Ultimate California Wine Blog

Cakebread is one of the local wineries with an outstanding reputation for quality and hospitality — and now I know why. Jack and Dolores Cakebread have been producing wine in the Rutherford appellation for over thirty years. In that time, they have helped pioneer the art of food and wine pairing and are bringing those philosophies to the those outside the valley through their cookbook, The Cakebread Cookbook – Napa Valley Cookbook.

Cakebread is also one of the appointment-only wineries, but somewhat of an oddity as it lies on the busy Highway 29, which sees so much tourist traffic. There no flashy sign and a small collection of buildings  almost hide among a cluster of large bushes to dissuade the casual visitor. The logistics of the tasting are finely tuned. You enter the reception room to check in before going to the retail area where you presented with your glass and a taste of Sauvignon Blanc, waiting for your host to begin.

There are a variety of levels of tasting offered; a simple tasting, a full tour and tasting, a wine and food tasting experience, or a wine sensory evaluation tasting. I opted for the simple tasting and yet it still included a partial tour as the lack of a central, be-all tasting area makes for a more intimate, one-on-one setting for experiencing the wine. The schedule for tastings are finely timed and after sipping the SauvBlanc for a few minutes, our host takes us away to a corner in the barrel room to continue with the line-up.

Upon entering the barrel room, we could hear the jocularity of another group already well underway on the other side of the barrels. From the side of the room we were tasting, a stunning view of the adjacent gardens was available which only enticed the desire to return for the full in depth tour and tasting as I witnessed other groups being led around. Our own pouring host was delightfully slow and deliberate, not rushing anyone through their experience, fully explaining each wine before pouring, and elaborating on its production or potential food pairing during the tasting. Also offered with the tastings were fabulously informative cards which not only provided technical production information, but a suggested recipe for pairing the wine with food. A great idea…

2003 Sauvignon Blanc – Green apple and kiwi tones on the nose. Acidic entrance which blossomed into warm peach and fig flavors in the mouth. A bright, invigorating finish with enticing crispness. $19.00

2003 Chardonnay, Napa Valley – The mainstay of the winery, this wine makes up 100,000 of the 400,000 cases produced. A non-ML chardonnay which sees eight to ten months in oak. A hint of green apple aromas gives way to a warmer pear bouquet. Sweeter upon entry than I would have anticipated with a full, silky mouth feel and more earthy notes. A slightly dry, acidic finish which was a lovely punctuation. $34.00

2002 Chardonnay Reserve, Napa Valley – 17% ML, this wine sees fourteen months in oak. Engaging pear and peach aromas anticipate the classic butterscotch entry into the mouth. Some acid on the back palate produces more melon qualities with a full and rich long finish. $49.00

2002 Merlot, Napa Valley – This Merlot has 7% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. Immediate cocoa and blackberry bouquet subsides for a dark plummy nose. Full bodied and more tannic than I might have liked, the dark berry and spice mid-palate will definitely expand and balance over time. $48.00

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – 11% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Very enticing aromas of berry, currant, cocoa, and chocolate-covered cherries anticipate the opulent fig and vanilla mid-palate. Very lush and full, a cassis finish continues to entice. $55.00

2002 Syrah, Carneros-Napa Valley – Inky, inky color. Exciting black pepper and dark Oriental spice intrigue the tongue. Entry of black cherry, vanilla, and roasted fig gives way to a finish of roasted meat. Huge wine. Can’t wait to try again! $43.00

Cakebread ~ 8300 St. Helena Highway ~ Rutherford ~ CA ~ 94573 ~ 707-963-1067

Driving to work on the Silverado Trail, I had driven by Quintessa‘s beguiling piece of architecture every day to the point of driving me mad. I HAD to see what was going on inside. From the road, there lies this large, crescendo of a stone edifice on which sits some blackened-glass structures. It is truly one of the more unique buildings in the entire valley. After visiting it, I can attest that it is also one of the most functional in design, being entirely a gravity method wine-making facility. When you arrive (and are buzzed in), you drive a road to over to the top of the slopping, stone structure and walk to the black buildings. There, a warm and cozy reception awaits you.

But you quickly leave the warmth of the cozy fire (it WAS January, after all), back to the top of the building, which overlooks the vineyards. Being cold and rainy the day of my visit, we decided to forgo the usual tour of the vineyards. I will make a concerted effort to get back, as a perusal of the website shows them to be expansive and impressive (either 280 or 208 acres, I couldn’t quite figure it out). In any event, here we are, standing on top of the building and scattered throughout the concrete area, are access chutes through which the freshly-harvested grapes are processed. This is the beginning of their gravity system; bringing the grapes to the roof, de-stemming them there, and sending them down into the next level which we get to through an elevator.

On the top level of being INSIDE the building are some major pieces of processing equipment – both stainless steel and oak. These massive oak barrels are so large, they have to bring the staves in and construct them in situ. We wandered around the catwalk up above these massive containers before heading downstairs to the lower level.

Here is where their presses are. Now when I was at Nickel & Nickel, I was pretty impressed that they had one of these presses (considered the Porsche of presses in the wine industry). Quintessa has two, sitting lovingly side by side. They are very gentle and state-of-the-art. A quick meander into the caves proves enlightening in that the center of the cave contains a moderne fountain, both artistically stunning and functional to keep humidity up. I am in the belly of that long-admired building and the admiration only continues. The facilities are not only functional and pristinely clean, they are extremely well laid out and artistically impressive.

But how about the wine… Finally being brought back up to their tasting area (which lies just behind the fireplace in the reception room), large Reidel are already in place, waiting for us. Interestingly enough, Quintessa only produces one wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon. I am a bit shocked. With so much land, one would think that their book would be filled with varietals. Nope – the free run juice (and perhaps a bit of first press) goes into the Quintessa. The rest is bulked out to other wineries. As Quintessa is ‘operated’ by Franciscan, I imagine they a portion of it.

For the tasting, I give them a great deal of credit. Because they only really have one wine to serve, there is much ceremony in that serving. The glasses and decanter are extremely high quality and the setting is opulent and warm. Only after the initial taste are you asked if you might like a few bites of cheese to see how the taste of wine changes. I was served a slice of aged Vella Jack and Humboldt Fog which a small scoop of membrillo along with crackers. This was a very nice touch as you are left to your own accord in some manner of privacy to experience the wine without a salesman trying to make the sale or hammer a wine club down your throat. Relaxing and it definitely helped make for a superb wine-tasting experience.

I was very fortunate the day of my visit to be able to taste three years of Quintessa Cabs…

1998 Quintessa had admittedly been opened the day before. There was still huge amounts of maple on the nose but I felt the wine was a bit bretty. I am getting a lot of that from 98’s and many admit it was a difficult year. There was a full mouth feel, but it finished a bit green. This was a blend of 75% Cabernet, 20% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc and was grown in the Rutherford district.

2000 Quintessa was lush and full of blackberry on the nose. This wine was 71% Cabernet, 25% Merlot, and 4% Franc with a beautiful, lush bouquet and round, supple mouthfeel with a long finish that ended a bit woody – but a nice woody.

2001 Quintessa – This wine could certainly stand to lay down a while. It was hugely perfumey on the nose but a tad hot with alcohol. A bit too hot, I thought. There was a hint of toffee on the finish and I’d like to go back to this bottle in five or six years.