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After being away from the valley for a few days, I returned to Calistoga today not fully appreciating the heat wave that has rolled in since I had been in San Francisco (which is beginning to exhibit the early feeling of balmy fall weather).

It turned out I needed to run up to Philip Togni to pickup some wine and I was happy to find the temperature there near the peak of Spring Mountain was a few degrees cooler than the scorching valley floor. Philip and daughter Lisa were preparing to bottle the upcoming vintage of the sweet Black Hamburgh, Ca' Togni tomorrow (it is delicious!). Philip took me on the traditional hike up the ship ladders in the gravity flow winery on our customary (at least once annually) barrel tasting. The 2007 components are as always, very compelling (free run and press fractions are kept seperate until final selection of what goes into the Togni vs. Tan Bark Hill. Parker will be out to taste in the middle of October so look for his impressions before the end of the year.

Philip mentioned the 2008 harvest will be smaller than normal, likely only about 1600 cases total.

Before leaving, Philip let me know that we still have more cases remaining of our 2005 allocation.

Here as a reminder is our outstanding evaluation of it:

2005 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon; Vinfolio rating: 96 points

It is showing a deep cassis nose with shadings of salted Spanish olives, grilled Argentine beef and crumbled French lavender. The palate when first opened was very tightly wound with strongly focused acidity and a leanness that was notable even by Philip's standards. Now the mouth has fleshed out to show much more accessibility. Sculpted blackberry, graphite, grilled meats, violets, plums and an exquisite chemistry of strength and suppleness. The finish is tactile smoky mole, espresso and blackberry. I expect nobody will adopt my crack and banish regimen but those who take a position in this wine based on my recommendation should know that it needs patience without compromise. Drink 2011 - 2030

If you are interested in more of this wine, A Vinfolio Top 25 wine of 2007, please place a quote request or contact your Vinfolio Wine Specialist for assistance.

With the beginning of summer more and more winemakers want to get together and show me the upcoming releases for Fall and beyond. Today I was finally able to get together with Kenneth Juhasz, owner/winemaker of Auteur, for lunch in Calistoga and a chance to catch up with the 2007 vintage Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Kenneth brought a pair of Chardonnay, one each from Hyde and Donum Vineyard and five different bottlings of Pinot Noir - Ophelia (the only blended wine in the lineup) along with Hyland and Shea Vineyards out of the Willamette Valley followed by Sonoma Stage and Manchester Ridge from Sonoma Coast, and Mendocino Ridge, respectively.

We began by tasting the Chardonnay served with Hog Island Oysters that showed off the impeccable structure of the Hyde Vineyard yet were a bit overmatched by the Donum Vineyard's powerful Old Wente clone's oily concentration. Believe it or not this was my first chance to taste Ophelia, Kenneth's ORCA blend of Shea, Hyland and Sonoma Stage.

Getting into the Pinot Noir designates is where I usually find the boldest strokes of greatness from this producer and we went through them in succession from Hyland, Shea, Sonoma Stage and Manchester Ridge. As these are all impressions of wine in barrel that will not begin reaching the market for at least another 6 months I have evaluated them with a range that envelope my impressions.

My experience with Auteur over the last five vintages has taught me a few things:

1. The wines seem to get better every vintage
2. The evaluations of the barrels are always exceeded by the finished wine
3. Patience, patience What you don't understand now, leave the bottle open for a couple days

All of the samples had just been pulled from barrel this morning and were presented in 375mL format and were initially sampled at room temperature.

2007 Auteur Chardonnay, Hyde Vineyard; VF 93-95

Polished lemon and mineral intensity on the nose with a supple creamy core of pear and lemon. The wine goes through no malo-lactic fermentation, retaining a vibrant intensity to the silky long finish.

2007 Auteur Chardonnay Donum Vineyard; VF 92-94

From the oldest 30+ year-old Old Wente block at Donum, this will be the last vintage from Auteur. Rich color decidedly deeper than the Hyde showing a shimmering nose with minerally white peach that is proniunced in its forwardness. The palate carries the peach, lemon and pear theme beautifully.

2007 Auteur Pinot Noir Ophelia; VF 92-94

A delicate nose of salt, geranium blossom, verbena and wet quartz. The palate is nicely focused  and creamy with a solid core of acidity balancing the concentrated black cherry and blackberry

2007 Auteur Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard; VF 84-86

The wine smells and tastes a little smoky but shows nice texture throughout the palate. This will bear close watching in evolution as it is a clearly an abberation of the Hyland profile.

2007 Auteur Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard; VF 94-96

Wow, beautifully rich nose - carbon, dried violet flowers black raspberry and licorice already in a surprisingly integrated form. Black raspberry, licorice and plum are evident on the palate yet to attain the polish that is a hallmark for this wine.

2007 Auteur Pinot Noir Sonoma Stage Vineyard; VF 95-97

A little lilac and forest aromas, the palate is already showing nice intensity for such a young wine. Intertwined black cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and violet come through vividly.

2007 Auteur Pinot Noir Manchester Ridge; VF 98-100

It is scary to think this wine won't be out for another nine months. It is already better than 80% of the 2006 releases in the market. Mind blowing is the way to describe the aromatics in this wine - geranium, violet, white raspberry with a hint of sweet fig. The palate is the most evolved of any of the barrels already showing layered flavors with the foundation of complex cherry, lavender. mineral and red cherry.

I've said it before - Kenneth Juhasz is creating what are likely some of the most important Pinot Noir in America yet he seems to be doing it with relative ease and I hasten to add, a great deal of humility. During lunch when I was deep in thought with one of the Pinots, I turned to him and said "Kenneth, you should be required to make wine with one hand tied behind your back".

At the conclusion of the lunch Kenneth offered to send all of the ungassed samples back with me,however since they had only been under cork for an hour before coming to me, the corks had expanded and refused to go back in the bottles. I was forced to keep all of the samples bolt upright (uncorked) in my car back to the office and then carried them home the same way.  After being open to air for nearly 12 hours the wines had gained additional dimension. I will taste all of these wines again prior to release to determine a final review, but with the exception of the Hyland  at this juncture the Auteur portfolio seems in very good shape.

If you are going to the Pinot Days event in San Francisco this Sunday, look for Kenneth's table near the front. I could tell you what he will be pouring but that would spoil the surprise!

When visiting recently with Michael Browne at Kosta Browne to taste and blend Vinfolio's Hospices of Sonoma barrel, I also had a chance to taste with Shane Finley, a former New Yorker who got his start in 2001 as a harvest intern for Copain and rose quickly from there becoming Associate Winemaker for Kosta Browne in 2006. He is introducing his new eponymous project consisting of three Syrah and a Rose. Two of the Syrah are mailing list only, and the Rose will be arriving in about a month.

Like Ryan Zepaltas who has a similar position at Siduri, Finley is producing excellent wines and Vinfolio is honored to be the exclusive retailer for his only wine that had some left over from the mailing list. The wine is called "The Unknown" and with this kind of quality, that moniker will be gone in no time.

Finley uses three complementary sources; Kick Ranch located in Rincon Valley, Jemrose Vineyard in Bennett Valley and Valenti Vineyards in Anderson Valley. Jemrose is brighter and fruitier than the massive, broad shouldered Valenti. A total of five diverse clones are sourced.

2006 Shane Syrah The Unknown, Sonoma County

Smooth nose of black currant and white pepper, the palate is jam-packed with black currant, peppery blackberry and a sachet of violet, and plump salt-sprinkled blueberry. Only 125 cases are produced.

Look for this wine soon at Vinfolio. You are welcome to place a quote request through VinCellar. There will be strict allocations for this first release.

Vineyard owner Kelly Fleming is finishing up the rough work in her new 12000 square foot cave on her Pickett Road property. There will be enough room inside for all her production of organically grown Estate grapes made by Celia Masyczek. The project will not be finished for about another year but Kelly is optimistic about crushing there in 2008. Her 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon was recently profiled at Vinfolio where it received a 93 point score. Don't miss this weeks issue of The Wilder Side of California featuring more wines by Celia.

Last week was my first chance to taste the new releases from Jonata during a comprehensive expedition into the Santa Ynez Valley. I had the 2005 Pinot Noir La Poesia de Jonata with dinner at the rancho and it is the first to get a complete note written on it. Winemaker Matt Dees has exciting fruit to work with from the rolling hills of Santa Barbara.  

2005 Jonata Pinot Noir La Poesia de Jonata Sta. Rita Hills VF 92

Shows a rich polished nose of plum, black cherry and raspberry touched with a spray of anise. The palate is bright, round cherry and spice with smoothly sculpted acidity. Shows nice texture without astringency. The finish is pomegrtanate and graphite kissed with soft hints of cherry.

Overall, I visited with 11 winemakers and tasted 14 brands in three days. Keep an eye on free run juice for more reports from the field.

I began writing this blog post earlier in the week but needed to put it on hold to attend the Wine Writer's Symposium at Meadowood to learn to be a better writer. Now I'm ready to move into the festivities surronding Premiere Napa Valley and that means non stop eating and tasting over the next three days.

 I can't let the day pass without mentioning the story behind the wine of Kelly Fleming. In my last post I discussed the Celia Masyczek portfolio of wines which I had been wanting to do with her for a long time. Among the highlights was my first taste of Kelly Fleming Cabernet Sauvignon. Personally for me this wine has taken on somewhat mythical proportions. Kelly Fleming is a real person married to a restauranteur I have become friends with over the years. That takes care of disclosure.

The winery and the brand is Kelly's personal project. I had the chance to sit down with her last month at her home overlooking the 12 acre organic Cabernet Vineyard, nestled in below the craggy Palisades of Calistoga and a stone's throw from neighboring Araujo. Somewhat shy and self-effacing, Fleming wants the story not to be about her about the property and Amigo Bob, the acknowledged organic consultant around advises her regarding universal practices for the site while Vineyard Manager Jim Barbour who had never worked with an organic site before is now being recognized by other organic growers.

See the review here