Mount Veeder - Wine Region of the Day

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Mount Veeder

Mount Veeder received its designation as an AVA in 1993 and is a sub-appellation of the Napa Valley AVA. Located on 15,000 acres in the Mayacamas Mountains, the steep mountain face gives the vines the benefits of more direct sunlight and better drainage. Mount Veeder has high elevation and volcanic soil that imparts the region's distinctive flavor characteristics of eucalyptus, herbs, and florals. Given its proximity to the Los Carneros region, Mount Veeder benefits from the cool fog and ocean breezes off the San Pablo Bay. The cool and moderate climate on Mount Veeder extends the growing season and produced fruit that is well rounded and balanced in its acidity. The region is known for producing Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Viognier, and Zinfandel.

Sonoma Valley - Wine Region of the Day

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Sonoma Valley

Sonoma Valley received its designation as an AVA in 1987. Situated across 60,065 acres, Sonoma Valley includes sub-appellations Bennett Valley, Los Carneros, Sonoma Mountain, and Moon Mountain District Sonoma County. The Sonoma Mountain protects Sonoma Valley from the wet and cool influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean. The Sonoma Mountains to the west help protect the valley from excessive rainfall. The cool air that does affect the region flows northward up from San Pablo Bay through the Los Carneros region.

Sonoma Coast - Wine Region of the Day

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Sonoma Coast received its designation as an AVA in 1987. Situated across 500,000 acres that stretch from San Pablo Bay to the south and Mendocino to the north, Sonoma Coast is home to multiple sub-appellations Chalk Hill, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Los Carneros, Northern Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Fort Ross-Seaview and Sonoma Valley. The appellation is known for its cool climate and high rainfall relative to other parts of Sonoma County. The area has a broad range of soil types and microclimates across its various sub-appellations.  As a result, a wide variety of grapes are grown in Sonoma Coast.  Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are predominant but you also find Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel among others.

2011 Oak Cliff Cellars Sonoma Chardonnay (Unoaked) - Wine of the Day

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 2011 Oak Cliff Cellars Sonoma Chardonnay (Unoaked)

$24

Because this wine is made and aged in stainless tanks, the fruit is crisp and clean: initially notes of Green Apple and Pear are predominant when served chilled properly, and give way to Melon notes with a hint of Citrus as the wine warms in the glass. The mouthfeel is especially creamy due to the fact that it has undergone 100% malolactic fermentation, converting harsh malic acids to softer, milky ones.

Grapes from this wine come from two Sonoma vineyards: one from southern Sonoma County in Carneros and the other from the Russian River area. Carneros is the cooler climate, with wind and fog prevalent conditions, meaning longer growing time, higher acidity and leaner fruit, while Russian River fruit tends to be riper and fatter in style. By blending fruit from the two distinctive areas, this wine results in high acidity and clean, crisp fruit leaning toward green apple and citrus, but with a nice, plump mid-palate of pear and melon.

Los Carneros - Wine Region of the Day

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The Los Carneros AVA is located in both Sonoma and Napa counties and received its AVA status in 1983. The Carneros region covers 90 square miles and is centered along the low-lying hills of the Mayacamas range north of San Pablo Bay. The region features a sloping elevation ranging from 400 feet in the foothills to near sea level at San Pablo Bay. Los Carneros is settled by morning fog and moderately cool afternoons with strong winds off the bay. The soils are made of clay and are very shallow allowing for poor drainage. The winds coming off the San Pablo Bay and shallow soil force the vines to struggle and can delay the grapes from ripening, occasionally causing losses in yield and production. The slower ripening allows the grapes to develop complex flavors and balanced acidity. The cooler climate has made Los Carneros a premier region for the cultivation of cooler climate varietals like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Napa Valley - Wine Region of the Day

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Napa Valley received its designation as an AVA in 1981. Situated on 43,000 acres, Napa Valley is home to sub-appellations Los Carneros, Howell Mountain, Wild Horse Valley, Stags Leap District, Mt. Veeder, Atlas Peak, Spring Mountain District, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Chiles Valley, Yountville, Diamond Mountain District, Coombsville, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, and Calistoga. The Napa Valley floor is flanked by the Mayacamas Mountain Range on the western and northern sides the Vaca Mountains on the eastern side. The floor of the main valley gradually rises from sea level at the southern end to 362 feet above sea level at the northern end in Calistoga at the foot of Mount Saint Helena. The Oakville and Rutherford AVAs lie within a geographical area known as the Rutherford Bench in the center of the valley floor. The soil at the southern end of the valley consists mainly of sediments deposited by earlier advances and retreats of San Pablo Bay while the soil at the northern end of the valley contains a large volume of volcanic lava and ash. Several microclimates exist within the area due to various weather and geographical influences in the different sub-appellations. The open southern end of the valley floor is cooler during the growing season due to the proximity of San Pablo Bay while the sheltered, closed northern end is often much warmer. The eastern side of the valley tends to be arid because winter storms tend to drop much more precipitation on the western mountains and hills. Napa Valley is known for its world-class production of Cabernet Sauvignon but also produces Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Counter Punch 2012 Merlot - Wine of the Day

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Counter Punch 2012 Merlot bottle shot on Qorkz

Counter Punch 2012 Merlot

$45

The grapes for the 2012 Counter Punch Merlot were hand-harvested on September 28, 2012 from the Los Carneros AVA of Napa Valley at 24.0 Brix. "Classic" and "Perfect" are just two accolades being bestowed upon the 2012 Napa Valley growing season and harvest. Textbook conditions saw near-ideal spring bud break, steady flowering, even fruit set, and a lengthy stretch of warm days and cool and often foggy nights during the long summer months. Late and light rains held off until the grapes found optimal ripeness, bringing exceptional quality to the crush pad and into the cellar. 

The fruit arrived at the winery in small 1/2 ton bins where destemming and hand-sorting occurred. Fermentation proceeded in a small bin for eight days. The free-run was transferred directly into neutral barrels for settling. After settling, the young wine was racked from the neutral barrels into new American oak barrels (from trees grown in Minnesota) where it aged for an additional year. The wine was polish filtered and bottled in April 2014. 

Mount Veeder - Wine Region of the Day

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MOUNT VEEDER

Photo of the Mount Veeder wine region by David Toomey for Qorkz. 

Mount Veeder received its designation as an AVA in 1993 and is a sub-appellation of the Napa Valley AVA. Located on 15,000 acres in the Mayacamas Mountains, the steep mountain face gives the vines the benefits of more direct sunlight and better drainage. Mount Veeder has high elevation and volcanic soil that imparts the region's distinctive flavor characteristics of eucalyptus, herbs, and florals. Given its proximity to the Los Carneros region, Mount Veeder benefits from the cool fog and ocean breezes off the San Pablo Bay. The cool and moderate climate on Mount Veeder extends the growing season and produced fruit that is well rounded and balanced in its acidity. The region is known for producing Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Viognier, and Zinfandel.

2012 Humanitas 'Good Earth' Pinot Noir Truchard Vineyard

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2012 Humanitas 'Good Earth' Pinot Noir Truchard Vineyard

$55

Our 2012 'Truchard Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Carneros region of Napa Valleybegins with leather and smoke, then opens to ripe cranberry and raspberry fruit with a hint of smoked meats. 'Earth' comes to mind - followed by black cherry juice, maybe some ripe tomato, mushrooms and cinnamon. On the palate, the wine is so inviting, with strawberry jam, vanilla, rhubarb, truffle & cinnamon all wrapped around a hint of caramel apple. Think either a big, thick salmon steal grilled with some hickory chips or a tasty rib-eye grilled just past rare. Throw in a little acoustic guitar, good friends, some heady conversation, and you've got the perfect setting to enjoy this truly stunning wine.