Mission Statement

In vino veritas – in wine lies truth. Wine drinkers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but a few bucks. Moderate wine consumption is part of a healthy and congenial life style. Thomas Jefferson famously said, “Good wine is a necessity of life for me.” This blog subscribes wholeheartedly to Jefferson’s dictum and hopes to do the great revolutionary proud.

Friday, September 7, 2012

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

TERROIR IN NAPA? IT'S IN THEM THERE HILLS

You might have heard the complaints. Napa Cabernet Sauvignons all taste the same. They are over extracted, alcoholic fruit bombs made to please the critics.

If you want to see another side of Napa, head for the hills. Napa Valley is bordered by the Vaca Range to the East and the Mayacamas Mountains in the West.
Dyer Vineyard
The Mayacamas Mountains have three American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). From South to North they are Mt.Veeder AVA, Spring Mountain AVA, and Diamond Creek AVA.

Why AVAs? A wine from a particular AVA may have a specific meaning for consumers, something that is synonymous with certain qualities that they are searching for.

In 1981 there was just one AVA in Napa, called, you guessed it, "Napa Valley." Today, there is a multitude of AVAs (e.g. Rutherford AVA, St. Helena AVA) in the Valley itself.

Mt.Veeder AVA, Spring Mountain AVA, and Diamond Mountain AVA are the AVAs along the Mayacamas Mountains. Howell Mountain AVA is located towards the southern end of the Vaca Range.

Mountain Cabs from Napa Valley are different. They tend to be more structured with firm, fruity tannins that give them real aging potential, leading to greater complexity in the wine over time.

At blind tastings (i.e. the bottle is in a bag), older Napa Cabs from the Valley floor are usually identifiable by their sweet fruitiness when compared to other benchmark Cabernets, say, fine Bordeaux.

With mountain Cabernets it may be different. A friend has collected Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignons from Spring Mountain from the mid 1980's on. Occasionally, he'll bring an old Smith-Madrone to one of our blind tastings. Without fail, they come across as great Bordeaux from a very good vintage.

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH?

Von Strasser Vineyard
All three AVAs stretching along the Mayacamas Mountain mentioned above show very little variation in terrain and vegetation, but tasters notice that the Cabs coming from them do have their differences.

While all the Mayacamas Mountain AVAs produce great, non-wimpy Cabs (e.g. Mt.Veeder - Mayacamas Winery, Spring Mountain - Smith-Madrone Vineyards, and Diamond Mountain - Diamond Creek Vineyards), tasters often find Cabs from the Diamond Mountain AVA to be less tannic and exhibiting a pronounced scent and taste of chocolate.

The heart of the Diamond Mountain AVA, the Diamond Mountain quadrangle, or as the growers call it, the "Diamond Mountain Fillet," consists of Diamond Creek Winery, Von Strasser Vineyards, Reverie Vineyard, and the tiny Dyer Vineyard.

Only Von Strasser Vineyards and Reverie Vineyard have tasting rooms and offer tastings by appointment. Dyer Vineyard does not have a tasting facility, but accepts visitors by appointment.

FAME AND FORTUNE: DIAMOND CREEK VINEYARDS

In 1967 founder Al Brounstein, bought 80 acres on Diamond Mountain, overlooking Napa Valley. He hired Richard Steltzner and they carved out and planted four vineyards, totaling 20 acres.

Brounstain was a true pioneer. While Mt.Veeder and Spring Mountain had vineyards and wineries during pre-prohibition days, Diamond Mountain was pretty much virgin territory.

Al Brounstein had the moxy to smuggle vines from Bordeaux (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc) in, to create his California version of a great Claret (i.e. Bordeaux). His gamble paid off and Diamond Creek Cabernets have been consistently ranked as some of the best in the United States.

All this comes at a price. Some Napa wineries with little or no track record don't hesitate to charge $100 for their bottles. If you have the dough, rather go for the $150 bottle of Diamond Creek, a proven entity. 

Appreciating the different soils and exposures of his vineyards, Brounstein called them Volcanic Hill, Red Rock Terrace, Gravelly Terrace, and Lake Vineyard. With the exception of Lake Vineyard, they have always been vinified, aged, and bottled separately.

A visit to the winery at its open house is a treat. The winery at one point dammed Diamond Creek, creating a picturesque lake. The lake is large enough to go boating and kids jump in to cool off. Visitors picnic along the lake's shore.

Then comes the main event - tasting the barrel samples of the most recent vintage, in this year's case the 2010's that will be bottled and ready for shipping this fall.

The three cuvées, " Red Rock Terrace," Gravelly Meadow," and "Volcanic Hill," are not radically different, but there are discernible nuances. All three have fabulous (chocolaty) bouquets, great balance between fruit and acidity, fruity tannins, and excellent length.

"THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK": VON STRASSER WINERY

The von Strasser family bought their vineyard on Diamond Mountain in 1990. Owner Rudy von Strasser was very much involved in creating the "Diamond Mountain American Viticultural Area" (Diamond Mountain AVA).

Von Strasser Winery
The Von Strasser Winery has a lovely, modern tasting room, worked by a very knowledgeable and personable staff. There is also outdoor seating to take in the lovely scenery, while tasting the wines.

A Diamond Mountain Zinfandel is a rare animal and von Strasser makes a great version ($40).

Von Strasser Winery
His 2009 "Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon" is a blend of five different vineyards owned by other growers. It has a wonderful chocolate bouquet, great balance and good ++ length. ($45).

From their own vineyard comes the 2008 "Estate Cabernet Sauvignon" which shows greater breed. Even though it feels smooth on the palate, there are fruity tannins that give the wine structure and will add complexity down the road ($85).

The 2008 "Agira Cabernet Sauvignon" from a leased vineyard is the epitome of elegance with even deeper fruit, more tannins and outstanding length ($85).

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL: DYER VINEYARD

Dyer Vineyard
After 20 and 25 years respectively as winemakers in the corporate wine world, Bill and Dawnine Dyer chucked it all in and bought a 2.5 acre piece of land within the "Diamond Mountain Fillet" where they developed their own vineyard.

Bill Dyer, a rugged outdoors man who has trekked in Nepal and Tibet, led me to the house the Dyers built on the mountain. It's a fascinating structure. The walls were built with an adobe-like process called "rammed earth." The main room has high ceilings with wooden beams connecting the walls. Huge windows extend from floor to ceiling and reveal beautiful views across their vineyard and beyond.

The Dyer's vineyard is planted with the classic Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Crop levels are low due to the difficult terrain on their mountain site. The Dyers never produce more than 400 cases per year.

The vines are now almost twenty years old and this shows in the quality of the wine that comes from their vineyard. The wine exhibits that typical, deep Diamond Mountain bouquet of cocoa and  berries. The palate reveals good weight, excellent balance between fruit and acidity, some ripe tannins, and very good length ($70).

SUMMARY

If you are looking for world class Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa with real character at somewhat "affordable" prices, head for the hills.

Going beyond the Diamond Mountain AVA, here are some examples of superb mountain Cabernet Sauvignons from the Mayacamas Mountains (i.e. Spring Mountain AVA, Mt.Veeder AVA).

Smith-Madrone on Spring Mountain sells its stellar Cabernet Sauvignon for $65 (get some of their legendary Riesling while you are at it).

York Winery, belonging to Fritz Maytag, owner of San Francisco's Anchor Steam brewery, issues small lots of great Spring Mountain Cabernets at reasonable prices.

Last, but not least, Mayacamas Vineyards (Mt.Veeder AVA), besides Smith-Madrone, kindled my passion for Napa mountain Cabernets. Just like Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignons, Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernets age terrifically and show tons of character ($65).

MISCELLANEOUS: RIESLING RULES

 In case you didn't notice, July was dubbed "The 31 Days of German Riesling" by "Wines of Germany - USA."

For a multitude of reasons (e.g. ghastly vintages in the 1970's and 1980's in Germany, the rise of Chardonnay as the wine synonymous for white wine in this country), German Rieslings fell completely out of fashion, where as they had been the best selling white wines of the 1950's and 1960's in the United States.

A string of good vintages in the 1990's and thereafter brought a reversal of fortune and sommeliers in fine restaurants began recommending Rieslings to their customers.

"The 31 Days of German Riesling" were befittingly celebrated by Dee Vine Wines of San Francisco, for more than fifteen years the premier German Riesling purveyor in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Recently, Dee Vine Wine recalibrated its structure and now conducts business via the internet (www.dvw.com - email - dade@dvw). Owner Dade Thieriot and his wife Petra have installed themselves in a classy town house in San Francisco which also serves as their business hub.

Dee Vine Wines is now specializing in the Rieslings of the Mosel Valley which are Dade Thieriot's real passion. Mosel wineries are currently a hotbed of creative winemaking in Germany.

Dee Vine Wines Riesling party kicked off with "NV Solter Brut Riesling Sekt "("Sekt" is the German term for sparkling wine) from the Rheingau. This bone dry bubbly is made in the Champenois method and it's simply an outstanding sparkling wine.

After Solter Sekt lifted our spirits, a cornucopia of terrific Rieslings from the Rhein, Mosel, and Nahe Valleys followed. They all paired exquisitely with savory bites of tuna tartar, Moroccan lamb sliders, and grilled shrimp.

Clearly Riesling, by many authoritative accounts the world's most versatile and greatest white grape variety, is on the comeback trail. Winemaking in Germany has never been better and excellent recent vintages have lifted German Rieslings to new heights. And don't forget, German Rieslings are still a bargain among the fine wines of the world.

1 comment:

  1. If you are interested I know of a 2 winemakers in Napa. First is Bill Cadman of Tulocay Winery 1426 Coombsville Road.
    The second is Mark Bunter of Bunter/Spring winery and he bottles at Tulocay. Both of these wines are marvelous from a person who enjoys wine but is not a connisseur.
    I assisted in bottling at the winery for Bunter/Spring.
    Phone Bunter/Spring 202 744 1343
    Tulocay 707 255 4064

    ReplyDelete