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Here’s a little word association quiz for you – when I mention St. Helena, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For locals, it might be the amazing summer metamorphosis that turns Main Street into a two mile long parking lot. For foodies, it might be the mandatory lunch at Taylor’s, or dinner at Martini House, Terra, or Press. For wine-disinterested spouses, it might be the myriad of downtown shopping opportunities. For the wine lover, however, St. Helena means some of the finest vineyard sites in the world. Bounded on the north by Bale Lane, on the south by Zinfandel Lane and extending from the Mayacamas foothills on the west to the slopes of Howell Mountain to the east, the AVA encompasses some 9000 acres. Appellation St. Helena, the trade organization that represents wineries in this AVA, presents an annual tasting event to spotlight the appellation, and I’ve become a big fan of appellation tastings. It’s a great way to get to know a wine neighborhood. The tasting also presents a challenge to the taster – I enjoy trying to find the “common thread” among the wines; the often elusive qualities that give the wines from one particular region their “sense of place.” It’s a big plus if Flora Springs is hosting the event – the grounds are simply beautiful and the staff are top notch. And it’s a huge plus if Cindy Pawlcyn (below left) is providing the food – more on that later. |
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 After
parking (valet, don’t cha know), and a brief stop at the registration table,
guests were directed into the barrel aging caves under the winery. A casual
stroll through the cool air of the caves was just what I needed to whet my
appetite and raise a thirst. My reward for negotiating the distance was a visit
with Flora Springs’ winemaker Paul Steinauer
(right). And a taste of the… 2007 Flora Springs Cabernet Sauvignon Rennie Reserve – sample from barrel – the name is homage to the Rennie family – one of the original founders of the estate. The fruit is sourced from the Old Block C on the Komes Ranch, planted in 1988. The block is all Clone 7 grafted onto 5-C rootstock with 10 X 7 spacing utilizing vertical trellising. While I did not specifically ask about the barrel regimen for this vintage, the 2005 saw 150% new French oak. Roughly 500 cases are produced. Lots of mocha on the nose – smooth entry with rich mid-palate – dense fruit, nicely structured. Needs several years to develop, of course, but clearly a winner.  From there, a short walk brought me out into the bright sunlight and a patio
where the balance of the wines were being offered and Chef Pawlcyn’s restaurants
had set up their stations. I stopped
briefly at the Flora Springs table to taste the2006 Flora Springs Cabernet Sauvignon Rennie Reserve – not yet released: Still showing some oak in the nose – beautifully balanced and elegant in the mouth – not a powerhouse, but that is not meant as criticism – a lovely, lovely wine – likely an early drinker. Cindy Pawlcyn came to the Napa Valley in the early 80s and was the opening chef at Meadowwood. Her reputation soared, however, with the opening of Mustard’s Grill in 1983, the quintessential wine country roadhouse. Since that time, she has been involved in the opening of more than a dozen innovative restaurants. She left her highly successful partnership with Real Restaurant Group in 2000, buying out their partnership in Mustard’s and striking out on her own with the renovation and opening of what was the beloved Miramonte on Railroad Avenue in St. Helena. After reworking the menu and concept twice, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen has become a favorite of locals and visitors alike. Her latest project, Go Fish, is off to yet another dazzling start in the space that once housed the Patina Group’s Pinot Blanc.   She is the author of the award winning Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook
and
was a chef contestant on Bravo TV’s Top Chef Masters. Yet for all her
accomplishments, you’re likely to run into her in
a local market picking up a few last minute ingredients and she’ll always take a
moment to chat or answer a question.Her crew from Mustard’s was preparing a pulled pork slider of some sort, but it seemed as if the serving platters were always emptied during the brief trip from the cooking station to the table. Go Fish prepared a lovely bay scallop ceviché and spicy salmon hand rolls in a nori wrapper – just delicious. I was lucky to snag a couple of tender and succulent spareribs from the Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen table, but they were promptly devoured as soon as they appeared. Not surprisingly, the foods were excellent foils for the wines being poured. Jay Corley, patriarch of the Corley family, came to the Napa Valley 40 years ago in search of vineyard land. The family settled in what is now the Oak Knoll District of northern Napa and have gradually grown to produce some 15,000 cases of wine a year under the Monticello Vineyards, Corley Reserve and Corley labels. The Yewell Vineyard, just north of the Folie á Deux property recently acquired by the Trinchero family, was originally planted by Bill Manker in the late 1960s, and has been a fruit source for the Corley family since their inaugural vintage. When Mr. Manker passed away in 1996, this two acre gem of a vineyard was acquired by the Yewell family. They have continued the relationship with the Corley family, and replanted the vineyard, utilizing higher density, a new trellis design, different rootstock and all clone 337. By 2006, the vineyard had matured enough to warrant a vineyard designated wine. 2007 Monticello Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Yewell Vineyard – not yet released: Sweet oaky notes in the nose – pretty cabernet fruit with smooth, long chained tannins in the mouth – beautiful underlying structure and balance – very fine.  Stephen and Sue Parry are owners and proprietors of
Parry Cellars, the Napa
Valley’s smallest single vineyard winery. The vineyard is located east of the
Silverado Trail, just south of Rombauer.
The soils are rocky and studded with obsidian; the vines spaced at four by five
feet and trained to bilateral cordons. Planted in 1990 by David Abreu, these are
Spottswoode clones grafted onto 5C rootstock. The wine is custom crushed at Schweiger Vineyards where Andy Schweiger serves as their winemaker. Unusually long hang time in 2005 resulted in heavier clusters and a late harvest. Yields far exceeded the usual 3 tons/acre which translated to 260 finished cases of wine, compared to their average 200. 2005 Parry Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon - 260 cases produced - $60.00. Subtle spice over purple cabernet fruit aromas – friendly entry with medium weight purple stone fruit flavors – elegant and pretty. A little jewel. Nice to see Andy Schweiger getting in touch with his feminine side. Find this wine  After spending more than fifteen years crafting the high scoring and highly
sought after wines of David Arthur, Bob Egelhoff is taking it easy – if you call
this “taking it easy” - serving as
winemaker for Amizetta Vineyard, Axios Vineyard and
Phelan Vineyard; creating
his own wines under the Egelhoff label; collaborating with Michael Twelftree and
Richard Mintz to create Two Worlds, a
cross continental blend of Australian Shiraz and Napa Cabernet; and for dessert,
Walton, an almost forgotten Port project. 2005 Egelhoff Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon - 900
cases produced - $75.00. Sourced from the Glendale Ranch Vineyard at the upper end
of Conn Valley, planted to Clones 6 &
7.Aromas of purple plum with unobtrusive oak – bright on the palate with excellent balance and a long clean finish – needs time. Find this wine 2003 Egelhoff Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon – 900 cases produced – sourced from Glendale Vineyard and Sacrashe Vineyard, located due west of Lake Hennessey in the hills above Rutherford and Auberge de Soliel. $75.00 on release. Find this wine Attractive, more developed aromatics of plumy Cabernet fruit – friendly entry – gentle mouthfeel with evolved flavors and an absolutely seductive texture. Just lovely.  I first met Dana Gallagher at Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyard, where her
infectious smile and sweet disposition made her an immediate favorite with me.
Since then, she and husband Don have created Trespass Vineyard & Winery - a true “boutique” operation. Located a short
after-dinner’s-stroll from downtown St. Helena and within spitting distance of Spottswoode, this five acre parcel is
planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.Quite literally a hand operation, this husband and wife team is joined by consulting winemaker Kirk Venge, who has clearly stepped out beyond his father’s (Nils Venge) shadow and is well on his way to crafting his own legacy of benchmark Napa Valley wines. 2006 Trespass Cabernet Franc Estate – 95% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot 15.2% alcohol 250 cases produced $42.00. Deep red and purple plum aromas with none of the herbal, green bell pepper weediness that can frequently mar this variety – lots of sweet ripe fruit in the mouth – medium weight with excellent balance – long and clean finish. Mighty good. Find this wine 2005 Rendezvous Estate – 50% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 150 cases produced $65.00. Shy nose – glorious Bordeaux flavors and seductive texture in the mouth – impeccable balance – simply excellent. Find this wine  2005 Trespass Cabernet Sauvignon Estate – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 15.1% alcohol
740 cases produced $58.00. Restrained aromatics belie a medium weight beauty – attractive varietal flavors and excellent balance – give this wine two years for aromatic development, then take her home to dinner. Find this wine Great people hand crafting excellent small production wines – could you ask for more? Due to my somewhat tardy arrival and the sheer popularity of Pam Starr’s wines, by the time I got to her table, the Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon were poured and gone. I did, however, snag a taste of her Cabernet Franc, considered by many to be among the best expressions of the variety produced in the Napa Valley.  2006 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Franc Estate – 95 % Cabernet Franc, 5% Petite Verdot
$58.00. Wow! Dark and rich purple and black stone fruit aromas – surprisingly supple entry and mouthfeel – dense and mouthcoating texture. Special. Find this wine I also spent some time chatting with Bob Biale and Dave Pramuk of Robert Biale Vineyards, who produce Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from within the appellation. For them, the hallmark of the AVA is the sweetness of the tannins and the sheer drinkability of the wines. I could not agree more. I’ll comment more on Biale’s wines in an upcoming story. For me, this tasting was successful on every level: the setting was lovely, the staff courteous and helpful, the food superb and the wines showed very well. Congratulations to Appellation St. Helena for creating a virtually flawless event and for being smart enough to partner with Flora Springs – and many thanks for the invitation to attend. This is the second special event I’ve attended at Flora Springs – both were well executed and memorable. Of course, this gave me the perfect excuse to schedule another visit to learn more about the winery, the people and the wines. So I did. califusa June 2009 © Allan Bree |
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