Smith-Madrone

Two brothers, both alike in dignity…oh wait that’s an Elizabethan deep-ish cut and we aren’t talking Capulets and Montagues. This is California family, celebrating 50 years of fine fine vino. The name points to the Smith brothers, Charles and Stuart, as well to the Madrone trees on the property. And gosh they do sound like fun. The brothers, not the trees. I’m basing this on the fact that they hail from Santa Monica and that Stuart is an “active member of the G.O.N.A.D.S, (the Gastronomical Order for Nonsense and Dissipatory Society”. Also for their 50th they partnered with Cowgirl Creamery so like, yay people who see fit to involve cheesemongers in their affairs.

Spoiler alert–if you taste one thing from Smith-Madrone let it be their extraordinary Riesling. I was about to say it literally kills but that’s just bad grammar. But it does SLAY. The other two wines I tasted, a Chardonnay and Cab were delightful in their own right, but I was also chuffed to see such a Riesling out of Napa, where these things don’t grow on trees. I mean obviously they grow on grapevines but there aren’t many of them devoted to Riesling, so this was really excited.

Stop me from rambling. Here’s my reviews! And pairings. OMG. Here we go.

Smith-Madrone Napa Valley Spring Mountain Chardonnay 2018

It just keeps on giving. Came on almost too strong at first–nearly sweet in its richness. Buttery caramel corn with a spritz of Meyer lemon nose. But on the palate things get ripping. Mouth watering. And downright…well heck was that caramel corn treated to an ample sprinkle of flour de set because there is something saline going on too. Let it linger. In the glass. And it brings overripe blood orange, white chocolate even? Truly one of those delights for its ability to bring something new and delicious with every sip. There’s an almost herbal undercurrent. It’s good times. And a little marine or is that the salinity I was just citing? Pair with the latest Succession episode.

Smith-Madrone Napa Valley Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Rich n ripe, plush and silky. Green but like richly moss forest green Cabernet pyrizines tickle the tannins which are persistent, I’ll give them that they are like me in a dysfunctional relationship, unable to give up, but these tannins will make their case known and I will not break up with them. They are followed with black cassis and oaky fun–vanilla, maybe a toasty nut, and is that maybe even coconut omg it draws out the finish. All the richness ends with a hit of what I can only describe as marine blue freshness. That is probably my synesthesia–maybe some salinity or fresh herbal notes is a better way to describe it but to me it is undeniably marine blue. I paired it with a walnut while drinking it (go crazy, Elle) and lemme tell you a little protein goes a long way.

Smith-Madrone Napa Valley Spring Mountain Riesling 2018

One whiff gave me all the omg this is RIESLING feels–golden delicious apple plus petrol and a bit of orange blossom. The palate is voluptuous as a dry (I think?) Riesling can go. It’s deep and rich in fruit yet not overly ripe or cloying. Still on the palate I got on the nose notes, plus an overdose of honeysuckle and ALMOST buttery notes? It is light to the touch yet creamy but zippy, omg it’s egg cream vibes without the chocolate flavor? And then the characteristic sword of Riesling acidity cutting through. Allspice and slightly bark earthy notes come through on the finish. Pair with the latest Mandalorian.

Luxuriate

Napa, schmapa. I get all jaded like it’s expensive and exclusive and pricy and whatnot but then sometimes I open a bottle of Napa Cab and am like Oh. Hey there handsome!

Here’s to leaning into the popular! Delicious, delicious popular wine.

The winery, Davis Estates, is in Calistoga, the most northerly of Napa subregions. It is family-owned. And the president is a woman–shout out to Jessica Link! At any rate, I leaned into these wines. Anyone who truly knows me knows I am a sucker for a nice nice nice like nicccccce Chardonnay. Which theirs is, but also I thoroughly enjoyed the Cab and red blend.

Indulge yourself. I did. Myself. Indulge.

Davis Estates Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 This is wickedly redolent of black currant jams and purple plums, burnished with something that tickles the nose–call it pyrizines, call it pepper, call it the abv? But the nose finish (noses finish too) brings seductive vanilla. I seriously envision a woman in silk at the end of a sniff. It’s still wildly young, of course, but I enjoy a youthful wine. The tannins are definitely medium plus but to put in WSET Diploma terms I would say they are medium plus and dry, but velvety and optimally integrated, playing well of the ripe ripe fruit flavors, which on the palate bring more currants, black plums, cigar box (aka vanilla, and…okay just straight up cigar), and the teeniest tiniest hint of arugula. This is good juice.

Davis Estates First Responders Napa Valley Chardonnay 2020 Golden in hue and taste–the nose intrigues with pear, bruised yellow apple, vanilla bean and allspice. The palate is sumptuous, with terrific balance of acidity and buttered body. A touch of salted caramel carries…you know what? I’m thinking a dab of apple pie on a saltine. An agile, agile saltine. Sounds odd? Try it. I haven’t, but I feel like it would be a win win. Expansive with a core of buttered fruit. Plus, it benefits local responders!

Davis Estates Zephyr Private Reserve 202052% Cab Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot Tis an elegant fountain pen, with spiced berry medley punch and cigar box on the nose. Makes me picture a bed lined with satin sheets that both retain and give off heat level excitement on the palate. Rich body, but subtle, like a wealthy person with enough class to not be ostentatious. Firm and integrated tannins hold up a medley (yes another medley!) of blackberry compote, cedar, vanilla, and allspice. Drinking it feels like someone cloaking me in a fur lined jewel trimmed cloak.

No Holds Barra

I was generously offered the wines of Barra to try, and I’ll be honest, they had me at Mendocino. It’s region I had started a love affair with before I even breathed its air.

Then, I visited–the first trip I took post vaccine–and omg there was romance added to the love affair, like the lover becoming a real person, one who surprises you and becomes more a whole person, while maintaining their mystique because damn, every precious thing you discover about them, well, each quirk and nuance makes each day with them a new one. Sure, I only spent a few days in Mendocino but I am madly enraptured with the land, the people and yes the wine too.

So yes obvi I wanted to taste the wines. Barra is made with certified organic grapes and coaxed into wine status by Randy Meyer, who, much like many other Mendocino winemakers I met, holds hats for a few operations. He’s steering Barra and its other label Girasole, and he has a custom crush joint.

I appreciated the note that arrived with the wines informing me they don’t print tech sheets, but please find the information online. I end up with major tech sheet pile up sometimes so this is a good step. The wines followed suit–all showing a freshness that chills out a ripeness, and all over makes for balanced delight.

Barra Mendocino Reserve Chardonnay 2021

Just that hint of gunflint-y minerality battles the marshmallow and vanillin effect of oak and in the end they partner up quite happily. Warming nose, filled with aforementioned minerals and nutmeg, citrus compound butter and yellow pear, full-figured body (not quite voluptuous) brings all of the above, all with a bit butterscotch. Lovely and silky and just rich enough to be a winter white but lively enough to face a hot day too.

Barra Mendocino Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

All vibrant blackberry and black currant (so different from red) jam on the nose with hints of tobacco and just a touch of dried vine zest–JUST a tiny touch, like one finger gently place on the lips telling the pyrazines to whisper. Supple on the palate, neither heavy nor light, but somehow more than medium bodied–like it glides with some drag–and boasts expansive stewed berries (mostly black and blue) thinned just enough to slide through the mouth guiding professor-ly (like they wear tweed) hints of black currant, vanilla bean through. Shades of dried earth and cloves come in in the finish. It manages to be bright and classy, despite having rather elevated tannins and alcohol. Very friendly.

Barra Reserve Pinot Noir 2021

A nice little slip dress of a Pinot. A noir one, naturally. Lithe, pleasing, easy going. The nose brings ripe but not jammy cherries and makes me think “cherry Gushers” but not sweet. A mid-level palate, this wine has a texture to it, with drying tannins, that serve as a conductor of all the undercurrents in this wine–cola, tea, and mint. The big currents though? The ones that parade loudly? That’s more cherry. Vanilla bean. Allspice and cordial. Truly a pleasing specimen–and one of the things that endears me to Mendocino is evident here in spades: the fruit is ripe but not overly jammy or overly oaky, sort of how Oregon Pinots show to me these days. Damn this is good.

The line

Oh hi hey! We all thought this was perhaps from the Macon in a blind tasting including me. And…I brought it. So I should have known it was it. So.

The chum you see in the picture is my friend Jiaqi. Also a wine nerd in my life. We are shameless selfie-ers but I’m the shameless insta-story and blogger.

This is surprising. All the Line 39 wines were. So good for 11 bucks a bottle!

I didn’t want to like it any more than I wanted to like the Line 39 Pinot Noir which has quite the savory kick to it.

But the Chardonnay tastes like southern Burg making a stab at tasting like expensive winemaking but it’s not expensive but it’s got some oak happening but isn’t too rich or ripe. Like a person who carries things that look great and look designer but hey! They just braved the Ross Dress for Less Lines.

And they look casually possibly pricy.

Wine fast fashion but it’s all good.

football wine, baseball post

I am a Cardinals baseball girl. But I have yet to stumble on wine made by a Cardinal.

In St. Louis they inject baseball into your veins on birth. For some it is a delayed reaction love. I grew up going to games, but they terrified me because a) it was a lot of screaming adults and b) when you are little you are short and close to the ground and the ground smells like beer and I do not like beer.

Then, a few months before leaving for Los Angeles I was in a play with a bunch of baseball fans. It was 2006, and we made it to the World Series. The cast’s enthusiasm caught me. Last game of the series we did that play (“The Birthday Party” by Harold Pinter) faster than ever before so we could run backstage to our tiny television and see what was happening. We took our bows and RAN off the stage in time to see the final pitch. Oh what a night! Glorious.

Fantasy baseball will be my next step.

But can sports people make wines? I could not help but wanna try a sport person’s vino. I was recently given Intercept Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It is made by Charles Woodson–his love of wine started while playing for the Raiders and living in Napa. I decided to give football some damn respect.

Also really liked the fact that while Woodson stilled played he had/has (?) a label called TwentyFour. But the NFL would not allow players to endorse alcoholic bevs. And yet he made wine anyway. Now that he’s not a player he can be totally public about his vinous life.

This is my review. Take from it what you will.

The labels:

Supes into them. I’m a cat person and there is a lion leaping. I am nothing if not a leaping lion fan. you know the leaping lords of the 12 Days of Christmas? Fuck that, I want leaping lions.

Then I smelled and tasted. It smells like California Pinot Noir. It has a bite and a spicy burn and is cherries for days. It looks garnet-ish own the glass. It tastes like cherry preserves but not sweet. It has little tannins and much alcohol. Totally a pleasure. Sometimes a girl needs a ripe Cali Pinot Noir like…I dunno I guess sometimes a girl just needs a ripe Cali Pinot.

Now for the Chard. I am always concerned about California Chardonnay. Will it be an oak bomb? Will there be so much butter I need a piece of bread?*

*trick question I always need bread

But no! It really is quite pleasant. Rather boozy, yes. But that’s okay. The body is full but merely hints at butter and oak and has quite a bit of…quince? Let’s call it quince.

What do you know–football (American football that is) players make tasty vino.

Now I’m off to check my baseball app. Please let me know if there are baseball wines I need.

 

Band wine

Omigosh Dave Matthews makes wine. This dude:

And it’s for a good cause! Dreaming Tree sent me these wines and told me “In celebration of Earth Day, The Dreaming Tree is excited to announce their first “Buy One Bottle, Plant One Tree” program this year! From Sunday, April 15 through Earth Day, Sunday, April 22, environmental conservation partner Living Lands and Waters will plant one tree for every bottle of The Dreaming Tree Wines sold, with a goal of planting up to 80,000 trees.”

Yayyy plants! But are the wines tasty?

The Chardonnay tastes like California Chardonnay–without being too much of an oak-bomb. It has some vanilla and oak and goddamn is that a tree growing? The Cab was my fave tho, of the stuff they sent me. Like the Chard it is approachable. Don’t expect something crazzzzzzy but it is shippable and approachable: even Sean McKenzie, Dave Matthews’ “guy” just calls this approachable and I find it perfect for the price point. Uncomplicated and perhaps not perfectly balanced but totally friendly and DAMN a new tree planted plus this?!

And damn once upon a time when I was a teen I went to a bar in Paris and the Dave Matthews Band was playing and I loved watching the violin player and music live is amazing so I’m down with this guy being into wine. There is something about watching musicians perform live and when I saw DM I saw the passion.

Dave, let’s get some vino? Your wine (for the price and tree-planting) is above average for the price so if y’all want some wine that does good and is good value get the hell in. Dreaming Tree: listen and learn and just drink. Yum.