I first met Steve Reynolds (left, with Suzie Reynolds) last year at a local tasting room. We chatted about the new winery he was starting up, and he invited me to taste some samples after the next harvest. I was delighted to see him here and renew our acquaintance. He is the owner and winemaker.

The first wine is from Gneiss Winery, second label for the Reynolds Family Winery.

Gneiss Winery 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon – sourced from four Napa Valley Vineyards – dusty and bright Bing cherry aromatics from the glass – smooth and soft entry – a medium weight wine in the mouth – fairly well balanced flavors and pleasant to drink – reflects its young vine sources. It’s a pleasure to drink and would pair nicely with appetizers and lighter entrees. $25

Reynolds Family Winery 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate – the vineyard lies just off the Silverado Trail, north of the City of Napa, and about a mile south of the Stag’s Leap AVA. Somewhat restrained oaky aromatics – medium weight Cabernet fruit on the palate with hints of bramble and herb – clean finish with fine tannins – a pleasant drink. $48

Reynolds Family Winery 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve – sourced from a vineyard near Pine Ridge and Shafer along the Silverado Trail – an elegant and beautiful package including a torn paper label that features an actual pressed mustard blossom from the family vineyard. Again, somewhat restrained aromatically, but shows aromas of ripe Cabernet fruit – again, a smooth entry with bright medium weight fruit – tends more toward the red, rather than purple end of the spectrum – very pleasant in the mouth and finishes quite cleanly. $72

None of these wines would qualify as "profound" in structure or style, but make for very pleasant drinking and will match nicely with lighter entrees. Three very nice wines from Reynolds Family and Gneiss.

Reynolds Family Winery
3266 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA 94558
Phone: 707 258 2558
Fax: 707 258 9558

Bighorn Cellars is Bill Hill’s new(er) Napa operation. He was a rather well known Napa producer whose wines gained prominence in the mid 1980s. He apparently traded in his Napa holdings (including his name and label) for 400 acres of raw land near Amity in Oregon, of which about 20 acres are now planted. The wines I’m tasting tonight represent the fifth vintage of Chardonnay and second of Cabernet bottled under the Bighorn label, all made with purchased fruit.

1999 Bighorn Cellars Chardonnay Camelback Vineyard – the fruit source is on the Napa side of the Carneros District – pleasant pear aromas with overtones of oak – the wine is soft and supple in the mouth with a flavor profile that follows the aromatics – a pleasant, but not special Chardonnay. $15

1997 Bighorn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon – blended with 2% Cabernet Franc, from two vineyard sources – one in Soda Canyon, the other in Coombsville – pretty, but shy aromas of spicy Cabernet fruit – smooth entry with medium weight Cabernet flavors – rich on the palate with good structure and smooth tannic backbone. $40

Bighorn Cellars
1085 Atlas Peak Road
Napa, CA 94558
Phone: 707 224 6565

The Robinson Family Vineyards is a family owned operation in the Stag’s Leap District. Tom Robinson (left, with daughter, Carrie Madigan) is a second-generation grower. His dad was a friend and colleague of Nathan Fay among others, and for years talked about producing wine under his own label. It was just before his death that this wine, the premier vintage of Robinson Family Vineyards, was put into barrel. This is very much a family operation, with Tom’s three daughters involved in various aspects of the business.

Their winemaker is Charles Hendricks, who I know from his work with Barnett, Viader and Paoli.

1998 Robinson Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon – lovely spicy Cabernet aromas – very pretty in the mouth with well balanced fruit flavors backed by spice and hints of oak – nicely structured and cleanly made. $48

Robinson Family Vineyards
5880 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA 94558
Phone: 707 224 2564
Fax: 707 258 2501

Unfortunately, the representative from Renteria left the event shortly before I got to their table, and there was nobody else there who could give me any meaningful information on the winery or the wines.

1999 Renteria Chardonnay – from the Napa side of Carneros – shy nose – soft entry with lovely flavors of sweet pear – nicely structured with a clean follow.

1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa – lovely aromatic profile of rich Cabernet fruit – nicely balanced in the mouth - the richness of the aromatics follows on the palate with a nice spectrum of fruit flavors that runs from dark reds to purple – still has some smooth tannins to resolve, but all in all a fairly impressive wine. $62

Renteria Wines
6236 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA 94558
Phone: 707 944 1382
Fax: 707 252 7348

StoneFly Vineyard is owned by Thom Arcadi (left), a horticulturist by trade, and is located in the northern part of Napa, not far from the Silverado Trail. He’s a one-man band with StoneFly – grower, sales manager, cellar rat, etc. The vineyard is about three and a half acres, almost entirely Cabernet Franc, and the wine is made by Dan Baron, who spends most of his time crafting the Cabernet Sauvignon at Silver Oak.

In 1995 they took the first fruit from this rehabilitated vineyard, which yielded 150 cases. There were 170 cases in 1996 – 325 in 1999.

1999 StoneFly Cabernet Franc – blended with a tiny amount of Cabernet Sauvignon – very pretty and ripe Cab Franc fruit in the nose without the herbal or green olive components that frequently overpower this varietal – smooth and friendly in the mouth with nicely balanced fruit flavors that glide across the palate – sweet and clean, and a very nice representation of the varietal. $32

StoneFly Vineyard
3003 Hagen Road
Napa, CA 94558
Phone: 707 252 3294

Just between you, me and the barrel:

This tasting highlighted what has become a pet peeve of mine over the last couple of years: I think California Cabernet producers are smoking too much mustard. Many of their wines are grotesquely overpriced and represent no value at all. With a limping economy, and a couple of light vintages, I hope the marketplace will force some realism onto these folks. How can they expect wine to be an everyday beverage when they price the product beyond the reach of most of the wine drinking public? It’s weird. Every time I talk about pricing with a new winery, they talk about "comparative tastings" and "being taken seriously."  Nonsense. And short sighted. It’s time for a reality check, folks. If you provide a quality product at a reasonable price, the market will find you.

Many thanks to the folks at the Soda Canyon Store for hosting this tasting, and for their friendliness and hospitality. I would encourage you to stop there and say hello on your next visit to the valley.

Serendipity might find you.

califusa
Left Coast Correspondent to the Gang of Pour

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© Allan Bree January 2002