My Label Would be “Fire Rhapsody” August 23, 2009

Yesterday was another one of those busy days.

We started off at Spottswoode, which is one of the oldest family owned vineyards and wineries in Napa Valley. Although we didn’t have time to sit down for the tasting, due to our appointment at Cliff Lede, we enjoyed the tour of the grounds, the wine making facility, the storage rooms and the old family estate down the road from the winery. I would encourage anyone who’s interested in coming to Napa – and the Spottswoode winery – to allot at least 2 hours for the tour + tasting. Other, smaller, wineries usually only take an hour. It wasn’t a big deal that we missed the Spottswoode tasting because we’ll be back at the Spottswoode Estate for their garden party this afternoon.

After Spottswoode, we drove back into the Stag’s Leap District for our tour and wine/cheese tasting at Cliff Lede. The winery is super cool with great sculpture, great art – like the original print of the album art for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album AND the original print of the Beatles’ White Album – and a great winery. We started off the tour learning about the history of the wine (which my dad pretty much zoned out for since Cliff Lede is in his top three wine picks) and learned that Cliff Lede is in the construction business in Canada, but has a real passion for wine and rock and roll. As most of the wineries have been saying, you need to start off with a large fortune to make a little fortune making wine. Instead of playing Muzak or a classical symphonic melody, Cliff Lede only plays rock and roll music in the winery and tasting room, which was extraordinarily awesome. We walked through the vineyard, got to sample some delicious grapes, saw where they make the wine in an incredibly clean facility – which even had art hanging in it! – and saw the original prints of the albums. It would be great to have my 22nd birthday in the “White Room,” not named after the Cream song, but because of the White Album cover art, and invite 8 people to come up with me. Even cooler, the White Room looks out into the wine production room, so you can see the whole process from a second story bird’s eye view. After looking around the facility and walking back through the vineyard, we were ushered into the tasting room which was very cool. There were less people at this tasting than at the Shafer tasting, but everyone at the table spoke to each other – about wine, life, etc., which definitely didn’t happen at Shafer. There were two sisters with their mom from LA, a lawyer and her husband from Chicago, me, my dad, and Mark and we all shared a love of wine, even though the Chicago crowd was a fan of whites. We told them they were in the wrong place and that they needed to go to the Russian River Valley next time they come up to California. But enough of the tasting room and tasting room dynamics and onto the wine itself. Since we did the food and wine pairing, we were able to fully appreciate that the wines can easily be food wines or can be enjoyed on their own. We started with the Sauvignon Blanc which was fruity, crisp and didn’t have the alcoholic bite that other SB’s have. The SB was paired with a vegetable spring roll with a pesto dipping sauce, which was really great. Our second wine was the Claret, which was paired with petite basque cheese. I thought the Claret had great opening notes and was beautiful on the nose, so I bought a few bottles. Next was the Cabernet, which is 93% Cab, 5% Merlot and 2% Malbec, and had a distinct blackberry nose and tasted like a big, beautiful Napa Valley Cabernet. The Cab was paired with a slice of a boutique cheddar cheese with quince paste, toasted almonds and an olive. Last, but definitely not least, was the Cliff Lede reserve Cabernet, Moon Sympathy.

As I mentioned before, Cliff Lede is a huge fan of rock and roll, so he likes to emphasize that passion for music into his passion for wine. Instead of naming his reserve wines after a person, animal or location, Cliff Lede names his wines after two rock songs. The 2005 vintage, Cinnamon Stardust, was named for David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” and Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s “Cinnamon Girl.” Moon Sympathy is named for Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.”Moon Sympathy was extraordinary and I will definitely be trying to get a hold of my dad’s allotment when it arrives in November.

After Cliff Lede, we headed over to Larkmeade to try their wines. We met with Maria who didn’t have to sell us on how great Larkmeade wines taste, so we just chatted with her about the wine making process, fashion, wine in general and interning during harvest. She shared her experiences on how she started in the wine business by picking grapes – for free – during harvest and became connected with the tiny wine making community of the Valley. We also got to try some of the Larkmeade library wines because we put up with a weird bunch of super tourists that waltzed in during our tasting.

Before heading over to Acme and after Larkmeade, my dad and I went shopping – yes, what a surprise for me – in St. Helena. Strangely enough, we saw the mom and daughter group from Cliff Lede at this adorable boutique. If you must know, I scored a yellow beaded Karta top for absolutely no money. After finishing up at the boutique – and successfully refusing to buy any more shoes – we went over to Acme for their release party of Gemstone, one of Phillipe Melka’s wines.

Acme was bustling with Napa Valley people for the release party! There were so winemakers who we meet in previous private tastings, which made the event so much cooler. Gemstone, the wine being released, is one of the many side projects of the famous Phillipe Melka. He is one of the most influential Napa Valley winemakers who has his hand in the wine production of over 15 wineries around the valley like Vineyard 29, Seavey and Hundred Acres. Gemstone was incredible and the bottle is almost as gorgeous as the wine. Because we had been in and out of Acme, and since I signed up for their Under-The-Radar wine mailing list, we were introduced to Tor Kenward, of Tor Kenward Family Wines. I think my dad almost flipped out since Mr. Kenward is a Napa legend. We talked about his wine, Gemstone and then he asked me if I liked wine. I told him yes, yes of course I like wine, I want to move here and be in the wine business and work harvest for free etc. Then he gave me the name of one of his friends at an incredibly famous winery/vineyard called Turley Wine Cellars. I think I almost sat down and cried on the floor of Acme I was so excited to 1. be talking to Tor and 2. get advice from a legend on how I should move to Napa and be in the wine business.

As of today, I need to find a way to revamp my Latin American Studies thesis so that I can find a way/career path in Napa. I’m thinking wine production methods in the New and Old World? Maybe I should just shoot to “study abroad” in Argentina and Chile or better yet, “research” my thesis there. Thoughts?

Completely Unforgettable. August 22, 2009

Whew. Today was exhausting. We tasted wine from 5 different wineries and still managed to arrive back at Landmark Vineyards in one piece.

Our first stop was Shafer Vineyards which is located in the famous Stag’s Leap district. It was a typical Napa winery that isn’t afraid to show their “greatness” through their rambling estate, al fresco tasting room with a view of the Valley, invitations from the White House where Schafer wine was served at the dinner, and didactic tour of the grounds. Although my visit to Shafer Vineyards was not one that I particularly enjoyed in terms of learning about the intricacies of wine, it was nice to be able to contrast my visits to smaller, more intimate, wineries – or even the winemaker’s home – with a huge wine making operation.

The Shafer wines were all extremely nice wines. We started off with the 2007 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, which was very crisp and wasn’t your typical big, buttery, oaky Napa Valley Chardonnay. The 2006 Napa Valley Merlot was second, which only stays in the barrel for 18 months, which gives it a softer mouth feel because there aren’t too many tannins in the wine. It was a pretty fruity, and tasty, Merlot. Third in line was the 2006 One Point Five, Shafer’s Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a 99% Cabernet with 1% Petite Verdot. The PV was added to the Cab blend to round out the flavors and add a little color. Fourth was the 2005 Relentless, Schafer’s Syrah/Petite Syrah. When we got around to tasting this wine, one of the other wine tasting attendees told the hospitality director that Shafer should really stop naming their wines and start putting what the wine actually is – like Syrah, Petite Syrah, Cab, etc – because it’s very “confusing when trying to buy Shafer in the store.”My dad and I found this particularly amusing. For those of you who might also share the same view as the guy-who-hates-wine-names, you should know that the percentages of fruit AND the actual type of wine is located on the back label. Regardless, you should look at the back label when you’re buying wine so you can know those two important things. The hospitality director nonchalantly pointed out this “little known fact” to the man-who-hates-wine-names and we quickly moved on to the Hillside Select. Shafer’s Hillside Select is their signature Cabernet Sauvignon. It spends 34 months in new French Oak barrels with a medium to heavy toast, imparting a lush texture to the wine, while also smoothing out any rough edges. My dad and I agreed it was the only one worth drinking at the tasting, so we finished our glasses. Surprisingly, we were offered some of the Shafer port to finish off our tour, and the port was so rich and sweet that we couldn’t help but buy a bottle.

Our next stop was Realm Cellars, a tiny winery, who houses their wines in a cave on the grounds of a  beautiful, French inspired Napa chateau. We met with Juan who led us down to the cellar with the 2006 The Tempest Napa Valley Red Wine, the 2006 Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2006 Farella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Robert Parker gave the 2005 vintages of the Realm wines scores of 94, 94 and 92 respectively. Instead of being seated at a table for 8 like at Shafer, my dad and I drank wine on a wine barrel in the middle of a cave with Juan. It was pretty neat. After tasting the Realm wines you could tell that they are big, bold, with a noticeable – but not overwhelming – tannin presence, even after Juan had let a couple bottles open up for as long as 2 days. Realm was delicious, but they are wines that would be better to store for 2-3 years instead of “ready-to-drink” right away. We also tried one of the winemaker’s other projects called Relic. It was so delicious that my dad called to make an appointment for Saturday right after our tasting, so I’ll let you know how it tastes.

After Realm, we stopped at Tamber Bey, which was off of our original schedule. Tamber Bey is named after the winemaker’s beloved horses and is a wonderful deal for the quality of wine. We met with Jennifer, one of the winemakers, at her home on the vineyard. She had a gorgeous home covered in vines with a sprawling lawn and a beautiful wrap-around porch. It was absolutely mesmerizing to sit on the porch; drink wine; play with their chocolate lab, Hershey; and say hello to their three horses. Their wine was delicious – and affordable for even the college student.

I know I say that each adventure is the “best,” but this next stop was probably a once in a lifetime experience. After finishing at Tamber Bey, we headed over to Jennifer and Herb Lamb’s house. The Lamb’s own one of the most famous vineyards in Napa Valley. Their vineyard sells grapes to incredibly famous wineries (I’m talking wineries that sell $300+ per bottle, yes PER BOTTLE, of wine) like Colgin, one of the most famous Napa Valley cult wines on the market. The Lamb’s make Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon and EII Napa Valley White Wine and EII Napa Valley Red Wine. EII is named for their beloved Labrador and is quite possibly the best white wine you could ever, ever, ever purchase. Well, all of the Lamb’s wine is an incredible investment because whether it’s their eponymous Herb Lamb wines or their EII wines, they are simply exquisite. We sat down with Mrs. Lamb; Mike, the head winemaker for Myriad, Quivet, and Tamber Bey; and John, the assistant winemaker for Outpost. They taught me about the various grape clones they use in Napa Valley, what they plant at their vineyard, and how they manage to grow the grapes in extremely rocky soil or any other soil for that matter. They also shared their excitement about the bottling process that happens in the summer, how quickly the harvest season arrives shortly after in September/October and then the mad dash to crush, which is when you crush the grapes before you put them in the barrels to ferment. There were so many times when I really had to ask myself, “am I really here on the Lamb’s porch overlooking the Valley, drinking their wine PLUS Mike’s wine from Myriad, just talking about something we all like to do?! And Herb Lamb just walked in?!” It was a once in a lifetime experience. Plus the Lamb’s gave me a hat – and sorry, but I have to brag – not many people in the Valley, or any place else for that matter, have a Herb Lamb hat.

Learn to Swirl 101 August 20, 2009

Even though today was my first official day in the beautiful Napa Valley, it did not lack in terms of alcohol consumption. After my dad picked me up at the airport, we drove into the Valley to look around before our 3:00 p.m. tasting with Lewelling. After making our way to Dean and Deluca – perhaps one of the best gourmet grocers – and purchasing a well deserved black-and-white cookie, we decided that 2:00 p.m. was too early to head over to the Lewelling vineyard. And so begins the tale of how my father and I ended up at Alpha Omega Winery.

We passed a very chic winery on the main road in Napa that had prominent water features, a well manicured lawn, and an amazing porch. The only drawback was the sign out front notifying people like us that “Appointments are Necessary.” Paying no heed to the sign, my dad drove in to the winery parking lot, parked and walked into the winery. When we walked in Alpha Omega, I was a little nervous. The tasting room was big, sleek, and roomy – embodying aspects of the “nouveau Napa chic,” but to make matters worse, this was my first official tasting and I didn’t know how to swirl the wine to aerate it properly.  After watching my dad swirl his wine skillfully by tilting his glass slightly, he looked at me and said, “this is my pen flip,” referring to the inane pen flipping I was known to do during my debate years. Perfecting the wine swirl is like perfecting the pen flip; both silly activities show that you’re a true connoisseur of wine or debate. All nervousness aside, I mastered the “on the table” swirl! Now I just have to level up to the side-swirl-off-the-table method.

The wines at Alpha Omega were great. I was surprised to find that I like the Sauvingnon Blanc and the Rose more than their two Cabernet Sauvignons. The Sauvignon Blanc was so crisp and fruity, but the real surprise was the Rose. Alpha Omega left the Rose in contact with the grape skins for 12 hours to create the most vivid color of magenta I have ever seen, much less in a Rose. It stole the show, so we bought 3 bottles. The last wine on the tasting menu was the Alpha Omega Era, which is their first vintage of their flagship wine.  After talking about the wineries my dad visited, people he knew in Napa, and wineries he was on the mailing lists for, we passed the “Napa wine test” and we were escorted back into their storehouse. We saw all of the barrels of the Era 2007 and we tried the 2007 vintage straight from the barrel. It was quite possibly the coolest thing we did at Alpha Omega. After tasting the Era vintage 2007, we compared it to the 2006, which received a score of 94 from Wine Spectator. They were both delicious.

After leaving AO, we headed over to Lewelling. Lewelling is a small family owned vineyard that has been producing wine sine 1864. They only make two cabernets. We drove up to the house, which is a cute 1920′s California bungalow, and met Haley, who is the youngest wine producer of the family. We started off with a quick lesson in growing grapes involving the importance of regenerating the soil during off seasons by planting nitrogen fixing plants in the rows, starting to prune the vines back from the previous harvest on January 1, teaching the buds to climb along the trellis so that the vines look like a T, making sure that the bud tissues aren’t damaged in an early frost, tasting the grapes, measuring the brix – or sugar content – of the grape and why you age wine in oak barrels. After learning all about the intricacies of producing wine – and even tasting the Lewelling grapes straight off the vine, I was excited to finally taste the Lewelling wines. They were fabulous.

Being able to sit down with Haley in their backyard, at a picnic bench, facing rows and rows of wine grapes was the greatest wine tasting experience. Tasting wine in a tasting room pales in comparison to being able to sit down with someone at their house, on their vineyard, try their grapes, and talk about the wine they actually produce themselves. I think my experience at the Wight Vineyard is going to be my favorite Napa Valley experience.

After leaving the Wight Vineyard after almost 2 hours of learning about wine and tasting wine, we headed off to a small boutique wine store, Acme, to grab a few bottles of an up-and-coming wine called, Hayfork. Hayfork just so happens to be Haley and her husband’s first wine venture on their own. They only produced 90 cases! Since Acme stayed open just so we could buy the last two bottles of Hayfork, we brought in the Lewelling bottle from our tasting with Haley and compared it to Hayfork, which both use grapes from the Lewelling vineyard, and tried it with the very cool store employees. To me, the Hayfork was a bigger cabernet with a more tannic flavor than the Lewelling, but the Lewelling bottle had been open for almost 2 hours so it had a considerable amount of time to open up. Regardless, Hayfork is a great wine for a great price. I’m definitely signing up to be on their mailing list.

It finally arrived! August 10, 2009

After patiently waiting, my dad finally sent me the schedule for our short 4 day jaunt up to Napa! It appears as though we’re going to need a designated driver starting August 20th…

August 19 -

• 3:00 – Lewelling

August 20 -

• 10:00 – Schafer
• 12:30 – Realm
• 2:00 – Myriad
• 4:00 – Herb Lamb

August 21 -

• 10:00 – Spottswoode
• 11:30 – Cliff Lede
• 2:00 – Outpost

August 22 -

• 9:00 – Seavey
• 10:30 -Vineyard 29
• 12:30 – Spottswoode’s New Release Garden Party
• 1:30 – Larkmeade
• 4:00 – Salvestrin

Intro August 10, 2009

Welcome!

My name is Katie and I’m a Latin American Studies major at the University of Texas at Austin.

For a belated 21st birthday present, my dad, who is an avid connoisseur of great Napa Valley wine, decided the week before school would be the perfect time to fly to Napa to taste some of his favorites. With an offer like that, it was hard – and almost silly – to refuse. So in 9 days I will be on my way to the beautiful, sunny Napa Valley in California to meet my dad and dive into the world of Napa Valley vineyards.

I have the opportunity to learn about the intricacies of wine production in Napa Valley from the growers and families themselves, so this blog is where I’ll keep track of my visits to various wineries, share a little bit of the vineyard’s history and try to describe the tastes of the wine I sample.

Hopefully when I get back from Napa I’ll be well on my way to being a sommelier!