Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Steltzner Vineyards

If you like Cabernet Sauvignon or Stags Leap District wines, then you won't want to miss Steltzner Vineyards. An employee at another winery recommended that we try Steltzner. While we were there, a portable bottling service was present putting wine into bottles and the employee at Steltzner, who was very helpful,  explained the process to us as we watched.  Our tasting started with a Steltzner 2010 Chardonnay from Oak Knoll.  It was $24, had a pleasant touch of malolactic conversion and oak and was crisp and very drinkable.  Even better was the $34 Steltzner 2006 Sangiovese from Stags Leap.  I got some cherry with a very pleasant touch of clove on the palate.  The Steltzner 2007 Merlot from Stags Leap was pleasantly bright, with soft tannins and some vanilla.  It is a good buy at only $34.  The Steltzner 2006 Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon was $40 and had a cherry palate, with good tannins and some floral notes.  Our favorite, though, was the Steltzner 2005 Estate RMS Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon at $78.  This is one to look at in the glass in the sunlight because it has a deep, dark red color that is delightful to look at. It was rather fruit forward with a velvety smooth palate, soft tannins, a note of smokiness and a long finish.  Although primarily noted for its Merlot and Cabs, we found the Sangiovese well worthwhile and have heard good things about the Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec and Pinotage.

Addendum: As of February 2012 Stelzner sold their winery to Plumpjack and no longer has a tasting room but does sell wines over the Internet.


Steltzner Vineyard
Steltzner Vineyards Office Address
6795 Washington Street, Ste 202
Yountville, CA  94599
Visited 9/28/2011

Regusci Winery

Regusci Winery is a very good winery, even by Napa Valley standards. Located in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, the 289 acre estate was purchased by Gaetano Regusci in 1932.  Included in this purchase was the Grigbsy-Occidental Winery that was established in 1878.  "Ghost Winery" is a term used to refer to Napa Valley wineries that existed between 1860 and 1900.  Very few of these wineries survived because of the phylloxera invasion that wiped out much of the vineyards in the 1890s.  Most of those that did survive ended up falling victims of either Prohibition or the Great Depression.  The 1878 winery building of Ghost Winery of Grigbsy-Occidental Winery continues to be preserved at Regusci Winery.  With two feet thick walls hand cut of lava stone, this stone building is now one of the most photogenic historical buildings in Napa Valley.  In 1996 Angela and Jim Regusci, father and son, along with Angela's wife, Diana, reestablished the winery, producing their first release in 1996 and opening to the public in 1998.

Service was very friendly at Regusci and we liked the entire line up of wines that we tasted. They have mostly red wines.  The tasting fee for six wines at the time of our visit was $25, but they waive one tasting fee for every $100 of purchase.  The Regusci 2009 Chardonnay at $36 was not overly oaked or ruined by excessive  malolactic conversion. We both liked it. The Regusci 2009 Zinfandel was one of the better Napa Valley Zinfandels I've had recently. The Regusci 2009 Merlot at $48 has 8% Cabernet Sauvignon added and is another good example of a Merlot that is interesting and not one-dimensional. Even better was the Regusci 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon at $58.  But our favorites were the Regusci 2008 Patriarch Proprietary Blend with 56% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc that sells for $80 and the Regusci 2008 Angelo's Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon at $125.  The Patriarch is a right bank style Bordeaux blend with rich, ripe black currant, black cherry and spices.  It saw 24 months in American oak and 496 cases were produced.  Angelo's was more of an extracted, lush, black cherry with some chocolate and cedar and a very long finish. It, too, was aged for 24 months in American oak.  373 cases were produced. Both were outstanding and should cellar very well.  The later two are only available at the winery so you will have to visit the winery to taste them.  We suggest you do so.  If you can't visit the winery and opt to make a purchase, I would recommend the Patriarch because I think it is just as good, if not even better than the excellent Angelo's and is $45 less.  But both are quite different from each other and highly recommended as is a visit to the winery.

Regusci Winery
5584 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 254-0403
Date of visit: September 12, 2011

Signorello Estate Winery

Please see our updated 2014 review here: SIGNORELLO ESTATE WINERY REVISITED

Signorello Estate Winery is a small, family owned, Napa Valley winery that definitely warrants a visit.  It has a kitchen that offers food pairings, a beautiful swimming pool, plus a patio with a fountain and a very nice view of the Valley. They also offer interactive cooking classes. We were informed that the winery has only 42 acres and produces a mere 6,000 cases of wine a year. Service was very friendly and they are in the Napa Neighbor Program.

Of their white wines, we both liked the Signorello 2010 Seta Estate best at only $34. It is 60% Semillon and 40% Sauvignon Blanc.  I liked the Seta even better after sharing a bottle with friends and sampling it at different temperatures.  This is offered more complexity at home than was revealed during the taste at the winery.  The 2009 Chardonnay at $42 was good but we were less fond of the 2009 Hope's Cuvee Estate Chardonnay at $65.  If you like a buttery, oaky chardonnay, then you might like it. Neither of us like this style of Chard, but you might.

Much more to our liking was the $48 Signorello 2007 Merlot with 10% cab added.  It had a distinct cherry nose with soft tannins.  It is an interesting Merlot and not at all one-dimensional as are some Merlots.  At $50 the Signorello 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Merlot and 8% Cab Franc was also delightful with a cherry and black currant nose, good balance and nice tannins. It was our favorite of the wines we tasted.

Signorello Estate Winery
4500 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 255-5990
Date of visit: September 28, 2011

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Elizabeth Spencer Winery

Please see our updated 2014 report here:  ELIZABETH SPENCER WINES REVISITED

Elizabeth Spencer Winery provided a delightful visit thanks to friendly staff and very good wines that are reasonably priced by Napa Valley standards. Marshall was very knowledgeable and friendly.  We really liked the Elizabeth Spencer 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, organically grown in Mendocino and only $16 a bottle.  The Elizabeth Spencer 2007 Wente Clone Chardonnay was fairly good as was the Elizabeth Spencer 2008 Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. The Elizabeth Spencer 2008 Merlot from Knights Valley was quite decent at $36 as was the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.  Our favorite, though, was the Elizabeth Spencer 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, "The Guardian" ($60) which was very good.  Elizabeth Spencer is a small winery just off Highway 29 that is well worth a visit.  You can have lunch at the wonderful Italian restaurant, Alex, which is across the street.



Elizabeth Spencer Winery
1165 Rutherford Rd
Rutherford, CA 94573
(707) 963-6067
Visited: 9/10/2011

Cosentino Winery

Cosentino Winery is well worth a visit if you like Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Merlot or very nice Cabernet Sauvignons. They are in a lovely winery building covered with ivy, the first winery on the left on Highway 29 as you drive toward St. Helena from Yountville, just past the well known Mustards Grill.  Cosentino Winery was built in 1990, and this prime location makes them very popular, especially on weekends and during the summer.  Open to the public without an appointment, they offered two tasting options at the time of our visit. Check their website or call them for current information regarding tasting hours and options offered.

For our tasting at Cosentino Winery one of us had the Reserve Flight ($20) and the other had the Vintage Flight ($10).  Each flight consisted of four tastings. The Vintage Flight was composed of the Cosentino 2008 ChardonnayCosentino 2007  "The Franc", Cosentino 2008 Sangiovese and Cosentino 2008 Cigarzin. Prices range from only $20 to $24 (even less for wine club members.)  I thought the 2008 Sangiovese at $20 was especially good and well worth the money.  

The Reserve Flight was a significant step up and is what we would recommend, unless you want to split two flights as we did. The Cosentino 2007 Secret Clone Chardonnay at $40 was a nice, dry, chardonnay with good minerality and very good balance. I thought the Cosentino 2006 Reserve Merlot at $50 was quite good, light to medium bodied with nice tannins.  At $60 a bottle the Cosentino 2006 Winemaster Cabernet Sauvignon was the favorite for both of us.  It was a delightful Cabernet Sauvignon, with  a nice cherry aroma followed by soft tannins, and smooth cherry like fruit.  It was well balanced and very drinkable now, and would cost only $48 if you were a wine club member. We highly recommend it.  The Cosentino 2006 Secret Clone Cabernet Sauvignon was $100 and had nice, well integrated tannins and very good balance.  It is still young, though, and I would love to try it in a few years when it has further time to develop.

In addition to a lovely building, very pleasant tasting room and excellent wines, we found the service at Cosentino Winery to be outstanding.  It is easy to find and well worth a visit as is nearby Mustards Grill. Two thumbs up!

Cosentino Winery
7415 St. Helena Hwy
Yountville, CA 94599
(707) 944-1220
Visited 9/10/2011