The Notes from John at Enfield:
SPRING 2019 NEWSLETTER
It is a cliché in the wine industry to say that great wine is made in the vineyard. At the same time, even in the great domaines of Burgundy, 1 person can only farm so many vines. Does it really matter whose hands did the spring pruning, or pulled leaves and laterals to open up the canopy and allow sunlight and air to reach the grape clusters? I think we can all agree the answer is somewhere in the middle, and that many hands have touched the world’s greatest bottles of wine. Three years of farming Hennessey Ridge has nonetheless offered me the opportunity to approach a single piece of land and grow one wine with complete focus and a singular sense of purpose. As an artist, this is the clearest picture of Napa Valley terroir that I can express.
Nothing gives you a better sense of a vintage than being in the vines. Citrine Chardonnay is back, and the 2017 blend received an extra puncheon of Haynes old vines, giving a wine that already over delivers an extra level. It may be too good, so stock up.
The 2016 La Femme is our first vineyard blend Syrah - a fresh and partially carbonic mix of fruit from Brosseau, Richards & Haynes - each single vineyard worthy in their own right. It is a playful wine made from serious fruit.
The 2017 Heron Lake Pinot Noir is our second vintage working with the fruit. We chose to pick just before the epic Labor Day heat spike, and the 2017 is defined by clarity and purity of fruit. It is precise and driven in a way that makes it tantalizing right now, but should cellar in spectacular fashion.
2017 Citrine Chardonnay
Rorick Heritage - Heron Lake - Brosseau - Haynes
12.8% Alc. - 6 Puncheons - 16 Barrels Produced
The 2017 Citrine balances tropical fruit and floral aromatics with surprising acid and a subtle creaminess. It is juicy, mineral, a little bit saline, and just the tiniest bit savory on the finish. With high mouth impact, but not heavy, it is a Monday through Sunday wine. Most importantly, it’s still fun.
guava, jasmine, quartz, buttercream, sleek & seamless from start to finish
Drink Now
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2016 La Femme Sauvage Syrah
Brosseau - Richards - Haynes
13.6% Alc. - 100% Whole Cluster - 6 Barrels Produced
With the help of a little carbonic maceration, La Femme is supple and soft while maintaining the counterbalance of its Syrah wild side. Aromas of blood and mushrooms are quickly followed by flowers and a buoyant juiciness. The finish lingers just long enough to leave you wanting more.
chanterelles, violet, grape jelly, sassafrass, olive tapenade, aggressively juicy
Drink Spring 2019 - 2024
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2017 Heron Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir
Wild Horse Valley - Quartz & Mixed Volcanics
12.9% Alc. - 50% Whole Cluster - 2 Puncheons Produced
Aromatic intensity, clarity and precision of crisp red fruit define this wine. The sweet spice of the stems is playing a background role for now, though it does emerge as the wine opens up. The finish is softer than the 2016, but the quartz minerality is still very present and should keep this wine crystalline and fresh for a long time.
rose petal, red fruits, moss, tangerine peel, pennyroyal, black tea, sublime quartz mineral finish
Drink Spring 2019 - 2029
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2016 Hennessey Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
100% Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley - Franciscan Shale
13.6% Alc. - 100% De-stemmed - 600 Bottles Produced
Powerful and structured, as a Napa Cabernet should be, yet crystalline and pure in a way that is quite unique. There is no make-up, no new oak to “sweeten the fruit”, no extended barrel aging to “smooth it out”. It retains all of it’s natural lines and angles, giving the wine a sense of architecture, depth and . . to me . . a sense of place. Please decant!
blueberry, black currant, baking chocolate, truffle, high desert shale, graphite
Drink Summer 2019 - 2029
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