Feb

4

Black Coyote Reserve

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Today Dr. Bates, the founder and owner of Black Coyote Chateau came to the office and poured his 2005 Black Coyote Reserve Cabernet.


The 2005 Black Coyote Reserve was made entirely from Atlas Peak fruit, grown in red-volcanic soils in a mountain-top environment that consistently remains around ten degrees cooler than the Napa Valley floor. The Atlas Peak region is known for producing intense, low yield fruit. And in the hands of winemaker Marco DiGiulio (Pine Ridge Winery, Atlas Peak Vineyards, Pezzi King, Pepi, Lakoya) the 2005 crop was transformed into an exceptionally fine example of mountain-top Napa Cabernet.

Although this is not the first time I have tasted this wine, it certainly seems to impress me more each time I do.

The first thing I noticed about this wine this time around was the beautiful, luxurious nose, albeit with some restraint. Expressing rich dark fruits that almost seemed to want to cut through the initially tight nose, but it definitely unfolded nicely over the two or so hours it spent breathing in my glass. On the palate, it was soft and elegant. Almost like silk in the glass. I specifically caught a hint of ripe summer blackberry on the finish.

This is a fine example of collectible Cabernet from the Atlas Peak region in Napa. At a mere 800 case production in 2008 and an even smaller 670 case production in 2006 (not yet released) I expect this wine to continue to receive praise in the trade press and likely more price increases in the marketplace. If you like well balanced, complex and elegant top-shelf Napa Cabernets that will age well, you should definitely put away a box (or few) of the 2005 Black Coyote Reserve.

Contact Jonathan Keller to acquire Black Coyote Reserve.




"Jonathan -- The dinner was excellent. 16 drinkers, 18 bottles of wine. ..the Pinot and Zin you suggested were excellent. Thanks again for your help."

~ Rodger C. Mountain View, CA





Dec

22

Renaissance Vineyard & Winery

Filed Under Reds, Whites | Leave a Comment

Renaissance wines are best known for their uncompromising expression of terroir and distinctive style. After 30 years of extensive varietal experimentation, Renaissance focuses on limited production of the Bordeaux and Rhone families of varietals. Their Sierra Foothills vineyard is organically cultivated and elevations range from 1,700 to 2,300 feet.


Renaissance’s winemaker Gideon Beinstock handcrafts their estate-bottled wines in a traditional European style. Gideon first arrived at Renaissance in the 1970s and helped to plant the vineyard. During the 1980s he roamed the vineyards of France, exploring their wines and wineries. He built friendships with a number of winemakers in Burgundy and the Rhone Valley, and was particularly influenced by such wine experts as Steven Spurrier (Academie du Vin, Paris, 1980/81) and Maggie McNie, MW (Masters of Wine Program, London 1989). With his half-French heritage, Gideon’s first love was definitely French wines. He began to write articles about wines and conduct classes. He returned to Renaissance in the early 1990s where he gained hands-on experience as assistant winemaker under Diana Werner.

When he became head winemaker in January 1994, Gideon brought a radical change to their winemaking art: he “finished” the 1991 Cabernet Sauvignon, blending Renaissance’s traditionally pure varietal Cabernet Sauvignon with 4 percent Merlot and 1.5% Sauvignon Blanc. The result was a gold medal at the 1995 VINEXPO and a great deal of critical praise. Wine author and columnist, Matt Kramer, proclaimed this 1991 Renaissance Cabernet Sauvignon as “one of its best–intense, filled with a blackcurrant scent and superbly balanced” and further described it as “stunning and long-lived.” It was this wine that prompted him to call Renaissance “California’s best-kept Cabernet secret.”

Originally, the Renaissance winemaking style was highly extracted, thick, very tannic, designed for long aging in the bottle. Gideon’s “hands off” style of winemaking is based on minimal manipulation: gentle extraction, no inoculations, no fining or filtration doing everything in his power to highlight the expression of the terroir in the wine.

Since 1994 Gideon has conducted a series of experiments with additional grape varieties in their vineyards, searching for the best microclimate, soil, and varietal combination. This program opened new horizons for their use of blends as a winemaking tool (for example, Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc and Merlot), and lead to the creation of a whole range of exciting new wines, such as Syrah, Grenache, Viognier and Roussanne.

Compared to the single varietal approach, blending a few varietals to maximize the expression of the soil and “sense of place” is a key element in the French winemaking tradition. Gideon, who trained as an artist, describes his winemaking art: “Just as a painter mixes different colors to capture the essence of light, I work with a palette of different grapes to achieve compositions that capture the essence of our vineyard.”

Contact Jonathan Keller to acquire Renaissance wines.




"Jonathan: Thank you for my amazing first experience with your company. I am so very grateful my friend Karen referred me to you. I enjoyed your first shipment, immensely and your choices for me were outstanding.

My favorite was the Viognier and I would welcome a chance to purchase more. I have referred you to one of my supervising physicians who is also a very dear friend. My husband and I had the opportunity to share some of the wines with him. It was both a very pleasurable and gratifying experience.

He has requested your contact information. It sounded as though he may have additional contacts for your business through family and friends. Thanks again!"

~ Margaret M. Riverside, CA





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