Ron Siegel Radio Wine Club – April Selections
Ron Siegel and Robert Mott are proud to announce the wine selections for April 2013.
This month’s Estate selections:
As before, since we have wine club members who are White / White, this month we will have 2 white wines and one red for the Estate Selection …
Renteria Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Our take on this wine …
This is a very well balanced and intense wine at a great price. Oscar Renteria is one of Napa’s leading vineyard managers and it really shows in this wine.
Composition: Napa Valley 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyard: 69% Rowe Vineyard, Napa Valley 31% Steltzner Vineyard, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
Harvest Date: October 1 and 3, 2008
Brix at Harvest: 25.8 Brix
Finished pH: 3.63
Finished TA: 6.5 g/L
Alcohol: 14.2%
Cooperage: Aged 22 months in 37% New French Oak
Winemaker: Karen Culler
Production: 600 cases
Release Date: Summer 2011
VINEYARD: The Rowe Vineyard is planted on the western hillside slopes close to the town of Napa on Dry Creek Road. This hillside vineyard produces fruit with lots of tannins that are big and bold. The Steltzner Vineyard is in the Stags Leap District, and was planted in 1996 (clone 7 on 1103P rootstock). Often called a valley within the Napa Valley, the Stags Leap District is influenced by cool evening breezes from the San Pablo bay and rocky volcanic tufa soils. Combined with the eastern exposure this is an ideal place for growing grapes. The family has been farming this land since 1965.
VINTAGE: In 2008 winegrowers met the challenges of a crazy weather year. It began with intense storms that brought high winds and heavy rains to the region. Then spring was the driest on record, ending with 60% of normal rainfall. Cold temperatures and frost threats held on for more than three weeks in the spring. Then, within the same week, vineyards were hit with a multi-day heat spike that brought early season temperatures into the triple digits. This resulted in fewer clusters with smaller berries. Later, a week-long heat spell over the Labor Day holiday ratcheted everyone into high gear. Then, just as quickly as the heat arrived, temperatures dropped to well below normal. The red varieties languished on the vine with optimal hang time, excellent ripening and balanced structure.
TASTING NOTES: These two vineyards produce wines that are very different from each other, but work well as complementary wines in the blend. This wine is a big bold Napa Cab. The Rowe Vineyard produces a much firmer wine with big, bold tannins. The Stags Leap wine is a very pretty, elegant wine with dark fruit aromas and soft, velvety tannins, and an abundance of acidity. The resulting wine has a rich depth of aromas, both from the fruit and barrel aging, with a longer mid palate and a full but soft finish with nice acidity..
The Badge “Blue Steel” Chardonnay 2010
This is a unoaked Chardonnay that exhibits uncanny creamy texture and weight that is usually reserved for barrel fermented wines.
This is a project from D’Alfonso-Curran Wines. Kris Curran began as assistant winemaker at Cambria and later became a founding winemaker at Koehler and then at Sea Smoke Cellars, where she produced seven vintages.
Palate Notes: This stainless steel fermented Chardonnay has notes of pluots, golden apple and fresh ocean air that are enhanced by a creamy texture, balanced minerality and lively acidity.
Food Suggestions: Salads, spring rolls, grilled vegetables, fish, sushi and high acid cheeses.
HAND SORTED FRUIT, WHOLE CLUSTER PRESSED. 100% STAINLESS STEEL FERMENTED AT 60-62°. NO ML FERMENTATION.
VINEYARD NOTES
SIERRA MADRE VINEYARD, SANTA MARIA VALLEY
Etoile Brut Rose from Domain Chandon (2nd White Wine for Estate Club)
Another fantastic wine from Domain Chandon.
TASTING NOTES
In keeping with the traditional rosé winemaking method, we add a small amount of red wine (Pinot Noir) prior to tirage to create the distinctive salmon color with copper hues. The wine is elegant and restrained with fresh aromas of plum, raspberry and nutmeg. These aromas follow through on the palate and are layered with subtle and delicate flavors of cocoa powder. The wine finishes with excellent length and richness that will stand up to a variety of foods.
COMPOSITION 48% Chardonnay, 44% Pinot Noir, 8% Pinot Meunier
APPELLATION Napa and Sonoma Counties
AGING PROFILE Aged sur lees since 2003, for a minimum of 5 years
STYLE Brut Rosé
This month’s Reserve selections:
Renteria Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Our take …
This wine shows some classic Stags Leap wine profile of big fruit, an underlying spicy tone and some firm mineral notes. Great balance and will certainly improve with age.
Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyard: 100% Steltzner Vineyard, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
Harvest Date: October 1, 2008
Brix at Harvest: 27.2 Brix
Finished pH: 3.3
Finished TA: 7.37 g/L
Alcohol: 14.8%
Cooperage: Aged 22 months in 50% New French Oak
Winemaker: Karen Culler
Production: 550 cases
Release Date: Fall 2011
VINEYARD: The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for this wine came from the dry farmed Steltzner Vineyard in the Stags Leap District, planted in 1996 to clone 7. The vines are planted in the new style of Napa Valley, with narrower spacing and thus smaller vines. These vines have the advantage of producing nice elongated open clusters with small berries that typically shatter, which leads to more character in the wine.
VINTAGE: In 2008 winegrowers met the challenges of a crazy weather year. It began with intense storms that brought high winds and heavy rains to the region. Then spring was the driest on record, ending with 60% of normal rainfall. Cold temperatures and frost threats held on for more than three weeks in the spring. Then, within the same week, vineyards were hit with a multi-day heat spike that brought early season temperatures into the triple digits. This resulted in fewer clusters with smaller berries. Later, a week-long heat spell over the Labor Day holiday ratcheted everyone into high gear. Then, just as quickly as the heat arrived, temperatures dropped to well below normal. The red varieties languished on the vine with optimal hang time, excellent ripening and balanced structure.
TASTINGNOTES: The natural acidity from wines in the area is a perfect complement to the intensity of the tannins. The wines from 2008 will be more long lived wines, having lower alcohol and less tannin than in 2007. The wine is fresh, lively and balanced with soft tannins and layers of textures. The characteristic Stags Leap flavors are dark stone fruits and bramble berries. This berry aroma is especially present in the Renteria Cabernet.
Daviana 2009 Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon
From the winery …
Our 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark garnet in color with brooding aromas of cassis liqueur, plum, black raspberry, violets, caramel and herbs. Wild blackberry, black cherry, sage, bakers chocolate and silky tannins dominate the mid-palate and continue on to the long and savory finish.
Daviana Winery is a country estate winery set in the rolling foothills of Mt. George in the Coombsville area of Napa Valley. Producing 300-500 cases of wine annually, attention to detail and constant observation and winemaking is attended to by proprietor/winemaker, Tim Darrin.
Vintage: 2009
Wine Style: Red Wine
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Napa Valley
Harvest Date: October 16, 2009
Aging: 2 years in French Oak
Barrel Aging: 24 months
Bottling Date: September 2011
Residual Sugar: none