Tag Archives: Franciscan Estate

60 Second Wine Review — Sheridan Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

A few quick thoughts on the 2013 Sheridan Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Geekery

Scott and Karen Greer founded Sheridan Vineyards in 1996 in the Yakima Valley of Washington State. From the first vintage release in 2000, Sheridan has received much critical acclaim–being described as one of the rising stars in Washington.

In 2012, the Greers ventured into Napa Valley to produce a Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Wilsey Vineyard in Rutherford.

Located in the northwest quadrant of the appellation next to the Beckstoeffer-Melrose vineyard and near Emmolo’s Home Ranch and Whitehall Lane’s Bommarito vineyards, the Wilsey Vineyard was purchased in 1974 by the late Gary Wilsey.

According to Richard Mendelson in his book Appellation Napa Valley, Wilsey and his wife Lanetta, along with Agustin Huneeus of Franciscan Estate, Steve Girard of Girard Winery, Dennis Groth of Groth Vineyards, Jean Phillips of Screaming Eagle and the Duncan family of Silver Oak were part of the “Anti-Benchers” faction that opposed the delineation (and even existence) of a “Rutherford Bench”.

The Wine

Photo by ANAND HULUGAPPA. Uploaded to Wikimedia commons under CC-BY-SA-4.0

Right now the rich dark fruits and secondary oak dominates but this wine is not far from developing even more interesting tertiary flavors.

Medium-plus intensity nose–ripe dark fruit flavors of black plums and blackberry. Noticeable oak baking spices of clove and nutmeg as well.

On the palate those rich dark fruit flavors carry through contributing to the full-bodied weight of the wine.  The mouthwatering medium-plus acidity balances the fruit well. The high tannins are very present but very ripe and smoothed by the vanilla from the oak. The long finish is still fruit-forward but starts to linger with spice and just a hint of smokey tobacco.

The Verdict

It feels like this Napa Cab is certainly on the cusp of hitting its prime. It just needs the baby fat of ripe fruit and oak to give way to more complex notes.

This wine is drinking well within its $100-130 Napa peers. However, its structure and acidity has the potential to deliver much more.

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60 Second Wine Review — Browne Site Series Cabernet Sauvignon

A few quick thoughts on the 2015 Browne Site Series Cabernet Sauvignon from the Horse Heaven Hills.

The Geekery

Browne Family Vineyards was founded in 2005 by Andrew Browne of Precept Brands–whose background in the wine industry includes stints with Southern Wine & Spirits, Constellation Brands, Corus Brands, Chateau St. Jean and Associated Vintners (now Gallo’s Columbia Winery).

Precept is the largest privately owned wine company in the Northwest and includes an extensive portfolio of brands like Apex, Canoe Ridge, W.B. Bridgman, B. Lovely, Gruet, House Wine, Jacqueline Leone, Pendulum, Radius, Primarius, Red Theory, Sagelands, Paradise Peak, Ste. Chapelle, Summit Estates, Skyfall, Wild Haven and Waterbrook.

With Paul Gregutt, Peter Dow and Ross Mickel, respectively, they manage Waitsburg Cellars, Cavatappi and Ross Andrews. They also have a partnership with the Davey family in Australia to bring their Shingleback, Aficionado and Red Knot brands to the US.

John Freeman is the winemaker for Browne, joining Precept after previously working for the Napa Valley wineries Franciscan and Miner.

For the Site Series, they source from several of their contract vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA which includes Alder Ridge, Canoe Ridge and The Benches.

The Wine

Photo by Subhashish Panigrahi. Released on Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-4.0

Noticeable oak influence in this wine.

Medium-plus intensity nose. Lots of noticeable oak but it’s more spice than vanilla. Dark fruits like black currants and cherries.

On the palate, those dark fruits and oak spice carry through with juicy medium-plus acidity. Hefty medium-plus tannins adds to the full-bodied weight of the wine but the vanilla of the oak comes out to round them for a smooth mouthfeel. The finish is a bit short and hints at the youth of the wine.

The Verdict

For around $30-35, the Browne Site Series is a very solid Cabernet Sauvignon from the Horse Heaven Hills. That region doesn’t get anywhere near the attention of the “sexier” AVAs of Red Mountain and Walla Walla but is consistently the source of outstanding Washington wines.

The 2015 is young and could benefit from another year aging (or decanting) but it has lots of potential.

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