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!

• 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.

• Hundred Acre “California Gold,” 2005 ($31.99) - Proprietor Jayson Woodbridge and winemaker Philippe Melka get mid-90 ratings for their stunning (and very expensive) Cabernet. They also make this wonderful white wine from Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, and Viognier. Philippe blends them to make a wine that is reminiscent of Caymus Conundrum, only much better! Unlike Conundrum, it sees no oak or malolactic fermentation, so you enjoy fresh, clean, pure, and elegant fruit flavors. It is highly aromatic, barely off-dry, and wonderfully expressive on the palate with freshness and acidity. And the small amount of 24K gold flakes floating in the bottle makes this a conversation piece. Truly yummy stuff!

• 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!

• 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!

• Five Vinters Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 ($34.99) - 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.”

• Orin-Swift Cellars “Prisoner,” 2005 ($34.99) - Wine Spectator: 93 Top 100 wines of 2007 "A delicious wine offering zesty wild berry, spice, and fresh tobacco, with focused and well-structured blackberry flavors. Plush, rich, and concentrated, with wonderful focus. Zanfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Charbono. Drink now through 2011."
       Winemaker Dave Phinney works with legendary grower Vince Tofanelli who sells grapes to Turley. This is the fifth vintage of a wine that began serendipitously. As Dave tells it, “In the ever-popular harvest of 2000, we had three main ‘challenges’ in the winery: a Zinfandel with too much stuffing, a Cabernet Sauvignon with not enough stuffing, and a series of beautiful small lots of Zin, Charbono, and Petite Sirah that represented a bottling nightmare. Solution, throw them all together and see what happens. As it turned out, we had ourselves a pretty darn nice blend.” The 2005 Prisoner is 48% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet, 14% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah, and 2% Charbono from Tofanelli, Morisoli, and a few other high quality sources in Napa. This excellent wine is big and bold. It makes a major fruit statement. And at 15.2% alcohol, it takes no prisoners! Delicious!! Check out www.orinswift.com for the full and charming story.

• Nicholson Ranch Pinot Noir Estate, 2004 & 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.

• Favia Leviathan 2005 ($46.99) - This wine is like the "Prisoner" on steroids. Which is amazing because the "Prisoner" is a huge wine.

• Angel’s Share: Harmonique Pinot Noir “The Noble One,” 2003 ($54.99) - With deep color (for Pinot Noir) and fine depth of fruit, this is a fabulous Pinot from the Klindt vineyard in Mendocino’s cool Anderson Valley. David Klindt was the wine maker. Only 370 cases of this very serious wine were produced from David Bruce cuttings of Dijon clones 113, 115, 667, and 777. It shows the balance, structure, ripeness, and mouth feel of great Pinot Noir.

• 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.

• Tamber Bey Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville (Napa), 2003 ($59.99) - If you like Caymus, you’ll love this wine! This is the big brother of the Tamber Bey Two Rivers Cab that we’ve had for a few months. The vineyard is owned by the Waitte family. Vineyard manager Josh Clark and winemaker Thomas Brown teamed up to make this excellent wine. It spent 18 months in 50% new French oak. A miniscule 300 cases were produced!

• 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!

• Trespass Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001 ($59.99) - Trespass vineyard, which lies west of Highway 29 near Spottswood, was given its name because the locals cut through it as a shortcut to Madrona Ave. The wine is made at Viader under the extremely talented care of Charles Hendricks, who is the winemaker at Viader and Barnett. Boasting a flamboyant bouquet, this very serious blend of 93% Cab Sauvignon and 7% Cab Franc possesses great purity and richness with structure and complexity. Only 530 cases were produced.

• 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.