One of the great things about living in wine country—and actively exploring it—is having access to wines I would never have discovered outside of the region. Some wineries are simply too small to distribute their wines to the Midwest, or even outside of California. There are so many artisan producers out here that are off the beaten wine touring path; not only do they not have tasting rooms, some of them don’t even have a proper winery! What these winemakers do have is custom crush facilities, such as that used at the Napa Wine Company.
If you want to make your own wine and you don’t have millions of dollars to invest in a winery, then this is where you want to go. These custom crush facilities have often been the key to Napa’s most sought after cult wines, and have launched many celebrity winemakers. They provide everything you could need to make your own wine and distribute it: equipment, labeling, bottles, even a staff if necessary. The Napa Wine Company is located right on the main drag of Hwy 29 and has a tasting room where you can sample a wide variety of lesser-known and also well-known brands at one stop.
Speaking of lesser-known brands; I have recently had the privilege to discover some gems that have never made it to the Chicago market, but come highly recommended by people “in the know” out here in wine country. Relic Wines, created by husband-and-wife team Mike Hirby and Schatzi Throckmorton, started in 2001 with three barrels of Pinot Noir. Mike is the chief winemaker for Relic but also acts a consulting winemaker for highly regarded wineries such as Winter, Realm, Husic, and D.R. Stephens (whew, what a busy man)! Mike regularly receives high scores on not only Relic wines but for all of the other wines he makes as well.
If you don’t feel like shelling out $200 for Winter ultra-luxury Cabernet, Relic is such a great deal. Relic’s 2009 Ritual is a statement of pure decadence. It’s a blend of southern Rhone varietals, but I just think of it as “ginormity” at its finest. If you like huge red wines, then this is for you. It’s packed with big red fruits but combines the complexity of forest floor and red meat. It’s a very intense wine with tannins that are just crying out for a Kansas City bone-in ribeye. His Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir stays true to the Sonoma Coast style of dark fruits, with lots of spice and amazing acidity that is so nicely integrated that it just glides around your palate gracefully.
I was really impressed with all the wines in his portfolio that I tasted, and for the price this wine is hard to beat. Relic wines are wonderfully approachable now but also built to last and gain more complexity with age. You can easily buy from Relic’s website to get a taste of what the insiders—and now myself—love about their wines.
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
