Today we’re leaving Napa and going north of the boarder to look at some of the best varietal wines Canada has to offer. Over the next few weeks we will look one specific varietal per week and provide our top five picks.
This week we will focus on Riesling from all over the Niagara Region.. Stay tuned for the reviews..
Monday, August 2, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Today we’re in Oakville at another excellent Napa Winery – Plumpjack Winery
Today we’re in Oakville at another excellent Napa Winery – Plumpjack Winery. This is one of our Cabernet staples. This is one of the most consistent Cabernet wineries in the valley. We’ve been there several times and we’ve never been disappointed. Plumpjack produces several wines a Syrah, Merlot and 2 Cab’s - an Oakville estate Cabernet Sauvignon and a higher priced Reserve Cabernet. Honestly, although they are all great wines we prefer the Oakville Estate Cabernet. On to the review…
Joining the Cult – Plumpjack Winery 2007 Oakville Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – This is definitely one of our Napa favorites, we religiously purchase this wine every year. Although, you can never go wrong with a Plumpjack Cab, the 2007 is exceptional. The low rainfall for this vintage allowed for highly concentrated grapes which translated to very rich wine. On the nose the richness is apparent with the wines dark red fruit and plumb characteristic, with hints of vanilla from the Oak. This rich Cab coats your mouth with flavors of ripe dark fruit with hints of chocolate and vanilla which persists in a wonderful long finish. Another lovely wine.. Another must for the Cab lover. Drink now or over the next 10+ years. 94 points.
Joining the Cult – Plumpjack Winery 2007 Oakville Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – This is definitely one of our Napa favorites, we religiously purchase this wine every year. Although, you can never go wrong with a Plumpjack Cab, the 2007 is exceptional. The low rainfall for this vintage allowed for highly concentrated grapes which translated to very rich wine. On the nose the richness is apparent with the wines dark red fruit and plumb characteristic, with hints of vanilla from the Oak. This rich Cab coats your mouth with flavors of ripe dark fruit with hints of chocolate and vanilla which persists in a wonderful long finish. Another lovely wine.. Another must for the Cab lover. Drink now or over the next 10+ years. 94 points.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Today were at a lovely “rare find” - Lewelling Vineyards
Today were at a lovely “rare find” winery on the Valley floor in St. Helena. Tucked away in between the multi-million dollar wineries, is Lewelling Vineyards. The Lewelling family has been growing grapes in the region almost 150 years which make them the oldest family owned vineyard in the valley. This is a small production, no frills ,flair free winery that is all about wine and as the winemaker told us, if you found us you here to drink wine. The wine tasting was on a picnic bench right next to the vines, no need for a ritzy tasting room here - the wine speaks for itself. Lewelling produces 2 equally fantastic wines, a Wight vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and an estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The Lewelling wines are also prices less than $75 which on average is three times less than some Napa wines that do not even compare in overall quality so if your luck to come across any vintage considers it a real treat! We particularly enjoyed their Wight Vineyard Cabernet, so here is the review.
Joining the cult – 2005 Lewelling Wight Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – The delightful Napa Valley Cabernet comes from the vineyard named after the Wight family who own the winery. For us this wine is the perfect example everything Napa has to offer -the perfect climate, soil and winemaking expertise which creates a Cabernet that is voluptuous and elegant. Which is not always easy to obtain with wines over 15% acohol? This almost purple wine offers abundant dark red fruit with light notes of cedar on the nose, blending harmoniously with the dark cherry, and chocolaty oak flavors. This is a rich, rich wine so for us this it’s a sipper, no food required. We just love it! Drink now or over the next 20 years. 97 points.
Joining the cult – 2005 Lewelling Wight Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – The delightful Napa Valley Cabernet comes from the vineyard named after the Wight family who own the winery. For us this wine is the perfect example everything Napa has to offer -the perfect climate, soil and winemaking expertise which creates a Cabernet that is voluptuous and elegant. Which is not always easy to obtain with wines over 15% acohol? This almost purple wine offers abundant dark red fruit with light notes of cedar on the nose, blending harmoniously with the dark cherry, and chocolaty oak flavors. This is a rich, rich wine so for us this it’s a sipper, no food required. We just love it! Drink now or over the next 20 years. 97 points.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Were in Cult Heaven -Vineyard 29 in the Napa Valley
Today were heading down south to the Napa Valley to look at a true cult winery- Vineyard 29. Located on a breath taking hillside in St. Helena Vineyard 29 is not your average winery it is a multi-million dollar eco-friendly state-of-the-art winery complete with a million dollar view of the valley. Like most cult wineries it’s “mailing list only” so you need to be on their mailing list to purchase wines and visits are by appointment only. We were lucky enough to be offered a one-on-one tour of the winemaking facility which boasts some of the most advanced equipment we’ve ever seen and have a tasting in their emasculate caves that contains their wine cellar. For their wines they make all the Napa staples – several Cabernet Sauvignon’s, a Cabernet Franc, and a couple Zinfandels, as well, as a Sauvignon Blanc. We were fortunately enough to try almost all their wines in multiple vintages. Although we are true Cabernet lovers, and Vineyard 29 produces some of the best Napa Cab, one wine that stood out for us was their Zinfandels... Why? Read the review…
Cult Wine – 2004 Vineyard 29 Aida Zinfandel - Although were not the biggest fans of Zinfandel, the 2004 vintage definitely caught our attention as it is not your typical California Zinfandel, this wine is made in a style that is so elegant we almost didn't know it was Zinfandel. Visually you do not see the difference since it like most Napa Zin’s are deep red/purple in color; however, on the nose you can tell this wine is more than meets the eye, the aromas of dark red fruit and Oak are very elegant and subtle. With an alcohol content of 15%+ your expecting a heavy, mouth numbing “ fruit bomb,” but this is quickly erased when you taste this wine as it is an un-typical harmonium blend of rich red fruit, sweet oak, and Zinfandel spice. It is so delicate you almost think your drinking a French wine. This wine sold me on Zinfandel forever... What a tremendous wine... Delightful! Drink Now! Tasted twice. 96 points.
Cult Wine – 2004 Vineyard 29 Aida Zinfandel - Although were not the biggest fans of Zinfandel, the 2004 vintage definitely caught our attention as it is not your typical California Zinfandel, this wine is made in a style that is so elegant we almost didn't know it was Zinfandel. Visually you do not see the difference since it like most Napa Zin’s are deep red/purple in color; however, on the nose you can tell this wine is more than meets the eye, the aromas of dark red fruit and Oak are very elegant and subtle. With an alcohol content of 15%+ your expecting a heavy, mouth numbing “ fruit bomb,” but this is quickly erased when you taste this wine as it is an un-typical harmonium blend of rich red fruit, sweet oak, and Zinfandel spice. It is so delicate you almost think your drinking a French wine. This wine sold me on Zinfandel forever... What a tremendous wine... Delightful! Drink Now! Tasted twice. 96 points.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Today were in Yakima at Côte Bonneville, another Fantastic Winery!
Today were at one of the best wineries (in our opinion) in the west coast, Côte Bonneville. Tucked away in the fields of the Yakima valley this winery produces 4 styles of wine – two Bordeaux style reds, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Syrah and a Chardonnay. What is amazing about their wines are that they are fruit forward and balanced even though the winery is located in the middle of a desert like environment. We sat down with the winemaker and she explained that in order to achieve what that want they perform carefully planned irrigation and the grapes benefit from the very cool nights. There is no question that they understand their environment as their wines are truly spectacular. Unfortunately we were not able to try their DuBrul Cabernet Sauvignon since it was sold out, but we were lucky enough to try all their other wines… Here we go with the review…
Joining the Cult – 2004 Côte Bonneville DuBrul Vineyard. This is a lovely Bordeaux style blend composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (63%) and Merlot (37%). Although they grow all the Bordeaux varietals, this vintage doesn’t didn’t have them in the blend. Since the bottles were opened in front of us, we were concerned about the immediate drinkability of the wines. To our surprise the wine was supple right out the of the bottle, the color was dark garnet and the aroma and flavors were a delightful layers of rich red fruit with lovely plum backbone coming from the Merlot. The Oak is there but it does not mask any of the fruit, it is most apparent in the long spicy finish. With an alcohol content of 14.2, a PH of 14.2 and at total acid (TA) of 0.61 the balance it perfect.. Almost hard to believe it is achievable considering the climate this is just and testament to excellent vineyards management and winemaking techniques. This harmonium wine is a gift to the pallet and will offer even more treats in the future. Thanks to Kelly and Kathy for offering us such a wonderful wine tasting experience. Drink now or over the next 20 years. 95 points
Joining the Cult – 2004 Côte Bonneville DuBrul Vineyard. This is a lovely Bordeaux style blend composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (63%) and Merlot (37%). Although they grow all the Bordeaux varietals, this vintage doesn’t didn’t have them in the blend. Since the bottles were opened in front of us, we were concerned about the immediate drinkability of the wines. To our surprise the wine was supple right out the of the bottle, the color was dark garnet and the aroma and flavors were a delightful layers of rich red fruit with lovely plum backbone coming from the Merlot. The Oak is there but it does not mask any of the fruit, it is most apparent in the long spicy finish. With an alcohol content of 14.2, a PH of 14.2 and at total acid (TA) of 0.61 the balance it perfect.. Almost hard to believe it is achievable considering the climate this is just and testament to excellent vineyards management and winemaking techniques. This harmonium wine is a gift to the pallet and will offer even more treats in the future. Thanks to Kelly and Kathy for offering us such a wonderful wine tasting experience. Drink now or over the next 20 years. 95 points
Saturday, July 24, 2010
This week - Yakima Valley and The Napa Valley = Cult Wine Paradise!
This week were offering a mixed bag.. Were going to take a small trip to Washington State to look at the wonderful reds from the Yakima region and then were heading to Napa, the Cultwino’s paradise. We’re visiting some of our cult candidates and some of Napa’s hidden treasures.. Stay tuned!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Beaux Frères - Were leaving Oregon with our regional favorite!
Were leaving Oregon this week with our regional favorite - Beaux Frères Vineyards. Tucked away in the valley, Beaux Frères is not the easiest winery but its hidden treasure… Beaux Frères is a small winery that produces only a few Pinot Noirs - a Willamette Valley blended Pinot to their two single vineyard Pinot Noirs. The beauty of the Beaux frères wines are there are always elegant- delivering complex fruit aromas and subtle earthy flavors that are delightfully seductive and linger in your mouth forever.. Now that your mouth is watering let’s review some wine.
Joining the Cult - 2006 Beaux Frères - The Beaux Frères Vineyard Pinot Noir- We are looking at the 2006 since it is our favorite of the recent vintages. In the glass you’ll notice extraction with a lovely ruby color. The first sniff reveals a blend new and old world aromas, integrated raspberry and strawberry fruit with the essence of Burgundian underbrush that does not overpower but compliments the delicate fruit. On the pallet the wine is smooth and generous - coating your mouth with layers of fruit and sweet tannins, finishing with complex notes that I cannot explain, you’ll need to try the wine for yourself. Although the alcohol is high, 14%+ the balance is exceptional, and everything note of this wine is on key. This wine has a character that will develop over time and offer a new experience every year. Drink now or over the next 15+ year! Experience Beaux Frères you won’t regret it. Tasted twice. 96 points
Joining the Cult - 2006 Beaux Frères - The Beaux Frères Vineyard Pinot Noir- We are looking at the 2006 since it is our favorite of the recent vintages. In the glass you’ll notice extraction with a lovely ruby color. The first sniff reveals a blend new and old world aromas, integrated raspberry and strawberry fruit with the essence of Burgundian underbrush that does not overpower but compliments the delicate fruit. On the pallet the wine is smooth and generous - coating your mouth with layers of fruit and sweet tannins, finishing with complex notes that I cannot explain, you’ll need to try the wine for yourself. Although the alcohol is high, 14%+ the balance is exceptional, and everything note of this wine is on key. This wine has a character that will develop over time and offer a new experience every year. Drink now or over the next 15+ year! Experience Beaux Frères you won’t regret it. Tasted twice. 96 points
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