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One Day in Napa Valley April 2006. – From Napa to Calistoga – California.

As a fan of Bordeaux red wines, I took the opportunity of a business trip to San Francisco to visit some wineries putting myself into the shoes of a wine tourist for one day. Therefore I had booked a few days in advance 3 tours and tastings in some of the well-known Napa Valley wineries, expecting to better understand what level of wine could be produced in some of these Californian estates.

Looking North from Château Montelena; a block of 33 years old Cabernet Sauvignon vines.

Leaving San Francisco

Leaving early the downtown San Francisco city area on a Saturday morning, the drives starts off through the 3 miles stretch of the bay bridges, going through the North East side of the San Francisco bay. Nice view of Alcatraz, with some fog over the bay with a clear sky view. The 75 miles drive north goes quickly with a variety of landscapes. Getting closer to Napa Valley after leaving the highway, hills get higher and rounder, with high green grass that reminds me of Ireland scenes.

Getting into Napa Valley

Here we are in the Napa Valley, stuck between the Mayacamas Mountains on the west and Eastern Mountains. During this end of April weekend, the humidity in the valley is quite substantial. Two routes are available; one is highway 128 on the west side and the Silverado Trail, parallel just a couple miles to the east. Arriving to Napa, we decide to take the Silverado Trail allowing us to get to our first appointment on time at 10:30 AM. The outside temperature has raised at least 10°F while arriving into Napa Valle y.

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Del Dotto Vineyards. Napa, Napa Valley, California. The first estate to visit is named Del Dotto vineyards, from the name of the Italian rooted family owning the estate that became famous for combining all sorts of wood barrels (with exotic or complex origin) in ageing single varietal wines. Del Dotto found this game of playing with various oak barrels ageing a way to differentiate their marketing from their piers and offer spectacular or at least unique tasting experiences. No doubt this is a unique marketing strategy. Del Dotto is located in the North East side of the Napa village, when leaving town north. One of the particularities of this estate is to host their reception and barrel ageing facility within a natural underground wine cellar dating back from the 19th century, with beautiful premises of cellar galleries crafted in the surround stones; very authentic indeed. About 150 meters of underground cellar galleries are used, simply lighted with candles and being utilized as a barrel ageing facility and tasting rooms for groups of 8 to 12 people. A tour and tasting preferably needs to be booked in advance; cost is $40 per person. Today is Saturday, bookings lists 150 people for the day! You do the maths…

Above is the entrance to the Del Dotto Vineyards barrel-ageing cellar, dating back from the 1890. The first thing which is explained during this tour is the central role that wooden-barrel ageing takes within the estate red wine making process. Explanations are basic, emphasizing on the added aromas and modification to the body of the wine ageing through the barrels. It is a good introduction for anyone newly interested into winemaking. Our guide makes a point on the fact that here, all barrels are new, changed each vintage for the newly harvested wine. Therefore, we stand in the world of the “100% new oak” aged wines. Our guide sounds very proud about it.



The second important point that the estate insists on is presenting wine produced from single plots aged in different barrel types and oak provenance. Del Dotto markets itself as the “only property in the world” diversifying the wine maturing process using barrels from so many origins. At Del Dotto, the barrels that can be found are made of oak from the France sub regions Allier, Limousin, Troncais and Nevers, as well as from Missouri, USA. The French barrel providers are some of the best around: Seguin Moreau and Nadalie. The barrel size is of classic Bordeaux format, 225 liters. I found it interesting to note that Seguin Moreau have a barrel making facility at the entrance of the Napa Valley, for sure, in order to better serve all local customers. Del Dotto Vineyards, Rutherford Estate Cabernet Sau vignon 2000 Tasted from bottle, before the tour. – On sale at the estate - $65.00 Carmine red color, very fat, with a nose of black currant, very smooth, almost with toffee sugar flavors on the nose (is this due to the oak?) and a creamy touch. On the palate, the wine is balanced, with moderate tannins, and medium length, smooth and a nose overall quite discreet. In my opinion, this is a wine to be consumed over the next 5 to 10 years. Not bad. Del Dotto Vineyards, Connoisseur's Colbert's Cabern et Sauvignon 2002 Tasted from bottle, before the tour. – On sale at the estate - $100.00 100% Cabernet Sauvignon The wine has a spicy nose, is quite strongly oaked; is powerful and tannic on the palate, very concentrated and extracted, very fat. This is not particularly to my taste, too big and obvious. Del Dotto Vineyards - Sangiovese Futures Napa Valle y 2004 Tasted from barrel in the quite dark cellar. – On sale at the estate - $85.00 100% Sangiovese This is the first wine that we taste during our tour of the barrel-ageing facility. This wine is still maturing and will be bottled within the next 6 months or so. Non-filtered, this 04 Sangiovese is balanced, smooth on the palate and ready to drink today. It is a wine of thirst, bistro style with a nose quite closed at this stage; No flaws, this wine is decent.

*** Del Dotto Vineyards - Vineyard 887 - Missouri Oak U Stave Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Tasted from barrel in the quite dark cellar. – On sale at the estate - $85.00 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is fruity, spicy with vanillin aromas on the nose. On the palate, this is tannic, powerful, balanced with a nice structure, a quite present wooden flavor, spicy and oaky finish. The finish is very long. This Cabernet sauvignon is aged in American new oak barrels from Missouri from a particular "U stave" shape, larger than the usual “bordelaise” classic barrel shape. A little too much oaky to my taste. Del Dotto Vineyards - Vineyard 887 - BdB Bordeaux O ak Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Tasted from barrel in the quite dark cellar. – On sale at the estate - $85.00 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is aged in French oak barrel from Seguin Moreau made of oak coming from the forests of the Allier, Nevers and Limousin regions. This is the typical barrel used at château Margaux. Of course, such a thing is pointed out very clearly by our guide. This is the same wine juice than the previous one tasted, except that it is matured in a totally different barrel type. Powerful, elegant, fruity and well balanced, the oak component is there but in a much more elegant and non-intrusive fashion. This is not bad at all. The tannic and brutal side of the previous lot is totally forgotten and cannot be tasted in the mid palate. A very interesting comparison, I like it very much

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*** Del Dotto Vineyards- St Helena Mountain - Missouri Oak U Stave Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Tasted from barrel in the quite dark cellar. – On sale at the estate - $85.00 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine comes from a totally different plot in the north part of the valley, close to the Saint Helena Mountain. It has a very spicy nose. Powerful and massive on the palate, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is full bodied. This is too massive to my taste. It is matured in a highly toasted Missouri barrel of heat code « HTTH » (I think it stands for Heavy Toast & Toasted Head, in other words, a highly heated barrel that delivers plenty of wooden, vanillin and caramel aromas) Del Dotto Vineyards - St Helena Mountain - Troncais French Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Tasted from barrel in the quite dark cellar. – On sale at the estate - $85.00 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the same wine than above except that it is matured in a French oak barrel from Troncais. The wine is dark, with almost a black color, very fat and a fruit nose. Powerful and massive like the previous one it is yet smooth with a better structure that is elegant and never harsh. Tannins are present but finely integrated and never hard nor aggressive. On the contrary the previous one seems more massive and maybe less balanced, with some bitterness and a shorter finish. This is another interesting comparison. Again, the French-oak version is my favorite! Del Dotto Vineyards - St Helena Mountain - Allier F rench Oak Cab Sauvignon 2004 Tasted from barrel in the quite dark cellar. – On sale at the estate - $85.00 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Another tasting of the same wine yet again, aged in another type of cask: This time the wine is aged in French oak barrels from Allier of a « U Stave » shape. Dense and more massive on the palate than the Troncais, the finish is more dense and shorter. Not bad at all. This conclude our tasting from the barrels. ***

Left, the barrel from Nadalie made of Missouri wood .

Right, the barrel from Seguin Moreau made from Fren ch oak. ***



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Del Dotto Vineyards - Cabernet Sauvignon Napa - ble nd of variety of oaks. 2003 Tasted from bottle – On sale at the estate - $58.00 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Balanced and fine, this cabernet sauvignon is very nice on the palate. It is the result of a blend of different types of barrels aged in both different Americans and French oak bottled for consumers who have expressed a specific blending. Not bad at all and better priced. Del Dotto Vineyards - Porto from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes 2003 Tasted from barrel – On sale at the estate - $75.00 I have never been a big fan of port in general. From the nose that displays some fruity notes, the alcohol character shows out of this brandy. I am not interested too much in this wine. Del Dotto Vineyards - Porto from Syrah and Zinfande l grapes 2003 Tasted from barrel – On sale at the estate - $75.00 As the previous Port, I am not too interested in these types of wine made from Zinfandel and Syrah. This completes our tasting at Del Dotto.

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To conclude, the exclusive use of new oak in barrel ageing at Del Dotto is mostly focused on highly toasted barrels. The marketing surrounding the variety of provenance of these oak and barrels is very nicely done. With exception to the visit in this original cellars dating back from the 1890s and barrel sample tasting, these 100% cabernet sauvignon wines are not particularly complex or extraordinary. I will have to add that tasting these wines in such a dark and cold environment makes it very difficult getting a real and clear opinion. Typically we tasted under conditions of 12 to 15 degrees Celsius. I am not sure how these wines would show at a warmer temperature. Most often, these lots are quite muted, and the oak component masks other aromas that could have been nice to pick up. Only the two lots of French oak barrels that were most likely less extracted were very nice to taste and even excellent in quality. I would opt for another tasting of a few of them in another context to make a better objective opinion. After an hour and a half of visit at Del Dotto, we decide to move on to other properties. It is noon, and our next appointment is 40 minutes North in the valley at 2 PM. Therefore I propose to stop on our way up to grab a bite on our way up and also stop for a short tasting just 8 km away from Del Dotto, at the famous Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.



Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Napa, Napa Valley, California. This wine estate has gained worldwide recognition through the famous 1976 tasting know as the « judgment of Paris » when tasted blind compared to French pears, it gained top score over French red wines. The high-end cabernet sauvignon based blend is called « Cask 23 ». This is a wine of limited production only made on good vintages out of the best plots farmed and harvest at the property. There are two things for which Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars stands apart: First, it is one of the oldest wine Estates of the region with a great track record, and second it is being composed of only two big pieces of land where grapes are planted. These two are next to each other’s and named S.L.V (Stag’s Leap Vineyards) and FAY. FAY came through the acquisition of the Nathan Fay property back in 1986 originally planted in 1961! The vines on the S.L.V plot are 12 years old average with 7.5 acres (3 Ha) that are 34 years old planted on a west facing slope, (excellent for getting the afternoon summer sunlight) yet and unfortunatly most of S.L.V vines were replanted back in 2000 and 2001 (with exception to this small 3Ha block).

*** Stag's Leap Wine Cellars - FAY – 1998 Selection from FAY vineyards of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot (1 acre-0.4 Ha planted in 1990). – $60.00 on the internet The color is a ruby red lighter at the rim, with some sediment. This wine was poured from a decanter. Quite thick, with a nose of raspberry, a little bit spicy and coming creamier upon swirling with pepper and ripe red fruits aromas. A leather note appears at the end. On the palate, a light bell pepper aroma can be perceived, interestingly enough since this is very ripe, with a medium body and an average length. The finish is of ripe fruit aromas. Not bad at all. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars - FAY – 2002 Selection from FAY vineyards of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot – $70.00 on the internet The nose is on coffee beans, roasted and toasted aromas, with a dark ruby red, very thick color, and notes of clove. Ripe, with a beautiful young cabernet nose and licorice aroma this wine is very bright and deep. The palate is dense, balanced with a good length and well integrated tannins into the body; this is elegant and refined; very much to my taste. Very Good!

*** Stag's Leap Wine Cellars – S.L.V – 2002 A selection of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (a plot of 4% of the entire SLV area is of Merlot and only 7 years old; it does not make it yet into the final blend). – $100.00 on the internet The color is very dense, non filtered and very intense. Very thick, with a highly toasted nose, and aromas of black berries, very ripe, with a creamy touch and spices (black pepper) flavors. On the palate, it is dense, well balanced, and surprisingly stays quite restrained compared to how forward the nose is. I prefer the FAY selection on this vintage and believe it is more complete with better harmony between all components as well as nose Vs palate impressions.

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*** Stag's Leap Wine Cellars - Cask 23 – 2002 Selection of a blend of the best lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot from S.L.V and FAY. – $150.00 on the internet I have been expecting this wine for a while. The color is very dense, between red carmine and violet-crimson tones. The wine is very fat and thick coloring the glass, displaying high concentration, and a highly toasted nose. Some aromas of blackcurrant literally jump off the glass. It delivers a creamy touch on the palate; the pulp and texture of the fruit and tannins are excellent with amazing balance. The palate is overall very polished, and this is a wine of pure silk and delicacy in mouth, there is no hard edge. A high-class cabernet! I love it. Interestingly, I had high expectations of this tasting at SLWC. I had heard many great things about Cask 23 and of course, this is one of the reasons why I went directly for the higher range tasting that was offered at the winery rather than the wines made out of blends of purchased fruits in Napa. I was lucky with the Cask 23 since I got a chance to get an initial pour from the end of a decanter as well as a second glass of a freshly opened bottle poured in a decanter in front of me. I will keep in mind the great texture of this Cask 23 that definitely shows the quality of some of the best California Cabernets. Another option is the FAY selection that no doubt represents a great value if found around $50 for the 2002.

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Château Montelena. Calistoga, Napa Valley, California.

The Château Montelena is one of the very few estates having a real castle built of stones from the hills around the estate. It is located just outside the small town of Calistoga and was carved in 1886. The first floor of the castle holds the barrel ageing cellars and tanks, and underground the Castle is located the crushing and grape reception area. Two sortings are made for the estate wines, first in the vineyard, second while grapes are received at the winery using sorting tables in order to ensure quality and best fruit selection. At Château Montelena, the use is of ‘‘Bordelaise’’ barrel (225 liters) from Seguin Moreau, Taranssaud and Nadalie (as much as I could observe) and they all appear to be of medium heat toast. The good thing is that these are some of the best barrels from Bordeaux which are being used with moderate toasting process, thus ensuring a lot of respect of the fruit (instead of an overpowering oak taste like at Del Dotto). The proportion of new oak is very reasonable too, with only 30% and the ageing in barrel is set to be a period of 18 to 20 months. The overall vineyard has a South-East, South and South-West orientation that provide a very good, constant sunshine light throughout the whole day, especially generous during summer time and therefore at the peak of the grapes growing season. The average age of vines is rather high with around 90% of cabernet sauvignon planted between 1973 to 1984 and 1989 to 1990, 4.5% of Cabernet Franc planted on slopes in 1979 and 1984, and the remaining 5.5% is of 12 years average Merlot vines.

180° view of the 33 years old vineyard behind the Châ teau Montelena winery



*** During this tour, we are first informed that 2005 will be an excellent vintage in Napa as the weather was very good. Also and as we can observe, the flowering time of the 2006 vintage happened 3 weeks later than usual -as we can see on the 33 years old plot that we visited right behind the castle. Also we learn that the estate dispatch a mix of chicken manure to fertilize the vines and during the growing season, about 1 Million butterflies are released to chase the insects that are threatening to attack the vines during the flowering season. The vent system installed above the vineyard enable blowing down a wind of hotter air located just about 18 to 20 feet above ground and thus « reheating » the vines at wintertime. Château Montelena, also uses gas logs to heat the rows of vines during low temperatures in case they drop too cold during the winter’s peak season. Used in addition to the fans they help ensuring the good health of vines. The irrigation that is temporarily attached to young vines are only used during the first 3 years of the growing vines, then removed. The vines are grown in « guyot double » (If correct - as seen below).

Plants of 34 years old Cabernet Sauvignon in the plot located behind the Château.

Great quality vine clones have been used at Montelena since1972 and plots of that age has been kept well farmed since then. This provides the main juice for the Estate Cabernet wine based out of the oldest and well-suited vines of the Château and helps getting a wine of great quality.

Plantation is of low density in this historical 34 years old Cabernet Sauvignon plot.



Another important fact is this low density of plantation for older plots. With a space of 8 feet (2.4m) between vines and 12 feet (3.6m) between each rows. The density is a mere 500 feet per acre (or 0.4 Ha) or 1200 vines per Hectares! The most recent plots are planted at a higher density of 1000 vines per acre or 2500 vines per hectares. Apparently in the future, new plantations will be done at the typical high density of Bordeaux 1st growth estates at 8000-10000 vines per hectares as we are told.

*** This ends the visit part of our tour ***

Cabernet Sauvignon plot planted in 2003 and irrigated for 3 years.

The wines tasted here are not only flawless; they also display excellent aromatics and provide great examples of California cabernet based Bordeaux typed blends. Based on vines of 30 years old or more, they represent comparable wines to Bordeaux « grands crus ».

*** Château Montelena - Riesling Limited release – only available through the estate 2004 100% Riesling – not available through retail - $18.00 This wine displays a pale yellow straw color with green hues and a mineral scent, very well balanced and of average length. Although Riesling is not my preferred grape of wine, I have to say this is very fine, elegant, enjoyable and well done. Château Montelena - Chardonnay 2004 100% Chardonnay aged in steel tank after a short time in barrel.– $38.00 The color is a yellow straw. It shows butter and fine fruity aromas on the nose, it is very elegant. This Chardonnay is produced without malolactic fermentation and matured in stainless steel tanks after a short period of time (8 months) in oak barrels of which 10% are new oak. Very thick and fat on the nose and palate; with a perfect balance of all components on the palate (acid, sugar and bitterness) This wine shows a good freshness and acidity although it is served at room temperature. It has a long finish with a fine and elegant structure. This is very enjoyable now. There are 10 000 cases of this wine produced each year.

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Cabernet Franc plot which were planted on this South/South-East facing slope in 1979.

Magnums and Large formats of Château Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon



The cellars of Château Montelena.

Cabernet Sauvignon first year ageing cellar (with most of the 2004 and 2005)



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Wines tasted that day at the Château (from left: 04 Chard, 03 Zin, 03 Cab, 02 and 98 Estate Cab) After the two white wines, we are off to the reds, with the famous renown « Estate » blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

*** Château Montelana Estate Zinfandel 2003 100% Zinfandel – available at the estate - $28.00 This Zinfandel plot is located right behind the owner’s house on a 7% hillside slope with vines of 15 to 25 average years old. The color is a light ruby red with brick tint at the rim. The legs are colored, concentrated and thick. The label reads 14.6% of alcohol. With very peppery aromas on the nose it boasts black fruit notes upon swirling. The palate is very well balanced, quite powerful and of good length. The finish is on pepper and prune aromas. Eventhough I am not a big fan of Zinfandel (I rather prefer Syrah in single varietals or South-Rhône valley blends of Syrah, Grenach and Mourvedre grapes), I have to say that it is very well done, not vulgar in any ways.

*** Château Montelena - Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Blend– available at the estate - $40.00 This wine is a blend of Cabernet that comes from grapes purchased in the Napa region, blended with a small quantity of grapes from the property. It is very ripe, excellent, balanced, with a very ripe texture on the palate. The tannins of this wine are well integrated; this is a straight, clean and flawless wine. It has to be consumed over the nest 10 years or so.



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Château Montelena - Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2002 98% cabernet sauvignon and 2% cabernet franc Available at the estate - $95.00 - $195.00 a Magnum Here we are, this is the Château Montelena Estate. Made from 100% estate grown grapes, 98% cabernet sauvignon and 2% cabernet franc (The vines are planted on hillside slopes on south / South East orientation). Very ripe, with licorice aromas, and a spice note on the nose, this is very nice. The palate is unctuous, fat, and rich, with a hint of cedar and lead pencil aromas as well as blackcurrant on the nose. This wine is on its youth and is excellent right now! It can be kept for at least 10 to 15 years or more without any doubts. Château Montelena - Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 1998 98% cabernet sauvignon et 2% cabernet franc Available at the estate - $115.00 ($90.00 on the internet) The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 possess a dark ruby red color that is slightly lighter than the 2002, unfiltered, (or very little filtered) elegant, with notes of cedar, fine wood tones, and a very nice elegance on the nose. The nose of this wine is very ripe with a creamy touch. The palate is silky, rich, fat and powerful, the finish is very long, with a complexity on the nose and palate that can compare to a Bordeaux “super second” growth in a great Bordeaux vintage. This wine is of great finesse and race; it represents well its provenance and components. I enjoy a lot this wine of a great ripeness, what surprises me most is the depth of the color if this 1998, dense and dark. It is all the more surprising that 1998 is considered as an “off” vintage in Napa Valley because of a rainy season. This wine is a jewel of the red American wines that in my sense make sense having in your cellar, especially in Magnum. Obviously this is a wine that needs to be re-tasted in about 5 to 10 years; yet it is very approachable today. This tasting ends up on this great wine and my firm believe that California have the capacity and the terroir to produce great wines. While the Dominus I tasted a year ago wet my appetite for California wines, this trip convinced me of the ability of Napa to give birth to great Cabernet based wines at the level of some of the best Bordeaux.

*** Del Dotto Vineyards Address : 1055 Atlas Peak Road, Napa, CA Phone: 707-256-3332. www.deldottovineyards.com Appointments required for visits, tasting room open to public. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Address: 5766 Silverado Trail, Napa CA, 94558 Phone: 707.265.2441 www.cask23.com Tasting room open to public. Château Montelena Address: 1429 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga, CA 94515 www.montelena.com Appointments required for visits, tasting room open to public.

*** Questions, comments & feedback are very welcome: Arnaud Gallut – [email protected]


one day in napa valley - freeagallut.free.fr/gallut/tsn/en_napa.pdf · the napa valley, for sure,...

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