1988 Chateau Raymond-Lafon Sauternes

At the end of our bbq last night, my friend Robert offered us quite a treat. At first I noted the sauternes chilling in the fridge, but not the particulars. It was only when he handed me the bottle to open (with my favorite corkscrew given to me by my wife) that I realized it was from one of the better vintages of the 1980s, 1988. I was a bit concerned upon first opening it, as the nose was very tight (perhaps it was a bit too cold) but it really came around. Flavors of honey and sweet pineapple were wrapped up with the classic botrytis finish. A pleasant reminder that there is something unique and wonderful about drinking aged wines.

Honeymoon in the Napa Valley (the wine tours)

In this installment, I am focusing on the four scheduled tours of our honeymoon trip to the Napa Valley. If you are new to the wine country scene, it is helpful to know that there are two basic types of winery visits. Many wineries have tasting rooms that are open to the public and do not require an appointment, but usually have some form of tasting fee (hopefully reimbursed if you purchase at least a bottle). Their hours are typically posted on their website or in wine country maps/guides (like the Preiser Key to Napa Valley). Simply drop by and enjoy!

Other wineries only offer tours and/or tastings by appointment only. I tend to enjoy taking advantage of this type because you get more than just the wine, you get to see and experience more of the wine making process. So I selected four to provide a means of structuring our days, without sacrificing our freedom to fill out the rest of the day as we saw fit.

Swanson Vineyards

Recommended to us by family and friends, our first stop was Swanson Winery for the hour-long Bon Vivant tasting ($55/pp). Be prepared for the fact that they tend not to open the gate until five minutes before. Thankfully, winemaker Chris Phelps came out from the lab to say hello while we waited. The salon, inspired by 18th century Parisian salons, is absolutely beautiful. It is a fairly intimate setting with no more than eight guests. This is nice, unless one of them is extremely obnoxious (which happened to us).

The tasting includes six of their wines with delicious pairings. Joy especially loved the wild American caviar with creme fresh on a potato chip, paired with their 2008 Chardonnay. Their 2005 Sangiovese was ridiculously smooth and luscious, but at $75/750ml, we did not leave with any. The gem, for me, was their 2006 Crepuscule, a heavenly late harvest Semillon. They have only made it nine times in the twenty-five year history of the winery due to the uncommon occurrence of botrytis or noble rot, the stuff that makes Sauternes so amazing. The tasting ended with my first double blind tasting using Riedel black wine glasses. Not only is it the truest test of your discerning abilities, it was a ton of fun!

Swanson also recently began producing what they call 'occasion' wines (so far called Merci and Just Married, with Expensive Christmas Wine up next). Even though we did not taste them, they are reasonably priced (low $20s), so we had some shipped to NYC. I'll post my notes when we eventually open them.

Summary: Although it was the most expensive tasting, we were glad we did it. The beauty of the salon and the pairings were definitely memorable. But once is probably enough.

Nicholson Ranch Winery

For our wedding present, our friends Richard and Jacky arranged a private tour and tasting for us at Nicholson Ranch in Carneros, just south of downtown Napa. Lance, our guide (and Fordham grad!) provided an absolutely great experience for us. We started off in the tasting room with their delicious 2005 Chardonnay Cuvée Natalie Reserve Estate ($40/750ml), then grabbed a bottle of 2009 Ramona Rose of Pinot Noir Estate ($22/750ml) and wandered out into their Chardonnay vineyard. It was a beautiful day to walk the grounds and we enjoyed having the opportunity to ask anything about the winemaking process. Next, Lance took us into their fermentation facility (little aside: love the fireman's pool) and down into their caves. We ended up in their great room, which was the perfect setting to finish tasting their wines. Instead of providing lengthy tasting notes for each of their wines, I'll simply say this: they are all top-notch. The hardest part was trying to decide what to leave with! I would be remiss, however, if I did not highlight their spectacular 2006 'Cactus Hill' Reserve Pinot Noir ($50/750ml). Of all the wineries we visited, I would join the wine club at Nicholson Ranch were I not a poor grad student (well, them and Stag's Leap, but that's a different pipe dream altogether).

Summary: If you are visiting the Napa Valley, I strongly recommend you add Nicholson Ranch to your list, at least for a visit their tasting room. We will certainly be going back!

Schramsberg Vineyards

Admittedly, neither Joy nor I love champagne, but we had heard great things about the cave tour at Schramsberg at the north end of the valley ($40pp). First of all, it would be nice for them (and several other wineries) to have better signage. So give yourself some extra time to get there and don't be surprised if you miss the turn. The winery has a long, fascinating history that includes becoming the official sparkling wine of the White House (since Nixon took Schramsberg to Beijing). But the best part is without a doubt the caves. Just breathtaking. (in the pic, I'm drinking their 2006 J. Davies Cab, their lone red wine, which was tasty, but pricey at $75/750ml).

Summary: Even if you are not a big fan of champagne, I would still strongly recommend the cave tour. Its a fun experience. But we probably wont be going back as once is enough.

Pine Ridge Winery

Our last scheduled tour was at Pine Ridge. It was a rather standard, moderately priced ($25pp), small group tour of their facilities that ended with tasting at a nice table in their caves and then a separate room for wine club members (which we aren't). They have a nice demonstration vineyard, but it was a shame that it wasn't incorporated more in the tour. Also, they only provided one small cheese platter for our group. The cheeses paired wonderfully with the wine, but it was not nearly enough as it ran out halfway through the tasting and they didn't bring out any more. The highlight of the tour, which was the sole reason I booked it, was the barrel sampling of one of their Cabs. I was also appreciative of how many wines they poured for us. I have notes for eleven, including their pricey Fortis and Andrus Reserve. Overall, they make nice wines, but nothing wowed me. Probably my favorite was their 2006 Stags Leap District Cab ($80/750ml), which was very smooth with balanced tannins and lots of red fruit.

Summary: If you are like me and wanted to try a barrel sampling, Pine Ridge is a nice way to go. And if you visit them, do not miss Stag's Leap Wine Cellars just down the road.

David Hill Winery (Willamette Valley, OR)

While in Longview, WA this past weekend with Joy, my parents came down from Seattle to see her newly remodeled home and to join us for a day of wine tasting. We visited three wineries and ate at two fantastic restaruants, all of which I will discuss, but this posting is primarily concerned with David Hill Winery, located in Forest Grove, OR, just outside of Portland. I had yet to discover this winery, but upon the recommendation of our family friends who own a vineyard in Forest Grove, we made it a point to check it out. And it was certainly worth it!

First of all, the scenery doesn't get much better than the beautiful vineyards tucked amongst the hills outside of Portland. That said, it was no surprise to find them preparing for a wedding later that day at the winery. If you get a chance to visit them, make sure to follow NW David Hill Rd above the winery because there is a great pull-off where you can overlook the vineyards.

Now on to the wines! David Hill is no miser when it comes to wine. Rarely have I found a winery with 18 wines to taste that are all so delicious. And the cover the spectrum, so no matter what your personal preferences are, you're likely to find something to enjoy. Where do their grapes come from? Well, with the exception of their table white wine, all of their whites are estate grown, along with their Pinot Noir (since Pinot Noir, to my knowledge, is the only major red varietal that can tolerate the cold weather west of the Cascades). Currently their Tempranillo and reserve Merlot are sourced from southern OR, the table red from eastern WA, and the table white from the pacific NW.

WHITES
*2007 Estate Pinot Blanc ($15): beautiful floral and citrus nose, med/full body with a crisp finish. enjoyed the nose more than the taste.
*2007 Estate Gewürztraminer ($16): strong honeysuckle, very nice smooth finish
*2007 Estate Pinot Gris ($15): peach and citrus nose, nice acidity
*2007 Estate Semillon ($15): nutty and nice
*2006 Estate Reserve Chardonnay ($18): vanilla and butterscotch aromas come through, creamy, but not too heavy, quite tasty indeed!
*2008 Estate Riesling ($16): describing its nose, I wrote "oh my gosh!" just delicious smelling, the palate is complex and rather tart, personally I would prefer to smell this wine instead of drinking it
*2007 Estate Muscat ($15): an off-day muscat with a very floral nose, sweet and finish just falls off (in a way that I enjoyed), great wine ***Troy, make sure to try this and their muscat port***
*Farm House White ($10): a blend of Semillon, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Viognier, very tropical, hard to pass up a great wine at a great value

REDS
*2007 Estate Pinot Noir ($20): coffee and toast on nose, lots of tannin and acidity, little fruit, meh
*2006 Estate Barrel Select Pinot Noir ($28): better fruit, okay, but $28 okay, not so sure
*2006 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir ($38): great nose! wonderful fruit, complex, incredibly drinkable
*2006 Estate BlackJack Pinot Noir ($45): vines where planted in '65, nose has very nice cherry, vanilla, and earth, absolutely delicious!
*2006 Tempranillo ($24): plum and pepper on the nose with a smooth vanilla finish, nicely balanced tannin, sourced from southern OR
*2006 Reserve Merlot ($30): cherry and chocolate aromas, also from southern OR, love it!
*Farm House Red ($10): a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Barbera, Merlot and a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah sourced from eastern WA, very tasty and a great value, brought some back to NY

DESSERTS
*2006 Sweet Simplicity ($10/375ml): 68% Semillon & 32% Sylvaner, not too sweet with a light finish for a dessert wine, great wine for its price
*Estate Solera Tawny Port ($35/500ml): 100% Pinot Noir, palate is dominated by berries, vanilla, and wood, an absolutely great wine (Joy got a bottle and hopefully there will be some left when I come back!)
*2005 Estate Muscat Port ($21/375ml): a rare white port, apricots and cloves, very sugary, and delicious

SUMMARY: First off, David Hill makes great table wines that should not be passed over. While I enjoyed all of their whites, the Gewurt and Chardonnay really stood out. And when it comes to Pinot Noirs, I would strongly suggest either spending the money on the 2006 Reserve and/or the BlackJack, or looking elsewhere. At this point, I'm not convinced the other two are worth the price. It's also hard to beat $10 for a tasty desert wine. And don't forget to try both the ports!