Big Reds Celebrate Big Red Win
We gathered at son Alec’s to watch the B1G TEN Championship - IU, Indiana vs OSU, Ohio State. I took a special vintage Big Red wine for the occasion. Son Ryan brought another Big Red from one of our favorite, legendary producers, for a fabulous comparison tasting, and pairing with a selection of pizzas.
I also took a Alec’s birthyear vintage label that has a legacy tied to Ryan’s employer for a special tasting celebrating our father-son family gathering for a special occasion.
We ordered a selection of pizza’s from nearby Freedom Brothers Pizza at Market Meadows, Naperville.
I wrote about this birth year vintage wine in earlier blogposts, Steak Night Red Wine Flight, and about the Oakville Ranch property, its history and terroir in a previous, earlier detailed blogpost.
Oakville Ranch Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990
This is from Oakville Ranch Vineyards and Winery, a hillside property in the foothills of the Vaca Mountains on the far eastern edge of the renowned Oakville AVA just above where Silverado Trail at Oakville Cross Road.
This producer has some special significance due to its historic legacy. The property was purchased by the late Bob Miner, co-founder or Oracle Corp, and his wife, Mary Miner, in 1989. the same year the Miner’s harvested and produced their first wine from the property. The original property was a rugged 370-acre estate, tucked into a rocky shelf 1000 feet above the Napa Valley floor consisting of primarily chaparral, woodlands made up of scrub oak, manzanita and other drought tolerant evergreens.
Bob remained with Oracle until 1993, and after he succumbed to cancer at age 52 in 1994, Mary took over the management of the property.
Since then, the principles increased vineyard plantings to 70 acres of predominantly Bordeaux varietals. In 2020 Oakville Ranch purchased the neighboring Saunder’s Vineyard and its approximately 10 acres of vines. The remainder of the ranch remains in its natural state, with indigenous grassy meadows, native woodlands and winding streams sustaining native flora and fauna. Today, they produce five wines and a total of 750 cases.
At 1,000 feet above the valley floor, the Oakville Ranch vineyards produce grapes that speak from the appellation’s signature red volcanic soil with a mountain accent. The property is among some of the most premium vineyard real estate in the valley – with several prestigious wineries as neighbors (including Ovid and Dalla Valle).
The name Oakville Ranch predates the Miner family ownership, dating back to the early 1980s. The ranch was purchased in 1980 by five different ownership parties including John Scully and Don Kelleher, owner of Kelleher Family Vineyard and owners of Brix Restaurant just north of Yountville. For several years, the property was rented out as a retreat.
Prior to the 1980’s, the property was owned by lawyer William (Bill) McPherson of the Fairfield based firm, McPherson & Barnett and his wife Kim, who unsuccessfully ran for state senate in 1973. He maintained existing vineyards on the property.
In the early 1940s the property was associated with Mert E. Robertson and a J.P. Twomey. According to an article from the Napa Journal in 1942, the U.S. Army raised horses on the property, intent on improving the quality and quantity of riding horses in the county.
The Miner’s also used to own the property that is now home to Miner Family Winery which is owned by Dave Miner, Bob’s nephew, who for some time managed the operations at Oakville Ranch. There is no physical winery on Oakville Ranch, the wines are produced at a facility in the Oak Knoll District. Farmer Phil Coturri has overseen the management of the Oakville Ranch vineyards since 2007.
The property ranged in elevation from about 600 feet to around 1,100 feet. Most of the property is in the Oakville sub appellation but a very small section is in Pritchard Hill. The shallow red, rocky soil is low in nutrients, ideal for producing small bunches of grapes with higher skin to juice ratios, with yields extremely low compared to valley floor grown fruit.
Oakville Ranch sources from specific vineyard blocks for their own wines. The remainder of the fruit produced on the property is sold under contracts to a select number of premium winery clients and noted winemakers including Rosemary Cakebread, Helen Keplinger and Andy Erickson.
Oakville Ranch Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990
This release was awarded 93 points by Wine Spectator and 92 points from Robert Parker.
At thirty-five years of age it was still holding its body, color and fruit and was showing minor signs of diminution from aging. The cork was moist and saturated and was extracted in parts with and ahso two pronged cork puller.
Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright expressive concentrated but nicely balanced and integrated black currant, cherry and plum fruits with notes of cedar, cassis, spice and oak with moderate balanced tannins on the long finish.
RM 90 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=83701
https://www.oakvilleranch.com/
https://twitter.com/OakvilleRanch
@OakvilleRanch
This Big Red is from Outpost Winery, located high atop Howell Mountain on Summit Lake Drive about 10 minutes outside of the small town of Angwin. At an elevation of 2200 feet the property is above the Napa Valley fog line at 1200 feet, the demarcation point between Napa Valley and Howell Mountain AVA designations. This elevation even experiences occasional light snowfall in the winter – in February 2022 up to 14 inches fell on Howell Mountain, blocking roads and causing a significant number of trees to fall.
Outpost is primarily known for their organically farmed Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon on the 42-acre estate (28 acres are planted to grapevines). Nearly all their wines are 100% varietal. Howell Mountain is a noted Zinfandel growing region in Napa Valley and a number of small ‘neighboring’ wineries also produce wines from this variety.
Outpost Winery Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Dark inky purple, a hint of bricking starting to show at the edge, full bodied, concentrated, expressive, complex, full round blackberry and black plum fruits with notes of cassis, dark mocha chocolate, spice, tobacco and leather with subtle note of graphite with firm round tannins on the long finish.
Ryan then opened from his cellar this ultra-premium Napa Cabernet from one of our favorite producers.
Melka "Metisse - Jumping Goat Vineyard" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
We’re huge fans of Phillip Melka and his wines which we have featured and written about often in these pages - such as these blogposts:
Winemaker notes - “This wine has our most loyal following and it is no surprise as to why. Similar to the Graves region in Bordeaux, the wine is perfumey, with a velvety texture so signature of the Jumping Goat. Aromatics of dark fruit, graphite, tar and creosote are complimented in a wine that exhibits opulence and softness harmoniously. The finish on this fabulous 2014 is bigger than previous years and we suggest decanting a good three hours prior to serving.”
