Ladera Vineyards

Howell Mountain, Angwin (Napa)

We have known about Ladera Vineyards for a few years since our friends introduced us to some Ladera Howell Mountain Cab.  Our friends are big Howell Mountain Cabernet fans so we finally got up to Angwin  to check it out.  Although Howell Mountain is just east and slightly north of St. Helena, in the Vaca Mountain range, it is a little adventure getting up there.  It is up and down terrain and although it is just seven miles to Ladera Vineyards from downtown St. Helena it can take fifteen minutes to get there.  The area reminds me a bit of the hills just west of Paso Robles.  The area is fairly dry and generally a bit cooler than the valley floor because of the altitude but on this day it was definitely warmer.  The elevation of the vineyards on the mountain range from 1,600 to 1,800 feet.

The property and facility are beautiful.  There is a long driveway into the winery/tasting room loaded with flowers on both sides of the drive.  The winery is in a historic 1886 three level stone building with 36 inch walls.  Although the building looks old from the outside, the inside of the building has been totally reinforced and modernized.  Ladera is one of the larger producers on Howell Mountain and puts out approximately ten to twelve thousand cases of wine a year.

Our host this day was Michael.  Michael was a former sommelier at the Ritz Carlton and provided us an informative but relaxed tasting.  When we arrived we were greeted with a glass of the 2011 Ladera Howell Mountain Sauvignon Blanc.  With it being a warm day, even at 10 AM, Sauv Blanc is a great way to start the day.  Ladera produces this Sauv Blanc and a Malbec but other than that it is all Cabernet.

We had three Cabernets- The first we had was the Napa Valley Cab.  This is a blend of grapes from two vineyards and we all enjoyed it and at $41.00 it is right in the price range of your standard NV Cabernet.  The two vineyards are pretty much on opposite ends of the valley.  Ladera sources from the Lone Canyon Vineyard on Mt. Veeder on the southern end of the valley and in the Mayacamas Mountain range on the west side of the valley.  It is much cooler down there on the southern end and likely receives fog on most mornings.  Ladera’s main source of grapes though is from Howell Mountain itself.  The soil on Howell Mountain is more volcanic which produces wines with more tannins but big flavors.   We tasted both the Mt. Veeder Cab as well as the Howell Mountain Cab.  Both were excellent.  I enjoyed the Veeder Cab as much as the Howell Cab.  The Veeder Cab was softer and I am guessing the Howell Cab has great age-ability. My tasting partners liked the Howell Cab. Both of these are in the $65-$75 range.

Certainly you could make a day of tasting on Howell Mountain.  Most of the wineries are small and most probably require an appointment.  The fee at Ladera was $15 and in our opinion that was a pretty good bargain for the tasting and overall experience. 

What we liked- The relaxed private tasting and the grounds are very picture worthy

What we bought- Our tasting partners bought both the NV Cab and the Howell Mountain Cab

Vitals-

150 White Cottage Lane
Angwin, CA  94508
(707) 765-2445
www.laderavineyards.com

   

Rock Wall and Rosenblum

Alameda, CA

Almost everyone has become familiar with Rosenblum wines over the years.  They have been known as one of the premier Zinfandel producers in the state.  Kent Rosenblum sold the winery a few years back and it is now owned by Diageo, the same owner as Acacia, Sterling and other big name wineries.  The Rosenblum family has started a new winery in Alameda called Rock Wall.  We visited both wineries the other day.  Both are located on the now closed Alameda Naval Air Base in mammoth buildings which formerly housed naval airplanes and facilities.

We started at Rock Wall.  We have gotten to know Rock Wall pretty well over the last couple of years.  Shauna, Kent’s daughter, is the winemaker and the face of the winery and has a very vibrant personality.  We have seen her at the winery or various events frequently.  Originally the tasting room of the winery was inside the main winemaking facility which is an old airplane hangar.  The hangar has massive doors that open out to a spectacular unobstructed view of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and the bay.  More recently the tasting room has moved to a separate building built along side of the hangar and built to take in these same views.  Although most of the tasting is inside there is also a large deck right outside the tasting room that can be used for special tastings picnics, and enjoying the view.



The Hangar at Rock Wall

 Since the Rock Wall facility is also home to five other smaller wineries that share the winemaking space the tasting opportunities are numerous.  There were three different flights available the day we visited.  The A La Carte flight included both Rock Wall wines as well as a variety of wines from the other wineries sharing the facility (Blacksmith, Carica, Ehrenberg, Joseph Gary, and JRE).  This flight includes six wines and runs $10.00.  There is also a Rock Wall Reserve Red flight at $20.00 and a A La Carte Rock Wall (only) flight at $15.00.  We opted for the $15.00 flight and picked a Viognier, Grenache Rose, a couple of Zins and a Petite Sirah and a Tannat.  Our favorite was a 2010 Alexander Valley (Harris Kratka) Zinfandel that also happened to be the special of the day at $28.00.

Our host was Jared, a UC Santa Barbara college student, that has seemed to caught on with the whole Tasting Room duties pretty well.  Rock Wall in general has a pretty young vibe to it and there are always lots of events happening at the winery.  There was a birthday party going on in one corner of the tasting room and there are small food plates available for eating both inside and out.  Wine is also available by the glass.  Hangar One Vodka has a facility with tours and tastings within walking distance of Rock Wall.

Rosenblum Cellars was also hopping that day.  On the first Sunday each month they have added activities.  They are also in a large facility and on this day there was a band playing outside.  Since the winery was bought by Diageo, the actual winemaking no longer takes place in Alameda.  The wine is now produced at Beaulieu Vineyards in Napa. The tasting room has expanded into the facility and it is quite an event center.  The room expands and contracts as needed and includes the typical tasting bar as well as several cozy sitting areas.  On the day we were there the Olympics were also being shown on a big screen. 

Rosenblum stays close to its roots as a Zinfandel maker first but there are several other varieties available.  The tasting includes two complimentary tastes, on this day a Viognier and a Zinfandel, and an expanded, mostly Zin tasting, for $10.00.  Rosenblum and Rock Wall appears to still source from some of the same areas and actual vineyards with Paso Robles, Contra Costa and Sonoma county sources being heavily represented.  I think I counted about 25 different bottling of Zinfandel being on the ‘for sale’ list. 

The tasting room was very busy the day we were there so we really did not get to know our host.  Kenny G is a host extraordinaire and he was manning the cash register this day.  We are wine club members because we think the wine is good and it is close to home but also because of the complimentary tastings that can be occasionally available at sister wineries. 

For a close by afternoon of wine tasting Alameda is a good spot to go. There are definitely quality wines being made outside what is not normally considered wine country.  There are also quite a few other ‘urban’ wineries in the East Bay which we will visit and review on another day.

What we liked-

Rock Wall- The views are great and the place has a good vibe

Rosenblum- Legendary Zins

What we bought-

Rock Wall- The Alexander Valley (Kratka) Zin

Rosenblum- We picked up our shipment of two Zins

Vitals-

Rock Wall

2301 Monarch Street

Alameda, CA 94501

(510) 522-5700

www.rockwallwines.com

Rosenblum

2900 Main Street

Alameda, CA  94501

(800) 559-8069

www.rosenblumcellars.com

                                                                                  

Flora Springs (The Room)

St. Helena, CA

I had not personally been to Flora Springs in 25 years.  We have driven by many times and maybe thought about stopping, but when they made the tasting room really fancy looking a few years ago I thought that maybe they were more about other things than just the wine.  But what a treat it turned out to be when we finally decided to try it out!!!  Yes, they have a great outdoor tasting area and an outdoor upstairs lounge and all kinds of great events but the wine was truly excellent.

We had made arrangements in advance and were treated to a seated tasting outdoors.  Our host was Tom, a retired dentist who works a couple of days a week.  This is a job I would like when I retire but maybe if I had been a dentist I would not have to wait for this job until I become too old and weak to stand on my feet for 6-8 hours a day.  We had brought our own lunch so we tasted as we ate; for those of you that are not as prepared, Dean & DeLuca is just across the street.  Our lunch, not coming from Dean & DeLuca was probably 1/3^rd the price but equally good. 

The Room

Tom must have liked us that day as we tasted quite a few wines.  The winery features four different levels/classes including the Signature Series, the Napa Valley Series, the Single Vineyard Series and  the Winery Only Wines.  We started with a Pinot Grigio and tasted both Chardonnay’s, ($20 and $30 one being a bit crisper than the second that received some malolactic fermentation.  We also tasted the Merlot as well as the Napa Valley Cab ($40) and a Cab Franc.  From there we tasted a couple of the Single Vineyard Cabernets.  The Holy Smoke and Wild Boar stood out, both priced at $85.

Coutyard

The Facility, known as ‘The Room’, has your typical tasting room and then has additional spaces including a great courtyard and then a rooftop deck that is used for events.  There appears to be all kinds of activities that take place at the facility.  The one that interested us is their monthly Dinner and Movie series, a lobster dinner in the courtyard followed by a Movie in the rooftop lounge ($99).  

Flora Springs has a second facility know as ‘The Estate’.  This is housed in a historic 19^th century building and is similar to some of the older facilities in the valley such as the Rubicon (Inglenook buildings).  Tasting and Tours and Tastings at the Room run from $20 with additional options available while tasting at the ‘Estate’ start at $40 but include a wider range of the premium wines.    No reservations are required at the ‘Room’ but they are required at the ‘Estate’.

What we liked: The facility/grounds, Tom, the Single Vineyard Cabs

What we bought: Napa Valley Cabernet

Vitals-

677 St. Helena Highway (29)

St. Helena, CA  94574

(707) 967-8032

www.florasprings.com