A Visit to Palmaz Vineyards, May 2011

As you are driving through a residential area of Napa you may happen upon an indistinct gate off of Hagen Road. You would not know it without following the directions given, but through this quaint neighborhood, and just beyond that gate you will find 55 acres of premier Napa vineyards. Nestled on and around Mount George at the southern end of the Vaca Range one finds the Palmaz Vineyards. With elevations ranging from 400 to 1400 feet above sea level, variations in soil types, and aspect to the sun; this little chunk of land offers over twenty distinct parcels for growing wine-grapes. The land under vine is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with small lots of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc used for blending. In addition they have discovered a couple of uniquely suited cool spots to grow just a bit of Chardonnay, Riesling, and Muscat.

The winery was originally founded in 1881 by Henry Hagen under the name Cedar Knolls. Though the vineyards survived phylloxera in the 1890’s prohibition proved to be its downfall; as goes the story for many of California’s original greats. In 1997 Julio and Amalia Palmaz began restoration and rejuvenation of this old chunk of California history. This was quite an undertaking considering that the property had been generally neglected for nearly a century! The couple had a dream to restore a historical piece of California while creating a legacy to pass down through future generations of the family.

Julio Palmaz, known for the invention of the Palmaz Coronary Stent, attended medical school in Argentina, and completed his residency at UC Davis. It was during his time at UC Davis that the wine-bug bit, and though there were other things he needed to achieve before arriving in Napa Valley it was always a destination. Amalia Palmaz and daughter Florencia have been successful in several business ventures surrounding gourmet and heart-healthy meals that you can create in your own kitchen. If you go to taste at the vineyards today the tasting is accompanied by small bites that are influenced by true wine-loving, foodies. Son of Julio and Amalia, Chirstian leads the efforts in the vineyards with a deep understanding of geoscience that acts as a driving factor behind the vineyards distinct terroirs. Wife of Christian, Jessica acts as the Director of Hospitality, when we visited the winery we were made to feel right at home as she showed us around the property and explained the ins and outs of producing a bottle of Palmaz wine. The entire family is passionate about what they do and each one of them is involved hands-on in the vineyards and winery with their prized winemaking staff and vineyard crew.

The winery itself is as much a work of art as a feat of engineering. You enter the winery on the highest level and you look down into the barrel room that is the equivalent of 18 stories below you. All of it built directly into the mountainside. Julio was highly involved in the creation and innovation of the winery that uses only the force of gravity to process the fruit after harvest. The idea at play here is: you spend months during the growing season coddling, and caring for the precious fruit on the vines. Why would you run all of that wonderful juice through violent pumps once you get it into the winery? The fruit enters the top level and undergoes a rigorous sorting process. It then drops to the next level where there is a carousel of 24 individual fermentation tanks to process each of the parcels as an individual representation of terroir. Each tank is outfitted with jackets for temperature control and monitored by state-of-the-art software that informs the family and winemaking team of any unexpected changes immediately, via their cell phones. After primary fermentation the grapes are gently pressed to finish extracting the juice and the parcels are kept individual as they make their way into new French oak from various cooperages. After barrel aging for approximately two years after harvest each of the “micro-terroirs” that create a veritable spice rack of flavors are tasted by the family and winemaking team in order to achieve the master blend. Upon finding the intricate balance of the final blend the wine is then transported back to the top of the winery to create enough pressure through gravity to bottle. Seeing all of the effort and thought that went into this is an absolutely incredible experience.

The wines we tasted were paired with wonderful small bites that paired with each nicely:

2009 Riesling “Louise”

Named for Jessica Palmaz, this is a delicate wine. With lively acidity, flavors of white peach, zesty lime, and honeysuckle this wine makes for a great aperitif or first course partner at the dinner table. Just a hint of residual sugar is left behind contributing to the body and long finish without leaving your palate saturated with sweetness.

 

2009 Chardonnay “Amalia”

Palmaz takes a Burgundian approach for their Chardonnay. Tropical notes of fresh pineapple accompanied by hints of lemon curd, and vanilla spiced orange peel lead the way to the long finish. Full bodied with hints of toasty oak that is extremely well integrated. This is a great food-wine that is made in honor of the family matriarch.

2007 Cedar Knolls Cabernet Sauvignon

After taking the time to get all of their incredible fruit into the winery and processed it is unfortunate that every bit of that juice cannot make the cut due the rigorous selection that goes into the flagship Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result this “second-label” is produced under the Cedar Knolls label in honor of Henry Hagen and the estates origins. Bringing much of the same dark fruit flavors and sweet oak tannins that you find in the flagship cabernet, this is a great wine and a sleeper in its price-bracket (specially the 2007 vintage).

 

2006 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich, dark, and brooding this wine exhibits the strength and firm tannins that are associated with the 2006 vintage for Napa. Loads of crème de cassis and fig fill the front palate and lead the way to the dark chocolate and tobacco that linger on the finish. Though the tannins are firm they remain supple and in balance with the acidity and fruit flavors of the wine, a few years in the cellar will round out some of that vintage character and leave you with an enviable bottle of Cab.

2007 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon

With 2007 representing one of the greatest vintages in the last decade Palmaz really brought it home with their unique set of terroirs that gave up this elegant Cabernet. Balance and texture is where this wine truly excels. Silky, yet firm. Powerful, but elegant. Rich, and in harmony. Robust flavors of dark fruit and blueberries, accented with hints of cigar tobacco, roasted red bell pepper and sweet barrel spice bring this wine to a finish that lasts for minutes.

The next time you are planning to visit Napa do yourself a favor and call ahead to Palmaz. Make an appointment as they do not take “drop-ins” and you will not regret it. It was a great experience and I look forward to going back and meeting more of the family at a future date.

A special thanks to Jessica Palmaz for her hospitality while guiding us on our tour and tasting.

Bordeaux: Since the Turn of the Century…

A run of extraordinary years out of Bordeaux: 2000, 2005, 2009, and now preliminaries of 2010. Along with: 2003 and 2008 being considered outstanding years. All of the years in between are generally rated as above average as well, so one must ask: Are we actually looking at one of the greatest decades in the recorded history of the region or are we subject to great marketing, talented winemakers, and nouveau technology?

From the critics standpoint Bordeaux has had above average vintages since ’93. If this is the case wouldn’t we eventually have to skew the above average years to be average, the outstanding years to above average, and the extraordinary years to outstanding? It’s not that I am against a region having great years, but I do think that a run of nearly 20 years of above average vintages sounds a little crazy. Even more so it is crazy to think about where the prices of these wines are heading, they have been relentlessly increasing in price year over year for twenty years to the extent that they are unattainable by any other than the rich. Let me lay this thought out for you a bit…

Bordeaux has a system of quality measurements for the finest wines of the region that was organized by the merchant groups in France and Britain circa 1855. In 1855 this group decided that there were four Chateau that stood out above all others, at the time the best of the best was Chateau Haut Brion, in other words this wine fetched the highest price at market. Haut Brion was joined by three others; Margaux, Lafite-Rothschild, and Latour. 1973 marked unprecedented change to the Classification of 1855 as Mouton-Rothschild was added as a First Growth making five in total. This whole situation is a pretty intense story in of itself, but that is not why we are here today. There are also several other great wines that make up the other four groups of classified growths, but we will just focus on the first growths for now.

Since 1990 there have been extraordinary if not ridiculous price increases regarding the wines of Bordeaux. In 1990 the average price of a First Growth was around $65 per bottle upon release. This is a price that most people can live with, and specially if you are drinking some of the finest wines of the world. In 1995 the average price of a First Growth was around $125 per bottle, with Latour making some noise at $250. These were expensive wines, but largely attainable for most who really desired them. In 2000 the average price of a First Growth was $310 per bottle. Alright, still you have to remember the economy was strong, and it was a collector’s item being the first bottling to fuel millennial fever. In 2005 the average price of a First Growth was $592 per bottle. I would say that this represented the finest vintage in a long time, but 2000 was rated nearly as well. 1990 was easily rated as solid as 2005 and I remind you that those wines released at $65 per bottle. We are getting more than a little ridiculous since this easily outpaces any sense of inflation at the time. The economy is super strong though and there were loads of nouveau-riche coming onto the wine market. A weak argument, but you have to put it out there. Now we arrive upon our most recent futures campaign of yet another great vintage, 2009, launching in a tough world economy. The 2009’s released at an average of $1000 per bottle with Latour once again feeling the need to ring everybody's bell with a hefty price tag of $1600 per bottle.

At this point I am just pissed off.

Wine has become a very large part of my life. I have immersed myself in the industry. I read about wine constantly, I watch television about wine, my search engine is filled with search history about wine, I taste several wines a day and sometimes hundreds in a month. It is to my dismay that I find that some of the wines I feel I should experience are entirely unattainable. So your wine gets a great score, wonderful, there are plenty of other wines with comparable scores from the critics that are much more reasonably priced. Well the Chinese market is eating most of these wines up right now. Great, they are drinking all of these “great” wines well before they are “great” as these wines have not even come close to peak maturity in the bottle, they are treated as trophies. Good Bordeaux takes a decade or more to come into its own. Do not even try to go into how the wines are a rarity. Spottswoode in California produced a near perfect 2007 by most critics estimation and they made 24,000 bottles that retailed for $140 each. This wine sold out in about a month, 24,000 bottles is not enough for California, much less the world. The average production of the First Growth Bordeaux ballparks 150,000 bottles, some go well beyond that number. This represents $150 million off of a single bottling. I love wine, no question, but at some point you have to step back and look at the big picture. Its 750 milliliters of grape juice…

Price aside, how are we seeing so many good to great vintages in such a short period of time?

Winemaking has come a long way regarding technology, you have to remember 1990 was twenty years ago now. Vineyard practices have shifted with nearly the entire world starting to push back harvest more and more in order to achieve a greater ripeness that the critics love. I don’t know about you, but I do not find my weather guy very accurate. Apparently in the wine world they have got something figured out. New styles of vineyard management and correcting the wine in the winery can now mask flaws that mother nature would have once caused. The Merlot coming out of Bordeaux in 2010 achieved an average alcoholic strength of 15%. That is wildly high for the region! Not only is this a much riper style than usual in the area, but arguably ripeness levels of this nature will hide the sense of place, and shift what could be elegance to power significantly cutting the cellar life of the wine. If the wines do not taste like Bordeaux, if they do not taste like these places that were designated 150 years ago, do they warrant the price? Modern chemistry has become a tool for the winemaker, and while this may allow us to enjoy better wine on average, even in less expensive bottlings; Should this not change our view of what is a great vintage is verses an average vintage? Temperature controlled fermentation, and long, extensive cold soaks that over-extract the flavors in the wines lead to more density and flavor. How much of the wines naturally occurring quality is masked by over-extraction? Can’t these nouveau practices be performed anywhere in the world to achieve the same results?

I fear that more and more wine is being made to a formula as opposed to focusing on growing the right grapes in the right spots, picking the fruit at the right time, letting fermentation occur naturally, and moderating your oak program allowing your fruit and your land to show through. Again and again I see various varietals losing their sense of individual character and particular vineyard sites losing their very identity. Will it be that in 50 years there will only be a few general flavors of wine all around the world as opposed to the thousands of different flavors that we experience today and in years past? I don’t actually think this will happen, but only because I get the opportunity to meet people on a regular basis that are faithful to the art of wine. They desire for there particular piece of dirt to shine. They seek elegance and balance as opposed to a score. They price their wines to make a living, and pay the bills, not to appear extravagant. These are the people that make wine special, and these are the people that will continue to carry the legacy and art of winemaking to the generations to come. I will not be buying First Growth Bordeaux futures any time soon, but then again neither will most of us. At least I am in the bigger of the two clubs…

The Taste of Oakville

The Taste of Oakville trade tasting is one of the premier tasting events in Napa Valley year after year, & this year I had the honor of attending. While we went up for that tasting in particular we made a couple of other stops along the way…

On our first day we made a stop at one of the newer guys producing wines from Napa. Mi Sueno, Spanish for “My Dream”, is a small producer where Rolando Herrera is owner/winemaker. The story is one of a grassroots, ground up type. Rolando started his career as a dishwasher and manual laborer, but went on to build a resume working as winemaker or part of the winemaking teams at names like; Stag’s Leap Cellars, Chateau Potelle, Vine Cliff and Paul Hobbs. Today he owns his dream and has a great staff of folks around him that are really making things happen, keep an eye out for this label.

In the afternoon we made our way over to the long-standing Frank Family Vineyards, and met with a legend of Napa Valley, Dennis Zablosky, the tasting room manager for Frank Family. We enjoyed tasting the wines with Dennis while he recounted a few tales from his time in the business. From there we shot over to Rutherford Grill and enjoyed a couple of bottles as well as a fantastic meal. We stayed at El Bonita Motel (great value in the Valley) for the evening and after getting there to settle in for the night I found myself in need of a few more drinks. As such I took off for a solo trip down to Ana’s Cantina, the primary watering hole in St. Helena, to have a night cap. While sitting there sipping my Lagunitas Hop Stoopid IPA I met a couple of folks that flipped the evening from a solo trip to an exceptional random encounter. Mike and Alexa rescued me from a lonely night-cap and we enjoyed lively conversation while taking down several pints and sipping Herradura Anejo tequila. Thank you for your hospitality Mike and Alexa!

The next morning we made our way over to the historic vineyards at Larkmead Winery to taste their wares and enjoy a pleasant explanation of how Larkmead came to be. This winery sells 95% of their production right out of the tasting room and is certainly one to visit the next time you are in the area. From there we popped up to Howell Mountain to taste the new project from the producers of Plumpjack named Cade. Cade is a hillside winery producing great examples of the brooding Howell Mountain terrior. The winery is elegantly designed with a quite modern flare and a stunning view of Napa Valley. The wines showed well and the staff was pleasant to talk with.

Vineyards at Mondavi in Oakville, Ca

After lunch it was finally time for the focus of the trip, the Taste of Oakville, held at the impressive Mondavi Winery. In the room were the who’s who of the Oakville appellation, and the wines being poured make up many of the most impressive names in California such as; Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Opus One, Harlan Estate, and about forty other names you should know. When you enter the room you are surrounded by dozens of huge oak fermentation tanks and a complex of walkways. You begin making your way around the room tasting the impressive wines and chatting with the proprietors, winemakers, and marketing directors of these incredible California vineyards. A few hours literally fly by in a blur and due to the volume of wines in the room you are really working hard to decide which wines to drink and which ones to dump to avoid becoming entirely intoxicated prematurely in the day. Not a bad problem to have, just saying… If you step out on the patio you are greeted with the expansive sea of vines that produce the juice for Mondavi’s wines, a truly breathtaking view for the wine geek. Finally things begin wrapping up; your pockets are full of business cards, your belly is full of wine, and it is time for dinner.

The line-up.

That evening we were graciously invited to stay at the guest house at Terraces Vineyards by Tim and Sharon Crull. We made a drop by the store to grab some food for the grill and a few things to satiate the appetite while everything was coming together. When we arrive at the vineyards we fired up the grill and began pulling the corks on several bottles of tasty wines, shortly we were joined by Tim and Sharon of Terraces and the entire group enjoyed a lively dinner, lots of wine, and great conversations. Wine of the night was a tough decision for me I had to choose two. Peter Michael L’Apres-Midi 2009, a wonderful white made of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, and Ch. Colon Segur 2003 St. Estephe, Bordeaux, both were ethereal!

 

The next morning represented the last day of our quick trip to Napa and we were determined to squeeze in a few more appointments after our customary breakfast at Gillwood’s prior to hitting the road back to Bakersfield. I neglected to mention “the Find” from the Oakville tasting. Vine Hill Ranch was creating quite a buzz around the room at the tasting. 2008 was their inaugural release and a lot of the big names in the room had been purchasing fruit from these vineyards for some of their best bottles over the last few decades. Finally the proprietors of Vine Hill Ranch had taken just a few rows of their vines to produce their own bottling and it was stunning! At the Oakville tasting we were able to line-up a meeting with the owner of Vine Hill Ranch for this morning. This was a great first stop for us and we found ourselves standing in 70 acres of some of the finest vineyards in Napa talking with Bruce Phillips about their new bottling. They have surrounded themselves with some of the most talented people in the industry to produce a wonderful, site-driven bottle of wine. This is a very exciting new wine that will become very hard to get over the next few years, make sure you check them out, vinehillranch.com.

From there we visited David Fulton to taste their Petit Sirah and chat with owner Dink Mathers while standing on the deck looking over their 30-60 year old Petit vines that make their way into some of the best bottlings of this varietal in the state, including their own and offerings from the famous Orin Swift label. After leaving David Fulton we made our way to the luxurious caves of Vineyard 29 for our last stop of the trip. Everything about this property is oozing elegance, from the huge oak fermentation tanks that are only used once then replaced with new ones, to the lavishly decorated tasting room in the heart of their caves. This is a great spot to visit in Napa and there is no doubt that they have spared no expense to create their wines and a unique tasting experience when you pay them a visit.

We returned home tired, yet excited about our new finds, great experiences, and new found friends in Napa Valley. Can’t wait to go back…

Summer Time Charmers....

I know a good portion of the country out there is experiencing spring in the air. I on the other hand live in California and spring is simply a two week precursor to summer. In addition to being in California I happen to reside in Bakersfield, and at the moment our little chunk of land cannot decide if it should be 90 degrees or raining or both. Regardless of your feelings about hot weather it is, without question for us in Bakersfield, well on its way. With this impending heat, my mind, as it often does, drifts to wine, beer and cocktails.

So what is on the wish-list when the weather warms? Something cool first and foremost, refreshing would be nice, crisp, clean, and highly drinkable.

The world of wine has a lot to offer on those hot days, and while many options will certainly lean to the white side of the category there are a couple of reds that can be appropriate when chilled. We will start on the light side of the house for obvious reasons. There is a wonderful little wine that comes over from Portugal that happens to be at the top of my list for summertime quenching. Though Vinho Verde (Broadbent is a current favorite) translates as “Green Wine” it is not a color description, it is simply that the wine exhibits such youthful freshness. Which is exactly the goal, when this wine is produced it is meant to be consumed within the year. Though the wine does not contain enough carbon dioxide to be considered semi-sparkling these wines are without question slightly pétillant. On the nose they lack real complexity, there is a good whack of lemon-lime zest and a touch of mineral, but it won’t blow your mind. Then you take your first sip; the wine is dry, but citrusy fruity, the bubbles lightly tickle your tongue, but do not sting, the acid sets off your salivary glands and then it finishes clean and dry with just light hints of astringency. An absolutely perfect wine if you are by the pool, gardening and of course for a picnic on a hot summer days. There are several other whites that can fill a good role in the summertime; Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio, and of course bubbles are among other favorites of mine.

The reds can be a little more difficult to navigate, while you can certainly put anything in the fridge and drink it cold, some reds can be quite intolerable when cold, but others may surprise you. Once again I do certainly have one that would be a kind of go-to for me, but really two dry reds can play pretty well in the cool to cold zone. My first pick is only my first pick to encourage you to seek it out, but trust me, you won’t regret the adventure. Barbera d’Asti (Michele Chiarlo is a good producer) is a red wine from Northern Italy that is commonly consumed cold by the locals. While some examples can have fullness to them most are medium to light bodied with a good bit of stewy, dried fruits, mineral, solid acid and on the dry side. This is what I want you to try; put your bottle of Barbera d’ Asti in the fridge and get some good cheddar to make a grilled cheese on sourdough. Throw together a nice wild greens salad with a balsamic vinaigrette and pull the cork. You can thank me later. Pinot Noir is the other one that I think plays pretty well with the cold. I am not encouraging you to take your most prized, expensive bottle of Pinot and throw it in the cold-box, don’t take me wrong, drink that one at precisely 60 degrees. What I am saying is that those “everyday drinkers” for $10-$20 of Pinot can do pretty well as a thirst quencher.

A little brew on a summer day can go a long way, whether it is a nice light lager while you are doing some manual labor around the homestead or an American Pale Ale at the BBQ with all of your friends. The lager, first off let me address the 64 calorie thing. I appreciate concerns about weight, and health, and so on….. But seriously, find something other than your alcohol choice to suffer the consequences here. I promise you that nothing that actually tastes good can be put in the bottle with only 64 calories, it just cannot happen. That being said light tasting beers are awesome during the summer (and actually lighter in calories than some of their heartier brethren.) A great lager (Bitburger is a good German example to look for) should be light, crisp, and bubbly. It should achieve these characteristics without a loss of flavor or interest though (this is where some of our famous Macro-breweries go wrong.) With an alcoholic strength of right around 5% these beers are not going to knock you on your butt, but they will quench your thirst and gradually work you towards the goal. I look for the session beer in the summer because, for god’s sake, I’m thirsty and I want to drink more than one, it’s hot out there. I have been stuck on American Pale Ales (Deschutes Mirror Pond is a current addiction, and what I am drinking as I write this) for a good session beer, specifically as it turns warm outdoors. Good pale ale is fuller than the lager, with a more malt driven profile. British styles will even have hints of cookie and biscuit to them. The trick to a solid summer pale are the hops, they must be pronounced enough to, not only balance the malt, but lead the brew into its dry finishing impression, which leaves the palate refreshed. For me summer can be a tough time to get mixed up with darker beers, but a good black lager (Kostrizer Schwarzbier) and some reds or browns out there can work out.

Alright, so we are drinking with at least some intent and want to dig into the home bar…. I have a, Brother-in-law induced, love for a Ketel One, tonic, and lemon. The lemon does make a difference, and yes, it does bug me when I get a lime, and please, feel free to be a little heavy handed with the Ketel. Regardless I think that there are some more crowd-pleasing options out there and my first choice, being born and bread a Cali boy, is the Margarita. I am not necessarily a purest.  I can appreciate some of the variations out there (banana is pretty great!) Who couldn’t? The classic though…. Not blended…. Is a beautiful thing…. The key here is to not use anything in this drink that you cannot drink on its own. If this is a properly made drink you will taste every aspect. Good tequila is obviously the base, but do not underestimate the role of your triple sec (a good friend of mine was just telling me of her passion regarding the quality of the triple sec.) Regardless if you are doing a classic lime or another style of the Rita you must use fresh fruit to achieve your goal, there can be no substitute here. Maybe a touch of Agave Nectar to sweeten things up and from there just decide if you are a “salt” or “no salt” (I’m a “no salt”) and now hopefully you have a good drink in front of you.

As we approach summer I hope we all have opportunity to enjoy the heat while working to counter its assault on our thirst. I have a good idea of what I will be drinking (at least a little water.)

Cheers!