Wente Vineyards: 125 years of good wine; now with great concerts and world-class golf.

I had the chance to have lunch a few weeks back with winemaker Karl Wente of Wente Vineyards. The fifth generation winemaker was visiting Baltimore area wine shops and restaurants that carry the Wente label. Through the help of his local contact Paula Lucas, he had time to sit with me for an hour over pizza and a few bottles of his wine. So we met up at Brick Oven Pizza (Fells Point) and with Paula, and his distributor), we had great pizza, talked about Wente Vineyards, and tasted some of the Wente wines.

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Hegemony in Montalcino? A visit to Castello Banfi.

The car ride from the city circle in Montalcino to Castello Banfi estate is a breathtaking 15 minute drive on windy, narrow roads with post-card worthy views in every direction. Resting on the edges of the Montalcino DOCG, Castello Banfi has built a small wine and olive empire that spans some 7000 acres (1/3 vine, 1/3 grove, 1/3 forest). By comparison, the average Montalcino vineyard has roughly 25 acres. This American-owned estate is currently one of the most famous producers in Tuscany with tens of thousands of cases of each wine produced, much of it being shipped to the US.

From the time you turn onto the estates private roads, you realize that this isn’t just another Montalcino vineyard. Driving in the countryside of other parts of this wine region, we see signs claiming different patches of grape vines. Usually, in a minute or two in the car you pass by different sign after different sign, building appreciation for the small vineyard area and productions. Best said by a winemaker we spoke with, “This is what Montalcino is supposed to be about.”
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Tasting Notes: Chameleon Cellars and Bravante

Notes from a recent tasting. Overall, there wasn’t a “bad” wine in the bunch. Some were good, some were great. A few outstanding! The Chameleon Cellars wines are styled to let the fruit express itself and would be best consumed any night of the week with a good, simple food pairing. In contrast, the Bravante wines are complex, elegant examples of the potential of the fruits with good blends and the right amount of oak. These wines are built to stand up to big steaks, rich dishes, and for the most part are structured to last a few years in the cellar. Both producers are highly recommended - at least a few wines from each! In fact, I recommend that you go out and find a wine from either (or both) producer(s), drink it, write what you think, and e-mail them to me or post a comment! (These wines can be found online or at shops throughout Baltimore)

Without further ado, in the order we drank them:

2006 Chameleon Cellars Sauvignon Blanc North Coast: Tropical fruits and some mineral on the nose - honeydew, peach, apple, and jasmine on the palate - good acidity, nice crisp finish. My rating: 89 pts, GV (Good value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Grenache - Mendocino: Nose filled with cherry and raspberry, a touch of smoke and a mild wet dirt component. Lot’s of black cherry on the palate, light then becoming fuller with medium tannins. Would be great with rabbit. My rating: 87 pts, OKV

2003 Chameleon Cellars Charbono: Nose of spruce, herbs, eucalyptus, with cherry and white pepper on the palate. Overall good balance but could benefit from a touch more acidity. The finish is medium length and brings back a hint of herbs. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2005 Chameleon Cellars Carignane: The most widely planted grape in southeastern France, this Salono County Carignane was made from hillside vines and fruit from a warm growing season. The result is an earthy nose with a touch of chocolate. Good acidity with cherry notes, light in style with a smooth finish - very interesting wine that would pair nicely with a variety of wild game. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2005 Chameleon Cellars Syrah: Brilliant color and weight to this wine. Just approaching the glass with your nose you are bombarded with red pepper and spice. A lot of fruits stand out in the wine and the medium tannins are well integrated. More Old-World in style which is a good thing! My rating: 90 pts, VGV (Very Good Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Petit Sirah: Coming from 112 year old vines, this Petit Sirah is very good (tasted from 3 bottles). Dark purple color, aromas of dark cherry, spice and cigar box. Big, dark fruits and black pepper on the palate - great structure, big, chewy tannins and a 30 second finish. Drink one now and lay a few down for the next 5 years when it should peak. My rating: 91 pts, OV (Outstanding Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Barbera Mendocino: Beautiful bright color, vibrant red fruits, tightly wound but explosive - the wine is balanced and finishes crisp - a great pizza wine. My rating: 86 pts, GV

2004 Chameleon Cellars Zinfandel, Gordon Valley (Napa): Concentrated flavors, blackberry, blueberry, earth, spice, medium tannins. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2004 Chameleon Cellars Merlot: Plum, cherry, raspberry notes. As with many of the other Chameleon wines, the fruits really stand out, but this one lacks balance of the other wines. My rating: 86 pts, OKV (OK Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon: In this first effort at a Cabernet, Chameleon did a fine job. Don’t expect the creamy, oakiness of many other Cabs as this was designed to let the fruit shine. Earth notes, blackberry, black cherry, bell pepper, medium tannins with a bite. No formal rating was recorded during my tasting but from memory it was good. At the price, it’s worth trying to see if it’s your style. NR (No rating)

2004 Bravante Merlot - $38: Plum, cherry, touch of thyme. Good mid-palate filled with fruits and some acidity that becomes balanced into soft tannins. A touch of sweet fruit returns on the finish and is highlighted with black pepper. My rating: 88 pts, GV

2004 Bravante Trio, $40: This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc is quite good. Lot’s of black fruits and buttered toast, dried herbs on the nose. The wine is complex with chocolate, blackberry, and some sweet cedar, has great structure and balance and finishes with layers of flavors and big tannins - I’d lay a few bottles down (if you can find them!) for 3 or more years. My rating: 93 pts, VGV

2004 Bravante Cabernet Sauvignon - $50: Consistent with my previous notes: dark fruits, deep color, herb, vanilla. Not decanted this time around, but it drank nicely. My rating: 92 pts, GV

2003 Bravante Simpatico - $75: This was my wine of the night - layers and layers of dark fruits, earth, cherry, cigar box, anise, spice. Huge body, big tannins, a Cadillac among Fiats. Big, long finish, did I mention this wine is big? Pricey but worth it if you like big California Cabs (wine is roughly 80% Cab Sauvignon and 20% Cab Franc) can find a few bottles of this very limited release. For best enjoyment, lay it down for at least 5 years maybe 10 or more! My rating: 94 pts, CV (this wine has “cellar” or “collectible” value - meaning if you can afford it, definitely go for it!).

Two California producers to look for: Chameleon Cellars and Bravante

I recently had the great opportunity of joining in a small group of winemakers, collectors and friends to taste through the portfolio’s of two exciting California wineries. Included in the group were representatives from both wineries: Jeffery Poppick of Chameleon, and Michelle Hunt of Bravante.

The evening started with a Chameleon Sauvignon Blanc. Jeff noted that to really appreciate the wine, one must overlook the frigid outdoor temperatures and imagine sitting outside on a warm, June evening in Maryland, enjoying the chilled, crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc. I didn’t record formal notes on the wine, but a lot of tropical fruit jumped out and the wine had very good acidity and a nice finish. This wine is an easy choice at around $15 and being an 89 point wine.

From the lone white wine, we moved through the progression of reds getting details on the winemaking involved in each wine, as well as where the grapes were sourced. The passion that Jeff has for his wines was evident in his voice as he talked with excitement about his unique varietals such as Carignan and Charbono.

Overall the Chameleon wines were quite good and some were great. As a producer, Chameleon Cellars sources its fruits from vineyards across the Central and North Coasts of California. Whereas other wineries that produce their own fruit are stuck with low quality grapes in low quality vintages, Chameleon can choose to produce or not produce certain types of wines in any given year depending on the quality of the fruit.

It was a treat to taste all the wines side-by-side as I developed a great understanding of the style of wines Jeff likes to make as well as what he’s trying to express with his creations. For the most part, each wine had great structure and balance, and benefited from the right amount of time in barrel. Jeff’s philosophy of “let the fruit express itself” was evident from the start. In a blind tasting, I would not have guessed some of the wines to be from California as there was no tendency to let oak overshadow the finesse of many of this varietals. The best wines of the Chameleon bunch were a Grenache that was very bright and displayed good balance, a 2005 Syrah that gets a lot of points for being very unique and how it evolved nicely in the glass, and a Petit Sirah that had outstanding structure and tannins. Each are highly recommended (tasting notes to come).

After tasting through the Chameleon wines, we moved on to the wines of Bravante. Bravante may sound familiar as I have reviewed one of their wines in the past (see the review here). Represented by Michelle Hunt, of Bravante Vineyards, the four wines we had were quite different in every aspect as compared to the Chameleon wines. For starters, Bravante produces its own fruits at its two vineyards in the outstanding Howell Mountain appellation. This results in wines with very similar flavor profiles coming from incredible fruits. The amount of oak in the Bravante wines was right on and overall the wines were perfectly balanced and structured to stand up to a nice meal. Of the four wines we tasted, three were at least 90 points, with one being an outstanding 94 points (Bravante Simpatico, 2003). Michelle Hunt was very knowledgeable and passionate about her wines as well, and it was a pleasure to have the chance to get her input on their wines while we tasted.

I’d highly recommend looking into wines form both of these wineries. I’d characterize the wines of Chameleon as unique, everyday, food-friendly wines that are for the most part approachable at release and are moderately priced ($15-$30). Bravante’s wines are rich, luscious wines that can be approached now but for the most part are structured to last 5 years or more in the cellar. The Bravante wines are great for their price point, considering the price of other California wines of their caliber and would be great for a special dinner at home or a nice night dining out. In any event, both are worth taking the time to seek them out (Grand Cru and Diwine both carry these wines) as well as the money you’ll spend on them. Great thanks to both Michelle and Jeff for letting me taste their wines, as well as the host of the tasting and distributor of these wines, Rich at The Cult Wine Group. If you’re ever out in Napa and looking for something to do, check out the tasting room at Chameleon, as well as the tasting-room in progress at Bravante (picture here is of Bravante)!

Note: Tasting notes to follow.