Closing the California Chapter

On occasion, Joe Canal’s staff members are able to go on trips to meet the producers of the items that we sell. Whether we travel to the great wine regions, or any other location, the trips are educational, great for team-building, and, of course, they’re fun.

Tom Broderick, Store Manager at Woodbridge, recently visited California on just such a trip with other Joe Canal's team members. Here's his report:

Monday October 13th: Beringer Vineyards

Our first winery visit was to Beringer Vineyards. Our guide took us to the Hudson House for a quick background on the winery and to taste through some of their portfolio. The house is about 150 years old and was on the property even before the Beringer brothers purchased the land. It was filled with antique pictures – my favorite being a picture of a Beringer family dinner so long ago that the men were sat on one end of the table and the women at the other. It was interesting hearing that the winery made ends meet during Prohibition by selling their wine for sacramental purposes, which was perfectly legal if the right license was obtained. Clark Gable also had a private parking spot at the winery.

Tasting table at Beringer

We also tasted some wine in the basement of the Hudson House, a dimly lit room decorated with more antique photos of the Beringer vineyard. The most interesting “antique” we came across was a wine room filled with vintage bottles from (almost) every year the winery has been in business. It was incredible seeing bottles decades and decades old.

Beringer barrel room

Since I entered the industry, I have become accustomed to the reds Beringer offers, and their Knights Valley Cabernet is one of my favorites year to year. We tasted their Quantum red blend – a Bordeaux blend showcasing blackberry and cedar notes with just enough Merlot included in the blend that its mouth feel was extremely well-rounded. The true highlights of the tasting were the whites, however. Their Private Reserve Chardonnay is a complex, flavorful treat with balanced offerings of fruit and smoky oak. The mouth feel was creamy but not overly so. My favorite of the night was their Luminus Chardonnay, a Burgundian wine featuring sharp acidity and a perfect balance of nutty and fruity notes.

We perused the property a bit before dinner and checked out the decades old Redwoods, their garden (which caused our group to start an interesting habit of smelling every plant we came across all week), and the Rhine house – which was truly a sight to behold. Our dinner was excellent; we enjoyed a soup made from tomatoes picked right from their garden 25 feet away and a lemon cake that paired absolutely perfectly with their Nightingale Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc dessert wine. The creamy and sweet mouth feel of the wine contrasted with the zippiness of the lemon cake so well. This meal showcased the fresh ingredients used at every winery and restaurant we ate at during this trip – no ingredient served was out of season, everything was fresh and delicious.

Tuesday October 14th: Franciscan Estate

The next morning, we visited Franciscan Estate, a relatively new winery founded in 1973 (new, compared to Beringer, anyway). Franciscan is situated on a beautiful piece of property in Oakville. The tasting room was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday morning, and there were several groups and couples tasting wine. Our tour guide greeted us with a sample of their Napa Rose, made from Syrah that I imagined would pair perfectly with a summer fruit salad. We made our way down to the production area of the winery and saw the workers harvesting the last of their Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyards. Our tour guide told us that most 2014 varietals had ripened quicker than usual and were already harvested, so I was happy to be able to see the machinery at work with the Cab fruit. Here, for the first time in my life, I ate a wine grape right off the vine, and it was funny thinking that the wine produced from these grapes wouldn’t be released for another 3 years.

We also sampled some Sauvignon Blanc directly from the fermenter, another first for me. While obviously unfinished, it was delicious and I’m excited to try the final result when it's finally released. The Franciscan building was beautiful and showcased “decades” displays, featuring wines from every year since 1975. The most interesting part of this was seeing the evolution of Franciscan’s bottle labels and subsequently seeing the laws and regulations in regards to bottle labels change over time. For example, Franciscan’s 1974 red blend was simply called “Burgundy.” Their 1979 Riesling was “Johannisberg Riesling.”

Library wines at Franciscan

We sat down for a quick tasting before our lunch at the winery. Once again, the whites took me by surprise. I have been familiar with Franciscan’s Cabernet Sauvignon and their flagship wine, Magnificat, but their Equilibrium white blend was my favorite of the tasting. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Muscat, Equilibrium offers crisp lemon/lime flavors with a slight sweetness and no detectable oak flavors. This will definitely be on my wine rack all next summer. Their Merlot was also surprisingly good. It is a full-bodied, heavier Merlot with a plus mouth feel and flavors of oak and dark berry. Our tour guide said it was a Merlot for the Cab drinker and I agree 100%.

Lunch was incredible. Again, all fresh ingredients and perfect pairings. We were lucky enough to enjoy a 2008 Magnificat that was an absolute delight. The aging opened the full-bodied wine up to reveal rich and elegant flavors of mocha and blackberry with silky tannins. The next time you come across this wine, buy two bottles. The aged product was really a wine to savor.

Franciscan has just now started to get the true recognition they deserve. It will be interesting to see what heights they will go to in the upcoming years.

Stags’ Leap Winery

Stags’ Leap is an absolutely beautiful piece of property, and probably had the most interesting history of all the wineries we visited. The property dates back to 1893 but didn’t produce wine until 1913. The wine production then was on a very small scale. At that time, the property was used more as a ranch and hotel (and bordello). Once Prohibition hit, the basement of the Manor House was used as a speakeasy. Our tour guide explained that this period of history is saturated with tales of ghosts, illegal activity, and various types of debauchery. Stags’ Leap Winery came to fruition in the 1970’s when new owners purchased the property.

The tour began in the Manor House, which has stood for well over 100 years and has a very gothic, spooky feel to it. It even had a Godfather-type toilet that I found amusing. We enjoyed a sample of their 2012 Napa Rose while our tour guide gave us a brief history on the house and property. I’m normally not a fan of roses but this had very bright acidity and a lot of pleasing strawberry flavors that I really enjoyed. Our guide then took us down to the basement that was used as a speakeasy during Prohibition. It had that speakeasy feel to it, right down to the heavy, black door you usually see in the movies. While our guide told us more stories about the history of the place, we enjoyed some 2012 Viognier that had a very nice minerality that backed up the pear and stone fruit flavors.

We then walked around the property, before sitting down to the main tasting. The best view, by far, was the Stags' Leap Palisades. When it’s raining, the water falls down from the mountain at twelve different spots. They even named their red blend after the falls. Our guide told us a little story about their neighbors, Shafer Vineyards, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the side of the mountain by using dynamite to blow holes in the rocky, volcanic soil. This wine has become Shafer’s Hillside Select, one of the more sought after Cabernets in the entire world. It was very interesting to see the respect a Stags’ Leap employee gave Shafer Vineyards. One thing I noticed was that most wineries were situated practically on top of each other but none were enemies – they all spoke very well of one another and even encouraged us to check out their tours and tastings rooms.

We sat down to the tasting on the porch of the Manor House, and I was blown away by the quality of the wines. Their Petite Sirah, which is their incredible flagship wine, was surprisingly more fruit-forward than I had expected it to be. Flavors of blueberry, cherry and blackberry were held together by a nice spiciness and smooth tannins. Once it opened up, an herbal element came to the forefront that reminded me of an offering from the Rhone. Stags’ Leap also produces The Leap – a Cabernet Sauvignon that was as powerful as it was smooth. Dense, intense flavors of cassis and cherry preceded silky tannins with a vanilla finish. The highlight of the tasting was their 2011 Napa Valley Winemaker’s Muse. Each year the winemaker changes the varietal and chose Malbec for their 2011 release, which I found very interesting since straight Malbecs are usually from South America. The wine was huge yet smooth and had flavors of black cherry, mocha, and blueberry. The Leap may have been a better structured, more flavorful wine but the fact that this was Malbec just took it to the top of my list. My previous knowledge told me Malbec from California was only used for blending but this offering showed the quality is certainly there to stand by itself.

The Hess Collection

We finished our second day in Napa by visiting the Hess Collection, which is located all the way up Mount Veeder. The views on top of the mountain, looking over the valleys and rolling mountains, were incredible. Hess suffered significantly from the recent earthquake and lost tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of product. The earthquake decimated one tank of wine that not only led to the destruction of their gift shop but stained the front steps and landscaping purple. It was terrible to see but, luckily, no one at the winery was injured since it happened in the middle of the night.

Fortunately for us, we arrived to the winery way ahead of schedule and we were able to check out Donald Hess’ stunning art collection. He started collecting decades ago, and now has three floors worth of art to display. One piece that really caught my eye was “The Laughing Man” by Yue Minjun. The piece has a couple dozen drawings of the same (or very similar) man on his knees, arms in front, seemingly laughing. It was very interesting since some of our group saw the expression on his face as joy and some of us saw despair and pain. My words don’t really do the art justice so check out the pictures. Donald Hess’ process for purchasing artwork was very interesting as well. He didn’t deal with any art dealings, agents, or anything like that. He would see a piece, leave, and if he couldn’t stop thinking about the artwork days later he would meet with the artist. Very cool.

Before dinner, we toured the vineyards and ate some more grapes right off the vines. Our tour guide was intent on making us compare berries from old vines and more recently-planted vines. The berries right off a newer vine that were crisp, delicious and sweet while the old vines were more dense, concentrated, and raisiny. It was interesting to see the significant difference even before harvest. I was also surprised, for the third winery in a row, at how much Malbec was being produced here.

We ate dinner in a private room, surrounded by Donald Hess’ impressive book collection. Our first course was a watercress and red endive-based salad with prosciutto, apple cider vinaigrette and the freshest goat cheese I have ever tasted. We paired it with their 2012 Napa Chardonnay, which was a perfect accompaniment. The acidity of the Chardonnay complimented the vinaigrette while the apple and slight butter flavors contrasted with the prosciutto. The wine made the flavors in the salad burst. Our second course was a grilled skirt steak with kale, eggplant, mushrooms and a leek jus. It was paired with two wines – their 2012 Select Pinot Noir and their 2010 Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvee. I had never thought any Pinot Noir would pair well with such a heavy dish as a steak, but the earthiness really made it work. The 2010 Block Cuvee was truly a home run, though. It had a nice herbal tinge to it that made the char on the steak delicious, while the chocolate/plum finish complimented the jus and mushrooms. We commented on how fresh and delicious everything was again and our tour guide put it in perspective. He asked us how many tomatoes we had eaten since we arrived in Napa. The answer: Zero. “That’s because they’re not in season.”

Wednesday October 15th: Chateau St. Jean

Chateau St. Jean is a huge property, set amongst the rolling hills of Sonoma and boasting a very pretty garden in front of the buildings. The gardens were filled with trimmed hedges and an array of exotic flowers, all surrounding a statue of St. Jean herself. There were a bunch of pretty white and red rose hybrids that really struck me. Our guide would later tell us the property is Mediterranean style, and looking back I would agree with that. The tasting rooms were separated, with one offering their everyday wines and the other offering their reserve series.

Our tour was short but sweet. Our guide brought us out to the tasting lawn, out back of the reserve tasting room and building. The lawn led right to the vines and our guide pointed out which lot was growing which specific varietal. Chateau St. Jean is widely known for their Chardonnay and, not surprisingly, that was the grape being grown the most. There was Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon as well.

The tasting was very impressive, as we sampled some of their everyday wines and a bunch of their limited offerings. Their Sonoma Chardonnay is a perfect summer wine that’s crisp and buttery, offering typical (but extremely well done) Chardonnay flavors like apple and pear. Their 2011 Sonoma Merlot was also typical of its varietal, but was flawlessly put together. Silky tannins and a medium mouth feel, along with flavors of raspberry and blackberry, made this wine very enjoyable. I had been waiting for an opportunity to try their flagship Cinq Cepages for years, and the wait was more than worth it. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and a sprinkling of other red grapes, this wine is something to seek out. The nose smells of oak, dark fruit and spice while the palate confirms the nose and adds a cedar element that really brings this wine together. It’s certainly more “old school” than fruit forward, but it was easily the most enjoyable wine of the tasting.

Clos du Bois

As soon as you drive up to Clos du Bois, it is obvious that they are a massive operation. The size of their property is tremendous, and while they had more of a “mass marketed” feel, it was clear how hands-on their winemakers are by the quality of their product. Including vineyards outside of their home base in Sonoma, Clos du Bois farms about 800 acres. It is also clear that they are very respectful of their environment. There were solar panels that (we were later told) provided nearly all of the power used at the winery. The winery also uses the leftover grape skins to form a compost that feeds their vines.

We met our tour guide and sat down to taste through a portion of their portfolio. One of the highlights was their 2012 Sonoma Reserve Russian River Valley Chardonnay. It was very well balanced between fruit and oak – flavors of butter and vanilla were under layers of honey and pear. The mouth feel was the most impressive aspect of this wine. It was rich and coating but not overly so. My favorite of the tasting was their 2011 Marlstone Red Blend. This is a Cabernet-based blend that was very firm and structured but opened up to wonderful flavors. This wine was delicious now and should be stunning after cellaring it for a few years.

Before dinner, our guide took us outside to look at some of the heavy duty machinery used to harvest and produce the wine. It was interesting to see how many working parts there are just to accomplish something as little as separating the grapes from the stems. We made our way into the warehouse, where thousands and thousands of casks of wine were being stored. It was incredible to see casks in such massive numbers. Our guide gave us a neat demonstration where we tasted their Sauvignon Blanc in different stages of wood aging. It was interested to see the difference between no oak, some time in oak, and a long time in oak. The same wine tasted completely different each time.

Dinner was excellent. My favorite dish of the entire trip was a bean and carrot soup with bacon and homemade crème fraiche, paired with their 2012 Russian River Valley Calcaire. Calcaire is a Chardonnay, showcasing rich and buttery flavors, that went extremely well with the soup. The soup was absolutely delicious and, keeping true to the ideals out there, probably the freshest tasting dish I’ve ever had. Our second course was a roasted pork loin with a potato and butternut squash gratin paired with 2011 Alexander Valley Reserve Cabernet. The wine was very powerful, with concentrated flavors of blackberry and oak that not only went well with the pork but really shined with the richness of the gratin. We didn’t taste a wine with dessert but the crepe had a delicious sauce that was made from their Cabernet Sauvignon.

Thursday October 16th: Ferrari-Carano Vineyards

Ferrari-Carano’s owners intended their vineyard to resemble a Tuscan villa and, as a result, have built the most remarkable winery of our visit. It also didn’t hurt that it was the most beautiful day weather-wise during the trip. The landscaping alone was breathtaking. When we arrived, our guide took us down into their garden filled with flowers, trees, waterfalls, and stone walkways that generated such an air of romance. I cannot imagine the amount of time that’s spent to keep the winery looking so great. It was funny how we all kept commenting it looks like Italy even before our guide told us that was the point. Again, my words do it no justice.

Our guide took us into the gift shop/tasting room and we enjoyed several of their offerings. Ferrari-Carano is known for its white wines, specifically their Chardonnay and Fume Blanc, and they delivered. The 2013 Fume Blanc had intense flavors of pear, bright acidity, and a tiny bit of oak to round the whole thing out. I found out later on only 35% of the wine was aged in French oak, the rest in stainless steel. Their 2009 Eldorado Gold (a 100% Semillon dessert wine) was also a treat – not cloyingly sweet but still showcasing that vanilla/honey combination that I love in white dessert wines. The highlight of the whites, however, was their 2012 Reserve Napa Chardonnay. Buttery and lemony, with the perfect amount of oak, this Chardonnay might be worth double its price point. This wine was actually one of my favorite of the trip. Carano’s reds were nothing to sneeze at, either. Their 2012 SIENA, a super Tuscan-esque red blend, was so wonderfully put together I couldn’t get enough. It holds flavors of mocha and vanilla that had a long, satisfying finish. I definitely want to try this wine with my next home-cooked Italian dinner.

Our guide then took us downstairs, and that’s when the time and attention to detail the owners of this winery put into this property really came to light. Beneath the tasting room/gift shop lies another, more upscale tasting room right alongside their barrel room. If Italy was personified upstairs and outside, France was personified in the basement. The whole area screamed old world Chateau, right down to the barrels aging next to each other all the way down a tremendous corridor. We sat down to taste some of Ferrari-Carano’s extremely limited PreVail line. The Back Forty was 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and the West Face was Cab based and blended with Syrah. Surprisingly, the West Face was huge and in-your-face while the Back Forty was a little more tamed. Both were delicious, especially since they are so limited.

Overall, wine country is a beautiful place that has tremendous history and tradition. Each tour guide, winery employee and winemaker we met was extremely generous and warm. Between the winery tours, the fresh food, and the incredible wine, it was truly the experience of a lifetime.