Isaac Pirolo

9.4

I found a house in St Helena last week and will be moving there at the end of May. I thought I should get acquainted with the neighbors. What better way than a face off?
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Neyers Vineyards 2011 Neyers Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon vs Salvestrin Winery 2013 Salvestrin Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Neyers Ranch is situated in the hills of Conn Valley just east of St Helena, with elevations ranging from 400’ to 1200’ on a south-facing, 50-acre parcel bisected by Conn Creek. Since 1998 Neyers has sustainably farmed this vineyard. Winemaker Tadeo Borchardt started in 2004 as assistant to then winemaker Ehren Jordan.
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This Neyers was highlighted as one of the best of Napa’s 2011s in Jon Bonné’s piece for the SF Chronicle “Lessons from Napa in the trickiest of years” saying it “finds that great Cabernet balance of sleekness and dense flavor” with “pitch-perfect expression” and an “oregano-like herbal side frames its meaty structure and subtle blackcurrant fruit.”
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Since 1932, three generations of Salvestrins have sustainable farmed their vineyard which was originally planted in 1860 by Dr. George Crane. It’s situated immediately south of St Helena High School and along Main St (Hwy 29), surrounding the family winery. Rich Salvestrin farms the vineyard and makes the wine, and his wife Shannon handles the sales and marketing, while they both raise the 4th generation on their farm.
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Robert Parker gushed over the 2013, as “lusty, savory, hedonistic, rich and mouth-filling, with a dense purple color and not a hard edge in sight.” His praise did not stop there, saying that this “blockbuster fruit bomb has complexity, richness and a savory intensity that has to be tasted to be believed.”
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The vintages were so different that it’s difficult to weigh them against each other. Bonné is definitely on point calling the Neyers one of the best examples of 2011 Napa Cabernet. Savory, with rich aromatics of Mexican cocoa powder and mole sauce, reminiscent of Corison’s 2011. To Parker’s credit, the Salvestrin is definitely a blockbuster and a hedonistic fruit bomb, but the savoriness, complexity, and length tone down its showiness, and add a level of decorum that sets it apart. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.6

Do yourself a favor and follow Esther Mobley on Twitter. She’s the Wine, Beer & Spirits writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and her reporting on the wine country fires is extraordinary... “1880s vines at Old Hill Ranch in Sonoma Valley. Gone” (photo credit to her also).
I had to open the 2015 Bedrock Pagani Ranch Heritage from Morgan Twain-Peterson MW (pictured right) which is also from 1880s vines and just a few miles north of the Old Hill Ranch along Sonoma Highway. It had me immediately saying prayers that the Pagani Ranch would be spared — it’s stunningly pure and absolutely glorious... think choirs of angels. As if a top Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer, like Janasse or Clos Saint Jean, traded their 100+ year old Grenache for 100+ year old Zinfandel. Giant, but radiant red fruit that has a kirsch and violet edge to it. Add in some dense blackberry to a base of rich minerality and this soars into a cloud of herbs and spices including Herbes de Provence, adding baking spice, licorice, and wildflowers along the way, with some secondary cured meat and cracked pepper which gives this the depth and complexity it deserves. Beautiful. — 8 years ago

M. Travis

9.0

Smooth! Merlot saw this win medal SF chronicle. Glad I made the stop — 9 years ago

Drink Organic

9.9

Gold at the 2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition! #organic — 10 years ago

Sharon B

9.3

Double Gold winner from the San Francisco Chronicle. Very good! — 10 years ago

Alejandro Artigas

9.3

Believe the hype. It's very good, SF chronicle top 100 of 2014. It has an incredible depth of profile from fruit to mineral notes. This wine can go with almost any food pairing. It has a peach, almond like profile with the acidity of a white wine yet with a wet stone mid palette. Very worth it. — 10 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.3

I found a house in St Helena last week and will be moving there at the end of May. I thought I should get acquainted with the neighbors. What better way than a face off?
.
Neyers Vineyards 2011 Neyers Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon vs Salvestrin Winery 2013 Salvestrin Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
.
Neyers Ranch is situated in the hills of Conn Valley just east of St Helena, with elevations ranging from 400’ to 1200’ on a south-facing, 50-acre parcel bisected by Conn Creek. Since 1998 Neyers has sustainably farmed this vineyard. Winemaker Tadeo Borchardt started in 2004 as assistant to then winemaker Ehren Jordan.
.
This Neyers was highlighted as one of the best of Napa’s 2011s in Jon Bonné’s piece for the SF Chronicle “Lessons from Napa in the trickiest of years” saying it “finds that great Cabernet balance of sleekness and dense flavor” with “pitch-perfect expression” and an “oregano-like herbal side frames its meaty structure and subtle blackcurrant fruit.”
.
Since 1932, three generations of Salvestrins have sustainable farmed their vineyard which was originally planted in 1860 by Dr. George Crane. It’s situated immediately south of St Helena High School and along Main St (Hwy 29), surrounding the family winery. Rich Salvestrin farms the vineyard and makes the wine, and his wife Shannon handles the sales and marketing, while they both raise the 4th generation on their farm.
.
Robert Parker gushed over the 2013, as “lusty, savory, hedonistic, rich and mouth-filling, with a dense purple color and not a hard edge in sight.” His praise did not stop there, saying that this “blockbuster fruit bomb has complexity, richness and a savory intensity that has to be tasted to be believed.”
.
The vintages were so different that it’s difficult to weigh them against each other. Bonné is definitely on point calling the Neyers one of the best examples of 2011 Napa Cabernet. Savory, with rich aromatics of Mexican cocoa powder and mole sauce, reminiscent of Corison’s 2011. To Parker’s credit, the Salvestrin is definitely a blockbuster and a hedonistic fruit bomb, but the savoriness, complexity, and length tone down its showiness, and add a level of decorum that sets it apart. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.0

Newton was acquired by LVMH in 2001, but from 1983 to 1996 John Kongsgaard served as winemaker. A brief anecdote would not do Kongsgaard justice as to the depth and breadth of his influence throughout Napa and California (read Jon Bonné’s “How John Kongsgaard rewrote the rules of white wine” from the San Francisco Chronicle). His influence at Newton is still evident today, even in their most basic offering... And, yes, the discount was almost criminal. No malo, and Burgundy inspired, sautéed lemon peel, lychee, peach, apple, pear, apricot, and finishes with a toasty nut and waxy, almost lipstick flavor, stopping just short with a mix of straw, chalk, and petrol. This is a Chardonnay that wears mostly LL Bean, but whose shoes are always shined. — 7 years ago

Mike austin

9.5

2014 vintage, best of class (-SF Chronicle Wine Competition-) this is a beautiful cabernet, complex and very well balanced. — 8 years ago

Christian Bronstein

8.9

Cruse Wine Co and SF Chronicle Winemaker of Year Michael Cruse rendition of Nouveau in its simplest expression elevated an otherwise awkward tradition. — 8 years ago

Drink Organic

9.6

Best of Class at 2015 SF Chronicle Wine competition!! #organic — 10 years ago

Bill Mowry

9.7

2015 SF Chronicle Gold Medal winner. Very smooth finish. — 10 years ago

Neil Koffler

9.2

Having read that Morgan was named co-winemaker of the year by the SF Chronicle made tonight's wine choice easy. Actually, the choice was hard as Bedrock makes so many great wines. — 10 years ago

Yvette Lippert

9.5

Crisp and soooo enjoyable! Hints of pineapple and I want to say a bit of mango. I truly can see why this wine got Bronze medal winner at the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. As other reviewers, definitely reminds me of a semi-dry Prosecco. Definitely a must try if you can. NakedWines.com carries it if interested. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.3

While the 2012 was impressive last week, it also had me nervous that the 2014 might need some time. This is not the case. Immediately approachable, with generous crème de cassis and blackberry ganache, and stopping just short of being a fruit bomb. Sourced from several small Napa vineyards, each vineyard lot is fermented separately and then spends a year in American oak before blending and then another year in barrel. The lush, ripe fruit is ever so lightly tinged with a pyrazine patina, reining-in the otherwise boundless fruit. ZD’s 2014 has received numerous gold medals at such competitions as the San Francisco Chronicle Int’l, San Diego Int’l, and TEXSOM, but if I’m really being honest, most of my attention is on the Curling tonight. 🥌 🥌 🥌 🥌 — 7 years ago

Jason and Jennie

8.9

Still got a lot of tannins. Tannins up front. I don't know if this will ever come into its own. The 2008 won the sf chronicle wine competition. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.5

When I come across Kevin Harvey's Rhys Vineyards I always think about this excerpt from a piece Jon Bonne wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle back in 2011: "The depleted soils of Harvey’s Skyline vineyard, planted at the winery, are so densely planted and demandingly farmed, at about 7,000 vines per acre, that its 14,000 vines yielded just 660 bottles of wine in 2009. Which explains a revealing harvest moment that stuck in Harvey’s head: “One guy comes out of the vineyard and says, ‘Why do you hate money?'”"

This is strawberry at its perfect ripeness. Exotic, perfumed, pure, and wild. A Pinot Noir like this probably makes Cali Pinot producers wish they were in Burgundy and Burgundy producers awkwardly self-conscious. It's cerebral hedonism. — 8 years ago

Mittie Garrison

9.1

Mittie had this 9 years ago

with Stephanie

Jeff Keeley

9.8

Baking spices & baked pear. Honeydew & honey.
Delicious & crisp.
SF Chronicle gold medal winner. The 2013 Soquel Vineyards Chardonnay is outstanding. I love this Chardonnay. — 10 years ago

Raymond Tosti

9.6

This wines exhibits rich bramble berry fruit, black pepper and Spice.
Gold Medal-San Francisco Wine Chronicle Wine Competition — 10 years ago