Harvest in the Napa Valley!
Harvest is a special time in the valley. It is the culmination of diligence and oversight of the vines and the evolution of the fruit. This year we were in the vineyard with our friend as his grapes were picked and hauled away to the waiting winery. It was especially sweet since last year his entire crop was lost to smoke taint from the Tubbs Fire. For the vineyard owner, it was a truly remarkable harvest experience.
The process of picking customarily takes place in the cool of the evening. The reason for this is so the process of fermentation does not begin. The cool evening hours provide a measure of assurance that the process does not start without the oversight of the winemaker. There is much to be done before the fermentation begins to bring that lovely bottle of Cabernet to your table.
Amici Cellars: A New Find!
A few friends who loved Napa Valley wine decided to make their own — and started Amici Cellars in 1991. With that quiet beginning, they named the winery Amici, which means “friend” in Italian. The winery itself is located in Calistoga just a couple of miles past the center of town on Old Lalley/Toll Road. It is a rural setting with gorgeous views of the Palisades Mountain Range and sitting directly under Mount St. Helena. Easy to get to, it’s only a five minute drive from town and a delightful wine experience.
The tasting we experienced was set up outside in front of the guesthouse on a pleasantly warm Sunday afternoon. With the mountains in the background, our host Shawn took us through seven wines.
Keplinger: A Favorite!
This is exciting news! For years, I have followed and loved the wines made by Helen Keplinger. My first taste of her wine was the 2006 Red Slope, a Grenache based wine that I can still recall. It was lush with mouth watering fruit – so much so that I needed to join the mailing list. It was a great decision!
I’ve written about Helen’s wines several times in the past out (check it here and here). The challenge has always been how to introduce the fine art of her winemaking to my friends. There was no tasting room, and the busy schedule of Helen and her husband/business partner, DJ, made it hard to schedule a tasting. The wait is over. This is the email they sent me! Read on, and…
Schramsberg Vineyards: A Sparkling Occasion
Many people reserve sparkling wine for special occasions, and others allow it to make any occasion special. However you approach it, there is a great experience waiting for you at Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga.
This property was one of the first wineries in the Napa Valley, second only to Charles Krug. With that, they have developed a rich history of producing fine sparkling wines that have been served at official State functions by every U.S. Presidential administration starting with President Nixon. Schramsberg produces excellent sparkling wines that are crafted with several of the old practices through a history that spans over 50 years.
Favia Wines: Worth Mentioning Again
I’ve posted about Favia Wines before, here and here; and this wine is worth mentioning again.
Winemaker Andy Erickson and viticulturist Annie Favia (a husband and wife team) bring together the art and science of winemaking to deliver a quality product that can be enjoyed on any occasion. Favia Wines holds a favorite spot in my collection, as it is a wide portfolio that can pair with many foods and be savored by themselves. These wines can brighten up any day or special event with great balance, aromas, flavors and mouthfeel.
Champagne Harvest Kicks Off in France
We’re closing in on that exciting time of year in the world of wine — harvest! In Napa Valley, harvest generally kicks off this time of year with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, which are used in sparkling wine.
I recently received this interesting information about the 2018 Harvest Kick Off in the Champagne region of France, which is obviously known for Champagne. The article notes that this is the fifth time in the past 15 years that the harvest has begun in August, due to an unusually wet winter and warm spring.
Summer Sippers
Bright, crisp, and clean with floral and fruit notes that rise up from your glass and beckon you in for a sip. The wine hits your palate and washes over it with refreshing, bright, stone fruit notes and mouthwatering acidity. The wine speaks to you like a welcome friend of summer and leaves you with a cool respite from the heat.
We have rolled into summer with a rush of heat. The temperature is rising with record heat in some areas. Refreshing white wines are on the list of items to buy to help cool off and lighten the spirit.
Horse Heaven Hills Red Blend: A $15 Winner
This is an easy drinking, crowd-pleasing wine. I initially looked for the 2016 Cabernet, yet found this lovely bottle at my local grocery store. This wine is ready now with plush fruit flavors and soft tannins. This is the 2014 Horse Heaven Hills Red Blend Les Chevaux from Columbia Crest.
Horse Heaven Hills is the AVA (American Viticultural Area) where the grapes come from that go into this wine. This is the 3rd largest AVA (based on the acreage planted with vines) in Washington State, and many of the highly rated wines of Washington come from this area.
The Taste of Howell Mountain 2018
The Taste of Howell Mountain was created to raise money for the elementary school on Howell Mountain. The vintners and winemakers gather to donate their wine to support the educational needs of the kids who go to school on the mountain. The funds that are raised will provide needed resources, and the kids are the biggest winners of the day.
This event remains one of my favorites. There are several reasons for this, starting with the wines of the AVA (American Viticultural Area – a designation within the United States that denotes shared characteristics for the growing area). The altitude of Howell Mountain provides warm days and cool nights that afford the grapes an opportunity to develop fine phenolics (chemical compounds that affect taste, color and mouthfeel of the wine) and produce deep, rich red wines with bright acidity. They are lush on the palate with tannins that are sometimes big and yet refined. When you start with this quality of wine, you have set an excellent day in motion.
The Price of a Cab — Cabernet Sauvignon, That Is…
Have you ever stood in the aisle of the Cabernet Sauvignon section at the store and wondered, “Why is this one $8 and this one $80?” I suspect you assumed the difference was quality. That’s a fair assumption, yet have you wondered what contributes to the cost of that quality? What is it about the winemaking process that leads to those differences?
First, let me stake out that there are no hard and fast rules, yet there are approaches and techniques in winemaking that make a quantitative difference in production costs. Here are some of the aspects that feed into the cost of your bottle of Cabernet, whatever you choose for whatever occasion.