Ladera Napa Valley Malbec 2006
Repost of earlier tasting blogpost feature of this wine and producer but another bottle and tasting experience, better this time than earlier. Entering week four of Coronavirus shut-in, we ordered in 'curb-side' carry out from Angelis' Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria.To pair with dinner, we pulled from the cellar this fourteen year old single Bordeaux varietal estate bottled Napa Valley Malbec.
Bright garnet purple colored, medium-full bodied, better than last tasting, age or bottle variation? While not as complex and structured as a Cabernet, black berry and cherry fruit flavors, were accented by a layer of spice, hints of leather and a touch of cedar on a pleasant finish.laWe discovered this wine and purchased it following our visit to the Ladera Vineyards estate and winery up on Howell Mountain during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience 2008.
We'd driven past the property, formerly the historic Chateau Woltner many times over the years on our treks up Howell Mountain.
The
fabulous historic winery building consists of production and barrel
storage below and a rustic tasting room upstairs. It is surrounded by
spectacular gardens, beds of lavender, and of course the vineyards.
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Rick & Linda at Ladera winery
on Howell Mountain |
Ladera
primarily focused on Cabernet Sauvignon of which we still hold a several
cases of four different labels across three vintages from this era. We
also acquired some of their Pinot Noir which was sourced from Sonoma
County, as well as this Malbec grown from estate fruit, of which we
still hold a half case in our cellar.
Malbec
is one of the "big five" grape varieties in Bordeaux included in the
"Cabernet family" of grapes.
It serves as one of the blending wines to
round out and add complexity to the primary varietals of Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Merlot used for its deep, dark purple
color, its fragrant aromas, ranging from black cherry to black pepper,
and its texture which is lush and juicy in the mid palette and very
soft on the finish.
Primarily a blended complement to the tannic,
brooding Cabernet Sauvignon, it produces an interesting and nice stand
alone wine, as well.
The
2006 Napa Valley Ladera Malbec is a blend of fruit from two mountain vineyards - 50% from
Howell Mountain and the other 50% from
Lone Canyon
- two unique terroirs.
The rolling hills and volcanic soils of Howell
Mountain vineyard lend to the bold dark fruit characters while the
steep slopes and gravely soils of Lone Canyon high atop Mt Veeder contribute intense
phenolic structure and complexity to the wine.
Somewhat consistent with my tasting notes way back in 2011 when we last
tasted this wine: "This wine holds true to its varietal characteristics
with its dark inky
color, rich aromatics and bold masculine structure. The wine exhibits
forward fruits flavors of black cherry and black berry with violets, red
licorice, hints of vanilla, white pepper and smoky fig.
Bright garnet purple colored, medium-full bodied, better than last tasting, age or bottle variation? While not as complex and structured as a Cabernet, black berry and cherry fruit flavors, were accented by a layer of spice, hints of leather and a touch of cedar on a pleasant finish.Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, less complex and less structured than a Cabernet this comes across a bit flabby on
opening but overcame the funkiness to reveal black berry and cherry
fruit flavors, a layer of spice, hints of leather and a touch of cedar
on a long finish.
RM 90 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/editinventory.asp?iWine=523712
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Rick with Ladera owner/producer
Anne Stotesbery |
The seeds for Ladera were planted in the early 1970s, when
Pat and Anne Stotesbery
fell in love while attending university in Northern California. Among
their many shared interests, they discovered a passion for wine, and
were soon taking wine classes together, and traveling to wine country
for tastings.
The next two decades took them to Minnesota and Montana, where they ran a
3,200-acre ranch with 750 head of cattle, during which time, their interest in wine continued to grow.
With deep agricultural roots on both sides of their family, Pat and Anne Stotesbery acquired
their first Napa Valley mountain vineyard in 1996. Their original vineyard was on Mount
Veeder, the following year
they purchased their second mountain vineyard, Lone Canyon.
In 1998, Pat and Anne made their first non-commercial vintage of 100 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon.
As a reflection of their commitment to making
mountain Cabernet Sauvignons, they selected the name
Ladera for their
winery, which means “hillside, or slope” in both Spanish and Italian.
They moved their family
to Napa Valley, and in 2000, they acquired a historic Howell Mountain
property featuring an 82-acre vineyard. For the next 16 years, this
property served as the home for Ladera.
Around 2008, their son Dan visited us while on a wine promotion trip and
we took him around to several of the local wine merchants in the area.
In 2016, following the earlier sales of the Lone Canyon and the Mount
Veeder properties, with their children grown and pursuing careers of their own, Pat and
Anne sold their land on Howell Mountain.
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Rustic Ladera tasting area in the historic
chai and barrel building back in 2006. |
https://www.laderavineyards.com/
http://mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_08/img_napa08_ladera_winery_remc.jpg
