The morning after is never welcome, is it...? Actually, I felt pretty okay. But we were definitely a little slow in getting started and far from motivated throughout the day.
We did, however, manage to get out and do a few things. The day started with lunch at Rutherford Grill, a favorite hang of ours and most of the Napa Valley, as well. We ate lunch at the bar next to Elias, the winemaker from Shafer. The burger really hit the spot with the Mothership Wit Hefeweizen. I also snaked a couple of sips of Kara's Bloody Mary.
Fueled up, we were off to work. We started out at Steltzner in the Stag's Leap District. I was intrigued that this is one of the only domestic wineries I know of that grows Pinotage (a varietal mostly grown in South Africa). I had to try it. We started with their Syrah Rose, which was fairly heavy, but still showed nice balance and offered much summertime enjoyment. The Hendricks Pinot Noir was fair, but underwhelming and possibly just in need of more time. The Malbec was very full in the mouth, with real boysenberry and blackberry jam characterisitcs. I always think of Malbec as tasting both ripe and underripe at the same time - this was plenty of ripe! The Cabernet was solid, but nothing that really rocked my world. It certainly showed plenty of eucalyptus which seems typical for Stag's Leap. Then, they broke out the Pinotage for me: It was surprisingly tannic. Fairly full-bodied, with the typical "rubber hose" only a whisper under the black fruits. It was an interesting wine, but much like all the Pinotage from South Africa, nothing impressive. Props to them for growing it, though. I love that!
We drove half the valley with the top down since it was such a gorgeous day, and ultimately wound up at Heitz, where we had not visited in years. They poured us a Chardonnay to start. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, but not surprised to find out that it did not go through Malolactic Fermentation. No wonder I liked it! Very lean, crisp in acidity, with controlled oak. A real anti-California style! The Zinfandel was also restrained and showed wonderful structure. I would definitely consider it a Zin for steaks! The Napa Cabernet was good, but a little pricey for what it delivered, although only $42 retail. The real surprise was the 2000 Bella Oaks Cabernet they had released from the library. 2000, being a pour vintage, I wouldn't have expected much from. It was drinking great and the tannin seemed to me to have a fairly long road ahead. Certainly an old-school style, I had to pick up a few bottles. And, of course, the Martha's Vineyard 2005 was phenomenal, as it ought to be for $150.
We met up with my folks, who were also touring the valley, at Futo. This is a new "cult" producer in Oakville tucked in just beside Harlan and Bond. The tour was excruciating, but the wines were actually pretty good. Kara and I recently drank the 2006 OV (which is their second wine) and I thought it was solid for the $70 price tag. We tasted the 2007 at the winery and it's not bad: very friendly fruit and softer, ripe tannin. It paled in comparison to the bigger brother, Futo 2006. It showed much more nuance and complexity with expressive layers. It's still a baby, but I wonder what this wine and winery will accomplish in the future.
We chilled at the Hotel Luca with my folks during the afternoon and had some Epoisses, prosciutto and a bottle of Philippe Colin's Chassagne Montrachet 'Les Chaumees' 2007 which was great with the cheese.
Dinner was at Redd, and while this ought to be its own post, I didn't bother to take notes on the wines so I'll just relay the lineup: Krug 1996, a Puligny-Montrachet 2006 (didn't see the producer), Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2003, Guigal d'Ampuis 2003, Conseillante 1989, Lynch Bages 1990, and Pichon Baron 1990. We ate with Daniel Ha and Pete Perry who run Dana Estates, as well as Rob Sweeney who is part of the Vine Cliff family. Great party group and great wines, which were all showing very well, with the exception of the Conseillante which was showing a lot of green notes that were offputting.
We crashed directly after that at the Hotel. The rest of the gang went across the street to a bar for a nightcap, but Kara and I had hit the wall. We had to save up for another full day in Sonoma.
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