WINE & SPIRITS TASTING NOTES
Sequoia Grove puts 'enthusiasm' in every bottle The
and mineral notes add to the mix of flavors.
WINE GUYS
Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 ($38). Focused on Rutherford fruit, this dense wine has good weight on the palate and copious blackberry and cherry flavors. The oak is apparent but not overwhelming. About 40 percent of the oak is from American trees. Eighteen percent of the blend is from other Bordeaux grape varieties.
Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr
WINE PICKS Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 ($44).
Napa winemaker Trujillo works to source and grow better grapes We have always felt that enthusiasm accounts for something at a winery. Anyone bored with winemaking can’t be producing good stuff if a chardonnay, for instance, doesn’t excite the senses or blends too easily with the plonk made down the street. So when you talk to Michael Trujillo, president and director of winemaking at Sequoia Grove, you know you’re going to taste enthusiasm. Trujillo has worked at Sequoia Grove for more than 30 years, but in 1998, after studying at UC Davis extension program for enology, he earned his first winemaking job at Sequoia Grove. He also learned a lot from respected winemakers, such as Tony Soter, Mike Grgich and the late legend Andre Tchelistcheff. 28 | Inside Northern Nevada | OCTOBER 2013
Sequoia Grove is easy to spot from the busy Highway 29 near Oakville in Napa Valley. It is nestled in a small grove of giant sequoia trees, one of a few redwood stands in Napa Valley. Until recently, we’ve not been a fan of Sequoia Grove because the wines never passed our threshold for mediocrity. Whatever happened in the last several years, however, has been positive. When he applied for the winemaking job, the owners asked how he would turn around Sequoia Grove. Trujillo said they needed to get better grapes. When Trujillo first arrived, the winery purchased 80 percent of its grapes. Today it grows 80 percent of its grapes. He feels they are 6 to 7 years into the rebuilding process, but he is confident his wines will “compete with anything around us.” Annual production hovers around 38,000 cases, which is relatively small. Trujillo and winemaker Molly Hill prefer to concentrate on making small lots of artisan wines that are largely unavailable in most markets. A focus on breadth and small-batch wines makes it more difficult to identify Sequoia
Grove’s signature. However, the booming business at its popular tasting room off the main drag in Napa Valley allows them to quickly distribute many of the small production wines unavailable nationally. The tasting room obviously plays a big role in its business plan. “Molly and I have this ship turned around,” he said. Sequoia Grove’s cabernet sauvignon appears to be the starship of the fleet. At $38 it is one of the best cabernet values in Napa Valley. As if to demonstrate that Sequoia Grove can produce great, age-worthy wines, Truijillo and Hill have crafted a superb, limited-production red blend called Cambium that will challenge the pocketbook at $140 a bottle. Here are some of the gems we recommend:
Sequoia Grove Chardonnay 2011 ($28). Most of the grapes come from Carneros, but you won’t find that on the label. Trujillo likes to have the flexibility to introduce new sources, including Oak Knoll, from year to year. The Wente chardonnay clone gives this wine mouthfilling ripeness. Citrus, apple
One of California’s most historic wineries produces consistently good cabernet sauvignon from excellent vineyards in Rutherford, Mt. Veeder and Atlas Peak. This one is no less in quality. It shows off an opulent nose of dark berry, spice, oak and clove. There is an abundance of rich dark cherry fruit and long finish.
Louis M. Martini Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 ($30). You would be hard pressed to find a cabernet sauvignon of this caliber for $30. Alexander Valley is one of the best regions in Sonoma County for cabernet sauvignon. This one shows off herbal aromas with a dash of licorice. Richly structured, it has black cherry flavors and fine tannins.
Luce Della Vite Luce 2009 ($93). The price will scare off a lot of consumers, but have no fear that the wine lives up to the expectations. A blend of sangiovese and merlot, it has excellent structure and concentration. There are layers of aromas, ranging from plum to nutmeg and licorice. The palate is generous in round cherry and plum flavors. F www.insidenorthernnevada.com