Spring Mountain Vineyard 2008 Elivette 2005 Elivette Continuing on with my Spring Mountain Vineyard visit, see my November 12, 2019 review of their 2006 & 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon and its history. Spring Mountain Vineyard is an 845-acre estate on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain in Napa Valley. Only 225 acres of the estate are planted to vine, representing 135 discrete hillside vineyard blocks with many soil types, exposures, and microclimates. A substantial portion of the vineyard is planted in densities of over 4,000 vines per acre and trained…
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Joseph Phelps Vineyards 2016 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Pastorale Vineyard I recently wrote about Joseph Phelps Vineyards having its roots dating back to 1973, see October 25, 2019 review of Joseph Phelps 2016 Napa Sauvignon Blanc & 2016 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay Pastorale Vineyard. While many of the early Joseph Phelps wines were made with grapes from the Home Ranch in St. Helena, Joe also sourced fruit from outside growers. But as the winery continued to grow and he traded earlier efforts in Riesling and Chardonnay for Cabernet, Merlot and other red Bordeaux varieties, he began acquiring vineyard land in the Rutherford, Oakville, Stags Leap District, and…
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Silver Oak Cellars 2012 & 2015 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon I recently wrote about Silver Oak Cellars having its roots dating back to 1972, see October 18, 2019 review of Silver Oak 2014 Napa Cabernet. Over time, Silver Oak continued to acquire vineyard land, including the Red Tail and Miraval Vineyards in Alexander Valley and the Soda Canyon Ranch and Jump Rock in Napa Valley. The winery also developed close relationships with longtime growers in both appellations. The result is that both the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon are blends, made from grapes grown in both wineries’ estate vineyards as well as…
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Heitz Cellars 2014 Linda Falls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Marths’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Continuing with my Napa adventures, see my previous Heitz Cellars post on October 22, 2019. Today I will discuss 3 of their outstanding Cab’s. In April, 2018, Heitz Cellar entered an exciting new chapter as this rich legacy was passed into the hands of the Lawrence family, whose deep roots in agriculture and commitment to the same core values of fine winemaking made it a perfect match. The wines are made with an unwavering commitment to quality from organically farmed, 100% Napa Valley fruit, and a commitment to the sustainability of Napa…
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Hall Wines 2015 Eighteen Seventy-Three Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Jack’s Masterpiece Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Bergfeld Cabernet Sauvignon Continuing with my Napa adventures, see my previous Hall Wines post on October 29. Today I will discuss 3 of their wonderful Cab’s. Since first working in her family’s Mendocino vineyards, Kathryn Hall dreamed of a place to showcase fine wines alongside expressive art and masterful architecture. The Halls acquired the historic St. Helena Bergfeld Winery in 2003 and re-opened as HALL St. Helena in July of that year. With a rich history spanning 150 years, HALL St. Helena’s location was once the home of the Napa Valley Co-Op, producing 40% of Napa Valley’s…
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Spring Mountain Vineyard 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon The new Spring Mountain Vineyard was once three separate properties each with its own vineyard and winery: Spring Mountain Vineyards “Miravalle” 257 acres, Chateau Chevalier “Chevalier” 120 acres, and Draper Vineyards “La Perla” 435 acres. The upper most property on the estate, La Perla, was founded in 1873 by Charles Lemme and expanded by the Schilling Spice family. Originally 285 acres it had the first Cabernet Sauvignon planted on Spring Mountain. The old winery remains today along with much of its original equipment and horse drawn carriages and wagons. Immediately…
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Hall Wines 2017 Napa Sauvignon Blanc; 2014 Hall Ellie’s Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Walt Hall is the proprietor of Hall Wines and has been involved in the California wine industry since her family first purchased a vineyard over thirty years ago. She has had a distinguished career as a successful businesswoman, community activist, and also named as the United States Ambassador to Austria. Kathryn Hall and her family have been grape growers in Mendocino County since 1972. The Walt family owns 63 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc in the Redwood Valley and has sold their grapes to such wineries as…
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Silver Oak 2014 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon When Raymond T. Duncan first visited the Napa Valley in the late 1960s, he was taken by the region’s rugged beauty. He was also wise enough to understand the potential of the fledgling wine industry. In the 1970’s, he began to buy land in both Napa and Alexander Valleys with the goal of planting vineyards. But with his home and business in Colorado and no viticulture expertise of his own, Ray approached Justin Meyer, whom he had met through mutual friends, and asked him to plant and manage the vineyards. Then working at Christian Brothers, Justin agreed with one condition: in addition to managing…
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Jamie Slone Wines Duo Cabernet Sauvignon (Reserve) 2013 In the Fall of 2018 I took a trip to Santa Barbara, CA to visit a few selective wineries and taste some of their current offerings, particularly the Rhone blends. There were four of us tasting wines and my comments, on each of the wines tasted, incorporate nuances from everyone’s palate. It was a great trip, the wines were outstanding and the folks I met at each of the wineries were extremely informative, helpful and very generous with their time. The wineries have “Wine Clubs” which offer some tremendous, small production, wines that can only be obtained directly from the vineyard. I…
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Sill Family Vineyards 2015 très CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Rutherford Sill Family Vineyards is a family-owned and operated exquisite boutique winery with estate vineyards producing ultra-premium, very limited production carefully hand-crafted wines. As a Court of Master Sommelier, Winemaker, Igor Sill became passionate about Bordeaux wines after being introduced to Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château Haut-Brion and Château Lafite Rothschild in the late 1970s by H. Lyman Emerson, a renaissance gentleman and noted fine wine collector. Concluding with Estate history, however the last chapter has not yet been written! In 2016, the Sill family acquired the 24.5 acre Ardente Estate Winery, an Atlas Peak AVA, Napa winery and vineyards whose Cabernet Sauvignon…