Napa w/ Slava

Slava was in town this week; Rourke and Jen decided Napa would be a place to go. And of course, Napa means vising wineries.

Outpost Winery
This was a very small place, but very nice. There was a fantastic view and a very nice main and guest house. We got to see the winemaking and barrel storage facilities as well. Despite the small scale, the ergonomics of the property seemed really good. They building layouts seemed very efficient and well designed for the work that is supposed to occur on premises.

'04 Zin - Closed nose, but smooth tannins. Will it be good later?

'05? Cab - very interesting tastes, also smooth tannins

The Zin was only bottled 1 month ago and the cab was a barrel sample. Both were very muted tasting (apparently because of their youth) but had interesting flavors. The fruitiness and smooth tannins made both of them seem like they have a lot of potential.

Grenache - Peppery nose, meaty caramelized body. Roast beef in a glass

Also go to take barrel samples of 3 different Petit Syrah clones that also grow on different parts of the hill. The tannins were again, shocking smooth for something so young. When commenting about that, we were told that they use a multi-day cold soak process which makes the tannins smoother. This process may also diminish some of the "structure" (something which I can not yet detect but Rourke can) of the wine, but because they are using hill fruit, there is more than enough tannin and structure to withstand that. Valley fruit, they said, can't hold up to this process.

Neyers Vineyards

2004 El Novillero Vineyard Carneros District Chardonnay
Bright, fruity, dry. Pretty good, not buttery at all. Like a more tart/bright Brewer-Clifton. The only thing here I liked.

2004 Old Lakeville Road Syrah
More savory and tannic, not peppery or fruity.

2003 Neyers Ranch Cabernet
Big fruity nose - herby and pineapple? Herby body.

2003 Neyers Ranch Merlot
Oakier, really tannic

2004 Pato Vineyard Zinfandel
Slightly oaky, somewhat hot. Slightly caramel finish

Biale Vineyards

2004 Old Crane Ranch Zinfandel
Very fruity! A little hot. Needs air.

2004 Black Chicken Zinfandel
Not my favorite

2003 Hill Climber Syrah
Very extracted, not sure what flavors.

There were more, but allergies and palate fatigue dimished my ability to taste. The only thing here I really liked was the Old Crane, which I'd want to decant for a while before drinking.