Napa winemaker Charles Hendricks (hope & grace, Regusci, Nine North Wines) was in the neighborhood last week, and I took the opportunity to spend a little time with him tasting some of his wines and conducting a brief, but interesting interview. Nice guy. Here are the four wines he was pouring that most impressed me.
2006 Regusci Napa Merlot Stag’s Leap District, 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% alc., $39.99: Good color, with a nice kiss of oak over red currant and black cherry aromatics; a bit darker in the mouth than on the nose, with black and red currants and berries and a little black cherry. Fruit forward, but not excessively so; full bodied, balanced and well structured, and while this should age very well, it’s already drinking nicely. The balance is what makes this so nice. Spent 20 months in American oak.
2005 hope & grace Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Vineyard, 15.2% alc., $49.49: Good color, and very expressive aromas that offer a nice kiss of oak over rich red and black currant, cassis, red and black berry and black cherry; very pretty in the mouth where the flavors echo and expand on the promise of the nose. Full bodied, but not heavy; good structure bodes well for several years in the cellar and yet it’s so nice right now. Very impressive for such a nice balance between earthy undertones and nice rich fruit. I could drink this on a regular basis.
2006 Regusci Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap District, $54.49: Strikes an interesting contrast to the hope and grace Cabernet; a little less fruit forward, with excellent balance. Red and black currant flavors and aromas with a subtle kiss of well integrated oak and hints of cedar; medium full to full bodied, very smooth in the mouth and deceptively well structured for several years worth of development and improvement. Very pretty and well-mannered, but by no means wimpy.
2004 Hendricks Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Lewelling Vineyard, 14.2% alc., $NA: Good dark color, with a beautiful nose of restrained oak, tobacco, black currant, cassis; full bodied, earthy, with nice black currant, blackberry, a hint of cedar and very subtle toast and coffee. Charles is correct when he says that the rich fruit stood up to the new French oak very well. Full bodied, almost sleek and very well structured to handle several years in the cellar effortlessly. Very, very nice indeed. Another one that I could drink every day. From a tank that was obviously bigger and richer than the rest the grapes picked from this vineyard and kept separate. This saw 28 months in new French oak and another 2 years in the bottle.
-From The Wines of Charles Hendricks
Reporting from Day-twah,
geo t.