We asked Doug Fraggi, one of our pals at Cakebread, for some suggestions of wineries with great Cabs that we could visit this year (after the Cakebread party, of course). He pointed us in the direction of Fantesca which I had never heard of prior to this trip. Fantesca is owned by Duane & Susan Hoff.
The Hoffs were high ranking executives at Best Buy who decided to leave corporate America and go into the wine biz. They bought the property that now houses Fantesca and set about the business of creating magic in a bottle. Their first release was 1000 cases in 2005.
In 2008, the Hoff's brought in legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett of Screaming Eagle fame to be their winemaker. Barrett, known for her world-famous red wines, produced her first Chardonnay at Fantesca.
"Corkies" are one of the neat things they do at Fantesca. All of their wine corks have quotes printed on them. Each year they accept submissions for new Corkie quotes. If your quote is chosen, you receive a wine gift from the winery.
Fantesca is located on Spring Mountain which has a long history of producing wonderful wine in Napa Valley. The trip up the mountain was lovely and the views once we arrived at Fantesca were beautiful. We did an initial tasting inside their cave of a special 2010 King Richard Reserve Pinot Noir (named after Susan's father). It's a very good Pinot if you are a Pinot fan. This wine is not available for purchase unless you are a member of the wine club.
Once inside the winery, we began to taste some of the most amazing wine I've ever experienced.
The 2010 Chardonnay (Heidi's first) was multi-layered and lovely. It was light, not too sweet and the flavor changed as it warmed. It retails for $75/bottle.
The 2011 La Petite Rose ($55/bottle) is a nice Rose that bloomed out of necessity. 2011 was the coldest summer in Napa in 40 years. One section of Cabernet grapes at Fantesca never ripened. Rather than throw them out, the winemaker decided to make a rose.
Now for the good stuff:
The 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is awesome. However, it is sold out in the 750 ml bottle size ($125/bottle). You can still purchase this wine in the magnum size for $300.
The 2009 All Great Things (Freedom) is hard to describe. It is such a perfect red blend that you wonder why all wineries can't do it! It is a wine that truly demonstrates how gifted Heidi Barrett is - full-bodied Cab, smooth, excellent finish that stays with you.
Put Fantesca on your list for your next trip to Napa. You won't be disappointed.
Jarvis. Wow. What a place. If I win the lottery, I'm buying a mountain so I can build my own cave.
Voted Best Cave Tour in Napa Valley, Jarvis Estate is literally located inside a mountain. We've seen our share of wine caves over the years but nothing compares to this place. The winery is shaped like a wagon wheel with a natural spring and very neat waterfall in the center. The "spokes" of the wheel are lined with barrels and winemaking equipment. The outside rim allows the wine to be moved out for shipment. An enormous room was built that can double as a storage room or a ballroom. We were in awe. Another smaller ballroom is lined with a collection of enormous crystals. You just can't make this stuff up.
The wine tasting room is a little side room carved into the mountain. You have to cross a little creek to get in.
I was really looking forward to visiting Jarvis. Several years ago I ordered a bottle of Jarvis 2005 Lake William at Pappas Brothers in Dallas while we were out for my birthday. It was so wonderful that it made my Top Ten list of favorite wines. Since then I have always kept an eye out for Jarvis on wine menus and at wine shops but have not been able to find it. Now I know why - they just don't make very much of it. It's a small production winery with a very loyal wine club that buys most of what they produce. Solution - join the club!
We started our tasting with the 2010 Finch Hollow Chardonnay (95 points from Wine Enthusiast). The white wine drinkers really liked it. It's not a buttery Chard. It's crisp and very fruit forward. As is typical of high quality Chardonnay, it was layered so as it warmed, the flavor changed. This bottle retails for $95.
Next up was the 2009 Inner Circle Blend. It's primarily a Cabernet Franc which is not one of my favorite types of wine. If you like Cab Franc, you would probably love this wine. It retails for $50/bottle.
The winery has created a nice 2010 Tempranillo which we were able to taste. It retails for $70/bottle.
We moved on to the 2008 Will Jarvis' Science Project which literally is a wine that originated as an 8th grade school science project. It's primarily a Cab Franc so you'll love it if you like that grape. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 90 points and the Dallas Morning News gave it a Gold Medal in their annual wine competition.
The 2009 Jarvis Merlot ($95/bottle) was terrific. My husband loved it and it went on the order sheet.
Next we tried the 2006 Jarvis Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($110/bottle). Jarvis typically releases its Cabs at 6 years though they may wait longer if the winemaker does not think the wine is ready. We drank this wine side-by-side with the 2005 Jarvis Reserve Cab ($195/bottle). Both were outstanding but the consensus was that the 2006 was the best.
To further complicate the ordering process, we next tried the 2004 Jarvis Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and it was the best of all! Of course, it's also SOLD OUT. However, you can still buy it from the winery if you buy it as part of a 3 bottle flight.
Finally, Lake William. Lake William is a blend that is made from grapes grown on Jarvis' Lake William vineyard. Every year the composition changes depending on the yield from the vineyard. We tasted the latest release which is the 2007 vintage. It is made up of 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 21% Cab Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. It is aged for 23 months in New French Oak barrels. 1427 cases were produced.
Heaven. Loved it. Bought lots of it.
The 2006 Lake William won a ton of awards. I expect the 2007 will do the same.
Going to Napa? Make an appointment to visit Jarvis. Even if you don't drink wine, the cave tour is worth the trip.
Prior to this trip, I can honestly say that Turnbull wine has never even been on my radar screen. I had heard of it but had never tasted it. One of the members of our group loves Turnbull so we made a reservation and headed on over.
The owner of the winery has what must be one of the largest (if not THE largest) Ansel Adams collections in existence. It is amazing. After making our way through the gallery, we were escorted next door to start tasting some wine.
Burroughs and Abigail had the great fortune of handling our tasting. Let's just say we'd had a little wine before arriving (actually a lot) so they had their hands full.
The grapes for Turnbull wines come from 4 vineyards - Turnbull Vineyard, Fortuna Vineyard, Leopoldina Vineyard and Amoenus Vineyard. We tried the Sauvignon Blanc, Cabs from the different vineyards, a wonderful Merlot and their 2009 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon that just received a 95 point rating from Wine Enthusiast.
All of the wine we tasted was very good. The Black Label Cab was excellent. However, what really stood out for me was the 2008 Fortuna Merlot. We bought 6 bottles and shipped them home. It retails for $55/bottle.
I hope Burroughs and Abigail have recovered from our group of tipsy Texans. They took us on a terrific tour and were great sports. Of course, our group also bought an obscene amount of wine from them so hopefully it was worth it!
This was not our first visit to Plumpjack. (We attended their Release Party a few years back.) However, we had some new friends with us this year and one is a white wine drinker. When I heard this, I suggested Plumpjack because they truly make a wonderful Chardonnay.
Visiting Plumpjack always give me an Austin, Texas-vibe. It's laid back and has a gravel patio - a la most of the bars in Austin. There's always some animal walking around and it's just a neat winery.
Cade and Plumpjack are sister wineries so you can choose a Cade flight or a Plumpjack flight to taste. Of course, we chose both.
The Plumpjack 2011 Reserve Chardonnay that had just been released was excellent. We actually bought some which may be a first for these die-hard red wine drinkers. It retails for $48/bottle.
The Plumpjack 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was very good. Unfortunately, we were drinking it side-by-side with the Cade 2009 Howell Mountain Cabernet and, well, it's CADE and HOWELL MOUNTAIN. The Plumpjack Cab retails for $98/bottle. We ended up buying the Cade at $80/bottle.
Plumpjack always has neat stuff in their shop. This year they had wine suitcases which will hold 1 case of wine and can be checked as luggage at the airport. They also have wheels. If you bought a case of wine, you got a suitcase for free. SOLD!
If you've never visited Plumpjack, put it on your list. They have something for everyone - Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah.
As long-time Cakebread Wine Club members, we always attend their Cabernet Release Party while we're in Napa. It's a fun affair with the current releases being featured, food being served and several Cakebread family members in attendance.
The following wine was featured this year:
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (new release)
2009 Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain
2008 Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2005 Vine Hill Rance Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
It's always a hard call to determine which Cab is the best each year - Dancing Bear, Benchland Select or Vine Hill.
Dancing Bear is on Howell Mountain so, of course, it's usually my favorite. However, this year the Vine Hill was a strong contender.
Thanks to Cakebread for a lovely party and a great time!
