Tres Sabores

Rutherford (Napa), CA

 

 

A while back I was googling ‘Picnic Spots’ in the Napa Valley.  I had previously seen an article about how many wineries were starting to charge for you to picnic on their grounds and wanted to gather some more information.  We usually picnic at Hall Winery in St. Helena but because we are wine club members and have been there many times it is a good spot for us.  This may not be the case for just anyone.  Anyhow, we had a day in Napa planned and we wanted to try something new so we chose to taste and picnic at Tres Sabores which had been mentioned in the article.  I was familiar with one of their wines, the one called ‘Por Que No?’ so we thought we would try it. 

Tres Sabores is a very small winery a mile or so off the main highway in the Whitehall Lane area.  It is set against the mountains where there is a small cave and a fairly simple facility.  This is the kind of place where you really need to taste outside as you really are smack in the middle of the ranch and there would be no reason to want to be inside in this beautiful setting.  We tasted under some big old oak trees where they have 3 or 4 picnic tables. 

Tres Sabores means Three Flavors.  The goal is the perfect balance of Terroir (the Rutherford Bench location), Vines (the distinctive character of the grape varietal) and Artisan (the winemaker’s contribution).  You can’t fault the goal here.  Our host was Holden who provided us an informative but relaxed tasting.  As we were eating, Holden would pop out with a new taste from time to time, give us a little description of the wine and the leave us be for a bit.  

 

It was a warm day and we started with a splash of a splash of Sauvignon Blanc.  While the bulk of the wines are labeled ‘Napa Valley’, this Sauv Blanc and a Chardonnay they produce are from the Sonoma Mountain region.  We also had the Ingrid and Julia (garden roses) Rose.  I think Rose’s are really meant to go with food and this with our lunch was great.  This Rose was made from Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.  But like most Napa Valley wineries the red wines are the treat.  

 

Tres Sabores produces Estate Zinfandel and Estate Cabernet from this property.  In my opinion the Zinfandel is the better deal of the two at $35.00.  The SF Chronicle gave this a great review earlier this year. The Cabernet was excellent also but I’m not sure I would have been comfortable at the $85.00 price.  Tres Sabores does not produce a standard Napa Valley Cab so this was our only Cabernet option.

 

But we were really impressed with their blends.  Por Que No? is a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet, Petite Sirah and a bit of Petit Verdot .  I think this wine is one-half of the production at Tres Sabores and you are really tasting a quality Napa Valley wine here for the nice price of $25.00.  We also tasted a second blend containing Mouvedre, Petite Sirah and Syrah.  We liked this one also.

 

The tasting fee at Tres Sabores is a little steep at $25.00 but it is not your normal Napa Valley tasting experience.  Reservations are required and on this Saturday afternoon we were the only ones tasting.  It almost has the feel of being in someone’s back yard.  There are a couple of big dogs, and on the property there are sheep and guinea hens as well.  My take is that if you were a wine club member at this winery you might feel like part of the family pretty quickly

What we liked: Funky, ranchy, rustic yet classy experience

What we bought: We came home with the two blends courtesy our friends Jon and Maronee

 

Vitals:     

Tres Sabores

1620 S. Whitehall Lane

St. Helena, CA  94574

(707) 967-8027

www.tressabores.com

Sonoma Valley- Part 2

Chateau St. Jean and B.R. Cohn

Last week we talked about Kenwood Vineyards and this week we’ll talk about Chateau St. Jean and B.R. Cohn Winery,  which are just down the road.

Chateau St. Jean and B.R. Cohn are two very different wineries but both produce some really nice wines.  Chateau St. Jean has been around since 1973 while B.R. Cohn came along ten years later.  As I mentioned last week, we have been visitors/customers at St. Jean for a very long time.  It was one of the original wineries up at this end of the Sonoma Valley and has always had a great reputation.  B.R. Cohn came along and initially was known for excellent Cabernet but the operation has grown and they now produce a full range of wines.

Chateau St. Jean sits just above the town of Kenwood about one-half mile north of Kenwood Vineyards.  The winery sits on a 270 acre property set back from the highway against the Mayacamas Mountains. The property consists of the original tasting room which was an old large house, the newer visitor center and the winery operations set against the mountains.   They describe the property as gracious and elegant and it really is; there are great lawn and garden areas surrounding the buildings.  The visitor center includes a lot of retail and even includes a small deli.  The facility receives a lot of traffic and the room is well staffed. 

 

Reserve Tasting Room at Chateau St. Jean

Chateau St. Jean is all about vineyard designated wines and sources from properties all over Sonoma County including the Sonoma Valley, Russian River, Alexander Valley and Sonoma Coast Appellations.   I think Chardonnay is a big stand out here but they are also well known for their Cabernet Bordeaux-style blend, Cinq Cepages which received the ‘Wine of the Year’ award from Wine Spectator in 1996 and the #2 ranking again in 1999. 

 

They offer two tasting options-- the regular tasting runs $15.00 for five tastes and the reserve tasting runs $25.00 for five premium tastes.  The premium tasting takes place in the original tasting room and includes limited release wines.  We opted for the $15.00 tasting and used our Winery Finder app for a 2 for 1.  At $25.00 the reserve tasting may be the priciest in Sonoma and the Winery Finder app does not work for a 2 for 1 at that level.

We started with the Robert Young Vineyard Pinot Blanc.  This was good way to start the day.  Next we had a Chardonnay.  They offer at least four Chardonnay’s for tasting ranging from a non-malolactic to full malolactic versions.  I assume we had something in the middle.  It had the classic California Chardonnay taste although my palette prefers the un-oaked crisp flavors.  The red wines were all excellent.  We had a Pinot Noir, a Syrah, and the 8555 Cuvee.  We loved the 8555 which is their Merlot based alternative to the Cinq Cepages.  The reds tend to run a bit pricier than the whites although Cinq Cepages, which we did not taste, at $75.00 really is a pretty darn good price if it is as good as advertised. 

Next we headed over to B.R. Cohn which is a few miles south.  B.R. Cohn has great grounds as well, with picnic tables and a separate olive oil and vinegar tasting room and some other things on the property that are interesting.  There was an old Woody automobile on display and there is a whole set of kiddie tractors as you drive in.  B.R Cohn may not be as elegant as St. Jean but it definitely has as much of a ‘cool factor’.  The tasting room is a long angled bar and is set up to accommodate a good sized group.  Tastings were $15 but we were able to use our 2 for 1 Winery Finder app.  Phil, a long time B.R. Cohn employee, was our guy and he was great.

 

 

 

B.R. Cohn Tasting Room

Cohn has quite a few wines available for tasting including a lower priced (mostly) car themed label (Muscle Car Red, Roadster Red, Woody’s White, etc.).  The wines are made mostly from Sonoma grapes, although both Napa and Mendocino were represented.   There were some “tasting room only” deals that were great bargains.  This day the Sauvignon Blanc was half price at $12.00.  I tried the Sauv Blanc but mostly stuck to the reds, which is really their focus.  The B.R. Cohn that you see most often in the grocery store is called the Silver Label Cabernet but we tasted some of the smaller production wines.  The standouts were the Mendocino Barbera as well as the Olive Hill Cabernet’s.  Olive Hill is the 90 acre property that the winery sits on and B.R. Cohn made their name with this Cabernet.  The standard Olive Hill Estate Cab runs $55.00 and really is very good.  Phil, our host, figures it is the best Cab in the valley.  We also got to try the Special Selection (the best of the Olive Hill Cab).  This was also good but in my mind not worth the jump up to $100.00.

Both of these wineries are good stops, easy to get to, no reservations required, have reasonably priced tastings and both have places to picnic.  They should both be on your list of wineries if this is the first time tasting in Sonoma Valley.

What we liked- Easy no-pressure tasting experiences

What we bought- We bought the Olive Hill Cabernet from B.R. Cohn

Vitals-

Chateau St. Jean

8555 Sonoma Highway

Kenwood, CA  95452

(707) 833-5234

www.chateaustjeancom

 

B.R. Cohn Winery

15000 Sonoma Highway

Glen Ellen, CA  95442

(800) 330-4064

www.brcohn.com

 

 

Sonoma Valley- Part 1

Where it all began- Kenwood Vineyards

 

Tasting Room Barn

 

 

We were in the Sonoma Valley last weekend for a wedding that took place at CornerStone Sonoma and were able to make a few winery visits.  As I mentioned in the Blog, ‘About Us’ section, Sonoma is where my wife and I went on our first date visiting some Sonoma wineries.  Honestly we cannot remember all the wineries we visited.  We do know we visited Kenwood Vineyards and Chateau St. Jean.  I am guessing we also visited Sebastiani, Haywood and Grand Cru.  I think all three of these wineries no longer exist.  So on this day we went back to Chateau St. Jean, Kenwood and we also went to B.R. Cohn which was established later in 1984.   

The Sonoma Valley area (appellation) which stretches from the town of Sonoma to just below Santa Rosa is a great alternative to Napa.  It is just as close as Napa but has never quite held the mystique of Napa.  As the crow flies, the town of Kenwood is probably less than 10 miles from Oakville at the southern end of Napa.  The Mayacamas mountain range separates them and the actual drive over the mountains can take 30-40 minutes.  If you have lots of time on your hands this is a beautiful ride (once).  Generally the wines are going to be up to 30-40% less expensive in Sonoma.  I think part of the reason is that unlike Napa that had some real standout wineries in the 60’s and 70’s, Sonoma Valley did not have these so really never established the reputation.   Sonoma County does have some of these big established winery companies (Clos du Bois and Kendall Jackson come to mind) but these are located up in the northern parts of the County in the Dry Creek and Alexander valley areas.  The Sonoma Valley does resemble the Napa Valley in a lot of ways although the main highway is just a bit windier and the valley a bit thinner. 

 

This week will talk about our visit to Kenwood and next week we will talk about Chateau St. Jean and B.R. Cohn.

We have visited Kenwood Vineyards many times over the years.  Way back our ‘go to’ wine was Kenwood Vintage Red which you could get on sale for sometimes as cheap as 2 for $7.00.  I tasted it this time and hey, it is not bad for $8.00 today.  The tasting room has not changed too much over the years.  It is a bit bigger but is still located in a barnlike building.  Since Kenwood does see a lot of visitors they have a pay in advance $5.00 tasting fee.  You pay your $5.00 and you are given a token that you turn in at the tasting bar.  You are allowed five tastes, or so the rule goes, and you can pick from anything on the menu of about 30 wines.  You can choose wines from their Vintage Series, Restaurant Series (Yulupa), Sonoma Series, Reserve Series and Artist Series.  For references the Cabernets run from about $18.00 in the Restaurant Series up to $75.00 in the Artist Series.

 

Jack London Label

Charlie, a student in the Wine Business program at Sonoma State was our (main) host.  It was not too busy in the tasting room so we were definitely able to have a nice conversation with Charlie.  It turned out it was only his second day but we would not have guessed it.  With so many wines on the list this could have been difficult for him but he did great.  And at day two he had already developed some favorites.  I tasted wines throughout the list while my wife chose the higher end reds only.  We probably tasted more than five wines.  I tasted the Sonoma Series Sauvignon Blanc that has been one of our ‘go to’ summer Sauv Blancs over the years and is usually available at the grocery store for less than $10.00.  I also tasted the Sonoma Russian River Pinot at $20.00 which was also good and a nice price.  We tasted the Jack London Zinfandel and Cabernet.  Jack London Vineyard is a vineyard south of the winery towards the mountains on the west side of the valley near Glenn Ellen which Kenwood has used for years and which produces consistently good wines.  Between us we tasted two of the available Artist Series cabs.  These wines vary from year to year but receive the premium treatment and handling.  One of these received a’ thumbs up’ while we were not sure about the other.   
 

So our visit to Kenwood was good.  I know a lot of us like to go to wineries to taste wine that we do not see in the grocery store all the time but at Kenwood you can see these wines alongside lots of wines that you normally do not see.  Kenwood has some really reasonably priced wines and their upper end wines are of high quality.  Kenwood is owned by Korbel, the biggest maker or California Sparkling Wine (Champagne).  Every year we host a Sparkling Wine tasting and every year people are fooled by the quality of Korbel.  The quality of Korbel at $10.00 is very close to the quality of many of the other popular brands (Chandon, Mumm, Roederer) which tend to run $15.00 to $20.00.  I think this plays through with the Kenwood wines as well.

What we liked- Good prices, casual atmosphere, history

What we bought- We bought nothing.  But there were some great deals on cases and if we had a big event coming up I would have bought some of the Magnums of Jack London Cabernet which you would not find in a retail outlet.  Also, you can find some great deals from time to time on Kenwood at establishments like Beverages and More.

 Vitals-

Kenwood Vineyards

9592 Sonoma Highway

Kenwood, CA  95452

(707) 833-5891

www.kenwoodvineyards.com

 

Next Week- Sonoma Valley- Part 2

 

 

Urban Wineries- Part 1

East Bay / Oakland, CA

Previously I wrote about Rosenblum and Rock Wall, which are also Urban Wineries but they are really big operations; there are probably another 20 wineries in the East Bay that are much smaller operations.  While a bunch of these smaller ones operate out of the Rock Wall facility, there are a number of them that are stand alone wineries and in a lot of ways are very similar to a small winery that you would find in Sonoma or Napa.  The saying goes that “the grapes themselves really do not care where they are crushed. They only really care where they are grown.”  The only difference is that grapes north of the East Bay need to travel a little longer to get to the winery.  Grapes grown south though in areas such as Monterey and Paso Robles can actually get to the winery a little faster sometimes.  The East Bay is full of old warehouse facilities capable of accommodating a wine making operation and the weather in the East Bay is certainly suitable.  In fact, back in the later 1800’s, much of the wine that was made from grapes in areas north of the immediate Bay Area was shipped or barged down to the East Bay and San Francisco. 

 

My youngest daughter and I visited three wineries last weekend- Stage Left Cellars, Irish Monkey Cellars and Urban Legend.  This was our first visit to both Stage Left and Irish Monkey; we had been to Urban Legend previously.  I think all three grew out of the owners love and appreciation for wine, which started with making wine in their garages. 

We had seen Stage Left previously at some larger tasting events.  Sometimes at these events there are hundreds of wineries and sometimes thousands of participants. So while there may be a one on one experience it is followed by 10 or 15 more of these and by the end of the day your notes or memory may be in disarray.  At Stage Left we met both of the owners and we were able to chat in a nice quiet tasting room.  Stage Left concentrates on Rhone style wines.  They tasted one white wine, a Viognier/Roussanne blend, which was good, but their red wines were really what stood out.  We tasted three Syrahs- two different vintages from Oregon (Rouge River Valley) and one from Paso Robles.  We also tasted a Petit Sirah and a blend called the Daily Job which included Cabernet, Grenache and Mourvedre.  My picks in order were the older Oregon Syrah (2007), the Daily Job and then the second Syrah.  You can tell they take great care with their wines, aging them a bit longer in the barrel and then aging them a bit longer in the bottle.  We will definitely be back here.

 

Our second stop was Irish Monkey, a quirky place located on 22^nd Ave. in Oakland.  I think the name comes from one of the principals wives telling her husband, an Irish individual, to quit monkeying around with making wine in the garage and to go ahead and start a real winery.  Irish Monkey is barely two blocks away from Stage Left in the southern Embarcadero section of Oakland.  If you have been to Quinn’s Lighthouse it is right near there and yes, Quinn’s Lighthouse is still there and looks the same.  We met two of the principals of the winery, Mark and Charlie and they were both very entertaining.  They were pouring a full spectrum of red wines this day and we enjoyed both the newest vintage Cabernet Franc and the Primitivo. They also served a great cheese and salami platter along with fresh bread.

Our third stop was Urban Legend, which is located in the Jack London neighborhood of Oakland.  Urban Legend is another Husband/Wife operation (Stage Left is also) and here we tasted a slate of both white and red wines.  In addition to some of the more traditional varietals, Urban Legend was pouring a white varietal named Tocai Friulano and a red varietal named Terodelgo.  Urban Legend sources grapes from Lake County, Clarksburg (Yolo County) and the foothills (Amador and El Dorado).  Our favorite wine was the Barbera from Amador County.  One of the reasons we came this day is because Urban Legend has a refillable program named for different Oakland Districts.  We had previously purchased a one liter bottle of a blend called something like Westside Red.  The current release is called Uptown.  Unfortunately when I grabbed the refillable bottle from the refillable cabinet at home (mostly full of beer refillables) I grabbed a bottle from a different winery.  We did come away from our visit with something though.

One of the nice things about these urban wineries is that many of them are close together and can be reached on bikes.  The terrain of the area is very flat.  You may want to call the wineries or check their websites as these wineries tend to be open just on weekends and in some cases only particular weekends. There is also an Alliance of East Bay Vintners that puts on some annual passport events where all the wineries are open on that day.

What we liked- The short drive and friendly atmosphere.

What we bought- We are out of space in the wine refrigerator but I know we enjoyed that 2007 Stage Left Cellars Syrah the next day.

Vitals-

Stage Left Cellars

2101 Dennison Street

Oakland, CA 94606

(510)  434-9930

www.stageleftcellars.com

Irish Monkey

1017 22^nd Avenue

Oakland, CA  94606

(510) 533-3439

www.irishmonkey.net

 

Urban Legend

621 4^th Street

Oakland, CA  94607

(510) 545-4356

www.ulcellars.com