Wine Tasting

Wine Dinner Series at Arizona’s Wigwam Resort

Last month I had the pleasure of sampling some of Arizona’s best cuisine, in one of Arizona’s most enchanting settings: The Wigwam Resort.wigwam resort arizona

The Wigwam first opened in 1929 as a guest ranch with enough room for 24 guests.  Today the resort features 331 rooms, and 3 championship golf courses.  Some of the rooms are “casitas”  Little stand alone houses/rooms, that have their own private entrances and patios.  They’re really great if you’re looking for a romantic weekend getaway.wigwam resort arizona-2

But I digress..  The reason I headed out west was to see what the chefs could come up with to pair with the amazing, award winning wines of Grgich Hills Estate.  While I came for the food and wine, I always forget and then am pleasantly reminded that I meet some really interesting characters at these events.  People coming together to experience the craft and finer things in life come from all backgrounds.  You don’t have to be Monte Burns to enjoy wine.  I was seated at a table with a successful accountant who looked the spitting image of Dennis Hopper.  The conversation was lively among the guests, and it got livelier as the evening went on!wigwam resort arizona-4

First we were treated to a history of how Grgich Hills came to be, a fascinating story.  After that, the food and wine pairings began.  Refer to the pic below for the menu

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I found the Spanish Octopus really interesting.  wigwam resort arizona-5

Also the Yellow Fin Tuna with forbidden rice.wigwam resort arizona-6

But what really stole the show was the Berkshire pork and the Prime New York.

 

The $89 per person this 5 course meal with very generous wine pours from one of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wineries, was actually quite a deal.  Try going to Vegas and finding a deal like that!

Now the thing I highly recommend if you really want to enjoy the wines is to book a room at the Wigwam.  It’s a bit of long drive later at night, and plus its a nice place to stay.  As a wine blogger I’ve seen too many people over indulge and then nothing good comes from that, so I recommend staying the night, waking up and going home nice and safe 🙂wigwam resort arizona-3

A visit to Pride Mountain Vineyards

A Visit to Pride Mountain Vineyards

pride-mountain-vineyards-barrels

I survived the drive to Pride!  reads the caption on the back of the black T shirt I bought in the Pride Mountain Vineyards gift shop.  If you know anything about this vineyard it is well worth the tiny winding road to the summit of Spring Mountain in Napa Valley.  And if you don’t…

Pride Mountain Vineyards is the only American winery to have it’s wines served in 3 different White Houses under Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama.  The greatness of Pride Mountain Vineyards wines is possibly the only thing the 3 of them can agree on!  Pride has received wide spread critical acclaim over the years including four ratings of 96 points or higher for their Reserve Cabernet from Robert Parker since 2001 – two of those were 99 points!

99.5% Cab .5% Petit Verdot 14.8% alc. 1,365 cases made with a retail of $135 a bottle at release. The wine is now sold out at the winery.

Pride Mountain Vineyards 2010 Reserve Cabernet: 83% Sonoma, 17% Napa | 99.5% Cab .5% Petit Verdot | 14.8% alc. 1,365 cases made with a retail of $135 a bottle at release. The wine is now sold out at the winery.

Pride is also well known for their Claret, which is usually a blend of about two thirds Merlot and one third Cabernet Sauvignon all estate fruit.  Since 2001 the Claret has also received two 99 point scores.

As nice as points and great ratings are, these days there seems to be far less emphasis than there used to be.  To use an analogy from film…the wine could be the greatest romance movie ever made, but if you like action adventure movies you won’t like it much.  These wines, more than just ratings are some of the truest representations of what the New World has to offer and in particular what Napa/Sonoma mountain fruit can be.

I say Napa and Sonoma because this brings us to a very interesting geographical fact about Pride Mountain Vineyards.  The Napa/Sonoma county line runs right through the middle of the vineyards and actually right through the middle of their bottling facility.  In a strange bit of Kafka-esque bureaucracy,  they actually have to fill out paper work to transfer wine bottles within their own bottling facility.

pride mountain county line

The Napa/Sonoma county line runs right through the middle of the vineyard and production facility

On my tour I visited the cave system and tried tasted current offerings including some barrel samples.  Although the Merlot, Claret and Reserve Cabernet were what I came for, I was most surprised by the Viognier.  The tour is more than just a quick walk through, it’s a nice long tour which lasts at least an hour.  There are tasting stations set up in the cave system where guests sample current offerings and learn about the history and the story behind the vintages.  The tour wraps up back in the main entrance and wine shop where the urge to purchase a case of the Reserve cabernet was very very difficult.  I bought the t-shirt instead.

See more pictures from this visit on Facebook

 

 

 

Interview with Mike Dunn, Part 1 | Dunn Vineyards Retro Cellars

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

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.

A Visit to Howell Mountain and Red Cap Vineyards

Red Cap Vineyards

Red Cap Vineyards on Howell Mountain

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.

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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

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!

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

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!

The Wines

The Red Cap lineup
The Red Cap lineup

2013 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc

This is a blend of 92% Sauvignon blanc and 8% Semillon sourced from Rutherford, Napa Valley. Alcohol weighs in at  14.5%.

red cap 2013 sauvignon blanc bottle

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.

 

 2008 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

red cap 2008 howell mountain bottleThis 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.

2010 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

red cap 2010 cabernet bottle

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

2014 Taste of Howell Mountain Photos

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.

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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

Howell Mountain | 30 Years Above The Fog

 

taste of howell mountain 2014 poster

The 19th annual Taste of Howell Mountain is set to kick off at 12pm on Saturday June 14th, 2014.   If you are planning a trip to Napa Valley this summer I highly recommend you plan it around this event.  An amazing list of participating wineries will be pouring wines on the grounds of the historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena (Napa Valley).  Guests will enjoy wines from 35+ Wineries.  These wineries produce exceptionally rare and high quality wines.  Many of the wine makers themselves will be doing the pouring and interacting with guests.

The proceeds benefit the Howell Mountain Education Foundation.  Throughout the afternoon guests will get the chance to bid on silent auction items and enjoy various catering stations with yummy food.  The big finale is the live auction held inside the stately Carriage House on the Charles Krug property.  Guests will have a chance to bid on some truly amazing items.  Past years have seen items such as a 20 year vertical of Dunn Vineyard magnums and a personal lunch with Heidi Barrett. View the Live Auction Catalog HERE

Purchase tickets to the Taste of Howell Mountain HERE

Howell Mountain Vintners and Grower’s Association

Charles Krug Winery

A visit to Rutherford Grove and Pestoni Family
The entrance to Rutherford Grove winery

The entrance to Rutherford Grove winery

A visit to Rutherford Grove and Pestoni Family Winery

My summer 2013 tour of Napa Valley included a visit to Rutherford Grove Winery.  The tasting room and winery is located on the St Helena Highway, just outside of St, Helena.

Beautifully landscaped Rutherford Grove Winery property

Beautifully landscaped Rutherford Grove Winery property

The first thing you’ll notice about Rutherford Grove Winery is the amazing landscaped property.  You can’t see it from the road, but once you get up to the actual winery and tasting room you’ll notice all the flowers and gardens, and off to the side there is a huge grass field and picnic BBQ area that can accommodate hundreds of people.

Wine-maker Alejandro Alfaro

Wine-maker Alejandro Alfaro

On this visit I met tasting room manager Bonnie Zimmerman and wine-maker Alejandro Alfaro, and tasted through a wide variety of Rutherford Grove wines, as well as some of the Pestoni family wines.

The Pestoni family has been involved in wine making in Napa Valley for 5 generations, but current owner Bob Pestoni, didn’t immediately follow in the family footsteps.  He started a disposal company first.  And Napa Valley is very lucky that he did.  Bob actually discovered a bacteria to help recycle all the organic waste in the wine making process.  Every year he produces over 12,000 tons of organic compost fertilizer to be used in vineyards all over Napa Valley.

Alejandro Alfaro is now the head wine maker for both Rutherford Grove and Petsoni Family wines.  He has an interesting background in wine making.  While a lot of wine makers these days are graduates of U.C. Davis, Alejandro gained his knowledge and skills in wine making from hands on experience.  Alejandro has been working in the business for over 18 years and has done it all from vineyard management to cellar work, to wine production, and retail sales to wine making.  He joined Rutherford Grove and Pestoni in 2010 after working with an impressive list of small production high quality clients.  The most striking thing about Alejandro is that he is a genuine, down to earth, friendly guy.  Unassuming and humble.  Which is interesting, because I really think that comes across in the wine style.  All wines have their strong points and niches, and the impression I get from Alejandro’s wines is they are unassuming and humble.  But they’re not boring.

The private tasting area, which is located right in the cellar.

The private tasting area, which is located right in the cellar.

The 2008 Pestoni Estate Reserve Cabernet from Howell Mountain is  an amazing wine.  It’s remarkably approachable for such a young mountain wine.  This wine scored 94 points from Wine Enthusiast and won a gold medal at the San Francisco Chronicle wine competition in 2011. With only 350 cases produced and priced at only $65 a bottle it is quite a steal.  The next day at the Taste of Howell Mountain I had a chance to taste the 09 vintage and it was perhaps even better!  I also had a chance to taste the 2008 Estate Reserve Merlot, also from Howell Mountain.  This is also a great value, with only 300 cases produced and priced at $50 a bottle. The wine was a gold medal winner at the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle wine competition and scored 92 points from Wine Enthusiast.  It’s a Cabernet lovers Merlot, nice and big and bold.photo(136)

Other stand-outs include the Rutherford Grove Estate Sauvignon Blanc and the Estate Sangiovese.  The Sauvignon Blanc has a good citrus like  acidity with an apricot aroma on the nose, making it a refreshing summer sipper. At only $18 and only 600 cases produced for the 2012 vintage this wine will probably go fast.

The Estate Sangiovese is only available through the wine club and tasting room.  Only 300 cases were produced and it runs $35 a bottle.  It’s a big bold and dense wine with the fine dusty tannins that the Rutherford area is so well known for.

If you’re taking a trip to Napa Valley, I would recommend stopping in at the Rutherford Grove winery to taste their wines.  Reservations are not required to taste the wines, though you might want to contact them ahead of time if you want to meet Alejandro.

Contact Rutherford Grove Winery  Here

Taste of Howell Mountain | June 15th, 2013

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.Taste of Howell Mountain 2013

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

Arizona Wine Festival at The Farm 2012

Annual AZ Wine Festival Set for Nov. 17

PHOENIX  –  The Arizona Wine Growers Association will celebrate a year of rising national acclaim by raising a glass with the public on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2011, at The Festival at The Farm.

arizona wine tasting

Festival on the Farm

Set among the pecan groves of Phoenix’s intimate The Farm at South Mountain, the fourth-annual festival is a way to sample the best wine from across Arizona, all in one place. More than 30 local wineries are expected to attend, representing growing regions from the Verde Valley in the north, Sonoita and Elgin in the south, and Willcox in southeastern Arizona.

As a nod to Arizona wine’s rich history, the festival is an officially-sanctioned Arizona Centennial event. The festival is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and is limited to 1,000 guests. Tickets are $75 for the public (online and at the door) and $60 for AWGA members.

The festival will include:

  • A wine tasting with 31 participating Arizona wineries.
  • A picnic lunch prepared by The Farm Kitchen. There also will be tasty treats from other local Arizona favorites.
  • A high-energy live auction for great prizes.
  • Educational seminars including food & wine pairing with Chef LaPrad from Quiessence and Curt Dunham, winemaker from Lawrence Dunham Vineyards.
arizona wine maker

Curt Dunham, wine maker at Lawrence Dunham vineyards

“Whether they are a novice or an aficionado, this is a can’t miss event for wine lovers to meet the folks behind the rising Arizona wine movement,” said Peggy Fiandaca, president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association. “Come sip the wine from our state’s beautiful wine regions all in one place, in one of the most wonderful settings Phoenix has to offer.”

The festival is preceded by a special event on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012. The “Celebration of the Arizona Wine Growers” is an opportunity to mingle and meet winemakers from across the state. The event is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Quiessence Restaurant at The Farm at South Mountain. The winemaker celebration is open to the public but capped at 150 guests.

Arizona wine

Quiessence Restaurant

This special evening includes an awards reception followed by a specially prepared appetizers using local produce by Quiessence Executive Chef Greg LaPrad. Each of the appetizers and desserts are paired with the winning wines from the 2012 Arizona Grower’s Cup and Winemaker’s Medal competition. Each of the winning wineries will be present to discuss their wine and winemaking philosophy. The cost for this special evening is $75 per person.

The Arizona wine industry is one of the fastest growing value-added industries in the state creating jobs and wealth while preserving sustainable agriculture statewide. In 1980 there were less than 10 wineries in Arizona. Today there are more than 60 bonded wineries, with many more in the development phase. The number of vineyard acres has grown dramatically, and many new vineyards and wineries are planned. The Arizona Wine Growers Association (AWGA) represents these family businesses and supports grape growers and wineries statewide through education, representation, advocacy, and promotion of Arizona wine and sustainable grape growing.

Arizona wine has an estimated economic impact of $38 million, according to a recent study funded by the Arizona Office of Tourism and completed by Northern Arizona University. The state’s wine is surging in popularity, earning national acclaim from Wine Spectator to Sunset Magazine to USA Today. Arizona wine also has been served at James Beard House dinners and poured at the White House.

Learn more, join the AWGA or get your tickets now at www.arizonawine.org