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Today was one of those days where a plentitude of solidly great wines crossed the desk. One of the best determinations of juice that really impresses is letting it sit for several hours. I did that with everything I tasted today.

Currently there is a round robin of five glasses on my desk and I must say it is a pretty stunning lineup. It is nearly 9 PM on Wednesday and I am still pouring and tasting very impressive samples from:

Tor Kenward: Cabernet Sauvignon Mast Cimarossa and Hudson Syrah made by Jeff Ames

Rudius: Alder Springs Syrah and the premiere of Jeff Ames' Cabernet!

Joseph Swan: Saralee's? Beautiful again!

Rocca: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon! Look for the review and offering next week

I must say I am thrilled to have these wines to offer (actually pinching myself) as they are all beautifully made. Oops I almost forgot the new kid on the block -

2006 Verge Syrah from Dry Creek Valley 300 cases off of all organic vineyards? It really creeps up on you.

If you don't have your RSS feed locked in for The Wilder Side of California yet it may be a good idea so you are first to see what I say about these wines over the next couple weeks.

Zinfandel was once a variety that made up a good proportion of my modest cellar I kept in my SF apartment closet. Those wines included Ridge Lytton Springs and Geyserville bottlings as well as the Ravenswood designates. That appreciation has decreased over the years as I have found fewer examples that really stand out for me. A notable exceptiuon are the wines Scott and Lynn Adams produce at Bella from the Dry Creek Appellation.

Back in the summer I enjoyed one of those profound wine experiences that tend to resonate for a long time - a wine that unexpectedly transcends the playing field and leaves the taster in a state of awe.

The wine for me was the 2006 Robert Craig Zinfandel Howell Mountain, VF 96, harvested from vineyard sources near the 2000 foot elevation on the mountain. Seldom do I experience any wine of this purity and depth that just stops me in my tracks. Bob Craig's team has my deep admiration for what they have achieved here.  At this point Vinfolio has less than 2 cases of this masterpiece available and it is unclear if we will receive more. To acquire, please click on the link below.

2006 Robert Craig Zinfandel Howell Mountain, VF 96

For as long as I have been following the David Arthur project, the wines have been made by Bob Egelhoff. Beginning in the 1996 vintage this brand begin producing an iconic pair of Cabernet Sauvignon from their Estate; Cabernet Sauvignon, and Elevation 1147, that have gone on to be recognized as some of the top wines produced in California year after year.

In late July I was chatting with Nile Zacherle of Zacherle Wines and Lava Vine (we have offices located in the same building) and he mentioned to me he had just taken over as winemaker at David Arthur beginning with the 2008 vintage. I thought this was very exciting news as I have known Nile for several years since he was making Barnett on Spring Mountain. He cut his teeth at Sterling and Chateau Montelena early in his career. The Wine Spectator picked up on Nile's appointment earlier this month and interviewed him here.

Congratulations to Nile for joining one of my favorite Cabernet producers! I just tasted the new releases last week and they will be appearing at Vinfolio soon.

When you find that poking around your Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc doesn't bring up the exact selection you are looking for then possibly you are ready for a new adventure in white wines. Luckily there are several new choices I have tried over the last few months that fill that order very nicely.

Semillon grows in similar regions with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, and is especially prevalent in Bordeaux where it is a staple component of dessert wines. In California it is not widely planted (less than 1000 acres currently producing, according to the USDA California Grape Acreage Report for 2007) I see virtually no varietally labelled Semillon anymore, whoever works with it is blending it with Sauvignon Blanc for effect.

It is no surprise that some of the most exciting work in California with Semillon, as a blending grape is being done by Luc Morlet of Morlet Family Vineyard (formerly of Peter Michael and Staglin) whose family still owns Pierre Morlet in Champagne.

Vinfolio has a pair of Luc's delicious blends, both in their premiere vintages; 2006 Morlet La Proportion Doree; 66% Semillon, 32% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle, and 2007 Bure Nuit Blanche; 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Semillon. The profiles, though different have a complex layering of flavors that are a hallmark of Morlet.

Click on the links below for tasting notes and ordering information for these delicious wines:

2006 Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Doree, VF 95, WA 94, IWC 92

2007 Bure Nuit Blanche, VF 93

Additionally, Andy Erickson's 2006 Arietta On The White Keys, VF 94, IWC 93, WA 90-92 (A concert for the palate - Arietta's On The White Keys; freerunjuice July 14,2008) is another wine I consider at the top of the pyramid of stylish Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blends

For those of you who wake up in the morning to your RSS feeds of freerunjuice this is one of those days where you may just need to put down the coffee cup and click away at the bottom of this posting!

I am pleased to announce we are offering our tiny allocation of the 2005 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon already the subject of high praise from both Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, and Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

If you follow the top, established producers in Napa Valley, you already know how collectible Spottswoode is. From the very first vintage in 1982, it has been one of the elite vineyard sources in all of California. My first experience with the wine was in 1991 when I tasted the 1987 at a release function. I was overwhelmed with how delicious the wine was. That particular vintage received a 95 point rating from The Wine Spectator. Since then I have tried at least seven or eight later vintages and found them to be rich and elegant - exceptional examples from this pristine, sustainably maintained estate.

For more information on what steps Spottswoode is taking to do their part for the environment you may refer to my February 29 posting on this blog.

Why do you want this wine? 

1. It is one of a handful of blue chips that have maintained a relatively moderate price in comparison among new producers.

2. In Robert Parker's assessment, he refers to the 2005 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon as "may be Spottswoode's strongest effort since their superb 2002 and 2001" Parker scored those vintages 97, and 95, respectively.

3. Surveying ratings information in VinCellar, I need to go back to 1998 before I find a score from a major critic reviewing a vintage of Spottswoode below 90 points, and even then it was a one vintage aberration (where only a handful of producers saw 90+ point scores).

Now in its 24th vintage under the Novak family, we don't expect any flashy news coming our way from the Spottswoode Estate, just the methodical release of joyous wines year after year.

Contact your Vinfolio Wine Specialist to check on availability or click on the link below to order now.

2005 Spottswoode Cabernet sauvignon, WA 96, IWC 93

I'm in a full-blown Pinot Noir frame of mind this week after tasting through a half dozen Tuesday evening with my Oregon source. When he comes calling, I put virtually everything else on the back burner. He carries many of the magical wines I tell you about all year and it is rare I don't find several "must haves" when we taste. - I always ask about wines we may have soldout of to see if he may have a few boxes left over. This week I hit the jackpot with him and unearthed 12 bottles of 2005 Rex Hill Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard to complement the slightly larger quantity of 2005 Rex Hill Pinot Noir Jacob-Hart Vineyard we have available.

The often decorated Rex Hill Winery (named Wine & Spirits Magazines' Winery of the Year four times in six years) was founded by Paul Hart and Jan Jacobsen in 1982.  In 2007 it was purchased by A to Z Wineworks, operated by Oregon wine industry vets, Bill and Deborah Hatcher, Sam Tannahill and Cheryl Francis. Their commitment to the property is unwavering and I think they will be magnificent stewards.

I have had only limited exposure to the wines from Rex Hill but what I tasted of the 2004 and 2005 vintage made an indelible impression on me and I seek them out now to source any chance I get. The 2004 Maresh Vineyard flirted close to perfection and received a VF 97 point score. The 2005 was an extremly impressive 94-point effort when we first offered it.  Maresh is the fifth oldest vineyard in Oregon, first planted in 1970.

The Jacob Hart Vineyard is the estate property and was planted to Pinot Noir in 1983 by the founders. It was a highly allocated wine to us in the summer and rather than have it go to another account I brought in a reasonable amount. There is no more available aside from remaining inventory. Here is your opportunity to acquire two very limited production, exciting Pinot Noir from one of America's most important growing regions.

Secure your Rex Hill and see what we think of them by cllicking on either of the links here.

2005 Rex Hill Pinot Noir Jacob Hart Vineyard; VF 93

2005 Rex Hill Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard; VF 94

I will be the first to admit I have a bias toward the Pinot Noir from Kenneth Juhasz's Auteur program but ironically those are the wines that actually have a little bigger production. (I'm sure that will cause some who can't get enough of his Pinot  to laugh out loud!) In fact Kenneth has told me what he loves most to make is Chardonnay and the production numbers are very tiny. The forthcoming 2007 Auteur Chardonnay Donum Vineyard, is only 71 case production for instance, and sadly is the last vintage from this site. The Old Wente clone is gorgeous in this wine, by the way. 

The wine I want to talk about here is the premiere release of 2006 Auteur Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard from Larry Hyde's grand cru site in Carneros. Only 117 cases were produced and a small amount found its way into Vinfolio in the Spring. It received no review at that time as it got caught up in the frenzy of the arrival of the 100 point 2006 Auteur Pinot Noir Sonoma Stage and Manchester Ridge. What we had didn't last long and the winery sold out in three hours.

Last week I received a call from my Auteur connection offering me a handful of remaining cases of the 2006 Chardonnay from Hyde. It took me all of two seconds to place the order and it went up on the site that afternoon. But I reminded myself to taste the wine ASAP and write a review for it.

Luckily I had that chance when I met up with Laura Juhasz this week at Farallon in San Francisco. Keep in mind the 2007 vintage will not be released until spring 2009. It turns out to be a beautiful addition to the Auteur lineup.

2006 Auteur Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard, Carneros; VF 92

The wine falls a shimmering pale golden in the glass and displays rich polished aromatics of pear and citrus with a sprinkling of mineral density. The flavors are sleek, focused and balanced. Throughout the experience is a feeling of lively acidity, which Kenneth wants to be an important component of this wine. From the vineyard to the bottle, this is emphasized over and over: picking occured at night and the barrels (only 20% new) went through a 2 month cold fermentation. It is aged on the lees and only 40% went through malo-lactic fermentation.

For those of you waiting for the Fall and Spring release from Auteur, you can revisit my tasting notes from a lunch tasting I had with Kenneth in June.

We have a very limited quantity of this wine available and if you are a collector of either Auteur, or Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, this is one to pickup a few bottles of.

Currently there are no purchase restrictions on this wine.

How many of you know that Pope Valley is part of the Napa Valley AVA? Don't worry, lots of people have not even heard of it.

The region of the Napa Valley AVA known as Pope Valley (situated in the far Northeast corner of the appellation) has not received much in the way of attention among consumers or even those of us in the trade. Historically it has been the source of wines used for blending from vineyards owned by such wine industry stalwarts as Flora Springs, Heitz, Hess and St. Supery. It is physically disconnected from the rest of the appellation by Howell Mountain; a formidable barrier. Until recently my only tangible exposure to Pope Valley was tasting the Sauvignon Blanc from Juliana Vineyard from a producer I can't recall.

In 2006, James Laube of The Wine Spectator blogged about Pope Valley and advocated that it was time for it to have its own appellation. In the blog Laube acknowledges it has been difficult to evaluate Pope Valley red wines on their own since virtually all of them have gone into Napa Valley blends.

In 2008 that is changing a little bit. Over the past couple months I have had the pleasure of tasting a pair of very significant red wines where all or a large portion of the grapes are sourced from vineyards in Pope Valley: Both of these wines are available for order by clicking on the linkes.

The first is the premire vintage of 2005 Phifer Pavitt Cabernet Sauvignon, Date Night; VF 94, sourced from the organically grown Temple Vineyard, followed most recently by the 2005 Caduceus Nagual Del Sensei; VF 95 - created by Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer for the band, Tool.

Viewed simply on the merits of putting quality wine in the bottle, as far as I'm concerned these wines could stand up tall against examples from anywhere else in the appellation. I had to do extra research after my tasting to find more information on the sources. Seeing one wine from Pope Valley may have had a bit of fluke nature to it but the follow-up tasting of another producer, another style of wine made me realize there is probably something worth exploring on the other side of the mountain.

Over the next couple weeks, I plan to visit the Temple Vineyard in Pope Valley, they produce wine under their own label as well and I am looking forward to trying that in a more formal setting soon. But when I go, I'll take a compass!

I want to congratulate Abe Schoener of Scholium Project for a pair of recent stories that have appeared in major newspapers on both coasts. In August, Jon Bonne, Wine Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle penned an article entitled Revolution by the Glass - Does a freethinking vintner make California's most interesting wine? The Chronicle's article was followed this week by the New York Times' Wine Editor, Eric Asimov article entitled A Thinking Man's Wines.

This type of exposure is something I felt was inevitable after Abe and I got together to taste his first vintage of Scholium Project wines in July 2005 These wiines were made in painfully small quantities and the 2002 Scholium Chardonnay The Sylphs remains the only Chardonnay to receive a perfect 100 point score from Vinfolio. For several years if you didn't read about Scholium Project on the pages of Vinfolio, you probably didn't know much about it. It seems that the talents of Abe Schoener are no longer a secret...

The reason for this post is not to necessarily discuss Scholium Project, but to remind you of another Schoener "project" that actually caught my attention before Scholium. I am talking about Maldonado Chardonnay, the vineyard source that was used for the first "experimental" wine that preceeded the Scholium Project as we now know it but inextricably tied to Schoener's legacy. The wine was called Les Tenebres and was the first example I had ever experienced from Maldonado Vineyard fruit. About a year after that wine appeared, we experienced the release of the premiere release of a 2002 Chardonnay from Maldonado made by Schoener. We at Vinfolio have been huge fans of Maldonado since the first vintage. It holds the distinction of appearing in every Top Wines of the Year ever published at Vinfolio, which happens to coincide with all of the vintages Maldonado has produced. The 2005 vintage is currently available at Vinfolio.

Order the legendary 2005 Maldonado Chardonnay here and experience why we are so excited about it!

Earlier this week I finished writing the latest installment of The Wilder Side of California, Issue 206 that will be available for viewing on our website Thursday night. In the opening paragraph I commented that out of the wines I could have written about, there was a particular resonance to writing about the selection I did. I couldn't even explain it to myself at the time but for some reason they just went together and the time was right. It wasn't until today I realized there really was a theme.

So this morning I learned from a posting by Tim Corliss on the Mark Squires Bulletin Board (eRobertParker.com) that Celia Masyczek was just named Food & Wine Magazine's Winemaker of the Year for 2008. I couldn't be happier for Celia to receive this award. As I have mentioned before she got on my radar screen in 1999 after I tasted the marvelous 1998 Staglin Cabernet Sauvignon she made. Over the last two or three vintages her career as a consultant and the attentiion brought to her wines has gone into hyperdrive. In my opinion, this recognition is overdue.

One of her projects (a long list of stunning wines including Scarecrow, Lindstrom, Hollywood & Vine, Rocca, Keever and her own Corra label which had its world premiere last year on this blog), is the first wine I discuss in Friday's issue. (a hint... It is the highest scoring debut release from her I have tasted)

By some coincidence, the offer concludes with the new release from Robert Foley who just happened to be Food & Wine Magazine's Winemaker of the Year 2007.

We hope you enjoy the wines discussed in this coming offer of top-flight Napa Bordeaux varietal wines and please join all of us at Vinfolio in congratulating Celia Masyczek on this honor from Food & Wine Magazine. Don't miss Issue 206 of The Wilder Side of California to see what the buzz is all about.

And lastly, I can't forget to mention Vinfolio was named one of Food & Wine Magazine's Top 10 Best Online Wine Shops of 2007