Grgich Hills

This was a first-time stop here. I'll be honest... In the way that Napa wineries tend to be snobby about their status in the wine industry, I've been counter-snobby. I've resisted the status that they claim to the degree that I tend AWAY from them altogether. Every once in a while, I decide to give them the benefit of the doubt and today was one of those days. After stopping in at Grgich Hills, I won't say I've been validated all this time, but I will say that I can substantiate my argument much better.

One of the things that irks me is that Napa insists that they need to charge you for the tasting. Fine...so be it. "For the Special Selections tasting, please pay $30 at Grgich Hills, and we will gladly pour you 5 wines." For those of you keeping track at home that's $6 a glass for wine that isn't more than 0.5 ounces. In any event, I ponied up the dough and immediately set about screwing with them. I asked to switch the Chardonnay on the basic tasting with their desert wine on the special tasting. In this way, I could compare their basic, well-distributed chardonnay (2009) with their special, exclusive one (2007).

2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay $42/$35/-
Big, oaky nose with some rich white fruits and a little butter on the nose. Creamy mouthfeel, with citric acid, melon, pear. This has a great deal of “broad appeal” to it. 30%new oak, but mostly 2nd and 3rd year oak.

2007 Chardonnay, Carneros $75/$64/-
Interesting process they applied to this wine. They soaked it in new oak for a year, and then 6 months in stainless steel. Dry without being acidic. Clean but not crisp. Mild lemon/lime on the nose. Melon sneaks up on the finish. The only other thing I'd add is... How did they screw up a Carneros chardonnay?!?!

2010 Napa Valley Essence $48/$40/$20100% Sauvignon Blanc
Dry, grassy/floral bouquet that blankets a lemony zest. Light bodied with structure but no access to the fruit on the palate.
Jamie is crazy. First of all, the nose on this wine is not just grassy & floral with a slight lemon zest, but it has an underlying sweetness that balances this wine to entice the nosy to take a sip. The sip disappoints from the sweet balance point of view and makes Jamie sound like a genius. He sucks.- Lisa

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley $95/$80/-The color leaves the impression of a light-bodied wine, uncharacteristic of a Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose alludes to structure, but little else. The palate is medium bodied with some acidity, cinnamon, and a mild red fruit.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville $150/$128/$45The nose is much bigger and substantial. The notes of blackberry are prominent, tempered with mild pepper. The balance lives between oakiness and blackberry, with hints black liquorice, in a medium bodied wine. It’s an easy cab to drink, but if you want a more rewarding exploitation of your wallet, there are other places… To wit, the 2007 Bosche Cab Sau at Freemark Abbey was 4x better for half the price.