$25 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

We’ve done a ton of business with Trent Moffett and his multiple-brand company, and it is not because we share a last name (albeit different spelling).  Okay, the potential of dealing with a distant relationship was a door opener, but it is Trent’s wines that engender the creation of a business relationship.

Think “12 Gauge,” a great little cab we brought a few years ago. . .that was Trent’s work, as are the stellar wines from screenplay, C&T Cellars and, of course, his namesake brand, Moffett Vineyards, 20 acres of one of the Napa Valley’s prime growing regions: the Howell Mountain appellation.

The C&T Cellars label is Trent’s “casual and accessible” label.  Guess that means it is priced right.  You get great Napa fruit crafted by a second-generation winemaker produced in very low volumes each year.  At Carpe Vino, that’s what we call “value.”

Winery Tasting Notes:  “Dense, focused dark fruit of blackberries, currants and wild berries with a hint of spice and cedar.  The tannins and acidity are in good balance making this a nice drinking wine.  It will age, but why wait, it drinks great now!”

$17.99 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

We go way back with Cosentino Winery, all the way to the beginning of Carpe Vino when CigarZin, was my very first “ah-ha” experience. . .so this is how a great wine could taste!  As I recall, I was given a taste by a fellow diner at a restaurant in Davis, and I was absolutely blown away.  CigarZin actually did resonate with tobacco flavor, sweetened with overtones of chocolate.  It was smooth, spicy and wonderful.

And as it turned out, those were huge flaws, as was its $27 price tag.  The wine was so good, production was increased dramatically and after the first vintage (couldn’t have been more than 1,500 cases).

Mitch Cosentino founded his own label in Modesto in 1980.  Eleven years later, he sold the majority interest to the Larry and Edie Soldinger of Chicago, who expanded the winery and its operations significantly.  By 2010 during the height of the economic downturn, they went upside down and the winery was closed.

Today, Cosentino is going full bore, with operations in Lodi restored with a full line of “THE” wines.  This month, we bring you THE ZIN, a great daily drinker that represents a nod to the halcyon, early days of zin production in the valley.

BTW, CigarZin is still being produced to the tune of 20,000 cases annually.  You can find it at BevMo or a grocery store near you. . .but not at Carpe Vino.

Winery Tasting Notes:  “A prominent nose of clove, caraway and raspberry jam are followed with lively flavors of stewed cranberry and sweet cedar. Firm tannins meld into soft acidity; a wonderfully balanced zinfandel.”

$52.50 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

While we’ve enjoyed a great merlot from Hourglass, this is the first time we’ve been able to raise a stem of the HGIII. . .2012 in the inaugural vintage.  Here’s how the winery explains the emergence of this new offering:

“The Hourglass brand is dedicated to Bordeaux varietal, terroir driven, estate wines from Napa Valley.   With the influence of new winemaker Tony Biagi, the blending procedures for the estate wines has evolved, implementing a more traditional method of classical Bordeaux blending–a process which begins at the completion of malolactic fermentation.  Under Tony’s program, core estate wines are blended much earlier than our previous blending practice.  His technique is designed to set classical structure earlier in the elevage (barrel aging cycle).  As a result, we now find ourselves with certain high-grade “tail” lots that did not fit the early blends.  These declassified lots now have a home in our newly crafted second label, HG III.”

Winery Tasting Notes:  “Aromatically, HG III explodes with toasted hazelnuts and bright, pure red fruits–black cherry and raspberry.  On the palate merlot and malbec deliver deep color and richness with a plush, silky texture, while cabernet extends the finish adding layers of dark fruit (blackberry puree) with Asian hoisin/plum to balance the tangy red fruit core.   The texture is dense and creamy, expressive of pure Napa fruit.”

$45 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This is why you belong to the Carpe Vino Wine Club and a good reason to step up to the $75 club.  The 2011 Nicali Proprietary Blend was made by one of California’s most talented, highly regarded winemakers, Celia Welch (named Food & Wine magazine’s 2008 Winemaker of the year), who is also responsible for the incredibly popular cult wine, Scarecrow (which we obtain just a couple of six packs each year).  Celia made just 45 cases of Nicali Proprietary Red in 2011, and Drew scooped up 42. . .most of which will be consumed by Wine Club members.

This wine is a gutsy, 50-50 blend of Nicali Vineyard cabernet sauvignon and California-sourced zinfandel and a great example of Celia’s of how Celia’s risking-taking pays off big time.

Nicali is part of the Napa Valley’s Lindstrom Wines, where Celia Welch has been winemaker since 2005.  Her Lindstrom Cab is made from Nicali Vineyard fruit, grown in the heart of the Stags Leap District.

Gary’s Tasting Notes:  This is one of those wines that with the first sip, you have no choice but to totally relax and say “wow.”  No bullshit.  The nose is the first warning that this wine is something special. . .a shotgun blast of black cherry that perforates the palate, too.  Though I can’t confirm this, I’d bet my Vespa that Celia sourced the zin from her husband’s Lodi vineyard, because the dense fruit flavors, upfront spiciness and a hint of chocolate are obvious telltales.  What’s impressive about this blend is its balance of massive zin flavors juxtaposed against the refined smoothness of the Napa cab.  It is a simple matter to characterize this wine as the best of two worlds.  Enjoy with whatever you are serving tonight, because this wine will make your reality a better place.  Smart money won’t wait for the Moffats to blink.  No deals on this, so purchase whatever you can before what’s left of the 42 cases is history.  I’ve already got my six-pack.

$27.95 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Interesting back story with this one.  Alexana in Newberg, Oregon and Revana Family Vineyard in St. Helena are owned by the same person:  Dr. Madaiah Revana, a cardiologist based in Humbolt, Texas.  Dr. Revana says his interest in wine stems from his roots of a family immersed in agriculture for 100s of years. . .not in the Napa Valley but near Bangalore, India.

Dr. Revana, an avid collector of first-growth Bordeaux, he made the leap into the wine industry in 1997 when he purchased 10 acres in the Napa Valley for his vineyard and hired Hedi Barrett and built a winery to her specs.  Thomas Rivers Brown has since succeeded Barrett as winemaker.

In 2005, with the help of Lynn Penner-Ash, Dr. Revana acquired a site that would become home to Alexana, named after his daughter.  Wines produced at Alexana are Riesling, pinot gris, chardonnay and, of course, pinot noir.

Winery Tasting Notes:  “Nose: crisp and clean with notes of honeysuckle, apple, pear and wet stone.  Palate: honey, stone fruit and celery seed give way to a rich, ripe mouth feel and great minerality on the finish.”

$50 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Black Cordon sources fruit from all over the Napa Valley for its chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon and its companion label, Sixteen by Twenty.  We’ve sold a bunch of the latter’s cab sauv in Carpe Vino.

Owned by David and Karen Dunphy, this Napa producer is pretty much on the down-low, except for the fact that their winemaker is Paul Hobbs, no less.   Hobbs makes the wine at his own winery, and he is also deeply involved in viticulture issues.

This is a small-production winery that you’ll be hearing more about in the future.

Winery Tasting Notes: “The 2012 has a color that is more pronounced than other vintages; in the depth of the edges it’s like heavy polished copper that has the warm mellow depth of hue that comes with quality. The nose is voluptuous, voluminous, roundly encompassing. It is most striking for the expansive honeysuckle and citrus blossom that perfectly compliments the ripe peach, cool pear and tangy apricot rising to the surface. There is a deep well of aromas that finishes with layered vanilla citrus and the classic Ritchie minerality and wet stones. Layers of tangy peach and apricot slide smoothly into restrained citrus with an edge of minerality and spicy oak crème brulee. This is a very deep and complex mouthful of chardonnay, strikingly round and voluminous with a very long finish.”

$24.95 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This month’s selections just keep getting better, even in the white department.  Here’s a wine from Thomas Rivers Brown, the vintner who created a series of cabs at Schrader rated 100 points by Wine Spectator (plus others above 95 points).   Brown sets the bar for excellence, and we’ve showcased wines he has produced at Tamber Bey in Napa.

Sea Fog is produced by The Grade Cellars in Calistoga owned by Thomas Winfield Thornton and Brenda Joyce Mixson.  I am usually suspect of people who use three names, which was reinforced for me by the captions accompanying photos of the proprietors:  For Thornton:  “Vintner by day and architect by night.  Discovered French wines at 15.  Would rather be playing piano.”  For Mixson:  “Born to dance.  Raised on a cattle ranch.  Smartest person in the room.  Wine is better in her presence.”

I promise, the pinot gris isn’t nearly as pretentious. –Gary Alan Moffat

Winery Tasting Notes:  “2012 is likely to go down as one of the great vintages in California history, not only for its exceptional reds, but for the whites as well. The 2012 Sea Fog Sauvignon Blanc throws a beautiful light golden hue in the glass, with intense, lifted aromatics of flowers, tropical fruit and lemon zest that are the first indication there is more than meets the eye . The expected tropical notes and generosity one would expect from its up-valley location are present, however thanks in large part to the cool foggy mornings, a snappy natural acidity keeps the palate crisp and lively. The intense fruit-driven finish provides the capstone to what is quickly becoming one of the favorite sauvignon blancs with which I work.”

$25 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

We’ve done a ton of business with Trent Moffett and his multiple-brand company, and it is not because we share a last name (albeit different spelling).  Okay, the potential of dealing with a distant relationship was a door opener, but it is Trent’s wines that engender the creation of a business relationship.

Think “12 Gauge,” a great little cab we brought a few years ago. . .that was Trent’s work, as are the stellar wines from screenplay, C&T Cellars and, of course, his namesake brand, Moffett Vineyards, 20 acres of one of the Napa Valley’s prime growing regions: the Howell Mountain appellation.

The C&T Cellars label is Trent’s “casual and accessible” label.  Guess that means it is priced right.  You get great Napa fruit crafted by a second-generation winemaker produced in very low volumes each year.  At Carpe Vino, that’s what we call “value.”

Winery Tasting Notes:  “Dense, focused dark fruit of blackberries, currants and wild berries with a hint of spice and cedar.  The tannins and acidity are in good balance making this a nice drinking wine.  It will age, but why wait, it drinks great now!”

$50 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Black Cordon sources fruit from all over the Napa Valley for its chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon and its companion label, Sixteen by Twenty.  We’ve sold a bunch of the latter’s cab sauv in Carpe Vino.

Owned by David and Karen Dunphy, this Napa producer is pretty much on the down-low, except for the fact that their winemaker is Paul Hobbs, no less.   Hobbs makes the wine at his own winery, and he is also deeply involved in viticulture issues.

This is a small-production winery that you’ll be hearing more about in the future.

Winery Tasting Notes: “The 2012 has a color that is more pronounced than other vintages; in the depth of the edges it’s like heavy polished copper that has the warm mellow depth of hue that comes with quality. The nose is voluptuous, voluminous, roundly encompassing. It is most striking for the expansive honeysuckle and citrus blossom that perfectly compliments the ripe peach, cool pear and tangy apricot rising to the surface. There is a deep well of aromas that finishes with layered vanilla citrus and the classic Ritchie minerality and wet stones. Layers of tangy peach and apricot slide smoothly into restrained citrus with an edge of minerality and spicy oak crème brulee. This is a very deep and complex mouthful of chardonnay, strikingly round and voluminous with a very long finish.”

$25 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

We’ve done a ton of business with Trent Moffett and his multiple-brand company, and it is not because we share a last name (albeit different spelling).  Okay, the potential of dealing with a distant relationship was a door opener, but it is Trent’s wines that engender the creation of a business relationship.

Think “12 Gauge,” a great little cab we brought a few years ago. . .that was Trent’s work, as are the stellar wines from screenplay, C&T Cellars and, of course, his namesake brand, Moffett Vineyards, 20 acres of one of the Napa Valley’s prime growing regions: the Howell Mountain appellation.

The C&T Cellars label is Trent’s “casual and accessible” label.  Guess that means it is priced right.  You get great Napa fruit crafted by a second-generation winemaker produced in very low volumes each year.  At Carpe Vino, that’s what we call “value.”

Winery Tasting Notes:  “Dense, focused dark fruit of blackberries, currants and wild berries with a hint of spice and cedar.  The tannins and acidity are in good balance making this a nice drinking wine.  It will age, but why wait, it drinks great now!”