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September 30, 2009
SF Gate article on Dick Grace
"We have to get over what I call the trophy mentality"
-Dick Grace
Our neighbor, Dick Grace, created what could justifiably be dubbed the first Napa Cult wine back in the in the mid-80's. His wines at the time were some of the most expensive and still are. Release price is $225. BUT, Dick Grace, is not your average high-society, new money, big party throwing winegrower. His profits, after what he admits supports a very comfortable lifestyle, go toward supporting charities world wide.
Read more: SF Gate (the San Francisco Chronicle) article
When you spend a lot of time and money on a passion like wine collecting, there can be the tendency to get that trophy mentality. We strive for the next big wine prize. It certainly happens to us winegrowers. We strive for recognition from our customers, peers, and the press. Times are tough and we're all watching what we're spending. Charitable organizations are having a heck of a time with most facing reduced giving and funding. If it comes down this year between supporting a charity and buying our wines, give to the charity.
Posted by matchvineyards at September 30, 2009 07:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 26, 2009
Comparing vintages of our Butterdragon Hill Cabernet
A fellow member of Vinocellar.com asked me recently if I've ever posted a vertical tasting note on our Butterdragon Hill wines. I haven't. In fact, the only time I write a tasting note on a Match wine -- or even think about it in that way -- is for the particular wine's release letter. Still, I am constantly trying our wines and, when hosting folks for tasting, usually get a chance to try a vertical. I make mental notes about how a wine is developing, what would be the optimum decant time, drinking windows, etc. I also make a mental note that I should post such thoughts either here on the blog or, probably even better, on a web page on the site. That mental note seems to always get filed away and never done.
Anyway, here are some current thoughts on the Butterdragon Hill vintages:
2002 - the first vintage, the highest score from Wine Spectator, very popular, currently my least favorite. While the fruit is delicious, big, round, and sweet, I always thought this wine was a bit too heavy and stylistically simple. Not really where I wanted to be but a full throttle Napa Cab for those looking for it.
2003 - currently drinking the best (I'm hearing this from a bunch of folks as well) and ironically, on release it was definitely the most worrisome and the least popular. It seemed a bit thin while barrel aging and on initial release but continued gaining heft to where now it is an awesome wine. I think one of the biggest initial stumbling blocks for us business-wise was that the 03 (from a cooler vintage) followed the 02 in a different style. I know this caused some confusion as distributors and brokers tried to follow up the 2002 with the 2003 in placements. It also didn't help that 2003 Napa vintage was generally damned by the press. Very elegant and drinking wonderfully right now.
2004 - Fruit and flowers. This was the first vintage, in my opinion, where the vineyard really started showing its character and we could start to see the Butterdragon HIll style. It sort of combines the roundness of 2002 with the elegance of 2003. Lovely candied fruit aromas fill the glass and yet it doesn't seem to be all about candy. I love the complexity we're able to get from this cooler side of the Valley. Depending on how many you have in the cellar, it wouldn't be a crime to open one now with about an hour in the decanter though I'd say the perfect time will be in two years.
2005 - Spicier. This vintage shows much more traditional cabernet flavors... currant, green herb, tea leaves, pepper. Reminds me of old world more than new. Although it is far from ready to drink, this is one of my favorites so far. This is the wine Gary Vaynerchuk gushed over to the tune of 93+ points. My favorite way to serve this wine right now is to just open the bottle a couple of hours before serving and pour right from the bottle. It could use a few more years in the cellar too.
2006 - More like 04 but everything is a bit bigger on this wine... the fruit is more lush, complex undertones are there and will develop further, tannins are not overbearing but promise long-term ageability. Just a baby, but 3-4 years from now should be an awesome wine. Definitely needs time.
2007 - The younger the wine, the harder it is to evaluate and we just bottled the 2007 Butterdragon Hill in July. I think it is going to be incredible.
Posted by matchvineyards at September 26, 2009 12:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Random Playlist for a Saturday AM
1. Hard Habit to Break - Chicago
2. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - The Moody Blues
3. Melt My Heart to Stone - Adele
4. Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
5. Coming Home - Fleetwood Mac
6. One Irish Rover - Van Morrison
7. The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
8. I Think I Smell A Rat - White Stripes
9. Lady Madonna - Beatles
10. Bye Bye Love - Simon & Garfunkel
Feel free to share what happens when you hit "shuffle" on your iPod/MP3 player.
Posted by matchvineyards at September 26, 2009 08:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 23, 2009
9/23/09 Harvest at Baconbrook
What a great day! We started harvest at 6:45 this morning. Temperature was about 57. The crew jumped right to work and by 11 were just about done. The temperature by then might have been 70. So much for the feared and predicted heat storm. The grapes were down at Bin to Bottle for crushing by 11:30 and, as they only had one other vineyard scheduled to come in today, we didn't have to wait. Crush began and was over by 2. Sometimes everything just works according to plan.
Bins were coming in light, but the fruit looked and tasted great. Our ten full 1/2 bins weighed 4.2 tons which means we will probably end up with 225-250 cases of 2009 Baconbrook. Of course, it will be a long time until that starts reaching you. Look out for the fruit of today's labor in October 2012.
Winemaker Cary Gott
We estimate the juice will soak out to about 25.5 brix.
Additional pictures of harvest and the crush are on our Facebook Page.
Posted by matchvineyards at September 23, 2009 09:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 22, 2009
9/22 Butterdragon Hill brix readings
The "heat" wave was a none event. St Helena was in the low 90's today while they expected it to be at least 10 degrees hotter. Everything came through fine. Tomorrow we harvest Baconbrook. Below are the numbers from Tuesday at Butterdragon Hill.
| 9/22 | 9/16 | 9/8 | 8/31 | |
| CS 337 | 25.2 | 24.4 | 23.4 | na |
| CS 7 | 24.8 | 23.8 | 23.4 | na |
| CS 15 | 24.2 | 23.4 | 22.6 | na |
| ME 181 | 24 | 23.6 | 23.4 | 22.2 |
Posted by matchvineyards at September 22, 2009 10:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 21, 2009
9/19/09 Baconbrook numbers
7AM Saturday 9/19
Brix 25.1
Ph 3.52
TA 0.57
Irrigated in prep for the expected heat wave.
Posted by matchvineyards at September 21, 2009 10:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 18, 2009
9/17 Vineyard update from Baconbrook
Our winemaker, Cary Gott, just walked Baconbrook (Spring Mountain District) and reports "the vineyard and the vines are in great shape with many basel leaves browning but most bunches are firm." We are penciling in harvest for next Wednesday.
9/17
Block Var Brix
1 CS 23.8
2 CS 24.5
Posted by matchvineyards at September 18, 2009 08:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 17, 2009
9/16 Butterdragon Brix update
Brix is climbing slowly, which we like, at Butterdragon (St Helena AVA) but it is supposed to get hotter this weekend and next week. I really wouldn't be surprised if we suddenly decide to harvest next week.
Cab clone 337
9/16 - 24.4 (9/8 - 23.4)
Cab clone 7
9/16 - 23.8 (9/8 - 23.4)
Cab clone 15
9/16 - 23.4 (9/8 - 22.6)
Merlot clone 181
9/16 - 23.6 (9/8 - 23.4, 8/31 - 22.2)
Posted by matchvineyards at September 17, 2009 10:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 15, 2009
9/15/09 quick vineyard update
winemaker Cary Gott walked Butterdragon today... says the fruit is the best he's seen in the Valley this year and expects a bountiful (bigger than expected) crop... sugars will be done tomorrow. Numbers may be up but flavors aren't there yet. Baconbrook may harvest next week.
Posted by matchvineyards at September 15, 2009 04:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 08, 2009
9/8/09 Brix at Butterdragon Hill
Cabernet Sauvignon clone 337 = 23.4
CS clone 7 = 23.4
CS clone 15 = 22.6
Merlot clone 181 = 23.4 (was 22.2 on 8/31)
Posted by matchvineyards at September 08, 2009 06:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 07, 2009
We only make it for special holidays.
This morning we discovered we didn't have enough challah to make french toast for Labor Day guests. We started calling around St Helena. Sunshine Grocery? Nope and in fact we couldn't find anyone who knew what challah was. Model Bakery? Nope. Safeway? Nope, but the gal checked and found out that the Safeway bakery does make it but she explained they bake challah "only on special holidays... you know... like Christmas." LOL.
Posted by matchvineyards at September 07, 2009 10:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 06, 2009
If you're going to charge me corkage, give me good wine service!
I know we're lucky here in California, particularly in Northern California and wine country, when it comes to being able to bring wine to a restaurant. Many folks in other parts of the country can only dream of being able to legally do this. Although it's not unusual for a corkage fee to be waived, particularly if one also buys wine from the restaurant's list, typically the charge ranges from $15 per bottle to $50, usually towards the lower end of that scale. So the other night, we're at a local Oakland place that I like to support. It's near our house and the food is excellent. BUT, the wine service was terrible on this night. The waiter popped the corks on some really good bottles, brought the cheapest, smallest stemware, did not have a decanter available for our red wine, and waited too long to bring out an ice bucket for our white. [Sigh.] Corkage was $20 per bottle. I was none too pleased paying $40 basically for the waiter to use a cork screw and for them to stick a few glasses in a dishwasher. I've been there before and received excellent wine service on my brought bottles, so I will give them one more chance. Still...
If you're going to charge me corkage, give me good wine service.
- 1997 Oakford Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (9/3/2009)
Brooding and dark with moist earth, tobacco, and some sour blackberry. Unlike a few recent tasters, I think this wine has past its prime. While still showing significant tannins, I don't think the fruit balance is there for longer aging. Could perhaps have benefited from a vigorous decant which unfortunately wasn't available with mediocre BYOB wine service at a local restaurant. (86 pts.) - 1996 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/3/2009)
Deep gold color and huge nut and butterscotch nose. Butterscotch and caramel flavors predominate with honey-lemon tea undertones. This wine suffered from rather indifferent wine service at BYOB local restaurant. The requested ice-bucket never arrived. Not rated as I don't think we were able to see this bottle at its best. Still, I love Kistlers with some age!
Posted from CellarTracker
Posted by matchvineyards at September 06, 2009 12:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
2005 Karl Lawrence Aldin Red Table Wine
- 2005 Karl Lawrence Aldin Red Table Wine - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/4/2009)
The red wine from Aldin (Karl Lawrence) represents one of the best values in Napa Valley. A right-on-the-money profile of rich raspberry and currant with enticing flavors from a midsummer garden and cedar backbone. Not tannic, not overbearing, it just delivers an excellent bottle of wine and in a complex vintage like 2005 it can't be beat at the price. Note that this wine shows its best right out of the bottle and doesn't need an extended decant... it tends to turn dusty with a lot of air and after open for a while. (87 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Posted by matchvineyards at September 06, 2009 12:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 04, 2009
2007 A.P. Vin Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard
- 2007 A.P. Vin Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/4/2009)
Opened this one a bit early to get a sneak peek at AP Vin. Keefer Ranch, in my opinion, provides some of the best Pinot Noir fruit out of Sonoma and Andrew's interpretation does not disappoint. Still a bit primary, the wine exhibits lovely cherry cola fruit with a touch of green herb that I liked. Hint of sweet oak and a ceamy mouthfeel, but not heavy, with just the right balance of acidity to keep it light and promising greater things for the future of this wine. Hold for 2-3 more years. (89 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Posted by matchvineyards at September 04, 2009 11:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 03, 2009
2005 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard
- 2005 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros (9/1/2009)
I'm reminded of fresh baked biscuits with home-made (not-too-sweet) lemon marmalade with this wine. Big, rich, mouthcoating, with an extremely long finish, yet even despite its size, the wine is balanced enough to stay nimble. I liked this wine but be forewarned: it is true to its origins as a Napa Chardonnay with oak, butter, and vanilla to spare. (90 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Posted by matchvineyards at September 03, 2009 04:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Brix at Baconbrook 9/1/09
Quick Update: Block 1 is at 21 brix, block 2 is at 22.3. It has been fairly hot this week but temps are expected to drop down to normal this weekend. Fruit is looking good.
Posted by matchvineyards at September 03, 2009 04:04 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
