On my recent trip to Napa Valley for the 19th annual Taste of Howell Mountain I had a chance to visit Dunn Vineyards and Retro Cellars up on Howell Mountain. After a tour of the vineyard and cave led by Kara Dunn I got to sit down and try out some wine and chat. While sipping Retro Cellars Napa Valley and Howell Mountain Petite Sirah Mike offered up some insight into the grape and other varieties that do well in the Howell Mountain micro climates.
Ladera, Howell Mountain.
My annual pilgrimage to Napa Valley this year (2014) included a visit to Ladera Vineyards on Howell Mountain. Howell Mountain is a sub AVA (American Viticultural Area) of the larger Napa Valley AVA and is located in the northern end of Napa Valley near Saint Helena. I had planned to visit Ladera in 2013 but I missed my flight out of Phoenix and arrived too late to meet anyone. This year I made arrangements to arrive a full day ahead of any winery visits!
I wanted to visit Ladera because for the last several years now I have been a huge fan of their Howell Mountain Cabernet. I was first introduced to Ladera by Wine Library and Gary Vaynerchuk. I ordered 6 bottles of the ’04 Howell Mountain cab and have enjoyed them immensely over the last several years, and unfortunately they are all gone now. I’ve enjoyed other vintages at fine steak houses across the country including Smith & Wollensky in Las Vegas.
On this visit I was lucky enough to have a personal tour with Ladera’s proprietor, Pat Stotesbery. We toured the restored winery building, which was originally built in 1886. Pat showed me the multi level building which actually works as a gravity fed winery. The grapes are brought in at the top level, and sorted and sent down to the next level for crushing and finally at the lower level comes the fermentation and bottling and entrance to the cave system.
Ladera’s Caves
The cave system is interesting. It’s actually in a circle with off shoots here and there, and a really cool area for special tasting parties. The cave system covers about 18,000 square feet. Pat pointed out a very interesting architectural feature: The tunnel for the cave is lined up directly with the entrance to the building. This is difficult to do because the tunnel for the cave was dug the other way…meaning they tunneled from underground towards the underground walls of the building and tried to line it up so that the tunnel would be directly lined up with the large entrance doors on the opposite side of the fermentation tank room.
Private tasting room in the cave system
Pat also pointed out another architectural feature on the outside of the building. On some of the walls, the massive stone bricks are flush and on others they stick out like misaligned legos. This was done because back in the 1880’s there were plans to make this building larger on the one side and so they left the bricks like that so they could fit the addition in where the original structure left off.
I sat outside on the patio and tasted through the current Ladera offerings with Pat while I quizzed him on his former life.
“I’ve actually re-invented myself a couple of times” he said. Originally he studied accounting, and then he started a cattle ranch in Montana. This ranch was actually used as the location for the Robert Redford movie “A River Runs Through It” and yes that great fly fishing river ran right through his property. The Stotesbery’s acquired Ladera in the late 1999 and undertook the massive renovation of the vineyard and original winery structure.
Ladera High Plateau Cabernet
This wine is 98% Cabernet and 2% Petit Verdot blended from Laderas Howell mountain and Diamond Mountain estate vineyards. Each of the 5 lots that make up this wine were fermented separately in open top fermenters and then aged in 60% new French Oak for 22 months.
This wine very similar to Ladera’s flagship “Howell Mountain” cabernet. Except that it retails for $65 instead of $85. This wine has a lot of nice fruit and tannin to it. Black fruit with a hint of spice.
Ladera Howell Mountain Stile Blocks
This is Ladera’s newest offering and is positioned between their Napa Valley Cabernet and the Howell Mountain Cabernet. It’s also 98% Cabernet 2% Petit Verdot, and all Howell Mountain fruit and retails for $50 a bottle.
Ladera reserve Howell Mountain Cabernet
This year Ladera added the word “Reserve” to the name of their previously named “Howell Mountain” wine. Pat explained that everyone always asked him if he had a “reserve” wine and everyone else seems to have a “reserve” wine so he figured that the Howell Mountain cab really is the reserve wine and added reserve to the label. There, now its reserve. This wine is 100% Cab and 100% Howell Mountain estate fruit. The wine was aged in it’s separate blocks for 21 months in 100% new French oak and bottled without fining or filtration. Only 2000 cases were made, retail price $85.
Ladera’s Howell Mountain cab has been one of my steakhouse favorites. This wine has been extremely consistent over the years and goes extremely well with prime cuts of red meat. This is a big bold, “decadent” (described on their website) wine. One more recent vintages I recommend decanting for a few hours. I recently drank the last bottle of ’04 Howell Mountain Cab and really wished I had purchased a lot more. It’s really aged nicely.
Ladera “S”
This wine is the only wine that makes reference to the Stotesbery family with the big “S” in the label. This wine is really only available to wine club members. Only 97 cases were made. Its the best fruit from the best lots, it’s simply the best of the best when it comes to Ladera. Retail price is $175 and there is a limit of 3 bottles per customer.
I had a chance to sit down with Mike and Kara Dunn at the Dunn Vineyards Estate on top of Howell Mountain and talk a little bit about wine. First I tasted Mike and Kara’s new project “Retro Cellars” and then I tasted a selection of Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernets.
Randy Dunn started Dunn Vineyards over 30 years ago on some land near high up on Howell Mountain.
An original structure dating back to the 1800’s. The vine in the fore ground is over 100 years old
Some of the original structures from the 1800’s are still on the property. This includes a white two story house that serves as the laboratory and business offices of the winery. This building was actually a rest house for the pony express back in the 1800’s.
My visit included a tour of the vineyards as well as a walk into the massive cave system that Randy Dunn constructed. I’ll talk more about these things as well as the actual wine I tasted in upcoming posts…
Here’s part one of the interview with Mike. In it he discusses how he actually “came back” to wine and how he came to make Petite Sirah.
Red Cap Vineyards on Howell Mountain, Napa Valley.
I first came across Red Cap Vineyards at the Taste of Howell Mountain in 2013. Owner Tom Altemus was standing by all by himself, humbly pouring a Sauvignon Blanc and a Howell Mountain Cabernet. Over the past year Red Cap Vineyards has exploded in popularity. This is a direct result of a decision Tom took to embrace the new media. In particular he embraced Instagram. He hired popular wine Instagrammer Michael Nguyen and the Red Cap Instagram account began to really come to life not only with constant artistic updates but with actual real live human updates. If Gary Vaynerchuk is looking for a great example for his next case study of a company doing it right on Instagram he should take a look at Red Cap’s Instagram account.
The official Red Cap trike.
Last month I got to spend some time with the Red Cap family at their Howell Mountain home and estate vineyard. The vineyard is located on Howell Mountain road right near the Angwin airport at an elevation of about 1,800-2,000 ft. The private setting opens up to a family home with a guest house on the side. As I arrived Tom’s wife Desiree came out of the guest house with a fresh baked parmesan flat bread creation drizzled with duck fat and herbs.
There is no tasting room at Red Cap Vineyards. That’s the first thing that should be noted by anyone wishing to visit the winery or vineyard. They are not open to the public for tastings. I was invited as a friend of the Altemus family.
There is a nice big hardwood table with seating for 8 in the dining room where I sat with Tom his wife Desiree and Michael. Over the next couple of hours I sampled the 2013 Napa Valley Sauvignon blanc and the 2008 and 2010 Howell Mountain Cabernets. After some discussions about social media marketing and the rigors of taking the wine tastings on the road, we stepped outside for a tour of the property.
You could be enjoying yourself here, at Red Cap Vineyards
There is a fire pit out in the back yard, which Red Cap Vineyards actually auctioned off at the Taste of Howell Mountain. The winning bidder won an Argentinian style BBQ for 10 people right there in the back yard! The thing I really love about the property is how it just feels like your best friends house or your uncles house. There is a familiarity to it that is really nice. There’s the deck chairs and stumps of wood around the fire pit. The wooden swing hanging from the oak tree. The family dog, Roscoe follows along.
Roscoe!
We walked around the property and Tom showed me some really interesting trees. Their bark is smooth and a dark reddish black color, pretty much the same color as wine. Under the bark the tree is a bright green wasabi color. At this point says “Here! Let me show you!” and he began vigorously rubbing the bark off of a tree.
“Here we go!” Says Michael “Tom’s rubbing the bark off the trees again!”
The tree with the bark rubbed off
We walk down to the lowest property line where the forest begins and then around to the vineyard in the front lot. The tiny block has several different micro climates all within the same area which is less than 2 acres, if not less than 1 perhaps. There is an area that gets direct sunlight all day, an area that only gets afternoon light, an area that gets morning light. An area at the bottom of the property that gets frost from time to time.
After the tour of the property we headed back inside for some more wine. The conversation was hilarious. I can’t repeat any of it here, but these guys are honest and funny. And all of a sudden out came the Grappa! The Grappa was a gift from wine maker Rebekah Wineburg made from the pomace of her first vintage. The conversation if it wasn’t lively before, definitely became lively if not confessional after that!
This is a blend of 92% Sauvignon blanc and 8% Semillon sourced from Rutherford, Napa Valley. Alcohol weighs in at 14.5%.
The wine is a pale yellow straw color with good clarity. On the nose there are ripe citrus notes and a hint of minerality. The palate is a mix of citrus and apricot with solid acidity and an off dry sweetness. The mouthfeel is actually more towards the medium bodied side which is quite nice, a fairly weighty feel.
This wine is a very nice expression of what Napa sauvignon blanc can be. If you’re into the New Zealand style, this wine is not for you. If you’re looking for an elegant yet easily approachable summer sipper for special occasions, pick up a case. If you can, only 312 cases were made and this wine retails for $27 so it will probably sell out very quickly.
This wine is 100% cab, all Howell Mountain fruit, and all 260 cases are sold out. But I thought I’d just review the wine for aging reference. This wine saw 24 months in French oak and weighs in at 14.7% alcohol. The wine is a deep dark purple color. On the nose there’s blackberry and a foresty pine or cedar element, that might have just been because that’s where I was when I was tasting it. The palate is rich, smooth, ripe and juicy. Black berries and mocha, with a nice long finish. The retail price on this wine was $65 when it was available. A very good price point for the highly sought after Howell Mountain AVA.
This wine is also 100% Cabernet and all Howell Mountain fruit with 27 months in French Oak, weighs in at 14.87% alcohol. This wine obviously younger than the ’08 but is showing a lot of promise. The nose is more explosive. Right away the big black fruits and subtle forest notes jump out while the palate is loaded with that tight tannic yet elegant and polite and structured fruit Howell Mountain is known for. The palate is loaded with black cherry. Mouth watering black cherries. The retail price on this wine is $75 with a production run of 280 cases.
See more pics of the visit here: Facebook.com/weeklywinejournal
Contact Red Cap Vineyards here: Redcapvineyards.com/contact
The 2014 Taste of Howell Mountain was held at the Charles Krug Winery on Saturday, June 14th. Over 35 wineries were on hand pouring wines and guests were treated to some great finger foods. Guests also had a chance to bid on silent and live auction items. The live and silent auctions raised over $150,000 this year for the benefit of Howell Mountain Schools.
One of the most interesting items ever auctioned at the annual Taste of Howell Mountain was a barrel of Dunn Vineyard sourced wine. The starting bid on the approximately 23 cases of wine was $19,000. The winning bidder paid $22,000 for this one of kind item.
The turnout was a new record as well. Over 400 people attended, paying $125 for a ticket and as much a
s $250 at the door. Next year’s event is sure to be sold out well in advance, so get your tickets well in advance!
Howell Mountain Vintners and Grower’s Association website
50 years ago, on June 15th, 1963 a young couple with an Affinity for each other were married in Sierra Madre, California.
“Just Married” June 15th, 1963
They had met by chance in the spring of 1960 while riding their bikes on a street in Woodside, near Palo Alto, California. He noticed her minding her own business, riding her bike, and at the next stop light he rode up next to her and said hi. She said hi back. They chatted for a moment and then the light changed and they continued on. To the next red light, where they talked a bit more. After a few more intersections he finally got the nerve to ask her to go for a coffee. There’s nothing like a refreshing cup of coffee after a bike ride! She agreed and that is how an Affinity, a deep affinity which has spanned 53 years, began.
She was attending Stanford studying communications and journalism. He was fresh out of a 4 year tour with the Coast Guard. His last year was spent on Annette island near Ketchikan, Alaska. After they married, they first moved to San Francisco where he began studying economics at San Francisco State University. By this time she had graduated from Stanford and was working for an advertising agency.
Graduating from the University of Chicago, 1966
After he earned his BA in economics, they decided to move to Chicago so he could obtain his Masters at the University of Chicago Business School. He attended school all year round to avoid having to spend any more winters in Chicago, and by 1966 he had his MBA and they moved back to the San Francisco area once again.
In San Fransisco, she worked in public relations and eventually started her own PR firm in 1972. During this time he worked in marketing, real estate and asset management. One of the things they had enjoyed since before they were first married was visiting Napa Valley. They shared an Affinity for exploring the wine world and joined the San Francisco Vintner’s club. This is where they learned about fine wines and were exposed to Napa Valley “mountain wines” for the first time. They became intrigued with making mountain Cabernet Sauvignons.
Exploring Napa Valley on summer break from college in the early 1960’s
Trying to find a way to become involved in Napa Valley, he began putting together investment groups to purchase vineyards in the 1970’s. At the time there were only about 7 or 8 wineries in the valley, quite different from the Napa Valley of today. Eventually a prime vineyard site became available on Mount Veeder. The land turned out to have a wine history dating back to 1874. He and a colleague organized an investment group to buy the site, with the vision of reviving it. In 1978 he successfully sold the property to Donald Hess of Switzerland and stayed on to help develop and manage the project. Eventually they renovated the old Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery to process the fruit from the vineyard and start The Hess Collection winery. He then became general manager of the Hess Collection Winery.
Moving to Napa, 1980
During the early years on Mount Veeder, he would commute from San Francisco, but in 1980, their dream of of living in Napa Valley was finally realized when they moved into the then-quiet, small town of Napa with their six year old son, Bryan. During this time she continued to work as a PR consultant
In 1990, thanks to his efforts, the Mount Veeder Appellation received its own A.V.A. status and he went on to consult on Spring Mountain’s A.V.A. application. By 1990 the opportunity to start his own winery with friends from his Chicago MBA class presented itself and he left The Hess Collection. He aquired mountain vineyard sources and began making high-elevation Cabernet Sauvignons in 1992. 10 years later, in 2002, they built a state of the art winery and vineyard at the summit of Howell Mountain.
Making mountain Cabernet in the early 1990’s
Who am I talking about? Robert “Bob” & Lynn Craig! I first met Bob at a wine event in Phoenix a few years ago, and then I met both of them in Napa in 2011. On June 14th, 2013 I was in Napa and visited them at their busy tasting room. While tasting some of the new releases I asked them many questions about the past. Robert Craig’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon is named “Affinity” in case you didn’t know. This wine is one of the most affordable highly rated Cabernets that Napa Valley has to offer.
Breaking ground on Howell mountain in 2000
In our conversation I learned that they were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary the next day, and while tasting “Affinity” and talking with them I realized their amazing affinity for each other.
Bob and Lynn celebrating their 50th anniversary at the opera in Vienna
Special thanks to Lynn Craig for providing all the photos and for proof reading!
Links:
Robert Craig Wine Website
Previous Weekly Wine Journal Articles on Robert Craig:
Affordable California Cult Wines – Part 5 – Robert Craig
How one Napa Valley producer has found success by focusing on Quality…
A video of me driving on Howell Mountain with the Craigs
See more photos on the Weekly Wine Journal’s Facebook Page
The setting for the Taste of Howell Mountain 2013
If you’ve paid even a perfunctory attention to wine over the last 30-40 years you’ve noticed that wine is produced in Napa Valley and you’ve heard of Robert Mondavi. And if you’ve taken a liking to wine you might know a dozen or more wine names and you might have seen the movie “Sideways”. The more you interested you become the deeper you dig until eventually (hopefully) you discover the taste of Howell Mountain wines.
These mountain fruit wines are not for everyone. They’re big, they’re tannic, they need time to unwind, but given patience they can develop into something unique and mind blowing.
Throughout the year the Howell Mountain Vintners & Growers Association holds tasting events in the San Fransisco area. The main event, however, is held every June on the grounds of the historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena.
Guests pay $125 to sample wines from over 40 wineries, all of which have wines made from Howell Mountain fruit. $125 may seem like a lot, but when you consider than many of these wines cost $100-$200 a bottle, its actually a great deal. In fact, you’ll probably even sample wines that are just not for sale!
At this year’s event I visited as many of the participating wineries as possible, but just like Disneyland, it’s just not possible to experience it all in a day.
Robert Craig wine-maker Stephen Tebb and director of retail sales Rachel Miller
My first stop was Robert Craig’s table. I sampled the 2010 Howell Mountain Cabernet from his estate vineyard and the 2010 Howell Mountain Zinfandel which is made from fruit from the neighboring Black Sears Vineyard. Robert “Bob” was also pouring an unreleased Rose which was really amazing. The rose was dry and crisp with good floral aromatics.
Robert Craig Rose
I managed to get a quick video interview with Stephen Tebb, which you can see here. I also got to chat with Bob a little bit, which is always nice as he’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Check back for an upcoming article on Robert & Lynn Craig’s 50th wedding anniversary…
Next up was Robert Foley. I sampled the ’09 Howell Mountain Cabernet. “Bob” wasn’t in town, so new assistant wine-maker Eric Reichenbach and Bob’s wife,
Eric and Kelly
Kelly Kehoe were on hand pouring the wine. Both were a little camera shy, so I couldn’t get them to agree to an outrageous YouTube interview about fine wine. But I picked up the vibe that they had something to say or announce, something to do with an upcoming new release perhaps? hmmm… There will be an article in the near future on my visit to the Robert Foley Estate on Howell Mountain.
Tom Altemus – Red Cap
On the other side of Robert Craig was Red Cap Vineyards. I’d heard about them through Instagram and noticed a number of people commenting on how great the wine was so I was eager to try it out. Owner and grower, Tom Altemus was on hand pouring wines and giving a brief history of Red Cap’s brief history. I sampled both the 2009 Howell Mountain Cab and 2011 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc. Red Cap’s production levels are also low, even by Howell Mountain standards. Only 260 cases of the ’08 Cab were produced and only 150 cases of the ’11 Sauv Blanc were produced! $65 for the Cab and only $22 for Sauv blanc, you’d better get some shipped to you before its all gone!
Alejandro Alfaro – Rutherford Grove, Pestoni Family
I ran into wine maker for Rutherford Grove and Pestoni Family Wines, Alejandro Alfaro, whom I’d met the day before at the winery. I tried out the ’08 Pestoni Estate Reserve Howell Mountain Cab and was really pleasantly surprised. This is a REALLY nice wine. With only 350 cases made and $65, this wine also won’t last. I have to say Alejandro is also a very nice and friendly fellow, if ever you’re in Napa, stop by the Rutherford Grove (not to be confused with Rutherford Hill) tasting room and say hi. Future article on that visit also coming up…
During my happy wandering it was suggested to me that I head over to the Aloft table. I was filled in that there was quite a bit of buzz surround the new project. And when I arrived at the table I knew why. It was there I met and had a long conversation the Marc Mondavi. He explained that they wanted to create a new project of exceptional quality, and not have it associated with the Charles Krug brand in any way. So they went with a totally hands off approach. The grapes come from the 21 acre Cold Springs Vineyard, the Mondavi’s hired Jim Barbour as vineyard manager and Thomas Rivers Brown as wine-maker!
If you don’t know Thomas Rivers Brown, just consider this feat: In 2008 he scored two 100 point wines from the same vintage from Robert Parker and then in 2010 he scored another two 100 point wines from The Wine Spectator! He is the youngest wine maker to receive a 100 point rating and also the first American wine maker to receive 100 points from Wine Spectator. But wait, there’s more! He received 3 consecutive 100 point scores for both the Shrader CCS and Shrader “Old Sparky”. Ok, so the critics like him, what’s the wine like?Its remarkably approachable for a mountain wine. It’s definitely big, but exceptionally smooth and complex. Nice dark fruit and a hint of earth. That’s what I wrote down on the back of a business card. A third of a glass of wine is really not enough to give this or any of these wines a fair taste, I prefer bottle tasting.
The elusive Randy Dunn
Another highlight was when I spotted the elusive Randy Dunn! Dunn Vineyards has been producing exceptional Howell Mountain Cabernet since 1981. His wines are some of the most age worthy wines you’ll find in Napa. Randy was pouring his ’05 Howell Mountain Cab. This wine is still a baby and will evolve for many years to come. I asked Randy: “How did you have the foresight to make and save magnums from every vintage so that you..”
He finished my sentence: “So I could give them away to charity?”
“yes”
“Heh” he answered and continued pouring.
18 Magnums of Dunn Vineyards wine
Randy donates verticals from every vintage he’s released so far to be auctioned at the Taste of Howell mountain every year. This year he donated 18 magnums of his cab ’83 thru ’99 with a just a few years missing. In 2011 he donated an 18 year vertical ’89 thru ’07.
Retro Cellars – Kara Dunn
Randy’s son Mike has his own label – Retro Cellars. Mike’s wife Kara was on hand pouring and talking about the wines. I tried out their 09 Howell Mountain Petite Sirah, and it was amazing! Only 100 cases of this wine were produced, so this was a real treat for me to be able to try it out. Look out for this wine in the future I think they’re really going to make a name for themselves
Some of the live auction lots
With all the talking and sipping time really flew by at this years event. Before I knew it the clock struck 3 and the tasting wrapped up, and guests moved indoors, into the beautifully renovated upstairs dining room of the Charles Krug carriage house. The live auction of some really amazing wines, wine dinners, and private tastings helped raise a lot of money for Howell Mountain schools and charities. This year over $110,000 was raised with $73,000 of that coming from the live auction. Live auction highlights:
Lot#5 Outpost Wine,Dine and Dance. Table for 10 sold twice at $4000 each
Lot#9 Spence dinner and fine wine: 10 couples, $400/couple
Lot#15 18 Magnums of Dunn Vineyards wine: $7400 (assorted vintages ’83-’09)
Inside the Charles Krug carriage house where the live auction was held
All in all, this was a great event. It was nice to see more wineries and guests than in previous years. It was also nice to meet Samuel Peters, executive director of the Howell Mountain Vintners and Growers association who was kind enough to petition the board on my behalf and secure a media pass for me. (FCC disclaimer-I received a ticket to this event)
Next time you see a bottle of wine labelled Howell Mountain, give it a try!
See more photos from the event on the Weekly Wine Journal Facebook Page
June 15th, 2013 at the historic Charles Krug Winery in St Helena the Howell Mountain Vinters and Growers Association will hold it’s annual “Taste of Howell Mountain” to benefit the Howell Mountain Education Foundation.
First a little background for those of you who don’t know Howell Mountain (you’re missing out!!)
The Howell Mountain American Viticultural Area (A.V.A.) was created way back in 1983 and was only the 2nd sub a.v.a of Napa valley at the time. There are now 16 sub a.v.a’s of Napa. Howell mountain is located in the north east corner of Napa valley in the Vaca mountain range. It overlooks St. Helena to the west and the Pope Valley to the east. The mountain’s cooler climate, elevation (above the fog of Napa) and volcanic soil contribute to a flavor profile that is quite different from the fruit of the valley floor.
Some of Napa’s most respected producers hail from Howell Mountain including Robert Craig, Robert Foley, Randy Dunn, as well as new stars (relatively new) CADE, Outpost and O’Shaughnessy. And of course, I can’t forget Black Sears Vineyard.
The Taste of Howell Mountain 2013 will be held on the grounds of the historic Charles Krug Winery, at the old carriage house. The event’s goal is to raise money for the Howell Mountain Education Foundation. This is an interesting irony being that the town of Angwin on top of Howell Mountain where the school is located is a dry-Seventh Day Adventist community.
There will be a live and silent auctions of rare library wines including an 18 year vertical of Magnums from Dunn Vineyards!
For tickets click HERE
Earlier this year I was fortunate to get some one on one interview time with Napa Valley wine producer Robert Craig. He was in Phoenix for the official release of the new 2010 “Affinity” his flagship wine. Those of you who have been following this blog are well aware of my affinity for Robert Craig Wines and Bob and his wife, Lynn. If not, do yourself a favor and read up on why I consider Robert Craig Wines to be “Affordable California Cult” wines.
Video interview, part one
This past January I attended a Robert Craig Winery wine tasting held at Garage Wine & Tap in Phoenix, Arizona. Mr Robert (Bob) Craig was on hand to talk with guests and answer their questions and show case the brand new release of his flagship wine the 2010 Affinity.
Robert Craig & me
If you don’t know Robert Craig, then lets start with a little background:
Robert Craig is responsible for the Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain American Viticultural Areas (A.V.A’s) He is a Napa pioneer, and started out putting together real estate deals in Napa in the late 1960’s early 70’s. During this time he came across an offer he couldn’t refuse for some potential vineyard land which he later sold to Donald Hess and then stayed on as vineyard manager during the 1980’s. In 1992 Robert Craig started his own winery and in 2002 he built a state of the art winery and started a small vineyard on some prime land on the top of Howell Mountain situated right between Black Sears Vineyard and Outpost. An interesting factoid about Bob is that he was in the Coast Guard in the 1950’s and was stationed off the very southern panhandle of Alaska just a few hours from where I grew up as a kid. A while back I wrote a 5 part series on Affordable California Cult Wines, Robert Craig was one of them. Check out that post HERE.
2009 Affinity
SO! How was the wine you are probably asking. Very, very good. I started out with the only white wine made by Robert Craig, the 2010 Durel vineyard Chardonnay. This is a very nicely balanced Chardonnay, not too much oak, in-fact very little, and not overly buttery. This is a much more Euro style Chard than a California butter and oak pile-driver. I mingled with the guests and tried to gauge their “affinity” for the chard and even though most people were there for the reds, they actually were pleasantly surprised by this wine. I’ve had it before and new to expect good things, and I wasn’t disappointed. Next up was the ’09 Affinity followed by the brand new 2010 Affinity.
2009 Zinfandel
Both are stellar, and very approachable right now. Only minimal decanting might be required and certainly no extra again, although like most fine wines these will improve with age. I was eager to get into the mountain fruit and so I moved over to an additional tasting station near the back of the restaurant that was serving Robert Craig’s 2009 Black Sears Vineyard Howell mountain Zinfandel, and the ’08 and ’09 Howell Mountain Cabernets. Robert Parker gave the ’09 Howell mountain cab 96 points. Most Napa Valley Cabernets scoring 96+ points are in the $300 range. Compare that to Robert Craig’s price tag of $80 and you can easily see why I put him in the Affordable California Cult Wines series.
Inside the Garage
Near the end of the evening I sat on a bar stool next to Bob and a gentleman approached him and asked a very good question: “How do you make these wines so approachable at such a young age, especially the mountain fruit?”
Bob answered, it’s all about vineyard management. Picking the fruit at the right time and to a large extent only picking the fruit. Picking by hand, meticulously sorting out stems and substandard fruit, and also harvesting at the right time.
Currently the 2009 Affinity is at select Costco’s or you can order it online at RobertCraigWine.com
Visit Garage Wine & Tap, it’s a nice venue for tasting wine and its built inside of an old garage in central Phoenix
Weekly Wine Journal 