Tasting the Cult Wines of Napa
Oakville, California
Wine Style: Tasting, New World
Average Price: $$
Overall Rating: 5 stars
Article Written in September 2013
Article Updated in March 2019
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
UPDATE:
The Napa Wine company has been through some changes since this article was first published. The tasting room used to offer up to 20 different wine brands, but as of January 1, 2019, the tasting room was closed and purchased by Ghost Block Estate Wines. This new tasting room will only feature the brands of Ghost Block, Oakville Winery, and Elizabeth Rose.
The original article from 2013:
The Napa Wine company has been through some changes since this article was first published. The tasting room used to offer up to 20 different wine brands, but as of January 1, 2019, the tasting room was closed and purchased by Ghost Block Estate Wines. This new tasting room will only feature the brands of Ghost Block, Oakville Winery, and Elizabeth Rose.
The original article from 2013:
A year after being introduced to a Cabernet that quickly joined the list of my top five favourite wines; I had the chance to introduce myself to wines of the same calibre. These wines were known as cult wines. Now I am not talking about winemakers that sacrifice goats, then go to harvest grapes, I am talking about rare wines, not mass-produced, local sustainable farming, and most importantly, a following of loyal people. Just like the Deadheads that travelled the country with Jerry Garcia, you have Wine-Head’s that hover around places like the Napa Wine Company. I was introduced to the company in 2010 when I found out that they were the only company that sold Ghost Block Cabernet directly from the source, the winemaker. Therefore, I decided to join their wine club, and have not looked back. This review covers four of my favourite wines from the team at the Napa Wine Company, also known by Bonded winery #9.
The Napa Wine Company is a family-owned winery with over 635 acres of vineyards in the Yountville and Oakville appellations. All are now 100% organically certified. The building that now houses the tasting room is actually a culmination of two historic winery properties. In 1877, the first Brun & Chaix Nouveau Médoc Winery was built in Oakville; it was the 9th bonded winery in California.
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| Napa Wine Company / The Tasting |
At the time I was a member and visited the tasting room I was working in Afghanistan, I always would look forward to coming home on leave and opening up the box like a Christmas present to see my wines inside. I chatted on and off with the folks that worked at the tasting room like Kristen and Luis, telling them that one day I would visit. Well, in August 2013, I had that chance when I came to Napa and Sonoma for a few days. The group was nice enough to present me with a very large cheese basket and olive oils as a thank you for being a member with them.
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| Napa Wine Company / Wines offered |
The tasting room at the Napa wine Company has four separate wine level club memberships, where you choose between two to twelve, four times each year. These club levels are called the select, preferred, premium, and the elite. The collectors club is the same as the elite except you get two bottles of each wine offered. I joined as an elite member, and over the past, several years have enjoyed every wine that has been offered by the company. With over 20 labels offered, my personal favourites with tasting notes are listed below; They include:
Wine and Grape:
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Nose (Bouquet):
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Palate Experience:
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Hoopes Cabernet
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Winemaker Notes:
Aromas from the glass are cherry, anise and dark chocolate
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Winemaker Notes:
Cedar, tobacco, all spice, and black fruits. On the palette, it is long, lush and shows integration of time and balance.
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Pahlmeyer Cabernet
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Winemaker Notes:
Raspberry jam, flowers, and sweet herbs are all woven together nicely
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Winemaker Notes:
This decidedly mid-weight, gracious wine is likely to offer considerable early and medium-term appeal. Expressive notes reappear to frame the feminine, lithe finish
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Ghost Block Cabernet
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Winemaker Notes:
Bright floral aromatics, such as rose petals and tobacco, full bodied
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Winemaker Notes:
Attacks with loads of dark berry fruits, cocoa, and nutmeg. The palate is supported by the lasting finish of black cherries and coffee. Total Acidity .59% pH: 3.99
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Final notes, review basics, and observations:
*** NOTE TO THE READER ***
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about.
To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
I refer to myself as an oenophile though, oenophilia is defined as “a disciplined devotion to wine, accompanying strict traditions of consumption and appreciation.” In a general sense, oenophilia also refers to the enjoyment of wine, often by a layman — which I am, and not qualified as a professional. I just enjoy drinking it, so my rating is based on enjoyment and the overall experience, not the science of an expert, and thus subjective, not objective. See the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ on how I arrived at the rating percentage below:
Wine regulatory’s for the tastings in this article:
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is the strength, in the water there are bacteria.” - David Auerbach
United States:
California:
Sub-Napa AVA’s:
Other Oakville wines, wineries (Château’s), or food articles on Wine Dine and Play:
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
A Few New World Favorites:
Archery Summit Winery Côte d’Or in the Willamette in Dayton, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Coldstream Hills Vineyard A Taste of James Halliday in Gruyere, Yarra Valley, Australia
De Trafford Winery Elevation 393 tasting in Stellenbosch, South Africa
Gustavo Winery Artisan winemaker whose story is tied to “The Judgement of Paris” in Napa, California
Yering Station Victoria’s first vineyard from 1838 in Yarra Glen, Yarra Valley, Australia
Some Old World Favorites:
Clos du Marquis A Saint-Julien AOC red blend by Domaines Delon, Bordeaux, France
Clos de Vougeot The vineyard of Cistercian monks at the Cîteaux Abbey in Burgundy, France
Domaine William Fevre A Grand Cru producer in the Burgundy-Chablis region, France
The Bourgogne Tasting A tasting of the Vougeot AOC, caves, and the Hospices de Beaune tour
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
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The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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Esteemed old-school steakhouse with gospel brunch
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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Modern British cuisine in Art Deco Space
London, England, UK
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Traditional and classic Italian plates
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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Other Napa Wine Company Pictures:
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| Napa Wine Company / Tasting building |
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| Napa Wine Company / Opus One Vineyard |
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| Napa Wine Company / Tasting Room |
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| Napa Wine Company / Tasting Room |
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is the strength, in the water there are bacteria.”
- David Auerbach
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
