Wine Travel and Tasting in California (August 2004)

Lil and I made our yearly August pilgrimage to Napa . . .

This year we tried to limit the number of visits in order to maximize the opportunity to taste and learn from some of the great people that we met on the trip. While we visited some tried and true favorites, we were also able to add a new one to the list. I should note that you will not see Lil in any of the photos below. This is because she is much better about remembering to take photos and because I hung out with her dad and brother for some of the tastings. I can assure you that she is very much alive and not some imaginary friend that I have created.

Our first stop was a Detert. John Garrett, one of the partners and family members, was kind enough to taste us on the '02 releases before heading out to do some rock climbing in Yosemite. Now many of you might consider this a crazy sport, but John assures me that it is very safe (right . . . .). Detert is a family operation including John, his brother Tom (who is the wine maker) and their cousin Bill Cover. What is interesting about Detert is that the family vineyards represent some of the oldest Cab Franc (if not the oldest) in the Valley. Think about it--how much Cab Franc do you see bottled from Napa? The vineyard is located literally down the road from the famed Ta Kalon vineyard which gives you some idea of the exceptional soil in the area.

Historically, the family has sold the Cab Franc to Mondavi for the Reserve bottling and '00 was the first commercial release of Detert Cab Franc. This year's releases include for the first time an estate Cab and a single vineyard designate Cab from the Horton old vines (Cab that the guys purchase from an aunt next door). John tasted us on the '02 Cab Franc and Cab (the Horton is a very small case production, around 25 cases). The '02 Cab Franc is 90% Cab Franc with a splash of 10% Cab (they only have about an acre and a half of Cab). The color is inky dark and is a big wine with loads of tell-tale chocolate and blueberry. Opens up nicely to reveal some cola in the finish. This is a serious Cab Franc that needs a bit of air. As for the the '02 Cab, all I can say is bring a toothbrush! The nose is exuberant with red and black fruit and a bit of earth. Again, great color extraction seems to be a hallmark of these guys. The tannins are well integrated but certainly show their stuff. This is a 100% Cab from their vineyard and the Horton vineyard (about 90% Horton). Lil and I finished the bottled two days later (just popped the cork back in) under less than ideal conditions (carrying the bottle around and driving as well). Not only did the wine show no deterioration, but actually improved a bit. This wine will need some time in the bottle but will reward those that are patient (not sure that I am one of those!). Click on the photos below to enlarge.

Our next stop was an old favorite at David Arthur's place on top of Pritchard Hill in Napa. As we have mentioned in previous trips, David's place is always a riot. For the first time, the tasting was conducted in the caves which shows that there has been some progress (this is a massive project that even NASA would be frightened by!). The old barrel room is being remodeled and all the barrels are now in the cave. Lil and I were joined by Lil's parents, Jose and Erika, and her brother Pablo. Jose has quite a nice collection of his own and is particularly found of pinots and of course is a great proponent of Chilean wines. As always, David's wine maker Bob Egelhoff showed up after the barrel tasting for some bottle tasting of the '01s. We tasted through various components that will make-up the '02 Cab, Meritaggio and Elevation. I am generally not a fan of Cali Sangiovese, but Dave is really able to grow and nurture some ripe grapes with plenty of rhubarb and strawberry. The Elevation over the last couple of years has been aged separately as an east and west block and may even eventually have a separate bottling.
 



Our final stop is becoming our Napa home away from home. We visited with Dave Wight of Lewelling at his family office. We had been fortunate enough to barrel taste with Dave the last couple of visits, but the barrel facility in Napa has new management which frowns on tastings on premise (shame as it is actually an incredible facility and the way they stack barrels is simply amazing). Actually, this was great luck for us as the weather was incredible. Dave was kind enough to spend some time with Jose, Pablo and myself talking about wine making, the wine business, Italy (his home away from home) and of course politics (how many Harvard philosophy types do you know in Napa?). The Parker scores for his '01 Estate--93 points and '01 Wight Vineyard--95 points have kept him busy. One of these days, I am going to talk to Dave about adopting me and becoming a Wight to take over the business. For everyone, I suggest forgetting about the points and simply taste the wine yourself. One thing, Lil and I have barrel tasted the '02 a couple of times, and I would highly suggest getting your order in before the Parker scores. Dave's family has been in the Valley for over a century so he is a great source of information.

First off, Dave took us through the Lewelling vineyard and talked about the importance of canopy management. They use different forms of canopy management for the younger vines (vertical shoot positioned as opposed to more traditional cordon). As you can see from the photos, there was plenty of good sunlight hitting the vines, but luckily, temperatures were not too hot. Land in this area goes for about $200,000 an acre so I had to pay Dave $5 for a berry that I picked to taste.

Next, Dave tasted us on the '00, '01 and '03 Estate. I tasted the '00 estate shortly after bottling, and it is amazing how much weight and form the wine has put on. This bottle is really drinking well now with a bit of time. If you like Cali Cabs with more of a Bordeaux profile, then you will love this wine. Loads of black fruit and cassis. Frankly at this point, I think that it is drinking even better than the '01. As for the '01, it is dominated much more by red fruit (a characteristic of Lewelling wine in ripe years) and shows its youth. I would suggest laying down a bottle for a year (yeah, right!). The tannin management at Lewelling is such that none of the wines need time to integrate the tannin per se. It is just that the wines evolve nicely with a bit of bottle time. The '03 was a barrel sample that Dave had pulled for us. Like many barrel samples, the oak definitely was getting the better of the fruit. Dave was as always very honest when he said that the wine probably need a bit more acid to give it backbone. Like the '01, it was dominated more by red fruit. Dave is unsure whether there will be a '03 Wight at this point.
 



Finally in terms of '04, there is a lot of optimism that if the weather continues with no terrible, prolonged heat that this will be a very good year. As I said, the harvest looks to be one of the earliest on record because of the incredible heat in March and April (we were in San Fran in March with temperatures over 90 degrees!!!) and the relative lack of rain. These tastings were with individuals that represent families with long ties to the Valley and are committed to quality. These are the type of people that we all should support. Thanks to John, Dave and Dave for a great Napa experience!