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<DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 10px">Friday, May 25, 2007
<DIV style="CLEAR: both; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: black 4px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px">By L. PIERCE CARSON
Register Staff Writer
<H4 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em">Being the new kid on the appellation block, the relatively small Oak Knoll District doesn’t get a lot of notice.
So a few weeks ago, growers and vintners in the AVA that includes such well-known operations as Trefethen, Monticello and Biale hosted a spring barrel tasting for the trade and a few wine writers.
Located in the cooler southern reaches of the Napa Valley, the Oak Knoll District was granted American Viticultural Area status in 2004. This appellation boasts 3,500 acres of vines and is home to 20 bonded wineries. While some of these wineries are wellknown in the marketplace, relatively few consumers connect them with this new AVA.
We got to taste a number of impressive barrel samples — wines that are resting in Oak Knoll District cellars until the time is right for commercial release.
Wines of note included:
• Biale 2006 Aldo’s Vineyard Zinfandel, produced from vines planted in 1937. This one’s a big blast of Bing cherries on both nose and palate, a yummy wine worth waiting for. Get your name on the mailing list for this forthcoming blockbuster.
• Nord 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, a big, lush 100 percent cab from the Page/Nord vineyard. Expect the blend to include a small amount of other Bordeaux varieties, although most of it will be this cab with ripe fruit and soft tannins.
• Monticello Vineyards 2006 Syrah, the barrel sample showed the winery’s third release of this Rhone varietal to be a spicy food wine. Ripe fruit made for an intense offering with a long finish — indicative of what’s to come. Only 200 cases were produced.
Wines that are on the market at present or will be released later this year also made quite an impression. Making the list were:
Shifflett Estate 2004 (to be released in November): Jeffrey Shifflett is growing exquisite fruit on the sloping western hillsides of the district, resulting in lush, powerful wines that are easy to drink. This one’s a blend of 52 percent merlot, 26 percent cabernet sauvignon, 20 percent cabernet franc and 2 percent petit verdot. The inviting floral aroma also provides a hint of Christmas candy and the flavors of both blueberries and blackberries linger on the palate.
Shifflett Estate 2003 ($45): Wow! At such a good price, this is cabernet with a lot of bang for the buck. Only 600 cases of this silky treasure were produced. It spent nearly three years in 70 percent new French oak. The blend is 52 percent cabernet sauvignon, 24 percent merlot, 20 percent cabernet franc and 2 percent petit verdot. It’s a berry-fragrant wine, with lots of blueberries on the finish. This is a cab you can drink on its own or pair up with your favorite grilled meat. It can be purchased by calling the winery or you can order it with dinner at Bouchon, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen or Go Fish.
Boyd Family 2005 Big Ranch Vineyard Syrah ($32): Co-fermented with 6 percent viognier in the true Rhone style, Stan Boyd has produced a ripe, spicy version of this tasty varietal. I enjoyed the fresh cherry fruit up front and the long blueberry finish. Only 111 cases were produced.
Boyd Family 2004 Merlot ($34): Estate grown fruit (85 percent merlot, 12 percent cabernet sauvignon, 3 percent malbec) produce a wine that’s big and brawny on the entry but soft and elegant on the finish. Gobs of cherry vanilla mix with spice from the malbec. Only 149 cases produced.
Hill Family Estate 2005 Syrah ($28): A project involving the entire family (Doug, Darci, Ryan and Carly Hill), this relatively new brand is producing several outstanding wines. Veteran grower Doug Hill has made 200 cases of this Rhone varietal, a ripe, silky wine with a palate of intermingling cherry, plum and vanilla flavors. This one’s a Napa Valley syrah worth adding to your cellar.
Hill Family 2004 Beau Terre Vineyard Merlot ($30): If anybody knows merlot, it’s Doug Hill. After all, he presided over the Rutherford Hill viticultural effort for a number of years and their merlots served as valley benchmarks. This one’s ripe and juicy, with flavors of currants and cherries — well-structured and balanced.
There were also some wines available only to “friends and family” as the growers sell most of their fruit to area vintners and make a little wine for their own enjoyment.
I really enjoyed Baumgartner Family Vineyards 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. While John Baumgartner sells most of his fruit to Joseph Phelps Vineyards, he did hold out enough grapes to make an attractive, lush wine. If you know John, ask him if he’ll be pouring his cab at any future functions, like the upcoming Home Winemakers Classic in July. You’ll love this elegant offering of ripe fruit with a blackberry finish.
Another outstanding “friends and family” bottling came from Steve Moulds. His 2004 Journey is all cabernet sauvignon, mostly from his own vineyards, with a little fruit from Lail and Beckstoffer To-Kalon vineyards added to the blend. Moulds’ cab is another superior wine made by one of the district’s premier growers.</H4>
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<DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 10px">Friday, May 25, 2007
<DIV style="CLEAR: both; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: black 4px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px">By L. PIERCE CARSON
Register Staff Writer
<H4 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em">Being the new kid on the appellation block, the relatively small Oak Knoll District doesn’t get a lot of notice.
So a few weeks ago, growers and vintners in the AVA that includes such well-known operations as Trefethen, Monticello and Biale hosted a spring barrel tasting for the trade and a few wine writers.
Located in the cooler southern reaches of the Napa Valley, the Oak Knoll District was granted American Viticultural Area status in 2004. This appellation boasts 3,500 acres of vines and is home to 20 bonded wineries. While some of these wineries are wellknown in the marketplace, relatively few consumers connect them with this new AVA.
We got to taste a number of impressive barrel samples — wines that are resting in Oak Knoll District cellars until the time is right for commercial release.
Wines of note included:
• Biale 2006 Aldo’s Vineyard Zinfandel, produced from vines planted in 1937. This one’s a big blast of Bing cherries on both nose and palate, a yummy wine worth waiting for. Get your name on the mailing list for this forthcoming blockbuster.
• Nord 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, a big, lush 100 percent cab from the Page/Nord vineyard. Expect the blend to include a small amount of other Bordeaux varieties, although most of it will be this cab with ripe fruit and soft tannins.
• Monticello Vineyards 2006 Syrah, the barrel sample showed the winery’s third release of this Rhone varietal to be a spicy food wine. Ripe fruit made for an intense offering with a long finish — indicative of what’s to come. Only 200 cases were produced.
Wines that are on the market at present or will be released later this year also made quite an impression. Making the list were:
Shifflett Estate 2004 (to be released in November): Jeffrey Shifflett is growing exquisite fruit on the sloping western hillsides of the district, resulting in lush, powerful wines that are easy to drink. This one’s a blend of 52 percent merlot, 26 percent cabernet sauvignon, 20 percent cabernet franc and 2 percent petit verdot. The inviting floral aroma also provides a hint of Christmas candy and the flavors of both blueberries and blackberries linger on the palate.
Shifflett Estate 2003 ($45): Wow! At such a good price, this is cabernet with a lot of bang for the buck. Only 600 cases of this silky treasure were produced. It spent nearly three years in 70 percent new French oak. The blend is 52 percent cabernet sauvignon, 24 percent merlot, 20 percent cabernet franc and 2 percent petit verdot. It’s a berry-fragrant wine, with lots of blueberries on the finish. This is a cab you can drink on its own or pair up with your favorite grilled meat. It can be purchased by calling the winery or you can order it with dinner at Bouchon, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen or Go Fish.
Boyd Family 2005 Big Ranch Vineyard Syrah ($32): Co-fermented with 6 percent viognier in the true Rhone style, Stan Boyd has produced a ripe, spicy version of this tasty varietal. I enjoyed the fresh cherry fruit up front and the long blueberry finish. Only 111 cases were produced.
Boyd Family 2004 Merlot ($34): Estate grown fruit (85 percent merlot, 12 percent cabernet sauvignon, 3 percent malbec) produce a wine that’s big and brawny on the entry but soft and elegant on the finish. Gobs of cherry vanilla mix with spice from the malbec. Only 149 cases produced.
Hill Family Estate 2005 Syrah ($28): A project involving the entire family (Doug, Darci, Ryan and Carly Hill), this relatively new brand is producing several outstanding wines. Veteran grower Doug Hill has made 200 cases of this Rhone varietal, a ripe, silky wine with a palate of intermingling cherry, plum and vanilla flavors. This one’s a Napa Valley syrah worth adding to your cellar.
Hill Family 2004 Beau Terre Vineyard Merlot ($30): If anybody knows merlot, it’s Doug Hill. After all, he presided over the Rutherford Hill viticultural effort for a number of years and their merlots served as valley benchmarks. This one’s ripe and juicy, with flavors of currants and cherries — well-structured and balanced.
There were also some wines available only to “friends and family” as the growers sell most of their fruit to area vintners and make a little wine for their own enjoyment.
I really enjoyed Baumgartner Family Vineyards 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. While John Baumgartner sells most of his fruit to Joseph Phelps Vineyards, he did hold out enough grapes to make an attractive, lush wine. If you know John, ask him if he’ll be pouring his cab at any future functions, like the upcoming Home Winemakers Classic in July. You’ll love this elegant offering of ripe fruit with a blackberry finish.
Another outstanding “friends and family” bottling came from Steve Moulds. His 2004 Journey is all cabernet sauvignon, mostly from his own vineyards, with a little fruit from Lail and Beckstoffer To-Kalon vineyards added to the blend. Moulds’ cab is another superior wine made by one of the district’s premier growers.</H4>
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