Red Carpet Wine - Staff Picks

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Of the hundreds of wines we sample every month, here are some we recommend.

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Roberts's Wine Selections

Summer is officially upon us, and a few of us here at Red Carpet kicked off the solstice Napa Style. We started off visiting Chris Madrigal of Madrigal Vineyards. Chris showed us around his new winery and we spent a few hours catching up and tasting his premium wine selections. If you’re not already familiar with the Madrigal story here’s a quick snapshot. Since the late 1930’s, three generations of the Madrigal family have farmed the vineyards of Napa Valley. They successfully run a vineyard management company that supplies grapes for Duckhorn, Lewis and more. Chris was excited to show us the plans for his new tasting room that will complete the winery project. But you don’t have to wait until that is completed to try his wines. Red carpet has proudly backed the Madrigal label from the beginning and his wines are frequently poured at our wine bar. My favorite wine is the Madrigal 2004 Zinfandel, the perfect wine for summertime grilling.

After visiting with Chris Madrigal we headed down south to Carneros for a visit at The Donum Estate. The Donum Estate is 120 acres of prime vineyard land located in the heart of Carneros. This is where the Robert Stemmler Wines source their fruit. If you had an opportunity to attend Red Carpet’s Pinot Palooza event in June then you already know how well the Stemmler and Donum wines are showing. We met with Wine grower, Anne Moller-Racke, and tasted through the different bottlings that Stemmler and Donum produce. Anne has worked this land for over twenty years and has a dedicated team that is in sync and it definitely shows in the finished product. We finished up our day sipping Donum Pinot Noir before heading to dinner at The Barn in Carneros.

Day two began at Larkmead Vineyards followed by The Taste of Howell Mountain at The Krug Winery. This is an annual tasting of Howell Mountain producers that benefits the local elementary school in Angwin. Some of my favorites I tasted from the event were Ladera, Dunn, and was really impressed with the 2004 Spence Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon which just hit our shelves. We finished off the weekend in Rutherford at the Terraces Winery for their Ragin Cajun Summer Party. Owners Tim and Sharon Crull entertained us with a live Cajun band and served fresh shrimp, crawfish and gumbo. What a way to kick off summer. Now it’s time to enjoy the summer with a few of my favorite wine picks. Cheers!

Robert

2005 Robert Stemmler
Estate Grown Chardonnay
$32.25

Once in a while there’s a Chardonnay that grabs hold of me and forces me to pay attention. The 2005 Stemmler Chardonnay still hasn’t let me go. The 2005 Chardonnay is a combination of three sites from The Donum Estate, the oldest of which is Ferguson planted in 1974 to the famous Wente Selection. The old vine depth of the Wente is what provides the back bone of this Chardonnay. A younger block of Dijon clone brings sweetness of ripe fruits, and lastly the Southern exposed block at Donum planted to Wiemer is what provides crisp acidity and perfume. This wine has all the components I like in a Chardonnay: fruit, acid, body, toast, but most of all balance. The nose kicks off with intense aromatics of honeysuckle, white peach, ripe pear and hazelnuts. This wine displays a smooth richness without being too heavy or fat. Enjoy this one with nice piece of halibut, swordfish or tuna.

2005 Robert Stemmler
Estate Grown Pinot Noir Carneros
$34.94

This has been a staff favorite since its arrival. Since Pinot Palooza in June it has been one of your favorites. Robert Stemmler wines are made exclusively with estate-grown grapes from The Donum Estate and Ferguson Block in Carneros and the Nugent Vineyard in the Russian River Valley of California’s famed Sonoma County. Planted in 1989, The Donum Estate comprises 70 acres of vines divided into 15 blocks and additional sub-blocks on which grow a variety of Pinot Noir clones and selections, including “heirlooms” like Calera, Chalone, Hanzell, Martini, Roederer and Swan and Dijon clones such as 115, 667 and 777.The 2005 Robert Stemmler Carneros Pinot possesses lifted aromas of pure strawberries and blueberries intermingling with mineral, sage and earth. A lush mouthfeel focusing on wild blackberries with nuances of pepper, mineral and a long fanning finish. This is the perfect wine for summertime BBQ’s and will pair well with many dishes including grilled salmon.

2005 Donum Carneros Pinot Noir
$64.97

This was the wine in the room for me at Pinot Palooza. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste Pinots from all over and the 2005 Donum Pinot is the real deal. A complete wine with layers and layers of fruit that go on and on. This wine has a complex nose of ripe strawberries, leather, cherry liqueur, fresh split cedar, smoke, blackberries, sea salt and carbon. The 2005 Donum has a rounded and broad mouth feel of seamless sweet black fruit, red currant and earth. This is a big pinot noir without being over the top. Share this with someone soon and it will not disappoint. Cheers.


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