Wines from the Outstanding Oakville Area in Napa: Swanson Vineyards' Best and Brightest

Wine regions are a little like Russian nesting dolls. I think that's why the topic is so freaking complicated.

The big doll is like the country (U.S., France). The next one is the state/region (California, Loire Valley). Then you get to a specific county or area (Napa, Sancerre), then a town within it (Oakville, Bué) and then a vineyard. Like the dolls, as the areas get smaller the details become more and more intricate and impressive.

If you read the blog regularly, you know that I'm much more of an advocate of knowing a place rather than knowing a producer. It's far more valuable to be able to identify the characteristics of a place than it is of a specific brand, since you may not always be able to find a wine from a specific winery, but you should be able to find something you like you if you know the place it's from.

More practically, frequently I talk in broad terms about place for a simple reason: wines from specific towns or vineyards tend to cost a lot of money and I don't like to pony up for it (I'm just a normal person after all). So likely, I'll have a wine from Napa rather than one from one of the prestigious sub-appellations (smaller areas, also called American Viticultural Areas or AVAs) unless I'm in wine country tasting, it's a special occasion, I'm at an industry tasting, or I'm lucky enough to have a winery send me a bottle for review.

I'm fortunate in that I lived in California and took advantage of my time there, really getting to know the sub-AVAs of Napa and Sonoma in particular. And one of the AVAs I've had the fortunate experience of visiting lots of times is Oakville in Napa -- arguably the best and most prestigious winegrowing area in all of California.

Oakville is home of the "cult Cabs" -- super expensive, small production, exclusive Cabernet Sauvignon that wine snobs love to tell you they've tried. Getting on the mailing list (they aren't sold any other way) for Screaming Eagle, Harlan, and Dalla Valle is the wine world's version of winning the PowerBall Jackpot. All these wineries are in Oakville.

If that's not enough evidence this place is pretty special, know that here lies historic vineyards like To Kalon, which means "most beautiful" in Greek, established in 1868 (it's owned by Beckstoffer and Mondavi, but they sell fruit to lots of producers) and Martha's Vineyard (heh heh. Nice allusion to the MA island. Heitz's wine from here is outstanding). They make amazing wine.

For all this prestige, it's a super small area -- to continue the analogy, it's about the size of the smallest nesting doll, relative to Napa at large. It's just 2 miles wide between the Vaca Mountains in the east and the Mayacamas mountains on the western border with Sonoma.

The geology of Napa is very cool -- lots of plate movement (hence earthquakes) so the valley floor and the foothills, where the vineyards are, have a range of soils, altitudes, and sun exposures that make each wine really unique depending on the part of the area in which it's grown. Oakville is a warmer area of Napa but isn't blistering -- it has cool, foggy mornings that preserve acidity and warm afternoons that ripen the grapes. It's grape growing nirvana.

What does this mean? If you get a wine from Oakville -- especially a Cabernet or Merlot -- it's probably going to be great.

As a total non sequitur, I love Oakville for it's wines, but also for it's fabulous gourmet grocery store -- the Oakville Grocery. You have to go there if you go to Napa. The sandwiches and coffee (after a long day of tasting) are amazing and it's a throw back to a 1920s grocery store.

But back to the wine...

Recently Swanson Vineyards sent me 3 bottles to sample and I was excited. Yes, it's the same family as the TV dinner fame, but since 1985 this Winery has been making some pretty exceptional wines. The offshoot of the packaged food family has made major investment in wine and it's paid off. They hired a string of highly capable winemakers -- most recently Chris Phelps, who has studied under the best winemakers in Bordeaux, including Christian Moueix at Petrus, and at the hoity Dominus and Caymus Wineries in Napa -- and the result is great Merlot and Cabernet. Here's the rundown:

The Wine: Swanson Merlot
Where It's From: Oakville, Napa, California
The Grape: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 14.8% (on the high side)
Vintage: 2007
Price: $38

Color: Very dark for a Merlot, this baby did not look like the "medium" wine I always associate with the grape -- probably owing to the 20% of the pretty dark Cabernet Sauvignon. It was the color of blackberry or prune juice. I assumed big flavor from the looks of this.

Smell: I love when California Merlot is more than just a pleasant sipping wine and this fit the bill! It wasn't overpowering, but it had a real woodsy component that I liked. It reminded me of Christmas -- baked red apples, cinnamon stick, allspice, and a little tree bark were strong supporting roles behind the lead scent of blackberries and boysenberries. The smell was a little tangy -- there was an orange peel note that I think made it so. Pretty interesting.

Taste: Much more standard than it smelled. It was a very good wine, but extremely medium all around -- in tannin, in acid, in flavor. There was a pleasant black cherry taste and the cinnamon stick I smelled was certainly in the flavor, but it was simpler than I expected. It didn't hang around to savor -- the flavor disappeared quickly on the finish.

Pairing: Roast veggies or meats with shallots, thyme, or tarragon flavors. This is a nice but medium textured and flavored wine that could be given more umph with the help of sauteed herbs with roasted potatoes, vegetables, or meats like lamb, duck, or chicken.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink. This wine is good, but it's milder than I would expect from the look and smell of it. It's a very well-made wine but less powerful than I had hoped. I think this is probably because 2007 was a vintage marked by cool weather and a less ripe crop. I'd like to try this in another year, but I still think this is a solid wine and I'd drink it any day of the week.


The Wine: Swanson "Alexis" Cabernet Sauvignon
Where It's From: Oakville, Napa, California
The Grape: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot
Alcohol: 14.8%
Vintage: 2007
Price: $75

Color: A crimson, similar to the Merlot in color, the wine was not as dark as I'd expect from an Oakville Cabernet -- which can often be almost purple in color from being so ripe. I looked at this as a good sign that the wine may have some balance and may not be over-the-top, as many Napa Cabs are. What does "over-the-top" mean? The wine is so full of fruit flavor, alcohol, and tannin that your mouth becomes overwhelmed and can't even distinguish flavors or think about the wine -- it's too much for me to process.

Smell: This is everything I'd expect a Napa Cab to smell like. Black cherry was overlain with tobacco, leather, and coffee smells from oak aging. There was a delicious floral/perfume note that went well with the mocha thing going on. The only drawback -- it was a cilia singer: I coughed from the "hot" alcohol smell that wafted up my snout on the sniff (which is strange because the Merlot had the same alcohol level and it didn't do that to me).

Taste: Wow. This was amazing. Licorice and nutmeg with a big hit of espresso flavor reminded me of drinking a great cup of coffee. The wine tasted like black raspberries, black cherry, with some fresh orange peel. It was cola like too -- almost similar to a Dr. Pepper. The texture was perfect. The tannin wasn't too harsh and the alcohol was completely in check and not burning my esophagus as it went down. The wine had great balance between the alcohol, tannin, acid, and fruit flavors -- it was powerful, but not overwhelming.

Pairing: No question about it -- steak, portabella mushrooms, beef stews, and any other heavy, hearty dishes with mushroom, au jus, or brown butter sauces with flavorful savory herbs. This is a great wine for food because of its balance -- it won't overwhelm what you're eating.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink. It's expensive but worth it. This is a great wine. I give Swanson tons of credit for restraining their style and making it food friendly, while still being fruity and very typical of Oakville. A very impressive, delicious, balanced wine -- I love it!


The Wine: Swanson Pinot Grigio
Where It's From: Napa Valley, California
The Grape:100% Pinot Grigio
Alcohol: 13.6%
Vintage: 2009
Price: $21

Color: A super pale straw, this wine looks like it's never seen the inside of an oak barrel...because it hasn't. On the downside, I love a Pinot Gris that has lots of fruit flavor -- Pinot Gris (same grape) from Alsace, France, for instance is rich in color from ripeness -- so I was wary of something so light.

Smell: Super pretty. There were some unique things going on here. First there was a spicy pear smell -- like a pear soaked in Chai tea. Then there was something akin to suntan lotion -- a creamy coconut milk smell. There were lovely floral scents too -- like jasmine and tropical flowers. The wine reminded me of a tropical tree flower called a frangipani. I lived in St. John for a while (story for another time) and had a tree outside my house that smelled delicious when it was in bloom. The wine reminded me of that tree.

Taste: A lot lighter than what I'd hoped, the wine had some nice honey, pear, and red apple flavors. On the downside, it was slightly bitter, like the skin of an almond. There wasn't a whole lot going on in the glass. The acid was nice but very average. It was a simple, easy to drink wine but not much there to analyze.

Pairing: Best as a pre-food sipper or with a baguette and a hard cheese like Parmesan. You could do a light fish with it, but you'd have to be careful that the seasoning wasn't too bold or it would wipe out the wine.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Meh. I reviewed this last because it was my least favorite of the three wines I had. It's just an ok wine. For $21 I'd rather buy a Pinot Gris from Alsace, France, which is layered with flavor and absolutely fabulous. This wine is good, but it's too light for my liking and not something I'd go out of my way for...unlike the Cab or the Merlot, which I thought were great.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think by dropping a comment below! Readmore »»

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 018 The Grape Mini-Series: Merlot

This week we talk about the Goldilocks of red wine -- Merlot. The crowd pleaser of the reds, this versatile grape has a style for just about everyone. There are haters out there, but keep in mind, this is a main grape of Bordeaux and is responsible for one of the finest, most expensive wines in the world from there...it deserves some respect!

Show notes:

Shoutouts to friends on Twitter, Facebook, iTunes, and commenters on email (elizabeth(at) winefornormalpeople (dot)com) and on the blog

Main Topic: Merlot (yes, the "t" is silent)

• The Goldilocks wine -- medium and great because of it!
• Descriptions of different styles of Merlot and why some of it is kind of bad and some is outstanding
• Merlot's relationship with Cabernet Sauvignon
• A bit of background on this lovely grape -- where it came from
• Growing regions and styles: France (Bordeaux), Italy, the Baltic states, New Zealand, Australia, and US (Washington State and CA)
• A little on food pairing
• Prestigious producers of Merlot
  

Click here or download the 'cast below...

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 018 The Grape Mini-Series: Merlot

Please leave us your feedback here (including show suggestions!), on the Wine For Normal People Facebook Page, and on Twitter @normalwine

Thanks for listening!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Readmore »»

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 017 The Grape Mini-Series, Installment 1: Sauvignon Blanc

FINALLY -- we are back in action after the move from hell and the inability to locate the microphone in the face of it all!!! So, hopefully this 'cast will be a hit!

In homage to the great TV trend of the 1980s, M.C. Ice and I begin a mini-series on the big grapes from around the world. We're moving beyond Grape of the Week to go in depth on the wine major league that you ask the most questions about. This week's episode is on Sauvignon Blanc, just in time for the warm summer weather!!

BTW-- you HAVE to listen to this 'cast. M.C. Ice and I had a "Muffin Moment" just like when Betty White hosted SNL. If you haven't seen that clip, please watch this...hilarious.

Show Notes:

Mea Culpa -- we forgot shout outs (let's face it, we're lucky we found the microphone post our big move)! We'll be sure to double up next week!

Main Topic -Sauvignon Blanc

1. The Sauvignon Blanc grape, its origins, flavor profile, and why methoxypyrazines and cat pee aren't such bad things in this grape.
2. We then drilled down into the main regions that produce Sauvignon Blanc and talk about differences in styles:

• Sancerre/Pouilly- Fume for minerally wines that strip the enamel off your teeth (but are delicious)
• Napa, California for a softer, floral style, sometimes with an oaky twist
• Marlborough, New Zealand, for excellent grapefruit flavors, acid, and even a jalapeno kick
• Bordeaux for a softer blend with Semillon and Muscadelle, and the sweet wines of Sauternes
• South Africa and Chile for styles in between the ones we already talked about

Please leave us your feedback at the Wine for Normal People blog, on the Wine For Normal People Facebook Page, and on Twitter @normalwine

Episode 017 -- The Grape Mini-Series Installment 1:
Sauvignon Blanc

To listen, download the podcast from the iTunes store (and if you like it please add a comment or rate it so we can make sure to stay on the radar, which helps other folks find us easily that would be great!), click the link above, or use the player below! Thanks for listening!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Readmore »»

Darioush: A Phenomenal Winery in an Unusual Setting

When I was little I had a favorite book called "The Big Orange Splot," which I'm sure few if any people have heard of (apart from my mom, sister, and M.C. Ice to whom I introduced the book shortly after I was sure he was in for the long haul : ). It's an illustrated book about a dude named Mr. Plumbean who lives in a very uniform subdivision. One day a seagull drops a can of orange paint on his roof (don't look for logic, it's a kid's book). His neighbors lament his bad luck and ask him to fix it, but instead he paints the rest of his house in psychadelic colors and creates a hippie oasis replete with frangipani trees and a pet alligator. The neighbors go over, one by one, to talk sense into him and wind up transforming their attitudes and then their homes into the homes of their dreams until everyone has a crazy ass house that represents them.

In my mind, this is kind of the story of Darioush Khaledi (minus the splot).

The first time I drove past Darioush I was completely confused. MC Ice and I were getting our bearings around Napa and wound up driving south down the Silverado Trail (the high rent section of Napa) when we saw an Egyptian castle-like building on our left. It was so over the top and out of place compared to the rest of the Napa establishments that we HAD to check it out.

Knowing nothing about the place, I assumed this was someone's folly and that the wines would be campy and gimmicky, which is how I perceived the building.

Realizing for the four millionth time that you can't judge a book by its cover, when I tasted the wines and they were outstanding, I was blown away. I'm a huge fan of Darioush and after my visit to the Winery and the wonderful hospitality we were shown, I'm an even bigger advocate.

Although Darioush Khaledi has the same story as every other dude in Napa (rich man loves wine, buys winery) his is full of many more interesting twists, as Gregory, our guide through the Darioush line and an all-around good guy shared with us.

Darioush was born in Iran and his dad made wine as a hobby. Being a curious kid, he snuck barrel samples and tasted wines from a young age. So began his Bacchanalian obsession.

After the s*%t hit the fan in Iran, he immigrated to L.A. in the late 1970s, where he had to start from scratch. He and his brother opened a value grocery store, and success bred success. Today he owns a chain of value grocery stores and his earnings allowed him to buy and build out the winery of his dreams, which pays homage and is a stunning monument to his heritage.

So it's not exactly a "Big Orange Splot," but Darioush and Mr. Plumbean both bucked convention and allowed their dreams to become reality in such an individual way, that I see a great parallel. Hearing Darioush's story makes me understand the motivation behind the building and I admire it so much more now that I get it.

But even without that background, I can tell you that if you walked into this winery you'd see a big difference between this place and others in Napa. It's not just the layout or the "theme," it's the warm welcome. This place isn't just a winery, it's a place to hang out for a while and enjoy yourself. They've got bar stools and seating areas, amazing Persian-roasted pistachios (we bought three bags to bring home!!!), and nice, knowledgeable people who want you to have fun and feel comfortable. This place makes you feel special (what a relief after being locked in the dungeon of the yuck winery before!).

We tried 6 wines and each was exceptional -- both the reds and the whites. Gregory, our guide, told us that Darioush has a true admiration for French wines and that his personal cellar is made up of a lot of wines from France. You can easily see the French influence in the wines' layers of flavor and complexity.

Without further ado...the Lineup:

_______________________________________________________________

Wine 1: 2007 Russian River Chardonnay

Price: $39

Color: This wine was slightly deceptive in color -- this is why I always say that color is our least reliable sense when evaluating wine. It was a light straw with a little green to it. Usually this color means the wine hasn't seen oak (or just used oak, since new oak darkens a wine's color) and the green generally indicates youth and high acidity...again book and cover don't match.

Smell: Green apples and classic notes of pineapple, tropical fruit, and vanilla were all over this wine. There was a lemonade note -- lemony but slightly sweet -- that was very unique and pleasing too. The smell reminded me of pina colada with a kick of lemon in it.

Taste: A classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay with a twist! The wine tasted like a Sonoma Chardonnay -- tropical fruit, pina colada, vanilla, caramel, smoke, oak and apple -- all what you'd expect. To balance this though, there was very high acid and a mineral/crushed rock/gravel-like component to the wine that gave it an interesting twist. Although I'm not willing to go as far as to say that it was French in style (because it did have so much ripe fruit), I do think it's a variation for those who like oak but want acid and minerals too.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. I don't like a lot of oak on my Chardonnay and I'm generally put off when I can detect it strongly but this wine is so well made and has great balance that even I enjoyed my taste of it. It had a enough interest from the acid and mineral components that I've got to respect it. If you like oak on your Chardonnay, but in moderation, you will go nuts for this wine. It's a stellar example of the mindmeld between great fruit and great winemaking.

_______________________________________________________________

Wine 2: 2009 Signature Viognier
Viognier, the aromatic white grape native to the Northern Rhone Valley, has really taken off in California. The only thing -- you usually see it from the Central Coast, not from Napa. I'd heard this wine was outstanding and was anxious to see if it lived up to the hype.

Price: $39

Color: The wine was a golden color and was reflective and really viscous (it stuck to the sides of the glass).

Smell: As all Viognier should be, this wine was like smelling a bowl of ripe fruit. Honeydew, tangerine, peach, and apricot created a heady mix. 15% of the wine spent some time in oak barrels, and I could detect a little sugar cookie smell (vanilla, baked sugar, and a biscuity note) from that. It smelled delicious.

Taste: I was so happy to taste what I just love in Viognier -- a huge hit of honeysuckle with ripe peaches. There was a tangerine twang too and a small touch of acidity, which is often lost in California versions of this classically low acid grape. It was mouthcoating, rich, and regal.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. I love that Darioush is making this wine. It's a bold move for a Napa producer but they've found the right vineyard in the Oak Knoll district and their careful handling of the fruit allows the true nature of Viognier to show itself. A highlight of the tasting for sure.
_______________________________________________________________

Wine 3: 2006 Signature Merlot

Price: $46

Color: SEXY!!! The wine was so pretty. A consistent, saturated crimson color that didn't stain the glass and didn't have gloppy legs (meaning the alcohol wasn't too high and the grapes didn't sit on the skins for too long).

Smell: Richness and complexity overlaying bold ripe fruit! Black cherry and a bouquet of dark flowers with layered undertones of smoke and rich coca powder (not the sweetened kind). What a classy smell! It was a privilege to take a whiff.

Taste: Blackberry, blueberry, and black cherry -- like a fruit pie. Similar to the smell, there were undertones of tobacco and wet, dark soil that were so awesomely different and refined. The tannins (things that dry out your mouth) can only be described as chewy -- you found yourself kind of wanting to bite on them after they left your mouth. It sounds weird, but if you've had a wine with this kind of tannin, you'll know what I'm getting at.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. This is my favorite of the entire line. I LOVE this Merlot. I wish every Merlot hater could grab a bottle of this and taste it blind. I'm SURE it would convert them. This is not an overcropped, watery, overly soft, pansy Merlot. This wine pays great respect to the Bordeaux native (the Merlot grape) and shows what Merlot can be when it's treated well, grown on hillsides (this is from the hills of Mount Veeder, a very prestigious area), and handled carefully in a winery. With 5% Cabernet Franc blended in for earthiness, this is a stunner. Go Merlot!
_______________________________________________________________

Wine 4: 2007 Signature Cabernet Franc

It's interesting to see a pure Cab Franc. Most winemakers use it for blending because it adds great earth and herbal notes to a blend. Although some examples can be phenomenal (Cheval Blanc is the most famous mostly Cabernet Franc wine from Bordeaux), some taste like a green pepper and are less outstanding. Important trivia fact -- Cabernet Sauvignon is the love child of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, so don't be surprised if you see similarities to either of these grapes.

Price: $58

Color: Lighter than the Merlot, this wine was like bright bing cherry juice. It seemed like it wasn't going to have a lot going on.

Smell: I should just stop looking at the wine! There was A LOT going on in the nose. There was the typical green pepper note (to which I'm very sensitive so I always notice first) and then a hit of wet garden soil. Black tea leaves (like a regular tea bag), and a nougat aroma (like the inside of a 3 Muskateers bar) jumped out of the glass. There was a hit of nutmeg too. This was a very interesting wine.

Taste: Of course I noticed the green pepper first but it didn't ruin the wine. Blackberry fruit was overlain by that same tea leaf, earthy, nougat taste that I had smelled. The wine had a long finish and it tasted like fruit and almonds -- almost like a marzipan. It was intense and so interesting.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. I love that the winemaker reversed the Merlot blend for this -- it's 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. If you've never had Cabernet Franc before, this is a classic example. If you don't like this, I think you may not be a fan of Cabernet Franc. This is a real pinnacle for a grape that isn't often made as a standalone (because most can't do it right). A terrific wine.

_______________________________________________________________

Wine 5: 2007 Signature Shiraz

Price: $68

Color: This was so dark it was almost purple in color and pretty damn near opaque. Because I had been so grossly off in prejudging based on color, at this point I gave up hope that this would be a flavor-rich wine, as it should have been with that kind of look to it...

Smell: But just when I thought I shouldn't bother looking at wine anymore, SUCCESS!!! This was a big daddy wine. Leather, smoke, and the smell of a horse stable (typical for Shiraz) were calling my name. There was a floral/perfume smell and then the essence of super-ripe black plums and blackberries. Almond, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate were somewhere in the mix too. I wanted to EAT this wine from the smell of it.

Taste: Just like it smelled except with some new layers of thyme and herb. The problem for me -- it had flavor, but the texture wasn't as rich as I'd hope so the flavor was kind of fleeting. I didn't get to savor it in a long finish or chew on the tannins as I did with the out-of-this-world Merlot.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. It's a great wine, although this was the least complex of the group for me and probably my least favorite. Although the wine is well-made, I wished it had a bit more staying power. Maybe it's just a phase in the wine's development and it may get better with time. Either that or it's not my style. Still, I wouldn't skip it if someone offers it to you.

_______________________________________________________________

Wine 6: 2005 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon

Funny story about this wine. My dad went to Napa a few months ago. He went with a friend and didn't consult me on the visit (bad move, as he attested). When he came back, he called me. "I went to a place called Darioush. So, how do I get a Cab like that for less than $80?" Sorry dad, even with my experience and all the stuff I taste, I can attest that it doesn't exist. This is Darioush's largest production item (8,000+ cases) but it's still handcrafted and beyond fabulous. A cheaper wine won't give you the kind of quality that's in this bottle.

Price: $80

Color: The wine was like a ruby gemstone and it had thick, lazy tears that took their sweet time running down the glass. High alcohol, high pigment, and I assumed, HUGE flavor.

Smell: Ohhh yeah. Although it shares some subtle components with its Bordeaux brethern, this isn't a wine from anywhere except Napa Valley. And it's amazing. The wine was bursting with black cherry. The smells from the oak were so awesome -- cedar, pencil lead, and tobacco were easily identifiable and mouthwatering.

Taste: What a complex wine! Black cherry and juicy black plum flavors were so vivid that it was like biting into the fruit. The oak flavors of tobacco, vanilla, and almond complemented the fruit and everything combined with tempered tannins that held the flavor after I swallowed the wine.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. This is absolutely divine wine. A great Cabernet that is subtle yet bold. It's steep in price (normal for Napa though) but for California Cab lovers especially, this is a must try. I think it's a beautiful wine that is truly Napa, but has some of the subtlety of the French wines Khaledi loves so much.

So that was the end of my tour of Napa. It's on to Sonoma next. Before I depart, I need to extend gratitude to the readers who told me to include Darioush on the itinerary (thanks for voting on Facebook and Twitter especially) and to Alessandra and Gregory at Darioush, who made our visit so outstanding. A million thanks and I can't wait to come back!!! Readmore »»

A Visit to Nickel & Nickel: Not Worth A Dime....

No one likes a complainer...but people do like a little dirt every now and then. And if you're reading this blog, you're expecting some honesty. Most people don't like a sugar-coated world (if you do, stop reading now please).

Which is good, because as I get through my recap of my Napa/Sonoma trip of a few weeks back, there are sour notes in all the sweetness...and I'm not talkin' about the fact that it rained cats and dogs. Rain I can deal with. Crazy Napa-ness, not so much.

After hitting Napa gold at Honig and Chateau Montelena -- two unpretentious places with great wine and great people -- I patted myself on the back. I was thinking, "After all these years of saying Napa was full of snotty pretentiousness, it turns out I was wrong. People have really changed. It's almost like Sonoma!"

I'm an idiot.

Those two and the one that follow the debacle I'm about to chronicle were the result of good recommendations and good choices. To quote Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (I know, one of the weaker of the series, but bear with me):

"...choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you."

Similarly, a good winery will make you feel happy and good about wine, a bad one will suck the life from you and make you want to go drink hard liquor.

I should have known that a winery located on Napa 29, the main drag of all the big commercial Napa wineries, may have been imbued with the spirit of adult Disneyland syndrome. But I had a very generous friend set up the appointment and he insisted that Nickel & Nickel had unrivaled hospitality -- the best he'd seen in Napa (and he's been in this business three times as long as I have, so I was a believer).

I think the difference in his experience and mine is that I don't distribute their wine, so to them I was a walking dollar sign who needed to be put through the paces so I could fall in love with the property and then spend $1000 a year on their wine club. Maybe they should have read the blog before they confirmed the appointment.

So with that preface, the story goes as follows:

We head south from Chateau Montelena in a hustle to make our 2:00 appointment. MC Ice and I arrive at 2:05 (we called to say we were running late). We turn into the property. There is a lovely white gate surrounding the house in which the tasting area lies, which I'd seen many a time from the road. It's locked. We call for admittance since there are huge signs everywhere that say entrance without an appointment is strictly forbidden. No answer. We call again...and again...and again. Finally, I get out of the car and hop the fence to walk up to house, worrying all the while that I may be shot by a tranquilizer gun because of the strict "no admittance to the plebians" policy.

Much to my relief, I arrive with nary a scratch and check in with the receptionist and the tour guide, who seems angered that we are late. I explain who I am and that my husband is locked out of the property and waiting in the car to park. The receptionist, who was nice but not exactly fueled with a sense of urgency, tries for another 5 minutes to open the proverbial Fort Knox that I seem to have entered. MC Ice finally parks and comes into the beautiful old Victorian.

We were then given a glass of oak, I mean Chardonnay, and were put into a room with other tour goers to wait for the ride to begin, and so commenced the Disney tour of Nickel & Nickel.

If you've been following the series on Napa, it will come as no shock that the founder was....drumroll...a rich guy (this time from Tulsa, Oklahoma) who dreamed of starting a winery and bought this property in Napa to pursue that dream.

I'll give the guy some credit. The 42 acre property, across from Robert Mondavi's spread and right next to Opus One is a beautiful place. He restored the Victorian farmhouse, and Nickel used his cash to build winemaking facilities that are housed in beautiful white barns fashioned in a similar style. The facilities are new and state of the art, as we learned on the painstaking tour that lasted an hour.

My favorite part of the Tour de "you're going to wind up in a room and feel pressured to buy our wines" was the colonial red barn that was dissembled in New Hampshire slat by slat and saved from destruction. I'm all for historic preservation, but our tour guide needs a lesson in environmental sustainability. Pop quiz: What takes less energy, destroying a barn on site and using the firewood locally or transporting the wood over 3000 miles and then using electricity, water, and fuel to rebuild it? I bet you passed this one.

Did I mention that cost $8 million? I think I left that out.

How about this for a question? After a very impressive and interesting talk about how the winery is 100% solar powered (a feather in their cap, for sure), I ask, "Are your organic or biodynamic in your farming?" The guide says, "I mean, we don't have any certifications. We don't think it's necessary. We just use as few pesticides as possible. No one in this Valley farms with pesticides anymore. That would just be bad for everyone and for your own wines. It just doesn't happen."

I call bullshit on that. There are still many wineries in Napa using pesticides and although you don't need a certification to be doing the right thing, that condescending answer is patently incorrect and silly in my opinion. "No" would have been a sufficient response for me, what about you?

Although most of the tour was a propaganda ride through a rich man's playground, apart from the sheer beauty of the place, the high point of the Disney tour was that we got to see and feel a display of the main soil types from Napa. Because the area has been an historically active volcanic/moving plate area, the soil composition in Napa is varied (hence why style and quality vary so much). The Vacas mountains (left), closer inland, were active volcanoes so they have iron-rich volcanic soils. The Mayacamas, which border and include a part of Sonoma County, were once under the sea and contain more alluvial soils that were once part of the ocean floor. Each soil results in different flavors (even if it's the same grape) so I think it's cool to be able to see, feel, and especially smell (I would have tasted it but it wasn't that kind of place, as you may be able to tell) it. I wish other wineries would do more of this so people could learn more about why soil makes a difference.

So heading down the mountain from that high, we went to the cellar. Here the guide proudly showed their expensive 100% new French oak barrels (this means that their flavors will never be subtle. New oak, even the more mild French oak, imparts very prominent vanilla, cedar, tobacco, leather, cinnamon, etc. flavors. Most fine wineries include a mix of new and old oak barrels for balanced wines). We then headed to a dark, subterranean tasting room downstairs in the Victorian that had a lovely spread of five Cabernet Sauvignons with some cheese and nuts.

What can I say about these wines? First, I think Nickel & Nickel is going a little overboard. Each wine is from a single vineyard. They do no blending. That means it's 100% from one grape and 100% from one vineyard. In some cases, this may be a good thing, but in many it means that the winemaker can't make up for imperfections from year to year by blending with other grapes or vineyards that could have been better. It is what it is. I found each of the selections (at prices starting at $90 per bottle) to be ho-hum.

I'll give you the list of wines we sampled, but I'm not going to give more than a one liner on each. They just don't warrant the review, regardless of how Robert Parker scored them. Here is the list:

2007 Regusci Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. It smelled like tart plum, bitter chocolate, and green pepper but tasted like a watered down version of the nose. It was light, weak and only slightly better when paired with food.

2007 Witz End Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford. The best of the bunch to me, this wine was from the Rutherford area of Napa, known for the famous dusty, country road flavor that seems to be in all the wines from this little town (people call it Rutherford dust - self explanatory). I liked that smell and taste, and the fact that there was a walnut aroma and flavor that was unique and tasty.

2007 Martin Stelling Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville. I have very little to say about this $140 bottle of wine. I like subtlety in wine but besides a little dirt on the nose and a medicinal and mouth-drying, tannic texture this wine had NOTHING going on. My notes say "yawn."

2007 John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville. Although slightly less boring that the previous selection, I still found this wine to smell great and taste blah. The nose was full of promising black raspberry, black plum, and black cherry, with mint and wet soil hanging around on a second whiff but apart from a vague coffee note -- zip on the nuance or fruit.

2007 State Lane Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville. This had a real promising nose. It had what I like to call a "Napa nose" -- big fruit. Blackberry, black plum, lots of floral notes with some light minerals -- all very juicy and ripe aromas. Sadly, like the rest of the wines, the palate was more like green pepper, coffee, and bitter mint tied up in a sea of astringent tannin.

There were many negatives in this winery visit -- from the locked gates to the forced tour (can't we just taste if we want?) to the inaccurate comments on environmentally friendly farming in Napa -- but the worst part -- we were late for our last appointment to Darioush, a wonderful, amazing last place to end our day in Napa and one for which I would have like to be on time given the high quality of the wines, the sweetness of the people, and comfort of the surroundings...stay tuned.

Readmore »»

An Amazing Visit to A Napa Institution: Chateau Montelena

What do I say about Chateau Montelena? On my tour of Napa it was a must-see, but I was probably most nervous about going there. A few things come to mind when thinking about the Winery.

First and foremost, it was their wine that won top honors in a 1976 competition between legendary French white Burgundies (Chardonnay) and California Chardonnay. The wine, tasted blind and by French judges, was so wonderful and so close to the historic wines of Burgundy that the competition stunned the wine world and gave California mad credibility (the French were SO pissed that their palates had failed their nation, FYI. I love French wines but I hate snobs, so I find the story amusing).

After this fete, no one could deny that California was capable of making outstanding wine. That's Montelena's unbelievably positive and wonderful legacy -- making California a "real" wine region.

On the other hand (and I'm sorry if you liked it), there was the horrific sham of a movie, Bottleshock, made about that competition (also known as The Judgment of Paris). It makes the Winery seem silly, the owners inane, and worst of all, it spreads misinformation about winemaking that I'm sure a lot of people believed. If I haven't been clear enough, I could barely sit through the whole movie and my once glowing opinion of Montelena was more than a little tarnished by this cheeseball production.

So all that said, I really didn't know what to expect. Napa snobbery to the Nth degree because of the Winery's history and prestige, or tacky cheesiness because the owners were as they were portrayed?

Well, there was an excellent first impression. When you drive up to this Chateau (and it IS a chateau), way the hell north of Napa in northern Calistoga, it is NOT cheesy. Bought in 1882 and built for several years after by a rich San Francisco entrepreneur, Alfred L. Tubbs (BTW, even in the 1880s the story of Napa is the same -- rich dude from San Francisco has dream of setting up winery, spends exorbitant sums, makes it happen...), this place is a class act.

The winery made wine in the 1880s, paused for the hell that was Prohibition and started up again afterward.

Montelena, named as a contraction of Mount Saint Helena, at whose base it lies, changed hands in 1958 and the owners built a gorgeous Asian-style lake outside the Chateau. Although a little eclectic, it's beautiful and was a good contribution to the property.

The current owners (on whom Bottleshock was based) then acquired the winery made their first vintage in 1972. Their second vintage won the Judgment Paris (1973). Very cool.

The coolest thing? The people that work at this winery kick ass. I was welcomed by the marketing folks, Nyk, Jamie, and Brian. They were having a social media "drop in and taste" event and I was excited to be there for it. We were shown to a gorgeous back area that looked like a room in a European castle and started the tasting.

Not only were the wines OUTSTANDING in every capacity, Nyk and Jamie were fun, knowledgeable, and completely laid back. I expected stodgy, old, and formal, and I got the exact opposite. It's so refreshing to have an historic winery in Napa that has such a normal vibe. The people here are totally fun and I wanted to hang out for longer because I was having such a good time talking to them, dishing on the exciting and not-so-exciting world of social media and blogging, and sharing new Web sites that will be censored for the purposes of this post (it's a family show, folks : )

I was impressed both by the product and the people. I give this place a major thumbs up and encourage you to make the trek very far north to see it if you're in Napa.

The post wouldn't be complete without a lineup, so here is a very enthusiastic review of all the delicious wines we tasted...not a bad one in the bunch...

Wine 1: Riesling, Potter Valley, 2009
I was a little surprised to find a Riesling from Chateau Montelena. But Jamie told me that this one is made more out of tradition than anything else. Alfred Tubbs used to welcome guests with Riesling when they arrived at the Chateau, and the Barrett family wanted to continue this lovely tradition. I like it!

But then there was another question: How can they produce cool weather grapes in warm Northern Cali? Well, this one was made in Mendocino (the only place in Northern California that's really cool enough to grow the grape), but it's made in the Potter Valley, which is not known for it's coolness. I inquired. Apparently there is a little pocket of cooler temperatures in the Valley and that's where this is grown. I believe it. The wine was good!

Price: $24

Color: It looked promising -- a very pale straw color, almost platinum. The meant it probably wasn't too high in sugar (sugar darkens a wine). Good sign -- I like my Riesling bone dry.

Smell: This was FRESH! Lemon and lime aromas were prominent and it was light and bright. There were vague honeysuckle and peach notes too. It smelled like springtime!

Taste: What a refreshing, welcoming wine! Just like it smelled -- peachy, with lemon and lime notes and a very pronounced but not overwhelming acidity made the wine so clean, bright, and refreshing. To me, it was a simple wine but well-made and delicious!

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. This wine pays homage to the original reason it was made at Montelena -- it's a wonderful wine to serve to guests as an apertif as they come to your house before dinner, or to enjoy when you're sitting outside. M.C. Ice LOVED this wine and he said it's best pairing was with a porch. I couldn't agree more!

_______________________________________________________________

Wine 2: Chardonnay, Napa Valley, 2008

One wine in and we hit the flagship! This is the wine that put California and Chateau Montelena on the map. I'd had it before but I really couldn't remember it, so I was excited to get another crack at this classic.

Price: $50 (pricey, I know!)

Color: I was so surprised to see that this wine was a hay-like color -- it was not too much darker than the Riesling. Nyk and Jamie had said that it was "Classic California Style" so I assumed it would be yellow, goopy, high in alcohol, and smell like oak. At first (second and third) look, it looked more like a Burgundy than a California Chardonnay.

Smell: And it kind of smelled like one too...minus the mineral and earth aromas that are so prominent. This was a restrained Chardonnay, not an over-the-top one. There were lovely green apple, lemon, and lime aromas with a little bit of baked pear in the mix too. On a second sniff, DAMN! White flowers -- like a jasmine lei -- and a little exotic spice too. Unexpected -- I was excited to taste this.

Taste: If Napa Valley is capable of making wine like this, why don't more producers do it? Jamie told me that the Barrett family wanted to make a European-style wine in Napa that was made to go with food and was not overpowering. Mission accomplished. This wine is absolutely beautiful. That pear and green apple essence was lifted up by the citrus notes. Then there was a gentle smokiness and a vanilla note (both from oak) that gave the wine dimension without destroying it's fruit. From a texture perspective, there was something I rarely taste in a California Chardonnay -- great acid! And the oak imparted just a little bit of mouth-drying tannin too. This wine was multi-dimensional and outstanding.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. This is a winery that respects Chardonnay and doesn't abuse the fact that, at heart, it's a subtle grape that can be dominated by oak and other (often egotistical) whims of a winemaker. Chateau Montelena understands Chardonnay, respects the hell out of it, and makes a wine that is completely different from the oak and butter bombs we so often associate with California Chard. If you like the oak and butter, you may not like this Chardonnay, but I hope you can at least respect the wine for its merits -- which there are countless!
_________________________________________________________________

Wine 3: Zinfandel, Montelena Estate (Calistoga), 2007

Another surprise for me -- Zin, in Napa? Usually you find that in Sonoma. But I love that they lend some vineyard space to California's flagship grape.

Price: $30

Color: Ok, so this was not dark purple or ultra pigmented. It was kind of crimson with a brownish rim. It looked older than 3 years and definitely was not going to be a jammy bomb of a Zinfandel -- you could just tell from the lighter color that there was subtlety to follow.

Smell: And I was right. The nose had a little of the raspberry patch smell, but it was also like a Syrah. It was kind of horsey (like riding a horse, I mean) and peppery. There was also a menthol note to it, which you sometimes find in Zin that hasn't been baked in a super-hot climate.

Taste: This wine had great fruit -- raspberry, dark cherries, and strawberry were prominent. It was tannic -- even to the point of being astringent -- but that was a good balance against the full fruit. There were subtle vanilla notes but the finish was all dried cherry.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. This was probably my least favorite of everything we tasted but it was still a great wine. Subtle, balanced, and fruity, it was so consistent with everything else we'd tasted. I really love that all the wines from this place are similar in style and philosophy. _________________________________________________________________
Wine 4: Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2007

This wine was just released and we were so lucky to have tasted it! It comes from five vineyards around Calistoga. The fruit is from the valley floor (a little lower quality than the coveted mountain fruit, which tends to show more complex flavors) but the wine is lush and outstanding from the heat and ripeness it gets there.

Price: $49

Color: A beautiful ruby color that was consistent from the middle of the glass to edge. The wine didn't stain the glass, which made me think that it was going to be a little more balanced. The staining comes from prolonged contact of the grape juice with the skins and sometimes that means the wine will be really high in tannin or a little bitter. Sometimes it just means it's a bomb of flavor. I didn't expect that to be the case here.

Smell: This was intoxicating and totally complex. It took about five minutes just to break down what was happening in this glass! Dark cherry, black raspberry, and ripe plum grabbed me right away. Then there was an intense black pepper note that highlighted a roasted meat aroma (seriously!) that was savory and fabulous. The aromas from the oak were warm and silky -- mocha and dried cocoa powder went so well with the fruit and those masculine meaty aromas. So good.

Taste: Wow! This was like a black cherry cola but with more complexity. Dark cherries, a touch of lemon, and cinnamon were overlaid by this slightly dusty essence of Mexican chocolate (spicy chocolate) or high quality dried cocoa powder. There were high tannins -- I felt like the wine was asking for some food to temper the tannins and complement this awesome bunch of flavors.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. I loved this wine and bought a bottle to bring home. Why? Even with all that flavor, the wine was not over-the-top. Everything was balanced and restrained. It didn't overwhelm my mouth and I could easily imagine having a glass with food. Another home run for Montelena!
_________________________________________________________________
Wine 5: Cabernet Sauvignon, Montelena Estate, 2006 This Estate wine is grown on the Montelena property in three different soils -- volcanic (lends a smokey note), alluvial (responsible for earthy notes), and sedimentary (rocky, minerally flavors). It was an excellent finale.

Price: $135 (yup, that's why we bought the Napa Valley one and not this one!)

Color: Unlike the wine before, this wine had all the signs of a big fruit bomb! It was a deep purple-maroon color with a watery rim. Although it didn't stain the glass, it was still dark as night.

Smell: This wine had some cherry and plum notes, but it was dominated by other stuff. Green pepper and mint (I find this in a lot of high-end Napa Cabs and I'm really sensitive to it), and a wet earth smell jumped out of the glass. The wine had a pencil smell to it (like when you used to chew on pencils in elementary school? You know what I'm talking about.). It was also a little smokey. Very complex.

Taste: It tasted just like it smelled -- earthy, fruity, minty, and pencil-y. I liked the complexity and the fact that the tannins were moderate instead of being really mouth-drying.

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink.The least subtle of all the wines, it still showed balance and restraint. This was a great wine -- so well made, so carefully put together, and so delicious. What I love about it the most -- like all of Chateau Montelena's wines, it is it's own style. The wine isn't like anything else I've had in Napa and I love the winemakers for staying true to their ideals, making wines that give a nod to European style, are food-friendly, and are clearly made with passion, and love.

Thanks for reading! Next on deck -- the dish on a bad visit to a mediocre Napa winery...what a bummer after Montelena!
Readmore »»