Monday, March 5, 2012

Top Shelf Wine of the Month - March

This month's Top Shelf selection comes from one of my favorite (sometimes forgotten) pioneer of Stag's Leap:  Silverado Vineyards 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.


Click to go to Silverado Vineyards Web Site


The Miller family began the journey establishing Silverado Vineyards in 1981. “It was beautiful land, and it was land that was working,” says Diane Miller of their first vineyards, purchased in the 1970s. Diane and Ron sold their grapes to some of Napa’s best vintners, who made award winning wines from them year after year. Encouraged, they struck out on their own with the goal of making the best wines the estate could produce at a fair price. This has remained the guiding philosophy over the years. The winery’s name, Silverado, comes from the abandoned mining town at the top of the Napa Valley. It is an appropriate symbol: three generations of the Miller family are still “prospecting” for wine, staying true to the idea of coaxing something precious from the soils we are privileged to care for.

Winemaker Jon Emmerich is only the second winemaker to join the team at Silverado Vineyards.  "This is a great wine growing property. Each one of the vineyards has its own distinctive flavors and character. We work to make better use of the land, to farm it better, to help each block express exactly what and where it is. I believe that’s how to make wine." JE
 
The wines at Silverado Vineyards have changed and evolved over the years.  At one point in the early part of 2000, Silverado was at an all time high in production, 160,000 cases a year.  Things have certainly changed.  Refocused & a commitment of producing some of California's best wines, the Miller family cut production by two thirds.  Today they are focused on producing 100% estate wines from particular sustainably farmed vineyards throughout the Napa Valley.  I am sure you will be pleased with this decision once you taste the wines.
 
 
 
 
Sliverado Vineyards produces the following wines:
 
Miller Ranch Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Napa Valley:  Intense aromas of lime, grapefruit and orange spiked with ginger and quinine. On the palate, juicy flavors with bright fresh picked tangerine flavors than linger on the finish.
 
Estate Chardonnay 2009 Napa County:  Consistent with Silverado’s retro-California style of Chardonnay, this wine has aromas of citrus, vanilla, pineapple with floral undertones and a crème brulee note to the oak and malolactic component. A light to medium body with vanilla, citrus and apple flavors round out the moderately long finish.
 
Mt George Merlot 2007 Napa Valley:  Oak aromas of vanilla, cedar, and sandalwood are well integrated with the aromas of bright raspberry fruit, sweet baking spices and freshly picked herbs. Full bodied with well mannered tannins and a balanced long lingering finish.

Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Napa Valley: 
85% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Merlot 3% Petit Verdot 2% Cabernet Franc
58% Stags Leap Vineyard 36% Mt. George Vineyard 6% Oakville Station


2007 Estate Cabernet

The grapes were harvested at an average degree brix of 25.0. Fermentation was conducted in small stainless steel tanks where the wine spent an average of 18 days on the skins. After draining and pressing the must, the wine was put into 59 gallon oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. Forty-eight percent of the barrels were new oak, of which thirty-six percent were French oak and 12 percent were American oak, overall blend – 85% French oak, 15% American.

Dark cranberry in color with a hint of baking spices in the nose. At first sip there’s a sweetness of ripe plum with a touch of vanilla and oak. Finishes mid-palate with focused acidity and ends with an explosion of fruit pie flavors.

Wine Advocate - "Medium to full bodies, with a nicely layered mouthfell that builds incrementally, the wine has superb purity as well as accessibility"  92 Points

These wines are worth looking for....
 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Top Shelf Wine of the Month

This month's top shelf selection comes from an extraordinary estate from the Atlas Peak A.V.A in Napa Valley.  One of the coolest stories of passion for making the "Mouton" of California.  The story told by Jason himself:

"1972...a year for new thought and tradition-reversing headlines, world-wide: the Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional. Nixon opened relations with Communist China by sitting down for a chat with Mao Zedong. George McGovern, presidential hopeful, upset time-honored conservative notions by abandoning shirt and tie in favor of a white turtleneck.

That same year, while finishing law school, Jayson Pahlmeyer was at the starting gate of his grapes-to-wine quest. He and John Caldwell, a good friend and fellow wine explorer, had developed a penchant and a deep admiration for the Bordeaux style of grape growing and winemaking. Their shared wine palate and nose led them on investigative trips to the famous French vineyards where they acquired cuttings from the five classic Bordeaux varietals.  Back in California with their Bordeaux cuttings, they began their grand experiment.
The Caldwell family owned a 55-acre parcel off the beaten path in the Coombsville area. Despite being out of the accepted loop for what was considered "Wine Country," Jayson and John decided to perform the trans-Atlantic transplanting here that would produce Jayson's dream "California Mouton." The area's wine experts grimaced at their plan. Even at a mere 500-foot elevation, a good portion of the acreage was vertical, presenting massive rock-clearing problems due to the extreme pitch of the land. The boulder-like size and density of the rock pieces were formidable obstacles. Also, there were stout 300-year-old oak trees blocking important sunlight. But Pahlmeyer and Caldwell would not let pessimism rule.
In stepped Jack Caldwell, John's father, helping them refurbish a junked mining rig salvaged from Montana. With additional shovel-help from a crew of eight men, they planted around the long-standing oaks and lava rocks, sacrificing a considerable amount of usable acreage to preserve the natural environment.
Jayson now recounts, "It took us six years to get our first commercial harvest. In 1981, '82 and '83 if you had come out to the vineyard, you would have said it looks like these guys really screwed up. The vines just sat there doing nothing." The immigrant vines were unaccustomed to the soil and the standard three year maturation period extended to six long years. But Jayson and John's patience-some called it delusion-paid off.


Jayson Pahlmeyer & his Wife
 A vineyard neighbor, friend, and guru of Napa Valley winemaking, Randy Dunn, was so impressed with the fruit's intensity and complexity that he offered to purchase every bit of the 1986 crop. Randy's entry into the Pahlmeyer saga was extremely timely because now that the vines were finally ready, Jayson would need the expertise of a bonafide winemaker to bring the experiment to the ultimate test: the tasting.
Robert Parker gave that 1986, first vintage release a stunning score of 94 points; the Pahlmeyer Red Table Wine emerged a critical favorite of the year. Now Jayson could be sure that there was method to the Bordeaux-in-California madness. As Jayson's winemaker until 1993, Randy Dunn fine-tuned the unfiltered winemaking process and made the Pahlmeyer Bordeaux blend a serious contender.
Pahlmeyer's next varietal offering, the Chardonnay, was made by Bob Levy, currently the winemaker at Harlan Estate. His preference for working with low-yield harvests, tough grape-selection standards and limited cellar intervention made him another good fit for the Pahlmeyer program. The 1989, 1991 and 1992 Chardonnay offerings were his workmanship. Then, another textbook example of "right time, right place" occurred. Pahlmeyer's 1991 Chardonnay landed a feature role in the Hollywood blockbuster Disclosure. The Michael Douglas and Demi Moore battle-of-the-sexes flick was instrumental in pushing the "little wine company that could" further toward national name recognition. The legend was officially launched.
Helen Turley was offered the reins as winemaker when Randy moved on to concentrate on personal projects. At Pahlmeyer, Helen immediately began her steady rise to world-renown prominence for the vineyard and winemaking magic she performed. A pioneer in the industry, she constantly pushed the envelope in winegrowing and winemaking with cutting-edge and risky techniques. She also became instrumental in opening doors to women in the wine industry, an insular world known for its fierce attachment to tradition.

Helen continually sought out better fruit sources for Pahlmeyer. As the new millennium emerged Pahlmeyer sourced fruit from low-yield sites in Spring Mountain, Wooden Valley, Atlas Peak and Coombsville. In order to push their quality to new levels Jayson knew that he would have to have complete control over what was happening in the vineyards. The only way to do this was to plant estate vineyards, leading to the development of Pahlmeyer's Waters Ranch and Wayfarer Farm.


Go to website...

The Waters were pioneers in Napa Valley, establishing their Ranch in the early 20th Century. Their original home built in 1908 is still standing. Childless, in the 1950's they turned their spread into a camp for Girl Scouts. In 1996, the Waters' ranch came to Jayson's attention. At 1,500 to 2,100 feet above sea level, the property was ideally situated for raising Bordeaux-style grapes. Today, the vineyard supports just over 70 acres of vines planted over the saddleback of the mountain by the vineyard developer extraordinaire David Abreu. Each block of the vineyard is unique, offering the different growing conditions needed for Chardonnay and each of the five Bordeaux varietals that go into the Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec. Jayson, as before, set out to plant this vineyard with land preservation and conservation in mind, donating 57 acres of the property to the Land Trust of Napa Valley.

The story of our Sonoma Coast property, Wayfarer Farm, begins with David and Dorothy Davis, an archetypical 1970's California couple. They supported their chosen simplistic lifestyle by selling the Farm's small fruit and vegetable crops to local upscale restaurants like Chez Panisse and Zuni. By the late 1990's they were ready to retire to Oklahoma. Helen Turley and her husband John had already established their nearby Marcassin Vineyard, which has become the iconic vineyard of the region. As consultants to Pahlmeyer at that time, they introduced Jayson to the Davis's. Pahlmeyer purchased Wayfarer Farm in 1997 and enlisted David Abreu to develop the property.
The bulk of Abreu's previous work in vineyard design had been exclusive to the Napa Valley. Wayfarer Farm was the first vineyard he developed on the Sonoma Coast. His meticulous eye and penchant for perfectionism produced another state-of-the-art vineyard for Pahlmeyer. Wayfarer Farm would be the proving ground for one of the first "true" Sonoma Coast wines. The locale boasts an extremely rare combination of climate and geography. The Pacific Ocean's cold water currents mix with the land's warm air to produce a night fog ideal for growing Burgundian varietals. Today, this amazing appellation is the prime viticultural source for Chardonnay and Pinot noir and has been referred to by Jayson as California's Cote d'Or. The long-awaited 2005 Pahlmeyer Pinot noir was released in 2007 to rave reviews.


Winemaker Erin Green

In 1999 Jayson promoted rising star Erin Green to Winemaker. She had been Helen Turley's protege since 1985, assisting Helen in making the wines of Colgin, Bryant Family and Martinelli. Having worked with Pahlmeyer's fruit since 1993, she was already extremely familiar with their methodologies and intense product expectations. Erin's extraordinary talent for tasting and blending, combined with her viticultural experience, are reflected in the consistent quality of Pahlmeyer wines. In 2006 Erin was promoted again to Director of Winegrowing and Winemaker.

Pahlmeyer's standards were raised to an even higher plateau with the input of Michel Rolland, who experts agree is the world's most formidable blending expert and consultant. Three times a year he traveled from France to work shoulder-to-shoulder with Erin, tasting hundreds of barrel samples to help create the optimal Pahlmeyer blends.

On the eve of Pahlmeyer's 20th Anniversary, the family is more involved than ever. Jayson's wife, Paige, has increased her long-time involvement in the team with her new role as President and his daughter, Cleo, has joined the family's endeavors in Sales and Marketing. The family and rest of the Pahlmeyer team look forward to the next 20 years and beyond, rededicating themselves to remain true to the passion that defines the Pahlmeyer story and that is sure to become its legacy. "

The Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red Napa Valley 2007,       
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec


The grape clusters were hand-sorted, and once de-stemmed, the berries were sorted again by hand on the way to tank. After four to five days of pre-fermentation cold maceration in small open-top fermentors, the fruit began 100% native wild yeast fermentation. Two to three weeks later, the fruit was gently pressed and moved to barrel where it finished primary and secondary fermentations. The wine continued to age in 79% new French oak – a combination of Taransaud and St. Martin barrels – for eighteen months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.


Waters Ranch Vineyard



Wine Spectator September 30, 2010:–JL 95 points
“A rich, explosive style, packed with layers of currant, blackberry, wild berry and black cherry fruit woven together in a tight way. Full-bodied, turning supple and polished on the finish, where the fine-grained tannins are ripe and let the fruit flavors flow freely.”

Wine Advocate #186, December 2009: Robert Parker, 96+ points
“Sensational… There is no doubting its extraordinary bouquet of subtle smoked meats, oak, mountain wild flowers, blueberries,blackberries, coffee, and cassis. Super-rich and full-bodied with noticeable, but stunningly sweet tannins, it possesses a rare minerality and definition, characteristics that seem to be found across the board in Napa’s 2007s. This dense, powerful red needs 3-5 years of cellaring, and should have 25 years of life ahead of it.”


A True Wine Lover's Wine

Monday, January 30, 2012

Felton Road 2010 Pinot Noir, Central Otago



Felton Road, located in Bannockburn in the Central Otago region of New Zealand, is a wholly biodynamic estate producing highly acclaimed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. The most-southern wine-growing region in the world, Bannockburn has a distinctive, semi-continental climate found nowhere else in New Zealand. Located the furthest inland one can be in New Zealand, it is one of the hottest, coldest and driest regions in the country. These extreme conditions impart a unique flavor profile on the grapes grown in the region. To emphasize that profile, Felton Road takes a “hands-off” approach in the winery, resulting in wines that demonstrate depth and complexity, with considerable personality and elegance. 

Founded in 1991, Stewart Elms researching the most warmest blocks in the Central Otago.  He purchased 12 hectares(30 acres) and planted Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir.  In 1996 Elms hires his buddy Blair Walter as winemaker & the rest is history.


Vineyards at Felton Road

Their first vintage release in 1997, the winery was named "Best New Winery" & "Pinot Noir of the Year" by the international critics.  Over the years, Felton Road has grown to have 18 different Pinot Noir clone types & rootstocks.  In 2006 they became Certified Bio-Dynamic(vineyards have been organically grown since 2002). 

Central Otago is the most southerly wine-growing region in the world. Its climate is comparable to Oregon’s, which means they share some of the same viticultural challenges, including late frost in the spring and early frost in the fall; yet the climates of both are surprisingly similar to Burgundy’s Côte d’Or — hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
Central Otago is New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental — rather than maritime — climate, which results in greater daily and seasonal shifts in temperature.

Bannockburn


Central Otago
 Bannockburn, one of five distinct sub-regions in Central Otago, is the fastest growing viticulturally. Plantings in the region date only from 1980, and have been limited to cool climate grapes, such as Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Vines are planted on hillsides to provide better sun exposure and to reduce the risk of frost.


Gravity-Flow Winery

Felton Road built a three-level, gravity-flow winery into the hillside in time for the 1997 harvest. Winemaker Blair Walter designed the production areas to ensure the gentlest possible handling of grapes. Inspired by various wineries in California, Oregon and Burgundy, Blair integrated modern techniques with the rustic simplicities of traditional Burgundian cellars and cuveries.

2010 Pinot Noir, Bannockburn Central Otago

A blend of 13 vineyard blocks throughout the Elms Vineyard on the Estate is the Winery's best reprensentation of what a great Pinot Noir from New Zealand can be!  

2010 Pinot Noir Label

The gravity-flow winery enabled the grapes to be gently destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without pumping, with approximately 20 percent kept as whole clusters. Traditional fermentation with a moderately long maceration on skins extracted good color and tannin with considerable depth of flavor. This wine was aged for 11 months in French oak barrels. This wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and was not fined or filtered. 

A nose of dusty floral aromas of predominantly pink roses and violets integrates seamlessly with Asian spices of cinnamon and clove. The palate opens softly, expressing similar floral character and adds fresh berries and a pleasing seam of minerality. Mouth-coating, but never cloying, it is subtle and caressing; a wine of harmony, restraint and sophistication that insinuates rather than shouts its breeding. It finishes with enough tannin to frame the wine neatly.

For those of you interested in hunting this wine down, ask you local retailer for information.  The production is very small.  The wine is shipped in 6 pack cases and would retail in the mid $50's.  A real Pinot lover's wine!