Winery Adventure: Porter Family Vineyards

 

Nestled 600 feet about the valley floor in the Coombsville Region of Napa Valley, you will find a winery that is off the beaten path.  This isn't just any winery.  It is a very special place with incredibly friendly people and delicious wines.  Porter Family Vineyards farms 14 acres of vineyards, concentrating primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.  Here are some of the highlights of our recent visit to this magical place.

Our visit started with a semi-sweet and refreshing cool glass of 2020 Sandpiper Rosé.  We arrived at Porter Family Vineyards just before 1:30pm and the sun was in full force with a temperature reaching 90 degrees.  This wine was a welcome sight and very tasty!

Our host for the tour and tasting was Luis.  He was super friendly, knowledgeable and has a true passion for the wines and the property.  A good winery host can make or break a tasting experience and we felt very lucky to have Luis show us around.  He told us that he is getting married later this year on the Porter property in the cave.  Lucky guy!

Looking out at mature grapes never gets old.  The dark purple/deep blue color in the sun is stunning!

We tasted both Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes from the vines at Porter Family Vineyards.  Shhh!  Don't tell the owners.  Just add it to our wine shipment.  Actually, Luis encouraged us to taste the grapes and while we thought they were perfect, Luis said that they still had about 3 weeks on the vines before harvest.  The Syrah grapes were very sweet and juicy.

We will never tire of this view.  The way the barrels are marked shows not only the dedication to detail that this boutique family winery has, but it also makes for great pictures and a very welcoming presentation when you enter the winery cave.  We just need to figure how to get one of these barrels back home for our wine cellar project.  (Hint, hint Porter Family - empty is ok with us!)

Now that we have seen this incredible wine rack, we are absolutely obsessed and need one.  Luis told us that everyone asks about these during their winery visit, but they aren't for sale.  This is one of the most beautiful and unique wine racks we have seen in recent years.

This pictures will give you a little better perspective of what our intimate tasting experience was like.  You have to be a wine club member (family member the call it) in order to visit with Porter Family Vineyards.  We are blessed that our friends Sarah & Richard are members here, which is the only reason this experience was made possible.  It was absolutely lovely!

While the wine tasting line up likely varies throughout the year, this was our offering during our visit:

• 2020 Sandpiper Rosé
• 2018 Beverly's Chardonnay
• 2016 Sandpiper Red Blend
• 2016 Cave Dwellers Blend
• 2016 Barre Azure Blend
• and a "bonus" pour of the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon

The toughest part of tasting these wines was deciding what to purchase.  Everyone in our party gladly purchased wines and we ended up with the 2016 Sandpiper Red and 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon.

As you know, the amount of food that is provided with each wine tasting (not all wineries offer charcuterie or light faire) varies greatly.  Since this was our second winery visit of the day and we had just eaten a tasty Mexican cuisine lunch, we didn't need much.  But the snacks that were served with the wines were perfectly paired.  They included:

• Rosemary Marcona Almonds (2018 Beverly's Chardonnay)
• Aged Gouda Cheese (2016 Sandpiper Red Blend)
• Iberico Cheese (2016 Cave Dwellers Blend)
• Porter Cabernet Chocolate Truffle (2016 Barre Azure Blend

Trying to decide which wines are your favorites can be a tough decision.  Luckily we agreed on just about everything.  I love this lady!

Everyone of the red wines at Porter Family Vineyards was similar to this.  Gorgeous, opaque colors that went to the edge of the glass and boasted fragrant aromas.

Wines, wines and more wines!  Thankfully Napa Scott kept detailed notes on what everyone ordered.  

All of the views in the cave are beautiful.  Here is another intimate area to taste the wines.  We felt very lucky to taste the main cave tasting area but this view is not bad either!

We met this four-legged cutie.  Winston belongs to one of the owners and he was quite happy to introduce himself to all of us on our way out.  Seeing this guy made all of us miss our pups back home.

The team at Porter Family Vineyards knocked it out of the park for us.  Ken Bernards makes some amazing wines and the passion that the owners (and winemaker) have is evident in each bottle.  We couldn't ask for a better group of friends in which to experience wine country and make these memories.  We look forward to returning to this amazing gem during future Napa visits.  For more information on how to acquire wine or become a club member, please visit the Porter Family Vineyards web site.  You'll be glad you did!

2018 Knights Bridge Estate Chardonnay Knights Valley

 

The 2018 Knights Bridge Estate Chardonnay (Knights Valley) is a welcoming and affordable wine that can be presented as an every day sipper or for a lighter food wine.  While this particular vintage is no longer available from the winery's website, you can still find it readily available at many retailers.  In the glass is a medium golden apple color with crisp aromas of stone fruits, baked bread and vanilla.  In the mouth you easily embrace flavors of pear, vanilla bean, apple tart and lemon curd, leading to a solid and refreshing finish.  This wine is not overly oaked and should be drank in the next 2 years for optimum enjoyment.

ABV:  14.5%

Sonoma County, CA

Suggested retail price:  $39.99

Drink The Bottles score:  88/100

Winery Adventure: Repris Wines

We were very blessed to be able to travel to California recently for a wine trip with great friends.  We had planned the trip in 2020, but we had to postpone for a year due to most of the world shutting down from the Covid pandemic.  We decided that we would take this trip in 2021, come hell or high water.

Our "Winos" group as we jokingly and affectionately call ourselves, spent a few evenings and many text messages back and forth to discuss the "must visit" wineries as well as those that had been on various wish lists throughout the years.  After much discussion and many emails back and forth to the wineries on our radar, we finally decided on nine wineries that would complete our adventure.  And, so we begun with Day #1...... Repris Wines.

We love Southwest Airlines!  However, a non-stop flight from IND to OAK would be ideal.

There were three couples who took part in our journey and each one flew into a different airport.  Kris & Scott flew into Sacramento.  Richard and Sarah flew into San Francisco and we flew into Oakland.  Previously we had flown into San Francisco but next time would try Sacramento as we heard that the drive is very easy and the traffic isn't as heavy.

Share a car - save some money!  And take a lunch break when YOU want!

Our tour guide/driver was Napa Scott.  Sorry, he's not for rent.  Well, I guess everyone has their price.  Contact us and I'll put you in touch with him!  One great benefit to having your own transportation is you can make changes on the fly, move at your own pace and grab a bite whenever you want to.

Become a member at Repris Wines and ask for the ATV tour!

Both of the other couples in our group are members at Repris so they specifically asked for something special for our group.  We took an ATV tour of the property, a tour of the cave and......   well, I'm not going to spoil it yet.  We started to get excited when we saw the ATVs waiting for us. What a great way to start a few days in wine country!  Now if I could just get them to trade these units for John Deere Gators.....

Everywhere we went on the property was meticulously maintained.  The grapes were about 2-3 weeks away from harvest and the deep purple/blue-ish colors were so inviting.

These vineyards are 45 years old and producing delicious Zinfandel.

Drinking wines is always the highlight of visiting any winery, but learning about the property and the history is a close second.  These Zinfandel vines were planted by horse and plow and have been here for the better of 50 years.  The root stock is said to be as deep as 75 feet below ground.

The view from the top of Moon Mountain Road?  Priceless.

Despite some smoky haze in the area from various California fires, we were completely in awe of the view from the top of Moon Mountain Road.  This is a view that we could get used to every day.  By the way, if you haven't been to Repris Wines in Sonoma, the drive up to the property isn't for the faint of heart.  You're completely safe, but the roads would not be forgiving if you don't pay attention.

Say "cheese" and act like a tourist...

No tour to the top of the mountain would be complete without a "touristy" picture.   I wish I had a dollar for everyone who has taken this exact same photo on their visit to Repris.

The entrance to the cave at Repris is breath taking.  Candles lined he main entrance that fed into one of the barrel storage rooms.  If you've never had a cave tasting experience, you need to add it to your list.  It's such an intimate surrounding and (in our opinion) the best way to taste wine.  For those of you who are cold blooded, there are very cozy and warm blankets at the table to keep you comfy.

Do you think they would miss just ONE barrel?

Throughout our trip we had discussed (like literally EVERY OTHER visitor) the idea of "Oh, they surely won't miss just one barrel" and we thought we were clever.  Our winery host chuckled, although he was probably rolling his eyes when we weren't looking.  He finally told us that if we could lift the barrel, we could take it.   No dice.  

Let me first say that there was absolutely NOTHING disappointing about this winery visit.  We would definitely go back again.  One thing we personally would have love to experience was a barrel tasting (and we would have gladly paid for that).  Barrel tasting really gives you a finer appreciation of how different a wine tastes pre vs post bottling.

Our wine tasting setting, complete with candles, charcuterie and blankets.

We loved how not only was the wine featured (duh!) but that Repris also went above and beyond to explain what was offered with the charcuterie.  The L'amuse 'Signature Gouda' was one of our favorite cheese of the entire trip and now we are on a hunt to find it.  Take a look at these amazing wines that we sampled at Repris:

• 2019 Sauvignon Blanc
• 2016 Texture Lancel Creek Chardonnay
• 2018 Syrah
• 2018 Left Bank
• 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain Vineyard

Each wine was uniquely delicious.  The Sauvignon Blanc was offered when we first arrived while we were waiting to board our ATV for the property tour.  The remaining wines were tasted in the cave setting.

Get in my belly!

We really appreciate a winery that serves food with their wines.  Whether it is charcuterie, a light meal or snacks, a little food is always welcome.  Yes, it is great to add a few solids to the belly, but more than that, we appreciate the confidence that a winery has in pairing their wines with food.  We typically are not "wine/food" people because it can actually distract from the beauty and wonderful flavors of the wine.  However, this charcuterie was expertly paired and made us think about trying the same going forward.

Gorgeous colors and amazing aromas..

A fun winery host helps build lasting memories.

The staff members at Repris were not pretentious at all.  And believe me, they have every right to be.  Their wines are really top notch and we appreciated them more with every pour.  It's one thing to have a host who is knowledgeable about the winery and the wines.  But to have a host who is not only a great ambassador of the brand but ALSO funny, welcoming and makes you feel like a friend?  You just can't beat that type of experience.

"Forever"memories were made at Repris!

We don't rate wineries or our experiences.  Nearly every one that we visited during our trip was amazing in their own way.  The one that disappointed us won't be written about.  But Repris absolutely exceeded our expectations!   Admittedly, when our friends originally told us that we had to visit Repris, We thought they were a little crazy because they had all been there on prior trips.  "Why would someone want to go back to a winery they have visited before?"  Now we understand.  Repris is without a doubt on our "must see" list of wineries for our next trip.  It was incredible!

Please visit Repris Wines for more information about their wines and membership opportunities.

Wine Tasting Fees: A Necessary Evil

 

Wine tasting fees.  How much are they and why do I pay them?

We recently returned from an incredible wine country adventure that took place in Sonoma and Napa, California over three full days.  While we were there, our wine-loving group of six had the opportunity to visit nine wineries.  Wait, that's not right.  We added a tenth winery, but it was literally for just a glass of wine as they couldn't squeeze us in for a tasting.

Prior to the trip, we had combed over our options, created a whiteboard and mapped out best practices based on location, time of day and whether or not we had any "must see" properties.  It turns out that we did.  So much has changed since the last time we were in Napa ... including the wine tasting fees!  Don't get me wrong.  We weren't blindsided and we had our eyes wide open when creating our plans.  Most of the wineries we were visiting were what we would classify as very special places.  These weren't the 5,000,000 cases of box wines for $3.99.  About half of the wineries on our tour were very low-production, no-distribution gems that you could only visit if you were members.

As a professional courtesy, I reached out to 6 of the wineries that made our final cut.  Our good friends who we joined on the trip were wine club members or had connections at 3 others, so they made those contacts.  After the professional courtesies and wine club member discounts that we all had, we were looking at right around $250.00 in wine tasting fees for nine wineries.  When you break it down, it is really very reasonable!  Only one tasting room required payment up front, which ironically, was our least favorite of the trip and no wine was purchased there.

You have to pay to play!  Wine isn't free and either is your tasting.

So are wine tasting fees just a racket?  Are they a way of adding a few bucks to the bottom line and vintners wring their hands together and salivate as the tour buses of blue hairs arrive daily?  While there may be a small hint of truth to the second point, wineries really are NOT making anything from you off of their tasting fees.  In our case, we opted for an "elevated" tasting experience at most of the places that we visited.  We weren't keen on bellying up to the wine bar with a crowd of sweaty tourists who had just left their 5th winery before noon.  We sought out and asked for private tastings (or semi-private if that is all that was available).  For the general population, our fees would have ranged from $45 - $100 per person.  Again, we were afforded some professional discounts and gratis tastings.

A private or elevated tasting experience will cost more, but it is worth it.

Why do wineries charge fees and why have increased substantially over the last five years?  To answer the question, you have to look back at history.  The smaller, boutique or low production wineries are constantly in fear of being swept about by the Constellation Brands and the E&J Gallo of the world.  Keeping a foothold in an area of the world where a plot of land can sell upwards of $500,000 for an acre of grapes is extremely daunting as well as constantly tempting - to cash in!

Low production means just that.  Wineries that produce 1000, 3500, or even 7500 cases of wine annually have to be very select on how that wine is consumed.  If that winery uses 10% or even 5% of their annual production for wine tastings, it hits their net income hard.  

Remember the horrific fires that consumed various parts of Sonoma and Napa in 2020?  Even if a winery and/or its vineyards remained physically untouched, many red wine grapes were affected with smoke taint and could not be harvested.  Imagine raising, nourishing and encouraging your crop for an entire year, only to have it wiped out days before harvest.  The folks at CADE Winery told us that because of the smoke taint, they will not have any 2020 vintage red wines at all.

And then there was a little thing that we all recall because we are still living with it in some fashion. The worldwide pandemic known as Covid-19 left no stone unturned, including wine country.  For safety reasons, tasting salons were closed completely for extended periods, forcing wineries to seek alternative tasting options.  It also forced those companies to reach out to their membership, offer deals that would have never seemed possible before and in some cases, sit on inventory.

Of course, the tangible costs associated with a wine tasting.  With most of our tastings, we had 4 - 8 wines (which means 4-8 glasses to clean per person), a custom tasting menu, charcuterie, a host or hostess and the costs associated with set up and tear down of the tasting.  Is that worth $50 per person?  In our eyes, it's a resounding YES!

Need we say more?  Show them some love.

So the $64,000 question then is "Is there a way to avoid wine tasting fees"?  The super-simple, quick and sarcastic answer is yes;  don't go to a winery!  I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but it is very honest.  However, if you are going to visit your favorite or soon-to-be-favorite wine slinger, understand the expectations before you go.  Often times, wineries will be clear on their wine tasting/wine purchase policy.  For example, for every "X" number of bottles that you purchase during your visit, they will waive the tasting fee.  

What we found out in our personal experience was that nearly every winery we visited waived the tasting fee for us if we purchased wine.  There was never a "set amount" discussed, and truthfully, our group of six purchased several thousands of dollars total at 8 of the 9 wineries.  The only exception was the pre-paid $45 tasting fee for one of our visits, and that winery was a flop.  Maybe a major source of their income is from tasting fees because people aren't buying the wines?  Just a thought.

The proverb "A Fool and His Money Are Soon Parted" never held truer words that in wine country.  But the memories you take from a trip like this will last you forever, or at least until the next time.  I compare a trip to Napa and Sonoma like a trip to Las Vegas.  Stay with me here!  The $3.99 buffet is comparable to the $5 wine tasting.  They are unicorns.  They don't exist any longer.  Traveling to wine country is not cheap and quality wine is worth every penny!  If you don't want to pay, stay home and drink wine from a box.

Your trip to wine country will leave you with wonderful memories and a lighter wallet.

2019 Mollydooker Two Left Feet

 

We were recently in Chicago visiting family and, of course, we had to check out the local wine store.  It's always fun shopping for wines and bourbons in a "new" city.  You never know what you may find.  Since it can be tough to find Mollydooker close to us (it is hit-and-miss) we decided to grab this bottle.  We have long been Mollydooker fans but had yet to write about any of the 2019 vintages.

The 2019 Mollydooker Two Left Feet is a fun way to step outside of MD's famous 100% Shiraz offerings.  This is a blend of Shiraz (69%), Merlot (16% and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%).  Dark magenta in the glass with wonderful, long legs, the wine permeates the air beautifully with fresh raspberry, cherry and spices.  At 16% ABV this wine isn't for the faint of heart.  But it isn't fumy or bear any unpleasant hints of menthol that you can get from other high octane wines.  In the mouth is a effortless and polished feel of a wine that boasts hearty red fruits, aged peppered steak, vanilla and grilling spices.  If you like blended wines that are very flavorful and cost-friendly, you can't go wrong with Two Left Feet!

ABV:  16.0%

McLaren Vale, South Australia

Suggested retail price:  $30.00

Drink The Bottles score:  91/100

Rodney Strong Wine Estates REJUVENATION Virtual Wine Tasting

 

It was a great day for a wine tasting.  But then again, isn't any day perfect to gather for some vino?  

Our group of six gathered at our home (aka DrinkTheBottles HQ) for a virtual wine tasting provided by our friends at Rodney Strong Wine Estates.  This tasting was promoted as a media tasting and we invited our friends to enjoy some new wines.  Whenever we have a virtual tasting we always try to include others.  It would be a shame to "waste" six bottles of wine on two people.

The folks at Rodney Strong Wine Estates have been going through a makeover, or a REJUVENATION as they call it, for the last 3 years.  They have touched every part of the business from the estate, the vineyards, the tasting room, the personnel and, as you may notice, the logo/label!

The lineup consisted of six unique and flavorful wines.  The winery proves that you don't have to be expensive to enjoy quality wines.   We tasted these wines in order:

• 2020 Rodney Strong Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley:  $25.00
• 2019 Rodney Strong California Chardonnay:  $17.00
• 2017 Rodney Strong Sonoma County Merlot:  $20.00
• 2018 Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon:  $22.00
• 2018 Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon:  $28.00
• 2018 Rodney Strong Old Vine Zinfandel:  $25.00

Everyone had the chance to taste all six wines and choose their favorites.  Jeff took notes.

We started off with a bang!   Collectively and unanimously our group thought that this Rose of Pinot Noir got two thumbs up!  Strong strawberry finish with a medium acidic finish.  At only $25.00 suggested retail, this is an incredible deal.

Melissa and Jeff tried their hands at their first charcuterie board.  You simply cannot have a proper wine tasting without charcuterie.  This is only a small sampling of all of the food that we had!

Great golden color and bright Chardonnay.  Some people tend to look down their noses at Chardonnay, like Merlot.  But this one full of flavor and you won't believe it is only $17.00 when you taste it!

The nearly hour-long virtual wine tasting presented by Director of Communications Christopher O'Gorman and Director of Winemaking Justin Seidenfeld started out with a history lesson and background about the winery and vineyards.   Rodney Strong (or "Rod" as they referred to him) started off as a dancer and became a wine pioneer not just in Sonoma County, but throughout California.  The winery has been active for over 60 years and Justin is only the 4th director of winemaking in those 6 decades.  

RSV is a Certified Sustainable Winery that believes heavily in conservation, water management and solar energy.  The focus is now more on micro farming while they also plan extensive vineyard replanting over the next 7 years.  

The original tasting room at the winery was opened in 1970 under Rod's watchful eye and just went through a complete remodel.   The focus now is flighted wines by appointment, which will give wine lovers a better tasting experience.  

I really have to applaud the entire Rodney Strong Vineyards (Rodney Strong Wine Estates) team for their vision.   While it may have been a bit overdue to some, they clearly have the right people making decisions both aesthetically and with their winemaking.  Change can be difficult.  But change is inevitable and often necessary to survive in business and to attract a new or emerging audience.  

If you haven't tasted any wines from the Rodney Strong portfolio recently, we would encourage you to do so.  You might find a new favorite.  While they do offer more expensive and exclusive wines like Alexander's Crown or Rockaway Cabernet, the bulk of their offerings are in the $20 - $30 range and affordable for most people.  FYI, our favorites of the day were the Rose of Pinot Noir and Old Vine Zinfandel.  Thank you for Alicia, Christopher and Justin for spending some time with us last week and sharing your labor of love.  Cheers!