2005 WineSmith “2nd Fiddle” Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir

Fiddlestix is a magical playground of differing sites and clonal selections, owned and farmed by Kathy Joseph. Clark Smith admires her wines and has wished for many years to do a Pinot project with her, having come to know her as a former UC Davis study partner who then went on to found the wonderful Fiddlehead Cellars brand in the early 1980’s. Later, she planted the Fiddlestix Vineyard in the famed Santa Rita Hills appellation of the cool central coast with a mélange of sexy scions.

Collaborations with Kathy and the ’05 Fiddlestix fruit were most enlightening. With the goal of creating a “complete” wine, WineSmith blended equal parts of Dijon clones 115, noted for tannin structure and cherry fruit, with Clone 667, from which comes perfume and spice. The cuvee was aged in neutral French oak barriques for nineteen months before bottling.

To make a wine of freshness, energy and integrity which would age well, WineSmith was fastidious to pick only mature, but not overripe fruit, with the resulting final alcohol at just 13.8%. Still dense and energetic, the Second Fiddle Pinot has begun to fulfill its promise. Please keep some in your cellar for 5 -10 more years to taste it at its very best.

2004 WineSmith Napa Valley Faux Chablis, Student Vineyard, Napa Valley College 750ml

The last year WineSmith tried to sell this stuff as Napa Valley Chardonnay was 2003.  After that, they only sold it as “Faux Chablis.”  The wine is a little denser than the 2003 and more minerally.  The nose has not “bloomed” yet, and does not yet show the yeastiness or open fruit expression. 

If the 2003 is a flower in full bloom, this is still a bud.  In the mouth there is an edge of steely hardness that needs time to soften. Winemaker Clark Smith cannot see it covering the distance to where the 2003 is in just one year; it probably needs around three years to open completely.  Still, it has its uses today.  It’s wonderful with half-shell oysters or sashimi, and it cuts into Thai food with vigor and mirth.

"I don’t like what California Chardonnay has become. Indeed, in California-based competitions, my fellow judges often trim from the pack (as “atypical”) all but the fat shallow buttery toast bombs they have resigned themselves to expect.

In homage to the true Chablis of Bourgogne, our Napa knock-off imitates its lemon blossom aromas, firm structure, and mineral depth. The living soil Steve Krebs maintains in this beautifully balanced vineyard imparts to the finish a mineral electricity rarely seen in California whites. Bâtonnage sur lies and restrained use of well-seasoned oak impart rich structure, aromatic complexity and reductive strength that invite a few years’ cellaring. This wine can be expected to gain aromatic openness and mid-palate richness over the next few years and should be a reasonable candidate for extended cellaring.

Misappropriation of European place names is particularly disgraceful when used to embellish wines of low stature and unsuitable style. Our French friends find wry humor in America’s only pure-Chardonnay 'chablis'."
                                          - Clark Smith, winemaker

2008 WineSmith Cabernet Franc, Lake County 750ml

The father of Cabernet Sauvignon, this grape is among the most challenging to work with and seldom is bottled as a pure varietal.  Its great vigor requires bright sunlight and a limiting soil to prevent excessive fruit shading, but its delicate aromas will also easily burn off. Diamond Ridge is located in a sunny high altitude site with rocky granitic soils which force Cabernet Franc to put its energy into pushing its roots down into the rock, resulting in a lively mineral energy in the wine’s finish.  These conditions develop good color and firm but refined tannins which impart amazing age-worthiness.

Because of its proximity to Clear Lake, the site is also blessed with a “lake effect” -- a daily visit from the cooling breezes off this deep body of water, largest in the State.   The consequence is that the plum and cinnamon aromas the grape develops are conserved.   The combination of rich fruit aromatics, firm tannin structure and lively minerality make this among the most complete and collectible expressions of Cabernet Franc in the New World.

The 2008 was harvested on October 16, fermented traditionally with extended maceration, and aged in neutral cooperage for 61 months to resolve its incredible reductive strength.  Age has added a cedar bouquet to its spicy grenadine and rosemary aromas.  For roundness and flesh, we blended in 6% of our 2010 Petite Sirah. The resulting palate possesses a sweet core of fruit which is framed by substantial tannins and a bright mineral finish. Although suitable for current consumption with pork and cherries or grilled duck breast, this is really a collector’s wine which will benefit substantially from a few years in the cellar.