Wine Finds: October

2004 Graeser Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate—Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley

Tucked into the oft damp hillside of Diamond Mountain District in Napa Valley is a small family owned and operated joint called Graeser Winery.  This is not what you would expect from a Napa Valley Winery because when you get up into the Diamond Mountain District, you are no longer in a valley; you are in the mountains.  Mountain fruit is very different than valley fruit; much the same as a mountain man is very different than a valley boy. Among other differences, all fruit that is labeled “Diamond Mountain” must come from 2000 feet above sea level or higher or else it is not Diamond Mountain.

In the case of Graeser, they make about ten wines each vintage.  Each has unique characteristics, but the one that stands out to me is the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.  The 2004 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has a very distinct peppermint crispness reminiscent of the mountains from which it came.  Winemaker and owner Richard Graeser has the right approach in order to capture the heart of the unique pine forest soil that surrounds the vines. When a wine can remind you of a specific place from which the grapes grew, then the winemaker has done his job well.  Graeser has captured the essence of their vineyard perfectly.

*

2005 Koehler Winery Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

Halloween signals the end of fall and ushers in the start of winter. What is the perfect wine for early winter in Southern California? There is no better California wine to capture this essence than Santa Barbara Pinot Noir. Santa Barbara Pinots are hefty enough to warm your body for the slight chill of early November yet light enough to pair well with the flavors of fall.

The 2005 Koehler Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, made in the Santa Ynez Valley, is a perfect late-fall wine because it offers a great marriage of cranberry and cinnamon, which represents both Pinot and fall perfectly. Koehler apparently did not filter or fine this wine, thereby giving it some extra weight which is just wonderful for those chilly fall evenings throughout the Pacific Coast. In all fairness, this wine would be wonderful any time of the year but it just feels particularly suited to and at ease with this time of the year.

Note: If you are going to consume any of your Halloween stash, please make sure you have finished the Pinot and have moved onto some Port with your chocolate.

–Douglas Allan