Exploring Wines with the Wine Consultant: A Special Place in Sacramento
If you want to get better, more informed, and have a richer and deeper experience of anything – you need a coach or a mentor. In my pursuit of wine knowledge, that person for me is Eric Stumpf. Eric and his wife, Renee, own a wine store in Citrus Heights, CA called “The Wine Consultant.” Eric has a vast knowledge and appreciation for wine. He has over 20 years experience and has traveled much of the world visiting wineries and meeting with wine makers, and then he shares his experience with his customers.
I first walked into his store about nine years ago, having just moved to Sacramento from Kansas City and in search of a fine wine connection. I have been visiting his store ever since. I would venture to say that there are few in the area who know more about wine than Eric. He has been a trusted advisor for me to grow and expand my palate and understanding of wine. What he knows is remarkable, and he’s willing to educate and share.
Outpost Wines: A Real Gem
There are many wineries that stand out for their wine, and Outpost is one of them. This winery crafts wonderful wine from high atop Howell Mountain. Outpost sits 2200 feet above the Napa Valley floor. The vineyards surround the property, and you can readily see many of them from one of the tasting rooms during your visit.
What’s relevant about the altitude? There are many who say that mountain fruit produces deep and concentrated flavors in a wine. There are attributes associated with altitude that contribute to this, such as heat during the day, cooling at night, exposure to more direct sunlight, and access to water. One thing that all will agree on is temperature. The higher you go, the cooler it gets. That translates to potentially longer hang time for the grapes on the vine, which benefits ripeness and flavor. The mountains also tend to have soils that drain more rapidly, and that contributes to the vines having to struggle to get water. This puts stress on the vine. What that means is that the vines put a lot of energy into the grapes, resulting in mountain fruit having thicker skin, smaller berries, and, many believe, a greater concentration of flavors.
Good Wine Buy – a Northern California Cabernet for $30.00!
Here’s a low-priced Cabernet from Sonoma — it’s the 2010 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet, and it’s priced at just $30. This AVA is only seven miles north of Calistoga; and, if you drive north from there, you might not realize that you’ve left Napa Valley. The tannic structure on this wine is such that, if you drink it now, it will be best with food or appetizers or decanted. The production is large enough that it should be available in many outlets, and it’s a value worth pursuing and a bottle worth aging. You could buy three bottles and drink one now, one a year from now, and one down the road. The 2009 vintage of this wine made Wine Spectators’ top 100 list. Will this one make it? I dare not say, but maybe.
Just a note about Wine Spectator’s top 100 list. There are specific criteria that the magazine uses to determine what is worthy of the list. Specifically, they consider, of course, wines that are well crafted; but they also consider wines that are well priced and have a certain level of production. Kudos to them, because it would be a shame to highlight only expensive, limited production wines.
Dunn: A Napa Valley Classic
One of the most iconic cabernets out of Napa Valley is the Dunn Cabernet from Dunn Vineyards. Randy Dunn, the primary principal of this winery, started his career with Caymus back in the 1970’s. He began his own winery in the latter part of that decade. Randy has been known and respected throughout the valley for crafting and creating big, muscular wines that age and age.
Mike Dunn (Randy’s son) is the cellar master and assistant wine maker and has assumed many more of the day-to-day responsibilities of the winery over the past seven years. Mike also started his own label — crafting his own style of wine called Retro, which is a Petite Syrah. He has two wines that are big, bold, and age-able, yet approachable young — at a killer price. His Retro label sells for under $35 and will age gracefully.
Qué Paso!?
California wines have a huge following (as they should); and, while Napa has the biggest reputation, there is another area of note. That is California’s Central Coast. There are some very beautiful wines coming out of this region, and it is especially worthy of a visit. We visited the area with dear friends a while ago and had a wonderful time.
Specifically, we visited Paso Robles and stayed at the Hotel Cheval. This is a quiet town with excellent food and a quaint town square. Our experience was refreshing and relaxing. The hotel itself was small, and the well-appointed rooms surrounded a peaceful courtyard. Chairs were set in the courtyard in front of fireplaces, and there was a nightly S’mores service. Yes – a young gentleman would come around with a cart, and you could order your flavor of marshmallow with a specific chocolate. Yum, and I am admitting right here that I sat back and let him make a S’more for me!
Consider a Visit to Del Dotto on Your Next Visit to Napa!
Napa is filled with great wineries and great tasting experiences. Where to visit is really a question that is best answered by what type of experience you would like to have. There are over 400 wineries in the valley, and each offers something different to tantalize your palate and your mind.
Del Dotto is one of those fun and informational tours that I recommend to most folks who have the opportunity to visit the valley. There are two wine caves to choose from, and both offer tours of their caves where you taste from barrels along the way. The original location is in Napa in the south end of the valley. It’s been a few years since I’ve visited that location, but I’m sure you would not be disappointed. My most recent tours have been in the newer location in St. Helena. Del Dotto tours and tastings are by appointment only, and the cost is $50 per person. Trust me — You will definitely get your money’s worth!
What?? A “Ball Buster”??
Forgive me. I had no intention of offending anyone with the title of this post, but this is a wine that caught my eye for the obvious reason. I was traveling, as I do frequently, and I was shopping for wine for dinner. Out of necessity, I have a list of fine wine shops throughout the country. One of those stores is Lukas Liquor in Overland Park, Kansas. I was in Kansas City for a few days recently and had a chance to have a nice dinner at J. Alexander’s. One of the best aspects of this restaurant is that there is NO corkage fee.
So, before dinner, I stopped at Lukas and was exploring the Australian section. This label caught my eye. “What the heck,” I thought, “It’s only a $16.00 experiment.” I knew that one of the advantages of Shiraz from Australia is that it can be drunk young.
The Ball Buster was a perfect accompaniment to my dinner.
Prosecco — Nicely Priced!
As I peddled away on the stationary bike this evening watching “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” on the Food Network (if I can’t eat everything I want, at least I can watch it!), I saw two advertisements for Prosecco. I had never seen Prosecco ads on TV before — who knew?? Well, that reminded me that I had neglected to point out the pricing of Prosecco when I posted about it the other night.
Prosecco runs in the under $20 category for the really good ones. I’ve seen Lamarca, which is a nice bottle, at Costco for as little as $12 and in grocery stores in the range of $12-15.
A Time to “Sparkle”
Last night was an evening to relax and enjoy a great meal with my favorite person at our favorite restaurant – Hawks. If you live in the Sacramento area and you haven’t tried Hawks, you should. I waited at the bar and had a glass of Prosecco. It is a perfect way to begin and refresh the palate.
Prosecco (officially called “Glera”) is an Italian grape varietal that is used to make a white sparkling wine. (By the way, the ancient Greeks called Italy “Oenotria,” which means the land of wine.) Many great wines come from Italy, and Prosecco is one of the most important wines from a region called The Veneto. It is also one of Italy’s most celebratory wines and the second leading sparkling wine in Italy after Asti. (Spumante means sparkling wine.) Italy has three major wine regions: Piedmont, Tuscany, and The Tre Venezie. The Veneto is one of the three regions that make up the Tre Venezie. The best grapes grow just north of Venice. Prosecco is dry or “off dry” (meaning it has some residual sugar to make it slightly sweet) with good acidity and a light, creamy flavor.
Let Them Eat Cakebread!
February is a quiet time in Napa Valley, as many visitors wait until it’s warmer to visit. While it is quiet relatively speaking (there are more visitors to Napa Valley then to Disneyland), there are still many new wines to be tasted. Typically, wineries release their wines in the early spring (sometimes February) and in the fall. One typical way to release new wines to the public is via a release party. Mostly, release parties are by invitation to the wineries’ mailing lists or wine clubs, but many times you can be included if you’re aware the release party is taking place and you call ahead. Release parties are often publicized on a winery’s website.
Such was our recent visit to Cakebread Cellars for their release party. This is one of the family-owned wineries in the valley. Let me also say that still today over 95% of the wineries in Napa Valley are family-owned. Cakebread Cellars opened over 39 years ago. Jack Cakebread came to photograph the Napa Valley for a book; and, while there, his interest was piqued in owning and running a winery. And that truly was the genesis of Cakebread. This winery was also one of forerunners in wine and food pairing. Jack’s wife, Dolores, was known for her winery dinners. This many years later, Cakebread still highlights pairings and recipes on its website (www.cakebread.com) and offers cooking classes at the winery. I remember visiting Cakebread in the early 1970s, when the tasting room was a small barn-like structure. Today, it is a beautiful, modern structure; but it still has a rustic theme.