I wanted to put Black Cordon Vineyards on people’s radar after visiting last week and coming away impressed. We also visited MOWE, MACDONALD, Wheeler Farms (for Nigel Kinsman’s wines), and Checkerboard on this trip.
Black Cordon is the project of David and Karen Dunphy, longtime wine lovers who moved to Napa in 2004 after years of visiting the valley. Paul Hobbs was the founding winemaker, and current winemaking is led by Julian Gonzalez, whose resume includes Paul Hobbs Consulting, Dominus, Stag’s Leap, Paul Hobbs Winery, and others. Julian has multiple 100-point wines under his belt.
The core focus is Cabernet Sauvignon, with fruit from Howell Mountain, Coombsville, Mount Veeder, and Atlas Peak. They also make Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (both of which are fantastic) under Black Cordon and Sixteen by Twenty.
Tasting with David was great, with thoughtful insight into the winemaking and farming techniques. His passion for the property and the project really stood out. Wine club members can also visit the house and property, where glasses are left out so they can enjoy a glass of wine while walking the vineyards. It is a 100% generous, old-school Napa experience.
I have no affiliation here, just genuine appreciation. The wines are fantastic, the farming and winemaking are serious, the people are real, and the price-to-quality ratio is strong for Napa at this level. It feels like an under-the-radar operation that fellow Berserkers would appreciate.
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Strange way they organize their shop.
They are very flexible with their wine club memberships. I admittedly just signed up last week, but I requested two bottles of Chardonnay, which was the best Napa Chardonnay I have had, and asked David to pick the remaining four bottles for me. I am really excited to receive them.
Did I miss this wine in the lineup?
CHARDONNAY & PINOT NOIR
We produce two Chardonnays and a Pinot Noir. There is the Black Cordon Vineyards “Sonoma Coast” Chardonnay from a vineyard out towards the Pacific coast and the Sixteen by Twenty “Sonoma Coast” Chardonnay from a different vineyard that is even closer to the ocean. Ask any winemaker throughout the world who specializes in producing great Chardonnay and you’ll usually find that they employee barrel fermentation to produce those beauties. Barrel fermentation is what allows us to produce Chardonnay wines that are bright and clear with clean fresh flavors of pear, melon, apricot, and citrus with a little bit of floral nuances and a hint of creme brulee. Chardonnay needs a little bit of French Oak…but just a little bit; less than 20% of the barrels we use for fermentation and aging are new so that we keep the Oak nuances in the background just for support. We also have a strong opinion that the best Chardonnay grapes are grown in regions that are relatively cold. That is why both of the Chardonnays we produce come from grapes grown in two separate vineyards out toward the Pacific coast in the AVA called the Sonoma Coast. For us the only style of Chardonnay that we like is Cold Climate Barrel Fermented Chardonnay and I think once you start to experience ours and all the other wonderful ones from other small producers making CCBFC you’ll become a Chardonnay enthusiast too.
The one Pinot Noir wine that we produce is the Sixteen by Twenty “Sonoma Coast” Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a grape that behaves just like Chardonnay…if you grow it in the right spot and produce it using small producer artisanal methods you will be rewarded with a wine that is far superior to the large production Pinot Noir that you are probably familiar with. Pinot Noir gives us the best wines, full of complexity and delicious nuances, when it is grown out towards the Pacific coast where the days are cool and gentle. Try some small producer, cold climate Pinot Noir like our Sixteen by Twenty Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and I believe you’ll start to understand why Pinot Noir is often a winemakers favorite wine.
We’ve been members for a couple years, definitely one of my favorite napa producers.
Darn. I was looking forward to maybe trying some but, at a minimum 6-bottle purchase, no thanks.
A six bottle minimum is certainly a high entry barrier to clear if you’ve never had the wines. Maybe someone could talk to them about making a run at the next BerserkerDay and offering some smaller packages for folks to try out.
If you’re in the greater chicagoland area I’d be happy to split out a couple bottles from my shipment this fall if you’re interested. I think the '23s should be out too.
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I’d be happy to put aside a bottle at cost for you to check out. No pressure at all, but I figured I’d offer!
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You’re both very kind, but I’m up in the hinterlands of Seattle, so this wouldn’t be logistically reasonable.