Category Archives: California Trip 2012

California Wine Experience: Day Five

13 Monday Aug 2012

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We had a little later start to the day … 8:30am on the bus.  Today’s agenda:  Bevan & Jemrose in Santa Rosa, Martin Ray in Russian River, DeLoach in Russian River, Fritz in Dry Creek and Truett Hurst in Dry Creek.  This change in pace should be fun; from Cabernet and Merlot based wines to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel!

Bevan and Jemrose met us at their custom crush facility at 9am.  Russell Bevan and Jim Mack met us at the entrance and we started off with the 2011 Jemrose Viognier.  We then split up into two groups, one with Russell and the other with Jim.  A little background on why these two were together – Jemrose was made by Michael Browne (of Kosta Browne) through the 2010 vintage and from the 2011 vintage moving forward Russell is now the winemaker.  This was an interesting tasting. Russell is a character!  You can really see the passion and pride for what he does and the wines he makes.  He “decanted” his wines in to large plastic pitchers which is funny considering the majority of his wines are $100+ per bottle.  Big, extracted wines from Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc based, all of them.  He was really excited about his Franc wines and so was the team!  Jim Mack was pouring his three reds to the other group – Grenache, Syrah and a red blend of Syrah and Merlot. Jim’s passion for the Rhone varietals was evident. I think the 2009 Syrah gets my vote as best wine of the week thus far!  A few words about the custom crush facilities I think is important to know. This is how a LOT of wines are made.  The quality of wine made in places like this are every bit as good as those that are made in regular wineries.  In fact, this is usually where brands start until they grow big enough to build their own facility.

Then we headed out to Martin Ray Winery in the Russian River Valley.  Martin Ray is a really popular brand in our stores, so is Courtney Benham.  If you’re reading this and haven’t bought one in our stores yet, you should.  Courtney Benham and his brother started Blackstone many years ago, sold it and started up other projects.  These wines always represent great value in their respective price-points and the tasting before lunch proved that the upcoming vintages will deliver the same.  We had a few great treats here. Courtney Benham was on-hand and had arranged for a barrel maker to come and show us how to make a barrel! It was a really an amazing process. The man who did it was a true professional.   Another treat for the folks from the East Coast was the beer. The team at Martin Ray had searched high and low to bring us one of the most sought after beers in the US – Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Elder.  There wasn’t just a few of them, there was plenty to go around.  Cameras and phones were out to take pictures of the fabled beer.  Lunch was fabulous. There was Tri-Tip Steak to pair with the Martin Ray Cabernets.  Courtney Benham and his team treated us like royalty. It was a great visit.

DeLoach Vineyards was the next stop, about 3 miles away but still in the Russian River Valley.  We were given a tour of the gardens and taught about what biodynamic farming is by both the winemaker and assistant winemaker.  They were a super low key and easy going team, jeans and tee shirt type folks, which made the staff feel right at home asking questions.  We then went into the tasting room and of course, tasted some wine!  We ran through the Sonoma Cuvee and DeLoach lines of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.  All were excellent wines. In between the Chard’s and Pinots they challenged our wine knowledge with a little quiz.  That has to be the hardest 5 question Burgundy quiz I’ve ever taken!  They sent us on our way with a San Francisco Favorite, It’s-It ice cream sandwiches!  If you don’t know what that is, it’s the best chocolate or vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies and dipped in chocolate.  Just what the doctor ordered on this hot day!

We then headed off to Dry Creek Valley to Fritz Winery.  The entire winery in underground and they had set up individual tasting stations for several producers from the area.  We had the opportunity to taste all the Fritz wines, Bella, Kachina, Jenner, Puccioni and Lost Canyon wines.  We were welcomed in the tasting room, given a glass and put to work.  The owners from each winery were behind their tables and excited to teach our team why their wines are special. They were all super friendly folks.

The final stop of the day was at Truett Hurst Winery, about 10 minutes away from Fritz in the heart of Dry Creek Valley.  The brothers welcomed us with their Rose and Sauvignon Blanc.  I was standing in the tasting room listening to what I though was a CD until I stepped outside into the gardens to see that they had brought in a band to play for us!  It was nice easy going Hawaiian style music paired with a great crisp Rose. I couldn’t ask for anything more except … a whole pig roasting on a spit, which was part of our meal!  It was another fabulous feast with fantastic folks, a great way to close out a hard day’s work tasting wine. 

Cheers,

Cyrus

***Check out more photos from all of the wineries we’ve visited on flickr: California Wine Experience 2012**

California Wine Experience: Day Three

10 Friday Aug 2012

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Bright and early 8am on the bus, off to visit some more great wineries!  Today’s agenda: Barnett Vineyard & Philip Togni Vineyard on top of Spring Mountain, lunch at Moone Tsai in Coombsville, Piña in Oakville, Salvestrin Winery in St Helena and dinner at Amici Cellars in Calistoga. A very promising day!

Barnett Vineyards was the first stop, at the very top of Spring Mountain. It was a beautiful morning with stunning views of the valley floor. Usually there is a fog bank that we would be above from there but this morning we missed it. We didn’t miss the great wines though. We tasted Chardonnay from the Sangiacamo Vineyard, two Pinots, their Merlot, Spring Mountain Cabernet, and the superb Rattlesnake Vineyard Cabernet. David Tate was an outstanding host, sharing his story with us – he has traveled the world making wine from Australia to France, finally ending up here in California atop Spring Mountain. The tour of the caves was a real treat.

Then we were off to the famous Philip Togni Vineyards. Philip and his daughter run the vineyards and make the wine. It is a tiny production annually with only 2000 cases produced using 100% estate grown fruit for all the wines. Philip is originally from England and did a lot of wine making in Bordeaux prior to coming to Napa. He’s a bit of a legend in that he was the first winemaker for Chappellet in the late 60’s. We had the opportunity to taste four wines – three of the top tier Philip Togni label, 2008, 2005 and1998. The 1998 was a stunner! This was considered a poor year for California but at 14 years old this wine is just hitting stride. Their dessert wine Ca’Togni was outstanding as well.

The trek to Moone Tsai Vineyards in the Coombsville area was a fun one! We took a little detour along the way because our directions to this very remote spot got us a little lost.  We took a right and ended up a private driveway. Let me tell you, turning around a 30+ person bus on a one lane road was entertaining. Then a guy we didn’t know showed up on his 4-wheeler shaking his head and asked what we were thinking.  The man turned out to be John Caldwell of Caldwell Vineyard! He was hosting us and guided us to the correct driveway, down to the caves where we had lunch. This lunch was no ordinary lunch.

We started off with lobster risotto, then onto local grilled vegetables and balsamic glazed butterflied leg of lamb and roasted ribeye, ALL paired with different Moone Tsai wines. As if that wasn’t enough, we had an amazing guest, Philippe Melka!  For those that don’t know who he is, I’m sorry, you should do some research. Go buy a bottle of Moone Tsai as your first piece of research!  Philippe is one of the greatest winemakers in Napa Valley. I had the opportunity to sit next to him during lunch and he is a really down to earth guy. Our hosts were no less than spectacular – Larry and Mary Ann Tsai were perfect. Their passion for their wine and the business we share together was humbling. Of course, John Caldwell was colorful throughout the visit. He is truly one of the great grape growers in the Napa Valley and wines were OUTSTANDING!

We were then off to Piña Vineyards in Oakville.  Our group was late due to our little detour on the way to Moone Tsai and when we called to tell them that we were a little behind, they just laughed and said that they’d see us soon. Right on the Silverado trail on the valley floor is this small, family run business of four brothers. We had the opportunity to taste through their wines; the D’Adamo Vineyard Cabernets from both 2007 & 2008 were outstanding. Yogi, the winery dog was particularly friendly and a good host as well.

Salvestrin Winery was next on our travels, right off of Hwy 29 in St Helena. As the food coma wore off, we stepped off the bus and were greeted with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It was a very hot day but, we still braved the vineyards to learn what makes Salvestrin special. Their vineyards are actually quite famous. They are part of the original Dr. Crane vineyards. In fact, their home was Dr. Crane’s! They had some really great wines. The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was outstanding and the Cult Cabernet was definitely one of the greatest values produced in Napa Valley.

Stop 6 of the day, and the last stop on Day 3, was to Amici Cellars in Calistoga. It was nothing less than amazing.  The winery is just above Jericho Canyon on the eastern side of the valley at the foot of Mt St Helena.  Greeted by the owners and their children there couldn’t have been a better place to end the day. We started off with a little Sauvignon Blanc and then went into the caves for a rigorous tasting. These folks also make the Olema line of wines which we tasted through. There were a couple new wines that were absolutely STUNNING —a Spring Mountain Cabernet and Morisoli vineyard Rutherford Cabernet, both 2009’s. That Morisoli was something else. It was the most powerful and structured wine of the day. I’d have to call that a bruiser, something that strips the enamel off your teeth. I’m going to pick up a case when it hits the store in the fall. Sadly, there are not much of these to go around with both under 100 cases total production. Just when we though it couldn’t get any better, it did. We got to taste two samples of the Morisoli 2010, one from barrel and the other from tank. What a great experience. If you get the chance to do this at a winery, do it.  It was really amazing tasting the difference between the two and then “blending” your own in the glass to taste the final product.

Amici gets another paragraph just for the meal. What a spread they put on!  To start off, there were a variety of small hours d’ouvres that were all delicious, then first course was smoked leg of lamb pita’s and the main course was a whole 20lb salmon caught right off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco and smoked in a smoker that was the size of a small trailer. Lars from the Culinary Institute of America Greystone was our chef for the night, another true treat! Of course, there was copious wine available but there also was beer.

Another day down, tomorrow more Napa!

Cheers,

Cyrus

**Check out more photos from all of the wineries we’ve visited on flickr: California Wine Experience 2012**

California Wine Experience: Day Two

09 Thursday Aug 2012

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Bright and early at 8am we left the Flamingo hotel and headed to Napa for a day of touring wineries up and down the valley.  Our schedule started with Baldacci Vineyards in Stags Leap District, then off to Black Cordon Vineyards on the western side of the valley.  After that to Caymus Vineyards in Rutherford for lunch, Long Meadow Ranch in St Helena, Monticello Vineyards in Oak Knoll District, and finishing up back in Rutherford with our friends of Arroyo Seco Vineyards (Rutherford Wine Co.) for dinner.

Baldacci Vineyards was beautiful. The vines were almost 100% through veraison with great clusters of purple! We spent some time in the vineyards learning about what makes the environment of the Stag’s Leap District so special. The family was on hand to pour the wines in the caves and explain their vision with their wines. The Brenda’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was fantastic – it comes right from the vineyard outside the winery. What a treat to taste these, we also got to taste the 2011, which is still in barrel.

Then we were off to the other side of the valley to visit Black Cordon and 16×20. The property is on the western side of the valley. Their property actually is split between two appellations, Oak Knoll District and Mount Veeder. This is not a winery to visit. It is a small husband and wife operation with the help of their friend, famed winemaker Paul Hobbs. They hosted us at their home with spectacular views of the valley. As we arrived, we realized that the road was too narrow and steep for the buses so we had to hike up the mountain to their home. It was a steep, steep road that really got the heart pumping to get up there. That 16×20 chard never tasted so good!

Caymus for lunch – what can I say, Chuck Wagner hosted us and CLOSED the winery for our visit!  Chuck was a really fantastic host. The smoked tri-tip roasts served were outstanding, a California specialty. Our team tasted through the entire portfolio from Mer Soleil to the Belle Glos Pinot Noirs, to the Special Select Cabernet Sauvignon. I now have a Conundrum cooking apron and a Belle Glos hat to add to my two collections of winery hats/aprons.

We headed off to Long Meadow Ranch in St Helena with full bellies. Originally we were supposed to meet at their tasting room just around the corner from Tra Vigne restaurant, but they invited us up to the ranch instead. Now that was a tight road. I felt sorry for our bus driver Adolfo; he was a brave man! We made it safely and the view – well, it was worth it.  These folks have really an amazing story. Not only do they make great wine, but they are all about being local. The Long Meadow Ranch is a very old ranch that has been in operation for over 100 years. They raise cattle, have a large garden in Rutherford and own the restaurant The Farmstead in St Helena. The majority of the food that is served there comes from their products, seasonally. We got to take a hike up the mountain into their vineyards which was a real treat – although some of the “city folk” didn’t enjoy the walk as much as I did.  Long Meadow Ranch has been farming their grapes organically since 1998 which makes for really fantastic wines!

Then we went back down the mountain and over to Oak Knoll district to visit with the Corley family, owners of Monticello Vineyards. This is a really cool property. They have replicated Thomas Jefferson’s house in Virginia. The wines were the most “old world” of the day, a refreshing change from all the classically structured cabernets we had enjoyed previously today.  Their Merlot and Red Blend were team favorites.  The winery is owned by the Corley family. You might see some of the Corley reserve in our stores from time to time, but the production is so limited, there’s not much to be had.

The FINAL stop of the day was in Rutherford with our great friends of Arroyo Seco Vineyards.  These folks make the Montoya, Muirwood and Dominican Oaks wines for us and they really laid out the spread.  The team tasted through the new vintages of the entire lineup from each of those brands.  I believe these wines are top in class for values and this tasting just confirmed it for me.  These folks not only make wine but they grow table grapes that make fantastic raisins!  We got a canister of raisins to take with us for snacks later in the week and were able to snack on their grapes throughout the meal.  Speaking of the meal, while sitting under 100 year old olive trees they served us whole pig, homemade sausage and of course some great wine!  I had the pleasure of sitting next to and chatting with the owner, Morgan Zaninovich, over dinner.  We actually used to live right down the road from each other in Napa many years ago!

What a great second day in California wine country!  Sleep is next on the agenda, then off for another winery packed day in Napa tomorrow.

Cheers,

Cyrus

**Check out more photos from all of the wineries we’ve visited on flickr: California Wine Experience 2012**

California Wine Experience: Day One

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

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Here at Total Wine we strive to have the best customer service in the retail beverage industry – part of this commitment to training is our annual company-sponsored trip to the northern California wine country where 40+ of our team members get information straight from the principals of many of the leading wineries in the U.S.! Over the next couple of days we will be sharing with you the journey our team is taking.

Your tour guide, Cyrus Hazzard

Your tour guide for this excursion is Cyrus Hazzard, who is a member of our Customer Experience team and our concierge of wine sales. He was also a former store manager at our McLean, Virginia location.

Let the expedition begin …take it away, Cyrus!

Day 1

Dalia Ceja, director of sales and marketing

A few late flights gave us a challenge getting on the bus, but we made it.  First stop was Ceja Vineyards in Carneros – a small family owned and run winery on the Napa side of Los Carneros (The Rams).  We had the pleasure of meeting three members of the family – Momma, daughter and grandfather. Theirs is an amazing story – the family bought the vineyards in the early 80’s when people thought buying vineyards was a crazy thing to do.  The whole family lives right there on the property, Dalia grew up there but recently has moved.  We arrived and lunch was served from a fantastic taco truck, a great meal to start the trip! The tasting was fantastic, really fresh wines with incredible balance.

Grapes going through veraison

Walking through the vineyards there were some great examples of véraison, which is just starting here in Carneros. Véraison is a grape growing term meaning “the onset of ripening” or “change of color of the grape berries.” – pronounced [Vay-ray-zoN]. The biggest take-away from our visit to Ceja Vineyards was the synergy of the family and their dedication and love of family, land and wine.

The next stop was Kunde Family Estate in Sonoma Valley. Proprietor Jeff Kunde met us at the tasting room but wouldn’t let us off the bus – he hopped on and started to give the driver directions to take us up to the top of his property.  Along with him was Remy, their resident vineyard dog.

Jeff Kunde, speaking to our team

The trip up through the vineyards was a fun one – bus scraping all the way on the half-paved road, squeezing through the vines and across rattling cattle-guards.  Jeff told us some fun facts as we ascended, did you know that the movie Bottleshock was mostly filmed at the Kunde estate?  We drove past the boxing ring and he pointed out the old winery where the Judgement of Paris portion was filmed! From the top there were some really beautiful views of the rolling vineyards across the Sonoma valley. We had a small tasting of his wines and headed down the hill for dinner.  On the way down he pointed out some of his “century vines” – Zinfandel vines that looked like tree trunks!  They are an average age of 130 years old.

Sunset, watermelon and feta!

Dinner was fantastic – Caesar salad, flank steak with chimichurri sauce, local chicken, pork sausage and something I’d never had before – watermelon and crumbled feta cheese.  Now that is something simple and fantastic to replicate in your own kitchen!

Super Bowl XXXIV-winning coach Dick Vermeil (c) with Cyrus Hazzard (l) and Heather Lalla (r)

Then the fun really began – a meet-and-greet tasting at the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa, California. A night featuring of rock stars of the wine industry, some really fantastic people to meet!  Claude Blankiet of Blankiet Estate was there, Lou Kapcsandy of Kapcsandy Family Winery and even Dick Vermeil, Super Bowl winning coach and proprietor of Vermiel Wines!  It was a first class tasting with all the bells and whistles, a night our team will not forget.  It is hard to pick favorites from that tasting; they were all so fantastic! You know it’s a great tasting when all the producers are milling around enjoying themselves as well tasting others wines.

Day 2 is tomorrow. We are off to Napa Valley for a great day of tasting Cabernet and Merlot. It’s hard work but somebody has to do it!

More tomorrow …

Cyrus