Napa Valley Wines
A Crocker & Starr Evening with two wines – 2019 Casili 12 and 2013 “Stone Place” Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wines – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
As stated in title, two wines were chosen this evening for the meal.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
*The First Wine – 2019 Crocker & Starr Casili 12. This wine is a blend of 85% Malbec and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. While having various years of Casili vintages, each year the blend and percentages change. I wanted one with more Malbec percentage to go with the meat this evening. This bottle was placed in the “Eve” decanter by Riedel. This wine on the eyes was deep violet in coloring and even notes of the violet flower wafted into the senses. On the palate blueberries, black cherries were dominate, with mild oak lurking in the background. On the finish a modicum of dark chocolate and vanilla pipe tobacco, counterbalanced by minerality, and a slightly typical smoky element found in the better Malbec wines. This was exactly the flavors needed this evening. The wine came in at 14.4% alcohol. Wine Advocated rated it 94 points. The vintage currently being released is the Casili 15 and lists at $98/per bottle.
*The Second Wine – 2013 Crocker & Starr “Stone Place” Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
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Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine was enjoyed after dinner while enjoying the warm summer weather on the patio. This was another solid choice as “Stone Place” is one of the premiere wines at Crocker & Starr. On the eyes a dense purple coloring filled the glass. On the nose rice and powerful blackberry wafted from the glass. On the palate, a lush and full-bodied fruit of blackberry and black cherry coated the mouth with “happiness”. On the finish a slight minerality and silky-smooth tannins as they seemed to be on siesta, present but not sharp (personal preference). This did make for a great sipping wine without food and came in at 14.4% alcohol. Wine Advocate rated the wine at 95 points and stated it should drink well for 20-25 years. My assessment is that it should be consumed this year or next as it is getting to its peak. The current release for the “Stone Place” is the 2021 and is listed at $195/bottle by Wine Enthusiast.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Our eldest daughter and husband were in town for dinner Friday night from Arizona. Prepared one of our favorite dishes, Carne Asada. Marinate a flank steak for 24 hours in a delicious sauce. The marinade consisted of cilantro, olive oil, reduced soy sauce, fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh squeezed lime, minced garlic, Serrano peppers, cumin, kosher salt and black pepper. All the ingredients were placed in a blender and then placed in a freezer bag with the steak. Additional marinate was kept separate to drizzle on the medium rare steak slices with fresh cilantro sprinkled and fresh limes squeezed when plated.
Accompanied by Mexican Pasta Salad made with corkscrew pasta, black beans, cherry tomatoes, diced jalapeños, fresh cilantro, yellow corn and cut green onions. The dressing consisted of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lime juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Both recipes were new and tasted exceptionally well and topped off with fresh cilantro. Accompanied by Italian herbedFrench bread. The wine provided bold fruits and enough tannins to engulf the beef spicy notes.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
For dessert, a freshly baked pineapple upside down cake from scratch with the juice added to mix, provided a very moist cake and delicious finish to the evening. The local store had no maraschino cherries!
The Winery
Photo from 2 years ago ©Michael Kelly
Pam Starr is simply a Rock Star. I believe she is one of the elite top 10 winemakers in Napa, but she is also much more than this. Knowing Pam Starr and following her exquisite wines for years, just about all would agree! Her technical pedigree comes from UC Davis in Fermentation Science. She started as an intern at Sonoma Cutrer, Edna Valley Vineyard, then six years at Carmenet Winery and then winemaker for Spottswoode Vineyard. In 1997 she and Charlie Crocker established Crocker & Starr.
Photo from Crocker & Starr website
Charlie Crocker comes from one of California’s oldest families, with his grandfather who was involved in the Central Pacific railroad in the mid 1800’s. His family heritage was a force in California’s development. Charlie also was involved in high tech and ran several companies very successfully. He has always had a keen interest in wine. Charlie in 1971 purchased the Dowdell property in St Helena. Today 85 of the 100 acres are planted in the classical Bordeaux grapes. On their website a detailed chronology is provided and makes a very good read.
The blending of these two personalities as a partnership is as smooth as their wine — seamless and magnificent.
What I enjoy most in getting to know Pam, is her genuineness and friendliness. You can stop by and see her in the vineyards, driving a forklift, punching down tubs of grapes, just about anything and everything. She is immersed in the business of “perfection”. Yet she has time, to sit down and talk, provide a bowl of water for your dogs, and even converse about mundane “non-wine issues”. She is above all else, extremely real and kind. Why wouldn’t you like her wine?
Her enthusiasm spills over into her craft of winemaking skills. I am speaking as a customer and wine club member from this perspective. Since meeting Pam, some twenty years ago, her wines started out at a 10 (scale of 1-10) and have remained at this quality the entire time! No easy feat with droughts, fire and wild temperature swings.
Let’s talk about the wines she produces. First, and why I sought Crocker & Starr initially years ago, was her Cabernet Franc. Each year they produce one of the most consistently solid and best Cabernet Francs in the Valley. The wine always shows a deep purple, with concentrates of black raspberries and tobacco. As some Cab Francs can be “strong”, Crocker & Starr‘s are strong in texture, but surprisingly soft and velvety to drink. They have enough balance of structure, tannin and acid to last 10-15 years without fail.
Today they produce a few Cabernet Sauvignon (RLC, Stone Place, One Post), Cabernet Franc and Casali (blend of Cabernet Franc & Malbec). Also, their white Sauvignon Blanc is superb. One newer addition is Brut Rosé. All her red wines and white wines have consistently made my annual list of “Best Wines Tasted” during the year for the last 15 years! See the links to these reviews:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2019/12/28/2011-crocker-starr-stone-place-cabernet-sauvignon/
One of their taglines is “Touch the Vines, Taste the Wines”. When visiting the winery, immersion into the vineyard is a prerequisite. In 2021 Cyrus Hazzard joined the Crocker & Starr team as a Partner & President to continue their esteemed tradition.
Slainte,
Michael Kelly
A Wonderful Birthday Dinner
Stayed home this evening for some of my favorite foods and wines. A bit of difficult choice as I enjoy many foods and wines. Did settle for the following items.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with an assortment of sashimi from Shiro Ninja restaurant in Angels Camp. A combination of Maguro (tuna), Hamachi (yellowfin) and Sake (salmon). Served with wasabi and ginger. This is only the third time enjoying the fish from Shiro Ninja and very happy with the freshness of their offering.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The food and wine pairing were excellent with the richness, delicate flavors and texture of the fish, complimented by the mouth feel and voluptuous wine. Did need to reduce the amount of soy sauce and wasabi for each bite so as not to overwhelm the sashimi.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The 2014 Peter Michael La Carrière Chardonnay is a wine that can be aged like many top shelf French Chardonnays. The deep and rich golden color was striking along with its minerality (La Carrière translated mean the quarry), almond, jasmine, lemon and pear notes. The intense creaminess was the hallmark of this wine coupled with a heavy viscosity. The finish provided jasmine and pear with a touch of butterscotch. Robert Parker gave this wine 96 points. Currently online it is running between $100 to $130/bottle. It should be noted that this is one of the few American Chardonnays that is age worthy. I generally drink them 8-11 years after the vintage date. Peter Michael in their notes today states the 2014 can easily go another 10 years!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
For the first dessert was a homemade pineapple upside down cake baked by Susan Kelly. This is one of my three favorite cakes the others being NY style cheesecake and German chocolate cake.
After a few other phone calls, video calls and emails, we sat down to watch a very intriguing movie on NETFLIX’s called Now You See Me. A mystery and suspense movie with a great ending!
As we watched the movie we enjoyed the second dessert, a 2013 Outpost Wines True Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
On the eyes a deep purple, almost black color like none other with medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose a bouquet of floral aromas wafted into the senses. Once on the palate, blueberries and blackberries were the dominant flavors with a slight sweet vanilla tobacco hiding. The finish was invigorating with what felt like fireworks bursting with flavors on all corners of the palate. It was the quintessential throwback to Napa Valley historical roots of what a Cabernet Sauvignon should taste like. Robert Parker stated “the finish was close to a minute” long. It seemed longer and small sips were taken to savor the experience. It was rated 99 points and current pricing ranges from $189 to $249/bottle and up.
And that is how my simple and enjoyable “58th birthday” concluded.
Sláinte,
Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
2019 Smith-Madrone Vineyards Riesling – Tremendous Minerality and Dry
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Smith-Madrone Vineyards is located on 200 acres on top of Spring Mountain west of St. Helena with 38 acres planted in vineyards. The vineyard elevation ranges from 1,300 to 2,000 feet. The founder, managing partner and enologist is Stuart Smith, Charles Smith is the winemaker, and the associate winemaker is François Bugué. Truly a family affair! All the wines are estate and dry-farmed on top of the mountain. Currently their production is approximately 6,000 cases a year. They produce Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and their iconic Cooks Flat (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) and a recently released Cabernet Franc.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
A quick background on Riesling. It is the 20th most grown variety and in “terms of importance for quality wines, it is usually included in the top three white wine varieties together with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc planted worldwide” per Wikipedia. Riesling is adaptable to growing in both warm and cool climates with the flavors varying per temperature respectively of citrus and peach notes for warm, apple and tree fruit for cooler temperature regions.
In the final California Dept of Food & Agriculture Grape Crush white wine grape harvest in 2024 was 1,417,993 tons. Riesling was only 29,341 tons accounting for only 2% of the grapes crushed!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The 2019 Riesling is extremely aromatic with floral notes and green apples on the nose. A more golden yellow color than the previous vintage with medium viscosity. On the palate, hints of lemon zest, mixed with stone fruits (white peach and apricots) tame the lime citrus. A modicum of beeswax makes it extremely mouth filling. On the finish, the minerality comes through strong and pure from either the volcanic soil, or sandstone, limestone or the general rocky soil found on the property. The minerality and acidity are jovial and enticing with a semi-sweet crescendo. Very low residual sugar (.7%) and coming in at 13.3% alcohol, Smith-Madrone Vineyards produced 1,087 cases. The current release is their 2019 and listed on their website for $40/bottle.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired with three dishes of Chinese food: honey walnut prawns, combination fried rice and lemon chicken. The prawns and chicken had a sweet character and the Riesling being dry provided a beautiful contrast for this meal.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The 2018 Smith-Madrone Riesling had made the Best Wines tasted in 2023 and the 2019 made my Best Wines tasted in 2024 and again will in 2025. We stock this wine specifically for certain food and wine pairings.
Sláinte,
Michael
Yates Family Vineyard Visit – Grand Sweepstakes Winner of the 6th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition – Part II
Background:
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Yates Family Vineyards entered the 2025 6th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition at the beginning of year. I had not heard of them, but everyone is invited to enter. Mary Yates filled out the form and submitted the wines at the last minute but still qualifying. The competition was held and as a first-time entrant, Yates Family Vineyards not only took the Best of Category ($71 to $85), Best of Show for all California (all price points) but also the Grand Sweepstakes Winner for all categories against a field of about 100 wines from 14 states and 3 countries from a distinguished panel of professional judges. A magnificent feat! I finally carved out the time to meet with the Yates Family team in early May. Besides the excellent wines, the surprises will amaze you!
The Winery:
The hilly terrain of Mt Veeder and their vineyard with old fashion screw press on property
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Yates Family Vineyard is in the southern portion of Napa Valley in the Mt Veeder district. I wrote about their rich and extremely interesting history in a previous post (Part I). The details can be found at on their history, winery, winemaker and gorgeous vineyards at: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2025/05/08/yates-family-vineyards-visit-grand-sweepstakes-winner-of-the-6th-annual-international-cabernet-franc-competition/
One of the more fascinating points of construction of the original winery built in 1880 was the use of a Roman Press. Only two are in existence today in California and neither are being used. Details in original story.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
There is a funny background story to how they started making Cabernet Franc. Lynn, Mike Yates’ wife, very much appreciated the intricacies of Cabernet Franc and asked him to make some. Mike obliged her and said whether it was good or bad that the one barrel produced was hers to drink if they couldn’t sell it!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Cabernet Franc is produced using 50% new French oak barrels with medium toast, for 18 months. Then rested in the bottle for 2 years before being released! Mike is not a fan of pyrazines in his Cabernet Franc, so this is a smoother and silkier finish. It comes in at 15.1% alcohol and only 126 cases were produced. It sells for $80/bottle when available.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
First on the eyes the wine is a deep cavernous dark and alluring color almost black. On the nose fragrant floral aromas waft into the senses. Aromas of raspberry and blackberries are dominant and beckon that first sip. Once in the mouth, a symphony of flavors swirl about and present a unique taste of the rich dark & red fruits but also with distinct layers and textures similar to a Monet painting. Secondary flavors of blueberry and finishing off with a tinge of vanilla make for an incredible tasting experience. The finish has very defined tannins which tingle the upper teeth and tongue initially and then settle down to a silky and mouth filling landing.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Truly one of the best Cabernet Franc wines I have tasted. Without a doubt it made my annual Best Wines Tasted for 2025!
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with a 24-hour marinated Tri-tip steak in Chaka suace seared at 1500 degrees and barbequed to medium rare. Served with fresh parsley and accompanied by sauteed asparagus with mushrooms. Also roasted Russet potato slices seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. A beautiful food and wine pairing!
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
Yates Family Vineyards Visit – Grand Sweepstakes Winner of the 6th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition
Background:
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Yates Family Vineyards entered the 2025 6th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition at the beginning of year. I had not heard of them, but everyone is invited to enter. Mary Yates filled out the form and submitted the wines at the last minute but still qualifying. The competition was held and as a first-time entrant, Yates Family Vineyards not only took the Best of Category ($71 to $85), Best of Show for all California (all price points) but also the Grand Sweepstakes Winner for all categories against a field of about 100 wines from 14 states and 3 countries from a distinguished panel of professional judges. A magnificent feat! I finally carved out the time to meet with the Yates Family team in early May. Besides the excellent wines, the surprises will amaze you!
The Winery:
The Yates Family Vineyard is in the southern portion of Napa Valley in the Mt Veeder district. The history of the area is intriguing and fascinating. It starts off in 1880 when the Streich brothers moved here from Germany to start a winery. They planted 65 acres of vines and then prohibition saw the winery’s demise. They worked the land and built not only a completely gravity feed process and were very much “technologists” for the 1880 era.
One of the more fascinating points of construction of their winery was the use of a Roman Press. Only two are in existence today and none are being used.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Roman wine press, a significant advancement in winemaking technology, consisted of a large, mechanical press that could process large quantities of grapes at once. It utilized a heavy wooden beam (the prelum) to apply pressure to the grapes in a basin, forcing out the juice. This design, which spread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, was based on earlier Greek presses but was more technologically advanced, utilizing windlasses or later, screw-operated levers to raise and lower the prelum.
The press typically included a large, shallow basin to hold the grapes, a heavy wooden beam (prelum) to apply pressure, and channels to collect the flowing juice.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
A system of ropes, pulleys, or screws was used to raise and lower the prelum, with a team of workers operating the mechanism at the far end of the beam. The massive piece of wood was a single tree, and the basins were concrete or wood. The Roman wine press “revolutionized” winemaking by significantly increasing juice yields and increase the production of wine. The juice was then pumped out of the bins to start the fermentation process.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
They also had brought or constructed a large screw press for harvesting the grapes to make wine.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Yates Family has preserved all the equipment from the original owners and it was like stepping back in a time machine.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Today they make their wine off-site.
The Vineyards:
Photo ©Michael Kelly
In 1949 Alden Perry Yates purchased the land and planted 35 acres of vines taking out many fruit trees.
While the Yates Family Vineyards land amounts to 272 acres, most of the land is extremely steep with forests covering the property. Only 35 acres of ruggedly steep land is farmed for grapes with the hillsides going up 1,200 feet elevation.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Today Yates Family produces besides their award-winning Cabernet Franc, a Viognier, a Proprietary red blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. I was able to taste the Merlot which was thick, savory, rich, decadent and a chewable Merlot which was delicious. It might as well be called “Gunslinger” from my perspective!
The total amount of wine produced is only 800 cases with most going to their small wine club. The balance of 100 tons of beautiful, cultivated mountain fruit goes to some of the most prestigious wineries in Napa. Many have the Yates Family Vineyards designation on their bottle.
Photo from Yates Family website of Lynn and Mike Yates
Today, Mike Yates, son of Perry Yates, heads up vineyard management and winemaking with his oldest daughter Whitney. Mary Yates, the younger daughter, heads up the marketing and business side of the winery.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
There is a funny background story to how they started making Cabernet Franc. Lynn, Mike’s wife, very much appreciated the intricacies of Cabernet Franc and asked him to make some. Mike obliged her and said whether it was good or bad that the one barrel produced was hers to drink if they couldn’t sell it!
The Cabernet Franc is produced using 50% new French oak barrels with medium toast, for 18 months. Then rested in the bottle for 2 years before being released! Mike is not a fan of pyrazines in his Cabernet Franc, so this is a smoother and silkier finish. It comes in at 15.1% alcohol and only 126 cases were produced. It sells for $80/bottle when available.
This is just a smidgeon of our 3-hour discussion and my history lesson on their property and winery. I was able to taste the 2021 Cabernet Franc and what a treat! The next article on Yates Family Vineyards will be about their Cabernet Franc tasting notes and food pairing.
Stay tuned….
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2018 Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay
Photo from Duckhorn Vineyards
The Winery
Usually, I don’t write about large wineries or wine corporations but pulled this bottle out of the cellar and was very impressed by it. Duckhorn has long been a solid and personal favorite Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay wines.
Duckhorn, founded in 1976 by Margaret and Dan Duckhorn, has been an iconic fixture in Napa Valley for decades. Today it includes Decoy and Sonoma-Cutrer and another 9 winery labels/brands. Beverly Hills-based Butterfly Equity acquired the portfolio in an all-cash deal valued at $1.95 billion in 2024. Their wines are have always been noteworthy and have held a high standard for Napa Valley. Most notable is their Three Palms series which is personally one of my favorites.
The Duckhorn Portfolio, until recently was one of the few publicly traded wineries in California according to their news release. The acquisition will make Duckhorn a privately held company.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This 2018 Duckhorn Chardonnay from Napa Valley is 100% Chardonnay aged 10 months in 90% oak barrels with 40% being new and 10% in stainless steel. A somewhat unusual mixture but the end result was very good. Apparently, those in the know follow Duckhorn Napa Valley Chardonnay wine!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine on the eyes is a soft golden color that is crisp and radiant. Swirling in the glass a heavier than normal viscosity. On the nose, stone fruit and lime swell up in the senses begging to be sipped. Once on the palate, the stone fruit of peach and minerality are the dominant flavors with a modicum of lime. There is a richness and mouth filling lushness to this Chardonnay.
The wine is 14.1% alcohol and underwent 40% malolactic fermentation. It was listed at $38/bottle.
This wine will make my annual list of Best Wines Tasted for 2025, both for quality and value.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Pulled the last bottle of this vintage from the cellar this evening to pair with a baked rubbed chicken breast. The rub consisted of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, sea salt, black pepper and a pat of butter on each breast before baking. Accompanied by baked potato wedges using Russet potatoes and seasoned with olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese and topped with parsley.
A fantastic food pairing with the cool and refreshing fruit of this gorgeous wine.
While I had picked up a few bottles back a few years ago, I think I will now pick up some current vintages to keep in the cellar as this was a delicious wine for this upcoming summer for gatherings with friends!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
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