Neal – 103
Thursday, June 23rd, 2005
Neal Vineyards and Winery is another neighbor on Howell Mountain. In fact, if you could drive through our vineyard manager’s house, you would drive right into the back of Neal’s vineyards. Mark Neal has been in the agriculture business since he was a little boy, as it was actually his father, Jack Neal, who started Jack Neal and Sons as a vineyard management company back in 1968. He now farms to organic standards, while working towards certification.
It is somewhat surprising that it took Mark Neal so many years to have the wine-making bug to bite him. With Gove Celio as his winemaker, Mark completed construction on his state-of-the-art facility in 2001. While they were making wine as early as 1998, the facility is just now becoming finalized with the installation of a bottling unit.
Being in the agriculture business, I was not surprised at the beauty of the landscaping and the architecture. A tour of Neal includes a walk in the caves and the surrounding facilities. Take note of the hand-wrought door handles, chandelier, and bar step. Indeed, this is a facility that has a reputation for quality and even before you taste the wine, you know it to be true.
I know there is a huge demand for many of Neal’s vineyard specific wines as he not only produces a Howell Mountain Cabernet, but those on his mailing list are first in line for Cabernets from Chafen, Wykoff, and Second Chance vineyards. On the day of my visit, all I was able to taste was the 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet, a blend of nine different vineyards. It was exceptionally purple in color with dark cherry, black fruit liqueur, and anise notes. Smooth, easy, and complex, the dark fruit showed even, layered flavors in the mid-palate with a rich, menthol finish that demonstrated longevity. $45.00 While not tasted, I purchased a Rutherford Zinfandel for future tasting.
Neal Family Vineyards ~ 716 Liparita Road ~ Angwin ~ CA ~ 94508 ~ 707-965-2888