Ultimate California Wine Blog

Blogging Fife Vineyards might prove an interesting exercise. It is not unusual for a winery to produce appellation-specific wines and many of the previously-blogged entries have demonstrated just that fact. Living here in Napa, I have attended a number of food and wine conferences where Karen MacNeil has presented. She is part owner of Fife along with husband, Dennis Fife, and Karen is the namesake for their Redhead Vineyard. It was in this misconception that I thought their Napa location was the one and only until I stumbled on their Mendocino tasting room.

Having gotten lost in Redwood Valley in Mendocino, I stumbled on Fife’s other location, pleased at the opportunity to taste a full line-up of the wines. I first experienced Fife Vineyards in a collective tasting room article I wrote for the Gang of Pour.
Theirs was a stand-out wine amongst a large tasting and I was just as
impressed with the wines tasted at this year’s Rhone Rangers.

The tasting room in Mendocino is through a small garage opening and is quite innocuous as far as tastings room go; a simple counter, surrounded with wine cases and a display of Karen’s book, The Wine Bible. However, it is the view opposite the pouring counter that is so amazing; lake Mendocino lying serenely inviting in its shimmering blueness.

I feel a need to offer a small caveat on my tasting. On this visit to their Redwood Valley tasting room, I was the first visitor on a Sunday morning and as all the bottles were already open AND half-empty, I can only assume they had been opened the previous day. Much has been written about the various preservation techniques on open bottles, but I doubt any of those techniques were utilized in this case as the bulk of the wines I tasted seemed oxidized I know many of these wines (especially the Rhones) to be huge, jammy, spicy, and luscious. Lesson learned: Either visit in the middle of the day or request that fresh bottles be open (I did neither on this occasion, but hope to taste through their line-up again).

2002 Red Head Rosé – Extremely interesting to find a rosé made from a hundred percent Carignane! Clear bright pale cherry red in color and aromas. Crisp entry that is engaging and not overly sweet, with flavors of clean strawberry, cherry, and fresh red fruit. $12.00

2001 Redhead Red – An intriguing blend of Syrah, Charbono, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Carignane, Zinfandel, and Nebiolo. Unfortunately, I believe this was the beginning of me tasting wines that had been opened for a day (or two?). Slightly cloudy and oxydized, dusty floral notes predominated with a hint of robust fruit that seemed faded. $12.00

2000 Carignane – Again, slightly cloudy with dusty floral aromas. Oxidized $18.50

2001 Zinfandel, Mendocino – Warm cherry with integrated spice. Not $17.00

2002 Zinfandel, Mendocino – Faint hint of hospital aromas. A cherry entry shows medium body with a tease of spice on the mid-palate. Even, tobacco finish. $17.00

2000 Cabernet, Spring Mountain, Napa – Green bell pepper on the nose and then dusty twigs – oxydized. $32.00

2001 Syrah, Mendocino – This visit: oxydized. $20.00

2000 Petite Sirah, Mendocino – This visit: dusty and oxydized. $20.00

Fife Vineyards ~ 3621 Ricetti Lane ~ Redwood Valley ~ CA ~ 95470 ~ 707-485-0323

Guinness McFadden of McFadden Farms had a twinkle in his eye when I met him. There was something that his cherubic face and boyish charm exuded as he explained his 35 years as a farmer in Mendocino. What I didn’t realize at the time I met him, was that he grows far more than grapes.

Grapes are of course the thrust of what we talked about during our brief conversation — he explained that he has been growing and selling his Sauvignon Blanc to Sterling Vineyards and Chardonnay to Navarro for over 35 years and this last year was the first year he decided to make wine himself. The surprise came in providing a link to his site and learning that he is, in fact, also a California Certified Organic Farmer, growing herbs, rice, and garlic on 160 acres.

Guinness has been bitten with the winemaking bug, now showing two lovely white wines, but indicated to me that by Spring of 2006, will be adding a Pinot Noir and a Zinfandel to his line-up. I was fortunate to taste the wines at the Mendocino Wine Affair, as McFadden Farms is not yet open to the public for tasting. His CCO status means that the grapes for his wine was produced through sustainable farming, which is quite admirable, in my opinion.

2004 McFadden Riesling – At 12% alcohol, I did not obtain the exact residual sugar but anticipate it being quite low. Grassy nose with a layer of lemon rind, the mouth feel was clean and simple. Not overtly sweet, but engaging and one I would enjoy trying with some spicy Thai. No price obtained.

2004 McFadden Pinot Gris – A pale straw color, this teases with fresh elegant herbal aromas and a touch of light floral notes. The initial taste is clean and slightly grassy, with a slightly tangy finish of white melon. No price obtained.

McFadden Farms ~ Potter Valley ~ CA ~ 95469 ~ 800-544-8230

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

I feel a tad embarrassed about my visit to Turnbull. It was a hot afternoon and I sort of just dashed in and dashed out. I glanced at the walls, but not long enough to realize they are another in the line of wineries with art exhibits, in this case, photographs of famous 20th century icons.

The tasting room was a relatively standard offering; bar, tables with goodies to buy, and photographs on the walls. It took some time to muscle in to taste, but once there the staff were friendly and informative. Apparently there are a number of functions that occur on Saturdays, including some several cooking classes like pizza-making or grilling. I wish I had known about that before my visit…

I did admire an adjacent arbor where several folks could wander and relax while tasting their wine. Many tasting rooms work as a factory, trying to get their guests in and out as quickly as possible. The mere existence of such a spot of serenity sounds volumes of goodwill in an otherwise hurried industry.

2003 Sauvignon Blanc – 97% Sauvignon Blanc, 3% Viogner that never saw oak. Slightly effervescent, lemony entry that was almost sweet. Crisp and tangy in the mid-palate, a sweetish ending seemed simple. $15.00

2003 Old Bull Red – A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Syrah, 9% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Tempranillo, 2% Petite Sirah, 2% Sangiovese, and 2% Petit Verdot. Clear, bright garnet in color, this showed dark berry aromas layered with hints of anise and mint. The entry was just as fruity with cocoa and coffee in the mid-palate and dustier on the finish. $20.00

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon – 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Syrah, 2% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Aromas of dried herbs and smoky cedar predominate the nose. Some fruit flavors on the entry which is dry in the mid-palate but fills out and warms on the finish. $40.00

2002 Red Wine "Black Label" – 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 8% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot. Dark, inky purple shows full aromas of black plum, blackberry, and dried herbs. Integrated and smooth, the flavors mirror the aromas with a balanced, even finish. $75.00

Turnbull ~ 8210 St. Helena Highway ~ Oakville ~ CA ~ 94562 ~ 707-963-5839

Peju Province has an impressive reputation for quality wines. Theirs was a winery I was looking forward to visiting and my visit was far from a disappointment. They have received much in the way of accolades for their product and the visit itself was great fun; but it didn’t start out that way…

When I initially arrived at Peju, I was obviously taken with the landscaping and architecture. The grounds are meticulously kept and one cannot help but be drawn to the tower as a building which benchmarks the property. I was drawn to the number of stunning flowers that grace the entrance way and only discovered later that Anthony Peju was in the nursery business before he was in the wine business. The flowers, however, are only a small part of the grand visual scheme..

The gardens are also the home for a number of sculptures by Welton Ritz. I never cease to be impressed with wineries who incorporate art and the grace of Ritz’s figurative work adds sublimity and intrigue to the space.

When I walked into the tasting area, I admired the vaulted ceilings and light that was brought into an otherwise narrow and crowded space. I was not astonished at the crowd that was gathered at the small tasting bar at the end of the room. I was, however, slightly put off by a music stand being used as a sign-holder. In a Disneyland-like sensibility of crowd control, it politely asked guests to wait there for the next available host. An occasional passing worker would acknowledge our patience by telling us it was only a few minutes more. "How could that be?" I pondered… the folks I could easily see at the bar seemed quite settled in for the duration. I seriously thought about leaving, but am glad I did not.

For just at the point when my patience was wearing thin, I and the line that had formed behind me was beckoned to a side door that I had not seen. Like Charlie walking into the majestic Chocolate Factory for the first time, we were lead into what I now realize was the belly of the tower. Two majestic dark wood tasting bars flank the room centered with a stunning leaded-glass window, bestowing shafts of color on the guests. Now I understood the reason for the wait and felt very sorry for the poor blokes who were relegated to that outside, otherwise cramped tasting bar.

It is more than obvious that the guys pouring Peju wines enjoy themselves (I saw nary a woman working there the day I visited, but there may be some). While my host was perfectly pleasant and informative, I felt as though I were missing out on a great party as the pourer at the station behind us frequently belted out in song and fanfare. This is obviously a destination winery; while 2,000 of their 30,000 cases appear in restaurants, Peju is otherwise not distributed.

2003 Sauvignon Blanc – Pale, clear straw color. Some hints of clean grass aromas. A bright, citrus entry shows some kiwi and mango with a tangy, pleasing finish. $16.00

2004 Carnival – Unusual French Lombard grape which is not often seen in the Na pa Valley. At 1.25% residual sugar, it was a tad more sweet than I normally care for; honey-like citrus aromas show a sweet entry that was not too cloyingly syrupy with more citrus on the mid-palate. $12.50

2004 Provence, California Table Wine – This wine is just plain bizarre and there’s no way around it; a blend of white and red grapes in a way not normally seen: Merlot (red), Cabernet Franc (red), Sarah (red), Colombard (white), and Sauvignon Blanc (white). This actually is a great wine to introduce people to who are moving up from White Zinfandel and want something with a bit more heft to it. There is heightened fruit flavors benefits from being well-chilled. $18.50

2001 Syrah, Napa Valley – Medium weight Syrah with jammy aromas of dark plum and black raspberry. Smooth, buttery sensation on the tongue upon entry. Dry in the mid-palate which ends spicier than anticipated. $32.00

2002 Merlot, Napa Valley – Syrah-like jamminess in the nose with a hint of menthol. Dark berry and chocolate silkiness fills the mouth and blossoms to plump, round flavors. $35.00

2002 Zinfandel, Napa Valley – Surprisingly thin on the nose, mostly cranberry in its redness. Apparently their first attempt at a Zinfandel, so while the base flavors were there, its shows a dry finish and wavering spice qualities. $25.00

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – 90% Pope Valley and 10% Rutherford. Hints of green bell pepper subside to show warm cherry and cranberry tones. Fruity entry is round and in its display of vanilla and herbs in the mid-palate, dries a bit on the finish, demonstrating a touch of mocha. $38.00

2001 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford – Classic Rutherford dust is seen in this elegant wine. Black cherry and anise appear in the nose and the dark spice continues in the mouth entry, filling out with chocolate and vanilla qualities that shows a long finish and dried herbs. $85.00

Peju ~ 8466 St. Helena Highway ~ Rutherford ~ CA ~ 94573 ~ 800-446-7358