Don's Gillette's Weekly Wine Blog
Weekly 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. Check back here each week for Don's latest thoughts on various wine-related topics. Read Don's full bio...
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Cinco de Mayo in Napa Valley, part one
Writer Walter Mosely wrote: "A beautiful day in San Francisco is the most beautiful day on earth." Well May fifth was just such a day, but I left for Napa to join my friend Mark Seltzer for a day of great company and eating and drinking bliss.
I picked Mark up and we tooled up Pritchard Hill to Richard Martin's house, where the wind is blustery and the wine and views spectacular. Richard's home is compassed-round by the acreage that produces Versant Cabernet. The family owned property sits astride Stagecoach, Bryant and several other great vineyards.
After a hillside stroll, our host unveiled his newly released 2004. As Versant fruit was an integral component of the fabulous 2004 Lewis Reserve, I expected something special. The wine proved a thunderbolt of concentrated Cabernet fruit, with the drama and depth of its famous neighbors and the tannic spine required to balance is ultra-richness. By itself it repaid the days effort, and since we could see San Francisco's Sutro Tower from Richard's front porch, we thought Walter Mosely himself might approve.
After heart-felt thank yous we headed first downhill and then up the valley toward Sanitarium Road and the home of Richard and Chris Partridge - two of my favorite folks - to join Carmen and Greg, old friends of Mark's and new friends of mine.
I was seeking a long-promised pizza lunch and a taste of fine Chardonnay and Cabernet. The Partridge home sits before an idyllic hillside amphitheatre, with beautiful lawns and flowerbeds out front and the scent of Howell Mountain forest carried on the breeze. Richard and Chris have a treasured wood-burning Pizza oven in their backyard and Richard's specialty is a thin-crust perfection.
The Partridges make a stony-dry, vividly fruited Chardonnay, with the richness of a sipper and a balance that cries out for raw seafood. It was the perfect hot weather thirst quencher and conversation lubricator. The deeply complex 2002 Partridge Cabernet and brighter, but equally delicious 2003, were as sensational as the company was charming. We stayed nearly three hours and everyone left with new friends. The temperature was in the upper 70s, with a 5mph breeze, but the day was only half over. We headed down-valley again, returning to Pritchard Hill.