Rutherford

Looking for a “Green” Winery With Wonderful Wines??? Check Out Frog’s Leap!

My husband and I recently returned from another adventure in Napa and Sonoma. Our goal was to visit wineries we’d never hit before, and for the most part that’s what we did. There’s one winery, however, that we couldn’t drive by without stopping, and that’s Frog’s Leap.

“Why?” you ask! Well, there are a few reasons.

Firstly, it’s just so darned beautiful there.

Secondly, the tasting is very special. When the weather is nice, tastings are held outside when possible. The tasting includes yummy local cheeses, crackers, and some jams made from fruit grown on the property.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the wines are WONDERFUL!!!

As we arrived for our tasting, we drove alongside beautiful vineyards of dormant vines surrounded by the beautiful mustard know in the region at this time of the year. The historic Red Barn, which was originally built as the Adamson Winery back in 1884, welcomes the winery visitors on the drive in. Today, this “ghost winery” not only inspires their wine tasting guests, but also Frog’s Leap’s winemakers John Williams and Paula Moschetti.

John Williams (a former diary farmer from upstate New York, NOT the music composer famous for film scores with the same name!) moved to Northern California in 1975 to study Enology and Viticulture at UC Davis. After working at Glenora Wine Cellars in the Finger Lakes region of New York, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Spring Mountain Vineyard in Napa, he started Frog’s Leap Winery in 1981. It is located along Mill Creek in a spot known as the Frog Farm. Frogs were raised here around the turn of the century, providing the very appropriate name!

Here are some of the wines we tasted on the lovely wrap-around porch of The Vineyard House overlooking the vineyards:

2014 Napa Valley Chardonnay – A lovely Chardonnay with great acidity, the green apple and Meyer lemon flavors are balanced beautifully with the floral aromas and the toasty element from eight months of sur lie aging.

2013 Napa Valley Zinfandel – One of my favorite wines of the tasting, this Zinfandel is what a Zinfandel is SUPPOSED TO BE! It has a beautiful transparent color, not one of those deep purple colors that shouldn’t represent Zin at all! A field blend of 77% Zinfandel, 22% Petite Sirah and 1% Carignan, the aromas and flavors include brambly fruit, licorice, some Southern Rhone type garrigue and has a nice long finish.

2013 Rutherford Merlot – One of my favorite Merlots of the New World, Frog’s Leap always knows how to do this varietal right. With ripe plum and cherry flavors, this wine has soft tannins and isn’t too big! It’s what a Merlot should be; elegant and nicely balanced. (82% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc)

2013 Rutherford Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – This lovely Cab has black cherry, blackberry and cassis, along with the dusty earth of the Rutherford soil. This needs some time, but it’s going to be wonderful! (89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot)

The thing that probably impresses me the most about Frog’s Leap Winery is that they truly care about our planet. Frog’s Leap produces some wonderful wines, while keeping the planet healthy through the production of solar and geothermal power. In 2005 they built their Vineyard House according to the goals of the U.S. Green Building Council. They even insulated it using old blue jeans. Talk about recycling!!!

Health of the vineyard is achieved though organic farming and the use of biodynamic methods. Along the rows of vines are borders of specially selected plants, which attract butterflies and beneficial insects.

So if you want tasty wine, made true to the varietals and green conscious to boot, pick up some wines from Frog’s Leap Winery. Or if you’re heading to Napa, pay them a visit.

Here’s a link to their very fun site:  http://www.frogsleap.com/

Music and Wine … Sounds So Fine!

Ah … music and wine. They go together almost as well as food and wine. There’s nothing more relaxing after a tough day than to pour a nice glass of wine, sit back and put on some of your favorite music.

There are many parallels between music and wine. A song, like a glass of wine, will have a different effect on you depending on when you’re experiencing it. A bottle of wine will, of course, taste differently from one day of opening it to the next, but it’s more than just that. With whom are you enjoying this specific bottle or song? Are you picking the music and/or wine due to a special occasion? Are you stressed out and needing to relax, or are you happy and just want to have some fun???

Last week my husband and I were invited by some friends to join them in their Loge seats at the Amway Arena in Orlando for the performance of Fleetwood Mac’s “On With The Show” tour.

To repay them we wanted to treat them to some nice wines, so we had them stop over before leaving for the concert where we had a decanting 2007 Quintessa waiting. After having a quick glass of sparkling wine (it’s very difficult for me to start a fun evening without some bubbly!) we poured the fabulous Napa Left Bank Bordeaux blend from Rutherford.  Silky and elegant, the ’07 Quintessa has lots of mocha and black cherry on the nose, with cola, baking spices and dark fruit on the palate.  It’s drinking beautifully right now after being decanted, and I expect that it will last another 10 or more years.

After enjoying the wine, we headed to the arena. We are used to seeing concerts from the floor, while juggling our plastic glass of often less than adequate wine while jumping up and down and swooning to the music. Heck, I saw Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk Tour back on May 11th of 1980 (yes I know, I’m aging myself) undoubtedly drinking a Miller Light. Hmm. Come to think of it, I wasn’t of age yet, so I probably was drinking a Diet Coke! The beauty of the Loge seats is that we had a server who brought us a menu and a wine list. Yes … an actual wine list!

We picked the 2012 Franciscan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.  Okay, we were definitely paying restaurant prices, but what fun it was to have a nice glass of wine (in an actual wine glass), along with some food, AND to have a table in front of us on which to set it! Although not in the same league as the Quintessa, The Franciscan was really nice. Made of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, they used all of the Bordeaux varietals in this one. Big dark fruit, violets and vanilla greet you on the nose.  It has a big mouth feel with baking spices, black cherry, cassis and plum! This is definitely a nice wine for the price.

Back in 2007, when the Quintessa was being harvested, “The Essential Fleetwood Mac” (a comprehensive compilation for Fleetwood Mac’s blues recordings) was released. That year also brought Stevie Nicks giving a great interview describing her survival of the craziness of the preceding couple of decades filled with way too much fun. In another interview she stated that she didn’t want to carry on with the band if Christine wasn’t onboard.

They did, however. In 2012, when the Franciscan grapes began their fermentation, it was announced that Fleetwood Mac (sans Christine McVie) would begin a world tour in April of the next year.

I, for one, am thankful that a few years have passed and that they are once again back together. Like a great wine, Fleetwood Mac has gotten better with time! Their voices and musical skills remind me of a beautiful bottle of Bordeaux with some age on it. The varietals are not only blended together to create a well-balanced product, but time has set in and done its magic so that the wine has reached maximum enjoyment. Stevie Nicks’ voice is still amazing, Lindsey Buckingham can still play the crap out of the guitar, Mick Fleetwood is one of the best drummers ever (as well as a hoot and a half on stage!) and John McVie is the same backbone of the band after beating cancer.  Their beautiful “Songbird” Christine McVie is finally back with them, adding magic to that final blend.

We couldn’t stop there, of course. Upon returning to our house we had one more wine waiting, a 2007 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon. Time has also been kind to this wine. After decanting, the wine doesn’t scream all of the vanilla oak that is present in its youth. It still has some vanilla, but is now lush with lots of well-integrated black cherry, currant, plum, licorice and tobacco.  This is another example of time doing wonderful things, and this ’07 still has lots of time left!

What a memorable night it was. We appreciated the time spent with great friends. We loved the chance to see (and hear!) an iconic band playing music from our youth. Adding the exclamation point onto the whole evening was the chance to include some fabulous wines to enjoy with it all! The wine took the night to another level, and we can’t wait to share another bottle or two with some more music and some more friends.

Alpha Omega Winery

I first heard of Alpha Omega Winery from a fellow taster at Caymus Vineyards.  She suggested I try them, and I’m sure glad that I did!

Robin Baggett and Eric Sklar, both of whom have been in the grape growing and winery business for years, started Alpha Omega Winery.  Their goal was to bring the Old World of winemaking and the New World of winemaking together.  Alpha and Omega – The Beginning and The End.  Alpha Omega is utilizing the best techniques of each, from start to finish, to hand craft elegant, world-class wines!

Alpha Omega wines are unfiltered and un-fined and are fermented naturally in barrels.  They are balanced in part by using grapes from around Napa to represent different appellations’ specific terriors.

The winemaker is Jean Hoefliger, who has made wine at Chateau Lynch-Bages and Newton Vineyard.  Working with him is Michel Rolland, the world-renowned wine consultant from Bordeaux.

The winery itself is gorgeous, with beautiful outdoor seating for tastings and picnics as well.

I’ve visited Alpha Omega a few times now, and last month I was blown away at the tasting my party and I had.  Steve walked us through their wines.  He has helped us out a couple of times before, and it’s always nice to see a familiar face, especially his!

Here are the wines we tasted:

2010 Sauvignon Blanc – This is a nice Napa Valley Sauv Blanc, with a lot of melon and tropical fruit, along with some nice mineralogy to balance it off.  This isn’t a New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc, nor is it a Bordeaux style.  I would say it’s a combination of them both.

2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay – This is not a wine for the fan of un-oaked chards (although Alpha Omega also makes an Un-Oaked Chardonnay that has already sold out for the year)!  I enjoy both styles, and this was a beautiful oaked Chardonnay.  The nose produces hints of vanilla and lots of tropical fruit.  On the palate is pineapple for days, along with some nice acidity to keep it quaffable.  The long finish produces crème brulee and caramel popcorn.  This is my husband’s favorite Chardonnay in Napa, so we of course had to get a case.

2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – The Cab Sauv has big bold fruit along with some licorice both on the nose and palate.  This wine is approachable now, but can also be cellared for quite a few years.  It is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot.

After tasting this Cab, Steve poured us each two more wines.  He asked us to guess what they were.  The first wine was huge.  Big and bold with lots of tannins, I guessed it was a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The second wine was soft and smooth.  I guessed that this was a Right Bank Bordeaux blend that, of course, is Merlot dominant.  Steve then proceeded to tell us that they are BOTH the 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  What?????  The first wine he poured was a bottle that he had just opened.  The second bottle had been opened the day before!  What a difference some time makes.  They both had lovely black currant and black cherry on the palate.  I look forward to enjoying my bottle, but will definitely give it at least a couple of hours in the decanter before drinking.

2009 Proprietary Red Napa Valley – The blend of this wine is 37% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc and 13% Petit Verdot.  On the nose was some white pepper and tobacco, along with plum and cherry.  On the palate was the cherry, along with some chocolate and a little bit of saltiness!  This is another wine that will evolve well in the upcoming years.

Steve then offered us a very special treat; to visit the barrel room.  There we had the amazing opportunity to taste some of their most prized wines from barrel.  We tasted the 2010 vintage of the Stagecoach Vineyard, George III, To Kalon North and the To Kalon South.  What a way to end the tasting.  All of them were absolutely lovely.  I sure do look forward to tasting them out of the bottle in about 10 years!

The next time you’re in Napa, be sure to check out Alpha Omega.  They are located right on Highway 21 in Rutherford!

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