Day 6 – Yorkville Highlands to Napa via Meyer Family Vineyards, Hawkes, Robert Young and Van Der Heyden

Meyer Family Vineyards

Fabulous blue sky when we woke, so up and at it early to make the most of the day.  Breakfast as before in Boonville, then we headed South down the valley and over the top into the Yorkville valley.  It was a pretty drive, lingering mist on the tops, cows and goats, old barns and teeming with trees.  Meyer Family Vineyard had just opened for the day when we arrived – this is a very family-friendly place, with slides, swings and lawns to play on.  Which isn’t surprising when you realise that Matt Meyer and his Australian wife have three youngsters under 5, so they are happy to appeal to visiting family groups.  Molly Sutherland welcomed us into the tasting room where she poured four wines (and a few extras).  Matt wandered in and was happy to chat to Mark whilst Molly and I exchanged information.  We started with a Chardonnay which was crisp and dry, with good finish.  Then onto two Cabernet Sauvignons We finished with aZinfandelPortwhich was not to our taste, but has its loyal following.

Hawkes Winery, Alexander Valley

Alexander Valleywas next on the agenda, a gorgeous drive, past fruit orchards, small wooden barns, horses, cows and huge sheep.  I am really glad we pushed up this far North, the countryside is stunning and gives a suggestion of howSonoma&Napamight have been before vines pushed out prunes & peaches.  We drove through Cloverdale and had hoped to visit Wattle Creek Winery, but couldn’t get a reply so had to presume the owners were back in their nativeAustralia.  So we pushed on to Hawkes next to Jimtown Store, East of Healdsburg.  This was a tiny outfit, but perfectly formed, with really well produced literature and flyers, nice red hawk logo.  The lovely Alex welcomed us in and was one of the best pourers we’d met so far, enthusiastic, informative, fun and happy to spend time over their delicious wines.

Jake Hawkes is the winemaker now, but he and his father Steven have been growing grapes in this area for 40 years, only bottling under their own label since 2002.  They make c. 3,500 cases per year from the 10% of the yield that they keep from their 85 acres of primeAlexanderValleylots called Red Winery, Stone & Pyramid – the rest of the grapes go to other producers in the area, e.g. Silver Oak.  These vineyards are planted with 8 acres of Chardonnay, 18 Merlot & 54 Cabernet Sauvignon.  These wines were quite exceptional, all single varietals, no blending here.  We started with a 2009 Home Chardonnay, only 326 cases produced, made in a unique house-style, clean, crisp, dry, Hungarian oak, no malolactic, so noticeable minerality, yet smooth and pure, $20.

Then onto the reds, starting with their 2007 Alexander Valley Merlot from the Red Winery ranch.  This was a big wine that really packed a punch and would age beautifully given its dark fruit, tannin and good acidity.  This is aged on 100% new French oak, 14.1% ABV, built to last.  $35 per bottle, only 480 cases produced.  Next up was their 2007 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, yields were down this year, so only 650 rather than the average 1,000 cases made, a combination of fruit from all three of their vineyards.  This is big, yet balanced, smooth, black fruit, great tannins, will continue to improve, $50.  Lastly, a real treat, a single vineyard Cabernet from their Pyramid lot, 2007, $65, purple black, floral notes, plumy, old gentleman’s club, leather & smoke.  Huge potential, needs time to balance lean tannins, a wonderful finale.  Both Mark and I were sorely tempted to join their Wine Club and probably will, for this is a small producer with a great future.

Robert Young Estate Winery

Next stop, and recommended by Alex although we had called ahead to request a winery tour, was Robert Young Estate Winery, a wiggle away round many immaculate vineyards on the valley floor.  This 500-acre ranch has been in the same family for 4 generations and sits majestically on a small brow overlooking its own vineyards, a pleasing, low, white colonial-style house with a big white barn alongside where the tasting room is located.  Jeff and Tina kindly waited whilst we finished our picnic on a little wrought-iron table under the olive grove.  They started the tasting by explaining that all their wines (12 varietals in total, including Melon & Malbec) are 100% estate-grown, produced and bottled right here on the ranch.  What an enviable position to be in!  They have a long-established contract to grow Chateau St Jean’s grapes, so 95% of the yield from their 317 planted acres goes there, plus a few other local wineries (including Clos du Bois, Simi, Franciscan).  Which leaves Kevin Warren, the winemaker here since 2000, with grapes to make about 6,000 cases p.a.  Again, these were top examples ofAlexanderValley’s reputation.  We parallel-tasted the 2008 Alexander Valley Chardonnay with the 2009, the first complex and nutty, 14 months on 40% new French oak, vanilla & butterscotch, long finish, $40.  The 2009 was more tropical, aromatic and full, yet still dry. $42.  Then onto two more Chardonnay, a 2009 Area 27 Chardonnay aged in neutral French oak, no malolactic, crisp and dry, light acidity, tiny production – 4 barrels off this unique lot of 5 acres.  $44.  Then a huge Chardonnay to finish, their 2009 Barrel Select, aged in 100% new French oak for 14 months, vanilla and almost honeyed notes, yoghurt and cream, luscious and rich, $49.  Not my particular favourite, but I bet my hat it has a big fan club.

Next up, the reds.  First the Merlots, parallel-tasting their 2007 and 2008 Alexander Valley.  The first was fabulous on the nose, chocolate and raspberry, rounded and big in the mouth, lovely tannin and length.  4% Petit Verdot & 3% Cabernet Sauvignon give it a roundness and structure that reflects in its $50 price tag.  The 2008 was my husband’s idea of class in a glass, massive black fruit, deep colour, cassis, again a little Petit Verdot, great tannins, $52.  Tina then poured their 100% 2008 Petit Verdot which I simply loved – inky purple, big in flavour and tannin, quite a discovery, it went on and on, chocolate and bramble, $56.  The 2008 Big Rock Block Cabernet Franc, again 100% single varietal, was a little less successful for me, good on the nose with strawberry, but a little too peppery and rough in the finish.  $58.  Last, but not least, their 2007 Scion Cabernet Sauvignon which is their flagship wine, found on many top-notch restaurant’s lists, even over on the East Coast.   This was a fabulous wine, berry & plum forward, soft tannin, smooth acidity, with a lasting toastiness; a little Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in the mix too.   Extremely good, $58.  Tina then kindly took us through the winery itself, including an intriguing egg-shaped concrete fermentation vessel that they have just used for their Chardonnay for the very first time – apparently it is a size and shape that has been used for years inFrance, so Kevin Warren is experimenting with it and waiting on the outcome with interest.  She then led us into the caves, and as she opened the big wooden doors, that amazing aroma of barrel-fermenting wines hit us, a heady mix of oak and age.  The caves stretch quite some way back into the hill, down dimly lit passages, past brooding oak barrels, all immaculately labeled and dated.  This is most definitely one of our favourite places, it just has a gentle, mellow air about it, comfortable in its skin and in the knowledge that its wine are of a quality to keep Alexander Valley firmly on the map for years to come.

Van Der Heyden

Van Der Heyden: no gloss, just unique wine

We had spent longer than anticipated here (happily!), so we headed down Knight’s Valley, past all Beringer’s vineyards, and over the top into Calistoga.  This town has a Wild West air, with wooden posts running along all the shop exteriors, ready for tying up your horse, should you happen to have one.  We turned South down the Silverado Trail, pass Mumm Napa, Sterling, through Rutherford and Oakville, stopping for one last tasting of the day at a small, ramshackle place called van der Heyden.  This was a quaint, unique experience – as the sun was setting, we made our way past barrels and flat-beds into the tiny tasting shack, met Andre the winemaker, and realised we had stumbled upon a Napa treasure-trove if you like late-bottled Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah!  Andre has been here since the 1970s and is a passionate advocate of this style or wine, and at $135 for a LB Semillon, there must be plenty of people who enjoy it, and why not?  We spent a very entertaining 20 minutes in his company before making our way over the top, East of Napa, to our friend’s house up overlooking the valley.  This was an oasis of calm and beauty, so a fun evening was had catching up on news and chat before retiring to the pool house for the night.