The fruit for the Rutherford Cab is sourced from the Heritage Vineyard, which borders Conn Creek in the prestigious Rutherford appellation.

The 2006 Rutherford Cab shows intriguing scents of mulberry, tangy red fruit, green olive and the area’s telltale dust. It’s creamy and plush in the mouth with integrated flavors of blackberry, coffee bean and mocha.

99 cases produced

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Embassy Wines & Spirits for $47.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!

First & Vine for $55.99/bottle

Martin Brothers Wines & Spirits for $43.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!

Penn Wine & Spirits for $46/bottle SOLD OUT!!

Blue Hill for $110/bottle

The fruit for this mountain cab is sourced from Tony’s Vineyard, which is composed primarily of volcanic rock and located 1,650 feet above sea level.

The 2006 Spring Mountain Cab is intense, yet in control, with fresh notes of plum, cherry, red currant and dust. Its taut acidity and balance suggest a very long life, though it’s lovely to drink now.

123 cases produced

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First & Vine for $55.99/bottle

Frankly Wines for $49.99/bottle

Made up of 80% cab and 20% merlot, Anatomy No. 1 is a blend of fruit from several vineyards located predominantly in the Napa Valley’s southern half.

The 2007 Anatomy No. 1 is intensely fruit forward, but retains its balance with lively cherry, blackberry and tobacco leaf notes. It is vivacious and direct, making it food friendly and easy to drink.

250-case production; aging in 20% new French oak, 30% once- and 50% twice-used French oak.

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California Wine Merchants for $29.99/bottle

Embassy for $37.99/bottle

First & Vine for $32.99/bottle

Dovetail for $71/bottle

P.D. O'Hurley's @West End for $14/glass; $44/bottle

Kennedy's for $16/glass; $55/bottle

West Side Steakhouse for $55/bottle

Amazingly, the 2007 Rosé is Bill’s first stab at this category in more than 20 years. His only goal: Make a quaffable, dry rosé in the style that might be found in Provence. With a twist, that is. This rosé is a red wine drinker's pink wine. Meaning that it has far more wine-y attributes than you generally see in the category.

There are a few reasons for this. First and foremost, it's made of 100% syrah, a grape that can be grown in many places under many different growing conditions. That said, syrah doesn't make frivolous reds (or pinks). It's just not in the grape's DNA. So, what Bill was left with was real fruit for a real wine, one that just happens to be off-red in color.

The second crucial factor is that the wine doesn't undergo malolactic fermentation. This secondary fermentation (that is, second to the initial alcoholic fermentation in which yeast interacts with grape sugars and converts them to alcohol) is discussed throughout this website. The short version is that by not allowing the rudimentary wine to go through malo (the shorthand reference), it retains a sprightly freshness that it might have lost otherwise. This results in a zingy rosé with real wine-like character.

Bill would probably read this, and say, "Just shut up and drink it." Agreed.

WINE PROFILE:

Fresh and very clean combination of citrus and tropical fruit notes with a vivacious finish. Tasty and light enough to drink as an aperitif, it’s also an ideal match for spicy dishes, from Asian-inspired to barbecue.

400 cases produced

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Greene Grape Downtown for $17.75/bottle

The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges for $12/glass; $48/bottle

P.D. O'Hurley's @ West End for $13/glass; $32/bottle

The 2007 Lagrein ("la-grine") was conceived after Bill and his wife, Susan, experienced their first taste of this Alpine native on its own soil. While common in Northeast Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige region, lagrein is seldom seen elsewhere. It may be a cross between schiava and teroldego. Bill thinks his production is the largest outside of Italy.

In addition to being a bit of a stranger in a very strange land, lagrein results in wines, whether made here or there, that there is no neutrality about. Much like gewürztraminer, people either love it or loathe it. It typically has a very pungent, almost barnyardy, quality that many think is disgusting (to be honest about it), and others embrace. Regardless of which side of the fence one ends up on, the one thing that can be said about Bill's lagrein is that it would be accepted as authentic if a bottle were opened in Trento. High praise.

The ’07 Lagrein shows dusty, loamy and deep notes of blueberry, chocolate and orange peel. Its fresh acidity allows it to pair well with stews, and grilled and roasted meats.

STATS:

Alcohol 13.5%

1,040-case production

18 months neutral French oak

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California Wine Merchants

Royal Wine Merchants

Sea Grape Wine Shop

Dovetail

Henry's

L'École

Valerie’s Vineyard is a one-acre, single-vineyard, organically farmed Carneros Pinot Noir produced by a five-family-member partnership.

What I think I like best about Valerie's Vineyard (other than the wine) is the total and complete refusal of Michael and Valerie Coats (the prime movers behind this family project) be interested in anything other than growing the best pinot noir grapes they can. There is attention to the details—after all, they live next to the vineyard, so they are in it virtually every day—but NO attention to the trappings of wine country life. "We don't farm for pretty," as Michael told me when I met them both last summer in Carneros.

The 2006 shows inviting brambly red fruit and cola nut notes balanced by loamy earth and zesty acidity. Its food-friendly structure makes it an ideal partner with braises, roast salmon and grilled meats.

132 cases produced

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Bar Boulud

Blue Hill Restaurant 

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P.D. O'Hurley's @ West End 

Valerie’s Vineyard is a one-acre, single-vineyard, organically farmed Carneros Pinot Noir produced by a five-family-member partnership.

For those familiar with the 2006, the price of the '07 might be confusing. Unlike in the fantasy world of Bordeaux, one where prices always rise, regardless of the quality of the vintage, vagaries of Mother Nature, the economy or whatever, new releases typically don't reflect big price increases from year to year. Instead, there are incremental movements (usually, though not always, upward).

The 2007 Valerie's Vineyard Pinot is an exception to that rule. A peek at the production numbers in large measure explains it. Only 88 cases were made of the '07. There were 132 of the '06. Neither number is very big, obviously, but the difference between the two (33% for those keeping score) is big. Like anything, it costs money to make wine. When the winemaker is working with small batches of the stuff like Michael and Valerie Coats are, the less you make, the less bottles there are to spread costs around. And unless you're making thousands of bottles (minimum) instead of 1,000, there are no economies of scale to cushion the pain.

My "allocation" of the 2007 was 15 cases (it seems funny to use such a serious industry term in the case of Valerie's Vineyard, because outside of me in New York City, there is no other distribution other than on Michael and Valerie's home turf of Napa/Sonoma). I got 20 cases of the '06. And what's worse, there are only going to be 75 cases of the '08!

Is the '07 a "better" wine than the '06? Who knows? Though personally, I like the '07 a bit more than the '06. It all depends on what you like. Regardless, the '07 cost me more than the '06, so it will cost you more as well. Sorry.

The 2007 is intensely perfumed, exhibiting strawberry, raspberry and loamy notes framed by a tangy mouth-feel. It partners well with red meats, and thanks to its lovely balance, salmon as well.

88 cases produced

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First & Vine

Blue Hill

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