Napa Weekend 2/21-2/22 (Tench, Di Costanzo, Memento Mori, MacDonald)

Jake_Rubash · February 23, 2020, 10:25pm

Napa Weekend 2/21-2/22

Tench Winery

This was an exciting visit to make happen after the release last week and all the buzz on the board. Margaret and Rem were nice enough to accommodate us early Friday afternoon and it was just about the perfect day for a tour. Their facility is brand spanking new and the property is gorgeous. At 60+ acres in total (40+ of which are planted) it makes for quite the sprawling view, you’d never guess what they have tucked back there if you’re just driving by. We got a chance to try the '18 Sauvignon Blanc as we walking and was exceptional. 50% went through malo which produced a wine that was nicely rounded and a little creamy while still having enough acidity to keep it refreshing. Call it a chard/SB hybrid. If you were being indecisive about buying this wine (like I was) I’d definitely recommend picking up a few bottles for the summer.

We headed back to the main facility to taste through some reds and ended up in their caves to get to the '19 barrel samples. The '19 Cab is (obviously) young and the toasted oak was pretty prominent on the nose and palate but you could tell the fruit was ready to steal the stage once it’s had some more time to integrate. Next up was the '19 Merlot and that is a wine to keep an eye out for if they do decide to make a separate bottling. I immediately compared in my head to Realm Tempest bottlings I’ve tried and I think this has the ability to compete with and exceed those wines.

For the '18 we headed back to the main production area where the barrels were being stored because they will be bottling within the next month or so. If the '18 Cab is any indicator of where the '19 is heading buckle up and get your name on the list now while you still can. A wow wine for sure, perfect balance and structure with dark blue and red fruit running through its core. For those of you that have had Bevan wines previously this is in the same vein to a certain degree but manages to stay light on its feet with refreshing minerality. A wine where as soon as you’ve finished one sip you find yourself instantly going back for more.

Last up was the '17 Cab from bottle and boy am I glad I got my order for 6 in already. Rem mentioned that he had vigorously double decanted it earlier in the morning and it was showing perfectly. Similar to the '18 it’s an impeccably made wine but with the '17 I found the overall profile to be a bit brighter. Rhubarb / blueberry cobbler, violets and the same freshness are ingrained in my mind and I as I sit here writing I can vividly recall each sip. This was up there for wine of the weekend (Which as you’ll see below contained some stiff competition).

I cannot say enough good things about our experience and Margaret and Rem as a whole. They’re incredibly humble and just so damned excited to finally see their inaugural release happen. I urge people to seek out their wine and schedule a visit if possible, this is one to get in on from the beginning.

Di Costanzo

We drove straight up to St Helena after Tench to meet with Erin Di Costanzo at her shared tasting room off of Adams St. The newbie intro thread from Berserker Day does a much better job of telling Erin and Massimo’s story than I ever could so I’ll skip straight to the wines. (Although it is worth mentioning Erin is probably one of the most funny and entertaining hosts we’ve had, seriously she rules)

Those of you who participated in Berserker Day and picked up the Di Costanzo wines will be very very pleased. We tasted the '16 and '17 Farella Cabs side by side and both the balance that was achieved between savory elements and dark blue / black fruit is incredibly unique. If you’ve tried the Realm Farella SVD think that but more balance, restraint and… just better overall. This wine lets the site do the talking.

Next was the '17 Montecillo… WOW. Stop reading right here, contact Erin and buy this wine if she has any left. I’ve fallen in love with the Montecillo vineyard over the past couple years, largely due to Ketan’s Beta wines and this wine is everything I want from it. Clean, pure and intense fruit with a finish that lasted well over a minute. I tried to steal the remainder of the bottle but got slapped away by both my wife and Erin, it’s just that good.

Last, but certainly not least (which is ridiculous given the price point) was the '17 DI CO. Probably the best value in Cali Cab that I’ve had, this navigates the line between sweet and savory perfectly. Put it up against most Cabs at twice the price and I suspect it will come out on top. Just a classic wine.

To be continued with…

Memento Mori: '18 Sauv Blanc, '12, '16, '17 Flagship Blend & '17 Las Piedras and Dr Crane

MacDonald: '17 Mac, '12-'16 Andremily(?!)

Jake_Rubash · February 24, 2020, 1:31am

Memento Mori

Bright and early Saturday morning we headed to the Memento Mori tasting room to pick up some wine and taste through most of the current line-up with the lovely Emily Andrews. After a glass of bubbles we dove right in with the '17 flagship blend and the '17 Las Piedras and Dr Crane SVD’s poured side by side. The '17 blend is the most accessible of the bunch right now pumping out a brighter, red fruited profile (worth noting that this wine was PnP where-as the SVD’s had been opened the night prior and recorked) vs the LP / Dr C which were deeper and driven by darker red and blue fruits. With air they all started to gain weight, especially the Dr Crane and if drinking any of these early I would recommend quite a bit of time open.

I had brought with a bottle of the '12 blend and Emily was gracious enough to open a bottle of the '16 blend to taste alongside as well. The '12 was completely integrated and silky smooth. Fruit and tertiary flavors completely in balance. Those of you who have had the '16 know is this a seriously amazing bottle with tons of dark fruit and spice complete with a ridiculously long finish. I’m extremely sad to have drank my entire stash of this wine so young because continues to get better every time I taste it. We finished with the '18 Sauv Blanc which was tropical and refreshing, a great way to end the tasting.

Memento Mori has always been incredibly generous with us and I’d like to take this time to thank them for always making us feel special when we visit.

MacDonald

The final stop of the weekend brought us to To Kalon to meet up with Alex MacDonald for an Andremily vertical I had been planning for several months now. Fortunately we were also able to taste the '17 MacDonald as we walked the vineyard (which is BEAUTIFUL right now, the cover crops make the whole area pop with color). A cherry core, spice and the trademark To Kalon gravel component all make this a beautiful wine. Compared to previous vintages this seems to be more accessible young but certainly has the stuffing to age for many years.

I didn’t take extensive notes on the Andremily wines but we opened them all about 1.5-2hrs before tasting per Jim’s recommendation. The '12 Syrah is starting to lose a little bit of the fruit that is so prevalent with its younger siblings. More gamy and savory than the rest, I don’t think this is in danger of being over the hill any time soon but my preference for these wines would tell me to drink these over the next couple years. The '13, '14 and '15 Syrahs all show opulent fruit and some of the same savory characteristics as the '12. I would put the '14 slightly above the '13 and '15 but I would be happy to drink any of these. Again, my gut and preference tells me that I will enjoy these the most if I drink them within the next few years or so and I intend to do just that. Lastly is the '16 Syrah, which if I’m being honest I think just needed more time open. Obviously the youngest of the group it was showing a bit more closed than the rest and probably deserves a proper decant.

All the Andremily wines are world class and some of our favorites to open with friends that have never tried high end Central California, this was a really fun experience to try them side by side and Alex’s perspective while tasting made it that much more interesting!

Until next time!

Brent_S · February 24, 2020, 2:06am

Wow. Great weekend!!!

MarkStDBA · February 24, 2020, 6:45pm

Napa Weekend 2/21-2/22

Tench Winery

This was an exciting visit to make happen after the release last week and all the buzz on the board. Margaret and Rem were nice enough to accommodate us early Friday afternoon and it was just about the perfect day for a tour. Their facility is brand spanking new and the property is gorgeous. At 60+ acres in total (40+ of which are planted) it makes for quite the sprawling view, you’d never guess what they have tucked back there if you’re just driving by. We got a chance to try the '18 Sauvignon Blanc as we walking and was exceptional. 50% went through malo which produced a wine that was nicely rounded and a little creamy while still having enough acidity to keep it refreshing. Call it a chard/SB hybrid. If you were being indecisive about buying this wine (like I was) I’d definitely recommend picking up a few bottles for the summer.

We headed back to the main facility to taste through some reds and ended up in their caves to get to the '19 barrel samples. The '19 Cab is (obviously) young and the toasted oak was pretty prominent on the nose and palate but you could tell the fruit was ready to steal the stage once it’s had some more time to integrate. Next up was the '19 Merlot and that is a wine to keep an eye out for if they do decide to make a separate bottling. I immediately compared in my head to Realm Tempest bottlings I’ve tried and I think this has the ability to compete with and exceed those wines.

For the '18 we headed back to the main production area where the barrels were being stored because they will be bottling within the next month or so. If the '18 Cab is any indicator of where the '19 is heading buckle up and get your name on the list now while you still can. A wow wine for sure, perfect balance and structure with dark blue and red fruit running through its core. For those of you that have had Bevan wines previously this is in the same vein to a certain degree but manages to stay light on its feet with refreshing minerality. A wine where as soon as you’ve finished one sip you find yourself instantly going back for more.

Last up was the '17 Cab from bottle and boy am I glad I got my order for 6 in already. Rem mentioned that he had vigorously double decanted it earlier in the morning and it was showing perfectly. Similar to the '18 it’s an impeccably made wine but with the '17 I found the overall profile to be a bit brighter. Rhubarb / blueberry cobbler, violets and the same freshness are ingrained in my mind and I as I sit here writing I can vividly recall each sip. This was up there for wine of the weekend (Which as you’ll see below contained some stiff competition).

I cannot say enough good things about our experience and Margaret and Rem as a whole. They’re incredibly humble and just so damned excited to finally see their inaugural release happen. I urge people to seek out their wine and schedule a visit if possible, this is one to get in on from the beginning.

Di Costanzo

We drove straight up to St Helena after Tench to meet with Erin Di Costanzo at her shared tasting room off of Adams St. The newbie intro thread from Berserker Day does a much better job of telling Erin and Massimo’s story than I ever could so I’ll skip straight to the wines. (Although it is worth mentioning Erin is probably one of the most funny and entertaining hosts we’ve had, seriously she rules)

Those of you who participated in Berserker Day and picked up the Di Costanzo wines will be very very pleased. We tasted the '16 and '17 Farella Cabs side by side and both the balance that was achieved between savory elements and dark blue / black fruit is incredibly unique. If you’ve tried the Realm Farella SVD think that but more balance, restraint and… just better overall. This wine lets the site do the talking.

Next was the '17 Montecillo… WOW. Stop reading right here, contact Erin and buy this wine if she has any left. I’ve fallen in love with the Montecillo vineyard over the past couple years, largely due to Ketan’s Beta wines and this wine is everything I want from it. Clean, pure and intense fruit with a finish that lasted well over a minute. I tried to steal the remainder of the bottle but got slapped away by both my wife and Erin, it’s just that good.

Last, but certainly not least (which is ridiculous given the price point) was the '17 DI CO. Probably the best value in Cali Cab that I’ve had, this navigates the line between sweet and savory perfectly. Put it up against most Cabs at twice the price and I suspect it will come out on top. Just a classic wine.

To be continued with…

Memento Mori: '18 Sauv Blanc, '12, '16, '17 Flagship Blend & '17 Las Piedras and Dr Crane

MacDonald: '17 Mac, '12-'16 Andremily(?!)

We tasted with Erin on the Monday after Super Bowl. We tried the 16 Farella, 17 Montecillo and 17 Di CO. I agree with your comments on the Farella and I picked up 3 bottles of the 17. The 17 Montecillo is in another league IMO. It was a super yummy wine. I understand and support you trying to steal the remainder of the bottle. I ordered 4 bottles. The DiCo is a decent wine for the price point but it did not tickle the taste buds to warrant a purchase. By the way, Erin is a hoot to taste wine with . Good people.

blarmston · February 25, 2020, 4:41am

sounds like a great trip!

I will be up there this weekend and can’t wait- it’s been 14 months since my last visit and that is way too long.

I second that Erin DiCostanzo is awesome. She and Massimo are just great peeps making delicious wines. Memento Mori is also on the schedule, and can’t wait to hang with Genevieve and taste the goodies. I had a bottle of the ‘17 blend about three weeks ago. After the two hour decant I wasn’t really impressed, but add another hour and it evolved into the MM Magic that I know and love. Also meeting up with Alex MacD for dinner, and am drooling already at the thought of tasting that ‘17.

Also have Gallica, Covert, and Zeitgeist/Anomaly on tap, so I will try and report back with a trip summary.

Erin_Di_Costanzo · February 25, 2020, 5:46pm

Napa Weekend 2/21-2/22

Di Costanzo

We drove straight up to St Helena after Tench to meet with Erin Di Costanzo at her shared tasting room off of Adams St. The newbie intro thread from Berserker Day does a much better job of telling Erin and Massimo’s story than I ever could so I’ll skip straight to the wines. (Although it is worth mentioning Erin is probably one of the most funny and entertaining hosts we’ve had, seriously she rules)

Those of you who participated in Berserker Day and picked up the Di Costanzo wines will be very very pleased. We tasted the '16 and '17 Farella Cabs side by side and both the balance that was achieved between savory elements and dark blue / black fruit is incredibly unique. If you’ve tried the Realm Farella SVD think that but more balance, restraint and… just better overall. This wine lets the site do the talking.

Next was the '17 Montecillo… WOW. Stop reading right here, contact Erin and buy this wine if she has any left. I’ve fallen in love with the Montecillo vineyard over the past couple years, largely due to Ketan’s Beta wines and this wine is everything I want from it. Clean, pure and intense fruit with a finish that lasted well over a minute. I tried to steal the remainder of the bottle but got slapped away by both my wife and Erin, it’s just that good.

Last, but certainly not least (which is ridiculous given the price point) was the '17 DI CO. Probably the best value in Cali Cab that I’ve had, this navigates the line between sweet and savory perfectly. Put it up against most Cabs at twice the price and I suspect it will come out on top. Just a classic wine.

Jake, thank you for the kind words! Loved meeting you all, and glad Massimo was able to join in at the end too.

Erin_Di_Costanzo · February 25, 2020, 5:51pm

Mark, once you get your Carlisle Montecillo we need to do a dinner and some very scientific side by side comparisons. Thank you!

MarkStDBA · February 25, 2020, 8:09pm

Erin,
Agreed! Again, thanks for your patience and hospitality.

Best,
Mark