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 Two
Back on Pritchard Hill at Girard Estate, we found blustery wind replaced by balmy sunshine. The 18-acre property, formerly the Harrison Vineyard, abuts Bryant; but property manager Steve Ross showed us several wines from Girard's diverse portfolio. The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, was as zesty, supple and deliciously fruity as remembered, while their 2005 Chardonnay from the Russian River was a wine of depth and quiet refreshment.
Three Girard reds were the stars however, and the juicy 2005 Napa "Old Vine" Zinfandel and concentrated 2005 Petite Sirah each demonstrated textbook-Napa fruit rendered in a classically food-worthy style. The brilliant 2004 Estate (Pritchard Hill) Cabernet is a concentrated, structured, age-worth bottling of vivid clarity. It should improve for five years and beyond, but is alas, sold out.
We said thank you to Steve, and then Mark and I said goodbyes to Carmen and Greg, as we left for a long-anticipated evening at Martin Estate. On our previous visit, an invitation had been extended and we were to join Greg and Petra Martin and several other guests for a winery dinner.
The Martin's Oakville Estate has a long history as both a winery and residence, and it occupies more than twenty acres, adjacent to Caymus Winery's home property. We knew well that Greg and Petra sold great Cabernets and were great hosts, but we had an extra reason to be excited.
Martin Estate's building is one of the oldest in Napa Valley and had once been a "ghost winery." It was remodeled and converted into a residence some 70 years ago. In 1995, when the Martins purchased it, the property had neither winemaking equipment nor grape vines. The plan was to remodel it as a home and showplace for Greg's extraordinary collection of antique weaponry. The plan changed when several valley neighbors offered, in advance, to buy the Estate's Cabernet fruit, should the Martin's put in vines. They decided to do so, but they decided to make their home a working winery once again as well.
At dinner, I sat beside the Martin's 14 year-old daughter. I have a girl just a year older and I greatly enjoyed her charming company. The Martin's chef was wonderfully creative and we enjoyed some delicious curried lentil soup, a truly fabulous radicchio salad, wonderfully succulent roast squab and a dessert of fresh fruit and rich chocolate cake. The outstanding 2003 Estate and the even more brilliant 2002 and 2003 Estate Reserve Cabernets were perfection with the squab. Martin's botrytised Sauvignon Blanc was just plain delicious.
Mark and I stayed late, and received a special treat, spending an hour looking at military antiques with Greg. In a house decorated with suits of armor, rare carvings, swords, cannons and French military candelabras formed from bayonets, one sees but a part of Greg's collection. Greg has in storage a veritable history of small arms development, including flintlocks, matchlocks and each stage of arms development, some of which were temporarily at the winery.
Greg showed us Elephant guns and antique swords and numerous small arms including dueling pistols. We saw more than 20 four-barrel derringers, each with a carved ivory handle, and their serial numbers began with one and two. It was a fascinating and memorable experience. We hoped to be invited to dinner again, so we said goodnight without trying to pocket Annie Oakley's lever-action Stevens.
