So, a non wine geek friend invited me over to try a wine, which he said I just had to try. When he pulled this out, I almost cried - a 2011 Napa cab named “Harumph.” It was late, and expecting the worst, I braced myself as if I was facing a shot of Cuervo. Somehow, however, the first sip was decent. It made me stop and pay attention - deep, dark, surprisingly rich for 2011. Very modern style, with more fruit than nuance, but good balance and texture. Not the best 2011 Napa cab I have had, but Actually very good.
The website doesn’t tell me much, other than Mel Brooks inspired the name. My friend told me that the wine retails for $150, which puts it in some pretty lofty company - and where a name like Harumph likely isn’t doing it any favors. Does anyone happen to know anything about this wine, the vineyard sources, the people?
Let’s see … $150 for a cabernet named Harumph that no one has ever heard of (and which doesn’t show up on Wine Searcher) made from vineyard sources they don’t identify, with a brand name inspired by Mel Brooks, and which describes itself as “an über boutique winery that knows no boundaries.”
Maybe this is a joke.
Note this from the website:
“Because our production is extremely limited, your inaugural allocation will be three bottles (but you can wish for an additional nine bottles).”
Anyone heard of Scotty Santos (background in winery hospitality programs) or Michael Desantos (medical salesmen-turned-winemaker)?
I believe Scotty Stark is is involved in this one, I met his years ago at a tasting for Crocker&Starr wines. Seemed like a passionate and knowledgeable person at the time, but I haven’t tasted the wine.
Agree that 150 is steep, but also seems to be the norm for new boutique cabernet’s from Napa these days. Sad, but true.
I’m with John. Seems like a hard sell. $150 for a new wine, with a terrible name, from unidentified vineyard sources, made by two guys who are probably unknown to most folks. Even if $150 is the new norm for Napa (which is debatable), there is an awful lot of established and pedigreed competition in that price range.
I met Scotty and tasted with him last year. What a character (in a good way.) He seems to know EVERYONE in Napa, so the fruit source could be under wraps for a reason. I don’t recall the vintage, nor him telling me about the price, but whatever we tasted was quite good.
This is where my head was at. The name and the price point just didn’t match up, and not being able to locate the source of the grapes was/is frustrating. But, the end product was pretty darn good. Not an “I’m gonna take a flyer on a $150 wine with a crazy name and no pedigree, no known winemaker, and no known source of grapes good”, but good.
I was thinking somewhere in the $75-$100 range. I would venture to say that placing the value of a Napa Cab based on one’s experience with their 2011 may not be the best barometer. Just my 2 cents. If it’s a 2011, and you liked it, I would buy the 2012 in a heartbeat. (that’s not solely rooted in this product either. Based on my experience with 2011 Dana, I’d buy every bottle of 2012 I could afford)
Yes, Scotty Stark is a great guy: friendly, generous, and knows a lot of other cool people. A former somm-of-the-year in TX, if I recall correctly.
The wine is NOT $150/btl - but around half that price. I enjoyed a glass recently and agree that it is modern in style. I think Harumph has some good potential and has started with a nice foundation on which to start.
Ian, Jeff
I’m guessing from Eric’s original post, that he’s probably not far off your assessment either.
I recall when I first started wine-tasting, I had little knowledge of labels to know what the going rate was for a wine. At those early tastings the person running the tasting didn’t disclose the prices, so we had to guess what it was worth (and/or what we’d happily pay for it). It was perhaps the purest form of wine rating, unencumbered by label expectations or prejudices. It would be fun to revisit that with a group of wines I have no knowledge of!
My original guess was that it was an out-performer at the $50 level, and that I would consider paying $75 (I’d want to taste it again - this time not at the end of the night). When I heard $150, I was shocked - but, maybe more because of the name than the wine itself.
We’re guilty then.
But your info is quite helpful, and I think it puts this on the radar for some people that were on the fence.
Given the assessments of the $75 price tag being the right number, these make a lot of sense.
Hello all. I am truly honored to be even mentioned here, and I am glad the response to the wine has been favorable. Michael and I made two wines in 2011, and these were the first ever for us. The Napa Cabernet (250 cases) retails for $85 and the Spring Mountain Cabernet (100 cases) sells for $65. A handful of restaurants in both Napa and LA feature the wine for about $150, but most has been sold directly to our mailing list. Both are pretty much sold out, and we hope to release the 2012 next month. While it is true that the name was inspired by our favorite movie, Blazing Saddles, we wanted to put a serious wine in a bottle with a fun and non-pretentious name. Harumph!
Michael did his internship at Outpost with Thomas Brown then worked as assistant winemaker at Hartwell with Benoit Touquette (Realm, Fait Main, Kata and Teeter Totter). The grapes were sourced from some incredible vineyards in Stags Leap, Calistoga, Spring Mountain and Oakville. You can get more information about us from our website, http://www.harumphwines.com. If you find yourself in Napa, I would be happy to meet you and taste the wines.