JB – Page 51 – JB's Wine Talk

Remarkably Profound Oregon Pinot Noir

Today’s Story: Antica Terra

Antica Terra was established in 2005 by Scott Adelson, John Mavredakis, and Michael Kramer, three friends and partners who had collaborated before and dreamed of owning a vineyard together. This being said, vines were first planted in 1989 on the property, an 11 acre vineyard on pre-historic seabed in the Eola-Amity Hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Having taken ownership of their new vineyard, Scott, John, and Michael started seeking a winemaker and their crosshairs quickly fell upon Maggie Harrison. Maggie began her winemaking career at Sine Qua Non (known for $200-$1,000+ bottles of cult Rhone varietal wines) working for Manfred Krankl and her expertise was quickly realized. In 2004, Manfred encouraged her to begin her own Syrah project on the side, and Lillian was born (I reviewed two of these Syrahs previously). Maggie worked tirelessly on her passion project wines while still tending to barrels at Sine Qua Non, demonstrating her pure passion for the craft. When Scott, John, and Michael asked Maggie to become their winemaker, she refused profusely though the three friends ultimately convinced her to simply visit the property to offer her opinions of the vineyard. 26 seconds after Maggie stepped foot into the vineyards and observed the fossils, oaks, and vines, “she found herself hunched beneath one of the trees, phone in hand, explaining to her husband that they would be moving to Oregon.” Source

The vineyard of Antica Terra is rather intense, both in appearance above the earth and underground for the vines. The vines find home amongst fossilized oyster shells and sandstone with no topsoil, leaving them to struggle for nutrients and in turn producing incredibly unique fruit. Aboveground, the vineyard is strewn with boulders, steep grades, and vines that (due to the soil) appear spindly and frail. Fruit for Antica Terra wines forms in tiny clusters with thick-skinned grapes that are half the size that is typical for their varieties and the canopy of these plants is incredibly sensitive. Maggie provides immense care and attention to these delicate vines, which culminates into unique and immeasurably profound wines. Antica Terra produces four Pinot Noir bottlings, two Chardonnays, and one Rosé.

To explore the wines of Antica Terra, join the mailing list, or plan a visit, check out their website here.

Today’s Wine: 2017 Botanica Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 14% ABV

The 2017 Botanica is pale ruby in color with slight variation toward deep garnet. This was surprisingly approachable right out of the bottle, though changed over time revealing aromas of cherry, cranberry, smoked game, earth, wet gravel, sweet tobacco, ground green cooking herbs, black licorice, rocky minerality, and a touch of oak. Once in the mouth, the wine showcases notes of crunchy raspberry, strawberry, cranberry sauce, smoke, rose, white pepper, loamy earth, a hint of nutmeg, and graphite. This Pinot is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, medium tannins, and a medium (+) length finish. There was some slight heat on the nose, but all around this is approachable and that heat should integrate with a couple more years of cellaring.

Price: $110 direct from winery. I am a huge fan of Antica Terra when it comes to American Pinot Noir, and Maggie Harrison’s winemaking skill for both this wine and her Lillian Syrahs make them worthy of trying. Pair this with duck, pork tenderloin, or grilled salmon.

Baby BOND

Today’s Story: Mascot Wine

Mascot Wine was “founded” in 2008 with their first commercial release, however this wine was produced by Will Harlan years beforehand to be shared with family and friends. The Mascot started as Will’s personal experiment, born from the youngest vines of Harlan Estate, Promontory, and BOND when he convinced the winemaking team (and his family including father Bill Harlan) to spare a few barrels of wine. Though Will grew up in his family’s vineyards and winery, eating some of Napa’s most precious fruit off the vines in his backyard, The Mascot marked his foray into experiencing the dramatic complexity of fermenting, blending, and producing wine first-hand, a craft he continues to master.

Fun fact: “The engraving of ‘Prince’ was commissioned over one-hundred years ago, by the president of the Farmers Deposit National Bank of Pittsburgh, for the bank’s stock certificates. The dog, an english bull-terrier, lived at the bank (greeting customers and employees alike), and became a beloved symbol of their down-to-earth, loyal, and personal customer service values.” Source: The Mascot

Today’s Wine: 2014 The Mascot

100% Cabernet Sauvignon (this is the only variety listed on the Mascot website, though I have seen sources that claim these wines are 90-94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot); 14.8% ABV

The 2014 Mascot is an opaque deep purple/ruby color almost black at its core. This needs an hour decant and only gets better after that, with the nose emitting aromas of blackcurrant, wild blueberry, jammy plum, redcurrant, cedar, violet, anise, graphite, tobacco leaf, pine, and slight oak. Once in the mouth, this showcases notes of blackberry, black cherry, blueberry, redcurrant, tobacco, silt, a hint of smoke, chocolate, black pepper spice, and oak. Full-bodied with medium (+) acidity, refined and tightly knit medium (+) tannins, and a long finish dominated by black fruit. This wine shows a lot of promise and drinks like a baby BOND, and since the last vintage I tasted (2011) I can tell improvements and finesse are being added.

Price: $100 direct from the winery ($140 average retail price in the US). If Harlan Estate, Promontory, and BOND are your style, this is an absolute steal on value. Though this is very big, opulent, and somewhat jammy in style (I typically steer clear of these), I cannot argue this is a great wine for those who love fruit-forward, high-quality Napa juice. It is at its core an excellent look through the developmental lens of “the Big Boys” mentioned above that start at $600 per bottle and sail past $1,000. Pair this with filet mignon.

Bonus Picture:

Nobility in Piedmont

Today’s Story: Cordero di Montezemolo

The Cordero di Montezemolo winery traces its roots to 1340, however the Cordero di Montezemolo family is of Spanish origin and did not settle in Piedmont until the mid-1400s. Though the family has deep roots in Piedmont, they did not find foundation in wine but rather in printing/typesetting businesses as well as military and diplomatic roles for the Royal House of Savoy. As a well-established and aristocratic family in Piedmont, the Cordero di Montezemolo family tree intertwined with the Falletti family who were one of the most noteworthy noble families in the Alba area and also proprietors of the Monfalletto Estate. In 1918, Maria Lydia (the daughter of Marchese Luigia Falletti) married Paolo Cordero di Montezemolo and the Cordero di Montezemolo family cemented their future in wine.

Maria Lydia and Paolo unfortunately passed away at young ages, however their son Paolo who was orphaned at the age of 15 grew up under the care of his grandmother Marchioness Luigia Falletti. When she passed away in 1941, Paolo inherited her entire property holdings which included the Monfalletto Estate in La Morra. Though Paolo through his ownership of the estate marks the Cordero di Montezemolo family’s foray into wine production, the estate throughout its history has been family owned and operated. Today, the estate is under control of its 19th-generation with Giovanni Cordero di Montezemolo and his children Elena and Alberto at the helm.

Though the historical single-body vineyard of the estate consists of 28 hectares (69 acres), Paolo Cordero di Montezemolo expanded the property in 1965 by purchasing a two hectare plot of old vines in the Villero area in Catiglione Falletto. The estate expanded further over the years through purchases and leasing agreements, and today total vineyard land sits at 51 hectares (126 acres). For all of their land, Cordero di Montezemolo started the organic farming certification process in 2013 and achieved certification a couple years ago. They use natural mineral products and repellents from organic material to fight parasites, organic products and green manure for fertilization, and natural grass planted beneath the rows to foster biodynamic balance. Not only do these efforts protect the land, but they help culminate into wonderful wines full of complexity and demonstrations of place.

Today’s Wine: 2015 Barolo Monfalletto

100% Nebbiolo; 14.5% ABV

The 2015 Barolo Monfalletto is deep garnet in color though moderately transparent. I decanted this for an hour and drank it over the following three hours due to its youth. Once this opens up, the rather intense nose showcases aromas of cherry, dried strawberry, rose, sweet tobacco, black licorice, black tea leaf, mint, Asian spice, cocoa powder, and oak. On the palate, I get notes of dried cherry, raspberry, cranberry, licorice, tobacco, dried rocky soil, chocolate, iron, and toasted oak. This Barolo is full-bodied with high acidity, dusty medium (+) tannins, and a long finish with notes of green herbs. Though elegant and somewhat approachable in its youth, this wine has the structure for the long haul and I would give it another three years of bottle aging and drink it over the following decade.

Price: $48. This is a great value Barolo for me, especially given the intensity and complexity it shows at a young age. Pair this with duck, quail, or game meats. Add some white truffle to these dishes and now you’re talking.

A Fierce and Violent Storm

Today’s Story: Realm Cellars

Realm Cellars was founded in 2002 with a focus on producing high-quality, limited production Bordeaux blend and single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon wines. I previously wrote about them back on October 23, 2019 in “This Blessed Plot, This Earth…” when reviewing the 2016 The Bard. For further details on their wines, inspiration from Shakespeare, and backstory on their first estate vineyard I suggest reading this prior post if you haven’t already.

Today’s Wine: 2013 The Tempest

86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.6% ABV

Realm’s 2013 The Tempest is an opaque deep ruby color and there is a slight amount of sediment developing in the bottle. Once this opens up, the nose showcases aromas of blackberry, cassis, plum, cedar, damp loamy soil, worn leather, chocolate, coffee grounds, and a hint of vanilla. In the mouth, I get notes of jammy blackberry, blueberry, wet forest floor, wet slate, tobacco, dark chocolate, black licorice, espresso, slight oak, and a hint of baking spice. Overall this is a very bold and powerful Bordeaux blend that is full-bodied with high acidity, medium (+) grippy tannins, and a long dark finish dominated by black fruit and mocha.

Price: $140. Like the last bottle of Realm I drank, this is worth its price and reminded me how great often-overlooked Merlot can be. Pair this with roasted duck, beef bourguignon, or roasted vegetables.

Young and Exciting NorCal Pinot Noir

Today’s Story: Trail Marker Wine Co.

Trail Marker Wine Co. was founded in 2012 by Drew Huffine and Emily Virgil, a husband and wife duo. Drew originally studied English during his undergraduate and Masters programs, however after working for the Colorado Wine Company and being encouraged by Kent Humphrey of Eric Kent Wines to work a harvest his career shifted. Drew moved from English to wine and held positions with Copain, DuMol, Kosta Brown, and Wither Hills before becoming the winemaker for Tuck Beckstoffer Wines. After Drew met Emily, whose background is in costume design for the film industry in Los Angeles and who also shares a passion for wine, the two decided to create their own venture and moved to the Bay Area to start Trail Marker Wine Co.

Drew and Emily originally started Trail Marker with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as their focus, and as a matter of fact their first wine came from the purchase of 1 ton of Chardonnay grapes from the remote Manchester Ridge vineyard located at 2,000 feet elevation above the Anderson Valley. This being said, Trail Marker has since branched out to Carignan, Zweigelt, and Blaufränkisch which are all sourced from small, remote, and responsibly-farmed vineyards from Mendocino to Santa Ynez. Through this approach, the goal of Trail Marker is to produce wines from cooler coastal sites that produce fruit that develops with lower sugar content and in turn produces wines with higher acidity and lower alcohol. As you might guess at this point, this philosophy finds home in the cellar as well with all of Trail Marker’s wines produced in hands-off fashion: fermentation is accomplished only with indigenous yeasts, little or no new oak is used, and handling is minimal. Thanks to their classic, Old World way of producing wines from some of the most unique vineyards in California, Trail Marker is unsurprisingly one of the most exciting new wineries I’ve come across in some time.

Today’s Wine: 2017 Manchester Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 12.4% ABV

The 2017 Manchester Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir is very pale ruby in color (almost rose petal) and nearly fully transparent. I let this wine open up in the glass for about 30 minutes, though it probably could’ve gone longer due to its youth. The nose showcases aromas of cranberry, redcurrant, red cherry, dried herbs, red and blue florals, earth, white spice, mineral, and wet stone. Once in the mouth, I get notes of tart cranberry, strawberry rhubarb, pomegranate, sweet tobacco, underbrush, white pepper, and slate. This is a medium-bodied Pinot with high acidity, low tannins, and a long finish.

Price: $44. This is a new producer for me and a wine I grabbed on an explorative impulse at the store. Nonetheless, I think this is a delicious PN at a solid price-point and I would buy this again. Pair this with roasted chicken, duck breast, or grilled salmon.

The Steve Jobs of Wine

Today’s Story: Paul Hobbs Winery

Paul Hobbs Winery was founded in 1991 by Paul Hobbs with his initial release of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon from purchased fruit. Paul grew up in upstate New York on a working family farm and orchard, so one could say agriculture was in his blood from an early age. Though Paul helped plant, harvest, and sell crops at nearby farmer’s markets before school each morning, his first foray into wine (if you will) was helping his father achieve his dream of replanting some of the apples, peaches, and nuts in their orchards to wine grapes.

When it came time for Paul to go to college, his father encouraged him to study viticulture and enology but instead Paul followed in his great-grandfather’s footsteps by studying medicine and graduated with a BS in Chemistry from Notre Dame. His father’s persistence paid off, however, and Paul moved to California after graduation and studied viticulture and enology at UC Davis where he received his Master of Science degrees three years later. Fresh off his new degree, Paul was hired by Robert Mondavi for his advanced knowledge of oak aging and he was quickly promoted to the inaugural Opus One winemaking team. Following his experiences at Robert Mondavi and Opus One, Paul joined Simi Winery as their winemaker before beginning consulting roles for Peter Michael, Lewis Cellars, Bodegas Catena, and soon other wineries around the world.

Throughout these experiences with wine, Paul Hobbs crafted a dream of his own to produce vineyard designated wines under his own name. In 1991, Paul spoke with Larry Hyde in Napa and Richard Dinner in Sonoma about purchasing some of their fruit, and the resulting 5 tons of fruit from each vineyard culminated in the first Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc of Paul Hobbs Winery. Paul’s dreams entered their next phase in 1998, however, when he purchased his family’s first estate vineyard and established the Katherine Lindsay Estate (named after his great-grandmother) in Sebastopol, CA. The first vintage of this wine came with the 2003 harvest, and today Paul Hobbs consists of seven estate vineyards in some of the preeminent Californian regions for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Paul Hobbs practices sustainable farming in caring for his vineyards and a minimalist approach in producing his wines. To sustain the integrity of his fruit and each vineyard block, Paul demands a constant flow of communication and knowledge from the vineyards to the cellar. When it comes time for harvest, all Paul Hobbs fruit is hand-harvested using hand sheers to keep the fruit in pristine condition. During the winemaking process, all wine is fermented using only native yeasts that originate in the vineyards and the cellar and the wine is aged in finely grained French oak barrels. With his finished product, Paul bottles the wine unfined and unfiltered in an effort to display the purity of the fruit and the place of each wine with elegance and transparency.

Fun fact: Paul Hobbs is widely known as “the Steve Jobs of wine” thanks to his “ardent exactitude” and immensely high demands for quality.

Today’s Wine: 2015 Katherine Lindsay Estate Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 14.3% ABV

The 2015 Katherine Lindsay Estate Pinot is pale to medium ruby in color and is moderately transparent. This requires about 30-45 minutes to open up, but once it does the nose showcases aromas of cranberry, cherry, dried strawberry, cola, violet, clay, leather, baking spice, and a hint of oak. Once in the mouth, this Pinot offers notes of black cherry, pomegranate, juicy ripe strawberry, black truffle, forest floor, and black pepper. The wine is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, light tannins, and a medium (+) length finish.

Price: $100. This is certainly an upper-echelon RRV Pinot but it needs some extra time in the cellar to fully come together. If you buy some, open some more reasonable Pinot in the $35 sweet spot I’ve mentioned before while this sits a few more years. Pair this with duck, pork loin, roast chicken, or charcuterie.

The Beginning of Modern Winemaking in Napa Valley

Today’s Story: Heitz Wine Cellars

Heitz Cellars was founded in 1961 by Joe and Alice Heitz with the purchase of a small 8.5 acre vineyard planted to Grignolino in the Napa Valley. Joe was previously enlisted in the US Air Force during World War II, though afterwards he started taking classes at UC Davis in viticulture and enology and graduated in the inaugural class of 1951 with half a dozen others. Though Joe first worked for Gallo, he transitioned to Beaulieu Vineyard in 1951 and worked under legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff as assistant winemaker for 10 years. When Joe and Alice went into business for themselves by starting Heitz, this was a time when Napa Valley wineries were reduced to their lowest decline since Prohibition and even preceded Robert Mondavi’s namesake winery founded in 1966.

In 1964, Joe and Alice Heitz purchased a 160 acre ranch property to expand their production and this land included a stone cellar built in 1898, a farmhouse, and vineyards first planted to vine in 1880. Though Heitz wines became well-known in the Valley, his breakthrough came in 1965 and 1966 with the Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1965, Joe purchased his first fruit from friends Tom and Martha May who owned a 34 acre vineyard in the Oakville AVA. Though he bottled this wine in 1965, it was in 1966 Joe decided the Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet deserved its own standalone bottling and this iconic wine became the first ever in Napa Valley to be labelled with a vineyard designation. With a handshake, Joe and the Mays entered an exclusive agreement where Heitz would be the sole purchaser of Martha’s Vineyard fruit and production of this historic wine continues today.

In 1974, Joe and Alice’s son David joined the family business having graduated from UC Davis with an enology degree. Little did David know, his first vintage working with his father would produce arguably the most legendary Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the Napa Valley: the 1974 Martha’s Vineyard. This wine is the first Martha’s Vineyard bottling with a commemorative label, a series that would see a new label for one vintage each decade, but is certainly not the reason for this bottle’s fame. The 1974 Martha’s Vineyard is one of the highest quality and spectacularly age-worthy wines in the world, to this day coveted by collectors and listed as one of the Top 100 Wines of the World. This is even included in Assouline’s The Impossible Collection of Wine: The 100 Most Exceptional Vintages of the Twentieth Century of which I have a copy. Though for all the fame the vintage of this wine holds in the California wine world, it holds a special place for me since I was able to drink a bottle and it is my single favorite wine I’ve ever had. There are a couple bonus pictures of the bottle I consumed at the end of this post.

In 1976, Heitz Cellars entered another exclusive agreement with Barney and Belle Rhodes who owned an 18 acre vineyard in the Rutherford AVA. Fruit from this plot of land goes into the Heitz Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. As Heitz remained a family operation, they expanded yet again by purchasing the Trailside Vineyard in Rutherford in 1984 (though they had been purchasing fruit from the property since the early 1980s) and this marked their first exploration into organic farming. The Trailside Vineyard Cabernet was bottled separately in 1989. Though Joe Heitz suffered a stroke in 1996, he remained frail but lucid to his death in 2000 and Heitz Cellars came fully under second generation management. In April, 2018, Heitz Cellars was sold to the Lawrence family but thanks to their deep roots in agriculture and a dedication to the same core values of the Heitz family I am confident this legacy will live on with success.

Note: Heitz Cellars practices organic farming in 100% of their vineyards (CCOF certified) and they are transitioning to biodynamic farming in the near future.

Today’s Wine: 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon

100% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.5% ABV

The 2012 Napa Valley Cab is an almost cherry-like medium ruby color and is moderately transparent. Give this about an hour to open up and expect aromas of blackberry, plum, cassis, black cherry, violet, cedar, mint, lightly scorched earth, slight pepper, and vanilla. Once in the mouth, this Cab showcases notes of blackcurrant, redcurrant, blueberry, licorice, tobacco, loamy soil, green herbs, eucalyptus, leather, and a touch of oak. The wine is medium-bodied with medium acidity, medium (-) tannins, and a medium (+) length finish.

Price: $55. I’ve consumed countless bottles of Heitz over the years from their Grignolino to the Martha’s Vineyard Cab and am a proponent of the great value these wines offer. Alongside the Ridge Estate Cab and Jordan Cab, this is one of my favorites in the price range. Pair this with steak, a good burger, or lamb.

Bonus Pictures:

The 1974 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard, tasted alongside a 1978 Château Lafite Rothschild in January, 2017.

That same bottle of 1974 Martha’s Vineyard, laid inside my copy of *The Impossible Collection of Wine: The 100 Most Exceptional Vintages of the Twentieth Century*.

The World’s Most Famous Champagne

Today’s Story: Louis Roederer

Louis Roederer is based in Reims, France and was founded in 1776, though the estate did not achieve its namesake until 1833 when Louis Roederer inherited the Champagne house from his uncle. During the mid-1800s, Louis took a visionary approach by overseeing and mastering every stage of his wine’s creation while simultaneously acquiring some of Champagne’s grand cru vineyards while many other houses simply purchased their fruit. Thanks to this ownership of some of the best land in Champagne, Louis furthered his oversight on the entire winemaking process and this fit well with his guiding principle that all great wine depends on soil quality and passion for tradition. When Louis Roederer II took over from his father, he followed similar ideologies and helped further the history of what today is one of the world’s greatest Champagne houses and coincidentally one of the last few remaining houses that are fully independent and family-owned.

As audacious as his father, Louis II began exporting his wines to further reaches including the United States and Russia. A big fan of the house’s Champagne, Tsar Alexander II of Russia requested that Roederer bottle an exclusive offering for him from the greatest fruit and resulting wine of each vintage. In 1876, Cristal was born as the first-ever Cuvée de Prestige and received its name from the bottle being made of crystal so the Tsar could witness the beauty and effervescence of the wine before popping the cork. In addition to being made of crystal, the bottle commands its unique flat bottom supposedly thanks to the Tsar’s worry that would-be assassins could plant explosives in the punt of standard Champagne bottles. Though the Russian monarchy fell during the early 1900s, Roederer started marketing Cristal commercially and still sells it in their patented bottles today.

As this great Champagne house passed through the family, Léon Olry-Roederer took over the estate during the 1920s and worked to create a consistent wine through the blending of several vintages. Léon’s efforts culminated into what would later become the Brut Premier, a wine that immeasurably contributed to the renaissance of the family’s estate. When Léon passed away in 1933, the estate came under control of his widow Camille who demonstrated adept marketing skills to propel the estate forward. For instance, Camille embraced the more social aspects of Champagne by hosting numerous gatherings at the family’s Hôtel Particulier in Reims which helped introduce the estate’s wines to an ever-growing populace of Champagne lovers.

Following Camille’s management of Louis Roederer, her grandson Jean-Claude Rouzaud took over and began consolidating their vineyard holdings. An oenologist and agronomist by study, Jean-Claude demonstrated his passionate love of winegrowing before passing the estate to his son Frédéric Rouzaud who manages the estate today. Frédéric represents the seventh generation running the Louis Roederer Champagne house, a truly magnificent feat given all of the other great Champagne houses no longer in family control.

Today, Louis Roederer consists of 240 hectares and includes over 400 parcels of vineyard land. These vast holdings that originated from Louis Roederer’s visionary approach during the 1800s allow the estate to produce every vintage from their own vines rather than purchasing fruit. With great respect for their terroir, Louis Roederer increasingly utilizes biodynamic farming methods in caring for their fruit. When it comes time to harvest their fruit, Roederer meticulously picks by hand into buckets and the fruit is pressed delicately on the harvest site. By precisely picking their fruit plot-by-plot, Roederer vinifies each plot separately to create a perfect record of harvest before blending the wines into a final product. Each wine in the fermentation tanks is tasted every day by the winemaking team so they can organize them into families of aromas, flavors, and overall characteristics.

Today’s Wine: 2000 Cristal Champagne

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay; 12% ABV

The 2000 Cristal is vibrant gold in color and quite transparent. On the nose, this exquisite Champagne offers aromas of ripe green apple, lemon citrus, honey, brioche toast, toasted almond, marmalade, white florals, white pepper, lees, and saline minerality. In the mouth, the wine showcases notes of apricot, white peach, golden apple, citrus zest, honey, white lily, toast, caramel, chalk, and white spice. Though 19 years old, this Champagne is still big and full-bodied with vibrantly high acidity into a long, rounded finish.

Price: $260. Cristal is always an incredible tasting experience and its price-point is justified. This is an excellent choice for special occasions and a bottle we chose for celebrating New Years. Pair this with shrimp, caviar, oysters, creamy cheeses, or fruit-based desserts.

Diamond Mountain Perfection

Today’s Story: Lokoya

Lokoya was founded in 1995 by wine industry visionary Jess Jackson. Though Jackson had a well-established portfolio of wineries beginning with Kendall-Jackson in 1974, he established Lokoya to produce four distinct bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon from some of the Napa Valley’s most famous mountain appellations. 24 years later, Lokoya produces some of the highest quality limited-release wines from Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Diamond Mountain that are all 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Though all four wines from Lokoya are produced in the same manner, each bottling eloquently displays the unique terroir of these diverse mountain appellations. The Mount Veeder bottling, for instance, comes from a vineyard on the western ridges of the Mayacamas Mountains at an elevation of 1,800 feet. The Mount Veeder vineyard is planted in volcanic soil that forces the vines to struggle in seeking nutrients which in turn creates intense, concentrated, and age-worthy wines. The Howell Mountain bottling comes from the W.S. Keyes Vineyard planted in 1888 at an elevation of 1,825 feet (high above the fog line) and with quick-draining soil forces the vines to struggle and produces wines that are incredibly concentrated and earthy. The Spring Mountain bottling came along during the 2005 vintage and fruit is sourced from three vineyards on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains. Though Lokoya has an estate vineyard on Spring Mountain (Yverdon Vineyard at 2,100 feet), they also source fruit from Wurtele Vineyard at 1,000 feet and Spring Mountain Vineyard at 1,800 feet. Last but not least, the Diamond Mountain bottling comes from the northern end of Napa Valley overlooking Calistoga and is sourced from select blocks of three vineyards. Though this includes the estate vineyard of Rhyolite Ridge at 1,200 feet, the Diamond Mountain includes fruit from Wallis Vineyards at 1,500 feet and the Andrew Geoffrey Vineyard at 1,800 feet as well.

In producing the Lokoya wines, winemaker Christopher Carpenter intervenes as little as possible in both the vineyards and the cellar. Though the vines do demand constant monitoring and attention due to their high elevations and tough growing conditions, Christopher believes he must not lay a heavy hand so the fruit can express itself as naturally and transparently as possible. To this end, all wines are fermented with natural yeasts and are bottling without fining or filtration to showcase the diverse terroir of each vineyard.

Today’s Wine: 2009 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

100% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.4% ABV

The 2009 Diamond Mountain Cab is an opaque deep ruby color with purple/black variation at its core. Once this opens up in the decanter, the nose showcases aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis, black cherry, redcurrant, licorice, cedar, pine, wet rocky soil, chocolate, tobacco, and graphite. On the palate, I get notes of blackberry, blackcurrant, black plum, black cherry, anise, earth, volcanic ash, cigar box, ground herbs, cardamom, vanilla, and a hint of oak. This Cab is full-bodied with medium (+) acidity, elegant and refined medium (+) tannins, and a long finish.

Price: $400 direct from winery. It is always a treat drinking a bottle of Lokoya and this was magnificent for our New Years Eve dinner. Pair this with steak, lamb, or a cheese plate.

View from the tasting room’s terrace where we enjoyed a glass of Ruinart Champagne.

A tasting of each of the Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings.

Striking [Red] Oil in the Russian River Valley

Today’s Story: Twomey Cellars

Twomey Cellars was founded in 1999 by Ray Duncan and his son David following Ray’s successful founding of Silver Oak Cellars in 1972. Though Ray’s background is in oil entrepreneurship (he founded Duncan Oil in Colorado), he started buying land in the Napa and Alexander Valleys during the 1970s with the goal of planting vineyards and selling fruit to wineries. With Justin Meyer as his co-founder of Silver Oak, however, Ray started producing his own wines and Silver Oak became famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon. After a few decades of running Silver Oak, Ray wanted to explore varieties besides Cabernet Sauvignon and founded Twomey with David in pursuit of producing Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc.

With a goal of producing vineyard-focused wines, Twomey has wineries in Calistoga in the Napa Valley, Healdsburg in the Russian River Valley, Philo in the Anderson Valley, and a soon-to-open winery in Dundee, Oregon in the Willamette Valley. From this vast geography, Twomey produces six single-vineyard and three regional Pinot Noirs, one single-vineyard Merlot, and one single-vineyard and one estate Sauvignon Blanc. In producing these wines, Twomey practices sustainable farming in all of their vineyards with major emphasis on water and energy conservation. This not only helps protect the land for generations of winemakers to come, but improves fruit quality while allowing the wines to showcase their unique place.

Today’s Wine: 2012 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 13.9% ABV

The 2012 Russian River Pinot is pale ruby/cherry in color and moderately transparent. This Pinot needs about 30-45 minutes to open up, but once it does the expressive nose emits aromas of cherry, raspberry, saddle leather, smoke, forest floor, a hint of barnyard, white pepper, dried green herbs, rose, and a pinch of cinnamon. On the palate, the wine showcases notes of dark cherry, dried cranberry, strawberry, tobacco, damp earth, peppery spice, rosemary, slight coffee bean, and a hint of vanilla. This gorgeous and easy-drinking Pinot is medium-bodied with medium acidity, light (almost nonexistent) tannins, and a medium (-) length finish. The finish could be a bit longer to truly impress me, but nonetheless this is a delicious bottle of wine.

Price: $50. This is a solid price-point especially when compared to some of the other RRV Pinots I’ve enjoyed that are twice as expensive but only marginally better. Nonetheless, $35 is always a sweet spot for me for quality Pinot Noir and you can find bottlings in that range up to par with this Twomey. Pair this with salmon, roasted chicken, duck, lamb, or charcuterie.