So I was in Napa at the beginning of the week, and figured I’d throw you some general notes.
-I was also there in November, and saw a lot of the damage from the fires, and it’s healed up quite nicely in 6 months. You can still see some of the damage, but it’s far less dramatic. The buildings that were burned up though are still obviously in flux (most notably Signorello since it’s right on the Silverado Trail).
-2017 is shaping up to be an incredible vintage. The wines taste healthier than the 2015s, which I think directly correlates to draught. A lot of the 2015s I had in November were super, super young, and many of them have calmed down considerably since (2015 Realm Bard was a huge case in point). 2017s in barrel are absolutely lights out, and there is a huge amount of terroir transparency in the wines, which will make them quite unique vs. any of the other recent great years.
-It’s interesting to talk to the wineries about smoke in the wines for 2017. Since something like 90% of the valley was picked already, so it’s largely not an issue, but it’s almost like there is some self policing going on. I heard a lot of “only a dummy would bottle a wine with smoke taint”. The stuff that always rolls down hill could find it’s way in to wines, but I can pretty confidently say that the top wines are going to be epic, and smoke free.
-There is a huge number of really smart people making wine, but they are a bit hidden-ish. Part of the issue is that a lot of them are doing multiple projects for others, and the wines that they are stamping with their own names truly stand out. Tim Beranek specifically is one of those people. He does some amazing stuff for TRB behind the scenes, but his brand Young Hagen is on a whole other level. There are a bunch others too.
-Glen Ellen Star is out of control good. We stayed in Napa, Uber both ways, what a killer idea. If you haven’t eaten here, it’s a must. Corkage was cheap, and the food was crazy wine friendly. I think we ended up ordering something like 60% of the menu for 6 people to split.
Ian, in what style are the Young Hagen wines made? I admit, the early TRB pinots I tasted were a bit to fruit forward for my taste and I’m wondering where Tim Beranek’s wines fall on the spectrum.
Hey,
Sorry for the late reply. Got caught up with weekend stuff.
Massimo DiCostanzo, who’s name pops up from time to time here is doing some really, really special stuff. He was making Farella, but is now completely focused on his namesake label now, and still getting from fruit Farella, and a new vineyard now (Rafael). The wines are totally up the ally of those who like Detert and MACDONALD. Crazy soulful and terroir expressive. He’s got a Moon Mountain Montecillo Vineyard coming down the line that shows tons of promise.
Will Segui’s label William and Mary which is a hot list due to Will working with TRB at RM and just being a well liked guy on this board. The wine is superb, and consistent. The 2016 Cab was a continuation of what he did in 14 and 15, and the right bank blend that’s coming will be also be a star.
John Giannini from Cresta Velia who works at Outpost is killing it as well. Similar in style to the DiCostanzo wines, this stuff is really, really special.
Mark Porembski and Jennifer Williams who have a lot of clients are also making their own label Zeitgeist. I know that Jon Bonne has been on these wines before, but they are the real deal. The Sleeping Lady bottling is beautiful, but the Napa Cab is a big QPR. Think Larkmead, back in the day.
I hear you about some of the TRB bottlings, but the RM Bearwallow is exceptional. That’s the most stylistically closest to what Tim is doing. Tim’s wines are lower in alcohol, and are just beautiful elegant wines.
Ian, totally agree with you about the DiCostanzo Farella. We tasted this against a lineup at Acme Fine Wines and walked out with this, given it’s approachability now as we were looking for something to take to PnP at Charter Oak that evening. It did not disappoint, and at ~$95 out the door, had a QPR that exceeded much of what we tasted while we were there.
Just kidding obviously. Tremendous point too, considering that most of these are strong QPRs.
Almost everything here is under $100. William and Mary is just a smidge over at $110, but it’s free shipping. The Zeitgeist Sleeping Lady is $150, while the regular Napa is $75. The Young Hagen Pinots are $50, and the soon to be released Platt Chard 2016 is $75. Cresta Velia is $85, DiCostanzo is $95 for the Farella, and their will be a 2016 Napa (essentially Rafael) that’s going to be a lot less (Under $60).
My GF and I were last up in Napa in early April and we met with Mark at Anomaly in Saint Helena. While those wines were nice, his Zeitgeist wines are special. We didn’t have the Sleeping Lady, but we did taste the 2015 Napa (sourced from Lewelling, Farella, and one more site) as well as the 2014 Grove (from Lewelling). They are serious wines with decent QPR’s (for Napa standards anyway).
That, and Mark is a super cool guy, so its easy to support them…
