I heart Hartwell (part two)

Hartwell Vineyards and Winery, located in the Stags Leap District of Napa, has been one of my favorites for some time now. Since I last blogged about Hartwell in 2009, I have continued to enjoy their wines.

When I visited the winery less than two weeks ago on May 25th (before the holiday weekend) with my boyfriend Doug, we had a terrific time. David Robbins, the Director of Retail Sales at the winery and a certified sommelier, was an excellent host.

We started out in the vineyard to discuss the viticulture of the property and sip the very refreshing Estate Sauvignon Blanc (grown in Carneros). The scenery was breathtaking--Doug took the photo at right with his iPhone--and the wine was tasty with light citrus notes.

We walked into the caves to taste the Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, a richly flavored white wine with notes of coconut and carmelized pineapple. I was unexpectedly wowed by this wine (as I thought it had been overly oaky in previous vintages.)

As usual, the Misté Hill Cab was my favorite. The powerful dark fruit aromas of this wine are very unique to the terroir--this wine smells the same year to year (and it is a lovely smell!). The color of the wine is very concentrated in the glass but incredibly smooth and easy to drink. With fine-grained tannins and flavors of cassis, licorice, and sweet blackberry, it easy to pair with many foods.

That being said, we tasted (and purchased) the 2008 vintage of this incredible wine; I just received an email from the winery today to let me know the 2009 vintage was just released. I suppose I'm already due another visit!