Sunday, June 22, 2025

Conn Creek Anthology 2010

Conn Creek Anthology 2010 with meatloaf for an ideal pairing 

With left over meatloaf from Entourage dinner the night (Pirouette BYOB with Familiar Favorites at Entourage DG), I pulled from the cellar this Bordeaux Blend as an accompaniment.

Conn Creek Anthology 2010 

Conn Creek, located in the historic Rutherford district along the Silverado Trail, has been producing Napa Valley Bordeaux-styled red wines since 1973 when it was founded by Bill and Kathy Collins. 

In 1979, they built what is now Conn Creek Winery in the Rutherford appellation, on the namesake Conn Creek, at the intersection of Silverado Trail and Conn Creek Road, across from the trailhead of Sage Canyon Road. 

The facility was perhaps one of the first “green” winery building in Napa Valley with 12”-thick walls made of Styrofoam, steel mesh, gunite and a total of 20,000 corks. 

Conn Creek were pioneers, among a small group leading Napa Valley’s emergence as a fine wine growing region on the world stage. That effort continues today, nearly 40 years later, as Conn Creek produces a portfolio of ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietal wines.

Conn Creek’s winemaker is Jean Hoefliger, born and raised in Switzerland, his winemaking background includes some of the leading vineyards from some of the world’s most esteemed wineries from Bordeaux to South Africa including Château Lynch-Bages, Château Carbonnieux, and Meerlust. 

After earning a degree in viticulture and enology from the prestigious Swiss Federal School of Changins, Jean set out for California, where he spent five years crafting quality wines as Winemaker at Newton Vineyard. 

Recognized for his visionary approach, Jean was tapped by Alpha Omega as both Winemaker and General Manager. His stature in the industry grew, and by 2005, he expanded his expertise as a Consulting Winemaker for renowned producers in Napa Valley, Switzerland, and Italy. His clients included Howell Mountain’s Clark Claudon, the ultra-premium Decades 5, Armanino Family Cellars, Yount Ridge, and Speratus, as well as Conn Creek.

Notably, both Newton and Clark Claudon feature prominently in our cellar collection. 

This label Anthology is the Conn Creek flagship label, named for a Greek word that refers to a collection of literary or artistic works akin to its Bordeaux blend crafted from a collection of Napa Valley’s notable vineyards and diverse AVAs. 

Anthology is sourced from nearly all of Napa Valley’s appellations. 

The 2010 Anthology is a blend of all the designated Bordeaux varietals: 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot and 3% Malbec.

It is comprised of vineyard lots selected from the following appellations: Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak - Stagecoach Vineyard, Stags Leap District, Howell Mountain - Hughes Vineyards, St. Helena - Collins Vineyard, Oakville - Stanton Vineyard, Calistoga - Surber & Frediani Vineyards, Yountville - Herrick Vineyard, Carneros - Truchard Vineyard, and Mount Veeder: Cabernet Franc from St. Helena - Carpenter Vineyard, Atlas Peak - Stagecoach Vineyard, and Spring Mountain; Merlot from St. Helena - Collins Vineyard, and Atlas Peak - Stagecoach; Petit Verdot from Yountville - Tall Trees; and Malbec from Yountville - Herrick.

Winemaker’s tasting notes - “Anthology, is a testament to the layers of depth and complexity that can be achieved through the art of blending. Blackberries and plums nestle among cocoa, anise and wildflowers. On the palate a bright opening of black currants leads to a lingering finish of rich chocolaty tannins.

What a treat. This is what having a broad and deep wine cellar is all about! Finding a hidden gem bottle such as this for a wonderful pairing with some delicious food. As I’ve written numerous times in these pages - a great pairing of food and wine enhances and amplifies the enjoyment of both!

We had this release of this wine in a special event dinner back in 2014 - Conn Valley Anthology Highlights Capital Grill Board Room Dinner.


At seventeen years, the important fill level and cork were in ideal condition, as were the foil and label, as shown. This was likely at the apex of its drinking window, not expected to improve further, but able to continue to age for superb drinking for several more years.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, complex but elegant and polished, nicely balanced and integrated blackberry and black currant fruits, accented by notes of mocha, anise and hints of floral and black tea, with silky tannins on a pleasant finish.

RM 92 points. 


https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/09/conn-valley-anthology-highlights.html

https://conncreek.com/collections/library


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