Freemark Abbey

On a lark, we decided to jump off the beaten path of the Wine Road and take advantage of the fact that we're here on a weekday (Friday) and can stop at a couple of places in Napa County. So, down CA-128 we went... Freemark Abbey, here we come!

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard $75/$60/$50
80% cab; 7% cab franc; 7% merlot
Vanilla and white pepper on the nose, with a layer of dried herbs. Strong acidity, with spices, plum, and a hint of black currant. As cabs go, this is nice, but would benefit from some time in the cellar.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche $75/$60/$70
87.5% cab; 12.5% merlot
The nose was muted for me, compared to the 07 Sycamore, but the palate was “Mmmmm”. The tannins are much better balanced with black currant, plum, pepper, and chocolate truffle. This is a great wine to drink for the money and I'm sure I have a few in my cellar.

1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard $170/$120/$8576% cab; 14% merlot; 10% cab franc
This is a seriously mature wine! The nose is big with a smokiness and toast, but the black currant peeks through, as well. The tannins are long since gone, but the magic of the flavors left behind are delicious! Black cherry, cassis, plum and a mild hint of chocolate leave you with a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche $150/$120/$8587% cab; 13% merlot
The nose is quiet and subtle like a shy darling at the corner of the dance floor. The black cherry and blackberry are blanketed by an extremely subtle but heavy, warm blanket of tobacco. The cedar on the palate is deeply entwined with the black currant, cherry, and blackberry. This is another wine you can pull out to impress your guests, but for the value, stock up on the 2007 vintage.

2008 Petite Sirah $32/$25.6/$35Fruit from Rutherford, a cooler climate from most Petite Sirahs in California, which translates into lower alcohol content. Mild cinnamon on the nose, with some black pepper. The cinnamon comes through, integrated with a base of red currant (perhaps it’s cherry & black currant).

For what it's worth, for larger parties (4 or more) the winery breaks out some of their library wines in an event called "Decades Tasting". $50/person ($40 for club members) This would be quite a treat for the consummate connoisseur.

Mazzocco

As club members to Mazzocco and the Wilson family of wineries (which also includes Wilson, Matrix, DeLorimier, and Soda Rock), we have found value in their wines over the years. They are consistently successful in winning awards for their zinfandels, and for good reasons. The complaint that we consistently have, however, is management of their club and tasting room. In October, we stopped in to see if we could pick up our club case so that we could transport it back with us. In spite of the fact that they were one (1) day away from "releasing" the club shipment, they wouldn't accommodate us. In years prior, we would see the club shipment hit our credit cards without so much as an enthusiasm-generating heads-up email. The 99% of us who actually care about such things like a little warning when $400 affects our finances (especially before holiday shopping season). This year, as we concluded our transaction, little attention was given to securing our personal/financial information after we completed the transaction for the futures. In other words, the signed receipt and futures form was left out on the counter, unattended as we left the winery. Oh, and for what it's worth, they couldn't provide us March's club shipment...It had apparently shipped the day before. I can't remember a single time when we've left here and haven't felt like dumping the club. It must the be wine that keeps us from it...

2011 Zinfandel Sullivan (futures) $34/$24/$20The bouquet is undeveloped, but the palate is light-bodied with bright red fruits, such mild strawberry, red currant, and mild raspberry. This is an easy-drinking wine that I’d buy and drink…if it was already bottled. This isn’t a wine that I’d want to commit $268 (club prices) worth of cash outlay, much less the full price outlay.

2011 Zinfandel Stone (futures) $34/$24/$32Very characteristic STONE wine. Even as young as it is, the oak is subtle, revealing the bright red fruits and a splash of dark fruit for body and flavor. The acidity on the palate reminds you that it’s a zinfandel, with cassis, currant (both black and red), raspberry and a splash of blackberry. This is a crowd pleaser at any event and usually worth the wait.

2011 Zinfandel Smith Orchard Reserve (futures) $52/$37/ -Far less fruit and more herbaceous in flavor and nose. This is a wine that is usually fantastic…I don’t know how this vintage is going to fair. It’s too young, too oaky, with nothing on the nose and little more on the palate. This is another thing that annoys me about Mazzocco; they barrel taste zins from the most recent harvest. This is exactly the reason we haven't gone back to Wilson Wines since our first year of barrel tasting; they served a syrah from the recent harvest and it was still effervescent from the fermenting process!

2011 Zinfandel Seaton (futures) $34/$24/-Even better nose than the Stone , but still a little too young to judge on the palate. This could go as a big, well-loved Mazzocco zinfandel. -Lisa

Fritz

We started our odyssey at Fritz on Friday, this year, but was surprised to see that the tasting was from bottled samples, through no fault of the winery, however. The Wine Road event organizers bungled and ignored Fritz's communiques that they wouldn't be participating on Friday's. Being the professionals that they are, Fritz accommodated those who were signed up to start there, anyway, and poured from barrel samples that had been bottled (as a contingency).

Now, on to the wine!

This is really a place where you need to inquire/coax/cajole/seduce your way into their reserve offerings. As much as I have enjoyed their estate grown wines over the years, their reserve wines are...well...reserve quality.

2010 Vino Valpredo Bianca Mia $14/$11/$12
Chardonnay/Sau Blanc Blend: bright melon on the nose. Light-bodied palate, with mild, crisp lemon and cumquat. If you don’t care for Sau Blanc, but would like a light, crisp, palate-cleanser, then this is a good buy.

2009 Vino Valpredo Squeezebox Red $20/$16/$17Zinfandel/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend: The nose is very enticing with delicious, sexy flavors. The palate is light-bodied, implying a mild summer blend. I would positively LOVE this wine if it had just a bit more body...but then again, I'm partial to full bodies (wink).

2008 Estate Zinfandel $25/$20/$20The nose on this has changed ethnicity; this wine has historically been full of anise on the nose, but this has a new breed in it. The anise is gone and in its place is black currant, rhubarb pie, and brambles…yes, brambles. As it rolls over the palate, this zin demonstrates an identity crisis. Light-to-medium bodied, typical of their wines, but this is a zin wanting to be a syrah… which explains the nose. Don’t mistake me, it’s a nice zin, but you should definitely set the appropriate expectations for yourself.
“I don’t know…I’m too confused.”-Lisa

2007 Dry Creek Valley Syrah $30/$24/-You can get a sense of the body on the nose, but the flavors are muted. It could be that it simply needs to warm up, a bit.

“Ahhh! There it is!”-Lisa

The tannins on the edge of the nose find their way into the open on the palate. The nose of modest earth, dark, slightly bitter fruits, greets you more assertively on the palate. As syrahs go, it’s not bad and you’d find it quite suitable for a relaxing day alone, but if you’re looking for a syrah to plant your petunias in, this isn’t it.

2010 Estate Malbec (futures) $40/$28/-Fully engaging nose with a bit of tobacco, wood, then it settles down quickly and loses that nose leaving just the earthy skin. The mouth feels more fruit than the nose did, but I struggle to name them. -Lisa

This one is still young and woody for me, hiding the fruit inside. I’d be curious to see what it’s like in a couple of years, but not curious enough to buy it on futures. As a club member, I’ll get a bottle in June. If you're not a club member, sign up. If you're not going to sign up, get a half case of futures and lay it down for a year or two.

2011 Reserve Zinfandel (futures) $50/$32.5/$24Aha! Now this is the Fritz zin, I know! The nose has the appeal of old, with bright fruits and a splash of red currant. The woodines on the palate leaves me with “holy oak, batman”, but it gives me the sense that it’ll mature w/ time. The palate does follow with appropriate hints of red currant, a watered-down plum and very mild pepper. This’ll be another club bottle, and I have no qualms about waiting for that.

So, this is one of the things I love about Fritz... After sampling their wines for the day, Brad Longton (the winemaker) passed through the tasting room, recognized us, and took time to stop and chat about his wines. (My best attempt at name-dropping...) In the course of our conversation, Lisa solicited his personal recommendations, that we might use to augment our purchase. The following is the fruits of her efforts (that pun was for you, honey).

2010 Jenner $25/$18/ $29

This has a lot more cherry, and frankly, alcohol on the palate. The nose is a clean, crisp pinot with all the right red fruits, and I’m drinking it cold. As this warms up, the rich spices begin to show on the nose and palate. This is a fantastic pinot that is completely drink now! -Lisa

The more it warms up, the more the body and fruit reveals itself. So smooth and delicious, this is an everyday pinot with a green closure that means “GO”!

2009 Lost Canyon Pinot Noir Morelli Lane Vineyard $45/$34 /$39The mouth feel on this wine is perfect! This is how all wines (at least all pinot’s) should feel. The nose is all about green leaves (winemaker says tea). The palate is a little puzzle, because the nose says green, but the palate says red dark current…just light. -Lisa

Slightly herbaceous and slightly sweet flower on the nose. I agree with green tea aroma suggestion. The mouth feel is soft and cleansing. I prefer a less acidic pinot, but this has a place on every table.

2009 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Reserve $50/$40/$44Smelled a wonderful rich, dark strawberry and deep red fruit with full earth and body. I have no idea how to aptly describe this zinfandel when it is such a full fruit palate without loss of body. Wonderful. -Lisa

Blackcurrant (but no anise) dominates the flavors on the palate in such an appealing way that you don’t want to set down the glass to eat anything! (or take notes!) The nose sucks you in with the complex blend of dark black fruits. The body is heavier than any zin they’ve produced in recent memory and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

2012 Barrel Tasting

Let the games begin! It's that time of year again when the winemakers are anxious to get some feedback on their "brews" still stewing in the barrels. (They'll kill me for mixing non-wine metaphors.) And let the feedback come in the form of cha-ching$$! Futures are a fantastic way to stake your claim to the last remaining "gold" in northern California. It also keeps the wineries afloat for another season (wink - just kidding).

All right, enough blathering... We're going to take a slightly different tack this year. Yes, we'll make some standard stops (if for no other reason than to pick up last year's futures), but we'll be invading some new territory, as well. Spontaneity is the word of the day (if I can spell it right).

Friday
Fritz - of course
Mazzocco - to beat the weekend rush
Freemark Abbey - wait, what?! They're in St. Helena, not Sonoma... Yep, I wanted to return to Napa Valley for a quick stop or two before the weekend swarm.
Grgich Hills - ugh. More to follow on this stop...
Jessup Cellars - Wine club pickup and a surprise in the chardonnay department...

Saturday
Joseph Swan - Picking up last year's

Woodenhead - New place to try; discovered that they don't SELL futures

Russian Hill - Opted out of barrel tasting this year, but it's worth a stop (and a pickup)

Siduri/Novy - Met friends here in the p.m. Learned something new...Always make this your FIRST stop

Sheldon Wines

Sunday

Windsor Oaks

Sapphire Hill

Lessons Learned from this year's event:

1. Going into the weekend without so much as a rudimentary plan will really limit the number of places you end up going. This year was eleven (11)...a far cry fewer than any years past. As a consequence, we missed (yet again) A. Rafanelli. Spontaneity has its consequences.

2. Two bodies intersecting at a tangent, share energy, in pursuit of equilibrium. In other words, if you find yourself off tasting on your own "path" and agree to meet another group, on THEIR own path for just one stop, you will find that you're respective momentums will be dramatically reduced. Such was the case on Saturday @ Siduri. The stop lasted 2.5 hours, twice as long as it would have if both groups had started/ended the day on the exact same path.

3. If you want to go out to wine country during the wine tasting event, but don't want to particpate, you may have a problem. I learned for the first time that wineries (who are particpating) are not allowed ANY tasting for patrons who haven't purchased the tickets. You're not even allowed to PAY for a tasting.

4. I think I'm going to stop measuring our "success" by the number of wineries and, instead, measure it by the number of wines tasted. We made two stops this weekend that, by most measures, would be considered 3 stops, each! We tasted two dozen wines at Siduri and Windsor Oaks, each!

5. With all of the wine tasting at one stop, I need to come up with a new way to "slow the sizzle" of my palate. After a certain number of wines, my tongue is fried (and so is my ability to make subtle/substantial distinctions in flavors. What the hell's the point, then?

Russian Hill Estate

Harkening back to the first winery, on the first day, of our first wine tasting experience, Russian Hill has a special place in our heart and on our palates. If I have an opportunity to introduce people to good pinots and syrahs, this is a stop that is a positive MUST. While their styles of pinots and syrahs vary from other producers in the area (e.g. Siduri/Novy), in many ways I consider them to be standard bearers, against which others are measured.

2008 Russian River Valley Pinot NoirBlack fruits on nose and palate, not sure of the spice, but it’s a mild spice (like nutmeg, not pepper) finishes well. -Lisa
Mild note of caramel on the nose. Full acidity on the finish

2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Tara’s VineyardLisa likey! Spices are more distinct with no absence of the rich black fruits on the palate. Spices are much more prominent. The fruit smacks of dried red currant, cranberry, and some spicy herbs. -Lisa

2009 “Nameless” Pinot Noir (futures)Rainy day pinot which has good spice and underearth, fungal notes on the nose, but not huge fruit on the palate. Makes me think of a fog rolling in. -Lisa

Slight smokiness with fewer herbs than others. The fruit is dark and rich with blackberry, redcurrant, mild strawberry. Luscious!

2008 Estate Vineyard Syrah (futures $125/6 bttls)Fantastically smooth! Mild earthiness with a drink anytime kind of quality. Well integrated plum, blackcurrant, and a dried red fruit.

2005 Russian River Valley Windsor Oaks Summit $36//Mild smoky notes. Deep Deep Deep dark red fruits. Mildly spicy, with no earthiness. The nose pulls you in to one of the most delicious palates of a syrah.

Off the Wine Road, onto the shoulder...

In an experiment of sorts, we met a couple in Santa Rosa on the Saturday of the barrel tasting weekend. This was a new couple that had been referred to us for our knowledge in wines, who were interested in getting more involved in the experience. The two of them are foodies, which go nicely with winos (sorry..., “oenophiles” for those of you with fragile egos). They were vacationing in San Francisco for the weekend and we coordinated a day in which they would join us for barrel tasting. Given that this was their first foray into wine tasting, we “prepped” them a couple of weeks prior. As much as anything, we wanted to get a real impression of their preferences in wine and then tailor the experience to them. So, what follows are some notes that we collected while “introducting” them to wine and wine country.

My notes aren’t complete here, as usually occurs when we have company, so bear with me. The first stop, in fact, wasn’t even on the wine road, but I was confident it would be a fruitful stop (no pun intended).

Buena Vista (March 2011)

This is a winery that is often overlooked and highly underrated. It's been a favorite of mine for the last five years and will continue to be in the foreseeable future. The best quality of this winery is their diversity, which is odd when you consider they only really make three varietals. The diversity comes within the wines themselves. As we mapped the relative preferences of our guests, we quickly concluded that, as individuals, they had very competing tastes. Buena Vista became the place where we could solve that problem and satisfy everyone. ...and satisfy them, we did! For their first stop at their first winery in their entire lives, we hit the mother lode, walking out with 3.5 cases of wine! I can't speak to what our guests bought, but, as usual, the green highlighted wines were part of our purchase.

If you enjoy a crisp, clean chardonnay, they have it; if you enjoy a warm, soft, slightly creamy chardonnay, they have it. Pinots range from luscious to dried fruit and herbaceous. This is what I mean by diversity. Moreover, they are supremely well-priced; notice that the guilt-free price (the third of the three) is almost always as much as the retail (the first) and greater than the club price (the second). This is why I've never balked at being a club member, here.

2007 Robert Young Chardonnay Clone 17RY $36/$27/$30Field selection chardonnay from Robert Young
Crisp nose. Light-bodied and modestly acidic. Mild green apple and pear. Nice crispness on the palate.

2007 Ramal Vineyard Chardonnay $36/$27/$35Rich nose. Soft flavors. Wonderful juicy palate. Some pear, honeydew and citric melon.

2008 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir Swan Selection $42/$32/$44Strawberry, raspberry, red currant on the nose. The palate follows with hints of vanilla. This is a wonderful Pinot Noir! I’ve always loved it!

2007 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir Dijon Clones (777) $42/$32/$38Warm nose, warm wine, warm finish. Not as enticing as the Swan Selection, but a nice wine on a cool day. Dried fruits, with no “lusciousness”.

2007 Ramal Vineyard Syrah $45/$34/$38Blackberry, smoked meat, spice and licorice on the nose. Medium-to-light bodied. I like it unaerated…much better body.

2007 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir Dijon Clone (777/828/POM5) $45/$32/$45Very similar to the Dijon Clone 777 with all of the nose, but with a much smoother, fuller-body. The fruit brightens with time on this wine. This is a standard bearer.

2006 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley $30/$23/$43Nice fruit, soft tannins with earthiness across the finish

2005 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder $60/$45/$46Brighter red fruit with fewer tannins. Super smooth with under-bearing character. Good value. Good wine.

2006 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir Dijon Clones (777) $42/$32/$45Nose is bright red fruit with no spice or herbaceous flavors. The nose is delicious, medium bodied with full integration.

This little side trip from barrel tasting was well worth the time and distance. A couple of my wine tasting tenets were really validated at this stop. 1) Take notes - it shows you're a serious consumer with discriminating tastes. If not for this, we wouldn't have been offered HALF of the wines listed here (including the Cabs). 2) Be prepared to join clubs. Our guests joined the club and saved a LOT of money over the 3.5 cases they purchased. If the average bottle is $40, 3.5 cases costs $1680; club price is $1260, a savings of $420!

Mill Creek

Why do we stop at Mill Creek…? Let me count the ways… Mill Creek has a quaint little tasting room set back from the main road. With a water wheel at the side, the tasting room has a cathedral ceiling to accommodate a loft above the long tasting bar. The TRL rating notwithstanding, the value we’ve found in their wines over the years has been great! In past reviews, you may recall that I’ve felt they’ve had a bit of inferiority complex, being so close to Twomey as they are. The boon is to the consumer, however, because the wines are REALLY good at a GREAT price!

This was an interesting stop, this year, because it’s growing in popularity with the neophytes that seep up from The Bay. It’s close to Armida, who is WILDLY popular, so spillage is bound to occur. We managed to slip in and begin tasting before the flood, but it was short-lived. Two, maybe three tastings in and the patients were loose in the asylum. For whatever reason, though, I was being patient, patient, patient…and it paid off. We had been there almost an hour, still “slogging” through the offerings, when we were invited upstairs to the loft (reserved for club members, of which we are not). This is where the fun really began and a whole new dimension of Mill Creek was revealed to us.

When this is all said and done, you’ll notice a couple of things: 1) our value ratings were pretty close to retail prices; 2) we bought a lot of the wine. It’s important to note that there were other discounts being offered, and with the rapport that we developed with the staff, they were exuberantly offering more!

2009 Sauvignon Blanc $19/-/-Notes of pink grapefruit. Dry and slightly acidic

2009 GewurstraminerCalifornians are trying to make a name for themselves with Gewurstraminer, so they’re doing what’s not usually done with the grape; they’re making it dry. This is one of those dry gewürztraminers with plenty of citrus fruit flavor. It has a smooth, simple, good palate with notes of lychee and honeysuckle… yes, I said lychee.

2007 Chardonnay Reserve $32/-/-This chard was aged in French oak for 9 months. It has a soft nose that is not inviting but very unimposing. It displays an unusual integration of flavors of melon, citrus, and slight butteriness (I know, it’s not a word; deal with it). It’s a wine that goes down nicely but makes me think about it.

2009 Zinfandel $30/-/$34The obvious youth of this zinfandel should discount most less favorable comments that I might offer. For example, it’s very light bodied, in a way that reminds me of a smoky pinot, but is still fruit forward, with strawberry and boysenberry on the palate. -Lisa

The nose hasn’t developed yet, but it hints at the some floral qualities that will be interesting once it has developed as a wine. The red fruit qualities are dominant and quite appealing. The anise, characteristic of Dry Creek Valley, doesn’t present itself. As zinfandels go, there’s no spice, just bright fruit deliciousness. I liked this wine and would buy a bottle or two in the future, but it didn’t compel me to buy futures.

2006 Zinfandel $26/-/$32This zin had much more spice on the nose. The anise appeared alongside the red fruit in this vintage. A nice wine... better than the 2009.

2006 Syrah Estate Corner Pocket Vineyard $33/-/$32

There’s a bit of toast on the palate which smoothes out the dark fruit and spice in this wine. Not sure of the spice I get on the nose, but feel it’s well integrated on the palate.
Deep dark blackberry, raspberry, black currant and mild smoke. Without the earthiness of a typical syrah, this is a delicious wine!!

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma county -/$30/$34By now, you should know that we’ve been invited up to the loft, away from the clamor and cacophony of the neophytes below. This will prove fortuitous when one of them breaks a bottle of white wine vinaigrette whose aroma permeates the building, making it nearly impossible to smell/taste anything.
This is a club member only wine, so no retail price was provided. Again, it’s very young (especially for a Cabernet Sauvignon), so the nose is a bit undeveloped. It did have slight floral notes with the slightest hint of mint/eucalyptus. 90% Cab/10% Merlot. Smooth with mild tannins and modest-to-no complexity. It had an unusual sting /tingle in the back of my throat/mouth that may be associated with the fermentation process that it’s still undergoing.

2004 Reserve Merlot $32/-/$45
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ah, yes, the merlot for which we are most fond! Soak in the warm nose of baked cherries with tannins that are perfectly balanced with the fruit. This is a fantastic Merlot! There’s a spicy red fruit that I’ll have to look up, but the mystery only enhances the allure of the wine.

2006 Wine Club Blend -/-/$30Since we were in the “clubbers” loft, we were introduced to one of the perks of membership. A number of years ago, they brought their club members together to offer them an opportunity to blend their own wine. I’ve seen other wineries do this, but have never participated. The product of this event, however, will be bottled and sold under the Mill Creek label and the club member’s special designation. This is a fun, fun thing to do if you have aspirations in the wine industry.
This is a blend that is really interesting. The spice on the palate brings blood to the senses. 28% Merlot/50% syrah/22% Zin. They let us taste this, but it wasn’t being released, yet, so no pricing was available. With a little more maturity and bottle aging, this will be worth upwards of $30 per bottle.

2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley $44/-/$45This cab originates from a 10 acre Vineyard in Alexander Valley used for the Reflections blend. It has a warm nose and smooth palate. The nose increases in complexity as time passes. It has a soft quality to it that is quite beguiling. The palate is smooth but would still stand up to a very mildly smoked porterhouse with white pepper. (not sharp, very smooth).

2009 Reflections Bordeaux blendThis is what Clos du Bois’ Marlstone has always wanted to be. The nose has bright red fruit with notes of raspberry, strawberry, cherry, and red currant. The tannins are smooth and almost subtle. The current blend is Cab/Merlot. The palate follows well, with little or no surprises…perhaps some mild white pepper. Even as young as it is, I’m going to implore my club member friends (whom I introducted (my new word) to Mill Creek) to acquire some for me.

The Final Take : 21 bottles, totaling $493.20 to include2005 Mill Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
2007 Mill Creek Vineyards Left of Starboard Zinfandel
2004 Mill Creek Vineyards Merlot Estate
2004 Mill Creek Vineyards Merlot Reserve
2006 Mill Creek Vineyards Syrah Estate Corner Pocket Vineyard