Napa Valley Vintners In New York

Welcome Napa Valley Vintners! Yes, it’s cold and dreary in New York. It’s the kind of wet chill that gets under the skin. And you’re probably remembering just how nice it is to live in California. But you've made it through the first round of events and there’s only two days left, so things could be worse.

First, I’d like to apologize for the boorish NY rogues who elbow their ways to the front of the tables and stick their glasses under your noses as they demand, “Cabernet please!” Really, they don’t speak for all of New York’s wine lovers, especially those of us patiently waiting for our turn to sample and move on.

As you can see from my tasting card, I didn’t get to taste all of the wines at last night’s A Taste of Napa Valley with Morrell & Co. I didn’t even try. Taking a cue from wine blog guru Alder Yarrow, I went for the wines I’d never had before, and in some cases, wines that I had not even heard of. This included eschewing some major wineries, including Atalon, Cakebread, Diamond Creek, Franciscan Estate, Freemark Abbey, Grgich Hills Estate, Heitz Wine Cellars, Saintsbury, and Silver Oak Cellars.

The wine of the night for me was the Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon *** I’m no stranger to Staglin’s reputation, but I had never tasted the wine before, and quite frankly, it was superb. Their Chardonnay ** and second red wine, called Salus ** were also very good. Shari Staglin was pouring the wines, and I mentioned to her that I thought she’d been unfairly portrayed in the documentary Mondovino. I think she was a little taken aback by that. Apparently no one had mentioned the movie to her in about two years. Sorry to break the streak, but how often do I get to talk to Shari Staglin?

Lail Vineyards was pouring the Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc 2007 *** which is just such an individualistic Napa Valley white that it really needs to be tasted to be understood. I can’t decide if it’s a perfect aperitif or needs food. Either way, it leaves me eagerly awaiting the release of their premier sauvignon, Georgia. The Blueprint Cabernet Sauvignon * was less thrilling than previous vintages, but hinted at boysenberry and dark cocoa.

The big surprise of the night for me came with Larkin Wines. Sean Larkin is producing exceptional cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot (on the Jack Larkin label). His vineyard sources change every year, but the wine remains exceptional. I’m not the first to tout this producer (Rober Parker Jr. apparently beat me to it) but the 2006 Jack Larkin Merlot *** should be on the list of hot new wines from Napa.

Blackbird Vineyard’s ** wines were elegant, restrained, and complex. I’d like to see how these develop over the next decade.

Lieff Wines ** located adjacent to Auberge du Soleil, poured their 100% Cabernet Sauvignon ** and Sauvignon Blanc ** Both clearly stood out from the pack.

Clos Du Val * was pouring very good wines, too. This is a big operation and one that should be on the radar. Other wineries honorably mentioned:

Clos Pegase *
Hendry *
Kapcsandy *
Oberon **
Vineyard 7 & 8 **