Inglenook or Rubicon Estate

Rubicon Estate was previously known as Inglenook and Neibaum-Coppola.  (Since this post it has become Inglenook again.)  It is at the end of a long driveway off Highway 29 near Rutherford Cross Road.  Rubicon is in a beautiful old building with a staircase that leads to a museum that includes early lantern movie projectors and a Tucker automobile.  This is a place you will want to see even if you don't taste there.  The tasting is $25 for a flight of five one-ounce pours.

Our tasting began with the 2008 Captain's Reserve Chardonnay that has a bit of apple on the nose followed by a very smooth citrus and apple taste.  It sells for $30.  The 2007 Captain's Reserve Pinot Noir at $38 had a raspberry nose with cherry on the palate.  It had light soft tannins with a vanilla finish.  Our favorites, though, were the two cabs.  The 2006 Captain's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon had a cherry and blueberry aroma and was very balanced and drinkable.  It is well worth the $48 list price and one that you will surely want to buy.  We were told that 2006 was an exceptional year.  This is a blend of 87% cab, with 8% Cab Franc, 4% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot.  The 2007 CASK Cabernet Sauvignon at $65 was rated 95 points by Wine Enthusiast.  I got some violet on the nose with a sweet cherry taste and mild tannins.  It should age nicely.  I'd recommend getting the 2006 to drink now and the 2007 to lay away for a few years, although it is certainly quite drinkable now.  We also had the 2007 Rubicon that is 94% Cab, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cab Franc.  It has a spicy nose of cherry and nutmeg with fruit forward sweet cherry on the palate.  It sells for $145.  Out of curiosity we tried a little of their 2009 Blancaneux which has some Marsanne in it.  This is a pleasant desert wine and sells for $32. 

While each of these wines was quite good I was most impressed at the 2006 Captain's Reserve Cab and the 2007 CASK Cab, especially given their prices.  The service throughout was friendly, pleasant and unpretentious.  This is a Napa Valley winery you must visit even if you are not into wines.  But if you like cabs you will certainly want to sample some.

Please see update at:  Inglenook Revisited

Inglenook Vineyard
1991 St. Helena Hwy
Rutherford, CA 94573
(707) 968-1100

Heitz Wine Cellars

Heitz Wine Cellars is famous for their Martha’s Vineyard Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon and is also one of the very few Napa Valley wineries to still offer complimentary tastings. Heitz Cellars is one of the older wineries and I first visited it in the early 1970's. It has moved to a new building and Joseph Heitz is no longer with us, but they still make really good wines.

Although Heitz is famous for their Cabs, especially the Martha's Vineyard Cab, I've always liked the Heitz white Burgundian style chardonnay with its dry presentation and its complex minerality. No overly fruity, sweet or butterball Chardonnay here. The 2007 Zinfandel was a medium to light bodied Zin that was only $22 but I wasn't very enthusiastic about it.

The 2005 Cab at $42, however, is a good value with its nose of blueberries and cherries and its nice balance.  Even better was the smooth 2006 Bella Oak Bordeaux style Cab at $60 and the excellent 2006 Martha's Vineyard Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon at $150.  We were surprised to learn that Heitz also sold a port like wine they call Ink Grade.  It sells for $30 a bottle or $15 a half bottle. Although it did not remind me of a great (and expensive) vintage port, it was exceptionally drinkable and really quite nice.  We bought a bottle.  Another historic Napa Valley winery that everybody should visit.  With their complimentary tastings, it should be high on your list of wineries to visit.

Heitz Wine Cellar
436 St Helena Hwy S

Saint Helena, CA 94574

(707) 963-3542

Visited 3/29/2011  

Folie a Deux Winery

The Folie a Deux tasting room is combined with Napa Cellars, another winery owned by the same family. I've been there in the past but not for many years. We will try Napa Cellars another time.

The 2009 Chardonnay from Carneros was worth the $18 with its peach nose and crisp finish.  The Zinfandel had a nice aroma of blackberries and was priced at $22.  We also tried the 2008 Cab and the 2008 Merlot which were $24 and $18 respectively.  None of the wines were particularly memorable, but none were objectionable and the prices are much lower than most Napa wineries.  Wine club members can actually obtain some Folie a Deux wines for as little as $7.50 (retail $10). The tasting fee is $7.

Folie a Deux Winery
7481 St. Helena Hwy
Oakville, CA 94562
(707) 944-2565

Visited 3/29/2011

Grgich Hills Estate

Please see our updated visit to Grigich:
Grgich Hills Estate Revisited

Grgich Hills Cellar was started in 1977, a year after Mike Grgich produced the famous Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that placed first in Paris in 1976.  It definitely belongs on your list of wineries to visit when you are in Napa Valley. Grgich Hills Cellar is right on Highway 29 and very easy to find. It is certified organically and biodynamically farmed and family owned.  Only natural yeasts are used in their wines.

Our tasting began with the 2009 Fume Blanc, a crisp wine with a very nice long finish. The 2008 Chardonnay does not undergo malolactic fermentation and is not over oaked so it tastes like a real chardonnay and is quite good. The 2007 Zinfandel has nice fruit but is not a fruit bomb and has some pleasantly soft tannins probably from the 5% Petite Sirah.  It is aged in French oak for 15 months.  The 2006 Merlot has flavors of cherry with some pleasantly soft tannins.  My favorite of the three reds was the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon that spends 21 months in French oak.  It is a Bordeaux type blend with 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot.  It has a lovely blackberry nose and is very drinkable.

Grgich Hills Estate

1829 St. Helena Hwy

Rutherford, CA 94573

(707) 963-2784

Visited 3/29/2011  

Miner Family Winery

Miner Family Winery is a very friendly family owned and run winery that offers wines that are far above average but are available at exceptionally reasonable prices. This very friendly, family run winery should be high on your list of Napa Valley Wineries to visit.

Our tasting began with the 2009 Viognier ($20) from Simpson Valley near Madera. It was a light, fruity, pleasant wine for hot summer days.  The $30 2009 Chardonnay from several different Napa Valley districts was decent and not too buttery although it did spend six months in French oak.  I preferred the 2008 Wild Yeast Chardonnay at $50.  It was in the red wines, though, that Miner Family seemed to excel. The 2009 Rosella (Carneros) Pinot Noir at $40 was a lighter PN that was okay.  Better was the Pinot Noir Rosella's 777 at $75 which had a strawberry nose with balanced tannins and was one of the better Napa Valley PNs I've had. Two surprise favorites were the 2008 Sangiovese from Gibson Ranch in Mendocino at only $24 and the 2009 Tempranillo from the Sierra Foothills at only $28.

Next time we visit (and we will return), I want to try the Oracle, Napa Valley Red ($90), the Grenache (due out in June and about which we have heard great things) and the 2006 and 2007 Cabs at $125 each.  I might try the $48 Syrah, too.  This is a winery that requires repeated visits, and this was just our first, but we will definitely return soon.  

Miner Family Winery

7850 Silverado Trail

Oakville, CA 94562

(800) 366-9463

Visited 3/23/2011  

ZD Winery

ZD Winery has an excellent, but reasonably priced regular release Chardonnay.  We both liked it a lot and it was an obvious essential purchase.  Even if you don't visit the winery, you should try a bottle of this ZD Chardonnay if you are at all fond of Chards.

ZD Winery offers a choice of two tastings.  Their Current Wines are $10 and include a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Reserve Wines are $15 and include the reserves of the same three varietals.

ZD Winery is mostly known for its regular release Chardonnay.  Of the 30,000 cases of wine they produce yearly, 18,000 is this Chardonnay.  The ZD 2009 Chardonnay ($34) is made from Carneros grapes and is a full bodied Chard that is not excessively buttery from malolactic conversion.  (I believe it has none.) With a green apple nose and a crisp, full, toasty palate of citrus and pineapple, it should be very appealing those who like Chardonnay with plenty of fruit but good, balanced acid. But it is a unique plush style with lots of fruit that might not appeal to everyone. There is also a Reserve Chardonnay from Carneros at $55 but we did not try this.

The 2009 Carneros Pinot Noir at $45 was a lighter style PN with ten months of French oak.  The 2008 Cab ($50) from different Napa Valley districts was aged a year in American oak, has a wonderful raspberry (they say blackberry) aroma and, although it is very drinkable now and not a really big cab, it should age very nicely. If we return to ZD, I'd like to do the Reserve tasting.  If you are unable to visit the winery, you should be able to track down a bottle of their Chardonnay.

ZD Winery
8383 Silverado Trail

Napa, CA 94558

(800) 487-7757

Visited 3/23/2011  

Darioush Winery

Darioush Winery is a very interesting and exotic looking winery that would be worth visiting even if they did not have such good wines. Steve Devitt is the winemaker.  Our server, Alex, was very helpful and professional. They have two different tastings, the Amuse Flight for $12 and the Signature Flight for $25.  We had the later which was served with a dish of pistachios.

The 2008 Chardonnay at $43 was nicely balanced with not too much oak.  It was refreshing to see a Cabernet Franc here.  This was very well balanced and sells for $58. The Darioush Winery 2007 Merlot at $46 has a lovely ruby color, strong cherry nose and nice finish.  The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon at $80 was quite decent, but my favorite, along with the Merlot, was the Darioush Winery 2008 Shiraz at $68.  All of the Darioush wines with full balanced fruit were very drinkable now.  It should be high on your list of interesting wineries to visit.

Darioush Winery
4240 Silverado Trl

Napa, CA 94558

(707) 257-2345

Visited 3/23/2011  

Clos du Val Winery

Clos du Val describes their wines as being balanced, elegant and complex and I would agree. They make very interesting wines that will appeal to palates that prefer more complexity and subtlety. Clos du Val was founded in 1972.  John Clews has been the winemaker there since 1999. You won't find any fruit bombs or overly oaked chardonnays here.  To me the wines taste more French like in style, but that is an over simplification because Clos du Val wines have a unique style that cannot easily be classified.

The New Releases Tasting is $15 and begins with the 2009 Ariadne at $25.  This is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.  It has a melon nose with a dry, subtle, citrus taste, a good balanced acid and a crisp finish. The 2009 Carneros Chardonnay definitely avoids the over oaked, buttery extreme that some Napa Valley Chardonnays have. The nose is pear and is has a dry, full citrus taste with a long finish. This tasted to me more in the French white Burgundy style, which I love, but you would not confuse it for a French wine. The 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir at $30, with a raspberry nose and some spice was better than most Carneros Pinots but I preferred the 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve at $55 with its cherry nose and more substance.  We also tasted the 2008 Merlot at $30 which had a touch of spice and more complexity than most Merlots and the very nice 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon at $35 which is drinkable now but will cellar well.

Staffs were very professional and courteous.  Clos du Val has a Cellar Club that offers 25% discounts on wine and other purchases.  Prices seem very reasonable for the quality of the wine.

Clos du Val Winery
5330 Silverado Trail

Napa, CA 94558

(707) 261-5251

Visited 3/23/2011

Monticello Vineyards

Monticello is a small family run (Corley Family) winery on Big Ranch Road in north Napa.  They have a reserved picnic grove with tasting and group tastings up to 30. You may do the four wine walk in tasting or arrange for various special tastings, including a wine and cheese paring.  This is a very relaxed, informal, friendly place.  We tasted the 2006 Corley Reserve Chardonnay, 2007 Estate Grown Pinot Noir, 2006 Estate Grown Merlot, and 2007 Jefferson Cuvee Cab.  My tasting notes were misplaced but all the wines we tried were above average and a good value.  Wine prices range from $22 to $72 and they even have a sparkling wine.  Next time we visit, I'd like to try their Syrah and the Reserve Cab.

Monticello Vineyards  

4242 Big Ranch Rd

Napa, CA 94558

(707) 253-2802

Written 3/16/2011

Trefethen Vineyards & Winery

Trefethen is north of the city of Napa on Oak Knoll Ave.  It has been around for over 40 years and is owned by the Trefethen family.  Staff was friendly and informative. We tasted the 2009 Dry Riesling which had an apple aroma with some minerality and a little sweetness, making it dry compared to most U.S. Rieslings.  The 2008 Chardonnay had some French oak but was not a butter bomb.  The 2009 Pinot Noir was on the lighter side with a strawberry nose, nice balance and not excessively fruit forward. The 2007 Double T Red Wine is described as a Bordeaux blend and was the least interesting of the wines we tasted.  The best was the 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon which was very good, extremely well balanced and worth the $125.  It is unusual for any winery to offer a tasting of a wine with this much age on it and Trefethen should be applauded for doing so.  Most of the Trefethen wines were in the twenty and thirty dollar range, representing very good value.  Next time we visit, I'd like to try the Cabernet Franc and the Malbec based Dragon's Tooth.

Addendum:  Please see our revisit to Trefethen:

Trefethen Revisited

Trefethen Vineyards & Winery  

1160 Oak Knoll Ave
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 255-7700

Written 3/16/2011  

Alpha Omega Winery

Alpha Omega Winery is a winery we kept hearing about from staff at some of our favorite wineries.  It is one of the newer wineries in Napa Valley, but already has some excellent wines. Prior to 2006 this winery was called Quail Ridge and was not a winery I ever visited.  It has now become a very serious, premium winery, one that definitely deserves a visit.  The tasting fee is $20 for four very nice wines.  Wine Club members taste for free and obtain a 20% discount, with a 30% discount on the first purchase. They also have many wine club events scheduled, including oysters with SB, Kobe beef with cab, lobster dinner, etc.  There was no pressure at all for us to join the club. We were told that Alpha Omega uses only all natural yeast, that they manually crush their grapes and that none of their wines are filtered except for the Sauvignon Blanc.

Our tasting began with the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc at $36 which had the usual grapefruit nose but seemed more melon on the palate.  The 2008 Chardonnay is from French oak but is not too buttery.  A nice nose of apricot is followed by a well balance palate of vanilla and citrus.  It retails at $56. I really liked the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon at $84 with its complex nose and well balanced cherry taste with a long finish.  Best of all, however, was the 2007 Proprietary Red Wine at $86.  It is approximately 50% Merlot, 39% Cab, 7% Petite Verdot and 7% Cab Franc.  (That comes to 103% so perhaps my notes are in error.)  This had a blackberry nose with plenty of tannins and acidity so that, although it is drinkable now, should improve with age.

Staff at Alpha Omega were very pleasant and informative.  During the red wine pouring our server used the Vinturi aerator which we had never tired before.  As a demonstration, he poured one glass of wine with the aerator and one without so we could smell and taste the difference.  Of course, this was not a double blind test, but the difference was so dramatic and the aerated pouring had such a better nose and palate, that it tasted like two different wines and we both bought Vinturi aerators.  When you visit Alpha Omega, which you really should, you might want to ask them to demonstrate this for you.

Alpha Omega Winery
1155 Mee Lane

Rutherford, CA 94573

(707) 963-9999

Visited 3/16/2011  

Madonna Estate

I first tasted at Madonna Estate in 1976 and went there one other time when their name was Saint John Winery or something similar. Our server said the winery has remained in the same family with the same wine maker for ages.  We tasted the 2010 Estate Pinot Grigio, the 2009 Estate Chardonnay, the 2007 Estate Pinot Noir and the 2010 Estate Riesling.  All the wines were fine and our server was down to earth and friendly. I suspect for many people visiting Napa Valley, it is the first winery they see and it gets many tour buses so it is best to go there on weekdays or during the off-season.

Madonna Estate  

5400 Old Sonoma Rd

Napa, CA 94559

(707) 255-8864

Written 3/10/2011 

Artesa Winery

Artesa Winery is modern interesting building with fountains and a gorgeous view of the San Francisco Bay.  Staff is very friendly and the wine is fairly good.  

We opted for the Classic Tasting at $10.  (The Reserve is only $15.)  This began with the 2009 Pinot Blanc which was well balanced, with a touch of sweetness but without the dryness or minerality of a really good Alsatian Pinot Blanc.  But it is certainly better than most California Pinot Blancs and is well worth the $24.  I applaud Artesa for producing this interesting white wine, one of my favorite whites.  The 2009 Carneros Chardonnay is fairly good and only $20 a bottle.  It has an apple aroma with some French oak but is not one of the butter bombs that some Napa Chardonnays have become.  Neither of us cared much for the 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir which was too thin.  It did have a nice cherry aroma and wasn't overly fruit forward though.  But they do make a very nice 2008 Estate Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir that has a raspberry aroma and some complexity.  It is $40 instead of $25 but is, by far, our favorite of the two Pinot Noirs and well worth the $15 difference in price. We also tasted a nice 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon with a full plum aroma and balanced tannins.  It is well worth the $40 and we couldn't leave without at least one.  After we left, I read the brochure and the 2006 Limited Release Cab sounds very interesting at $70 and I regret we didn't try it.  Next time we visit, I'll ask for the Artesa Limited Release and Reserve Tasting instead of the Classic Tasting

Artesa Winery
1345 Henry Rd

Napa, CA 94559

(707) 224-1668

Visited 3/10/2011  

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

If you love great Cabernet Sauvignon, you have to visit Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. I first visited Stag's Leap Wine Cellars around 1974, a few years before they made such a sensation in Paris.  It is a well-known Napa Valley premium vineyard that produces outstanding cabs and needs little in the way of introductions or recommendations.

They have two different tastings, one at $15 and the Estate Collection at $30.  Needless to say, we opted for the later. Staffs were very friendly and professional and the wines were exceptional.  The 2008 Arcadia Chardonnay at $50 eschews excessive oak.  No butterball here, thank goodness. It is more like a French Chablis with green apple and some minerality.  The 2007 FAY Cabernet Sauvignon at $95 is a very drinkable Cab that could certainly be put away.  The 2007 SLV Cabernet Sauvignon (($125) is a bigger cab, more in the Napa Valley style, with some minerality and soft tannins that is great now but should improve with age.  The 2007 CASK23 Cabernet Sauvignon ($195) is their flagship cab and deservedly so.  It combines the best of the FAY and SLV to provide a wine that has both elegance and full of character, with a violet like aroma and a perfect balance between fruit, alcohol and tannin.  This is the type of Cabernet that gives Napa Valley such a great reputation and we loved all three of them.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars should not be confused with Stags’ (apostrophe after the s) Leap Winery where they make the wonderful Petite Sirahs.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
5766 Silverado Trl

Napa, CA 94558

(707) 944-2020

Visited 3/2/2011

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a truly great winery and provides a wonderful experience you will long remember. The wines are incredible, the grounds gorgeous and the service outstanding.

Joseph Phelps Vineyard is one of the finest wineries in Napa Valley and among the top two or three that every serious wine lover should visit.  You can learn about biodynamic farming methods, interact with very friendly and professional staff, taste great wines in a beautiful setting and learn about wine from one of their classes or seminars.

We took the aroma class, that includes the Le Nez du Vin Aroma Identity Challenge.  I highly recommend this class to anybody who is interested in learning about wine. I misplaced my wine tasting notes but we had an excellent 2009 Sauvignon Blanc,  a very nice 2007 Freestone Pinot Noir and 2006 Merlot.  (We bought some Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.) Joseph Phelps also has some world class Cabernet, including the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (another wine we bought) which was a bargain at only $54 and the incredible 2006 Insignia, their flagship wine.  The Insignia is 95% Cab and 5% Petit Verdot and is an incredible wine.  It retails for $200 and, unlike many wines this expensive,  it is actually worth the price.

It is easy to see why it receives so many nominations every year as the best winery in Napa Valley.  This is a Napa Valley winery you must visit (reservations necessary) if you are really serious about wines, especially cabs.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

200 Taplin Rd

St. Helena, CA 94574

(707) 963-2745

Visited 3/2/2011