Ultimate California Wine Blog

I find it interesting that many visitors to the Napa Valley fail to travel much beyond the "boundary" of St. Helena. I am often contacted by first-time visitors who are looking for wineries who are "off-the-beat-and-path, have good wine, and with tasting rooms that aren’t packed like sardines." I often suggest those wineries, not only on the Silverado Trail, but also those on the trail which are north of Deer Park Road. August Briggs is such an establishment, far north on the Trail, with a Calistoga address but not quite so far up as to where the town begins.

Located on the west side of the road, the building is easily visible from the street, unassuming and considered simple, in this land of ostentatious chateaux and palaces. August Briggs’ story is a relatively simple one – local talented winemaker starts his own label. But it is a bit more than that.

There are a lot of winemakers who start their own label. Not every winemaker who starts their own label goes to the extent of acquiring the land to build a tasting room and wine-making facilities. Joe Briggs is considered a negociant winemaker – which means that he purchases grapes from various vineyards of well-repute who sell their grapes. Becoming a winery owner AND vineyard owner is a whole new level. Personally, I think there are vineyard owners who are not making very good wine – and there are winery owners buying their grapes to make fabulous wine. Joe Briggs seems to be on the path of already knowing how to make exceptional wine. Perhaps at some point he will start buying vineyards as well, but for the time being, he’s doing just fine.

2003 Napa Valley Pinot Meunier – Unusual to see this blending grape (usually used in sparkling wine), as a hundred-percent varietal. Upfront raspberry and strawberry components with a darker core of blueberry. Bright and medium-bodied, the mouthfeel was clean and upfront. Very easy to drink. $32.00

2003 Napa Valley Dijon Clones Pinot Noir – Classic aromas of dark berry and red cherry with hints of vanilla. Lighter cranberry on the mouth entry which is well-integrated, smooth, and easy. A bit of a bright tang on the end with some mineral qualities. $35.00

2003 Napa Valley Zinfandel – From 100-year old vines, the bouquet played between a dark cherry core and whiffs of smoke. Mostly spicy dark fruit in the mouth, reasonably tannins with a touch of heft and a peppery finish. $32.00

2002 Napa Valley Syrah – Surprisingly greenness on the nose — not that the fruit was unripe, but more an underpinning of green bell pepper and green olive. Inky dark purple in color, the initial taste was smooth and concentrated with an erotic earthiness that was quite erotic and pleasing. $32.00

2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — From a Spring Mountain vineyard, this dark, rich offering shows dark cocoa and integrated dusty herbs in the nose. Big bold flavors, mostly of hefty fruit and rich chocolate with a bit of sage on the finish. $48.00

August Briggs ~333 Silverado Trail ~ Calistoga ~ CA ~ 94515 ~ 707-942-4912

I spend a bit more time on wine chat lists than I probably should. Every other week or so, someone comes to the Napa valley for the first time and asks where they should go. The pundits on those sites always have their favorites and it is not unusual to see the same posters making the same recommendations over and over. But then someone will mention Dutch Henry as a little-known surprise and a chorus of  "Oh yeah, I always forget about that place — its great!" is heard.

My visit to Dutch Henry was similarly enlightening. As I meandered up the Silverado Trail and saw the sign, that light bulb went off as I recalled the accolades. Immediately after parking alongside the building complex, I admired two other customers who were wiling away their Sunday afternoon on Dutch Henry’s adjacent bocce ball court.

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Sitting in front of the tasting rooms, waiting for the next customer to arrive, was this nice chap, showing off a recent crop of squash from a nearby garden which lies on the grounds. Proud of his bounty, I was honored to have been offered what looked like an albino pumpkin. He assured me is an edible squash and not just decorative, which would best be enjoyed sliced thick and grilled. Later on that evening, I found out he was correct.

Dutch Henry’s tasting room is relatively small and feels almost cramped amongst the stacked barrels of the air-conditioned warehouse. The atmosphere is one of being part of the working facilities as only minimal displays of the merchandise exist in this part of the building. In a nearby corner, lies a sample or two of olive oil that is also made by the company. A bit north on the Trail than many tourists tend to go, but undoubtedly worth the effort.

2002 Los Carneros Chardonnay – Distinct aroma of toasted popcorn. Not the butter on popcorn, but the actual fluffy white part. Rather odd. A non-ML chard, the flavors were crisp and clean, displaying green apple and light citrus notes. $26.00

2002 Napa Valley Argos – A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 25% Merlot. Including a bit of fruit from Howell Mountain, this wine has a rich, perfumey aroma of cocoa and black licorice behind a core of dark fruit. Spice shows itself first in the mouth and then cranberry in the middle. Smooth and easy, this is a balanced wine with an engaging mouth feel. $40.00

2002 Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Another Howell Mountain offering, this was a tad more green than I expected from an ’02 Howell Mountain wine. Needing more time in the bottle, the aroma is high-pitched with red plum and fresh cherry. Hints of clove and cinnamon exist and it is obvious the wine is well-made with potential, but simply needs some aging to show its true merits. $42.00

1999 Reserve Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – This vineyard is also a hillside vineyard, just south of St. Helena on Howell Mountain, but technically not within the appellation. Having spent 32 months in French oak, there are dark herbs along with the intense fruit in the nose and a decidedly cranberry mouth entry. Dry in the mid-palate, the finish has a sage tone. $68.00

2004 Napa Valley Pinot Noir – Yes, I thought it odd that they would pour a Pinot at the end, after the Cabernets. Fruit forward nose is soft and earthy showing cherry and bright raspberry. Slightly sweet on the first taste, the bright red fruit flavors exist and expand into ripe, rich mushrooms and developed, complex spice. $42.00

Dutch Henry ~ 4310 Silverado Trail ~ Calistoga ~ CA ~ 94515 ~ 888-224-5879

I’ve had a lot of friends asking me to head to Frank Family Vineyards for some time. One reason is that I am especially drawn to historical locations. In this case, while the Frank family themselves have only been in the wine industry since the early 1990s, the location and some of the remaining buildings date back to the early 1880s.

It is the front building that has been ‘plaqued’ as an historic landmark, having once been the Larkmead Winery (which now has me on an investigative journey to go and visit the new home of Larkmead as it seems the patriarch sold this estate in the 1950s).

During my visit, the historical building in the front was closed down. I was there on a weekend so I can only assume the building is used for winemaking in some fashion, but I did not get to peer inside and who knows – maybe it is just there for storage these days… There is a smaller, house-like structure behind the stone edifice which now acts as the hospitality suite and tasting room.

The entrance to the tasting is somewhat of an anteroom that acts as the location of the cash register as well as where some bubbly is tasted first. After a bit of sparkling, you wander through a hallway of some several thousand photographs of friends and family. The second tasting room lies in the back of the house and not only contains memorabilia of Rich Frank’s former life as chairman of Walt Disney’s musical division (this means there are gold records on the wall). The grounds are lovely to walk around and some picnic tables sitting behind the back building seem inviting as they were already half full.

2000 Champagne Reserve – Yep, they call it Champagne and not "sparkling wine." Four months on French oak and five years on yeast, finished with Remi cognac (that would actually be Carneros-based RMS Alembic that went out of business several years ago and sold off barrels of their product). Very smooth and nice with flavors of apple and hazelnut. Decent combination of sweetness and yeast. $55.00

NV Rouge – 100% Pinot Noir. Light almondine garnet colored. Slightly fishy aroma with bright cranberry flavors and a metallic finish. $27.75

2004 Chardonnay – They call it liquid creme brulee in a glass. At a 100% malo having spent two months in French oak, this wine has pretty thick banana aromas with some caramel and toffee. Viscous and vanilla-flavored, the wine was still tight and possibly suffering from bottle shock. $32.50

2003 Zinfandel – From Browns Valley. They call this the Velvet Hammer. (Seems they name all their wine). At 16% alcohol, this is a pretty heady wine showing strong black plum and blackberry aromas with a back-nose of chocolate. The mouth entry was relatively soft but explodes with black licorice. Spice and chocolate present themselves before the dark plummy finish. $34.95

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon – An initial tease of green bell pepper subsided with a swirl and produced more pronounced mushroom and dark fruit. Distinct cedar taste on first taste which evolved to produce dusty cocoa and a hint of eucalyptus. The tannins were balanced and even and the core finish was meaty blackberry. $39.75

2000 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – From Rutherford. Dark, inky purple wine that seemed mostly comprised of chocolate. Huge, brawny tannins brightened to chewy cranberry flavors. Needs time. $65.00

Frank Family Vineyards ~ 1091 Larkmead Lane ~ Calistoga ~ CA ~ 94515 ~ 800-574-9463

In working through the Cartlidge & Browne debacle on various chat lists, I made the acquaintance of a very nice young man, Geoff Williams, who advised me that the folks at C&B were very nice people… Turns out that he has firsthand knowledge as a sales representative for X Winery who uses the custom crush facilities at Cartlidge & Browne.

While hanging out with Elijah and Lamar at C&B, Geoff stopped by with a few barrel samples and invited me over to the X Winery facilities. This is how I ended up with a very unlikely, but decidedly great blog entry of a winery that I am (again!) ashamed to admit I knew nothing about. Amicus Cellars and X Winery is one of those new breed of wineries who produce great wine without the trappings of fake villa or castle through which to sell. Geoff took me to just one of their storage locations which is a few buildings away from the warehouse setting of C&B’s in the industrial center of American Canyon. Between their winemaking facilities, offices, and storage, their business is somewhat scattered all over Napa valley. The difference, by the way, between the two names is that the Amicus name is used for those wines produced exclusively by Napa-grown Bordeaux grapes while the X Winery wines are kept between a $10 to $25 price point and are made from grapes coming from as far south as Paso Robles or as far north as the Lake District.

Theirs is a winery that is not open to the public for tasting and what Geoff showed me is really nothing more than one of the storage facilities for a selection of their newfangled pieces of equipment. Reed Renaudin is the CEO and winemaker and is thoroughly committed to taking winemaking innovations further in an envelope-pushing philosophy. By using these new inventive techniques, the idea is that the highest quality wine can be produced at a greater value for the consumer. One of the humorous anecdotes was that Reed worked hard to produce a quality box wine, appropriately entitled X Box. Seems a certain software company in the Pacific Northwest took exception to the name and some redesigning of the winery’s packaging ensued — but not before the entire inventory was bought out said same company.

I have had my share of winery tours, seeing the old-world charm of those wineries hearkening back a hundred years or more to utilize techniques that are believed to instill a centuries-old quality in the wine. However, Renaudin incorporates futuristic-looking gadgets which, if I had a science degree, I’m sure I could explain. This unit, for example, is used with small, Arborio rice-sized plastic pellets to remove TCA (trichloroanisole) from wine. 

This is a filtration machine almost considered the Ferraris of filtration machines. Much debate has ensued about the filtering of wine and with a unit of this caliber, it is doubtful even the great Robert Parker would be able to detect if a wine has been through the filtration process. I was terribly impressed with the quality of the wines and am pleased that their website is friendly in helping customers all over the country find the wine, plus they can be ordered directly from the website.

2004 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc – From the ES vineyard. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadet. Sweet muscat aroma of orange blossom. Tangy entry that is intensely bright with a crisp, lemony finish. $17.50

2004 Chardonnay – From Truchard vineyards. Astonishing opulent butter on the nose. Astonishing that the wine had NO ML. Mouth flavors of developed lemon meringue; that balance between a tangy lemon beginning with a heightened meringue-like creamy finish. Clean, clear, and fruit-forward. Barrel sample, but the 2003 offering is $17.50

2004 X Pinot – Barrel sample, not yet available for sale. Very enticing with exotic spice. Elegant fruit flavors with cranberry up front and integrated cardamom spice on the end. The 2003 bottling is priced at $22.50

2003 Red X – Roughly a blend of 50% Syrah and the rest components of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Sirah. At a production level of 7,200 cases, this wine makes up half of X Winery’s production. The initial aroma is intense jammy boysenberry and then shows deeper sage qualities. Balanced and smooth upon entry, the fruit flavors are more distinct up front with a well-integrated, herbal finish. $12.99

2003 Petite Sirah – From Paso Robles, this wine saw eighteen months in French oak. Dark purple in color, intense bouquet of blueberry liqueur that developed in sweet blueberry pie filling. Flavors that are deep and concentrated and decidedly blueberry, the way I like my Petite Sirahs. No price available.

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon – With 20% Merlot, there is a soft herb aroma at first that darkens to show black fruit and a dark chocolate finish. The nose was a tad hot but the mouth feel is balanced and dark. $22.50

2002 Amicus Blend - 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 6% Petite Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Malbec.  Tasting too fast to have gotten notes on this one. $38.00

2002 Amicus Cabernet Sauvignon – Only 160 cases made. 75% Yountville fruit and 25% Spring Mountain fruit. Intense jammy blackberry start with herbal depth. Soft, silky entry that explodes with dark, luscious black plum. Layers of smoke and a tease of earth that shows structure. $49.00

2004 Mt. Veeder Cabernet – Barrel sample, not yet available for sale. Classic Veeder with tobacco, leather and big cherry. Huge, massive entry that is slightly sweet. WOW entry that is already showing structure with a chewy finish. Not yet priced.

X Winery ~ No tasting facilities available ~ 707-204-9522

This is a first for me — I have entirely deleted the initial entry for Cartlidge & Browne and revisited the winery after an unpleasant experience occurred during my first visit. For those coming to this blog entry months (or years?) after the incident occurred, the greatly abbreviated version is that an elderly man working in the tasting room did something offensively inappropriate which I documented. I now regret that write-up and wish instead that I had gone directly to management privately with what transpired. However, in response to the complaint, the winery reacted swiftly, with compassion, and immense understanding. Elijah Selby, the Hospitality Director and Winery Relations wrote me an astonishing letter of apology which displayed superlative behavior and personal insight. She also accepted my heartfelt regret and apology about the situation and a great friendship was born out of an otherwise ugly situation.

Cartlidge & Browne is a considerably larger operation than one would imagine. As a negociant production facility, they purchase the bulk of their grapes of premiere as well as little-known vineyards from all over the state and have been making wine for over twenty-five years. Their own production is in the 140,000 case load, but they are a huge, thriving facility doing custom crush work for a number of additional wineries in the area.

Their winemaking facilities are located in a large warehouse in American Canyon, which is not exactly the jewel-bedecked, glamorous winery country that most folks think of when considering visiting Napa. It is a mostly industrial area that people drive through on their way to Napa from San Francisco and is known for housing that necessary part of the wine industry like barrel makers, label printers, and large shipping firms. But lying almost exactly in the center of the otherwise sleepy hamlet, off the main drag of Highway 29, are the signs for Greenfield Winery‘s tasting room. (Greenfield is a secondary label of Cartlidge & Browne’s and I am guessing, but have not had it confirmed, that it is simply easier to have signs directing passers-by to "Greenfield" than to a longer-named "Cartlidge & Browne."

Lamar is the manager of the tasting room which, because it is physically part of the warehouse, is decidedly chilly. On my first visit (where no wines were actually tasted), a lovely girl named Abigail began our conversation with a warning that if I had a sweatshirt to wear, it might be advisable to put on, for while it was almost ninety degrees outside, the building is kept at a chilly 55 degrees for the wine. However, Elijah (whom I regret I did not photograph) is already talking about expanding to the suite next door for a potential new tasting room which might ultimately be more comfortable for visitors.

There are three labels produced by Cartlidge & Browne’s winemaker, Paul Moser (who has been with the firm an astonishing quarter of a century); the Cartlidge & Browne label, Greenfield, and Stratford, which is primarily made for exporting to the United Kingdom but is available for purchase in the tasting room. A new product in the line-up came about through a painting which owner, Tony Cartlidge, saw and purchased in New York. The painting was purchased and THEN a wine was developed to match the artwork! Rabid Red was made as the winery’s first blend wine and the entire packaging model with the insane-looking dog’s head has been a tremendous success with Gen-Xers. However, the product inside the crazy bottle is astonishingly great for its price point of $15.00. Having been given an early taste of the 2004 vintage, it is easy to see why the winery has made the decision to double and potentially triple its production. Overall, Cartlidge & Browne is all about making tremendously affordable wines at a consistently high quality. Bottle prices start as little as $2.99 and top out at a whopping $20.00. I did not have the price list in front of me when I did my tasting and seriously thought the price range was four and five times higher than they actually are (and perhaps they should be!) I have blogged other wineries who produce products in this price range that did not have anywhere near the consistency and quality I found in Cartlidge & Browne and I am pleased to have found such a wide variety of wines that I can now personally start buying.

2004 Cartlidge & Browne Sauvignon Blanc – Bright notes of tropical fruit and spicy pineapple with a hint of kiwi. A swirl produces darker green apple tones. Very crisp with a tangy mid-palate. $9.92

2004 Cartlidge & Browne Chardonnay – Astonishing aroma of lemon meringue with deeper layers of mango. Silky entry is easy and well-balanced with a tangy, heightened lemony finish. $9.92

2004 Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir – Intense fresh raspberry and cherry bouquet with a depth of dark cinnamon. Spicy entry is smooth and shows well-sculpted depth. $9.92

NV Greenfield Sunset Cuvee – 70% Chardonnay and 30% Muscat Canelli. Sweet, enticing nose of exotic floral and citrus aromas. A touch of sweetness on the tongue produces a clean citrusy taste that is simply, easy, and fun. $4.17

2001 Cartlidge & Browne Merlot – Dusty floral bouquet. Predominately black plum flavors in a smooth mouthfeel with a slightly peppery finish. $5.00

2003 Rabid Red – 47% Cabernet Sauvignon (from Monterey), 31% Syrah (from the Sierras), 19% Zinfandel (Napa), and 3% Viognier (Lodi). Spicy, enticing nose with black plum and blackberry tones. Very easy and smooth mouth entry that blossoms to show rich, easy-to-drink daily wine. $15.00

2004 Rabid Red – To be released in September… 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Petite Sirah, 18% Syrah, 17% Tempranillo, 15 Grenache, and 1% Zinfandel. Deep, dark inky color with opulent blueberry bouquet. Blackberry liqueur shows on the initial, smooth taste that displays continuing and enticing all the way to a developed, fabulous finish. My new favorite wine for the price. $15.00

2003 Manzanita Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon – Perfumey with dark cherry qualities. Light bodied Cab that is easy to drink. $7.00

2001 Stratford, Knights Valley – Dark plum tones show immediately but subside to develop layers of green bell pepper (barely) and woodsy qualities finishing in eucalyptus tones. Sharp, tight entry blossoms into dark cherry. Needs time. $9.00

2002 Cartlidge & Browne Syrah – Initial herbal qualities on the front back down to display meaty black, jammy fruit. Heightened acid on the entry is nice and chewy showing well-balanced, spicy, well-integrated fruit. $9.92

Cartlidge & Browne Winery / Greenfield Winery ~ 205 Jim Oswald Way, Ste. B ~ American Canyon ~ CA 94503 ~ 707-552-5199