Truchard Vineyards

Truchard Vineyards offers a wine cave tour with wide variety of very good, reasonably priced premium wines. Truchard Vineyards was established in 1974 when the Truchard family purchased 20 acres of land that had been an abandoned prune orchard. Truchard is a small friendly, family winery in north Carneros that has 270 planted acres with hills and valleys that present diverse microclimates and varied soil types, of clay, shale, sandstone, volcanic rock and ash.  This unusual mixture of microclimates and soil types allows them to grow ten different grape varietals.  They sold their grapes to other wineries until 1989 when they produced their first release.  80% of their grapes are still sourced out to other wineries.  They produce 16,000 cases a year.

Front entrance

Wine cave

Our tasting began with the Truchard 2010 Roussanne ($22).  Roussanne is uncommon in Napa Valley and is usually used in white wine blends and often made in to a late harvest desert wine.  Only one other winery in Napa Valley produces Roussanne, according to Napa Vintners, and that is a blend that has only 47% Roussanne in it.  I have tasted some Roussanne blends in the past and some late harvest Roussannes, but this is the first dry 100% Roussanne I remember tasting.  (Truchard also offers a late harvest version.)  One reason there is so little Roussanne grown in the U.S. is that it is a very difficult varietal to grow and is prone to various diseases.  The Truchard Roussanne is a fairly dry wine.  The nose is light apple, with a full bodied, well-balanced green apple and lemon on palate.  It has good acid balanced with a little vanilla and a hint of butter butter, making it smooth but layered.  It is something of a Chardonny or Sauvignon Blanc alternative.  Both of us liked it a lot.   

Winery buildings and cave

Grounds

This was followed by the Truchard 2010 Chardonnay ($35) which has 30% malolactic conversion, and some French oak, just enough to help balance it.  The aroma is light lemon with green apple and some minerality on the palate.  This substantial Chardonnay presents a rich, full mouthfeel.  It was very nice.  The Truichard 2009 Pinot Noir was next.  This had a great nose and was not as thin as many Carneros Pinots.  The bright fruit was very nicely balanced with smooth tannins.  This was one of the most aromatic Pinots I’ve sampled recently.  The Truchard 2007 Tempranillo at $25 followed.  This nice Tempranillo would be better paired with food.  The Truchard 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($38) was very good by itself.  With a light cherry aroma, it had a complex red fruit presentation with well-integrated tannins and a good finish.  Often with Cabs, I think of food parings, but with this one I’d like to taste again under a variety of aeration and temperature conditions.  A very good Cab for the price.  Later I sampled some of the Truchard 2007 Late Harvest Roussanne which is $35 for a half bottle.  It is a delicious dessert wine with some botrytis to add to its presentation.  The wines I’d like to taste in a subsequent visit are the Cab Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot and, especially, the Reserve Cab.  It is amazing that Truchard Vineyard can produce so many varietals at such uniform high quality.

As with most small family wineries, Truchard requires an appointment for the tour and/or tasting.  The tasting fee is $15 but one fee is waived for each bottle of wine purchased.  With so many excellent wines offered, you will certainly find at least one you will want to purchase, so the tour should end up complimentary.  We enthusiastically encourage a visit to Truchard!

Truchard Vineyard 

3234 Old Sonoma Rd
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 253-7153
Date of visit: 3/28/2012

Trinitas Cellars

Trinitas Cellars was founded in 2002 and is located in the Meritage Resort complex in Napa.  The tasting room is in a cave underneath the famous Napa Wine Press statue that can be seen when coming toward Napa on Highway 12.  Some of their fruit is from their own vineyards and some is sourced.

Service was very friendly at Trinitas.  Both servers were knowledgeable, polite and down to earth.  I wish more wineries realized how important customer service is to the overall tasting experience at a winery.  There is a $10 tasting fee but it is applicable toward your wine purchase and wine prices are very reasonable. No appointment is needed.

 

We began our tasting with the Trinitas 2010 Sauvignon Blanc at $22.  This had one of the best aromas of any Sauvignon Blanc I’ve encountered recently and was just like smelling a fresh Meyer’s lemon.  Comparing wines to fruits is approximate in most instances but this really did have the aroma of a Meyer’s.  This SB is from Pope Valley and had some Muscato added.  It was lemon rather than the usual grapefruit on the palate, with a longer finish than most SBs.  Their Chardonnay had full malolactic conversion, so I passed on tasting it and went next to the Trinitas 2009 Pinot Noir at $36.  This again had a very good nose.  I got plum and some smoke on the palate.  It was very drinkable.  We then proceeded to the Trinitas 2008 Meritage at $55, the favorite wine for both of us.  This is from Oak Knoll and is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cabernet Fanc, Merlot and Malbec added.  It had well balanced bright red fruit on the palate and a good finish.  The Trinitas 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon at $50 was fairly good.  The nose was very light and I got plum on the palate with some smoke.  This was followed by the Trinitas 2009 Old Vine Petite Sirah at $25.  PS is one of my favorite varietals, but this one was too sweet tasting.  I have tasted late harvest desert Petite Sirahs which I’ve enjoyed but this one fell in between a normal PS and a desert one.  I didn’t care for the style but my friend did.  Tasting is subjective, especially regarding preferences in style.  This one is perhaps a Petite Sirah for those who usually don’t like Petite Sirahs or who want a fruity and rather sweet red wine.  It is much softer, sweeter and fruitier than most PS.  Overall, the wines at Trinitas were decent wines for the price, with the 2008 Meritage being our favorite.

Trinitas Cellars 

875 Bordeaux Way
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 251-3012
Date of visit: March 28, 2012 

Hendry Vineyard and Winery

Hendry Vineyard and Winery provides the most interesting and informative winery tour and tasting in Napa Valley.  If you want to learn more about wine, this is the place to visit!

Our tour and tasting was conducted by George O. Hendry himself, whom we met at the Zinfandel Festival in January.  He made such good Zin and was such a down to earth, pleasant and interesting person that we knew we had to visit.  Although George may appear as a humble farmer who grew up on an old-fashioned Napa dairy, plum and wine farm, he is extremely knowledgeable and has advanced degrees in physics, chemistry and engineering and he designs nuclear cyclotrons.  Although he did grow up on the farm that is now his vineyard, he is equally at home talking to wine experts or people who know very little about wine. He can also explain everything about vineyard management, wine making, marketing, and wine appreciation from choosing rootstock, to the complex chemical processes in making a wine, to the art of cooking and paring foods with wine.  George is something of a wine encyclopedia with charm.

Vineyard

The ranch has been a vineyard since the 1859 when it was planted by the Sigrist family and was one of the most extensive vineyards in the valley.  It has been owned by the Hendry family since 1939 when George W. Hendry, an agronomy professor at UCB and UCD, purchased the property which was taken over by his wife and two sons when he died in 1944.  A growing increase in demand for premium wines in the 1960s and 1970s led to their move away from plum orchards and dairy farming to focus on vineyard planting.  In the 1970s they sold their grapes to Mondavi and in the 1980s they sold to Mondavi, Opus one and Kent Rosenblum.  The first Hendry vintage was in 1992. During the tour, you will learn the history of the vineyard and how they decided to diversify by matching different wine varietals to the many microclimates on the property.

After the vineyard tour and history, the tour continues inside the winery where you will learn everything you always wanted to know about making wine.  George encourages questions and no question is too simple or too technical for him to manage in a way that is geared specifically to the level of the person asking the questions.  He makes everything so clear that you will wonder if he also has an advanced degree in communication.

Winery building

After over two hours in the vineyard and winery, the tour continues up to the tasting room where an hour is spent tasting ten different wines.  This is not your usual pour and taste experience.  George describes what to look for in each wine, what foods it would pair with and helps you to understand wine appreciation.  You will taste a wine, proceed to another and then return to the former wine to see how the taste changed.  You will taste a wine and then some crackers with olive oil, returning to the wine to see how the wine is now completely different in taste.  This is carefully conducted wine appreciation class, not just a hurried tasting.  The entire tour and tasting will last at least three hours.  (Reservations are required, of course, as clearly noted on their web page.)  Other wineries have good tours, but this is the most comprehensive tour and tasting I know of in Napa Valley.  It is well worth the $20 but can be free if you purchase wine.  It is no surprise to see that Hendry is the highest rated tourist attraction in Napa Valley with Trip Advisor and why there are hundreds of highest rating reviews on Yelp.  Hendry is probably the best place for many people to begin their Napa Valley wine tasting.

Tasting room

All Hendry wines are grown on their property so are Napa Valley wines.  Many Napa Valley wineries purchase some grapes from outside Napa Valley so they can sell less expensive wines.  Usually any wine sold for less than around $20 is not from Napa Valley because of the price of Napa Valley grapes.  Wine prices at Hendry begin at $18 for their Pinot Gris, although they also have two other wines for $20 or less.  The highest price current release is their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon at $55, which is the only wine sold for over $38.  Varietals include: Pinot Gris, Albarino, Unoaked Chardonnay, Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, various blocks of Zinfandel, two levels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Italian Primitivo and Cabernet Franc.  The Albarino and Primitivo are rarely found at any Napa Valley wineries, and you will not find much Pinot Gris or 100% Petit Verdot.  So Hendry also offers you an opportunity to taste some varietals that you won’t find at most other Napa Valley wineries.

 

Our tasting notes of the ten wines would continue for many pages, so a summary seems more appropriate. We did not taste the Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc.  Of the red wines we really liked the Hendry 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($55), the Henery 2008 Pinot Noir ($33), the Hendry 2007 Red Wine ($38) and the Hendry 2007 Block 28 Zinfandel ($35).  The Hendry Primitivo ($35) was good, but I must confess I find Primitivos in general to be less interesting than Zins to which they are closely related.  Primitivos often seem to me to be Zins without tannin or spice.  The HRW Cabernet Sauvignon was just okay; but then it is only $23 which makes it a decent Napa Valley Cab for the price.  With the white wines, I liked both of the Chardonnays, the Hendry 2010 Unoaked Chardonnay at $19 and the Hendry 2009 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay at $30.  It was very interesting to compare the oaked and unoaked ones side by side.  Neither one has had malolactic conversion, so you really taste the Chardonnay varietal on the unoaked one and can easily identify the effects of French oak on the other.  The Pinot Gris ($18) and the Albarino ($20) were both good.  I don’t drink Pinot Gris very often but love good Albarinos.  Most Albarinos in the $20 or less range are not that good, but this one was quite decent.

If I had to pick my two favorites, they would be the 2007 Cab and the 2007 Zin.  The red wine blend at $38 is darned good and very interesting.  This has the traditional Bordeaux varietals but unlike Bordeaux blends that are either predominately Cabernet Sauvignon (Left Bank) or Merlot (Right Bank), this wine is an unusual blend (percentage wise) of 36% Petit Verdot, 21% Malbec, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc and was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels,  with 70% of them new barrels.  The 2007 Cab is a free run Cab that was in new French oak for 21 months.  It is very drinkable now but will cellar well.  With cherry on the nose, well-integrated tannins and oak, and very good balance, this is a very high quality Napa Cab.  The 2008 Pinot Noir was also very good, a lighter style Pinot but bursting with red fruit flavors.  We really liked every one of the wines we tasted.

Hendry Vineyard and Winery should probably be at the top of the list for many people when they visit Napa Valley.  They provide a great introduction to wine and wine appreciation and also offer outstanding quality wines with many different varietals.  It is a wonderful winery to visit.

Hendry Vineyard and Winery

3104 Redwood Rd
Napa, CA 94558

(707) 226-8320
Date of visit: March 21, 2012 

Gustavo Thrace Winery

Gustavo Thrace Tasting Room is located across from the Oxbow Center near downtown Napa.  The Gustavo in “Gustavo Thrace” is Gustavo Brambila, one of the characters depicted in the movie Bottle Shock. In the movie his character was played by Freddy Rodriguez from Six Feet Under.  Currently he is a partner of Gustavo Thrace winery as well as their winemaker and general manager.  Thrace is Thrace Bromberger, a winery partner. They began producing their wine in 1996.

Front entrance

It is nice to know that Gustavo is still making exceptional wines.  We asked at the winery last year if he really could do the incredible wine tasting feats that were depicted in the movie.  We were told that, indeed, he could, but reminded that there were far fewer wines and wineries back then so it was not as difficult to identify the origin of a wine at that time.   Here is a link to Gustavo:  http://gustavothrace.com/media.htm

Tasting room

The tasting fee is $10, but I've read that there are many coupons for complimentary or discount tastings. Our tasting began with one of their second label wines called The 3^rd Bottle.  This was their Gustavo Thrace White Table Wine which sells for only $17 and is a good buy at that price.  It is 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon and is a dry white with some minerality, good acid with a nice balance.  Next, we sampled the Gustavo Thrace 2006 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon at $65.  This was a good Cab for the money, but we both preferred the Tessera 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Blend which was only $10 more.  It was a very good Cab, and we purchased a bottle.

Tasting bar

A wine we purchased last year, and still remember, was the Gustavo Thrace 2006 Petite Sirah, which is currently sold out but deserves mentioning.  It was $40 from the winery.  Big with ripe cherries and supple, integrated tannins and spice, all nicely balanced. This is an exceptional Petite Sirah and well worth the price. We now know from genetic testing at UC Davis that Petite Syrah is known as Durif in France, where it does not do as well. Too many today California Petite Sirahs now are being made with excessive forward fruit and without the characteristic PS spice, but this one has everything you would want in a Petite Sirah and is highly recommended. 

Gustavo Thrace Winery 

1021 McKinstry
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 257-6796
Date of visit: March 21, 2012 

Marston Family Vineyard

Marston Family Vineyard is a wonderful winery with exceptional wines.  Although it is in the Spring Mountain District, it is not off Spring Mountain Road so there is no need to drive up that high winding road.  It is easily reached by following White Sulphur Springs Road in St. Helena to the end.  Directions are essential, however, as is an appointment and a gate code.  You might want to have your camera ready as you drive up there.  In addition to several small streams, there are some large redwood trees and many lovely views.

Vineyard

The vineyard has an interesting history that includes Clark Gable spending his honeymoon there.  The Marston family purchased the vineyard in 1969 and use to sell their grapes to other wineries but began offering their own first commercial release in 1998.  But an interesting history, warm hospitality and lovely setting are only part of the attraction.  Marston Family Vineyard makes very limited releases of some outstanding, handcrafted wines.

Residence

Tasting room

Their Marston 2010 Albion (96% Sauvignon Blanc and 4% Semillon) is incredible.  Only 125 cases were produced.  As with French white Bordeauxs, some Semillon is added.  I really liked it at the tasting, but was later able to appreciate how great it was after opening a bottle at home. Very much in the French style, this would never be mistaken it for a New Zealand SB, nor does it taste like most Californian SBs  It does not have the sometimes overpowering tropical fruit of many Kiwi SBs.  Unlike many California SBs, it is not a grapefruit bomb, nor is it lacking integration or balance, with fruit going off in one direction, acid in another with a rather fragmented structure.  Instead, it is French in character with a drier presentation, subtlety, finesse, nuance, minerality and exquisite balance.  A nice light nose, with melon and some grapefruit on the palate, this strokes the mid palate like ambrosia from heaven.  The balance, structure and complexity are truly amazing! This is the one of the finest Sauvignon Blancs I’ve ever tasted.  Marston sourced some great fruit and then worked miracles to produce one of the nicest Sauvignon Blancs I have ever had.  I really love it!!! 

Tasting table

This delightful Sauvignon Blanc was to be followed up by two excellent Cabs.  We tried both of their Cabs and each one was wonderful in its own way.  The Elizabeth John 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon had a great aroma, with some cherry on the palate.  It was lighter than their flagship Cab and ready to drink now.  This is definitely not a second label but a very nice Cab that is intended for more immediate gratification without having to be cellared for many years.  The Marston 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, (250 cases produced) which is drinkable now but will improve with age, also had a nice aroma but was bigger without being overpowering, offering more complexity on the palate, with cherry, plum and some spice.  There were fascinating layers of flavor, all gracefully balanced, with a long finish.  This wine has a complexity, style and finesse that place it among the finest Cabs in Napa Valley.  The Wine Spectator rated it last summer at a very respectful 92 points and ranked it as one of the “Outstanding 2008 Napa Cabernets.”  We would rate it higher than that, but then nearly a year has passed since the WS review and this Cab will improve with age if you can resist drinking it now.  (I later tasted a bottle of the Marston 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and liked it even slightly better than the 2008.)

Vineyard

Tastings at the winery are by appointment only and cost $35 but this can be applied toward purchases.  The setting is gorgeous and includes a brief tour an interesting history.  The tastings is accompanied by fine cheeses and cold meats with a different glass for each sample.  Marston provides an excellent tasting experience and Elizabeth is enthusiastic, devoted and delightfully interesting.  The Albion sells for $50, the Elizabeth John for $65 and the current release Cabernet Sauvignon for $100.  Library wines are also available for $120.  (Robert Parker and others raved about the 2006, so we bought a bottle along with the 2008 and the Elizabeth John.)  Marston Family Vineyard is the antithesis of the large commercial wineries with their crowds of tasters pushing in to the stand up bar for a tasting.  It is an enchanting place where the love of wine and the devotion and enthusiasm of the Marston family are readily evident.  It is one of our favorite wineries and we look forward to returning.

Marston Family Vineyard

3600 White Sulphur Springs Rd
Saint Helena, CA 94574
(707) 963-8490

Date of Visit: March 14, 2012 

Long Meadow Ranch Winery

Long Meadow Ranch Winery has a tasting room on Highway 29 next to the very good restaurant called Farmstead.  It is open to the public without an appointment.  Both the winery and the restaurant are well worth a visit.  The winery itself is located up in the Mayacamas Mountains.  In addition to wines, they sell their own olive oil.  Tasting wise, they have an Essential Flight of three wines for $10 or a Signature Flight of five wines for $20.  The later includes two older, limited production Cabs.  They also offer various wine and food parings from $40 to the “Napa Valley Dream” at $150 and can customize private events.  We opted for the Essential Flight.

Tasting building

Our tasting began with the Long Meadow Ranch 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from Rutherford which sells for $19.  This was more lemon on the palate than grapefruit.  As with many California Sauvignon Blancs, it really did not come together for me on the palate, and I got very little nose and a short finish.  Much better to both of our tastes was the Long Meadow Ranch 2008 Ranch House Red at $29 which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese. It had nice fruit, some complexity, good structure and a fairly long finish, making it an interesting wine for the price.  We also had the Long Meadow Ranch 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon which was $45. Our server said that the Wine Enthusiast rated it a 93 and that it was 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 3% Cab Franc. The nose was light while the palate was a youthful bright red fruit with some herbaceousness and some cedar.  It was a decent cab and worth the price, but we were surprised it received such a high rating.  Perhaps it needed more air.

We bought some of the 2008 Ranch House Red and some Napa Valley Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil at $25 which we were also able to taste.  They also have a Prato Lungo Extra Virgin Olive Oil for $49 but we were not offered a taste of it. I would also have liked to taste the Sangiovese, but this was not offered and purchase was available only to wine club members.  With the very good Farmstead restaurant in the same complex, Long Meadow Ranch is well worth a visit, especially after your lunch or dinner.

Tasting bar

Long Meadow Ranch Winery 

738 Main Street
St. Helena, CA 94574

707-963-4555

Date of Visit: March 14, 2012

Sutter Home Family Vineyards

Sutter Home Family Vineyards is the fifth largest winery in the U.S. and the second largest family owned winery.  Its history dates back to 1874, but it did not become a household name until 1972 when Bob Trinchero was experimenting with Zinfandel grapes and accidentally invented White Zinfandel, a rose type wine made from red Zinfandel grapes.  They are now famous for their White Zinfandel.  All of their wines are very inexpensive and seem to be designed for new wine drinkers and those who like wines that are very simple, sweeter tasting, with very minimal acid, tannin or structure.

Wine tasting at Sutter Home Family Vineyards is complementary and prices are extremely inexpensive, probably the least expensive in the entire valley. This is an unpretentious winery that sells wines for as little as $5 a bottle while being located in winery row on Highway 29 just South of St. Helena. Obviously, they cannot use Napa Valley grapes and keep the prices this low. A Napa Valley winery owner recently told me that the least expensive wine he could make using Napa Valley grapes cost him $18 a bottle and that was his cost, not what he would have to sell the wine for to make a profit and stay in business. So Sutter Home has to use grapes from other areas and produce it in large quantities.  Despite having lived in Napa for over 30 years and having toured Napa Valley wineries since 1973 forty years, I had never visited Sutter Home so I thought it was about time.

Staff at Sutter Home was very friendly and down to earth.  Neither of us drinks white Zinfandel but we were persuaded to try the Sutter Home Reserve White Zinfandel that sells for $10.  It was still somewhat sweet but not nearly as sweet and certainly not as insipid as most white Zinfandels.  It was better than we anticipated. This wine would pair well with fruit, especially very ripe nectarines.  Next, we tried the Sutter Home Chardonnay which has some malolactic conversion and seemed to have a little more residual sugar than most Chards.  It was only $5 a bottle.  The Sutter Home Pinot Noir at $6 a bottle is a very light PN.  According to our host, it was made for people who are new to red wine.  Our favorite was the Sutter Home Retro Zinfandel from Amador County at $18.  It was a lighter style Zin and not at all what I would expect from Amador County (usually the home of really big Zins), but pleasant.  Sutter Home also offers a line of “Fre Alcohol-Removed Wines” for those who do not drink alcohol.  The highest priced wine they sell is $20 and most sell for $5 and $6.

Sutter Home is a place I’d honestly take my Mom if she visited from the Mid-West.  That is not intended as a criticism.  We need some wineries like this for people who do not ordinarily drink wine and for those who are just being introduced to wine.  Their prices are "way" affordable and tastings are complementary.  I’m glad we still have a few wineries like this in Napa Valley.

Sutter Home Family Vineyards

277 St Helena Highway South
St Helena, CA 94574
(707) 963-3104

Date of Visit: March 14, 2012 

Robert Craig Winery

If you love terroir driven red wines, especially Cabs, you will find Robert Craig wines to be exceptionally good with much character.  Robert Craig has been referred to as a Napa Valley “mountain man.”  He produces Cabernet Sauvignon from some of the highest areas above Napa Valley, including Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain.  Robert Craig Winery is located up on Howell Mountain at 2300 feet and was opened in 2002, but they have a very modern looking tasting room in Napa near Central Valley Builders Supply.  The tasting room is open by appointment and charges $20 for a tasting.  Short notice appointments are sometimes available if they are not too  busy, so if you are in the area, and love serious red wines,  be sure to call them and they might be able to accommodate you for a tasting.  Our host was friendly and helpful.

Entry to tatting room

Robert Craig Cabs are noted for their emphasis on terroir, each wine having the unique characteristics of the soil, microclimate, vines, etc. where they are grown.  They are also well known for their consistently high quality red wines.  These are serious wines intended for those who really love red wine.  It is not a place I’d take my elderly parents from the Midwest or a friend whose favorite wine was white Zinfandel.  There are many wineries that cater to casual tourists and people who are not really into wine, but this is not one of those places. Nobody in Napa Valley makes bad wines, so if you don’t like a flight of wines at a winery then you probably went to the wrong winery for your particular taste. If you love serious Cabs, you will want to visit Robert Craig Winery and other small mountain wineries, especially those on Spring Mountain, Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain. 

Tasting bar

Our tasting began with the Robert Craig 2010 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay at $48.  It has no malolactic conversion and is a good fresh, crisp wine with just a hint of oak.  This was followed by the Robert Craig 2008 Affinity at $50 which is a Bordeaux type Cab.  It was a good cab with some cherry on the palate and mellow tannins.  A step up was the Robert Craig 2008 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon for $70.  This is not too big at all for a mountain cab.  It had some blackberry with nice fruit and soft, integrated tannins and a long finish.  I don’t think it will cellar that long, so drink it soon.  Possibly even better was the Robert Craig 2008 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon at $80, a darker fruit cab with some spice and smooth tannins.  At only $50 the Robert Craig 2009 Howell Mountain Zinfandel from Black Sears Vineyard was very nice and possibly our favorite for the money.  It is a bright Zin but still smooth with good Zin spice.  Quite good for only $30 was the Robert Craig 2009 Mt. George Cuvee which is a Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot blend.

Tasting lounge

Robert Craig wines do not overwhelm you with huge, late picked, super ripe Cabs.  They are more about complexity and subtlety.  If you are an experienced Cab lover, you will certainly want to visit them and you will undoubtedly want to make some purchases.

Robert Craig Winery 

625 Imperial Way
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 252-2250

Date of Visit: March 7, 2012 

Robert Biale Vineyards

Great Zinfandels and a very friendly down to earth winery!  Robert Biale Vineyards was founded in 1991, but the family has been making Zinfandel for about 70 years.  There is a sign in front of the winery that says, “Watch for Black Chicken.”  They also make a Zin called Black Chicken.  There is a story behind this.  When Robert Baile was a teenager, they made Zinfandel and would sometimes swap some for products their neighbors grew or made.  Because they had a party line (a telephone line that is shared by a number of other neighbors) and were not licensed to sell wine, they used  “black chicken” as a code word for ordering wine.  Although the winery currently has no chickens, they do have plans for adding some.





Clementina Biale

While tasting we were honored with a visit from Clementina Biale (who is the matriarch of the family.  She confirmed the story about the party line and the black chicken and told us other stories as well.  A bright, engaging and fascinating woman, Ms. Baile would provide a very interesting subject for a biography. We hope we will see her again during our next visit.



Watch for Black Chicken

This winery is famous for its Zinfandel, but they have been sourcing grapes to make a Sauvignon Blanc.  Our tasting, therefore, began with the Robert Biale 2010 Pollo Bianco Sauvignon Blanc from Yountville AVA which sells for $22.  The wine was pleasant enough but will soon be discontinued.  Our next tasting was the Robert Biale  2009 Rocky Ridge Zinfandel from Rockpile AVA ($50).  This is from younger vines and is grown at a higher elevation than most of the Biale Zins and was a lighter wine than the Monte Rosso Zin that was also $50.  It was a good Zin but we preferred the luscious Robet Biale 009  Monte Rosso Zinfandel. After tasting it at the winery, we both bought some to take home.  This had a black cherry aroma with a bold ripe fruit presentation plus minerality, spice, good acidity, highly integrated tannins and a decent finish.  This is neither a thin Zin nor an excessively alcoholic one.  It is fairly big with ripe fruit but not at all one-dimensional, having complexity and great balance.  We also liked the Robert Biale 2008 Petite Sirah from Oak Knoll ($42) and the Robert Biale 2006 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah ($62).  The Petite Sirah had a light nose with pleasant tannins while the Syrah had a pronounced aroma of cherries with good tannin and ripe fruit without being overly fruit forward.







The winery is famous for their Black Chicken Zinfandel that sells for $42 and we heard good things about the Aldo Zinfandel ($75) and the Like Father Like Son Blend (2008), but these were not available to us for tasting.




Tasting room is around the corner on the left

Robert Biale makes some outstanding red wines and some of the best Zinfandels ever.  If you love red wine or Zins in particular, you will certainly want to visit.  The tasting fee is $20 but each tasting fee may be applied to a purchase.  If you are unable to visit the winery but would like to taste a marvelous Zinfandel, we both strongly recommend you consider purchasing the Robert Biale 2009 Monte Rosso at $50.  I’ll update this review as we try more Robert Biale wines, something we are definitely planning to do.




 Robert Biale Vineyards

4038 Big Ranch Rd

    Napa, CA 94581

    (707) 257-7555

    Date of visit: March 7, 2012 

Silenus Vintners

When we attended the Zinfandel Festival several months ago, we liked the Highlands Winery Zin and obtained a card from them.  Highlands does not have a tasting room at their vineyard, but you may taste their wines at Silenus Vintners.  We thought Silenus was simply a tasting room but it turns out they are the winery where Highlands and other vineyards make their wine.  Silenus offers tastings from their “collection of artisan winemakers” with a frequently changing menu.  We were not able to taste all three Highlands Winery wines, but only one, so this is really a review of Silenus Vintners rather than Highlands Winery.

Entry sign

Silenus Vintners began in 2006 when the Williamson family purchased the property and added a crush facility with tasting room.  They opened their facility so other vineyards could produce their wine there.  In 2010, the Chinese-American company Silenus International Group purchased the winery.  

Tasting bar

Silenus is located on Solano Avenue, the road that parallels Highway 29 and is about half way between Napa and Yountville.  Although reservations are required, they can sometimes be obtained on very short notice if they are not too busy.  Eleven premium wineries are featured with more than thirty different wines.  There is a $15 tasting fee for six wines.  We had a choice from six white wines and seven red wines from which to chose.  Prices on the tasting menu ranged from $10 to $75 with two wines being on sale for $10 and $14.  The presentation is in a lovely modern tasting room with very friendly service thanks to Scott.

Especially striking was the high quality of all the wines we sampled.  Our tasting began with the Matthiasson 2010 White Wine at $35 which is a highly unusual blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano. The later two are Italian varietals.  This is an intriguing wine that has a very unique taste.  It is quite dry with good acidity, some citrus and a hint of nuttiness. It would probably pair well with seafood or poultry.  Next was the Coleman Nicole “Morris Ranch” 2009 Pinot Noir ($45), a pleasant, lighter style PN with plenty of bright fruit (mostly strawberry). If you like lighter style PNs you should try this. This was followed by an excellent Ideology “Reserve Block" 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon which was $68 and is 100% Cab.  2007 was, of course, an outstanding year for Napa Cabs.  This one was from Oak Knoll grapes and only 225 cases were produced by Brian Graham.  It is a full-bodied, but not overpowering Cab with cherry and vanilla on the nose and black cherry with good structure, great balance and integrated tannins on the palate plus a decent finish. Both of us really liked this Cab.  Our next taste was the Highlands Reserve 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain, also at $68.  This was rounder than the Ideology Cab but still had substantial mouth feel and an even longer finish.  It was quite good and it would be difficult to chose between this and the Ideology. The style of the Ideology was more appealing to me, but that is simply a personal preference.  The Matthiasson 2006 Red Wine at $75 was next.  This is essentially a Bordeaux style blend with more Merlot than Cab.  It, also, was a very nice wine and I liked it almost as much as the Ideology.  It had a lovely ruby color with some raspberry in the aroma.  On the palate it has a freshness with well-balanced acid and tannins, some cherry and a long finish. Our final tasting was the Modus Operandi Cellars 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon.  This had a light cherry aroma and was quite drinkable for a Cab this young.

Building next to tasting building

We also purchased some wines that we were able to taste later.  One of them was the Highlands Howell Mountain 2006 Zinfandel ($29).  It was deep ruby in color with a dark cherry and ripe plum aroma. On the palate it had good brambly boysenberry fruit with some pleasant herbaceousness and earthiness, firm tannin and a medium length finish with some pomegranate and a touch of alcohol that improved with some air. We also purchased several bottles of the Silenus 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon which was lovely and very drinkable with soft tannins. It was described at the winery as a “prettier style cab.”  At $45 a bottle, it was very good for the price.  We purchased and tasted more carefully the Highlands Zin and the Silenus Cab underlined above and were very pleased with both of them.

One tasting provides only a glimpse of what Silenus Vintners has to offer, so this review is a preliminary one and will be modified after we have made an additional visit or two.  In the meantime, we can enthusiastically recommend visiting Silenus.  Their boutique wines are very good and are more affordable than most wines of this quality.

Silenus Vintners
5225 Solano Ave
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 299-3930
Date of visit: March 7, 2012