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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Sippin' in the Rain
Last week I went to Napa to visit four wineries. It rained all day, but I had good company, ate well, met new friends and got some nagging questions answered; as I was tasting great wines. I hooked up with Mark Seltzer, an old customer in town on a business trip, at his Napa hotel.
Our first visit was with Greg and Petra Martin, whose 2003 Rutherford Estate Cab is delicious and whose '03 Reserve is among the greats of its vintage. Our hosts were charming, their house remarkable (Greg is an expert on medieval armor and weaponry and the place is literally a museum) and I finally learned why their Reserve and Estate have such a different flavor profile (same vineyard, different clones). We also barrel tasted their '05s, which are superb.
We met two of Mark's Bay Area friends at a new Rutherford winery. (To remain nameless until I get permission to sell their Cab and Zin blend.) We moved on to a delicious lunch at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St Helena. After that, we drove up Highway 29 to Revana.
Revana, with Heidi Barrett making the wine and Tom Garrett as GM, together helping oversee a terrific vineyard: is unsurprisingly achieving great things. We re-tasted their brilliant 2003 Cab, a vintage star that I talk about often, and were graciously introduced to their fabulous - soon to be released - 2004.
At our next stop I finally got to meet Mark Carter and barrel taste his Cabernets. Mark owns a restaurant and inn in Eureka, California and is rarely available to taste with. Two of his vineyards have recently produced great wines. The 2002 Carter ToKalon was my pick as wine of the vintage, while an early vote for the best 2004 is Carter's Coliseum Block Cab.
ToKalon was considered a great vineyard before I was born, but I assumed the Coliseum '04 was overachieving when it out-performed its sibling. Guess what? It happened again. The barrel sample of 2005 Tokalon was terrific, but the Coliseum smoked it! Another question answered.