Don's Gillette's Wine Blog
Musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Read Don's full bio...
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Scratching Around Napa
My brother-in-law came to visit last week, providing the excuse for a much-delayed visit north. My Sweetie and I got him in the car and headed to Napa. I had three particular "itches" I wanted to scratch. The first involved a meeting with my old friend Pete Perry.
Pete specializes in helping fine wineries establish markets. He only works for classy outfits (Nickel & Nickel and Dutton-Goldfield were previous stops). Pete told me a while back that constant travel was wearing on him and that one of the attractions of his upcoming new job in Napa is that it would require less of it. I think he could be wrong.
Pete's new workplace is still under construction, but a King's ransom has already been spent on the new Cabernet showplace. Dana winery (pronounced Donna) is both attractive and quietly impressive. Although the money has been spent lavishly, it has been used with impressive subtlety.
The result is a set of modern, spacious buildings with high ceilings and dark wood appointments. Their layout guards the entrance to a set of equally modern caves, which fan out beneath a forested "Hobbit Hill" at the end of Whitehall lane. It is a lovely arrangement and there is nothing here that Bilbo Baggins himself couldn't warm up to.
The central courtyard of the building complex is built around what remains of the rock walls of a "ghost winery". Over a hundred years ago, the Helms winery buildings stood here. The layout integrates the old and new brilliantly. The entrance walkway has a subtle Oriental influence, with flat stones (granite?) surrounded by textured rocks. It reminded me of the of the granite steps in the pond at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco.
By the time Pete poured wine for us, I was wondering how many millennia it would take to repay the loan for all this. When he told me that Philippe Melka was the winemaker, I could here the calculators start up all over again. Melka is one of Napa's most sought-after and most highly priced hired guns.
Well the wine was terrific (not much of a surprise really, after all we had seen). It is one of three Cabernets that will be released by Dana. The fruit source is the vineyard alongside the winery, which will be marketed under Dana's "Helms" label, this coming March. It is a very fine and fully established vineyard, that once provided the fruit for Livingston's "Moffet" Reserve Cabernet. It shows what a bit of cash can do, as the Helms is a vastly grander and more polished wine than any ever released at Livingston.
Some snippets from my tasting notes: Aromas of mocha-cherry, dark plum, dark berry, vanilla, cedar, sweet bark, allspice. Great polish and harmony and lusciously ripe fruit. Palate-coating, very long flavors and creamy texture. Good tannic grip, lots of potential, perhaps a hint "heady".
I will be returning for a barrel tasting of the other Dana wines this February and will report on them then. In the mean time I think Pete had best get ready to travel again. It won't be easy to sell even such a great wine as the Helms in this weak marketplace. Especially as it is to be launched at $275.00 per bottle.
My second destination was also on Whitehall Lane. I wanted to revisit one of the two special Cabs WL had released for the Holidays. Released under WL's Leonardini Family label, these are appellation specific blends, one from Rutherford and one from St Helena. Whitehall does not discount these wines, and NVWE got permission to sell them only after agreeing not to do so either. We are the only California store to offer them.
When I tasted them last year, I found the "Rutherford" a palate-drenching fruit bomb. It was already a delicious Cab and one that would clearly have a fine future. The "St Helena" was even bigger, but was tightly-wound, with savory and fruit-driven influences vying for dominance.
It was the St Helena I wanted to re-taste and it repaid the effort. It has developed into a focused, intensely fruity bottling, with a strong core of red cherry fruit that cuts a path through the wines rich forest-floor and tobacconist-shop spice notes. I now think it will eventually be an even better wine that the already outstanding Rutherford.
Destination three was Taylor's Refresher. Taylor's is a Napa institution, a gourmet rendering of the old fashioned diner. It has about a third of an acre of grass covered picnic area and terrific food. I ordered one of my favorite combinations: Two hot dogs (with everything); sweet potato fries; and draught Lagunitas Pale Ale.
I feel all better now.