Affordable Cult Wine? Consider Cultivar.

Cul.ti.var [noun]. a variety of plant that is selected for specific desirable characteristics.  

You’re out to dinner and perusing the “wines by the glass” list.  You spot a familiar wine label from Napa Valley on the list, and are just about to order it when...you realize the $18 pricetag is for a 2 oz “taste” - which means ordering a glass of the good stuff will end up costing more than you’d typically spend on a nice bottle of wine for your cellar.  Napa Valley has become internationally famous for its Cabernets and with fame and scarcity come sky-high prices, which you’re probably all too familiar with if you’ve ever had an experience similar to the one above.

Enter the founders of Cultivar, Jody Harris and Dan O’Brian, whose mission was to create an accessible food friendly Cabernet from the Napa Valley.  The mission began when grape grower and third generation San Franciscan, Jody Harris, struck up a conversation with Dan O’Brien, Wine Director at Cavallo Point.  The two were engaging in conversation about Jody’s new line of estate wines, Caspar Estate, when Dan mentioned that what restaurants were really looking for was an affordable Napa Cab. Jody sensed Dan was on to something and the two of them called on their combined contacts and resources in the wine industry to see if there was a way to make this happen.  Cultivar was born when Jody and Dan realized that many of the top tier Cult Wineries only use the very best of their crops for each vintage - and sell the rest (under NDA).  To make an analogy, it’d be akin to hiring a candidate who graduated from Harvard with a 4.0 average as opposed to a 3.0 average...both students are still creme de la creme when it comes to brains and top tier education. While it could be argued that the "A" students might perform slightly better, most people wouldn’t even know the difference if grades weren’t disclosed.

The men behind Cultivar took this approach - they source the best 3.0 grapes from the “Ivy League” vineyards belonging to cult wineries which allows them to control costs and blend a wine tailored specifically for the dinner table that is just spectacular. Fresh and forward with minimal manipulation and plenty of warm fruit and acidity, Cultivar wines have been discovered by some of Napa and San Francisco’s most famous sommeliers (think Raj Purr of Michael Mina) and are being poured at some of the best neighborhood restaurants, small hotels and boutique retailers around the country.  Cultivar was officially founded in 2011, and in its first official year of business has produced 5,000 cases of wine and is available in 8 states and top tier cities including: New York, Texas, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles.

Visiting the Cultivar “headquarters” up at the top of Whitehall Lane, and tasting with Jody and Dan is a peak experience in itself.  With birds singing, and the scent of lemon blossoms filling the air, we tasted Caspar and Cultivar wines, and their line of organic honey and olive oil alfresco, overlooking a panoramic view of the valley and a crystal clear infinity pool.  The tasting experience is beautiful but laid back - and takes place in the home inherited by Jody from his grandfather, Caspar Escher, the namesake of the Caspar label Jody founded in 2010.  Cultivar does no advertising nor does it have an official tasting room, but the founders are amenable to in-person visits, and can host private events and weddings in this picturesque place.  For more information on how to visit or purchase Cultivar, email cardinale.gianna@gmail.com.

My favorites from Cultivar and Caspar below:

CULTIVAR:
2010 Cabernet
This balanced blend has 5% Merlot added to the Cabernet blend and is 80% aged in steel barrels, 20% oak aged giving it just subtle hints of vanilla and spices.  Big and fruit-forward with plum, cherry, cassis, and raspberry liquor notes with brambly, dusty aromas.

2009 Red Label Cabernet Franc
Produced from 6 site specific lots, this wine displays classic Cab Franc garden notes of ripe tomato, bay leaf, and red berries.  It’s lean with mild tannins and hints of smoky leather.

CASPAR:
2009 Cabernet
Big, ripe blackberries and cassis with notes of espresso, dark chocolate and black licorice.  A highly extracted wine with spicy sweet notes from oak, beautiful structure and long silky finish.

2010 Sauvignon Blanc
With a small percentage of Tokai and Muscat added to the blend, this SB has beautiful racy acidity complimented by white floral notes, rich tropical fruits, honey and smoky minerality.

Old World meets New World at boutique winery, Alpha Omega

If you’ve been to St. Helena recently, you’ve most likely noticed the eye-catching black and gold sign for Alpha Omega Winery.  While it may sound like the name of a fraternity, the wines are anything but sophomoric.  Alpha Omega specializes in Chardonnay and Cabernet and are known for their beautifully crafted  wines that are made in both Old and New World styles.  This play on New and Old World is actually where the winery name originated.  To clarify what the difference between New World and Old World wine, Old world wines come from the "classic winemaking regions" in Europe, and new world wines come from everywhere else (examples include California and US appellations, South America, South Africa, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand). The Old World can generally date origins of wine production back to the Roman Empire and beyond. Throughout this epoch, winemakers gained knowledge of which grapes grew best and which areas of land consistently produced the finest quality. The growers from these classic Old World regions (France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain) have great pride in this history and many still make wine the way it’s been being made for generations.  While Old World wines may deliver a consistent style (as you’ll also notice by their rigorous classification systems) in another regard, the advent of New World wines has been a positive influence on the established order and have developed new technologies and methods that can produce beautiful and often more affordable wine.


Likewise, Alpha Omega is a delightful boutique winery to visit if you are new to the wine world or seasoned.  The friendly staff are well educated and there are tasting options ranging from the tasting bar to high end private tasting in the magestic loft-like Barrell Room.  We were welcomed to the winery by our jovial and knowledgeable guide, Vincent Ruggiero on a sunny April Sunday with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  Strolling through the property, the open-aired patio was chic yet welcoming with modern yet cozy furniture groupings overlooking a beautiful man-made lake.  A fine mist from the fountains lightly spritzed us while soft jazz played - here, surrounded by vineyards and mountains, the beauty of this rustic, farm-style winery was as captivating as its wine.  A garden patio and woodfired pizza oven are available for picnics and events with bocce courts coming soon.  AO is a great winery to visit during harvest season when they encourage guests to get involved with the crush and host an array of themed events like their annual Oysterfest.

I could have basked in the sun on the patio and enjoyed wine all afternoon, but reluctantly allowed Vinny to lead us into the tank room where we climbed a flight of stairs up to a rustic - yet newly constructed - loft.  We sat down to a table set below beautiful modern reclaimed chandeliers and tasted our way through 3 oaked and unoaked Chardonnays and two red Cabernet blends before heading down to an exclusive barrel tasting of the 4 separate blocks that are blended into Alpha Omega’s signature “Era” Cabernet, 2010 including the Missouri Hopper, the To Kalon North, To Kalon South and Stagecoach.  My favorite block was the Stagecoach - with its great minerality, and rich flavors of chocolate, cherry, vanilla - it’s still young but already velvety smooth on the finish.  The Hopper block was also great though expensive - retailing for $140 per bottle futures. The block was named after Charles Hopper, who came to California  from Missouri, bringing stagecoaches out to Napa along with the famed Mr. Yount of Yountville’s namesake.  Hopper ended up marrrying Yount’s daughter and received 146 acres of land which became the now famous vineyards. Alpha Omega’s extraordinary winemakers, along with historic vineyards, combine to create wines that express the essence of this famous wine region. By sourcing prized grapes from the many appellations of Napa Valley, Alpha Omega’s winemakers blend these blocks of exceptional terroir ranging from valley floor, hillside, mountain and coast, crafting complex and balanced wines, which are a perfect expression of the best Napa Valley has to offer.

The result is world-class wine with prices to match.  80% AO wines are sold through wine club and tasting room only and the single vineyard Cabs, Syrah, Petit Syrah, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, and  Late Harvest whites are only sold at the winery and for wine club members, so if you want to taste this nectar, it’s worth the visit (and buy a bottle or two if you can afford it).  While there isn’t a great deal to explore at this winery, the setting is chic and charming, perfect for a picnic and you can’t beat the location if you’re heading up St Helena Highway.  And the wines are timeless -worthy of this world and the next.  


My tasting notes:

1. Chardonnay - Un-Oaked 2011 - $36/bottle
Beautifully crisp with pink notes of grapefruit and “bubble gum”, pineapple, and melon.  This wine is light for a chardonnay with no oak or malolactic fermentation.

2. Chardonnay - Oaked 2009 - $58/bottle
Rich mascarpone lemon cream, marzipan, honeysuckle, vanilla and baked apple.  Aged in 100% French Oak for 18 months and 100% barrel fermented with malolactic fermentation.

3. Proprietary Red 2009 - 37% Merlot, 34% Cab, 16% Cab Franc, 13% Petit Verdot - $90/ bottle
Raspberry, cassis, blueberry, gooseberry, stewed prune and black cherry.  Hints of lavender, cedar and chocolate and a long smooth finish.

4. Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 - $88/bottle
Black currant, blueberry and black cherry, balanced with a backbone of acidity with hints of red currant, red cherry and blackberry pie.  Hints of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa add to the sultry wine.

5. Era 2010 - 85% Cab, 10% Cab Franc, 5% Merlot - $195/bottle
Dense entrance of fresh picked blackberry balanced with fresh acidity and velvety tannins, spices, oak, licorice, plum, chocolate and raspberry evolving on black currant jam

6. Late Harvest Sauvignon and Semillon 2008 - $86/bottle
A wonderfully evolving blend of baked apple, apricot, honey, fresh basil and almond. The sweet pineapple and quince notes are balanced by fresh acidity of white nectarine and bitter orange.

Pine Ridge Brings Bordeaux to Napa

With over 450 wineries in Napa, how do wine pickers end up employed at their respective wineries?  While I  don’t know the answer this question, I did hear on a recent tour of Pine Ridge that grape harvesters who get hired to work at Pine Ridge feel like they’ve won the lottery!  The Stags Leap region in Napa Valley, where Pine Ridge is located, is known for producing its “huge” full-bodied Cabs and the very hot summer season helps give them great concentration. Pine Ridge harvests their grapes at night between 1am - 5 am when the temperature cools down to 60 degrees to slow the fermentation process, which accelerates greatly if grape juice is hot leading to unbalanced wine.  That’s just one of many quality control processes Pine Ridge winery has developed to produce its highly acclaimed wines.  Aside from using sustainable farming practices, Pine Ridge prunes its 14-18 year old vines using the T-cordon pruning style that is used on old vines- trained in Bordeaux.  They also use the guillaux system for pruning - which leaves only 5-6 fruiting buds, producing 2 clusters each which yields brighter, fresher fruit off new wood each year.  This pruning style is time consuming and expensive, but controls for overcropping and allows the vines to pour all their nutrients into a few clusters, enhancing the flavors and concentration.

Arriving at Pine Ridge, the steeply terraced hillsides flanked with a dramatic ridge-line of pine trees instantly grab my attention and mesmerize me with their natural beauty.  Having set up a tour and tasting in advance, we began the experience in the Visitor Center tasting room with a glass of Chenin Blanc then followed Ray, our wonderful guide, outside to a gazebo where we learned that the beautifully terraced vineyards are not only rare but grandfathered to Pine Ridge.  You won’t find these kind of steep vineyards elsewhere in the Stags Leap region since they’re no longer approved in Napa due to a 12 degree gradient rule created to control erosion.  With birds singing above and a carpet of sweet peas and fava bean sprouts below, the serene setting is like a fairytale.  

As rain clouds gathered overhead, we curtailed the vineyard walk and headed underground.  The caves of Pine Ridge, lying 130 feet below the vineyard, are a labyrinth of new and old tunnels, lined with 4,600 French Oak barrels, and featuring a gorgeous tasting cave featuring bright lemon yellow Chihuly glass. We were seated to an exquisitely displayef wine and cheese tasting and finally got to taste the famed Pine Ridge Cabs.  Pine Ridge founder Gary Andrus’ pioneering efforts to make Bordeaux style blends were met with tremendous success as the Bordeaux varietals he planted – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot. The wines embody the unique characteristics of the Napa Valley appellations in which its 200 acres of estate vineyards are located. Since the Pine Ridge winery was founded in 1978, its old world traditions have been fused with innovative viticultural and winemaking practices to yield powerful yet balanced Bordeaux-style red wines with classic aromas, rich textures and lingering flavors.

This tasting experience costs $50 per person, but is 100% well worth the great experience - especially if you’re a fan of rich, elegant Bordeaux style red wines. If you are fortunate enough to get Ray as your tour guide, you’re in for a treat - this veteran sommelier has worked at Pine Ridge for over 28 years and has judged thousands of wines in International competitions.  If you’re lucky and ask nicely, he’ll take you back to the tasting room after the tour and let you sample some interesting Pine Ridge bottles not included in the tasting, like the Onyx mentioned below in my tasting notes:

2010 Chenin Blanc - $12.99

This light wine gives off a bouquet of light aromatic fruit and orange blossom.  The wine has nice acidity and flavors of asian pear, white peach, green mango, and white chai tea. The crisp and slightly off-dry flavor profile lasts well through the clean and refreshing finish. With its balanced acidity, this versatile wine would pair perfectly with light salads, seafood, and foods with a hint of spiciness — and it’s a great summertime apertif as well.

2008 Cave 7 Cabernet Sauvignon - $65.00 per bottle

This blend has a mesmerizing nose of ripe blackberry and cassis.  The wine boldly meets the palate with ripe cherry, black raspberry, earthy brambleberry and undertones of green olive, ground coffee, dark cocoa, and cinnamon.  The wine holds its intensity through a lengthy, toffee-caramel finish.

2007 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon- $80.00 per bottle

This big, powerful wine offers aromas of black plum, cherries, toasted pecans and vanilla.  On the palate, the wine maintains its solid core of dark fruit with mouthwatering acidity and a velvety texture that balances the muscular tannins.  Savory coffee, caramel chocolate linger on the finish.

2007 Fortis - $140.00 per bottle

This wine displays an intensity of aromas including a blend of blackberries, plum, currant, and candied fig.  This bold wine explodes on the palate with rich dark cherry and cassis balanced with baking spices, caramelized brown sugar and cocoa with hints of espresso and toast that carry through the unrelenting finish.  The firm tannins and robust structure give this wine tremendous aging potential.

2007 Onyx - $60 per bottle

This dark wine boasts a complex nose abounding in black cherry, plum and berries with intriguing notes of smoke, rose petals, creamy chocolate, tea and leather. The palate offers red cherry, cola and roasted plum flavors alongside brisk acidity and dry, chocolatety tannins that sustain the lengthy finish. Three to five years in the cellar will allow for the palate to open up and match the nose in complexity. Decanting for up to an hour is also recommended.

Wines we tasted paired with the following cheeses:

• Abbaye de Belloc
• Fiscalini, San Joaquin Gold
• Vintage, 5 Year Old Gouda

JUST IN! New Online Mag - Wine Country Weddings - Your Guide to Sparkling Wine found here!

I'm so thrilled to be part of this amazing new online wedding magazine.  It's beautifully crafted and full of only the best resources for planning a wine country wedding.  Check out the wine section for my article on sparkling wines that pair with every course...

http://winecountryweddingsmagazine.com/

PRESS RELASE:

New Online Wedding Publication, Wine Country Weddings Magazine: 

Napa Valley, Ca. (April 2, 2012) - Based in beautiful Napa Valley, Wine Country Weddings Magazine was founded by Autumn Millhouse, author of Romantic Napa Valley: An Insider's Guide for Couples, who has also held titles that include Associate Editor, San Francisco Brides Magazine, Lifestyle Editor, Napa Valley Life Magazine and has been a contributor to various publications such as Exquisite Weddings Magazine, Tour & Tasting Magazine, and Destinations: I Do Magazine.

The inspiration for the magazine was the endless inquires from couples who read her book, articles and blog, and were now engaged and wanted her advice on getting married in wine country. Thrilled to share her passion for wine country (she’s a third-generation Napa Native), and affection for love stories, romance and the idea of happily-ever-after, the magazine creation has turned into a true love affair. Combined with a team of talented contributors who are also hopelessly romantic, Wine Country Weddings Magazine is the premiere magazine for wine country brides.

The magazine is released two times a year, Spring & Summer and Fall & Winter, and is updated quarterly with a new cover. Inside the magazine there are feature sections that include wine, food, romance and style. Also, inside the magazine is the Bridal Resource Guide, which feature  California wedding venues, photographers, bridal vendors, sweetest desserts and treats, and rehearsal dinner hotspots. The blog features real wine country weddings, tasting notes on wine, signature cocktail recipes, wedding décor ideas, DIY wedding projects, bridal style and much, much more.

For any additional information, questions or images please contact Autumn Millhouse directly at autumn@winecountryweddingsmagazine.com.

10 Great Wines you should Buy and Cellar Now

Wine is one of the special things in life that can get exceedingly better with age. Unfortunately, collectible bottles get very expensive, and one of the biggest regrets I hear from collectors is that they didn’t start collecting great wines while they were young and affordable. I grew up watching my father’s wine cellar collection expand and was always excited when he’d make a trip down to the cellar and bring up special bottles to pair perfectly for holidays and special occasions. To me, this is one of the reasons I always came to associate wine with love, happiness, celebration, family, and festivities. The gift my Dad gave my husband and me for our wedding is very dear to my heart - he researched and selected 10 wonderful wines from around the world and nearby Napa that would age beautifully for the next 10 - 40 years, gifting us a case of each of them (they're currently being stored in perfect temp-controlled space in my Dad's cellar - photo credit above goes to Garrett Gaudini). This gift is perfect because as we grow older together, we’ll also be able to celebrate our marriage milestones by opening up these wines - and it's a good thing they aren't stored in our home here in San Francisco, because I'd be lying to say I wouldn't be tempted to open up a bottle or two before they've reached their prime. I look forward to growing old and enjoying these beautiful wines with my husband, family and friends for years to come. Below are the ten wines we’re cellaring, with notes and ratings - and if you're temped to open them, you can always consider storing them at an "off premise location" such as the Wine Center SF, where you can assure your "wine investment" is going to rest safe and sound until you're ready to enjoy!

2007 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa
By Stephen Tanzer
Saturated, deep ruby-red. Deep aromas of blackberry, blueberry, violet and minerals; Silky on entry, then dense and sweet in the middle, conveying an impression of power. There's a youthfully medicinal quality to the dark berry and licorice flavors but unusual early sweetness and pliancy to this long-aging wine. Finishes with very suave tannins and impressive persistence. This is actually 14.3% alcohol, which is unusually high here. Barrett could only recall the 2004, 1994 and 1978 surpassing 14%.
Rated 93 Points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

2007 Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon John C. Sullenger Vineyard
By Stephen Tanzer, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Bright medium ruby. Bordeaux-like nose offers cassis, black cherry, graphite, mocha and leather. Lush on entry, then suave in the middle, with redcurrant, plum, licorice and mocha flavors given definition by harmonious acidity. The dusty, building tannins spread out horizontally to coat the palate. (Nickel & Nickel was established in 1997 by the partners of Far Niente with the objective of producing 100%-varietal single-vineyard wines from Napa and Sonoma Valleys.)
Rated: 92 by Stephen Tanzer

2007 Palmaz Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa
JancisRobinson.com
This acclaimed vintage exhibits a concentrated balance of dark fruit flavors and opulent oak notes with beautiful transitions throughout. The structure of this wine promises to age elegantly with an abundance of fine grained tannins exhibiting our signature style of supple rich texture. This is a vintage of extraordinary depth and complexity and has lived up to all the anticipation for this renown Napa Valley vintage.
Rated 93 Points on Cellar Tracker.com

2009 Peay - Pinot Noir Ama Estate - USA - Sonoma Coast
By Josh Raynolds - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Vibrant red. Pungent, sexy aromas of black raspberry, cherry pit, cocoa powder and incense. More serious, even masculine, compared to the Pomarium. Fresh and gripping, with impressive sappiness and extract to its dark berry and bitter cherry flavors. Finishes vibrant and very long, with palate-dusting floral, mineral and spice nuances. This is the inaugural vintage for this wine, which is sourced from a section of the Peay vineyard that's planted to a suitcase clone and Dijon clone 828.
Rated 93 points by Stephen Tanzer

2008 Figeac St Emilion
View From the Cellar - By John Gilman
The 2008 Figeac is a beautiful bottle in the making and was clearly one of the best 2008s on display at the UGC tasting. The bouquet is deep, complex and utterly classy, as it jumps from the glass in a stunning blend of red and black cherries, raw cocoa, tobacco smoke, coffee, complex soil tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very elegant out of the blocks, with excellent mid-palate depth, ripe tannins and outstanding length and grip on the youthful and very pure finish. Figeac is of course raised in one hundred percent new wood, so it always shows a bit more flamboyantly at this early stage than wines such as Canon, and it will be very interesting to compare these two classics a decade or two down the road. A great vintage of Figeac. 2018-2045+.
Rated 94 points by Wine Enthusiast

2008 Montrose, St-Estèphe
View From the Cellar - By John Gilman
Château Montrose is making such profound and classic wines these days that it is hard not to argue that this is the golden age for this estate! The 2008 Montrose is a great, great wine in the making, as it offers up a deep and very complex nose of black cherries, cassis, Cuban cigars, a wonderfully complex base of gravel, espresso and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, tight and very, very pure, with a rock solid core of fruit, stunning soil signature, plenty of firm tannins and plenty of lift on the backend from the superb acidity of this vintage. The finish here is very, very long, displays excellent focus and grip and is still very, very closed. This great wine will live forever, but will take at least a good dozen years to blossom. Under the direction of Jean Delmas, Château Montrose is the claret purists’ perfect wine. 2022-2100.
Rated 95 points Robert Parker, 94 Points by Wine Enthusiast

2008 Grands Echézeaux- Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret
View From the Cellar - By John Gilman
For as long as I can remember, Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret has produced one of the greatest examples of Grands Echézeaux in all of Burgundy, so it comes as no surprise that their 2008 is stupendous. The absolutely beautiful, youthful nose soars from the glass in an inspired mélange of dark berries, plums, espresso, woodsmoke, incipient notes of gamebird, a kaleidoscopically complex base of soil and a judicious base of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and very primary, with a rock solid core of fruit, laser-like focus, beautiful, nascent complexity, ripe, seamless tannins and tangy acidity lifting all these elements in a peacock’s tail of transparency and purity on the very long finish. This will be an absolutely brilliant example of the vintage, and a decade down the road, it may well prove that I have slightly underrated this beautiful wine. 2018-2060+.
Rated 95+

2006 Domenico Clerico Barolo Pajana
By Stephen Tanzer - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Good full red-ruby. Knockout nose offers dark cherry, strawberry, dried flowers, cedar, tobacco, leather and musky spices. Silky and sweet on entry, then powerful in the middle, with a firm spine of acidity giving lift and cut to the wine's red fruit, tobacco and dried flower flavors. Offers a compelling balance of stuffing and energy, and has the sheer fruit extract to buffer its ripe tannins. This really spreads out to saturate the palate, and is riper and more harmonious than the 2005 bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031.
Rated 93 points - StephenTanzer

2004 Bodegas Muga "Prado Enea" Gran Reserva Rioja
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The 2004 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is not quite as dense as the 2005 but is more expressive on the nose and rounder on the palate. Dark cherry, orange edge. Complex aromas, spicy, toasty, fine cocoa, fruit expression. Palate: powerful, full, rich, spicy, ripe tannins. Complex bouquet, spicy, fine wood and leaf, stewed fruit. Balanced, with body and nerve, tasty, ample. It is a complete effort that should prove to be one of the best Prado Eneas Muga has produced.

Rated 94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2007 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz
The Wine Advocate
The prodigious 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz (85% Grenache aged totally in foudres and the rest Syrah, which is aged in small barrels) has terrific floral, raspberry, and black cherry notes intermixed with a striking minerality and precision. A Musigny grand cru Burgundian style of wine, with power and elegance, a thoroughly compelling flavor profile, and a rich, intense finish, the tannins are sweet and the well-integrated acidity gives uplift to the wine. Stunningly proportioned yet never heavy, this is a sensational wine that should only get better over the next few years and last for 15 or more.
95 Points - The Wine Advocate

Bell Cellars - Secrets of the Cab Clones

I first came across Bell Cellars while on an early morning run in Yountville, Napa with my husband, Garrett. We love taking advantage of the flat, beautiful trail that runs alongside St. Helena Highway 29 . When we’re feeling curious, we’ll ventureoff the path which inevitably leads us to hidden wineries which never cease to surprise and delight me! We had to pause and take a peek when we discovered Bell - the exquisite pale stone winery, just south of downtown Yountville. The outside of the winery is beautifully erected to look like an Italian villa - the patio boasts a wood fired pizza oven, two bocce ball courts and outdoor patio seating that’s perfect for leisurely enjoying a picnic, a sunset with friends or a romantic glass of Bell’s sparkling wine. As we were investigating the premises, we came across Johanne Lefebre, Bell’s retail sales and hospitality manager, picking red roses to set out in the winery for the day. It was such a quaint, pleasant and intimate run-in, that we vowed come back to taste the wine! We returned to Bell a few months later, but we were using the gorgeous winery and surrounding vineyards for our engagement photo shoot with incredible photographer, Andre Niesing, and didn’t have time for a formal tour and tasting of the property.

Six months after our wedding, Garrett and I finally scheduled a private tour and tasting for 11:30 am and were pleased to find the inside of the winery is as well-designed and beautiful as the exterior. Inside the tasting room, soothing music filled the air and we were delighted to be welcomed by Johanne by name. We were basically the only folks in the winery - one of the perks of finding hidden treasures like this and the Reserve Room was set beautifully for our tasting. Johanne tailored a great private tour of the winery and tasting to us based on our schedule after welcoming us with a taste of unfiltered 2011 Sauvignon Blanc straight out of the tank, which already showed crisp green apple and citrus and a nice minerality on the palate. This tasting of Sauvignon Blanc was a great way to start the day as it cleansed our palate for the big red wines to come and also nodded at winemaker Anthony Bell’s Roots in South Africa.

After growing up in South Africa, Bell spent his teenage years working in Spain, France, and South Africa. In the US, Bell got his Masters degree in enology at U.C. Davis, and had a 15-year tenure at BV, became the general manager and raised the bar on BV's grape quality by conducting groundbreaking research into the differences and impact of clonal variations on Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s the Cab clonal research that makes Bell wines so special - they use only Clone 4, 6, 7 and 337. We looked at photos of each clone and I was shocked to find that Clone 6 has about a third of the berries that you’d see on a typical cluster of grapes making it appear almost sickly it’s so sparse. But therein lies the secret to the intense highly concentrated wines that Bell produces from 100% Clone 6, and the only winery in Napa that makes wine exclusively from this clone. The small amount of grapes on the cluster allows more nutrients to go into each grape, so while this produces a smaller yield, it produces much more intensely concentrated wines.

Bell Cellars grows Cabernet and Merlot on its estate winery in Yountville where its famous Cabs are produced and outsources the rest of its fruit from around the Napa and Sonoma Valley, getting the Clone 6 grape from just one vineyard that currently grows it - Baritelle, near the Mayacama Mountains. Bell used to source the Clone 6 from Beckstoffer Vineyards, but they no longer grow the clone. After our clone lesson, Johanne led us through a vertical tasting of a 2005 and 2010 Clone 6 Cabernet, and the difference was astounding. This is attributed mainly to the different soil and microclimate that each vineyard come from and creates two noticeably different wines.

We concluded our visit with a great tasting in the rarefied Reserve Room and if it hadn’t been my first stop of the day, I might have sat there all day. Tasting notes from my favorite Bell wines listed below. In summary, Yountville is one of the most famous towns in Napa with equally famous wineries. It can be daunting to decide where to taste. Visit Bell if you really enjoy any of the below in a winery visit - you won't be disappointed.

• Small, intimate tour and tasting as opposed to large, crowded tasting room
• Enjoying a picnic outside on the veranda
• Playing bocce ball with a glass of vino and a slice of pizza in hand
• Leisurely tasting in a luxurious Reserve Room of luscious Bourdeaux-style red wines
• Tasting out of a tank - yes, a tank, not a barrel.
• Friendly staff that will tailor your visit to your preferences
• Have a group and want to plan a special tailored event at the winery

2005 Cabernet Clone 6 - Beckstoffer Vineyards
This unique wine has a nose full of sun-ripened tomato, red bell pepper and fresh cut herbs. On the palate, it shows dark concentrated flavors of black cherry, mulberry, current with undertones of chocolate, coffee, and pepper. This classic Bordeaux style wine has hints of damp earth and mushroom with supple tannins and a lengthy finish that reminds you of a walk in Autumn dusk.

2010 Cabernet Clone 6 - Baritelle VineyardsThis wine, though young, already displays tannins that are smooth and supple. On the nose, aromas of cassis and blueberry abound. On the palate, a burst of blackberry, dark cherry, mocha and vanilla combine to make a silky, polished wine with Cedar notes and concentrated flavors. This wine tastes like a fresh baked blackberry pie fresh out of the oven ready to be served with vanilla ice cream on a summer day.

2010 George Latour Claret
The Claret has multiple layers of fruit derived from the five grapes used in the blend. The wine shows blackberry flavors of the Merlot, floral notes from the Syrah and a rich, cocoa finish from the Cabernet Sauvignon. The addition of the Syrah to this wine makes this wine approachable at an earlier age, while still having enough layered tannins to allow it to age for several years.

2008 Canterbury Syrah
This deep purple-ruby wine has the spicy fruit aromas expected in a syrah with a rich and elegant mouth feel. The vanilla from the oak is balanced with the big red fruit flavor to yield an appealing wine that is bright and complex and can be enjoyed now with food or aged for many years.

2007 Masa Ranch Petite Syrah
This deep purple wine is rich with black currants, spiced plums, and black pepper. It is a jammy wine with complex secondary flavors of herbs, toasted almond and and leather with enough supple tannin to allow it to age beautifully for years. This would be a deicious wine paired with winter stews, lamb and game.

Ruby Port

This port was served with the perfect pairing - a piec of dark dove chocolate. It’s actually produced from some of the classic Portuguese varieties from Lodi, CA and aged in small oak barrels for approximately 40 months. Deep ruby in color with rich fruit aromas, this wine has a rich, luscious mouth feel and soft, elegant tannins. The fruit concentration balances well with the alcohol and grape acidity to yield an appealing, elegant wine, bright on the palate, with great depth and concentration.

The Secret to Del Dotto Wine - it's the Barrels

I’d wanted visit Del Dotto winery for a couple of years, and was growing tired of people asking if I’d been to Del Dotto yet and only being able to reply in the negative. So we finally joined one of their infamous tours, taking a group of friends with us to join in on the adventure. We arrived right at noon to Del Dotto, located right next to the famous Silverado Country Clubon Atlas Peak Road. There is very little signage in front, but look for all the ivy covering a historic looking building on the west side of the road. I scheduled a group cave experience & barrel tasting tour in advance, which is worth the $50 price tag - The tour is 90 minutes to 2 hours long and for most of it, you walk through the very historical caves which were hand dug in 1885, following your guide from one wine barrel to the next sampling wine. That is the core of the tour and because of this focus, you taste a lot of wine here - other wineries have told me they actually reject groups for private tours if they hear the group has previously come from Del Dotto.

After assessing our personal wine preferences, our guide, Dan, dove into the history of Del Dotto and the man, Dave, behind the winery’s notably robust reds. To briefly summarize Del Dotto’s history, in the late 1980’s, Dave Del Dotto, originally from San Jose, California, was tasting wine to purchase for his personal collection in Napa at Heitz Cellar, known for it’s big Napa Cabs. While there, Dave got a “sign” that he should purchase wine making land of his own- literally, he saw a “For Sale” sign advertising the vineyards right next to Heitz along St Helena highway. Dave purchased his first vineyards where he began growing grapes in 1990. When his first wine, vintage 1993, was released, it received a 92 point rating by Wine Spectator and ‘94, ‘95 and ‘96 vintages followed suit with the same high 92 point rating. As the winery grew and thrived, Dave found the Atlas Peak Sacred Caves which became the home for his new winery. In 2000, Del Dotto opened the caves to the public, and started an educational program to teach customers how wine barrels can so strongly affect wines. There are now two Del Dotto locations in Napa - the second winery recently opened along St. Helena Highway and has been described as “the most beautiful winery in Napa”. But while that location may be the new girl on the block, the Atlas Peak caves win out with historic charm.

One thing you will surely take away from a tour and tasting at Del Dotto besides a "buzz" is just how much of an influence barrels can have on a wine. Dave Del Dotto and his winemaker, Nils Venge, have been experimenting with over 40 different barrels from various coopersfrom France, America and Russia. They have invented and trademarked some awesome barrel techniques such as combining and coopering French and American oak in the same barrel to give it a uniquely balanced flavor profile - a perfect blend of New and Old World style wine. They’ve also carved grooves into the insides of some of their toasted oak barrels to give the wine more exposure to the sweetness found deeper in the wood (think...where does maple syrup come from after all?). The tour featured several demonstrations of how changing the barrel a wine ages in can affect a wine so much that it tastes like a different vintage or varietal. Del Dotto is actually the only winery that actually labels bottles of wine with the actual types of barrels they’re aged so that folks who prefer French Oak’s more delicate vanilla flavor can have their 2007 French Oak-aged Cab and those who like American Oak’s meatier flavor can have their 2007 Cab labeled as such. It’s an interesting concept and works for these big full-bodied wines that lend themselves well to the secondary notes derived from the wood.

Overall, the quality and variety of wine tasted was impressive and they were all served to us straight from the barrels in a beautiful authentic candlelit cave with Italian opera arias echoing throughout the venue. The easy-going pace of the tour allowed us to linger, chat with each other and enjoy an overall jovial experience. We were led back out to the beautiful tasting barrel room, where a delectable display of cheeses, charcuterie and chocolate was displayed for us to enjoy along with lone final taste of the late harvest zinfandel - perfectly paired with chocolate. From a marketing standpoint, Del Dotto definitely gets it right; by the end of the tour, it was hard not to purchase the wines, which are priced on the higher end of the spectrum even for Napa. If you’re a first time Napa visitor, or just looking for a different wine tasting experience, this is a great place to visit. Plus - the location is ideally located on the Silverado trail, five minutes away from Downtown Napa, so you’ll be close to a great assortment of restaurants and the Oxbow Market to help you soak up some of the damage from this bachanalian experience! My tasting notes are below:

2010 Pinot Noir- Cinhiale Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - $75.00 per bottle
This is a big pinot that is dark, vibrant and full-bodied with ripe fruit flavors. The 2010 immediately shows its concentration of fig, wild strawberry and winter spice, from nose to palate. Delicate notes of wild flowers and light perfume continue to emanate from the glass. The entry is silky smooth and soft and flows seamlessly across the palate with a rich, elegant lingering finish.

2010 Napa Valley Sangiovese - $55.00 per bottle
This is a dark, fruity Sangiovese, beautifully balanced with baked and dried dark fruit flavors and slight notes of earth, chocolate, flowers and leather. It has an opulent finish and should age well as a Brunello would.

2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - $65.00 per bottle
A beautiful bouquet of plum and currants leads to a full fruit forward highly concentrated wine layered with cloves and peppercorns. This wine is reminiscent of fall pies and warm evenings by the fire. With a dark ruby color and the aroma of the forest floor, this wine has a silky finish with notes of vanilla creme brulee. Though ready to drink now, this wine will continue to develop with age.

2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc - $85.00
This cab has a solid structure with aromas of wet rock and freshly cut herbs. The palate has bright red cherry, green pepper and a slight caramelized brown sugar character, with a bit of wood tannin.


Other notable wines tasted:
2010 Oakville Cab - Centre Sylvain - $145.00
2010 Oakville Ca - Missouri U Stave South - $145.00
2010 Cabernet St. Helena Mountain Colbet Block 2 - $165.00
Port Wine Syrah - $55.00

Photo Credits:

Photography by Gunnar Counselman.

Photos feature: Anna Mongayt, Basia Terrell, Chris Terrel, Garrett Gaudini, Gunnar Counselman, Matthew Smith and Danica Steinle