It had rained the previous night and
there was a lot of overcast early in the morning so taking pictures was a bit
of a challenge. Although I arrived in the Napa Valley around 11 AM I had to
wait a couple hours for the sun to break through the clouds before taking any
shots. But once it did it turned out to be a very nice day with temperatures in
the high 60’s and a spectacular day for enjoying the wild flowers.
After taking some pictures of the
Beckstoffer “Bourn” Vineyards in the back roads of St. Helena my first stop was at Provenance Vineyards, which is owned by Diageo Chateau and
Estate Wines who also own other well-known wineries such as Rosenblum Cellars
in Alameda.
The winery was established in August
2002 when Diageo acquired the winery known formerly as Chateau Beaucanon, located
on Highway 29. After extensive remodeling and refurbishing of the property, in
October 2003 they opened the tasting room, featuring a floor made of
barrelheads and staves from 960 barrels, all from the winery’s first vintage,
and a large window which allows visitors to view the barrel room.
The word “Provenance” (rhymes with
renaissance) is derived from the Latin provenire which means “to come forth, organize," the prefix pro meaning “forth” and venire
meaning “come” or “origin.” In
art, a provenance then is the record of ownership of a piece of art from its
creation to the present. Connoisseurs use a provenance as a guarantee of a
work's authenticity. The name of the winery then reflects their goal to produce
fine wines that are authentic works of art. In geology, provenance is the
source of materials that make up the land’s sediment. Hence, the Provenance reflects
the origin of a vineyard's soil which is foundational critical to a wine's
quality, flavors and aromas.
Provenance Vineyard’s first release was
the 1999 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, which established the winery's style. Then
in the year 2000 vintage they expanded their profile of wines to include Oakville
Cabernet Sauvignon and Napa Valley Merlot and later in 2003 they added their
only white wine, the Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc.
Provenance owns 120 acres of vineyards that
include the Provenance Rutherford Estate Vineyard, that surrounds the winery and was first
planted more than 130 years ago which provides Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the high end Rutherford
Benchland Hewitt Vineyard, set back against the edge of the Mayacamas
mountains, just west of the winery. They also have long-term contracts for
sourcing fruit from other Napa Valley vineyards such as the Beckstoffer
George III Vineyard, the Three Palms Vineyard in Calistoga (which provides
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot) as well as the Beckstoffer
Las Amigas Vineyard in Carneros which provides cool-weather Merlot, and the well
known Oakville’s Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. All of which results in a total production of about 60,000
cases of wine with their Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon forming about half of
the total production.
Provenance has two tasting flights, the
first includes a choice of 4 wines for $20 from a list of 1 white (Sauvignon
Blanc), two Merlots, three varied reds (Malbec, Cab Franc, and a Bordeaux
blend) and three Cabernets. The second flight includes four of their Reserve
Cabs for $35. I chose the latter and selected from the list the following four wines:
Provenance only produces one white
wine, so my first choice was the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc. It is a refreshing and vibrant wine with a
strong bouquet of lemon, an herbal grassiness and a hint of chalk on the back
end. On the palate it has racy acidity, great minerality with a citrus finish
that lingers for a long time. If you don’t like tropical or gooseberry/cat pee
versions of Sauv Blanc then this one is for you. I took one home for $22 a
bottle.
My first red wine was the 2007 Three
Palms Merlot. There are several wineries that produce Merlots from the Three
Palms Vineyard (http://www.duckhorn.com/our-story/vineyards/three-palms/)
including Duckhorn and Sterling and although Duckhorn’s web site states that
only Duckhorn and Sterling make wines from the vineyard but obviously this
report is inaccurate. This wine is bright ruby red with a big nose of juicy
raspberries, cherries, and red plums followed by a hint of eucalyptus and mint.
On the palate the wine is explosive with sweet red fruits like a Hostess Cherry
Pie. On the mid palate it has a slight creaminess with supple tannins that is
then followed by a hint of milk chocolate. However, on the finish it has a bit
of heat which sadly made the wine seem off balance. The wine is purportedly
14.5% alcohol but it felt more like it was 18%+ as the finish was almost like a
cherry cough syrup. So, while I liked the initial attack and the mid palate the
finish was overwhelming and at $65 a bottle I’d have to say “pass.”
My next wine was the 2008 Winemaker’s
Reserve Blend. Although the wine is a Bordeaux blend there are no notes as to
the makeup of the blend on their web site nor was there any on the tasting
sheet provided at the tasting room. The server did mention that it is 67%
Cabernet and 15 % Malbec but whatever else is in it is a bit of a mystery. On the nose I picked up black cherry,
blackberries, and cassis, anise licorice, vanilla and a touch of eucalyptus and
mint. In contrast to the previous wine, it is well balanced and harmonious with
no one feature of its profile dominating another. It’s a really nice wine that
sells for $50 a bottle.
My final wine was the 2007 Beckstoffer
To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is located in Oakville
adjacent to Robert Mondavi Winery. The name “To Kalon” in Greek means “the
beautiful” and it is one of Napa Valley’s well-known vineyards. It first
planted in 1868 by viticulture pioneer Hamilton W. Crabb. On the nose it is
very earthy with hints of tar followed by coffee, black currants, black
cherries and a hint of meat. Like the Three Palms Merlot it has a lot of heat
on the finish which made the wine off-balance so for $75 a bottle I’d again
have to say “pass.”
To visit or for more information:
Provenance Vineyards
1695 St. Helena Hwy South
Rutherford, CA 94573
Phone: 1-707-968-3633
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