A Collection of the artfully balanced 2004 Cabernet Sauvignons from
Napa Valley's Terra Valentine winery, a state-of-the-art
Cabernet-focused facility perched 2,100 feet above sea level on Spring
Mountain. Terra Valentine's winemaker, Sam Baxter crafts three
high-elevation Cabs, two Single-Vineyard bottlings and a "Spring
Mountain" blend of the two; Case of 6 (2 of each) $395.00 Full Case (4
of each) $775.00 Discounted.
These Terra Valentine reds are Quintessential Napa Valley Mountain
Cabernets from the Great 2004 Vintage: "92" Parker, "95" Wine
Spectator..."A small crop with extremely high quality; Napa Cabernets
are ripe, elegant, concentrated and harmonious with deft balance and
ripe tannins"
"Terra Valentine" derives its name from the two words "Terra"
[Lat./earth, ground, land,] (acknowledging the importance of hillside
soil) and "Valentine" which honors owner Angus Wurtele's late father
"Valentine Wurtele" and the Valspar Corporation....hence "Terra
Valentine". The roots of the Valspar Corp trace back to the Valentine
Company, an early American Firm that made its reputation manufacturing
the varnish for spars of clipper ships.
If you're planning a trip to our neck O' the woods, let us know
beforehand. Private tours at T-Valentine can be arranged; it is well
worth your time and effort.
Terra Valentine is a pine-shrouded, artisan crafted, medieval inspired
state-of the-art facility tucked away at the 2,100 foot level of
Spring Mountain. Fred Aves designed and built the 17,000-square foot
facility out of native stone and poured-in-place concrete. Aves vision
included one-of a-kind design features such as gorgeous,
Greco-Romanesque inspired stained glass windows and statuary, British
woodcarvings and panels purchased from WR Hurst (which had been
obtained but not used in the creation of his fantastic "Castle" above
San Simeon Beach) and cast iron spiral staircases. Unfortunately, the
building had been long dormant and hidden from view when Wurtele
purchased it in 1999. Angus maintained and enhanced the "storybook
castle" complexion of the building while adding a 21st century
fermentation system, updated electricity and plumbing.
Pretend you're Julie Andrew's "Maria" character for a second and
you're on the top of the mountain as the Helicopter-mounted camera
pans around the majestic landscape, then swoops in on you as you
spread your arms and spin whilst singing..."The Hills are Alive...And
it's kind of scary"...
When thinking of the Napa Valley, images of spectacular, tree-lined
drives leading to Disneyland like facades surrounded by manicured
gardens generally come to mind, and those places DO in fact dot
Highway 29 from Calistoga to Yountville. There is another Napa which
is often missed by the average visitor. This other portion of the
valley consists of a group of wineries and acres of vineyards perched
way up in the Mayacamas and Vaca Mountain ranges with (Sub) AVAs' like
Diamond, Howell, Veeder, Spring, Oak Knoll, Stag's Leap and Atlas
Peak. Unlike Highway 29's wall-to-wall winery death march, up there
you're more likely to navigate a gravel road while avoiding tractor
ruts and Wild Turkeys in order to arrive at a weathered, stone or
redwood building where you might have to shout "Hallo!" in order to
get someone's attention. Congratulations, you've arrived at one of
the many Mountain wineries which occupy little nooks and aeries of the
region.
The people of the Mountains are a bit more independent and perhaps a
tad cavalier in their attitude toward the public and its perception of
their efforts. Show some enthusiasm and a bit of humility in your
approach however, and you will likely soon find yourself tromping
through the vine rows, listening to their personal philosophies
regarding trellising procedures and ground cover practices while
tasting cellar-cold, thieved samples of some of their teeth-staining,
enamel-ripping, tannic young Cabs straight out of the barrel. (Hint;
warm the wine by cupping your hands around the glass while gently
"swishing" it in circles for a few minutes to bring out the flavor and
scare off a bit of harsh tannin)
Once a Mountain Man, always a moun...you get the idea
Terra Valentine is such a winery, and although the building is a bit
more "Magic Kingdom-ish" than many of its neighbors, the isolation and
its corresponding independent spirit thrives there and can be seen in
the eyes of the staff and winemaker, Sam Baxter. (kind of funny side
note, when Sam dropped by last week he mentioned to Becky that she
looked vaguely familiar as she said the same to him. After a bit of
discussion, it turned out that he was one of her counselors at a
summer camp she attended years ago in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near
Lake Tahoe!)
The following bit was swiped from Tim Teichgraeber's column in the
S.F. Chronicle of 3/2/07.
"Mountain vineyards are more difficult to farm. It's harder work to
establish them, they're lower yield. I think the people who planted
the vineyards at elevation are a different type of character" says
Philippe Melka (you guys know who he is). But does any of that make
California's mountain wines superior? The idea that certain vineyard
sites might be better for growing great wine isn't exactly new. In
France, the most consistently outstanding vineyards have been
officially honored with the "Grand Cru" rankings. But even if
mountain vines make more intense and cellar worthy wines, California
doesn't have a ranking system, and the idea of establishing a class
system may be a hard sell in a society that fetishizes class
mobility...even winemakers and critics who prefer mountain-grown wines
are hesitant to endorse a formal ranking program.
Mountain-grown Cabernet is notorious for taking a little more time to
open up, but it's often well worth the wait. Vines planted in thin,
high-elevation soils produce smaller grapes with more skin and less
juice than those grown on the valley floor. The result is
concentrated with deeper color and more tannin than grapes grown at
lower elevations. The Terra Valentine wines are ideal examples of
this;
I tasted the three T-Valentine Cabs with Sam Baxter here at the shop
last Friday...here are my notes and Sam's take on his three 2004s'.
*2004 Terra Valentine "Spring Mountain" Cabernet Sauvignon..."88-91"
"Already opening up and shedding some of the tannins I expected to
find; rich fruit flavors of blackberry, dark plum, ripe cherry and
more than a pinch of dark chocolate and a hint of licorice on the
finish. The oak is restrained in this one and it is obviously made
for earlier consumption although I'd bet it would age well for a
minimum of 3 years". This is the wineries least expensive Cabernet.
It sells for under $35 within this offer...an almost unheard of price
for the category.
*"A major percentage of our Spring Mountain bottling (88%) comes from
the Wurtele Vineyard which was planted in the early 1990's. The
balance is taken from our Yverdon (EE'verdon) Estate and includes 3%
Cab Franc. The property is comprised of 35 acres planted to 100%
Cabernet ranging in elevations from 800 feet to nearly 1000 feet with
360 degrees of exposure. The wine was fermented during a 26 day
period (including cold soak and extended maceration) with X2 daily
punch downs. After aging 20 months in 33% new French Oak the wine was
bottled unfiltered with a light egg white fining. (Egg whites are
"positively charged"; when dropped through the wine they absorb
suspended matter and "drag" it down to the bottom or "lees" which is
then racked off creating a clear liquid.
*2004 Wurtele Vineyard Spring Mountain Cabernet..."91-92"..."Very
assertive; a delicious and classically structured Mountain Cab; Big,
very rich and muscular with bright flavors of cassis, rich dark
chocolate, black cherry, licorice and sweet oak. A formidable wine
with excellent aging potential."
*Sam Says..."I made the 2004 Wurtele from two distinct and designated
blocks on the top of Wurtele Vineyard. Grapes were hand harvested in
mid to late September and early October. The wine was put through a
28 day fermentation. Free run was kept separate from press juice and
put into French oak of which 45% was new. The wine was aged 20 months
and bottled unfined and unfiltered; Opens with wild berries, black
licorice, peppercorn and spice; Deep black cherry fruit and chocolate
ease into a broad mid-palate with supple tannins and a long finish;
317 cases produced".
And the Big Gun...2004 Yverdon Vineyard Spring Mountain
Cabernet..."93-94"..."Yikes! Dispels the notion that only "old vine"
grapes produce wines of dimension...difficult to believe that this is
only 3rd leaf! A massive, bruiser of a Cabernet with all of its
components in spades yet nothing out of proportion. Big fruit, big
oak, big depth, big texture, big tannins, just Big big BIG. MR. BIG!
This wine will still be youthful when Rebecca reaches middle age (and
I'll probably be fossil fuel). And yet, it is balanced; All
properties in equal amounts, nothing sticking out to call attention.
A Classic, extremely age-able and deep baby of a Red Wine! I base my
score on the age-worthiness of this wine...it shouldn't be consumed
for a few years minimum unless aerated and decanted several hours (a
day?) prior to service.
And Sam? ..."Grapes were hand picked and hand sorted from September
15th through October 15th. Aged for 20 months in French oak of which
45% was new, bottled unfined and unfiltered. Opens with sweet black
currant, spicy cedars, toasted marshmallow and caramel. On the palate
you'll find spicy, lush fruit with a hint of fresh ground espresso.
(French Roast I think). Round, cocoa tannins finish off this rich,
elegant wine". 370 cases produced.
When comparing the Terra Valentine Cabernets with other Napa Mountain
bottlings (and the fact that production is in the hundreds of cases
rather than thousands) the inherent value of the wines becomes
obvious.
Case of 6-2 of each $395.00
Case of 12-4 of each $775.00
