is a Bordeaux style red that is ultra-delicious.

We moved on to Auberge du Soleil Hotel on the east side of Rutherford for a quick lunch. If you've never been to Auberge, it is a must visit if for nothing else the views. But, the food is always amazing and I had one of the best mushroom soups I have ever had...and I do not love mushrooms! I recommend the "bar side" for convenient and easy fare.

Then on to ZD Winery for a quick stop before our 3p appointment. ZD does a great job with their base Chardonnay and they are also know for their super high-end solera-style red called Abacus ($450) that they have pioneered and been making for 12 years mixing previous vintages with current vintage productions.

Our 3pm appointment was at Paraduxx, a sister property of Duckhorn that does almost exclusively Zinfandel blends. It is unique in both presentation and style of tasting. It is a very contemporary designed facility that serves you in an outdoor lounge setting under giant oak tree amongst the property. My favorite was the Howell Mt. blend of 65% Zin and 35% Cab...super juicy and delicious.

After taking a few pictures at the French Laundry for the folks, we ventured over to the newest property in Yountville, the Bardessono Hotel for the best coffee in town. This is one of the most talked about places in town as it positioned itself as the ultra-green enviro stamp benchmark for hotels in the future. Fully sustainable and taking in to account everything "green" from top to bottom.

We ended up the day the Rutherford Grill as toted our wines in with the "no corkage" policy and enjoyed a always consistent dinner with our own wines from the day.

I wish a Happy Thanksgivng to all and may you enjoy the true meaning of what this holiday represents.

Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!

James
Chief Wino