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by Carolyn Tillie
This month, the continuing
series on co-op tasting rooms takes us to
Vintner's Collective in downtown Napa. The grand, two-story
brick Pfeiffer Building, originally built in 1875 as the Barth
Brewery, has great historical significance, being the city's oldest
commercial building. The old adage 'if these walls could talk' would be
truly applicable here. After the brewery closed, the Stone Saloon
was established in the 1890s on the lower floor, with a brothel on the
upper area. Then, during Prohibition, it became the Sam Kee
Chinese Laundry, remaining so until the '70s, when it fell on hard
times as in-home washers and dryers became the norm. That is when
Andrews Meat Market and Deli took up residency. Now
Garrett Murphy has turned the
Pfeiffer Building into a very stylish co-op tasting room, showcasing a
revolving list of as many as seventeen different wineries, some of which
produce as little as a hundred cases. Many of these winemakers are just
getting their labels established and have yet to worry about putting
together websites to promote themselves.
 Garrett
Murphy (left) was a chef for 15 years, working in France,
Boston, Florida, and Southern California. After
consulting with
Auberge du
Soleil and
Meadowood, he
opened a bakery called Calistoga Ovens. His wife encouraged him
to look for livelihood elsewhere as the life of a baker was eating up
seven days a week, starting in the wee hours of the morning. He started
working at the tasting room for
Chateau Potelle
and worked up to be their Direct Marketing Manager. After five
years, he began the Vintner's Collective project.
"At the time, there was nothing for the high profile wineries like I
envisioned. There was only
Napa Wine Company,
but you had to be crushing there. This model is for folks with their own
production facility or who are custom crushing elsewhere, but have no
tasting room. I felt there is a big void for wineries with great points
and a great product, but no tasting room. It has been a dream come true
and I couldn't ask for better wineries to promote."
Upon entering Vintner's Collective, you are greeted by warm, welcoming
pourers, a variety of stunning and intriguing artwork, and a tasting
area that showcases the wines available. There are three levels of tastings; the Vintner Tasting is $10 and
includes four pours from the weekly menu, the Pfeiffer Tasting,
$15, which includes an additional four pours (Napa Valley locals get a
break, paying only $7.50), and the Luxe Tasting for $25.00, which offers
yet an another four pours of wines with "limited availability and
exceptional notoriety."
 During
my last visit, Garrett showed me the upstairs office area. As I ascended
the stairway, I was utterly charmed to see an invocation of the spirit
of the brothel in a large painting of a period 'hostess.' Also upstairs
is an extension of the art collection, a large table for private
tastings, and a patio area where additional tastings are held when the
weather permits. I believe Garrett has some ideas for that patio area,
but renovations to the building are still being done here and there.
During the same visit, Doug White
(right) was helpful, informative and most accommodating. I tasted the
following:
Patz & Hall
It was Patz & Hall that first led me to discover Vintner's Collective.
At a going-away dinner in Los Angeles, before I moved to Napa, a dear
friend took me to L'Orangerie restaurant, arguably one of the finest
restaurants in Los Angeles. After a Champagne starter, and then a German
white, the sommelier recommended a Patz & Hall Pinot to accompany the
rest of our meal. It was magical and upon moving to Napa, I immediately
sought out this elegant, fruit-forward wine only to discover they were
too small to warrant their own tasting room. Instead, I was introduced
to my first co-op tasting room and the joys that Vintner's Collective
has to offer.
Patz & Hall produce no less than six vineyard-specific Pinots and while
all but two are currently sold out, those remaining two were not open so
a taste from their other passion, Chardonnay, had to suffice:
2003 Alder Springs Vineyard Chardonnay - Slight greenish edge to
the color, with heavy melon and floral notes on the nose; mouth fills
with pear and butter, and finishes a bit creamy. $55.00
Mi Sueño
Mi Sueño
2001 El Llano - Mi Sueño,
which means "My Dream," is a label started by
Rolando Herrera and could arguably be called one of Napa's
most amazing success stories. Over 20 years ago, he worked as
Stag's
Leap Wine Cellars' gardener. One Saturday afternoon, as a
part-time general laborer, he stepped into a wine cellar for the first
time. From there he quickly learned and became Chateau Potelle's
assistant winemaker, before moving to
Vine Cliff Winery
as their Winemaker, and finally starting Mi Sueño.
Now he is producing a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah,
and Cabernet, and was heralded as a local hero when his
Chardonnay was poured at President Bush's
first state dinner with Mexican President
Vicente Fox. The El Llano (named after the town where Herrera
was born) was actually 68% Cabernet and 32% Syrah. It
immediately showed dark, elegant spice and a deep, heavy fruit. The
finish was thinner than the entry, but produced some extremely elegant
herbal qualities. It was tasted on a pre-release and therefore prices
were not yet available.
Mi Sueño
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - Deep, dark plummy color, with a bit of oak
and extensive berry on the nose and a long, deep finish. $60.00
Mi Sueño
2002 Chardonnay - A Carneros-based Chardonnay, with considerable oak
on the nose and a huge, rich mouthfeel. A tad buttery for my taste, but
I could appreciate the extensive floral notes. $35.00
Ancien Wines
2001 Ancien Wines Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir - This wine had an
incredible, supple aroma reminiscent of those sensations when you first
walk into a Moroccan restaurant; rich and complex with exotic layered
spices, incense, and dried flowers. There was a darker tone in the
mouth, which gave way to a bit of spice on the finish. Not your typical
Pinot and quite intriguing. $40.00
 Richard
Perry
2000 Richard Perry Cabernet Sauvignon - These vineyards are
located in Coombsville. There was a considerable amount of
vegetation and green bell pepper on the nose. While there was a mouthful
of dark berry fruit, the finish became a tad thin. $50.00
Vinoce
2003 Vinoce Sauvignon Blanc - Rich nose of melon and a hint of
citrus. The mouth is round with a clean, refreshing finish. Not very
complex or deep, but lovely and engaging. $18.00
2001 Proprietary Red - 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet
Sauvignon, and 20% Merlot, this wine is mostly from Mount
Veeder. It produced a beautiful, dark fruit on the nose and finished
with a hint of herbs. The taste was complex and compressed with long,
long finish of blueberry. $50.00
Gregory
Graham
Achieving popularity as the winemaker specializing in Zinfandels
for Rombauer
in the 1980s, Gregory Graham branched out on his own, developing a label
that centers on several different vineyard-specific Viogniers and
Pinot Noirs, as well as a Syrah and a Zinfandel.
2001 Gregory Graham Viognier, Knights Valley - The seventh
vintage from the Noble Vineyard, located in Knights Valley in Sonoma,
this Viognier has a stunning aroma of citrus flowers which thins out to
a bit of mineral. The mouth is full but again thins out a tad - would
love to have this with some duck confit tacos, but only if there were
mango salsa! $29.99
Longfellow
A producer of reds exclusively, with Rolando Hererra as winemaker; I was
lucky to taste two different Longfellow wines.
2001 Longfellow Syrah - This wine is from grapes grown in Dry
Creek. There were hints of metal sneaking through the mint and herbs
in the aromas. The taste was chewy and a bit vegetal but it finished a
lot more fruity than anticipated. $32.00
2001 Longfellow Pinot Noir - From Griffin's Lair Vineyard
on the Sonoma Coast, this was one of two wines I ended up buying
on my excursion. Complex nose with very forward aromas of jam and hints
of mint, basil, and clove, with a full, lovely mouth of berries and
vanilla. Rich and complex. $35.00
Showket
Kal and
Dorothy Showket did something many other winery owners wish
they could do, hire Heidi Barrett as
their winemaker. Under Barrett's magic wand, they produce only a
Sangiovese and a Cabernet Sauvignon; it was their 2001 Showket
Cabernet that was the second wine I purchased on my visit. Full and
heady with oak, vanilla, and tobacco aromas, the taste produced several
layers of cassis, blackberry, and plum, with hint of herbs on a finish
that seemed to never end. $66.00
D Cubed
Duane Dappen does one thing and one
thing well: Zinfandels. I was fortunate to first taste his wines as a
member of the Howell Mountain Appellation group. He is pulling
grapes from four different vineyards to produce big, hefty zins. On this
day, I tasted the 2001 Napa Valley Zinfandel, which comes from
vineyards in St. Helena, Howell Mountain, and Chiles
Valley. A surprisingly thin, ruby color, but with rich,
fruit-forward opulent aromas. The mouthfeel was thick and rich, with
compressed fruit and a finish that tends a bit towards metal.
 Other
wineries represented, but not tasted during this visit include
Caldwell, Frazier, Judd's Hill, and Phelan. I
have tasted the Caldwell Proprietary Red in the past and was very
sorry it was sold out. All of the Frazier Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignons
are also sold out and the Phelan is on an extremely limited
availability, so there may not be any to be tasted at all.
Vintner's Collective is a great find and well worth the hunt to discover
many of the excellent up-and-coming wineries in the Napa Valley. These
are wines that are being produced from true artisans, many of which are
otherwise difficult to find.
Vintner's Collective
1245 Main Street
Napa, CA 94559
Tel. (707)255-7150
Fax (707)255-7159
Email: info@vintnerscollective.com
Previously from Carolyn Tillie:
Cal Co-op Tasting Rooms: A Dozen
Vintners
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