Neyers on the return

A few years ago, I was at a friend's house and we were thoroughly enjoying the Chardonnay and the Cab from Neyers Vineyards. We drank so much of each that it's surprising I even remember! So to see if my memory served me right, we decided to go to the winery (conveniently located on our way back to the Silverado Trail after visiting the Kuleto Estate; appointment necessary, but no tour required).

From Sage Canyon Road, all you can see is a small unassuming sign and a gravel driveway. The modest entrance opens up to the winery, an angular and modern wooden structure. As we walked up the stairs to the front door, Phoebe (a wine diva who handles the winery's direct sales, tasting room and office operations) greeted us warmly and walked us back to the tasting room. This small room was light and bright, with high ceilings and bare walls, a wine fridge in the corner, an armoire full of glasses, and a high table in the middle (just the basics).

We took our seats at the table as Phoebe grabbed two bottles of Chardonnay and poured the two for us side by side. She talked about the different vineyards that Neyers sources fruit from (some of which they own) as we sampled the two Chardonnays.

I was curious to learn how many different wines they produce--19! Of their 19 "current releases", they make 4 Chardonnays, 5 Syrahs, 3 Cabs, 6 Zinfandels, and 1 Merlot. Single vineyard, small production offerings--sounds a bit like another winery I wrote about recently minus the barns and extravagant gardens. At Neyers, the focus is completely on making delicious and complex wines.

Next, we tasted 2 Syrahs: the 2006 Syrah Hudson Vineyard and the 2007 Syrah Old Lakeville Road which was very revealing of the winemaker's able skills and the differences in terroir of these two vineyard sites. The Hudson was more earthy and tannic, a bigger boned wine that would be a great wine to lay down for a few years. And the Old Lakeville Road Syrah was quite the opposite; it was lush and exotic, with plenty of ripe fruit and a mineral core.

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon AME was a solid wine with a hint of black olive and spice, but I really liked the Zinfandels, the 2006 Tofanelli Vineyards in particular. It was complex, with notes of plum and sweet oak.

The simplicity and personalized, intimate nature of this tasting made it very memorable. I look forward to opening my bottles of the Old Lakeville Road Syrah and the Tofanelli Zin in the very near future!