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It’s tempting to characterize Charles Hendricks as a rising star in Napa Valley, and one wouldn’t necessarily be wrong in doing so. Over the past 8 years, Hendricks, owner and winemaker of hope and grace wines (named after his two daughters) has seen his “side project” evolve into a company that has all but become his fulltime job. The reception and demand for his wines have grown to the point where he has been able to open the Hendricks Wines Tasting Salon in Yountville to showcase his wares, and business is not only good, sales are actually up, even in today’s tough economy.

The truth of the matter is, however, that Charles Hendricks has been around for a while now, with 26 years of winemaking experience under his belt. Since graduating from UC Davis in 1982, he has worked in various locations throughout Napa and Sonoma counties, consulting with operations such as Viader, Barnett Vineyards, Paoletti Vineyards and the Regusci Winery.

Hendricks was in town during the last week of February to promote both his and some of his clients’ wines for their regional vendor, Veritas Distributors. I attended a trade tasting that was held at our favorite Asian fusion restaurant, Mon Jin Lau, in Troy, Michigan, and a few days later, I got together with Charles to talk about various aspects of his career, the salient points of which are presented here following the tasting notes.

These days, Hendricks has trimmed his clients down to Regusci, James Cole on the Silverado Trail and Nine North Wine Company. He refers to Nine North as his “day job; selections from their portfolio made up the majority of the wines presented on this occasion and that’s where I began tasting.

2006 Ten Mile The Broken Road Proprietary White, 53% Chardonnay, 27% Viognier, 20% Chenin Blanc, 13.5% alc., $10.99: Good color and rich fruit that's not excessively ripe; in fact it’s toned down from the last time I tried it several months ago. Nice melon, pear and tropical fruit flavors and aromas; medium full bodied, well balanced, with good acids, making for a solid, everyday quaffing white. It saw a long cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks on the lees, and no barrel aging. Find this wine

2006 Ten Mile The Broken Road Proprietary Red, 46% Petite Sirah, 44% Zinfandel, 7% Barbera, 3% Carignane, 14.1% alc., $10.99: Red plum, blackberry and even a little black cherry flavors and aromas; a little tarry and a little earthy, being full bodied with good structure that should allow for a few years of improvement.  This wine, based upon the classic field blends of California from the late 1800’s, and sourced from
several dry farmed, old vine vineyards, is very popular in the Detroit area. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in 20% new and 80% older French & American oak. Find this wine

2006 Thousand Foot Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 13.5% alc., $21.99: Medium dark color, with earthy plum and black cherry character; earthier than I might have expected from a Russian River Valley Pinot. Medium full to full bodied, with good structure, length and no excessive oak; a good mouthful of wine that wants some time in the bottle (I’d give it at least a few years), and a little more “masculine” than many from this appellation. So named because the grapes are sourced above the fog line. Find this wine

2006 Parcel 41 Napa Merlot, 14.1% alc., $21.49: Good color, with smooth, balanced red and black currants and berries underscored with a little earth; good structure and length, and would probably like a few years in the bottle. Find this wine

2005 Seven Sinners Napa Syrah The Ransom, 97% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah, 14.1% alc., $23.99: Tarry, earthy black plum and berry, full bodied and well structured, with good heft; shades of toast and coffee make this a good candidate for breakfast wine! Fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 18 months in 60% (1 year old) French Alliers and Troncais oak. Find this wine

2006 Twenty Bench Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 14.1% alc., $23.99: Full bodied and smooth, with black and red currant, a little toasty oak in the background and a little earth underneath; well balanced, with good structure and length. A good Cabernet at a good price. Fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in 60% (1 year old) French and 40% (2 year old) American oak. Find this wine

2005 Hullabaloo Napa Zinfandel, 96% Zinfandel, 4% Petite Sirah, 15.6% alc., $17.49: Good color, not too dark, and you can really taste the toast; good raspberry, black raspberry and even a little black cherry in both flavor and aroma; medium full to full bodied, well structured and good length. Not an over-ripe fruit bomb and that’s a good thing. 15 months in American oak, medium to heavy + toast. Find this wine

2005 hope & grace Napa Chardonnay, 14.2% alc., $30.49: Good color, with nice rich apple and pear aromas shaded with moderate oak and very subtle toast; in the mouth, rich, yet almost lean at the same time. A good glass of Napa Chardonnay that saw 7 months in low intensity French oak, spent about a year on the lees and underwent no malolactic fermentation. Find this wine

2006 hope & grace Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, 14.2% alc., $41.99: Pretty ruby color, with black cherry and a little earth, and raspberry on the nose; even richer in the mouth than the aromatics would lead one to believe. Earthy, slightly tarry plum and black cherry, medium full bodied and well structured; expressive, with good length and good presence. Reflects its provenance very well.
18 Months in Remond and Cadus French oak barrels. Find this wine

2006 Regusci Napa Merlot Stag’s Leap District, 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% alc., $39.99: Good color, with a nice kiss of oak over red currant and black cherry aromatics; a bit darker in the mouth than on the nose, with black and red currants and berries and a little black cherry. Fruit forward, but not excessively so; full bodied, balanced and well structured, and this should age very well, but it’s already drinking very well right now. The balance is what makes this so nice. Spent 20 months in American oak. Find this wine

2005 hope & grace Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Vineyard, 15.2% alc., $49.49: Good color, and very expressive aromas that offer a nice kiss of oak over rich red and black currant, cassis, red and black berry and black cherry; very pretty in the mouth where the flavors echo and expand on the promise of the nose. Full bodied, but not heavy; good structure bodes well for several years in the cellar and yet it’s so nice right now. Very impressive for such a nice balance between earthy undertones and nice rich fruit. I could drink this on a regular basis. Find this wine

2006 Regusci Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap District, $54.49: Strikes an interesting contrast to the hope and grace Cabernet; a little less fruit forward, with excellent balance. Red and black currant flavors and aromas with a subtle kiss of well integrated oak and hints of cedar; medium full to full bodied, very smooth in the mouth and deceptively well structured for several years worth of development and improvement. Very pretty and well-mannered, but by no means wimpy. Find this wine

2004 Hendricks Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Lewelling Vineyard, 14.2% alc., $NA: Good dark color, with a beautiful nose of restrained oak, tobacco, black currant, cassis; full bodied, earthy, with nice black currant, blackberry, a hint of cedar and very subtle toast and coffee. Charles is correct when he says that the rich fruit stood up to the new French oak very well. Full bodied, almost sleek and very well structured to handle several years in the cellar effortlessly. Very, very nice indeed. Another one that I could drink every day.
From a tank that was obviously bigger and richer than the rest the grapes picked from this vineyard and kept separate. This saw 28 months in new French oak and another 2 years in the bottle. Find this wine
 
Click here to continue reading my chat with Charles Hendricks:

The Tasting | The Interview

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© George Heritier March, 2009