The conversation veered off from Napa-only a while back. And he also mentioned Judgement Of Paris.
But yes, of course, if we are being 100% Napa-only, then MB is out.
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There’s sort of no point to join the MacDonald list, unless you want an annual email reminding you you did not get an allocation this year. Anyone alive today signing up will not get an allocation in their lifetime, that’s the reality. Same with Screagle and such.
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Just to be clear, that was an example, not a personal recommendation. Very ripe, polished style that many treasure and pay through the nose for, but I personally find superficial.
I like the Ridge Geyserville recommendation. It’s a Zin field blend, but a singular wine and one of California’s great wines.
My favorite California Cab is the Ridge Monte Bello. Mount Eden is another top example. Both have long, historic stories. The Montebello ridge was widely planted starting in the 1880s, with 3 wineries garnering international recognition for wines that stood up to top Bordeaux. Prohibition devastated that, but some vineyards remained and some were replanted after Repeal. The Ridge founders bought the site of a former winery for a weekend getaway spot in 1959, but got some advice from the great Mario Gemello who was buying the fruit, and tried their hand at making a batch. It was so good that they started a winery in 1962, then bought the site of the former Montebello Winery further up the hill and bought and leased other vineyard plots and planted more. They later met the amazingly talented and innovative Paul Draper and hired him as winemaker, since they all had day jobs.
The Mount Eden Vineyard was originally planted by Martin Ray in the early '40s. He was a controversial figure who helped lead the charge for broader quality in California wines, including the shift to varietal wines. He was the protege of the great Paul Masson who made “Champagne” that stood up to the best French Champagne, and he charged the same as the most expensive. So good, and having so many Senators as customers, he continued selling through Prohibition at pharmacies with a doctor’s prescription. Paul was from Burgundy and had family and friend winemakers in Burgundy and Champagne. He had worked for New Almaden Winery (established 1852) and married into the third generation of the family. He made respectable sparkling wine for them, but wanted to make the best, so split off and bought a great site in the mountains, went back to Burgundy and came back with cuttings from top vineyards stuck in potatoes. Martin Ray bought his winery when he retired, but ended up selling it and buying land nearby he thought was better. He planted Chard and Pinot from the Masson site. Then Mario Gemello had just bought the wine stock and equipment from the defunct great La Questa Vineyard (established 1883) which was planted with cuttings from Chateau Margaux. Ray tasted through those barrels and was impressed. He bought all the '44 vintage, then struck a deal to maintain and source the vineyard while he propagated those cuttings at his site. Those old Cabs from the late '40s to '70 are still going strong, for the most part. The was an investor lawsuit, which split the property, with the vast majority going to the shareholders and taking the name of the vineyard as the winery name. The Ray family kept their winery going through the early ‘80s, then sold the name. But, they still own vineyard plots on the land. The Cab site ("Peter Martin Ray Vyd’) is right there with the Mount Eden Cab. Mount Eden’s winemaker/owner Jeffrey Patterson has been there over 40 years. He’s really fine-tuned the vineyard over that time, so I think the Cabs are better than ever. Contrast the with the PMR section, which is still head-trained old vines. You might be lucky and come across a Ceritas or Birichino Cab from there, which are both excellent. Sandar & Hem (who I work with) also makes an excellent one, but it sells out to club members.
Btw, people hate the cliche “made in the vineyard”, but that’s Mount Eden. The winemaking is rustic, straight-forward, pretty much unchanged from what Martin Ray did. The improvements Jeffrey has made in the vineyard are impressive.
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The most exciting project in all of Napa is Jasud. Since you are young you should get on the mailing list. You can read all about here and elsewhere. Longstory short Ketan Mody has been planting an old school vineyard on the top of the Diamond Mountain for the last 15 years. Due to costs, the difficulty of getting permits, time etc. I don’t think we will ever see a project like this again.
And since you said price is no object track down a bottle of MacDonald and again since you are young add yourself to the list.
Lastly track down a bottle of well stored Diamond Creek from the 70s. In my opinion these are the most magical wines ever made in Napa.
And lastly a word of advice from an OG I would bet a lot of money based on your post you end up a burgundy collector so don’t go too crazy buying a bunch of high-end Napa just yet! Right @Greg_K ?
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It is usually the other way around in Napa. Wineries like Dunn and Togni can produce incredible wines at lower prices because they are not paying insane prices for fruit. Much of Napa is controlled by a few large owners of land who dictate prices.
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Great history. Thank you so much. I have been drinking Ridge wines for several decades but am pretty new to Mount Eden. I wish I had found them decades ago. To me, there Cabernet tastes like the Ridge MB but without all the new American Oak.
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I think that’s great advice, and it’s irrespective of whether Gianni ends up a Burgundy drinker, a Napa drinker or a Silvaner drinker. When I was getting into wine I drank everything and bough widely (and absolutely made what are, in retrospect, “mistakes” along the way); while I now buy narrowly, that has only come with experience. I think laying down some Napa cabs is a great idea, but I would not suggest going in big on them when you’re 26 - tastes may change if you haven’t been drinking long, and truth be told, most Napa cabs are not that difficult to source. When still getting into wine, drink widely (which is still what I do). And I say this as someone who does drink more Burgundy than anything else - but I’m also on the Beta list (with a definite assist from @Robert_Dentice, who’s younger at heart and cooler than I’ll ever be).
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Monte Bello is on my list to try before end of year.
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Funny enough my interest in Burgundy has not started yet. I have started getting my hand on some 2nd growth bordeauxs though.
I love all almost all wines! Every wine to me serves a different purpose. Love some light sangiovese to go with my pasta on Sunday. Love my fruit forward bold napas to go with my juicy thick steaks. Love my BDX style and BDX wines with lamb chops and filet mignon. Love amarone with cheese! i’m trying everything right now… i’m honestly barely storing wines. I buy and drink quite quickly so that I can get a taste for whats out there.
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Interesting re: Martha’s. I definitely got the mint in the 1998 but it was not present in the 2004. Maybe there was some lingering presence into the year after the eucalyptus trees were cut down.
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All these comments have given me the itch.
I think i am going to have a 1997 Cardinale tonight at a restaurant !!! Why cardinale? well I never had it and it’s a good price lol.
A bit of a curve ball, but I do love some Domaine Carneros sparkling.
(I feel like Clos du Val always flies under the radar. Right now the entry level CdV is being pushed out for a DEAL in my area.)
I’ve been on the wait list since March 2015, and have never received this email. But I guess the gist of your point is correct, it’s a long wait.
That’s awesome, but while I’m certainly on the more specific palate preference side, the more you drink the more likely you are to develop more specific palate preferences. Take it from that famous wine connoisseur Cousin Greg.
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@GianniM Do you mind posting your location? Many maniacs on here would love to share wines–Berserkers are some of the most generous people on the planet.
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It wouldn’t surprise me, years of resinous eucalyptus oil going onto the plants and into the vineyard must have an impact, but the years of it directly attaching itself to the grape skins stopped so I could see it changing to more subtlety.
I’m from Montreal Canada!
There’s certainly a unique Santa Cruz Mountains character over quite a geographical area, but there are also more specific characteristics that differentiate the Montebello Ridge and Saratoga subregions. There are other vineyards and wineries on Montebello. The best French oak comparisons to Monte Bello are a couple I buy: Arnot-Roberts Fellom Ranch and I. Brand (he’s sourced more than one vineyard some of the time).
The other current most worthy SCM site is Bates Ranch. Blocks there range in character in some ways, like red and black fruit, but Bates and neighboring Martin Ranch (same soils, aspects, elevations) is it’s own thing. Some of the very best California Cabs have been from there. Producers I’d recommend include I. Brand, Origin, Ghostwriter, Sandar & Hem, Ashes & Diamonds.
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