This quarter we will return to Napa Valley for two of our selections, a couple of great Cabernet Sauvignons. They are both old favorites of mine and they approach their craft from different directions. For the third selection we feature an Orlando store top seller, the Pinot Noir from the Failla winery. After all, Thanksgiving is less than 2 months away.
Download Full Club Write-up2023 Hill Family Cabernet Sauvignon
In 2007 and 2008 I was in the Master of Wine program which holds an annual week-long seminar in Napa Valley. The process was not for me but I did make a couple of great contacts, including one of the hospitality directors for Robert Mondavi winery. His name was Dana, last name long forgotten, and he knew everyone in the valley. One night over a bottle of wine at Bistro Jeanty I approached him to recommend good wineries looking to sell in Florida and he turned me on to Trespass Vineyards and Hill Family. I quickly made arrangements to meet Donnie Gallagher (Trespass) and Dennis Hill (Hill Family), visiting them the afternoon when the daily seminars concluded.
It turns out the Hill Family “winery” was close to the Villagio Resort in Yountville where I was staying. Today they have a winery but when I met Dennis Hill then it was in the office of this vineyard management company. I did not know it then but Dennis’ vineyard management company is one of the most respected in the valley with many high profile clients. It turns out Hill grew up in Healdsburg and after earning a degree in Plant Sciences he began his career managing vineyards for Sonoma Cutrer. Later he moved on to Yountville to work for Jaeger Family vineyards before launching Oak Knoll Farming 30 years ago. It is through his management company that Dennis developed an intimate knowledge of microclimates of Napa Valley and has allowed him to assemble an impressive collection of estate vineyards. What I like is that all of his holdings focus on the cooler climate of southern Napa, which is where our feature wine is produced.
When Doug decided to start making wine in 2001 his choice of winemaker was easy, Alison Doran. He met Alison when she was making the wines for Lewis, one of his clients. They instantly liked each other and Doug appreciates that Alison is one of the few remaining Napa winemakers who trained under Andre Tchelistcheff, the legendary winemaker of Beaulieu Vineyards (BV). She steers the Hill Family wines to be decidedly California in style, but respecting the cooler climate grapes that grow. To make their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon they use only Cabernet Sauvignon grapes harvested from their holdings in Atlas Peak, Yountville, Carneros and American Canyon. This combination gives them the perfect balance of power, savoriness and potential to age.
When you are ready to drink this wine decant it for a half hour and chill down to cellar temperature. When you swirl the first glass there is a great interplay of both black and red aromas; blackberries, black cherries, raspberries and red currants. There is also a heady back note of smoked hickory and cocoa powder with some secondary scents of toasted almonds. On the palate this wine has very nice richness but avoids being too heavy, with tannins that are obvious but also well integrated. Drink 2025-2032 with all of the usual suspects; steak, pot roast or even seared tuna.
2022 Ehlers Cabernet Sauvignon
The Ehlers winery is one of the more historic sites in Napa, with a winemaking history that goes back to, you guessed it, 1886. That was when German immigrant Bernard Ehlers purchased the original forty-three acre property south of St. Helena. Ehlers made wine on the property for many years, but over time it was divided and sold off.
This might have been the end of the story but in 1985 Jean Leducq, a French entrepreneur and philanthropist began acquiring vineyards in St. Helena. Leducq who was born in France but immigrated to the US after World War II and made a fortune in the dry cleaning business. He was an avid wine collector when he discovered that his family estate in Virginia was part of the original holdings of Thomas Jefferson, specifically a spot where the former president had experimental vineyards. Leducq was so interested in the potential of the estate that he hired a enologist and planted to property with vines. Over time this estate became the critically acclaimed Prince Michel Winery. Although they were receiving great critical press for their white wines Leducq wanted to produce red wine to rival his beloved Bordeaux. At the advice of his French oenologist, Jacques Boissenot, he began to search for vineyard holdings in Napa Valley. He bought his first parcel in 1985.
As soon as he purchased the property in Napa he began to research it’s history for clues to it’s potential. This led him to discover that he owned a substantial part of the original Bernard Ehlers property and by 1992 he reassembled the historic estate. After substantial renovation and replanting they produced their first wine in 2002.
Despite the relatively large holding all of the property is contiguous and all thirty nine acres are within 600 yards of the winery. The vineyard layout is a bit of a mosaic, with grape varieties and root stock selection being determined by a patchwork of soil types. This patchwork is comprised of twenty-five different sub-plots, each farmed according to the soil, rootstock and variety needs. In 2004 the family began to farm the estate using an organic and biodynamic regime, in which they are now certified. This type of farming only gives the vines the minimum they need for survival, which helps to “de-vigor” the vines. This means they only produce as much fruit as they sense they can ripen. As a result they concentrate the energy from photosynthesis to less grapes which achieve higher levels of ripeness. This is one reason why their wines are all incredibly deep and concentrated.
All of the fruit for this wine is hand picked and double sorted before going into the fermentor. Although most of the wine is fermented in tank, some of it is barrel fermented. This is a very expensive process where the barrel must be disassembled, the head (end) removed, then reassembled so grapes can be added. The wine is then hand punched down until dry, then it is racked off, and the barrel reassembled. I have never met a winemaker who does not think this is the best way to ferment Cabernet, but it is too expensive for any large scale operation. Once all the components of this wine are dry, they are racked to French oak barrels, of which 69% are new, and it was allowed to rest for twenty months before bottling. The final blend for this wine is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot.
Because of it’s youth and power, please decant this wine for at least a half hour before serving. When you pour a glass you will see the color is extremely deep garnet with some staining of the tears. The nose is a heady combination of fresh red cherries, black currant jam, black truffle, toasted almonds, vanilla and fresh mint. In the mouth this wine has a great sense of mass, smooth edges and a very long finish. Good now, this wine will improve for a decade so drink 2025-2035.
2023 Failla Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Originally I considered selecting only Pinot Noir from California for this release, with examples from across the state. During my initial tastings it was apparent that the real value is in Napa Cab right now so I changed but still wanted to offer one since Thanksgiving is coming up. While I have many favorites the clear standout of my early tastings is this gorgeous and affordable example from Ehren Jordan and his wife Anne-Marie.
When I first tasted the wines from Failla many years ago I did not know what to expect because his “day job” was winemaker for both Turley Cellars and Neyer Vineyards. At Turley his wines were never the off-dry fruit bombs of the original winemaker, Helen Turley, they were still frequently over 15% alcohol. However, at Neyers, the former national sales manager for importer Kermit Lynch, his bottlings showed more old world style despite Golden State roots. It turns out the “Failla” style is more elegant and charming, which is why they are favorites of mine.
To craft his Sonoma Coast bottling Ehren begins with 60% of the grapes coming from this Olivet Ranch in the Russian River Valley. The balance are sourced from several vineyards where Jordan produces single vineyard bottlings as well. He leaves 30% of the grapes whole cluster to begin fermentation which helps build structure in the final wine. I also appreciate that he only uses 15% new oak while the wine matures for 8 months in barrel.
Unlike the other wines of this offering you need only splash this wine into a decanter for a few minutes before serving but please, cellar temperature. This wine immediately sets itself apart with a savory nose of dried cherries mixed into a complex melange of chantarelle mushroom, dried oak leaves, lardo and hibiscus tea. It shows very nice richness and texture with the fruit more prominent on the palate, with some integrated tannins at the finish. Serve this wine 2025-2030 with grilled pork tenderloin, seared duck breast or of course, roast turkey.