by Susan Desjardins
We planned visits at two Gallo estates, and then made a quick stop at Louis M. Martini given its long history in the Napa Valley. Although the Gallo family has purchased a number of wineries and vineyards over the years, one of the themes that came through during our visits is their focus on retaining the unique character of the wines produced at each of the estates, while investing in the infrastructure and equipment that will honour and maintain the legacy of the original founders. E.&J. Gallo Winery remains a family business with goals of being a leader in the U.S. wine industry and a leading supplier of California wine internationally.
William Hill Estate Winery
After graduating with a degree in geology in his home state of Oklahoma, Bill Hill headed off to Europe. He fell in love with wine and headed to California on his return, to complete an MBA at Stanford, after which he began working in the Napa Valley. He arrived just after the 1976 Judgement of Paris had vaulted Napa Valley wines to global prominence. Given his interest in wines, he decided to purchase a 200-acre former cattle ranch on the bench lands of the Valley and in 1978 planted his first Chardonnay vines. Bill soon realized that the intense sun and heat on his property scorched the grapes; the initial vines were replaced with red Bordeaux varieties and for several years he sold his grapes to local wineries. In 1990, the winery was built and the first wines branded William Hill Estate Winery were created. Despite his success, Bill decided to sell the winery in 1992, and has since watched its evolution from his nearby home.
In 2007, the estate became a property of the Gallo family with substantial investments made to upgrade the tasting room as well as the winery itself. Of the 200 acres, 125 are planted to vines, the bulk being Cabernet Sauvignon. William Hill wines are crafted with grapes from the estate on the Silverado Trail, as well as from fruit from vineyards in southern Napa, the Central and North Coasts.
The wines currently available at the LCBO include the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (reviewed below with a few bottles remaining in the LCBO) and the 2012 Chardonnay. Also included below, in anticipation of an LCBO Vintages release in 2017, are the 2013 vintages of these wines, which were tasted at William Hill. Tasted at the winery, but not available locally, were the 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, with lovely notes of white flowers and fine herbs, tropical fruit and citrus, wrapped in a vibrant texture; the lush ‘Bench Blend’ Chardonnay 2013, the creamy texture balanced with good acidity, infused with lovely flavours of pineapple, tree fruits and lemon vanilla custard; and the opulent ‘Benchland Series’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, a full-bodied powerhouse with robust dark fruit flavours layered on well-integrated oak and velvety tannins.
William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Napa Valley $44.95 (212951) 14.8% alcohol
The opaque purple hue signals depth and concentration in this Cabernet Sauvignon enhanced by touches of Merlot and Syrah. There’s an enticing nose of cinnamon spice and lavender, sun-ripened black fruit, licorice, vanilla and a whiff of cedar. Dry and full bodied with a defined structure, the perceptible tannin and clean acidity frame a core of dense cassis, black berry and cherry. The spice and toasty barrel notes add depth and balance to the ripe fruit and linger on the finish as a notion of chocolate-coated espresso bean. This is a mouth-watering, deftly crafted red that’ll cellar long term or decanted and enjoyed now with rare roast beef in peppercorn crust. (Susan Desjardins)
William Hill 'Napa Valley' Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Napa Valley $44.95 (212951)15.2% alcohol
Deep purple, this Cabernet is aged in French and American oak, a touch of Petite Syrah and Merlot giving added depth and complexity. Perfumed with aromas of ripe red fruit and juicy black berries, it hints at vanilla and sweet spice. Dry and full bodied, it displays perceptible yet supple tannins, well-integrated oak that offers notes of cinnamon toast and vanilla and a fresh texture. Bright, lively raspberry, black cherry and berry are fresh on the palate, rushing
through the dry, toasty finish. Serve with beef short ribs. (Susan Desjardins)
William Hill 'Bench Blend' Chardonnay 2013
Napa Valley $TBD 14.9% alcohol
Blended from fruit from several vineyards, aged in French oak, this elegant Chardonnay offers lifted aromas of tree fruit, citrus, pineapple and vanilla custard infused with sweet spice. Dry, on the full side of medium bodied, the palate is lush with flavours of pear, tangy apple and lemon zest underpinned with a refined backbone of acidity. The creamy texture and spice bring to mind crème brûlée while delicate notions of white pepper add warmth to the long finish. It’s deftly balanced. (Susan Desjardins)
J Vineyards
J Vineyards is the legacy of Judy Jordan, who grew up in her family's vineyards in the Alexander Valley. Determined to travel her own road, she studied geophysics at Stanford University and, in 1986, bought an old prune factory and some surrounding acreage with the idea of making sparkling wine. Her first method traditionelle sparkler was released in 1991. Due to her success with sparkling wines – and despite the naysayers - she decided to beginning making still wine - Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - the first of which was released in 1994.
Unfortunately, the great Russian River flood of 1995 completely destroyed her entire operation and inventory. Determined to re-establish her business, she purchased the current property in Sonoma County in 1996, completing the winery in 1999. The site includes a remarkable 'tear drop' shaped vineyard which includes 20 clones of Pinot Noir on a half acre, allowing the winemakers to experiment with blending. The site also includes the Cooper vineyard, planted with Pinot Gris and the Backdoor vineyard, home to Pinotage. The balance of the 200-acre estate properties are spread throughout the Russian River Valley.
After years of successful production, and having sold grapes for many years to the Gallo family, Judy retired from the business and took advantage of her established relationship to sell J Vineyards to the Gallo family in 2015.
At J Vineyards, we tasted the Brut Rose, composed of 66% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 1% Pinot Meunier, a clean, fresh wine showing a delicate and persistent mousse and lovely subtle notes of red fruit. The Cuvée 20 is an almost equal blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, again with the 1% Pinot Meunier, offering nuances of butter pastry, fresh citrus and tree fruit, the characteristic creamy, lasting mousse, and a lovely touch of pithiness through the finish. The Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is composed from the fruit of 12 different clones from 4 vineyards. It's a dry, mid-weight wine with classic cherry cola aromas and flavours complemented by attractive notes of warm spice and toast from French oak barrel aging.
The following is the only wine tasted currently available at the LCBO:
J Vineyards Chardonnay 2013
Russian River Valley $31.75 (418236) 14.3% alcohol
Produced from estate-grown fruit, aged in French oak, 30% new, this offers lovely tropical and tree fruit aromas, hints of citrus, sweet spice and vanilla. Dry, medium bodied, the creamy texture brings to mind vanilla custard, lemon curd with a dash of zest and ripe tree fruit. The wine retains its freshness and offers a touch of warm spice through the flavourful finish. Serve with roast, lemon-rosemary chicken. (Susan Desjardins)
Louis M. Martini Estate Winery
There's an incredible story behind this long-lived winery. The Martini family emigrated to the United States and worked as fishermen on the west coast in the early 20th century. From tasting local grapes then making wine for consumption by the family, young Louis M. Martini developed an interest in winemaking and eventually returned to Italy to study winemaking at the University of Alba in Piemonte. By the time he returned to the U.S., Prohibition had come into effect, making it difficult for him to pursue his passion. Nevertheless, since the family had grape holdings, they found ways to use their grapes for the production of sacramental wine, for medicinal use and in legal home winemaking kits. As it became clear that prohibition was coming to an end in the early 1930s, the family moved its operations from the Central Valley to Sonoma, opening their new winery near St. Helena in 1933, one of the five original Napa wineries to be founded after Prohibition. Within two years, they had more than doubled production and sales, and in 1936 pioneered the use of temperature-controlled fermentation. The St. Helena site continues to be the base of their operations and is where Louis M. Martini passed on responsibility for winemaking to his son Louis P. Martini in 1953. Louis P. showed great creativity and has been credited with creating the first wind fan used in the vineyards, with bottling the first single varietal wine - a Merlot (previously, wines were simply blends of the grapes in any given vineyard), and with first experimenting with fermentation in steel tanks. His son, Mike Martini, took on responsibility for winemaking in 1974 and continued as winemaker until 2015 seeing the family business through the transition in 2002 to ownership by their friends, the Gallo family. The Martini winery offers an incredible legacy including vineyards of bush-vine Zinfandel planted in the 1880s. The following Cabernet Sauvignon is still available in select LCBO stores.
Louis M. Martini 'Napa Valley' Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Napa Valley $32.95 (232371) 14.5% alcohol
Opaque ruby with violet highlights, this offers captivating aromas of spiced rose, raspberry and blackberry, with a dash of spice and cedar. Dry, robustly full bodied, the wine offers great fruit intensity balanced by a fresh texture and soft tannins. Long and dry on the finish, this is an approachable, well-crafted wine offering great value. (Susan Desjardins)
