Wine and Honey at Honig

Since I "found" a bottle of 1998 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon in the cellar in the house where I live with my mother, I have been wanting to visit the Honig Winery for a tasting of their current releases. I had taken the 1998 Cab to dinner at Cook in St. Helena and it was still remarkably youthful and a delight to drink.

The current releases proved to be just as enjoyable. I forgot to ask what Honig's total case production is, but I know it's small. Set on an idyllic piece of property off Rutherford Road, their driveway lined with olive trees, this is a winery that has found their strengths and is sticking to what they do best: Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

They make two of each. The 2008 SB is a fruity with a mineral core and bright acidity; at $14 a bottle, it is very drinkable. The 2007 Reserve SB went through partial malo-lactic fermentation and is thus medium bodied with rounder flavors and less acidity. My vote was for the first of the two and it is what you'll find on store shelves.

My feelings were similar for the Cabs. The 2006 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is approachable with silky tannins, dark fruit and cocoa flavors. The 2005 Bartollucci Vineyard Cab is more austere, with chewy tannins and pronounced earthiness. I rarely refer to wines as feminine and masculine, but in this case, the first was feminine (I went home with a bottle of this one), the second was masculine (my male tasting partner got a bottle of this one).

Honig means "honey" in German. In addition to the four wines discussed above, they also produce a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc, which was sweet and delicious, with honey undertones. They also bottle honey on the estate, and their olive trees are harvested by Round Pond.

You can do a tasting of this delicious olive oil at Round Pond; their olive oil tasting room is located just off Honig's driveway.

Round pond and great views

Now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing any round ponds when I went to visit the Round Pond Winery in Rutherford a couple months ago. We were directed outside for a tasting of three wines on the deck, which is right out of a Restoration Hardware catalogue with large umbrellas for shade and cozy benches for admiring the endless vineyards.

As we sat down, I noticed two Cabernet glasses and 1 Sauvignon Blanc glass, but the Cabs were poured for us first. Our guide explained that the Round Pond Sauv Blanc is so acidic that it's best to taste it last. She brought out tasty little bites prepared by the in-house chef to pair with each wine (2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc): a spoonful of pea soup, a tiny cheese tart, and something sweet to finish with the white wine. We weren't rushed, but the wines were so good they didn't stay in the glass long; the views were amazing.

It's probably about 80 degrees right now and if I weren't working, I would be sitting up on Round Pond's deck right now savoring their Sauvignon Blanc!