Ultimate California Wine Blog

I love it when wineries are slightly off-kilter. Favorites in the past have included Gundlach-Bundschu, Bonny Doon, and Roshambo. Now I can add Kaz Winery to that list. Several weeks ago the folks at Kaz dropped me an e-mail. Seems they had been reading the blog and wanted me to give them a visit the next time I was in the Kenwood neighborhood. Well, I am pleased to say that I stumbled on them quite by accident and while I always appreciate a personal invite to a winery, sometimes I have much more fun sneaking in under the radar.

Finding Kaz takes a little bit of work. They are located on a small side road behind the Landmark Vineyard and took some hunting. There is a small metal sign (picture above) at the base of the vineyards which surround their winery. But it is small and a relatively drab color which, on an overcast day, somewhat melded into the surrounding grey atmosphere. But a few feet further at the base of the entrance, flies this bright yellow flag which, when the wind dies down enough to read what seems to be hand-drawn glyphs, reads Kaz! There was some local community tasting (having to do with Chardonnays and Pinots, I think) on the day of my visit, but despite the fact that I did not have the appropriate color bracelet on during my visit, I was still treated with the same acerbic wit as everyone else in the tasting room.

As near as I can tell, the entire business complex — tasting room and wine-making facilities — are all located within a single a-frame barn. Getting to the building means driving through some vineyards, past a small rural home or two, and parking on an adjacent gravel lot.

The tasting room is small and cozy and has many interesting touches. The counters are course with patterns of leaves inset deep within the rich, textured surface. "Oh, my husband, Rick, made that." the ebullient blond exclaimed. As it turns out, Rick makes a lot of things around the winery, like the wine!

Rick Kasmier and wife, Sandi, are the proprietors and with tongue firmly planted in cheek, are not only producing organic wines, but also hilarious ad campaigns, artistically enticing labels, and a line of fascinatingly flavored mustards! My only complaint lies in the information on their website; their story (and names!) are only found within a Sunset article and not readily available through their site. One other point – as these are 100% organic wines, they tend to be slightly higher in acidity. I realized that much of the adjectives that continually crept up in my notes was bright. All of the wines, overall, are bright with heightened acidity.

2004 Blusche Trachet – Made from Nebbiolo Rosso, this rosé had a sweet aroma but not overtly candy-shop sweet. With 1% residual sugar, the hint of sweetness is well-sculpted. Layered exotic spice that is subtle and smooth. Clean and bright. $15.00

2004 Trixie’s Secret – Another rosé of Nebbiolo Rosso, but this one is bone dry. Still a hint of sweetness but deeper and more integrated and balanced. Clean and deep with a long developed finish. Great fun and easy to drink. $15.00

2003 Hoi Polloi Pinot Noir – Bouquet of fresh raspberry and cherry with undertones of earth and spice. Sweetish entry and a candy mid-palate. Brightens on this finish with a touch of minerality. $35.00

2000 Somwein – A blend of 60% Zinfandel, 25% Alicante Bouchet, and 15% Petite Sirah. Dusty floral aroma with some funk in the back of the nose. Sweet on the initial mouth entry but not deep. A light-bodied zinfandel blend. $30.00

2001 Flying Star – 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot. Tremendously clean eucalyptus under which displays heaps of red fruit. Mostly floral on the tongue and more of those heightened acids on the finish. $32.00

2000 Klinch – 92% Syrah and 8% Alicante Bouchet. Some mint and then full, round candied dark fruit. Light thin entry and a decidedly tangy finish. $34.00

2003 Bravura, Barbera - More sweet red candy fruit on the nose. Bright, thin entry showing some candied red cinnamon with a bit of thin tin on the end. $30.00

White Port – Made from a Chardonnay. Sweet white flowers, blooming and exuding throughout a field on a hot afternoon leaving a longing, rustic spice in the back of the throat. Stunningly well-integrated and smooth. $25.00

2001 Syrah Port – Purple hyacinth flowers covered in dust. Sweet on the tongue with plummy tones. Tangy and acidic with a tease of cardamom. $30.00

Tawny Port – Made from the classic Portuguese grapes grown in Amador. Surprisingly ruby color, considering it is a tawny. Deep, dark spice with layers of nuts. Sweet entry showing jammy fruits in the mid-palate and a long finish teasing between provincial fruit and roasted hazelnut. $40.00

Kaz Winery ~ 233 Adobe Canyon Road ~ Kenwood ~ CA ~ 95452 ~ 707-833-2536

St. Francis Winery is one of the larger, more well-known wineries established in the Sonoma area. It is a winery that was started in the early 70s and has grown exponentially, now negotiating grapes from top-shelf growers from all over Sonoma.

As an homage to St. Francis of Assisi, for whom the winery is dedicated, the buildings are distinctly modeled after the classic California missions that speckle the state. The facilities include three separate wine-tasting bars, visitors center, and surroundings gardens. The winery hosts of a variety of events including aroma workshops and taste explorations.

They offer three different tastings; the Classic Wine Tasting is $5.00 which is much of the standard wine found in larger grocery stores such as their Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, the Reserve Wine Tasting priced at $10.00 includes many of the more obscure grapes such as Viognier and Syrah, and a special Reserve Wine & Food Pairing which occurs every hour on weekends for $20 for four tastes and four bites.

I opted for the Reserve Tasting but plan on going back for the Wine & Food Pairing.

2003 Chardonnay, Behler Reserve, Sonoma Valley – Extremely lemony color shows tremendous, almost viscous buttery entry that has layers of green apple. The finish heightens with acidity and lemon tones. $22.00

2002 Pinot Noir, Neras Family Ranch, Russian River Valley – A potentially single offering of this varietal – the grapes were offered and because St. Francis had never produced a Pinot before, instead of adding to the expense of presenting a Pinot in a properly shaped Burgundy bottle, they instead simply bottled it in a Bordeaux-shaped bottle. Classic aromas of integrated earth and cherry, although the cherry seemed darker and a bit more cooked than usual. The mouth entry was initially sweet but blossomed to demonstrate darker mushroom qualities with a spicy, mineral finish. $30.00

2002 Petite Sirah, Zichichi Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley – Astonishing liqueur-like nose of a Zinfandel port. Intensely sweet nose of cooked black fruit with deep earthy notes. Balanced and well-integrated with a distinct, long finish. $40.00

2002 Zinfandel, Bacchi Vineyard, Russian River Valley – From 75 year-old vines. Jammy, smoky blackberry starts the bouquet which finishes with distinct minty eucalyptus and a depth of chocolate. Sweetish entry shows tastes of a tangy chocolate Andes mint. $35.00

2002 Zinfandel, Pagani Vineyard, Sonoma Valley – From 117 year-old vines. Lighter bodied than the previous offering, with bright, dusty violet aromas. Supple mouth feel that has a heightened acidic mid-palate but finishes long and smooth. $45.00

2001 Anthem Meritage, Sonoma Valley – A blend of Petite Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot (in no particular order or volume). Aromas of intense spicy blackberry jam and dusty floral. While the aromas were exotic and enticing, the mouth entry is more simple and basic – a slight disappointment considering the aroma. Easy with some deep, well-developed herbal qualities. $55.00

St. Francis Winery ~ 100 Pythian Road ~ Santa Rosa ~ CA ~ 95409 ~ 707-543-7713

Blackstone Winery is one that is prevalent in grocery stores — at least their black label has been oft-seen by yours truly. Because of it, I was not necessarily looking forward to the visit, thinking I would be subjected to sub-standard grocery store plonk. However, there is a significantly larger production going on with a different label: Gold instead of Black.

While the winery produces the standards; Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, etc., I made a point of requesting tastings on those varietals not often seen in California tasting rooms. Looking back over my notes, the overwhelming factor that kept appearing is the "like factor" in that the Riesling was like a Sauvignon Blanc, the Viognier was like a Chardonnay, and the Dolcetto was like a Sangiovese. And I only tasted a small sampling of the wines which made me wonder how many of them were like other wines…

2003 Riesling, Cole Ranch, Mendocino County – Bone dry, supremely clean and crisp with a rich, citrus entry and more like a Sauvignon Blanc in its heightened acidity. $16.00

2002 Viognier, Russian River Valley – Mostly lemon up front in the nose but then showing some more integrated green fig aromas. Tangy entry, mineral mid-palate, and strident, stripped finish. $26.00

2003 Dolcetto, North Coast – Light in body and akin to a Sangiovese in its thin, cinnamon candy entry. The wine expands to show smoke but has a barely discernable cranberry finish. $18.00

2002 Malbec, Lake County – Inky black red color with a robust, meaty nose. Chewy entrance that dries a bit on the mid-palate. Overall a balanced wine. $18.00

Blackstone Winery ~ 8450 Sonoma Highway ~ Kenwood ~ CA ~ 95452 ~ 707-833-1999

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