The Cellar: Napa Valley Finds

The Cellar: Napa Valley Finds

Napa Valley is the United States’ best known wine region. Located 55 miles northeast from San Francisco, this area is known for its big and complex red wines. While Cabernet Sauvignon continues to lead the way, other grapes are making great wine as well including those made from Chardonnay and Merlot.

There are approximately 300 wineries in Napa Valley; large and well-established wineries (some more than 100 years old) as well as small ‘boutique wineries’ whose wines, when sought after, achieve ‘cult’ status. Given the name recognition Napa wines have acquired over the years, one would think that production levels are high, right? Think again. Despite being the home of such iconic producers as Robert Mondavi, Francis Ford Coppola and Opus One, Napa Valley’s output is only 4% of California’s total. 

2009 Annabella Chardonnay, Napa Valley

The Pozzan family has been making wine for generations; both in Italy, where the tradition continues 150 years on and in California, where a branch of the Pozzan family immigrated and began growing Zinfandel grapes after World

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War II. Today, Michael Pozzan and his wife Mary Ann run their offspring of the family business that they founded in 1991. The Michael Pozzan Winery is based in Oakville in the heart of the Napa Valley and produces a wide range of wines. The Annabella series is named in honor of Michael Pozzan’s grandmother. The 2009 Chardonnay is hand-sourced from select vineyards throughout Napa Valley.

This Chardonnay is similar in style to those that a lot of Americans love and a lot of Europeans love to hate. It is barrel fermented as well as aged in oak prior to being released. In other words; this wine has been in contact with oak pretty much from when the grapes were crushed to when the wine was bottled. The result is a wine that is medium-full bodied with noticeable buttery aromas on the nose. The use of French oak, which gives more subtle oak notes than American oak, serves this wine well. It is not over-the-top oaky like some Californian Chardonnays. There is a lot of fruit also – mostly tropical but also hints of citrus which give the wine a freshness that prevents it from becoming cloying. 

2009 Goyette Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

In most wine drinkers' minds, Cabernet Sauvignon and Napa Valley are synonymous with one another. Given the high quality and relatively reasonable price points of these wines, it is no surprise that ‘Napa Cabs’ are so

popular. Now is a great time to explore Napa Cabs because there are some great vintages on your store’s shelves; 2007, 2008 and 2009. Growing conditions in 2007, for example, were ideal and made great wines. Conditions were mild with no days over 100 degrees and plenty of cool nights. While it is almost impossible to go wrong with a 2007 (the couple of years in bottle has served them well) the current vintage for most everyday Napa Cabs is the 2009, another above-average vintage but one that still needs a little time, in my opinion.

 Robert Goyette has been making wine for decades and is considered one of founders of the boutique winemaking movement. While making great wines in several Californian wineries, Robert has always kept one eye on the traditions of Europe and the other closely attuned to the grapes at hand. The Goyette label is his first personal label currently in its 5th vintage. While initially coming across unbalanced with a lot of dark fruit up front, a hollow mid-palate turning slightly bitter with coffee notes on the finish, this wine was much better when I tasted it the day after. I am looking forward to seeing how this wine comes together with a few years of bottle aging. Napa Cabs generally mature gracefully so if you are looking for a wine to hold on to for a few years look into buying a few cases of ’09 Napa Cabs – meanwhile enjoy the ’07 vintage if you can find it.

Enjoy!

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