Tag Archives: napa

Jan23

Francis Ford Coppola Presents “Inglenook Now”

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Francis Ford Coppola Presents “Inglenook Now”

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Francis Ford Coppola, he of Godafther and Apocalypse Now cinematic fame, is probably even more known to some wine folk for his endeavors in California wine for many years now. And when it comes to wine news concerning Mr. Coppola, the recent news of him re-booting the Inglenook brand, and the old Inglenook property’s vineyards, after buying back the Inglenook trademark in 2011 is the cherry on the cake he’s been putting together when not busy bankrupting himself and avoiding Hollywood slavery while making groundbreaking films.Inglenook1941

Coppola bought the Niebaum mansion in 1975 and over the past four decades, he began buying back the property that had been sold in pieces, made it his family home, and poured money into it even when he wasn’t flush with money – but that’s what a labor of love does to you. It’s the one thing he has stuck with, even as he has easily abandoned Hollywood, parting with mainstream filmmaking, something most of the world knows him for. But then again, Coppola has always been one to walk his own path

IInglenook_Winerynglenook’s fame is decades old. Over a hundred years ago they were already making award-winning wine on this estate founded by, of all things, a sea captain from Finland. It garnered the kind of legendary status that has made it, as Robert Mondavi called it, “the most important winery property in the Napa Valley.” So to Coppola, it was a no-brainer to buy back the original Inglenook brand, and replace the Rubicon brand with it, when it became available.

But it doesn’t stop with just a brand. Coppola is intent on reviving the lighter style of wine that made it famous, Cabernets made with few of the modern techniques that seem mandatory in today’s winemaking process. He’s even ready to abandon the usually over the top, oaked fruit bombs of Cabs that Napa has made famous and turn to an older style, some would even say a more Bordeaux style. The shift also requires a change to the hundreds of acres of vines at Inglenook’s vineyards. Coppola has always been very attentive to the farming of his land, and is one of the only vineyard owners in the region to keep a full crew year round to better achieve this purpose.

Now we are beginning to see the first vintages, but a hundred years ago it was the long lasting quality of the Inglenook wines that made them special, so it could be expected that the success of the results of Coppola’s work can only be weighed years, if not decades from now. But if the long-lasting success of his greatest cinematic labor of love, Apocalypse Now, is any sign, there may be great things to come.

           

Nov30

A Tale of Two Merlots

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A Tale of Two Merlots

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In one hand, I have an unoaked Merlot from the cold climes of Canada, and in the other a legendary Merlot from Napa’s Stag’s Leap District.

The unoaked one, the Saxon Winery 2011 Merlot from the Okanagan Valley, is playful as a Mini Cooper on a sunny summer Sunday while the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 2006 Merlot has all the pedigree and muscle of a classic ’67 Ford Mustang, you know, from that time before Ford got it all oh-so-wrong.

But enough chit chat, let’s take them for a spin.

Saxon Winery 2011 Merlot

Saxon Winery, in Summerland, British Columbia, is situated in the Okanagan Valley, an area known for stunning cool-climate Germanic grapes. Saxon’s wines are organically grown and hand-harvested using environmentally sustainable practices.

The ’11 Merlot, blended by winemaker Danny Hatting, has a splash of Pinot Noir thrown in with Naramata bench Merlot grapes, and has not even had a whiff of oak. The result is a fresh, lively wine.

It has a generous nose of raspberries and chocolate, and perfumy aromas that brings to mind a gourmet Big Turk chocolate bar, one of my favorite childhood treats. It’s rare for wine to remind a person of his childhood treats, and this gives the Saxon Merlot a special place for me.

It’s light on the palate, and a truly intriguing wine experience – red berries, chocolate and subtle pepper.

It’s all well and good on its own, and though it doesn’t have the oomph of an aged and oaked Merlot, it can also be paired with meat dishes for the holidays.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 2006 Merlot

Everyone who knows wine knows Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, one of California’s earliest wine estates established by Warren Winiarski in 1970, and based in the Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap District. Famed for its victory at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has risen over the years to be a legendary institution in American wine.

This 2006 Merlot is from our own cellar, acquired on a trip to Napa two years ago, and it was a good time to uncork it.

But even as it stood there, still corked and brought upright to settle any sediment, it’s impressive. Just look at the bottle. It stands there with might and presence, as if knowing that what’s about to go down your throat may just very well change your life a little bit with every sip.

And then, with a pop, some breathing room, and a couple pours, we go for broke…

The nose is wonderfully complex, with aromas of black cherry, black berries, cedar.

On the palate, black plum, licorice and vanilla notes from fabulously integrated oak. The tannins are definitely there, firm and strong but graceful. The long finish brings dark chocolate and ripe blackberries.

Six years on, it’s still feeling young and has several years on it.

As far as pairings go, there’s no red meat that this graceful beast couldn’t go with, but that’s just me talking.

Both of these wine impressed, and have their own places and purposes, much the same way a fun car like a Mini Cooper and a muscle-bound V8 Mustang do. So pick wisely, and enjoy :)

Aug24

2006 St. Supéry Petit Verdot

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2006 St. Supéry Petit Verdot

If you love your licorice notes, then put down that Zin because I think you’ll take a liking to the 2006 St. Supéry Petit Verdot.

On the nose, classic floral notes come across in true Petit Verdot fashion, dominated by lavender, and then there’s the licorice – and I’m not talking here about the plasticy North American black Twizzlers or the Australian “almost there but not quite” variety, but the kind of real licorice root-derived black stuff that makes your mouth water and it seems can only be made in some northern corners of Europe (Finland, I miss your old-fashioned licorices!).

On the palate, plum comes on strong with subtler hints of something festive – cloves perhaps. The rich dark berries stay with you, reminding you this is most definitely a new world wine. The tannins are firm yet pillowy.

This wine is deep and dense, inky purple in color. It’s big as the Napa valley it comes from. Unfortunately, the price is equally big. I’d be hard-pressed to buy this wine for more than a special occasion, and there’s maybe “10 bones” as Gary Vee might say that could be shaved off the price (a discount which Club Members do actually enjoy, by the way).

The branding is something I’m a fan of. From the faux euro-sainthood in the name to the intricate details on the label, there’s a sort of mystique that I enjoy and don’t want to get behind to find out it’s perhaps just for the marketing. This is as Brandalicious a wine as any I’ve tasted this summer.

This is winery exclusive, which we picked up two summers ago at the winery as we made our way up through the valley a couple summers back. Tucked along St. Helena Hwy. in Rutherford, the St. Supéry Estate winery is an easy stop. Not as luxe and manicured as some of it neighbors – Mr. Coppola, I’m looking at you, sir! – the massive tree in its front yard is what I remember best, and that old white house. There was a sense of subtlety to the property.

Apr25

How I Met Your Cabernet: Clos Du Val’s Rise to TV Stardom

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How I Met Your Cabernet: Clos Du Val’s Rise to TV Stardom

Shortly after visiting the Clos Du Val Winery in the Stags Leap District of California’s Napa Valley, we noticed one of their bottles on an episode of Two and a Half Men. There was a pointed finger or two and a happy “Hey!” on our couch, and then time passed. But over the next few months, that same bottle with its easily identifiable terracotta-colored label with the squiggles appeared on How I Met Your Mother, Entourage, and several other shows. Turns out Clos Du Val’s product placement had been some time in the making.

As far back as 2004, both the LA Times and Decanter declared Clos Du Val the winner (or perhaps A winner) of the product placement game. Apparently back then at least “no one tracks wine placements in films and television programs, but Aaron Gordon, president of the Set Resources entertainment marketing firm in Santa Monica, believes that Clos du Val appears in more shows than any other brand”, according to the piece.

This aggressive PR push came on the heels of Clos Du Val having in the past couple years fallen from the elite group of must-have Napa wines. The prominent placements combined with national ratings and reviews, new branding and a price push proved to be a winning combination. Even Wine Spectator, who had gotten down on Clos Du Val for not adapting to the fruit bomb era that customers wanted, praised Clos Du Val in an article titled Napa Mavericks for defying trends.

So now, almost ten years since this change in direction, Clos Du Val is going strong with a vibrant, recognizable brand and a solid product in the bottle. Personally, we are perennial fans of the Carneros Chardonnay and some other delightful discoveries have been their uniquely-branded and old-world leaning Primitivo, which I believe hasn’t been made since 2009, as well as the Carneros Pinot Noir. And the brand, well yes, it is in the back of our heads and catches our eye every time I spot the squiggles and terracotta on TV or at the movies.

With all this visibility, I dare say some of us should get into a long-term drinking game with this. If you spot a Clos Du Val bottle, pour yourself a glass of Cab or Chard in the California fashion!