Received in our May 2013 wine club shipment.
Drank with the Lady, Beth Fontaine, on a warm and breezy evening on the porch, 05/19/13.
SW: "Querencia Brut Rosé was created to honor the memory and spirit of our cofounder Jack Davies. Jack Davies was a pioneer in the early days of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve, and fought for environmental issues with dedication and vigor. To insure that Jack's work was kept alive, Schramsberg established the Jack L. Davies Fund. Proceeds from the sale of Querencia contribute to the Jack L. Davies Fund, which supports agricultural preservation and education efforts in Napa County. Jack Davies encouraged the community to support the preserve that became a model for conservation of agricultural lands across the country. James Hickey, then the Napa County Planning Director, and architect of the agricultural preserve, named the wine. The name is a Spanish word "meaning the deep and abiding affection one has for the place one calls home."

Querencia is produced solely from fruit grown in the Napa Valley Carneros region. Chardonnay forms the blend's core, providing a relatively light-bodied, crisp and tangy palate. Small additions of Pinot Noir fermented with skin contact add berry brightness and color. This brut rosé sparkling wine is hearty enough to compliment the robust flavors of Mediterranean cooking and delicate enough to be served with a truly broad range of appetizers.

Tasting Notes - "The 2009 Querencia is bursting with aromas of wild berries, fresh orange and ruby grapefruit. The fruitful nose is complemented with notes of warm pie dough and candied almonds. On the palate, there are flavors of tangerine, tart lime, and 'strawberries & cream'. The wine finishes with a bright and crisp acidity that is long and refreshing"
- Winemakers Keith Hock and Hugh Davies

Varietal Composition: 76% Chardonnay, 24% Pinot Noir,
County Composition: 100% Napa
Appellation: Napa Valley
Harvest Dates: August 31 - October 5, 2009
Barrel Fermentation: 38%
Alcohol: 13%
TA: 0.88 g/100mL
pH: 3.04 RS: 1.12 g/100mL
Release Date: April 1, 2013
Cases Produced: 966 (9-Liter)"

Received as a sample from the winery, 02/20/13.
Drank with Beth and Mari on a hot Spring night, 05/10/13.
BDV: "I have written in various places about the inspiration to age wine in demijohns/carboys/bonbonnes. Some of it has come from my fascination with oxidation/reduction chemistry, an aspect of wine art/science not well understood and its importance greatly unappreciated. Years ago, as a young pup I tasted wine from carboy with Dan Wheeler of Nicasio Cellars in his do-it-yourself-handdug cave in Soquel, and was astonished at how youthful were the wines, twenty plus years later, almost as if they had been placed in suspended animation. At about the same time, I also happened to taste the wines from Emidio Pepe in Abruzzo, who also aged his product in demijohns, likewise evincing extraordinary youthfulness and vitality.

We did some small encouraging experiments years ago, then more or less forgot about them until relatively recently, at which point we began the carboy ageing project with red Cigare. It wasn’t until ’09 that it dooned on me that perhaps there were even more interesting things to discover with the white. The ’10 Cigare Blanc Réserve, our second vintage of this wine, is absolutely amazing, an advance over the ’09. To refresh everyone’s memory, this wine is more or less the same blend as our standard issue Cigare Blanc, apart from the fact that we’ve allowed it to undergo malolactic fermentation, and at that point, we gave it a light SO2 addition, racked it to glass demijohn (bonbonne), where it reposed for a year and a half, getting anaerobically stirred more or less fortnightly.

The wine derives entirely from the Beeswax Vineyard, located at the mouth of the Arroyo Seco, and is farmed biodynamically and produced according to biodynamic specifications (very easy on the extraneous additions).

I’ve had the pleasure of tasting this wine over the last year, and what is most remarkable about it is that every time I taste it, it gets younger and younger! The wine was not filtered, and therefore is partly cloudy, though lately, it is curiously, getting brighter and brighter. The wine has a rich, unctuous texture, despite its modest (12ish%) alcohol, as well as possesses the most satisfying savoriness. In the nose, there is a wonderful suggestion of hazelnuts (hmm, white Burgundy, anyone?), as well as a beautiful fragrance of wintergreen and a wine-like pear. A great gastronomy wine, one that will perfectly suit rich, cream-based dishes.

Vital Statistics:
Blend: 56% roussanne, 44% grenache blanc (Certified Biodynamic®)
Vineyard: Beeswax (Certified Biodynamic®)
Appellation: Arroyo Seco
Serving Temp: 50-55ºF
Alcohol by Volume: 12.4%
TA: 6.2 g/L
pH: 3.62
Optimal drinkability: Drink now-2020
Production: 497 cases"

Had a split on my Virgin America flight from SFO to Reagan NYC, 04/05/13, on the way to #AACR 2013.
VSP: "Variety
100% Chardonnay.

Origin
Cachapoal and Bío-Bío Valleys. Our Chardonnay is made with grapes steming from the Cachapoal and Bío-Bío valleys, aiming to create a wine which expresses the tropical aromas of Cachapoal, along the fresh and mineral notes from Bío-Bío. Part of this blend is fermented in French oak, what contributes with aromatic complexity and structure to the wine. Another 20% of this wine undergoes a malolactic fermentation, in order to deliver a creamy sensation to the palate. A final rest on its light lees concludes to integrate all aromas.

Tasting Notes
A very fruity wine in the nose, with tropical fruit aromas, such as banana and pineapple, along with light sweet notes from its aging in wood, which add complexity to the wine. A very soft and concentrate wine on the palate, with a good acidity delivering freshness and persistence.

Food Pairing
White meats, such as chicken and pork, but also all kinds of salads, salmon and other fishes and shellfish.
Suggested Serving Temperature: 10°C to 12°C."

Received as a sample from the Diageo Estates, 03/22/13.
Had with dinner, 03/31/13.
BVV: "This wine exudes its sense of place—the personality and quality of Cabernet Sauvignon grown on Napa Valley’s Rutherford Bench. Our 2010 Beaulieu Vineyard Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon captures this area with briary blackberry, dark plum, black cherry, chocolate and tobacco leaf. The famous Rutherford Dust gives the wine cocoa-powder tannins and texture, while well-integrated oak adds toasty mocha notes to the generous aromas and expansive flavors.

Vineyard Notes:
Ninety percent of the grapes for this wine were selected from vineyard blocks in our historic BV Ranches No. 1 and No. 2, which provide the velvety dark-fruit character and firm structure that we desire for this Cabernet Sauvignon. These vineyards are located on the Rutherford Bench, where ideal alluvial fan soils—composed of gravel, sand and loam—allow the vines to root deeply and bring up minerals that develop unique flavors in the grapes. Winemaker Jeffrey Stambor chose the balance of the grapes from highly regarded growers that we have worked closely with for many years.

Winemaker Notes:
We hand harvested the grapes and rushed them across the road to our winery. To bring out the rich, layered fruit expression inherent in Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, we destemmed the grapes and then cold soaked the must for two to three days for gentle flavor extraction. During the eight- to twelve-day fermentation, we pumped over the cap to incorporate the flavor-rich skins into the juice. Malolactic fermentation rounded the flavors (part done in-barrel) and 18 months of barrel aging infused the wine with oak spice nuances."

Received as a sample from the winery, 02/20/13.
Drank on our balcony at the Oceano Hotel & Spa in Half Moon Bay, celebrating a great weekend on 03/24/13.
BDV: "Comfortingly typical Albariño nose–lime zest and peaches. Medium bead. Just the faintest hint of bracing astringency (is there any other kind?) on the palate, with medium acidity and exceptionally long finish. Possibly the very best Korean barbecue wine ever conceived.

An important serving note: the Sparkling Albariño is quite effervescent, so please use caution and patience when opening!

Vital Statistics
Varietal Blend: 100% albariño (sparkling)
Appellation: Central Coast
Vineyards: 84% Jespersen, 16% Ca’del Solo
Alcohol by Volume: 12.5%
TA: 9.81 g/L
pH: 3.30
Serving Temp: 42° F
Cellaring: Drinkable upon release (Sept. 2012) through 2015 (maybe beyond)
Production: 617 cases"

Received as a sample from the winery for their Toutsuite Winemaker Tasting with Michael Scholz, 03/21/13.
#Vinopanion - WineLog.net post:
http://wkwine.us/V-StSupery13
SSV&W: "Appellation Napa Valley
Vineyard Dollarhide Estate Vineyard
Variety/Blend 100% Sauvignon Blanc
pH 3.30
T. Acidity 6.5 g/L
Residual Sugar 0.2%
Alcohol 13.5%
Harvest Dates August 28 – September 23, 2012
Bottling Date December 2012
Winemaker’s Notes:
This wine presents with attractive pale yellow hues speared by notes of youthful greens. Crisp, bright grapefruit and lime dominate the aromatics and are complemented with a hint of caper and lemon zest. Flavors of fresh lime and grapefruit persist with elements of kiwi, citrus and caper. This is a rich, generous and vibrant white wine with a brilliant, crisp finish.
Growing Season:
The season of 2012 commenced with a very dry and cold winter. The lack of water was concerning as this dry spell in Napa Valley persisted through the end of February, while the Sierras had minimal snowfall. March eased the burden with nine inches of rain, replenishing groundwater reserves. A warm spring and a moderate to hot June, July and August followed. This provided excellent ripening weather through the summer, which was then followed by a warm September, allowing a good, even and progressive harvest. October kicked off with a hot start followed by even, warm conditions. All in all, 2012 provided an excellent growing season.
Winemaking:
After achieving the desired flavors on the vine, the Sauvignon Blanc was harvested in the cool morning hours in an effort to preserve the delicate flavors. The fruit was received in the cellar, where the grapes were pressed to tank and immediately chilled and settled prior to fermentation. All fermentation was completed in stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures to maintain and enhance the natural flavors. The final blend was completed soon thereafter to capture the lovely fresh qualities and intensity of flavor of this Sauvignon Blanc."

Received as a sample from the winery for their Toutsuite Winemaker Tasting with Michael Scholz, 03/21/13. #Vinopanion - WineLog.net post: http://wkwine.us/V-StSupery13

SSV&W: "Napa Valley
Vineyard Dollarhide Estate Vineyard
Variety/Blend 100% Muscat Canelli
pH 3.10
T. Acidity 7.5 g/L
Residual Sugar 6.0%
Alcohol 10.5%
Harvest Dates September 13 and September 25, 2012
Bottling Date December 2012
Winemaker’s Notes:
This wine presents with a brilliant pale yellows and youthful hints of green. Aromas of perfumed peach blossom dominate while apricot, orange, and citrus zest follow. Flavors present a fruit basket of rich, exotic peach and apricot, a citrus
undercurrent and an orange zest finish. This is a bright,
opulent sweet wine.
Growing Season
The season of 2012 commenced with a very dry and cold
winter. The lack of water was concerning as this dry spell in Napa Valley persisted through the end of February, while the Sierras had minimal snowfall. March eased the burden with nine inches of rain, replenishing groundwater reserves. A warm spring and a moderate to hot June, July and August followed. This provided excellent ripening weather through the summer, which was then followed by a warm September, allowing a good, even and progressive harvest. October kicked off with a hot start followed by even, warm conditions. All in all, 2012 provided an excellent growing season.
Winemaking
After achieving the desired flavors on the vine, the Muscat Canelli was harvested in the cool morning hours in an effort to preserve the delicate flavors. The fruit was received in the cellar, where the grapes were pressed to tank and immediately chilled and settled prior to fermentation. All fermentation was completed in stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures to maintain and enhance the natural flavors. The final blend was completed soon thereafter to capture the lovely bright qualities and intensity of flavor of the varietal."