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Wine and Spirits Magazine June 2011

93 Points

2008 Chardonnay

This bares its mountain toughness in the middle, where it's a bit foursquare, driven by foresty apple scents and minerality. Then it lasts on a delicate peach perfume -- as if it's very masculine until it's feminine. The wine's earthiness lends restraint to the fruit character, keeping it savory even as the flavors last and bringing that pretty peach fruit to the back of the finish. An ageworthy chardonnay.

Wine Review Online

Mary Ewing-Mulligan April 29, 2011

Smith Madrone, Spring Mountain District (Napa Valley, California) Riesling 2009. This is one of the few landmark Rieslings of California, grown high up on Spring Mountain in western Napa Valley. It is a trim, sleek Riesling with a slight sweetness that complements its high-acid depth and makes it particularly flexible with food. The wine has aromas and flavors that are floral, fruity (melon, apple, citrus) and minerally; these show lots of concentration and carry long on the finish. "A terrific Riesling, well-balanced and stylish." Only 12.9 percent alcohol. 90

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

In the April 14, 2011 issue of Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences: rated Exceptional, Olive and traces of herbs mark the fascinating aroma of Cabernet (!) and dark cherry fruit, which this Spring Mountain property has always delivered. Superb balance and a wine that is just beginning to show its aging potential.

2009 Riesling

Reviewed in the April 14, 2011 issue of Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences. Very Highly Recommended. Delicate Riesling aroma of stone fruit and citrus with a lovely soft entry and mid-palate, but a relatively dry finish.

May 2011

90 Points

Smith-Madrone 2009 Riesling (Spring Mountain); $27. With 12.9% alcohol, this Riesling is absolutely dry and fascinatingly complex. High acidity frames citrus fruit, green apple and mineral flavors. Should develop in interesting ways over the next six years. —S.H.

May 2011

92 Points

Smith-Madrone 2008 Chardonnay (Spring Mountain); $30. Shows the bone-dry, crisply acidic minerality of the winery’s Chardonnays, a brisk, elegant wine whose complexities make it fascinating. The lemon and lime flavors are enriched with a touch of oak and lees. Try aging for six years to experience an aged California Chardonnay. —S.H.

Tim Elliott writes a great review on winecast.net about the the "almost mythical Smith-Madrone Riesling."

Smith-Madrone, Riesling, Spring Mountain 2009 ($27/sample) – Light straw-green in color with aromas of green apple, citrus, honeydew and a hint of petrol. Tart green apple fruit with citrus finishing dry with refreshing acidity and a nice mineral note. A benchmark California Riesling that could take on the best of Alsace and give them a run for their money. Will continue to improve in the cellar for at least the next 25 years. Just over 300 cases produced so pick up some soon.

12.9% ABV Natural cork closure Rating: Score: 90

From the discerning minds at the California Grape-Vine Newsletter
Feb/March 2011 issue.

2008 Smith-Madrone, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley ($30) – Medium-light golden yellow; attractive, floral, green apple aroma with lemony notes and a hint of coconut; medium-full body; crisp, slightly toasty, spicy, apple and citrus flavors; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended. 14.4% alcohol; 790 cases; 100% Chardonnay; 100% BF; % ML not available; released December 2010. (Group Score: 15.8, 0/2/0; My Score: 16.5 [88/100], eighth place)

Bon Appetit Review

Bon Appetit Magazine, February 2011 Issue "California Cabs Worth Catching; Eight Elegant Hillside Wines" by Heather John

Smith Madrone Cabernet 2004: black cherry flavors with herbal notes and aromas of cedar and violets. Article around the review: Backbreak Mountain, when a wine writer gets up from behind the keyboard and works a Napa Valley vineyard, she learns that great grapes, soil and toil go into every bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon

Wall Street Journal, ON WINE by Jay McInerny October 22, 2010

Riesling From the Land of Cab

Napa Valley Riesling? Sounds…odd, no? However, some years back, I discovered the Rieslings of Smith-Madrone, and I was so impressed I ended visiting the winery on top of Spring Mountain, a virtual wilderness twenty minutes uphill from St. Helena.

The ‘09 is the 32nd vintage of this wine. The very first vintage, the ’77, was named world’s best Riesling in the Gault Millau Wine Olympics of 1979. The Smiths, in fact, were the first California growers to bottle a California wine labeled as Riesling. For many years the term ‘Johannesberg Riesling’ was used, until Stu (who has lately gained some notoriety for his campaign against biodynamics) petitioned the BTF to use the name Riesling.

... Also highly recommended: the 08 Chardonnay.

Also from Jay's summary:

2009 Smith Madrone Riesling Napa Valley Spring Mountain, $27

Very light straw color, green-apple nose, with a citrusy vibrancy on the palate leading to a slatey, minerally note suggestive of a great Mosel.

Link to full story.

May 2008

2006 Chardonnay 92 points

Dry, crisp and minerally, this Chardonnay has intensely pure flavors of ripe white peach, pear, green apple and pineapple that have a stony scour of cold steel. It's the opposite of the modern style of oaky fruit bomb Chards, with an elegant integrity that's food-friendly and ageworthy. Fine now, and should do interesting things for a decade. Editors' Choice

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon 86 points

The winery held this Cab back longer than most. Tasted in late 2007, it was quite soft and immediately drinkable. The flavors are rich and ripe, suggesting red cherries, cassis, licorice, cola and milk chocolate.

Colorado Wine News

Colorado Wine News - (April-June 2008, Vol. 18, No. 2)

2006 Chardonnay was barrel-fermented, spent eleven months in oak, and has a restrained nose of pear, apple, pineapple, mineral, and a hint of well-integrated oak. All repeat as flavors laced with nice acidity and finish broad and very long with the addition of sweet orange. Unusual, attractive and built to age, it is well-balanced, structured and integrated. It will pair well with food. Very Tasty to Good.

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon contains about 10% merlot and 8% cabernet franc and was aged for 22 months in new American oak. It has inviting aromas of star anise, cassis, black raspberry, wet earth and smoke. All continue as nicely ripe but slightly tart flavors laced with dry tannin and finish medium-broad and medium-long. This is a well-balanced, structured and integrated wine which will complement food now and will be even better if you give it another year in the bottle to moderate the tannins.

Robert Whitley February 13, 2008

Rating: 91

Smith-Madrone 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District ($40): This wine has been historically underrated, lost in the attention heaped on more expensive and trendy Napa Valley cabs. Could be because it's truly a mountain cab, crafted from vineyards on the cooler side of the Valley and thus slightly more austere in its youth than the flashier, jammier wines from the eastern hills above the valley floor. This vintage shows excellent depth and structure, complex dark-fruited aromas with a touch of earthiness, and fine tannins. I suspect it will improve over the next seven to 10 years.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080213/news_1f13whitley.html

ON WINE -- ROBERT WHITLEY

Napa excellence doesn't have to be a bank-breaker

January 18, 2007

Visiting the Napa Valley, if only by way of your wine cupboard, need not be an expensive proposition.

It's a widely held myth that the Napa Valley has become an exclusive domain for the wealthy. The multitude of outrageously priced cult wines that carry Napa Valley addresses contributes to that perception, but the reality is somewhat different.

It's entirely possible to drink good Napa Valley wines without a huge bankroll. In fact, a number of my favorite Napa Valley wines rate as good values when compared to the prices their neighbors often fetch. That is not to say they are cheap, but for the Napa Valley, the prices are modest.

To illustrate this point, I have pulled together a list of top-notch Napa Valley producers that consistently churn out great wines at affordable prices.

Smith-Madrone makes only three wines and eschews "reserve" designations. What you get are mountain-grown wines from the Smith-Madrone estate on Spring Mountain, near the village of St. Helena. The cabernet sauvignon is always bold but well balanced, and it retails for $35, making it Smith-Madrone's most expensive wine. The chardonnay is tightly wound and delicate but delivers exceptional fruit intensity and shows only a light touch of the oak. The Riesling is simply one of California's finest.

©Copley News Service

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060118/news_lz1f18whitley.html

Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences: The Weekly Wine Commentary

Review of 2003 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon

(Volume XII, Issue 45 January 17, 2008)

Exceptional..
Lean, classic Napa Valley herb/dust and cherry aroma, with a structure I haven’t seen in years: Great to age! Or try now with aeration and a steak. A superb look back to an era when many Cabs showed structure. Not for those who want plushness.

THE CHRONICLE'S WINE SELECTIONS: STARS OF 2006
Jon Bonné, Sarah Fritsche
Friday, December 29, 2006

See Smith-Madrone's standing in this favorite annual listing.

Peter Hellman, "Missing in Action," Urban Vintage, New York Sun, October 4, 2006

The choice of wines available in New York shops is vast, even overwhelming. Yet, amid such a global bounty, one of California's most distinguished wineries is glaringly absent on retail shelves. It's called Smith Madrone, now in the midst of its 35th vintage high on the upper slopes of Spring Mountain high over the Napa Valley. That this label can't find a place in any New York shop is not, I believe, due to lack of quality or value. It's because of the difficulty of selling the kind of wines that Smith Madrone makes.

The winery, owned by brothers Stuart and Charles Smith, bottles just three wines: cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and riesling. In an era when most California wines are riper and more alcoholic than ever before, the Smith brothers make traditional wines, maybe even throwback wines. They're dry-farmed for intensity and harvested ripe, but not overly so. The result is wines which have alcohol between 12% and 13%, once a common level but now the exception in an era of wines that routinely reach 15% alcohol or higher. "Some of these huge wines can be seductive and fruit forward, or they can hit you so that your eyes bulge out, but then you say, ‘Now what?' They've nothing behind them. These wines will not age." Meanwhile, these voluptuary wines do fetch high scores from wine critics, notably Robert M. Parker Jr. in his Wine Advocate newsletter.

Smith Madrone wines, especially the cabernet sauvignon, are typically unyielding upon release. But the wines invariably blossom as the years go by. I don't believe there is any other dry California riesling that is the equal of Smith Madrone's in its improvement after 10 years and beyond. But such wines are a tough sell. "For many years, we've tried to make wines with elegance, restraint, and grace," Mr. Smith said, "and we got our brains beat out in the marketplace."

Sadly, that's currently the case in New York, although the wines are available in half a dozen other states, notably Illinois and California (check wine-searcher.com) and direct from the winery (smithmadrone.com). The deeply flavored 2003 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($27) and 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($38) are currently available, as is the 2000 Napa Valley Riesling ($50). This last wine, simultaneously floral and earthy, is what great Alsacian-style riesling is all about.

Robert Whitley, “Napa Excellence Doesn’t Have to be a Bank-breaker,” San Diego Union-Tribune, January 18, 2006.

Visiting the Napa Valley, if only by way of your wine cupboard, need not be an expensive proposition.

It's a widely held myth that the Napa Valley has become an exclusive domain for the wealthy. The multitude of outrageously priced cult wines that carry Napa Valley addresses contributes to that perception, but the reality is somewhat different.
It's entirely possible to drink good Napa Valley wines without a huge bankroll. In fact, a number of my favorite Napa Valley wines rate as good values when compared to the prices their neighbors often fetch.

That is not to say they are cheap, but for the Napa Valley, the prices are modest.

To illustrate this point, I have pulled together a list of top-notch Napa Valley producers that consistently churn out great wines at affordable prices.

Smith-Madrone makes only three wines and eschews "reserve" designations. What you get are mountain-grown wines from the Smith-Madrone estate on Spring Mountain, near the village of St. Helena. The cabernet sauvignon is always bold but well balanced, and it retails for $35, making it Smith-Madrone's most expensive wine. The chardonnay is tightly wound and delicate but delivers exceptional fruit intensity and shows only a light touch of the oak. The Riesling is simply one of California's finest.

Wolf, Amy, “Spring Mountain: A New Wine Region Rises High Above the Napa Valley,” Sunset Magazine, September 2005.

You might imagine that Steve Russon, a Napa Valley tour guide and self-professed wine geek, would get tired of taking groups around to wineries. And you would be right, at least when it comes to ?the usual suspects, the no-brainers,? as he calls some of the larger wineries along State 29. But there?s one appellation that continues to fascinate him no matter how many times he goes. ?I like to bring people up to Spring Mountain because it takes a little more effort, a little more study and knowledge,? Russon says.

Effort, because all the wineries here require appointments for tasting. Knowledge, because all are hidden among the trees along a rugged, winding road so steep it can make your ears pop. So why bother? As Russon puts it, "Spring Mountain is undeniably, incomparably beautiful; the wines have beautiful intensity;, and you get to talk to people who are involved in what they are doing, have a stake in what they're doing and are actually doing it themselves."

One of the Napa Valley's smallest appellations, with fewer than 20 wineries and 25 vineyards, Spring Mountain is in many respects the anti-Napa. But wine lovers know that Spring Mountain's remoteness, besides making it so refreshingly untrafficked, is a big part of what makes the wines so good. ...

Karen MacNeil's must-try wine from each winery:

Smith-Madrone: Rave reviews of Rieslings from brothers Stuart and Charles Smith haven't gone to their heads. You might get a foldable picnic chair to sit on, and Stuart's likely to use his Swiss Army knife to pen the wine.

MacNeil's pick: The 2004 Riesling ($17). Like its neighbors, Smith-Madrone makes excellent Cabernets, but its hauntingly dry Riesling is terrific---a fresh, pure burst of apricots and minerals. www.smithmadrone.com.

McInerny, Jay, “Uncorked: Domestic Bliss,” House & Garden, June 2005.

"The ThrowBacks: They aren’t well-known, but the Smith Brothers of Smith-Madrone have been producing outstanding Rieslings (and Cabernets and Chardonnays) at old-fashioned prices since the 1970s... [some excerpts follow]
Go to smithmadrone.com for a direct line to the good stuff. The 2003 Riesling is sold out, though you may still find it at retail or in restaurants. The ’04 should also be a star.

2003 SMITH-MADRONE NAPA VALLEY RIESLING: This could almost pass as grand cru Alsatian Riesling from a vineyard like Hengst. Lots of tart green apple fruit with a touch of sweet peach preserves in the middle. The minerality will emerge later. Drink it now if you live dangerously, or better yet, in 15 years.
2003 SMITH-MADRONE NAPA VALLEY CHARDONNAY: A wiry, medium-bodied mountain mama of a chardonnay with a vanilla nose and a nice dialectic between sweet kiwilike fruit and citrusy acid, which ends in a draw on the long and satisfying finish. Throw some chicken, salmon or even sausage on the grill and open a bottle.

Frank Sutherland, The Detroit News (and syndicated), January 4, 2005.

"Each year I award gold and silver medals with somewhat different criteria than most national judging panels. Gold medal awards represent the best wines we tasted all year, regardless of price. As we tasted some of these wines early in the year, many may be sold by now or hard to find, yet they are worth buying if you find them available."

Gold medalist:
1999 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon: Black cherries, currants and peppers with a silky texture."

Robert Whitley, “Two Great Whites Share the Glory,” Wine Talk column, San Diego Union-Tribune, June 16, 2004.

The final vote for best white wine at the Critics Challenge International Wine Competition, held over the Memorial Day weekend in San Diego, was very revealing. Two finalists emerged from the bevy of Platinum Award winners that had been put forward for Best of Show: 2001 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay and 2003 Vionta Albarino. [Full Article]

Robert Whitley, "Top Wines of 2004," - Wine Talk (Copley News Service), San Diego Union- December 27, 2004

"You simply can't go wrong with Smith-Madrone wine, either on the wine or the price." [read more]

Steve Pitcher, “Riveting Riesling,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 27, 2004.

California dry Riesling is [peachy] to drink, with its [apricot] juiciness, refreshing flashes of bright [citrus] fruit and the tangy quality of slightly tart [green apple], all framed by brisk natural acidity..

Link to Article

Matt Kramer, "Top Wines Issue," Wine Spectator December 31, 2003.

["...superb dry Rieslings, with a textural density and lipsmacking earthiness rarely seen outside of Alsace." read more]

San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 4, 2003

"Top 100 Wines of the Year." read press release

Alan Goldfarb, “Smith-Madrone Proves Napa Riesling Worthy of the Buzz,” St. Helena Star, November 20, 2003.

[Full Article]

Kramer, Matt. “So What’s the Next Really Big White?” The Wine Spectator, October 31, 2003.

Guess what his take is? [Full article]

"The Wine Issue - Best Wines Under $20.00," Food & Wine Magazine, October 2003

The Wine Issue" American Wine Awards F&W's seventh annual American Wine Awards produced several surprises, a few repeat winners and added luster for some established stars. The verdicts were rendered by our 26 judges who have sampled literally thousands of American wines this past year. (Richard Nalley)

Best Wines Under $20.00 2001 Smith-Madrone Napa Valley Riesling Brothers Stuart and Charles Smith made a commitment to Riesling early on and, unlike many other Napa wineries, never wavered. This wine is produced from dry-farmed 30-year-old vines high on Spring Mountain. It's minerally but ripe and generous, a sort of cross between the styles of Alsace, Germany and California. [p. 140]

Hare, Sara. “The New Wine Country: Exploring Napa’s Hillside Wineries,” Diablo Magazine, October 2003.

Read article.

"Great wines for $18 or less," Sunset Magazine, March 2003

Smith-Madrone Riesling 2001 (Napa Valley), $17. Expressive and snappy, with grapefruit and key-lime pie flavors.

Nalley, Richard. “Wines Worth Twice the Price,” Food & Wine Magazine, March 2003.

10 Top Bottles: 2001 Smith-Madrone Riesling ($17) No one would think of saying that Napa Valley is a Riesling capital, but this luscious white from winemaker Stu Smith shows what can be done there with the grape.

Booth, William. "Napa Vintners Reap Green Grapes of Wrath," Washington Post, Sunday, March 16, 2003.

Full Article

Robert Whitley, “On Wine,” Copley News Service, June 11, 2003.

....Stuart Smith (Smith-Madrone) may be the sanest man in the Napa Valley.When a well-meaning neighbor suggested Smith-Madrone's prices were too low, Stuart, who runs the Spring Mountain winery with brother Charlie, replied: "I think $45 is enough to pay for a bottle of cabernet sauvignon."
I said sane, not smart.

Speaking of verve, Smith-Madrone's chardonnay and riesling have more than most. They are among the unsung stars of California wine.

Visit Robert Whitley on the Web and listen to his radio show, "Whitley On Wine," atwww.whitleyonwine.com; sende-mail to <mailto:whitonwine@aol.com>whitonwine@aol.com.©Copley News Service

Wine Enthusiast, February 2003.

Rating: 91
2000 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay, Napa Valley $25

Ripe and fancy, and not your usual oak-drenched Chardonnay. Fat, lush flavors of apples, peaches and pears have smooth accents of smoke and spice from wood, and crisp acidity makes for a bright mouthfeel. Possesses great concentration and intensity. -S.H. . - S.H. (2/1/2003)

Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine, February 2003.

2000 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay
90 / 1 puff

Scents of minerals, apples, honey and coconut waft from the glass in a textbook example of chardonnay's varietal aromas, and this handsomely crafted wine is equally inviting in the mouth where its bright, still youthful fruit shows good depth and fine balance. It is long and energetic toward the finish and seems to have the requisite parts in place to offer even more to like as it picks up a bit of maturity.

“Holiday Gift Guide: Top Rated Wines from 2002,” Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, December 11, 2002.

These wines, a selection from the highest ranking in our tasting grids during 2002, are still available. If you have oenophile friends, you're all set for your shopping spree.

Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery

2001 Riesling, Napa Valley; $17

Bright, with juicy apple fruity flavors. Began sweet and finished dry.CRITERIA:The panel samples eight to 12 wines a week in a blind tasting. Wine of the Week is based on quality, value and availability and is not necessarily the top wine of the tasting. Price is suggested retail; actual price is often lower.

Fredric Koeppel, “Grapevine,” Memphis Commerical-Appeal, November 20, 2002.

From $9 to $130, these selections should appeal to myriad tastes
"Sizable, serious and bracing, the Smith-Madrone Riesling 2001, Napa Valley, demands a platter of charcuterie, a plateful of pork tenderloin with roasted apples or a bowl of veal stew in white wine sauce. Green apples, peaches and pears, lychee and rose petals define the irresistible bouquet, while in the mouth the wine layers substantial yet lace-like textures atop a limestone element that pours toward an austere finish. Excellent. About $15, a Great Price.

Robert Whitley, “On Wine,” San Diego Union-Tribune, November 6, 2002.

Wine Finds...

Exceptional Smith-Madrone 2001 Riesling, Napa Valley ($17) –
Stuart and Charlie Smith have been making riesling atop Spring Mountain for 25 years now. They also make chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, but their riesling is the real labor of love. Though riesling is one of the world's great wine grapes, it has not been fashionable in this country during the past couple of decades. Yet Stu and Charlie have persevered. They make riesling in an off-dry style, with delicate floral and peach aromas and exquisite balance. This vintage is lush and juicy, a joy to sip.

Frank J. Prial, “Riesling, the American Way,” New York Times, September 4, 2002.

A panel looks at the state of the Riesling art. Full Article

Alan Krauss, “In My Briefcase: Stuart A. Smith,” New York Times, April 4, 1999.

Read and SEE what's inside Stuart Smith's briefcase.

BLOGS & WEB SITES

There are more legends, stories, fairytales, and fables than anyone could count which all involve some guy up on a mountainside somewhere. Sometimes a hermit, sometimes a wizard, sometimes a troll -- sometimes just an old man who went to sleep under a tree for a long, long time. No matter what the story, there's always something a little different about the guy on the mountain, something that is both scary and alluring at the same time. ...

This Cabernet is made from the estates 32-year-old, dry-farmed vines at the top of Spring Mountain. It ages for 22 months in new American Oak barrels (an unusual choice for both Napa and for Cabernet), and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. After bottling the winery likes to hang onto it for a while, which means this 2003 is the current release (the 2004 will hit the market in a couple of months). ...

Tasting Notes:
Dark ruby in color, this wine has a beautiful nose of plum, chocolate, and heady cedar aromas. In the mouth it is soft and silky on the tongue, with a suprisingly lightness for Napa Cabernet -- a bruiser this is most certainly not. The core flavors are black cherry and chocolate, and they dance, juicy on the tongue thanks to great acidity and faint, powdery tannins that simply play a background note to the overall bright quality of the wine. Incredibly easy to drink (a whole bottle).

Overall Score: between 9 and 9.5

Read complete post

About that 2003 Cab...

From: Daniel Duane, Wednesday, April 16, 2008, http://www.chow.com/tastingnotes/5324

...I had a sample of his 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon recently... And the wine brought me immense satisfaction: Every sip was a little journey, enriching and interesting and yet well balanced and not at all challenging. I thought it was fabulous.

Here’s Stu’s take on the 2003:

“Well, it’s unfined and unfiltered, it’s still evolving, it’s got a little Cab Franc, a little Merlot. ... It’s a big wine, an interesting complex wine, not excessively tannic. Some people think it’s excessively soft, but it gets people talking about the wine. It’s also a wine that gives people a lot of pleasure. It’s what I think a wine really should be: It makes a statement, it has character, and yet it’s not over the top. My brother liked it better than I did in the beginning; it’s a wine that’s really evolved in the last couple of years being in the bottle. It’s got a good future ahead of it; I think they’ll last 15 years or more.”

Fred Koeppel’s blog (http://www.biggerthanyourhead.net/) Friday, January 4, 2008

Excerpt from a great entry about Smith-Madrone

Then there are the cabernets and chardonnays of Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery, perched atop Spring Mountain west of the town of St. Helena in the Napa Valley. Now when I say that Smith-Madrone makes wines that purists could love, I don't mean snobs or elitists or geeks or nerds; by 'purists' I mean consumers who favor wines that focus on fruit and structure, that allow us to taste and feel where the wine came from and where it's going, what it's make of and how it sustains itself. That is the kind of wine that Smith-Madrone makes.

www.appellationamerica.com (View article on-line.)

Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain District)

The Smith brothers – Stuart and Charles – have been on top of Spring Mountain since the early 1970s. They’ve always made wines in the traditional style. That is, the alcohol levels of their Cabernets – which are always priced well below their market value – always come in under the magic 14-percent mark. Not because of tax purposes (anything over 14 means the winery pays a higher tariff), but because at anything higher than that, the Smith boys believe the wine to be unbalanced.

Well, thank goodness this 2002 Cabernet is under 14, because it might be the last. It comes in at 13.88 percent alcohol. But even the Smiths admit they are acceding to the market, and are allowing their wines to begin creeping over the “Mendoza” line.

As for this wine, I tasted it twice – once last February and again in early December. Both times there were lovely mint or eucalyptus aromas. The first time there was wild cherries, now there are red plums. While once the wine was brawny, now it’s soft and smooth and even elegant with the same layers of earth and minerality I found 10 months earlier. There’s still that great balance, but make no mistake, there are still plenty of big tannins. So hold it for a couple of years and drink it over the next 12-15 years.

The vineyard, at 1,400-1,900 feet, is dry-farmed. The wine was neither fined nor filtered. The Smiths opted to use 100 percent new American oak here, for 22 months, which at first manifested in the muscularity of the wine. But almost a year longer in bottle has proven that even domestic wood – like the Smith’s themselves – have a certain softness.

Reviewed December 18, 2006 by Alan Goldfarb.

www.vinography.com

http://www.vinography.com/archives/2006/08/2002_smith_madrone_chardonnay_1.html

Steve Bainbridge, ProfessorBainbridgeOnWine.com

"I love this wine. Big nose and big palate. Chocolate, black cherries, cedar, cassis, and violets. Very highly recommended. Grade: A."

Other Smith-Madrone-related postings:

September 2005 www.ProfessorBainbridgeOnWine.com I'm reading Matt Kramer's New California Wine with great pleasure. It is typical Kramer: well written, highly opinionated, terroir obsessed, idiosyncratic. I vigorously disagree with some of his conclusions. For example, he thinks Silver Oak's Alexander bottling "lacks sufficient character to support the oak" and blasts their Napa Valley bottling as being slathered with "the dime store cologne of heavily vanilla-scented American oak." Nonsense. See, e.g., my review of the 1999 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignons. On the other hand, I couldn't agree more with his observation that: "If California ever creates a 'cult Riesling,' then Smith-Madrone is a sure contender." Darn straight. See, e.g., my reviews of the 2001 and 2003 vintages.

As those examples might suggest, what I like best about Kramer is that he's one wine critic who is not afraid to bite the hand that feeds him. Instead, he calls a spade a spade. See, e.g., his description of Firestone Vineyards (best known these days as the family business of Andrew Firestone of ABC TV's The Bachelor): "a commercial, presumably profitable, but decidedly banal array of wines." Precisely right. In my experience, the only thing more banal than their wines is the whole reality TV phenomenon.

Bottom line: It's a key addition to any wine lover's library.

Carolyn Tilley's Ultimate California Wine Blog, "Smith-Madrone - 113"

A wonderful post of a visit to the winery and reviews of recent releases.

http://carolyntillie_ultimate_california_wine_blog.typepad.com/california_wine_blog/

BOOKS

HEDONIST IN THE CELLAR, Random House, October 2006

New wine book from Jay McInerny. Smith-Madrone is the only Napa winery to be profiled.

Read all about it.

New California Wine: Making Sense of Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast, and Beyond by Matt Kramer, Running Press, 2004.

Puts Smith-Madrone wines in context. Read an excerpt.

SMITH - MADRONE VINEYARDS & WINERY