Yountville Appellation

Tamber Bey Will Open Tasting Room

yountvillewines — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:40:44 +0000

Tamber Bey Vineyards is set to bring its stable of artisan wines to downtown St. Helena in October. The new tasting room, located at 1234 Adams St., will be the first single-winery tasting room in the town’s central business district. A soft opening is planned for early in the month, with a grand opening to follow.
The 1,600-square-foot tasting room will feature a wine bar for walk-in tastings, private seating for tastings by appointment and outdoor seating. (read more)

Bell Wine Cellars reports in

yountvillewines — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:35:27 +0000

Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night.

– Hal Borland, b. 1900

The middle of October is almost here and there has been progress with harvest, thankfully. Our Estate Chardonnay is all in and looks lovely. The cold, wet spring has certainly had an effect on the crop load and fruit size, but so far, so good in the very early stages of the wine. The Lake County Sauvignon blanc has completed fermentation and the aromas are intoxicating. Definitely an excellent white wine vintage. And the happy news is that we are finally gearing up to bring in our red grapes, the bulk of our business. (read more)

2010 Harvest

yountvillewines — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:33:26 +0000

Rain fell steadily this past weekend, but Monday clouds have lifted and the whole of the Napa Valley is sparkling and refreshed. Word on the street is that there is some pretty terrific stuff happening in tanks and cellars all over town.

Sumer is finally here!

yountvillewines — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:35:02 +0000

It’s been a while since the last post, for which I apologize. It’s been a cool, wet spring — the wettest, coolest spring on record in the Napa Valley apparently, but the summer sun has been shining in the Valley for the last few weeks, and we are currently enjoying the first 90 degree weekend we’ve had this year. Grape vines are in full bloom, and although some are a little red-eyed from the pollen, everyone is happy to welcome the heat. It’s perfect weather for a little bocce at Bell Wine Cellars.

Two Weeks Notice

yountvillewines — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:13:32 +0000

Saturday, May 1st we will again host Sense Yountville, a very special event featuring the wines of the appellation at special pre-release prices as well as pairings by all of our local chefs. Join us for what is sure to be a fantastic Saturday. Meet the vintners and winemakers, rub elbows with our outrageously talented culinary stars and enjoy an afternoon of food and wine showcasing what Yountville has to offer. There are still tickets available through V Wine Cellar or at www.senseyountville.com – but we’ve only got 300 and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

Frosty Mornings

yountvillewines — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:15:10 +0000

The vines are busting out all over the Valley and it’s time to dust off the blog and start filing information for the 2010 vintage. Things have been wet this spring and this morning if you had the pleasure of overnighting in the Valley you might have heard the dull roar of the wind machines. In fact you might not have gotten a wink of sleep between about 4 am and 7 am unless you are used to sleeping at the airport!

Wind machines are used extensively around the vineyards to move air, thus keeping the air temperatures hovering just above freezing. With delicate buds, leaves and shoots emerging it’s a time when frost can kill the early growth.

Sprinklers are also used to keep air temperatures up, which is why you might see them on as well, in spite of the impressive rainfall of the last several days.

Less frequently, although arguably the most visually impressive, smudge pots are also used.

There have been only a handful of frosty nights to date, and hopefully we’ll soon be out of danger and back to our peaceful mornings. But in the meantime, remember to be patient with sleep deprived vineyard managers!

Parker Props

yountvillewines — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:30:34 +0000

I don’t mean to brag (well, actually I do), but you might have noticed that a couple of new names made the recent Parker publication, and several of them were from Yountville.

We are extremely proud of all our members and the lovely wines they produce, and it’s always nice to be noticed. In addition to some very complimentary notes regarding Rocca Family, Piña Cellars and Dominus it was delightful to see Gamble Family’s 2006 Hart Block Sauvignon Blanc receive the credit it deserves and offer hearty congratulations to Lou Kapscandy and his family for scoring a perfect 100 points for their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin.

All these wines would make terrific Valentine’s Day gifts, come to think of it!

February

yountvillewines — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:37:34 +0000

It’s February, and the Napa Valley is receiving some much needed rain. Pruning season is upon us, and cellars are busy with bottling. Everyone is also gearing up for the influx of Trade guests who tend to travel to our neck of the woods in February for the annual Premiere Napa Valley event. This ultra-exclusive trade tasting features a barrel auction of select wine futures — lots created specifically for the event and offered nowhere else in the world.

You can learn more about Premiere Napa Valley at www.napavintners.com.

Gamble Family Takes Tops for 09 SB

yountvillewines — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:47:47 +0000

Congratulations to Gamble Family Vineyards for their Top 100 Wines achievement. The San Francisco Chronicle just posted their 2009 top 100 list, and this lively Sauvignon Blanc made the cut. You can get it right now from the winery in Magnum for just $50 (see previous post)!

Also noted: Dominus’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, and a nod to Tor Family wines who’s Cimarossa Vineyard selection also made the grade (although it’s from Howell Mountain).

Live Large: Holiday Magnums from Yountville

yountvillewines — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:28:52 +0000

The holidays are a great time to pop corks on large format bottles – but because very few are produced they can often be hard to find. We’ve assembled a list of what’s currently available from Yountville producers — while supplies last. You can find these wines on the links provided.

Chanticleer has 15 magnums of their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon priced at $165 (plus shipping)

Gamble Family Vineyards is offering their beautiful Sauvignon Blanc for a mere $50 in magnum.

Several 2006 Gemstone “Ten” Estate Cabernet Sauvignon magnums are being offered. Order direct via email: elizabeth@gemstonevineyard.com. $360 per bottle (also available through V Wine Cellar in Yountville).

Goosecross has four Magnums available right now:
2008 Chardonnay 1.5L Mags - 150 bottles produced, $92 retail
Our Chardonnay is grown in the Carneros region. Geoff cold fermented half of the wine, and barrel fermented and aged the other half sur lie to create our food-friendly Chardonnay.

2006 Petit Verdot 1.5L Mags – 60 bottles produced, $195 retail
Our first Petit Verdot produced from Goosecross, and the first wine release showing our newly designed Goosecross label. The grapes are from our property here in Yountville, single vineyard designation in Yountville Appellation.

2007 Napa Cabernet 1.5L Mags – 210 bottles produced, $136 retail
This is considered an outstanding vintage characterized by small, intensely flavored berries, full flavor maturity without high sugars, and a crop that was somewhat smaller than normal. The grapes are from our property here in Yountville, single vineyard designation in Yountville Appellation.

2006 Aeros Meritage 1.5L Mags – 12 bottles produced, $460 retail
A remarkably opulent, complex blend. The long, mild growing season presented nearly textbook harvest conditions, setting the stage for excellence. Our Winemaker carefully selected our finest lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec to create this Meritage of extraordinary beauty and intensity.

Grgich has a very small amount of hand-etched 3L of their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville Selection. Produced from 50 year old vines, this wine is only available through the winery. It’s $308 and you can get it by emailing a request to pam@grgich.com.

Lail Vineyards offers their 2006 J Daniel Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon (95pts Parker) for $275 on their website. Join the list and enjoy access to this special large format — but once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Pina Napa Valley is a small family producer better known for managing many of Napa Valley’s best vineyards. This season a handful of magnums from their Wolff vineyard in Yountville — Cabernet Sauvignon — will be available through the winery for $213.

Tamber Bey offers all of their current release wines in Magnum, including:
2007 Deux Chevaux Vineyard Chardonnay $105.
2007 Deux Chevaux Vineyard Rabicano (Bordeaux Blend) $125.
2007 Deux Chevaux Vineyard Merlot $105.
2006 Tamber Bey Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. $158.

There you go! Happy Holidays from the Yountville Appellation.