The Traveling Grape

Today I had lunch with my dear friend Fitz who used to own a local wine shop here in Raleigh and now manage the Total Wine in North Hills. As you read my posts, you will find I mention him a lot. Meeting people like him is what makes wine so enjoyable. He’s a down-to-earth guy with a great palate, lots of experience in the industry and has colorful stories one loves to hear. He is always introducing me to new labels and I love the comment he made today as we were talking about getting folks out of “ruts” of drinking the same wines. He said “if you recognize the label, you probably shouldn’t buy it” What a great way to look at it; have fun and experiment. Forgive me Fitz, but I am quite sure down the road I will steak that quote!

Looking back upon the years of Fitz’s recommendations, I thought about some of my favorite. When people ask me what my favorite wines are, that can be a tough question for so many reasons. First, I make sure I expose myself to new wines constantly so the “flavor of the month” sort of speak changes as does the seasons, the occasion and the food. With that said, I try to sum my favorites as those that are ‘consistent’. These wines are the ones that no matter which varietal, which vintage, which case it comes out of or how long I have let it lay down, they never let me down. These are the wines that, for me, always show balance, complexity, a pleasurable nose and elegant palate from start to finish….with an enjoyable lingering finish.

So many come to mind but one I keep going back to, and since have joined their wine club, is Baldacci. The first wine I had was their Black Label Stags Leap Cabernet around $60. I remember because the bottle was so pretty and it was a tad pricey, around $60, but Fitz reassured me it was worth the price. He also had me pick up their Four Sons Stags Leap Cab for around $35, what they call their “baby Baldacci” and named after the Four Sons of the Baldacci Family.

What can I say, heaven in a bottle. Since then I have tried their Brenda’s Vineyard Stags Leap Cab, Ruppert Napa Valley Cab, Elizabeth Carneros Pinot and Allwin Napa Valley Syrah. I have yet to sample their Mathilde Russian River Pinot or their whites, a Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer.

I could bore you with tasting notes and tell how dark chocolate flavors rolled around in mocha and black cherry with hints of plum and leather make your mouth come alive…..or how their Black Label Estate Cab is 100% Cab aged in 70% new French Oak for 20 months and bottle aged for 14 months prior to release….or even how Stags Leap is well known for making some of the best Cab juice around and Baldacci wines are a great value and some of the best made wines on the Silverado Trail…but I won’t. What I am going to tell you is go get ya some! It’s really (I mean really) good to drink now but lay it down for a few years and reward yourself with pure bliss!

Some may say the tasting room is small but I think it’s perfect, warm and cozy – plus, they are appointment only so it’s never an issue but don’t let that stop you, call them and see if you can pop by. Attached you will find a tranquil outside patio to sit under the umbrella and enjoy your new found friend (hmmm Baldacci wine of course) and maybe one of the wine loving dogs since they are pet friendly. Make sure you ask for a tour to see the cave. When you hear people say that this winery is a gem, they aren’t kidding!

Bottom line – family run winery with 17 acres of estate Cabernet Sauvignon, their own winemaking facilities, and a wine cave under a volcanic knoll in the Stags Leap District making outstanding wines at a price you can’t beat. They produce around 3,500 cases annually, mostly reds, and are no doubt doing it right.

Cheers!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 7:36 pm and is filed under Napa Wineries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.