Napa Valley, CA is home to the most expensive wines, specifically Cabernet Sauvignons, produced in the US.  The wineries are often quite new and land is at a premium, so they are often owned by very rich people who made their fortunes in real estate, technology and other fields.  A board of directors hires a winemaker who probably consults at multiple wineries.  You can start to see why the wines cost so much.  Not exactly the old world European way of doing things, where the son or daughter comes home from college and decides what they really want is to stay in the family business and make wine they way it's been done for generations. 

 So, when I heard that wunderkid Ry Richards was starting to make some of his own wine under the Fiancetto label, I got very excited.  Why?  Well, Ry is assistant winemaker at Chappellet under their great winemaker Phil Titus, and I believe Chappellet is one of the finest California wineries - and it's still family-owned as it has been for more than forty years.  Many of you have been enjoying Chappellet's Mountain Cuvee which we've carried for years.  

Because Ry is enmeshed in Napa Valley, he was able to purchase some great fruit from a vineyard on Howell Mountain, one of the best places in Napa for Cabernet, and go to work.  While being a perfectionist, he quickly learned that his perfectionism came at a price.  After all, Howell Mountain fruit and new oak barrels do not come cheap. Being a new brand Ry needed to build it. So he bit the bullet and offered a great price. I went all in. You should too.  Come taste what I think, just might be one of the next great names in "value" California Cabernet - Fiancetto.

  

So, today we'll be selling Ry's:

  

Fiancetto Boomer Loam  Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2009  for $35.  The normal price is $45 which is a great deal already, as Howell Mountain Cabernets start at $50 or more.

We'll taste the wine on Friday from 5-7pm, if there is any left.  Two weeks ago, our Italian special Schiopettino sold out almost immediately with only about six bottles left for the tasting (and those sold within minutes).  Please call the store, or click here to purchase.  Don't miss out.     

  

The fruit is classic Howell Mountain, densely packed with cassis and blueberry fruit, some nice vanilla oak all anchored by an earthy minerality. The finish is long, with good grip from the wine's fine tannins. It will be hard not to drink this wine soon as the fruit is so outrageous, but some cellaring will only improve it.  Just 350 cases produced.  

Seth

 

The Facts

  

Some of Napa Valley's top producers have vineyard sites on Howell Mountain: my personal favorite Philip Togni Vineyards, Dunn Vineyards who first brought attention to Howell Mountain in 1979, Beringer Vineyards, Cornerstone Cellars, Lokoya, Robert Craig, O'Shaughnessy Estate and Howell Mountain Vineyards. Ladera Vineyards is a promising newcomer. Their wines sell from $50 on up into the $100's.


The fruit for the Fiancetto was sourced from a vineyard with south-west exposure high up on Howell Mountain. The vineyard is laden with the Boomer Loam, essentially crushed volcanic rock, ground into silt, about a foot deep.  This soil imparts a true mineral quality and speaks to the terroir of Howell Mountain, known for its deep dark Cabs with plenty of fine tannin. 
 
 
 
 
 
We will be closing at 8:00 on Wednesday February 1st so we can have our (late) Holiday Party.