Tuesday, February 19, 2013

"Prep your paddles!" J. Brewner from Judd's Hill reporting for #PNV13

Premiere Napa Valley 2013 is all about stellar wines! This is truly the event of the season for any restauranteur or hotelier to get their hands on extremely limited lots of Napa Valley’s finest wines. Four of my personal favorites up for auction are Acacia’s Pinot Noir, Casa Nuestra’s Oakville “Field Blend,” Saintsbury's Pinot Noir and the wonderfully bright Sauvignon Blanc from Coquerel Family Wines.

Acacia Winemaker Matthew Glynn
Acacia Vineyard

Acacia Vineyard has specialized in and become famous for their Pinot Noir. Every year, this winery produces several versions of Pinot, most vineyard-specific wines. 

Acacia Pinot Noir has the typical smoothness of world class Pinot, mixed with delicious fruity and smoky flavors that are accentuated in vineyard specific wines. Each Pinot Noir from Acacia really has its own personality. The Premiere lot is no exception, utilizing the winery's best juice from Carneros. 

Winemaker Matthew Glynn chose a favorite barrel from his favorite block in the estate's flagship Lone Tree Vineyard for this Premiere offering. Located on a southwest-facing slope, this block has an ideal combination of soils, sun exposure and drainage, and consistently delivers the best Pinot Noir from the estate, making it worthy of the Premiere Napa Valley designation. 

This wine is a beautiful mauve color and aromas speak to the luscious Carneros growing region. The wine permeates the glass with elegant aromas of currant, violets, nutmeg and clove, with a hint of herbal expression.  Their light-handed use of previously filled french oak barrels imparts a hint of Tahitian vanilla bean.  On the palate, the wine is light to medium-bodied with bright undertones complimented by illuminating crimson fruit and a luxuriantly earthy finish.

Casa Nuestra Winery & Vineyards

Casa Nuestra literally means “our house” and it certainly feels like home when you visit. This beautiful estate was established back in 1979 in the historic district of St. Helena. All the beautiful fruit found in the Premiere auction lot is organically grown on the estate. Very little electricity is used, as the primary source for powering production is solar. This producer limits its production to 2,000 cases annually, and the auction lot for Premiere is a mere 20 cases. 

The fruit for the 2011 Oakville “Field Blend” blend is grown on the Oakville Grade in the western margin of the appellation, home to several varietals including Negrette, Carignane, Zinfandel, as well as a small amount of Petite Sirah. 2011 was a very mild growing season, and while the 2011 harvest was significantly smaller than usual, the quality of fruit was very good. For Premiere Napa Valley, they selected the crème de la crème of this vintage. 

The wine is brilliant garnet in color. It opens up with robust aromas of dark red fruits, currants, and boysenberry with subtle notes of succulent dark chocolate and cedar completing the nose. Flavors of fresh strawberries and boysenberries are lush and pronounced on the palate, followed by hints of roasted coffee, maple and sweet espresso on the long lasting finish.  This boutique production should be considered a gentle giant, exhibiting cohesive structure balanced by smooth approachability. This Bordeaux style blend is a first-class wine for all occasions. 

Saintsbury

With this wine, Saintsbury reverts to the tried-and-true Brown Ranch blocks used for the winery's Premiere Napa Valley wine for the past 10 years—G and H. These blocks are located at the back of the ranch in Carneros. Planted here on the most exposed promontory with the rockiest of droughty soils is the great Pommard clone, which thrives in these challenges. The 2013 Premiere lot encompasses the mantle of great site adversity, draping the broad shoulders of the kingly Pommard in a coolly wonderful growing season capped with the best Indian Summer experience since 1999—in a word, magnificent!

Winemaker Christine Barbe
Coquerel Family Wine Estates

The Coquerel Family Wine Estates Premiere lot is 20 cases of Premiere Sauvignon Blanc crafted in a "Pessac Leognan" style. This beautiful vintage of Calistoga fruit has aromas that are fresh and enticing with bright citrus layers supported by subtle undertones of papaya and green mango. On the palate, the tropical notes come to the forefront with rich, lush layers of guava, passion fruit and lychee, as well as hints of herbs and lemon zest. This wine is beautifully balanced and extremely enjoyable! 

Prep your paddles as these limited release auction lots will go fast. This is your only opportunity to acquire these gems. Each auction lot is so extremely different and reflecting several distinctive appellations. Premiere is the event of the season giving you access to the pristine fruit from some of Napa Valley’s most celebrated vineyards!

J. Brewner
#PNV13 Social Media Crew
Judd's Hill Winery
@PartyPartyParty

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