|
Angels' Share Wines 
Look for this name! We are
bringing in some very special California wines in limited quantities. Angels’
Share Wines is a company founded by Mark Snyder, a sound expert who designs the
acoustics for Billy Joel and several well known rock groups. Always passionate
about wine, Mark was introduced by some of his celebrity contacts to Bob Foley
and a few other wine makers who introduced him to some of the small “garage”
wineries in Napa Valley. He also met several cult winemakers who, in addition to
their regular jobs, make high quality, limited production wines. Think
winemakers and vineyards associated with such prestigious wineries as Behrens
& Hitchcock, Bryant Family, Turley, Tofanelli, Stags’ Leap Winery, Colgin,
Caymus, Duckhorn, Grace, Whitehall Lane, Vineyard 29, and Montelena!
Whites
-
TuTu Pinot Grigio, Napa Valley, 2005
($15.99) - Wierd name, pretty label, pretty wine! This is a venture by
partners Rob Lawson (winemaker) and Jeff Smith (Hourglass Winery).
Production was 1500 cases. The label was designed by local Napa artist
Jeff Ellsworth. The wine shows delicious and ripe fruit flavors along
with a surprisingly good finish.
-
Shelter
Sauvignon Blanc, Napa, 2008 ($19.99)
- The best wineries and the best winemakers often have small lots of
high-end wine left over after blending. With their friendships and
deep rooted relationships in Napa Valley, the owners of the Shelter
project can buy this wine at a fraction of the original price. They
end up with excellent wine that sells for well under its inherent
value. No pretension - just killer wine. The sources are
“sheltered” from the public (and from me). These wines are a
steal! We will be getting different batches from time to time. There
will be little continuity, for the amounts available are by definition
small - a few hundred cases at most. This stunning Sauvignon Blanc,
our first Shelter offering, is everything you could possibly want from
a new world Sauvignon. It has lovely aromatics focused on melon,
pineapple, and fig with grapefruit showing underneath. With its soft
texture, and deliciously ripe fruit, this fairly full-bodied wine is a
find. Approximately 300 cases were made.
-
Vogelzang
Sauvignon Blanc, 2007 ($31.99) - This is the
best, most complete American SB I have tasted in a long time. It shows
a refinement and balance that are rare. Much as I like the Grgich Fumé,
this one is better. I couldn’t find a review of this wine, but
Parker’s comments on the 2005 are also appropriate for the 2007: 90
“An outstanding example of this varietal. It is a green, grassy
effort with plenty of power as well as intensity, acidity, and flavor.
The aromas and flavors lean toward the grassy, melony side of
Sauvignon. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.” In addition to making
their own wine, Jim and Mary Beth Vogelzang sell grapes from their
77-acre property in the Happy Canyon region of the Santa Ynez Valley
(Santa Barbara County) to Foxen, Qupe, and others. More info can be
found at www.vogelzangvineyard.com.
-
Scholium
Project ‘Heliopolis’ Verdelho, Delu Vyd, Clarksburg, 2006
($24.99) - Winemaker Abe Schoener is somewhere between
a radical, an anarchist, and a heretic. He will either be remembered
as a genius or a nut, but not as just another, mainstream winemaker.
He buys grapes only from vineyards that impress him, and he makes some
of the best, most interesting wines in California (and a few in
France) as well as some of the worst. In other words, he doesn’t
play it safe; he takes chances. His wines are always exciting,
sometimes challenging. We have three other wines by Abe, but this is
the first one in our newsletter. Made from the Verdelho grape, which
is most closely associated with Spain, it is Sauvignon Blanc-like but
unique with an olive oil-gold color and unusual aromatics of earth and
brine. The long palate is smooth, elegant, meaty, and complex with
baked apples, dried apricots, citrus, and bacon notes. Space precludes
a full discussion of Abe’s philosophy, techniques, and wines, but
you can read Eric Asimov’s take in the New York Times at www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/dining/10pour.html.
-
Nicholson Ranch Estate Chardonnay, Sonoma, 2006
($29.99) and Chardonnay "Cuvée Natalie," 2003 ($47.50)
- New additions, not yet tasted. Made by Thomas
Brown, an extremely talented winemaker who previously worked as
assistant winemaker at Turley.
-
Surh-Luchtel Viognier
“Fortunati Vineyard,” Napa (Oak Knoll), 2006 ($32.99) - This is one of the best and most
interesting white wines I have tasted in months. It is not a wonderful
Viognier because it does not have much Viognier character. It is,
however, an outstanding, lees aged, unoaked white wine with a perfect
balance of clean fruit and refreshing acidity. It shows neither the
sweetness nor the high alcohol typical of Viognier. Yum, yum, yum! Don
Surh and Gary Luchtel make small batches of wine from purchased
grapes. We also carry their Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. Go to www.surhluchtel
for more info.
Red
-
Layer
Cake Shiraz, 2008 ($17.99;
$15.99 special introductory price) - Jayson Woodbridge is
uncompromising in his quest to produce the finest Cabernet Sauvignon
in America. His Hundred Acre Cabernet is a cult wine that gets stellar
reviews and sells for $250 per bottle! Along with fellow winemaker
Philippe Melka, Jayson is also involved with an Australian project.
Layer Cake is a Barossa Valley Shiraz from four different vineyard
sites along the “golden mile,” so called because of the stunning
quality of the fruit that comes from this region. (This is the primary
source of Penfold’s Grange!) Layer Cake compares favorably to many
$30 Australian wines. The violet and blueberry scent leads into sweet
blackcherry flavors. It has dense and bountiful dark fruit without
being overtly lush. Intense mocha undertones accentuate a weighty
mid-palate and gorgeous mouthfeel, yet the wine is light on its feet
and finishes clean and pure.
Layer Cake comes from sustainably farmed vineyards
that are low-yielding (3-4 tons per acre as opposed to 7-8 tons almost
everywhere else in the valley). A portion of the wine spends some time
in new French oak and it is bottled unfined and unfiltered with
minimal sulfuring. While much of the Shiraz on the market today is
overripe, overoaked, and brimming with alcohol, Layer Cake is
irrefutable evidence that great wine can be made in a balanced “New
World” style without going overboard. Not surprisingly, the 2005
Layer Cake Shiraz made Food and Wine’s list of
“Australia’s Best Reds Under $20.”
-
Layer Cake Primitivo, Puglia, 2006
($17.99) and Malbec, Mendoza, 2007 ($17.99), and Cabernet
Sauvignon, Napa, 2007 ($25.99) - American Jayson Woodbridge (Hundred Acre) teamed up with
fellow winemaker Philippe Melka to make the wonderful Australian Layer
Cake Shiraz. Expanding on the success of the Shiraz, the team
is sourcing fruit from around the world to make additional wines
under the Layer Cake label. None of these wines will be available year
round, for the production is limited. The Italian Primitivo
(Zinfandel) is terrific. It distinctly shows Australian and
Californian influences and tastes much less “Italian” than most
Primitivos. Enjoy this delicious, rich, melt-in-your mouth wine. The
Malbec is a beautiful example of the type with layers of rich fruit in
a soft, harmonious whole. Both are
stylistically similar to the Shiraz. The flavor profiles are, of
course, different. The Cabernet was a little disappointing when first
released, but it has really developed nicely.
-
Five
Vintners Zinfandel, 2002 ($19.99) - Krisi Raymond, the fifth
generation winemaker whose wonderful Cabernet was written up last
month, also makes this fine Zin. Only 989 cases were produced from 60%
Napa and 40% Sonoma (Mauritson Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley) fruit.
Like her Cabernet, this is a great value.
-
Esca Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004
($29.99) - A great Cabernet value! Esca means ‘allurement’ in
Italian, and this alluring wine was made by Anna and Mario Monticelli
who met at UC Davis while earning their degrees in Viticulture and
Enology. Anna worked at Chateau Cheval Blanc in St. Emilion and Bryant
Family in Napa, while Mario interned at Antinori in Tuscany before
they began making their own wines (Cab and Syrah) in Napa. This is
their third vintage using grapes grown on the western hillsides of St.
Helena in the Spring Mountain AVA. Only 800 cases of this 100%
Cabernet were produced. The wine spent 21 months in French oak. It is
dark, rich, and concentrated. The nose reveals ripe currant and
blackberry aromas intermixed with hints of cedar and sage. The wine is
well structured with good acidity and soft tannins. And yes, Virginia,
it comes with a screw-cap!
-
Banknote "The Vault" Red Blend, Napa, 2006 ($32.99)
- Due to a disagreement between the winery and the distributor,
Orin Swift's wonderful "The Prisoner" is no longer
available in New Jersey. We found this excellent Zinfandel-based
substitute, but only 585 cases were produced. Pete Nixon buys top
quality grapes from several Napa Valley vineyards and, with consulting
winemaker Bill Knuttel, constructs this blend of 62% Zinfandel,
25% Syrah, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a big, brawny, and
complex wine with aromas of black cherry, cigar box, blackberry,
caramel, cassis, vanilla, and a touch of clove. The rich palate
follows with cassis, cherry preserves, allspice, tobacco, and
latte/espresso. Many reviewers have compared it to "The
Prisoner." Some have actually preferred it! A few excerpts
from the various reviews: "Slam dunk good," "21st
Century Wine Hedonism," "bold, juicy, rich, and gushy."
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition awarded it a Double
Gold - Best of Class. (Admittedly it is a relatively small class.) As
Pete says, "Banknote: accept no counterfeits!" Limited.
-
Fisticuffs Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 2007
($33.99) - New addition, not yet tasted.
-
Robert Foley Vineyards "The Griffin" Red
Wine, Napa, 2007 ($34.99) - New addition, not yet tasted, but
Robert Foley is a legend among California winemakers. This is a blend
of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Petite Sirah, and 22% Merlot. SOLD
OUT. We're waiting for the 2008.
-
Tamber
Bey Vineyards Two Rivers Cabernet, 2004/2005 ($34.99)
- Don’t worry that this is a 2004; it is already delicious! Tamber
Bey is an exciting new project using vineyards owned by Barry and
Carol Waitte, vineyard management by Josh Clark, and the immense wine
making talent of Thomas Brown who began at Turley and also consults
with Outpost, Chiarello, Shrader, and Nicholson Ranch. Only 600 cases
were produced from 80% Cabernet and 20% Merlot grapes grown east of
Yountville in Napa Valley. Most Angels’ Share wines are expensive,
but this is not. It’s very serious for its price (www.tamberbey.com).
-
Schrader
Cellars Double Diamond Beckstoffer Amber Knolls Vineyard (Red Hills,
Lake County) Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 ($33.99)
- Fred Schrader gained fame in the wine world in 1992 when he and Ann
Colgin produced the Colgin Schrader Cabernet from Herb Lamb Vineyard
on Howell Mountain. Fred’s Double Diamond series features wines from
mountain vineyards. Like the Mayacamus bottling, this one shows the
incredible concentration and balance of mountain-grown fruit. It
tastes like a much more expensive Cabernet!
-
J.
Christopher Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley OR, 2006 ($33.99) - On
our first trip to Oregon, my wife and I stayed at Argyle. When we
asked what other winery we should visit, we were directed to nearby
Cameron, a tiny cult winery. Jay Somers’ first job was with John
Paul, winemaker and owner of Cameron. After three vintages he
partnered with Bill Holloran, a software executive with a love of
wine, and they built a small winery on Holloran’s farm in 1999. In
return for making Holloran Winery and Stafford Hill wines, Jay uses
the facility to make his own J. Christopher label. Most of his fruit
sources are organic vineyards. This wine is absolutely solid in fruit
profile, tannin structure, and acidity. Ripe blackberry and bing
cherry flavors mix with dense earth to create an irresistible Pinot.
The layers of complexity build from the first sip. It focuses
initially on earthy notes, but then moves on to fruit notes and
finishes with fresh clean acidity. It drinks beautifully now.
-
Five
Vinters Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 ($36.99)
- The name refers to the fact that Krisi Raymond is a fifth generation
winemaker. Her Great-Grandfather was Jacob Beringer (yes that
Beringer). Her father is Roy Raymond (yes that Raymond). Krisi
obviously grew up around wine production and has a real passion for
producing high quality, varietally correct wines at extraordinary
values. Only 620 cases of this 100% Cabernet were produced from grapes
sourced mostly in St. Helena and Rutherford. Joel’s tasting notes:
“Wow! Great value!! Soft, open knit, but deep and rich. Fleshy and
sexy.”
-
Nicholson
Ranch Pinot Noir Estate, 2005
($37.99)
- This is a phenomenal Carneros Pinot for the price. Producing
high-end Pinot Noir requires that everything be just right: soil,
climate, moderate yields, small batches, careful handling of the
grapes, and great care and experience in the winery. Only 760 cases of
this wine were made from Dijon clones 113, 114, 667, and 777. Thomas
Brown, an extremely talented winemaker who previously worked as
assistant winemaker at Turley, shows his deft hand with this wine. It
has that wonderful bouquet found only in the best Pinots. This wine is
soft in texture, rich in fruit, and elegant in style. It shows
Burgundian influences along with California ripeness. When just poured
from the bottle, it gets better and better in the glass, so I would
suggest decanting it for an hour.
-
Cherry
Pie Pinot Noir, Stanly Ranch -Carneros, 2006 ($42.99) - Jason
Woodbridge, famous for Layer Cake and Hundred Acre, has turned his
sights to Pinot Noir. Using grapes purchased from the famous Stanly
Ranch (Coho, Saintsbury) in Carneros, he has fashioned a fragrant,
fat, juicy, fruit-filled Pinot that will melt in your mouth. Don’t
miss it!
-
Coho Wines
Pinot Noir “Stanly Ranch,” 2007 ($ 42.99) - Winemaker Brooks
Painter (Stag’s Leap Wine Cellar, Robert Mondavi, and V. Sattui) and
sales and marketing guy Gary Lipp (Robert Mondavi, Chalone, Jess
Jackson, Paul Hobbs, and Chappellet) founded this winery in 1999. They
have their own vineyard, but they also purchase grapes. Like
Saintsbury, Coho purchases grapes from the highly respected Stanly
Ranch in Carneros. Most of this wine (68%) comes from a small block of
Pommard clone planted around 1970. Yields are only 1.5 to 2 tons per
acre. The remainder comes from younger vines of Dijon clones 667 and
777. With focused aromas of black cherry, wild berry, and ripe plum,
this delicious wine is rich and plush with a velvety texture. It opens
with airing to reveal layered flavors of black cherry, plum, and red
currant.
This is a
delicious, refined wine with an elegant finish. Only 487 cases
were produced.
-
Favia Leviathan 2005 ($46.99) -
This wine is like the "Prisoner" on steroids. Which is
amazing because the "Prisoner" is a huge wine.
-
Hestan
Vineyards Meyer Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 2004 ($57.99) -
Hestan Vineyards is located in eastern Napa at the base of Okell Hill.
It was purchased and planted in 1996 by Hong Kong-born Stanley and
Helen Cheng. Mr. Cheng is the chairman of Meyer Corp., a manufacturer
of cookware brands such as Farberware, Circulon, and KitchenAid. Their
flagship “Estate” wine is a mere $110 per bottle. The rejected
grapes go into this “Meyer” bottling, but the difference between
the two wines is very slight. This wine spent 18 months in 50% new
French oak. Winemaker Mark Herold also makes the wines at Merus,
Buccella, and Harris. Wine Spectator on the 2003: 92 “Firm, intense, and
concentrated, with complex blackberry, tobacco, cassis, and anise
flavors that are tightly wound and sharply focused, finishing with
chewy tannins and a delicious burst of fruit. Best from 2008-2012.” This
is a gorgeous wine made from very low yields, and it was neither
fined nor filtered.
-
Schrader
Cellars Double Diamond Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 ($58.99)
- Fred Schrader gained fame in the wine world in 1992 when he and Ann
Colgin produced the Colgin Schrader Cabernet from Herb Lamb Vineyard
on Howell Mountain. Fred’s small vineyard on the Sonoma side of the
Mayacamas Mountain range is planted exclusively to Clone 337 of
Cabernet Sauvignon. With only 225 cases produced, this wine shows the
incredible concentration and balance of mountain-grown fruit. A
winner!
-
Orin-Swift
Cellars
Mercurey
Head Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 ($79.99 net)
- Winemaker
Dave Phinney works with legendary grower Vince Tofanelli who sells
grapes to Turley. We still have a few bottles of his high-end Mercurey
Head Cab, but "The Prisoner" is sold out and will not be
available in New Jersey again until at least 2011.
-
Anomaly Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 2003 ($79.99) -
One of California’s great red wines, only 450 cases were made from a
2.2-acre vineyard adjacent to Hayne Vineyard in western St. Helena.
This is the work of Amy Aiken and Mark Porembski who are winemakers at
Behrens & Hitchcock. This fabulous wine, made from Cabernet Clone
7, has it all: flavor, complexity and refinement. Its 14.2% alcohol is
a little higher than the beautifully balanced 2002 was, but it's well
within current norms for Napa Cabernet. Very limited.
-
Stanton
Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa, 2003 ($89.99) - Doug
Stanton is one of Napa Valley’s greatest farmer/growers, providing
fruit for Caymus, Duckhorn, and others. He now sets aside some of his
best fruit which winemaker Dave Phinney turns into one of
California’s best wines. This exceptional, distinctive, and huge
wine is a blend of 93% Cabernet and 7% Petite Verdot. Dave never uses
more than 20% new oak. This wine is expensive, but it is easily the
equal of some famous Napa wines that sell for $125 - $160.
-
Sherwin
Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 2004 ($94.99) - We've
been waiting for this beauty since we sold out of the 2003. Steve
Sherwin is the brains (and much of the brawn) behind this venture.
Mike Hirby (of Behrens & Hitchcock) is the wine maker.
Approximately 720 cases of this 75% Cabernet (15% Merlot, 10% Cab
Franc) were made at Steve's inovative, gravity-flow winery on Spring
Mountain.
-
Robert
Foley Claret, 2005 ($125) - A cult wine. Very limited.

E-Mail:
beekman@conversent.net
Website Design ©Maron Marketing Consultants, Inc.
|