With the rise of the artisanal wine maker, so too is there a new way for wine makers, winery owners, and marketing pundits to present their product for sale. Herein lies the beginning of a series of investigations into the presentation of such wines. Over the next few months, I will travel far and wide throughout Northern California to investigate and report on these "co-op" or "collective" tasting rooms. I will present hidden hovels of heaven that might have otherwise been missed on your radar of potential gems. These collective tasting rooms differ from tasting bars or wine bars in that no food is served and those pouring tend to be extremely knowledgeable about the wines they are pouring. Also, the pours themselves are smaller (one to two ounces) instead of an entire glass. Like your standard winery tasting room, the pours are more taste-oriented, however the variety and selection is always considerably larger.

To begin our series, I present A Dozen Vintners, located at 3000 Highway 29 North at Lodi Lane in St. Helena. It lies next to Café 29 Restaurant on "the 29" in that area between the Culinary Institute of America and Folie à Deux. A Dozen Vintners was the brainchild of Norman Alumbaugh. Originally named Artisan Wine Tasting, a change was necessitated when it was learned a local winery already had an "Artisan Wine" label. But "A Dozen Vintners" works despite the fact that the day I stopped by, there was only eleven vintners represented. Alumbaugh is also owner of Eagle & Rose Estate Winery, one of the eleven. In general, they like to say that the wineries represented are small, boutique operations, producing on average only several thousand cases.

Upon entering the Dozen Vintners' room, one is greeted with immense congeniality. The large dark wood-clad wine racks behind the tasting bar give an aura of warmth and the rugs and fixtures exude an inviting atmosphere. There is an effulgence in the welcome from those behind the counter. The day I walked in, a deluge of rain and gray, cloudy skies hardly put a damper on Sara and Marcus (right), the two pouring. So gregarious was Marcus, that we predict a stellar stand-up career for him. Sara Livermore, the manager, deftly worked a crowd of ten, missing nary a beat. But let's face it - if you are reading this article, you don't care about the ambience of the room or the personalities of those pouring. You want to know about the wine, huh?

For John Q. Public going into these establishments, be apprised that the "standard" is to keep it to roughly five pours but often ten are given. Since I was attempting to cover all the wineries offered (and considering it was off-season), I was a tad over-poured. But that's okay, because Sara has a great motto, "Fools drink too much. Great fools drink too little." I will admit up front, I don't particularly care for tasting a huge selection of varietals. I believe the tongue very quickly loses its objectivity and when doing this on my own, I tend to pick a particular grape and stick with that one for the day. However, experimenting is a great way to learn about new and otherwise rare grapes. After a taste or two, if you don't care for what you've been poured, Sara and her crew will help you find a style of wine you DO like. She is incredibly pro-education in teaching people about wine. Another great advantage of these types of collective tasting rooms, due to the huge selection offered, is that you will rarely (if ever) be offered the same wine twice.

Unfortunately for yours truly, the tasting began with several Chardonnays. I haven't gotten past the fact that most California Chardonnays are oaky and buttery - beyond that, there are simply a few more adjectives to add in... With that, I will tell you what I DID taste...

Destino Wines - With an approximate 800 case per-varietal production level, two Chardonnays and two Cabernet Sauvignons are offered.
1. 2001 Chardonnay ($14.00) - Only 375s left. Kiwi and very tropical on the nose but too much butter fills the mouth. Not as 'hot' as the von Strasser.
2. 2002 Chardonnay ($30.00) - Pineapple and grass.

vonStrasser Winery - a Diamond Mountain winery. Seven different wines sold here from the standard Chardonnay through several blends, and a few Cabernets. Hmmm... yet another mountain winery...
3. 2001 Chardonnay Aurora ($21.00) - again, only 375s left. A bit richer than the first two with a hint of burnt popcorn.
4. 2001 Sori Bricco ($70.00) - Finally, a red and mountain fruit at that. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot blend. It showed a lovely, rich color with bright fruit on the nose. There is perceptible pepper on the tongue and the finish did not linger (I think because of the Franc).

Eagle and Rose Estate - This is one of the 12 Vintners that actually has its own established winery and tasting room as well as being represented here. This is probably the biggest producer with eight wines offered, but all in the mid-price range between $12.00 and $26.00.
5. 2000 Pope Valley Merlot ($16.00) - 6,000 cases of this wine is produced.  At $16.00, I found it peppery and accessible but not remarkable.

Spelletich Cellars - Produces about 5,000 cases a year. The Spelletichs are a couple who do everything themselves with fruit obtained from sources as diverse as Amador County, Shenandoah Valley, Mount Veeder, and Carneros. Personally, I would love to see what their wine would be like if they kept the vineyards separate.
6. 2001 "Bodog" Red Table Wine ($27.00) - On the nose, this was dark and musky with great color and rich aromas. On the tongue, I found it a bit wanting and pale with limited finish. This wine is a blend of 81% Carneros Merlot, 10% Zinfandel, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Livingston Moffett Vineyards - A total of five different wines offered from this vineyard, a Chardonnay, two blends, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Syrah.
7. 2001 Gemstone ($80.00) - Yet another blend (that's okay, I really like blends!). This one was 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot, and 9% Cabernet Franc. For the price, I was a bit taken aback that the color was not as deep and dark as I thought it might be. It was vegetal and hot on the nose but produced a full brambleberry on the tongue. Tannic finish, which I imagine would diminish with decanting.

Howell Mountain Vineyards - Have I mentioned that I am a tad jaded towards mountain fruit? And Howell Mountain is known for big, hefty reds. Partners Jerre Sears, Joyce Black Sears, and Mike Beatty produce a number of hefty Cabernet Sauvignons and Zinfandels.
8. 2001 "HMD" Cabernet Sauvignon ($60.00) - Dark, ruby purple color. Typical Howell Mountain with dark, elegant fruit on the tongue but a bit of green bell pepper on the nose. The finish failed me a bit.
9. 2001 Howell Mountain Old Vine Zinfandel ($24.00) - I was somewhat surprised that this was a Zin. It had the classic Howell Mountain characteristics of lush fruit and elegant spice, but I found it a bit chewy and wanting. I guess I wanted it to be more zin-like with "kick butt" flavors that tend to wow me. If I had tasted it blind, I might have thought it a blend, but hardly a Zin.

Lamborn Family Vineyards - Lamborn only presents one wine at A Dozen Vintners, but what a wine it is. With famed Screaming Eagle winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett at the helm, it isn't surprising that a pretty fabulous wine is being produced.
10. 2001 "The Cork Report" Zinfandel ($35.00) - Not your typical Zin. Very rich and full. No spice on the nose, just fruit. Spice appears on the tongue way after the finish. A sort of buttery coating on the tongue which added to the elegance.

Reverie Winery - Another mountain vineyard, but these wines are from Diamond Mountain and lots of unusual varietals are produced and showcased; from Barbera to 100% Cabernet Franc.
11. 2001 Barbera ($39.00) - Odd orange tint on the edges but very complex and layered in the mouth. Anise and spice on the finish. Made me want cheese.

Fife Vineyards - Hard to not be impressed with Fife. Husband Dennis Fife had a long and illustrious career with Inglenook, Beaulieu Vineyards, and held the title of Consigliari at Stags' Leap Winery. Wife Karen MacNeil is legendary for her books and now has a television show instructing people in the joys of wine. She also heads up the wine program at the Napa-based Culinary Institute of America. What a pedigree. Thank goodness they specialize in reds...
12. 1999 Max Cuvee ($36.00) - This is their flagship wine, a blend of 45% Syrah, 45% Petit Syrah, and 10% Zinfandel (okay, neither Marcus nor Sara could find the exact break down and this was a guess from them). It was slightly stinky on the nose but very deep in color. It exploded with amazing spice in the mouth that just kept going and going. Very memorable wine.

Domaine Charbay - Charbay is getting a name for its flavored Vodkas. Who knew they produced a line of ports, cabs, and apéritifs? Our day's tasting was finished up with several sweet wines.
13. Distillers' Port - Ruby Port ($38.00) - I found the wine to be a bit fruit forward on the tongue and hot on the nose, but saw potential in some aging. Made from Spring Mountain Cabernet.
14. Distillers' Port - Four Barrel ($75.00) - Very sweet. Moroccan spices that were layered and continued to change in the mouth. Screamed to be drunk with cheese. Looking at their website to see if there was a vintage date, I learned something very interesting... "The infusing spirit we used was not one but a blend of five varietal Brandies, four of which are over 10 years old:

• Folle Blanche Brandy
• Black Muscat Grappa di Marko
• Pinot Noir Marc
• Gewürztraminer Marc
• Freshly double-distilled Cabernet Sauvignon Brandy

15. Aperitif ($25.00) - A late harvest Chardonnay. My friends loved this wine. I couldn't escape the 'cat piss' aroma on the nose; however there was a lovely praline finish on the tongue.

Adams Ridge - This is a very small producer, only 260 cases of a single Cabernet. This was a wine that was not poured and I couldn't locate a website to tell you more about them.