Kinsella Estate Dry Creek Valley Jersey Boys Vineyard Cabernet

Kinsella Estate Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Jersey Boys Vineyard Cabernet 2018

Son Alec and wife Viv hosted Philippe, friend from Provence, who we’ve known since he stayed with us as a foreign exchange student when they were in high school, so we met up together for a reunion with pizza and wine. 

We visited Philippe in Aix-en-Provence in 2019, a trip we chronicled in these pages in several posts. 

Four days in Provence - Aix - Meyrargues 

La Presqu'Ile Restaurant à Bédarrides Vaucluse France 

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Châteauneuf-du-Pape 

A visit to Château La Nerthe

Alec wanted to showcase an example of American wine for our French friend so he pulled from his cellar this limited production boutique label from Sonoma County. He shared an earlier vintage of this label a while back and I wrote about it and its interesting producer at that time, excerpted below.  

This is the label of Kevin Kinsella who founded Kinsella Estates in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valleyin 2007. Kevin bought a 12-acre vineyard in the foothills of the western edge of Dry Creek Valley and hired legendary winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown to lead his project.

Kinsella is founder of the private venture capital fund, Avalon Ventures, which funded the first big data company, multiple billion dollar pharmaceutical companies, the first touch screen for the Apple iPhone, the first mega social gaming company and the radically new stealth vessel for the Navy SEALS. Avalon has participated in and helped develop more than 120 different companies. As a consultant to the Peruvian government, Kinsella developed the first international marketing plan for the remarkable Andean grain, quinoa. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Kinsella is also a Tony Award winner as he gained further fame and fortune as the largest individual investor in the musical Jersey Boys, which became a worldwide smash hit becoming the 12th longest running musical in the history of Broadway playing to nearly 23 million people worldwide in five locations worldwide over a decade. 

The musical Jersey Boys not only provided resources to pursue his passion for wine but also was the impetus for the name of one of the three vineyards on the estate named after the musical. 

Kinsella Estates is situated in a private valley in the foothills of the western edge of Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg, situated at an elevation of 500 feet above the Russian River. The valley provides a warm climate that seldom sees a winter frost, some hills even grow citrus trees. The valley runs east-west and is planted with 12 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines on steep eastern hillsides made of loamy, metamorphic soil.

The estate has three vineyard blocks; the six acre Jersey Boys Vineyard, Spencer Vineyard is four acres, and two acre Heirloom Vineyard (formerly Tamara Vineyard), a steep sloping 17-year-old parcel wedged between an arroyo and a knoll of Spanish oaks, 

The Kinsella Estate property is a bit unique spot because the Dry Creek AVA is known primarily for the predominant varietal Zinfandel and not much Cabernet. This vineyard however gets plenty of sunshine to provide appropriate terroir for the Bordeaux varietal. 

The Heirloom Vineyard was planted in 2001 with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Jersey Boys Vineyard was replanted in 2008, utilizing four Cabernet Sauvignon clones, with two thirds of an acre planted to Wente clone Zinfandel and eight rows to Petit Verdot. 

With the purchase of the the 12-acre vineyard estate, his business instincts took over. "Part of the philosophy of venture capital is to go with the best people you can," explains Kinsella, who hired talented winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown as winemaker in 2007. Prior to Kinsella, since 2000, Brown had crafted 37 individual bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon for Schrader Cellars. Twenty of those releases earned ratings of 95 points or higher on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale, including a pair of 100-point 2007s. Ninety-one is the lowest score in the bunch.

Working with Thomas Rivers Brown are viticulturist Kelly Maher and Josh Clark of Clark Vineyard Management. Josh is the son of Tom Clark of the family wine label Clark-Claudon. Josh says he started in this business at age 12, when he would spend the day with “the vineyard as his playground", and where he “practically grew up on a tractor.” Josh took over the family business in 2003 that Tom Clark, started in 1978 so that Tom could focus on the Clark-Claudon label. Notably, we hold twenty vintages of the Clark-Claudon label in our cellar collection dating back to the inaugural vintage 1994.

Kinsella Estates is the only vineyard property Josh farms in Sonoma County with the rest of his clients being in Napa County. Josh says Kinsella vineyards receive even sunlight throughout the day and the soils are well drained to accommodate Cabernet.    

 

The Kinsella team quickly set their sights on making the best-tasting Cabernet from Dry Creek, an area better known for Zinfandel. Success came swiftly with their very first vintage, the 2008, scoring 95 points at Wine Spectator.

Kinsella Estates produces 2,000 cases annually and has no plans to expand outside of what the vineyard has to offer, as Kinsella prefers to remain a single estate production. "Buying grapes to supplement a label would be considered absurd in Burgundy or Bordeaux," he says. Instead, he wants the Kinsella story to be about a single estate. "I have no need for other varietals," Kinsella says. "No need to amp up production. I'd be very happy just to do this perfectly." 

Kinsella Estates Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley Jersey Boys Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

The premium label comes packaged in an extra heavy bottle (as heavy as I have ever seen in a standard 750ml!) forged to hold an embossed coin emblem with the Kinsella moniker and motto, "Su Una Stretta Di Mano" which is also on the rear label. 

"Su Una Stretta Di Mano" (on a handshake) is a line from the Broadway show, Jersey Boys, but expresses perfectly the enduring bond forged among us, the sun, rain and soil, our excellent winemaker, Thomas Rivers Brown, our dedicated vineyard team... and our customers, who by buying and enjoying our wine - our passion - have joined that circle of friendship.'

“Our wines let the fruit speak for itself - an expression of the terroir, the exceptional clones and the seasonal variation of sun and water in our vineyard. Kinsella Estates wines showcase beautiful expressions of the vineyard blocks from which they are made. Characteristics of the wines include expressive floral and dried herb aromas combined with bright fruit flavors and seductively smooth tannins.”

The Jersey Boys Vineyard was replanted in 2008, utilizing four clones specifically chosen by Thomas Rivers Brown. This vineyard receives even sunlight throughout the day and the soils are well draining. All of the Kinsella vineyards are irrigated solely by their water reservoir, Spencer Lake

Producer’s Notes - “The 2018 Jersey Boys Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep garnet hue as well as a smokey nose of red and black currants, toasted bread, spring flowers, spice box, and dried, cedary herbs. This bold, fruit forward Cabernet shows plenty of richness and depth on the palate, with velvety tannins and a nicely balanced mouthfeel. Rich flavors of chocolate, cloves, leather are complimented by hints of tobacco and leaves you with a fantastic finish. Enjoy this vintage of Jersey Boys after a hour long decant.”

Winemaker, Thomas Rivers Brown’s Winemaker Notes: “The 2018 Jersey Boys Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep garnet hue as well as a smokey nose of red and black currants, toasted bread, spring flowers, spice box, and dried, cedary herbs. This bold, fruit forward Cabernet shows plenty of richness and depth on the palate, with velvety tannins and a nicely balanced mouthfeel. Rich flavors of chocolate, cloves, leather are complimented by hints of tobacco and leaves you with a fantastic finish. Enjoy this vintage of Jersey Boys after a hour long decant.”

“Pure 100% cabernet Sauvignon, this vineyard continually astonishes. Loads of loamy soil notes followed by blue and black fruits give this cabernet massive depth and beautiful integrated tannins. Milk chocolate, crème de cassis and tobacco give this massive wine the depth you come to expect with Napa cabs, but it is all Sonoma County, all from our magnificent little private valley which sees sun all day! We buy no fruit; we sell no fruit.”

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, intense, bold, concentrated rich forward black fruits accented by notes of menthol, cedar, cinnamon and clove spices with hints of cassis and leather on a bright acidic finish, the ‘legs’ cling to the glass. Almost a bit obtuse, give it some time for it to settle and become a bit more approachable. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/m/wines/3874859

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3542037

https://www.kinsellawines.com/

2018 Jersey Boys Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - https://kinsella-estates.obtainwine.com/collection/wines 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/12/kinsella-dry-creek-valley-cabernet-2017.html

Clos Fontindoule Monbazillac Dessert Wine

Clos Fontindoule Monbazillac 1982

As part of the festivities of the family birthday celebration dinner, with the salad, and most notably the grilled scallops, and dessert, we had this vintage aged dessert wine. This is from son Ryan’s birthyear, that we have held for a suitable occasion such as a family gathering like today.  

This is from Monbazillac, a small village a few kilometres south of Bergerac in the Dordogne River Valley, about 120km inland, east of Bordeaux in southwest France. Monbazillac is also a designated wine growing AOC or appellation for sweet wines made in an area in the wider region of Bergerac, in southwestern France.

Monbazzillac is home to France's original sweet white wine appellation, The Monbazillac subregion in the Guyenne wine region in southwest France extends over almost 3,600 hectares. Nearly ninety different producers  produce a portfolio of over eight hundred wines from the area. 

Not as famous nor as expensive as their neighbors from Sauternes, fifty miles to the west, the appellation in Bordeaux known for sweet dessert wines, Monbazillac wines are still some of the more widely known French sweet white wines. They are produced from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes affected by botrytis.

The vineyard area lies on the southern bank of the Dordogne river as it flows toward Bordeaux surrounding the town, defined to the south by the Gardonette river, a tributary of the Dordogne. The land between these two rivers rises from the Dordogne valley before sloping southward to the Gardonette. The best wines tend to come from the northern slopes in the valley.

The maritime climate is well suited to the development of sweet wines. Oceanic influences are funneled in along the river valley and the confluence of the rivers makes for high levels of humidity, usually in the form of mist or dew. This humidity burns off in the warm afternoons during the growing season, increasing the chances of the development of noble rot or botrytis, which results in the high sugar content in the grapes for making the sweet wines.

There are three distinct soil types in the area, most based on the limestone that is common in this part of France. Deep clay soils cover the ground at the bottom of the slopes, with thinner, washed-out soils mid-slope. Along the ridges, molasse soils are more often found, providing a well-drained environment with sufficient water storage for the vines to produce high-quality grapes.

Monbazillac's vineyards can be traced back to Benedictine monasteries in the 11th Century. The monks initially discarded the vines when finding them affected by noble rot, but not wanting to waste the harvest, they went ahead and made the wine, discovering that the rot had only improved the flavor.

Monbazillac received its AOC status in 1936, however, appellation rules surrounding grape yields and alcohol levels are not as stringent as those of Sauternes.

Only grapes that have reached their peak ripeness are selected by the grape-pickers who make several passes through the vineyard to pick the grapes ready for picking. There may be several different harvest passes on each row of vines. 

According to one blogger, Monbazillac Clos Fontindoule “is a  property formerly owned by monsieur Cros which had a vine density between 10 and 20000 vines ... nobody knew exactly as it was not exactly ranked aligned...) which could easily rival Yquem in my eyes ....”

Doing a Google wine search of this label, I find one of my tasting notes going back to 2010, prior to using CellarTracker wine app for such things. I took a bottle of this label to fellow Pour Boy wine buddy Bill and Beth C’s son Will’s wedding celebration for a birthyear vintage tribute. We drank it at reception at the Indian Hills CC in Kansas City. 

My notes as published from that tasting -

“Clos Fontindoule Dordogne Monbazillac 1982 - RM89 - Dark golden color of weak tea - smoke and tea tones predominate on the subdued fruit flavors of apricot, peach and lychie.’

“Tasted with Linda, Bill and Beth C, Rusty and Ann J. at Kate & Will's gala reception at Indian Hills CC - KC.”

Tonight, fifteen years later, at 43 years, this wine was remarkably vibrant, still holding its own. The label, foil, and most importantly the fill level and cork were still in pristine condition, taking into account their age. The cork was tight and intact and was extracted using an ‘Ahso’ two pronged cork puller.

The color had turned tea colored, which while darkened from aging, wasn’t as dark as I might expect for this age.

Tea colored, full bodied, thick unctuous sweet mango, apricot and lychee nectar fruit flavors punctuated by notes of honey, hint of espresso, some smoke and roasted nuts.

RM 89 points.

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=197675 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?197675

My photo of that bottle of this label from that posting. At that time, it was more golden straw colored. 

Calera Mt Hollister Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

Calera Mt Hollister Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011 

We cleaned out the cheese drawer …. (Yes we have a whole drawer in the fridge devoted to cheese), and I pulled from the cellar a nice easy sipping wine to complement a selection of cheeses, biscuits and home-made cookies. 

We don’t do a lot of Pinot but this is one of our favorite producers with a storied history. 

Here are excerpts of earlier posts on this producer and this label of similar situations. 

Back in 2023, I wrote:

Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 

Following our selection of Pinot Noirs tasted over the last week and a half, we continued the hit parade with another Pinot from another favorite producer and label from our cellar collection.

As featured in these pages, we had the Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir at the Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, in Destin FL, then the Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir at Firefly Grill Effingham, IL, then the Belle Glos RRV Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir upon our return home. 

So, tonight I was eager to try another Pinot from our cellar collection to continue the comparison tastings of select Pinot Noirs. As I wrote in the earlier posts, in the midst of summer, its was a nice departure from the big bold hearty Syrah's/Shiraz's we enjoy, and the robust Bordeaux varietals to the finer, more refined, less bold and burdensome Pinot Noirs. Each of these tastings were delightful and frankly, exceeded our expectations for a ideal accompaniment to our various entrees. 

 For casual sipping and pairing with food, we started with a cheese plate with assorted crackers, fresh berries, honey and chocolate. 

Linda then prepared an imaginative cheese bread baked with fresh berry compote and fresh blueberries. The combination with the paired Pinot Noir was spectacular for an extraordinary, fabulous food and wine tasting experience.

I write often in the pages about the importance of pairing the food and wine, and how it can often multiply the enjoyment of both when done properly. 

Calera Mt. Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir

With a single designated Vineyard bearing the name of our eldest son, we typically reserve this wine for a family gathering or tasting when he is with us. But, tonight's tasting was special considering the odyssey we've been on the last two weeks, with the multitude of wine and food pairings. And this is a special signature wine we collect in light it being our son's namesake vineyard. 

I love telling the story about the discovery of this producer and wine. I have written that I initially learned about Josh Jenson and his legendary Calera Vineyards were featured in Marc Devillier's wonderful 1994 book - The Heartbreak Grape,  A California Winemakers Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir by Marc de Villiers, 1994, Harper Collins.

As featured in earlier posts in these pages:

The Calera story was chronicled in the book, "The Heart Break Grape" back in the early nineties, about the challenges and turmoils of growing the finicky grape varietal Pinot Noir. 

Producer Josh Jensen pioneered growing Pinot in the 'new world' starting with his search of the perfect place to grow his grapes. During college he took time off to work in the cellars in the great domaines of Burgundy and then came back to his home state California to apply what he had learned. At the time, prevailing view was that Pinot Noir could not be grown successfully in California. He set out to prove that notion wrong.

"The Heartbreak Grape: A California Winemaker's Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir" tells the tale of Josh's quest to grow the very finnicky Pinot Noir grape in California in the early days before Pinot was cultivated here. In pursuit of his dream to create authentic Burgundian style wines, he sought to find the place in California suitable to achieve that goal. 

Devillers tells of Jenson's quest and research to find the right terrior - all the attributes of the right location, soil, climate, drainage, and other nuances of 'place' that make up the character and personality of a wine from grapes of a particular site. Josh chose Mt. Harlan, an area not then know for grapes or winemaking. 

The rest, as they say, is history. While it is a human interest tale, it also provides a rich insight into the challenges and travails of setting up a winery, and a business, and achieving one's dream to make noteworthy wines. 

He returned from France in 1971 and spent two years searching throughout California to find suitable limestone soils. He settled on the site of an old magnificently preserved 30 foot tall masonry limekiln in the Gavilan Mountains of Central California, purchasing the site in 1974, a high-elevation parcel with a limestone deposit of several million tons. Limestone had been commercially quarried there on the Jensen Mt. Harlan property a hundred years earlier. 

The Calera organically farmed Mt. Harlan vineyards are in the Gavilan Mountains, 25 miles east of Monterey Bay. The Ryan Vineyard, like Calera's others, has limestone soils, which are prized above any other soil type for growing Pinot Noir. Combined with the vineyard's average elevation of 2,200 feet--among the highest and coolest in California--the result is structured, intense Pinot.

To this day, the kiln on the site is the centerpiece of Calera branding, featured prominently on the lables, the name “Calera” being the Spanish world for “limekiln,”

Mt Harlan is near the town of Hollister, about ninety miles south of San Fransisco, twenty five miles inland from Monterey Bay on the Pacific Coast. Mt Harlan gained the distinction of its own AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1990, in response to the petition to the Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau by Josh Jensen and the Calera Wine Company, the only commercial winery in the appellation. The appellation, the legally defined and protected geographical boundaries, also stipulates what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors that apply before the appellation name may legally appear on a wine bottle label. The Mt Harlan AVA is 7700 acres of which just 100 are planted in vines. 

Josh planted his first 24 acres of pinot noir in 1975 in three separate parcels. In the Burgundian tradition, he named each parcel individually to recognize the terroir of each, that each would produce a distinct wine. 

Calera Pinot Noirs are single vineyard designated meaning they are each named for and produced from fruit sourced from one vineyard each. Their five vineyards planted in Pinot Noir are named for Josh's father (Jenson), Mills, a neighbor who mentored Josh in his early years, Reed, for one of Josh's dear friends and early investors, and in this case Selleck, for a family friend whom Josh attributes to introducing him to wine.

The original vineyard designations remain to this day, the Selleck Vineyard (5 acres), Reed Vineyard (5 acres), and Jensen Vineyard (14 acres). These vineyards produced their initial tiny crop in 1978.The Ryan Vineyards, named after Jim Ryan, longtime vineyard manager were added later.  (Upper - 9.4 acres and Lower – 3.7 acres)

 Josh made Calera's first wine in 1975, 1000 cases of zinfandel, produced from purchased grapes. During his first two years as a winemaker, he made the Calera wines in a rented space in a larger nearby winery.   

Josh purchased property to build the winery in 1977, a 100 acre site on Cienega Road halfway between the vineyard and the town of Hollister. Located 1000 feet lower in elevation than the vineyard, this property had the benefits of development improvements such as a paved road,  telephone and electrical service (services which still to this day are unavailable on Mt. Harlan).

Three decades later, Calera have earned the distinction of the pioneer of American Pinot Noir. The legendary wine critic Robert Parker  has stated that: "Calera is one of the most compelling Pinot Noir specialists of not only the New World, but of Planet Earth."   

We first discovered Calera in the eighties, exploring wines from those earliest vintages. Decades later, we enjoy collecting Calera wines from the Ryan and Reed vineyards, as somewhat namesake signature wines for Son Ryan and his Reid. 

The Calera vineyards are enumerated and featured on the rear bottle label of the bottles as shown here. They are perhaps the most comprehensive and informative labels one will find anywhere on a bottle of wine. They spell out the information on the vineyard, geography, altitude, plantings, vines, the vintage and the bottling. The rear label itself makes for interesting reading, and insightful comparisons across the vineyards or vintages if one happens to have such bottles.

The Calera branding features the historic massive 30 foot tall limestone kiln that sits on the property from earlier days quarrying and processing limestone. Noting limestone in the soils of the legendary French Burgundy region, Jenson scoured the US seeking similar terroir to site his vineyards to produce Pinot Noir. He found such terroir and thoughtfully chose the property in the Central Coast region of California. The name Calera translates to 'limekiln' in in Spanish.

Diamond Mtn Napa Cab Duo for birthday celebration gathering

 Napa Cabernet Diamond Mtn Duo and aged Birthyear vintage for birthday celebration gathering

Son Sean and D-in-law Michelle hosted a gala family and friends gathering for grand-daughter Lavender’s third birthday. 

As we typically do when we get together for such occasions, Son Ryan and I coordinated our wine selections for a comparison tasting. Ryan took from his cellar a Diamond Mtn Napa Valley Cabernet, so, I took one from the same appellation for a comparison tasting. 

The kids were entertained with a bounce house, mini soccer nets and bags. 

Having just returned from DisneyLand, the young grand-daughters were enchanted by the princesses there and hence were delighted to be visited by Princess Cinderella for the occasion.   

Meanwhile, we enjoyed a comparison tasting of two wines from the Napa Valley Diamond Mountain appellation. While I can’t determine one way or the other, I am intrigued by the possibility that these two wines might be sourced from not only the same appellation, but perhaps the same vineyard, or nearby vineyards. 

Cliff Lede Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

This is one of Ryan’s favorite labels from the broad Cliff Lede portfolio of wines in his collection.  We have fun with this appellation since it shares the name wife/daughter-in-law Michelle, nee Diamond. 

Located at the north end of the Mayacamas Mountain range that borders the western edge forming Napa Valley, below the Napa/Sonoma border on the ridge, above the town of Calistoga, just north of St Helena, Diamond Mountain is one of the highest elevation AVAs in Napa. 

The unique terroir of the appellation is ideally suited for Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon with volcanic soils, extremely high-drainage that stresses the vines, forcing them deep into the earth in search of water. The elevation makes for increased sun exposure to allow Cabernet to ripen to full maturity, yielding the kind of intensely concentrated, thick-skinned clusters that make wines with power and longevity. 

Commenting on the vineyard source for this label, Winemaker Christopher Tynan wrote: "Our Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is from an exceptional, low-yielding vineyard with volcanic ash soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation, nestled into the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley. The sun-drenched mountain vineyard has northeastern exposure and late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. Planted and farmed by David Abreu Vineyard Management, this extraordinary site of old vines planted on a steep incline with a historic Napa field selection produces an age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, intense structure, minerality and perfume.”

“A deep garnet-black in color, this distinctly pedigreed Cabernet offers a lovely array of brooding dark fruit flavors and scents. Fresh aromas of black currant, crushed blackberries, and warm plum soar with savory layers of Chinese hoisin, black olive tapenade, and dried tobacco. The long opulent palate tastes of liquefied minerals and possesses a voluptuous raspberry liqueur-like texture. With proper time in the decanter, distinctly complex Diamond Mountain aromas of old pine forest and cedar emerge and intertwine seamlessly with the luxurious flavors."

Initially tannic and closed in youth, over a decade in bottle has allowed this single vineyard Cabernet to integrate and open up, revealing layers of dark fruits and minerality and earthy complexity. 

Knowing Ryan was bringing this single vineyard designated label, I pulled from our cellar a limited production vintage release from the same appellation. 

I am intrigued by the possibility that these wines may have sourced from the same site, or locations in close proximity. They had very similar tasting characteristics and profiles, despite the fact they were a dozen years apart. 

Marco Di Giulio "Mark K Vineyard" Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

To compare in a side by side tasting, just like an earlier tasting last year which I featured in a blogpost, excerpted here, I brought this rare limited release Diamond Mountain vineyard private label from winemaker Marco Di Giulio. We hold a half dozen different labels of Marco Di Giulio releases from legendary vineyard sources, Mt Veeder Pym Rae, Progeny and this Diamond Mountain Mark K, all between 2001 and 2004 vintages, this 2002 being the oldest of this label. 

For a period of releases, Marco Di Giulio developed unique hand-crafted wines minimalist style wines available under the winemakers' label and branding in limited quantities. They could be found in the boutique and specialist wine shops in Napa Valley or in the 'after market' via wine auctions. They were classic vineyard expressions of terrior, that unique expression of each vineyard's distinctive character, produced in very small quantities of 200 to 300 cases. His approach to winemaking was minimalist, letting the vineyard and each vintage speak for itself. As he says, he wants to “taste” each vineyard.

Marco produced his wines at Bin to Bottle, a high quality custom crush facility for a number of small Napa Vintners in South Napa where he is a partner. 

As he wrote on his Marcowines website, Marco was born and raised in San Francisco, California, shortly after his parents had emigrated from Tuscany and become successful Bay Area restaurateurs. Along with wonderful Italian meals, wine was an everyday part of their North Beach household life. As a result, Marco inherited his family's appreciation for great wine and food.

Marco developed an in-depth knowledge of winemaking and viticulture through education and experience in the industry. He graduated with a degree in Fermentation Science from the University of California at Davis in 1985.

After two years at Buena Vista Winery, Marco worked as cellar master at Pine Ridge Winery for more than four years. His next stint was as the production manager for Atlas Peak Vineyards, followed by his 1994 appointment as winemaker for Pezzi King Vineyards. Just before the 1995 harvest, he became the winemaker at Pepi Winery in Oakville. 

While making Pepi Wines, he also took charge of the Lokoya brand after the death of celebrated winemaker and mentor Greg Upton. It was at Lokoya that Marco's reputation for making world class Cabernet Sauvignon was first established.

Marco release his own label wines between 2001 and 2004. Today, Marco serves as consulting winemaker to many top labels and devotes attention to his personal projects:  Vintage Wine Estates, Bin to Bottle, Lookout Ridge and Marco DiGiulio Wines where he strives to produce wines that reflect the rugged landscapes of the vineyard sources.   

Marco Di Giulio "Mark K Vineyard" Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Marco Di Giulio obtained the fruit for this label from Norm Kiken Cabernet Sauvignon from his Diamond Mountain Mark K Vineyard. Marco began working with the Kiken vineyards when he was the winemaker for Lokoya. Norm Kiken became renowned for his Reverie wines and collaborated with Diguilio in sharing a few tons of Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Mr. Kiken (pronounced KICK-en) bought 40 acres on Diamond Mountain ioutside Calistoga, for $1.4 million and built himself a home and a winery, called Reverie. 

The Reverie vineyards and winery were located in a unique valley on Diamond Mountain in Napa Valley, once known as the Bonsell Property that became now divided between the iconicDiamond Creek Winery, and the former Von Strasser Winery and Reverie.

Reverie Winery specialized in producing ultra premium Bordeaux varietal blends that reflect the uniqueness of its terroir. The vineyard was principally planted in 1989 to Cabernet Sauvignon

(2 clones on 14 acres); Cabernet Franc (6 acres); Merlot (2 clones on 6 acres) and small amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec, Barbera, Tempranillo, Grenache and Roussanne. 

For this wine, grapes were sourced from the Reverie Vineyard next to Diamond Creek and the former Von Strasser higher up on Diamond Mountain just south of Calistoga in Napa Valley. 

The 2001 vintage was a classic example of what Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon appellation has to offer.  The aromas that jump out of the glass are pure Diamond Mountain District with loads of cherry cough drop and black cherry fruit.  The oak adds layers of spice and a warm vanilla character. 

Giulio wrote of this release, "On the palate, the wine exhibits exceptional balance and nuanced character while still being big enough to handle anything you put it up against.  As in the nose, black cherry is the predominant fruit.  The mouthfeel is silky smooth and rich and the finish seems to go on forever.  Layers of brown spices and red fruits show themselves as the wine opens up in the glass."

On release, Di Giulio wrote of this wine, my sense is that with proper cellaring, this wine could easily continue to improve for another 8 to 12 years.

It took ninety minutes to open and reveal its true character. This was similar profile to the Lede but not as dark, rich or concentrated. There was still life left in this twenty year old, showing no signs of diminution from age.

Garnet colored, medium full bodied, black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of cassis, black tea and hints of clove spice, oak and vanilla bean with smooth polished tannins on a lingering nicely balanced acidic finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=302285

http://www.marcowine.com/Marcowine/Marcowine.html 

I featured Marco Digulio wines in more detail in earlier blogposts in these pages - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/06/marco-di-guilio-pym-rae-vineyard-mt.html.

Here are some other blogposts of this Marco DiGuilio label release -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/04/marco-diguilio-diamond-mtn-cabernet.html, 
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/12/close-out-2020-with-diamond-mtn.html.

To commemorate the family occasion and gathering, I also brought from our cellar an aged Napa Cabernet from Sean’s birth year vintage. 

Spring Mountain Vineyards Spring Mountain District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

Over the years I collected birth year vintage releases for each of our kids, and then most recently, for our grandkids. The kids’ birth year wines are past their prime drinking windows and need to be consumed as they’re at risk of being beyond approachable drinking. At these late stages, presenting these vintage releases and trying them is a novelty and serendipitous. We nearing the end of these vintage selections. 

My CellarTracker records indicate I acquired two bottles of this release from Auction at WineBid back in 2009. 

At nearly forty years, it’s remarkable that this wine still had any life left and was approachable for tasting. The label, foil, and most importantly and relevant, the fill level and cork were still in ideal condition, a testament to the conditions in our cellar for aging appropriate wines. 

Remarkably, the producer still shows this wine in their library collection available for purchase by wine club members. 

Their notes on this label vintage release. “This long lived Cabernet Sauvignon exudes aromas of leather, maple syrup, cherry compote, dried cranberries, smoke and forest floor. The wine presents a soft approach with a solid mouth feel. The flavors on the palate mirror its aromas of dried cranberry, cherry, plum, smoke, leather and mineral.”

This wine was 100%  Caberent Sauvignon, Estate Grown & Bottled at the property high up Spring Mountain District in Napa Valley. It was aged 22 months in new French oak.

Winemaker’s Comments - “1985 was a long, warm growing season and the wines from this vintage show ripe aromas and flavors. This wine is no exception. There are sweet ripe plum aromas with loads of spice and layers of dry flowers, caramel and cocoa. The entry is full and polished, the flavors echoing the aromatic promise of dried fruits, spices and vanilla. A bit like a rum-raisin cake in a glass. The acid keeps the wine alive, though I would recommend drinking this wine in the near future and keep in mind the possibility of bottle variation with a wine of this maturity. The cork was easily extracted and in excellent shape. This is a mature Napa Valley Cabernet and will benefit from a bit of aeration.”

Additional Notes - “The grapes for this long-lived Cabernet came primarily from the Wild Horse Estate vineyard in Oakville. A small percentage of fruit came from the young Miravalle vineyard which surrounds the Villa Miravalle that is showcased on the label. The 1985 vintage had a stellar growing season that produced ripe, rich and fleshy wines with superb balance. Bud break came early and the dry, cool weather resulted in a long harvest wth even ripening - ideal weather conditions for a great vintage.”

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, the plum fruit flavors still holding on were giving way to notes of black tea, leather, earth and the remains of accents of spice, tobacco with moderate tannins. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?1213034

https://www.springmountainvineyard.com/wines

Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir

Calera Mount Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir with Cheese, Berries and Chocolates

Following our selection of Pinot Noirs tasted over the last week and a half, we continued the hit parade with another Pinot from another favorite producer and label from our cellar collection.

As featured in these pages, we had the Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir at the Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, in Destin FL, then the Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir at Firefly Grill Effingham, IL, then the Belle Glos RRV Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir upon our return home. 

So, tonight I was eager to try another Pinot from our cellar collection to continue the comparison tastings of select Pinot Noirs. As I wrote in the earlier posts, in the midst of summer, its was a nice departure from the big bold hearty Syrah's/Shiraz's we enjoy, and the robust Bordeaux varietals to the finer, more refined, less bold and burdensome Pinot Noirs. Each of these tastings were delightful and frankly, exceeded our expectations for a ideal accompaniment to our various entrees. 

 For casual sipping and pairing with food, we started with a cheese plate with assorted crackers, fresh berries, honey and chocolate. 

Linda then prepared an imaginative cheese bread baked with fresh berry compote and fresh blueberries. The combination with the paired Pinot Noir was spectacular for an extraordinary, fabulous food and wine tasting experience.

I write often in the pages about the importance of pairing the food and wine, and how it can often multiply the enjoyment of both when done properly. 

Calera Mt. Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013

With a single designated Vineyard bearing the name of our eldest son, we typically reserve this wine for a family gathering or tasting when he is with us. But, tonight's tasting was special considering the odyssey we've been on the last two weeks, with the multitude of wine and food pairings. And this is a special signature wine we collect in light it being our son's namesake vineyard.

I love telling the story about the discovery of this producer and wine. 

As featured in earlier posts in these pages:

The Calera story was chronicled in the book, "The Heart Break Grape" back in the early nineties, about the challenges and turmoils of growing the finicky grape varietal Pinot Noir. Producer Josh Jensen pioneered growing Pinot in the 'new world' starting with his search of the perfect place to grow his grapes. During college he took time off to work in the cellars in the great domaines of Burgundy and then came back to his home state California to apply what he had learned. At the time, prevailing view was that Pinot Noir could not be grown successfully in California. He set out to prove that notion wrong.

He started with the search for the perfect place starting with limestone soil, and other elements of terroir to produce wines in the style of the greatest Pinots, the Burgundy wines of France. Josh Jensen's winemaker mentors in Burgundy emphasized the importance of limestone-rich soils, as present in the Côtes d’Or, to make great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay based wines. 

He returned from France in 1971 and spent two years searching throughout California to find suitable limestone soils. He settled on the site of an old magnificently preserved 30 foot tall masonry limekiln in the Gavilan Mountains of Central California, purchasing the site in 1974, a high-elevation parcel with a limestone deposit of several million tons. Limestone had been commercially quarried there on the Jensen Mt. Harlan property a hundred years earlier. 

To this day, the kiln on the site is the centerpiece of Calera branding, featured prominently on the lables, the name “Calera” being the Spanish world for “limekiln,”

Mt Harlan is near the town of Hollister, about ninety miles south of San Fransisco, twenty five miles inland from Monterey Bay on the Pacific Coast. Mt Harlan gained the distinction of its own AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1990, in response to the petition to the Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau by Josh Jensen and the Calera Wine Company, the only commercial winery in the appellation. The appellation, the legally defined and protected geographical boundaries, also stipulates what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors that apply before the appellation name may legally appear on a wine bottle label. The Mt Harlan AVA is 7700 acres of which just 100 are planted in vines.

Josh planted his first 24 acres of pinot noir in 1975 in three separate parcels. In the Burgundian tradition, he named each parcel individually to recognize the terroir of each, that each would produce a distinct wine. The original vineyard designations remain to this day, the Selleck Vineyard (5 acres), Reed Vineyard (5 acres), and Jensen Vineyard (14 acres). These vineyards produced their initial tiny crop in 1978. The Ryan Vineyards, named after Jim Ryan, longtime vineyard manager were added later.  (Upper - 9.4 acres and Lower – 3.7 acres)

 Josh made Calera's first wine in 1975, 1000 cases of zinfandel, produced from purchased grapes. During his first two years as a winemaker, he made the Calera wines in a rented space in a larger nearby winery.  

Josh purchased property to build the winery in 1977, a 100 acre site on Cienega Road halfway between the vineyard and the town of Hollister. Located 1000 feet lower in elevation than the vineyard, this property had the benefits of development improvements such as a paved road,  telephone and electrical service (services which still to this day are unavailable on Mt. Harlan).

Three decades later, Calera have earned the distinction of the pioneer of American Pinot Noir. The legendary wine critic Robert Parker  has stated that: "Calera is one of the most compelling Pinot Noir specialists of not only the New World, but of Planet Earth."  

We first discovered Calera in the eighties, exploring wines from those earliest vintages. Decades later, we enjoy collecting Calera wines from the Ryan and Reed vineyards, as somewhat namesake signature wines for Son Ryan and his Reid. 

The Calera vineyards are enumerated and featured on the rear bottle label of the bottles as shown here. They are perhaps the most comprehensive and informative labels one will find anywhere on a bottle of wine. They spell out the information on the vineyard, geography, altitude, plantings, vines, the vintage and the bottling. The rear label itself makes for interesting reading, and insightful comparisons across the vineyards or vintages if one happens to have such bottles.

The Calera branding features the historic massive 30 foot tall limestone kiln that sits on the property from earlier days quarrying and processing limestone. Noting limestone in the soils of the legendary French Burgundy region, Jenson scoured the US seeking similar terroir to site his vineyards to produce Pinot Noir. He found such terroir and thoughtfully chose the property in the Central Coast region of California. The name Calera translates to 'limekiln' in in Spanish.

 So it was that we pick up releases of Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir whenever we can, and selected one for our intimate tasting this evening. 

This may be the best release of this label I have tasted, being by far the most vibrant and expressive forward fruits I can remember.

This is not a wimpy wine but powerful, yet smooth and polished, a symphony of concentrated dark berry fruit flavors with layers of black raspberry, black cherry, hints of cranberry, graphite and tones of tobacco leaf, spices of thyme, bay leaf and floral violets with a long lingering tightly wound fine grained tannins on the finish.

RM 92 points

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous both gave this 95 points Vinous; Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points and a Cellar Selection

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2041534

http://www.calerawine.com/

The Heartbreak Grape,  A California Winemakers Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir by Marc de Villiers, 1994, Harper Collins

Calera’s Mt. Harlan Vineyards are located in the Gavilan Mountains 25 miles east of the Monterey Bay. The site was chosen for its limestone soils and ideal climate. At an average elevation of 2,200 feet it is among the highest and coolest vineyard sites in California. 

 

Winemaker Notes -Wafting aromas of bright strawberry and blueberry interweave with a deep, intense, earthy, enchanting palate of black cherry, sassafras and limestone minerality. This wine is big and taut and begs for bold cuisine. The generous tannins are firm yet smooth and continue into a provocative and long finish.

 

Production Notes - In 2013 we saw decreasing yields due to the second year of a drought with only 6.5 inches of rain for the entire season. Warm spring temperatures brought on an early bud break, but fortunately remained warm with no threats of frost. The summer months were fairly mild with abundant sunshine allowing us to pick the grapes with high acid and mature flavors. We picked the Ryan vineyard in three separate passes from September 4th to September 21st. Each lot was pressed 14 days after harvest, racked by gravity to French oak barrels, then aged without racking in those barrels, 30% new, for nineteen months. The lots were then combined and the resultant wine was bottled without filtration, as always.