We traveled over the pass to go visit Drake Whitcraft and Ellie who are getting married soon and spent an evening with them at their home. Food, wines and gifts were gathered and we took off for the under 1 hour drive to leave Santa Barbara in its fog laden state and reached out for some sun on the other side of the mountains.
After a warm welcome by 2 great dogs and our hosts, we got into some wines starting off with a nice Chablis and headed out onto their side patio to start a fire for some roasting and grilling. Drake is a closet gourmet chef and he shined making brilliant sauces, dressings, and seasonings, mostly sourced from their own herb and vegetable garden.
The evening just kept on crescendoing onward and upward with great wines, food and companionship.
He has a large section of their back yard planted to Trousseau which is now 3 years old and the last crop from 2018 has already been converted into a few cases out of which we opened a bottle and enjoyed its refreshing bright red fruit profile with still rose likeness in color, taste and body. This wine is blended with 15% Pinot Noir and 15% Gamay more for color than anything else.
We drank a few Whitcraft wines, one of which came from my cellar, 2000 Hirsch.
First, a bit about Whitcraft Winery:
A dear friend, Chris Whitcraft founded Whitcraft Winery in 1985 under the guidance of the minds behind American icons like Heitz, Williams Selyem {Burt Williams}, and Chalone. His son, Drake, officially started in the winery in 2000 and took over the winemaking in 2007, but when Chris passed away in 2014, Drake took over and has established his own identity and crafted some very good wines ever since. I`m a fan.
2013 WHITCRAFT WINERY PENCE RANCH VINEYARD POMMARD CLONE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY PINOT NOIR- 13.1% abv; unfined/ unfiltered; this was very nice with good color pigment followed by an inviting nose of rose petals and fresh red and dark fruit; on the palate I got black raspberry, red and black cherry with a bit of spice; it was round with good feel and length; this is showing really good now with plenty of structure for future enjoyment.
2017 WHITCRAFT WINERY PENCE RANCH VINEYARD CLOSE 495 SANTA YNEZ VALLEY PINOT NOIR- from a La Tache clone, this wine is drinking well now and has all of the promise to support longevity and providing even greater pleasure; its medium red color is followed by spicy cinnamon accented strawberry and red raspberry on the palate; it has medium plus weight and body and the finish is redolent of everything before it. For me, it was mindful of some of the early stages of many of Burt William`s Pinots. Drake has listened and learned well.
1994 WILLIAMS SELYEM OLIVET LANE VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR- 13% abv; speaking of Burt Williams, here’s another one of his masterful Pinots just begging to be enjoyed and enjoy we did; I`ve had many of this wine over the years and am continually amazed at how it retains its youthfulness and primary fruit profile as this one did; the color was an unadulterated bright red; red raspberry, red cherry and red plum are most pronounced throughout and a streak of spice adds to the taste profile as well as a typical OL briary component which lurks in the background ; its medium to full bodied and finishes on an upbeat. 25 year old lovely new world Pinot?
2000 WHITCRAFT WINERY HIRSCH VINEYARD SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR- 14.4% abv; decanted and poured over a couple of hours; I’ve had a few of this gem and loved every bottle as they all have provided such consistent pleasure; it was very youthful and vibrant; the color was a dark red purple; the nose had ripe red and dark fruit in it which on the palate translated into black cherry and blackberry; it had great texture and length and seemed to expand with time; power and yet finesse is a hallmark of this beauty.
2015 DOMAINE JAMET COTE du RHONE- 100% Syrah; earthy black currant, blackberry and blueberry notes highlighted this easy quaffer; it had some depth, body and length and the mouthfeel was very pleasant; it was a nice transition from Pinot Noir to end this wondrous evening as I said above, with great wines, food and companionship.
Cheers,
Blake
