Pairs well with: The kind of day when you remember something that happened earlier in the morning and you go, "Oh man ... this is still the same day." Or maybe that's just us.
Drink this and you become: Really smart and charismatic.
Whatever you do, don't spill this on: Your Rothko.
Don't serve this to: People who say stuff like, "Boy, I sure hate wines with rich brioche aromas and wines with gorgeous fresh baked crust aromas and wines that are fine-grained, lush and wholly seductive!"
The only way to make this wine better would be: If there was a tipsy genie living in the bottle.
2009 Chardonnay, Boon Fly's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
The Kazmer & Blaise Chardonnay 2009 fermented more slowly than any wine I have ever made. Indeed, it wasn’t until one week before the next harvest that we finally put the 2009 to bed. This odd situation became the source of amusement among us, with monthly Tricycle meetings marked by “official” fermentation status reports (“July: 5 grams sugar remain. Steady as she goes”). There was never anything to be alarmed by, as progress was continuous and the wine never tired or oxidized. There is youth and vitality to the 2009 that is related to the aging clock being reset at the end of fermentation, nearly a year later than normal. The citrus, apple and white peach flavors are bright and alive, with gorgeous, rich brioche aromas due to the prolonged lives of the yeast.
Vineyard: Planted originally in 1973 by the Molnar Family and more recently again due to the ravages of phylloxera, this bump of a hill looks over the Napa Valley Marina, our immediate neighbors in the deep south of Carneros. Masts from the hauled-out boats cast shadows on the vines — we are that close. But the real story here is the legendary Boon Fly, whose house of 16 fireplaces stood a century ago atop our Pinot Noir vineyard Primo’s Hill, as it is he who is buried here on his hill.
Cooperage: Kádár Hungary exclusively supplies us with our barrels. The wood comes from the Tokaj forest in northeastern Hungary where the winters are cold and the mountain soils are shallow and stony. These conditions are ideal for slowing the growth of Quercus Petrea, the same species of European white oak that populates the forests of central France. Slow growth means tight grain, and these Kádár barrels are among the tightest-grained barrels made anywhere. We select heavily toasted barrels for aging our Chardonnay and give the wine 21 months of salubrious slow aging in barrel.
Vintage: This was the third drought year in a row and the vines revealed the stress with weak shoot growth and small berries. In the micro-economy of a grapevine, adversity is often inversely proportional to quality and I love the 2009 vintage perhaps in part due to these conditions. Although winter did not afford enough rain, the growing season was quite merciful on the vines; considerate and consistent. No frosts or rain compromised bloom and set, and hardly a spike of heat singed the developing berries.
2010 Chardonnay, Boon Fly's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
The Kazmer & Blaise Chardonnay 2010 behaved well during fermentation and set itself up for the year and a half of sur lie aging in the Tokaji barrels without any of the complaints of the previous vintage. Acidity from the exposure of Boon Fly’s Hill is a hallmark of this block and is the pedestal of the flavors which evoke apple, lemon and pear tart with a gorgeous fresh baked crust aroma.
Vineyard: Planted originally in 1973 by the Molnar Family and more recently again due to the ravages of phylloxera, this bump of a hill looks over the Napa Valley Marina, our immediate neighbors in the deep south of Carneros. Masts from the hauled-out boats cast shadows on the vines — we are that close. But the real story here is the legendary Boon Fly, whose house of 16 fireplaces stood a century ago atop our Pinot Noir vineyard Primo’s Hill, as it is he who is buried here on his hill.
Cooperage: Kádár Hungary exclusively supplies us with our barrels. The wood comes from the Tokaj forest in northeastern Hungary where the winters are cold and the mountain soils are shallow and stony. These conditions are ideal for slowing the growth of Quercus Petrea, the same species of European white oak that populates the forests of central France. Slow growth means tight grain, and these Kádár barrels are among the tightest-grained barrels made anywhere. We select heavily toasted barrels for aging our Chardonnay and give the wine 21 months of salubrious slow aging in barrel.
Vintage: As a post-drought vintage the growing season began with plenty of water in the soils. It was stunning to see it rain in June here in Napa, but rain it did. The summer was dramatically foggy and cool and inspired comments from all of us—old-timers included—that this was like no summer anyone had ever seen (little did we know we would see it repeat itself again in 2012). Although a nail-biter to the end, the grapes ripened, and they did so on a prolonged schedule. The warmth of September, although typical, was very welcome after such a cool season.
2006 Pinot Noir, Primo's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
Brambly blackberry and cherry are deeply embedded in the wine's aroma but go un-noticed at first due to the dramatic overlay of campfire, leather, oils, waxes and sandalwood. This is a dark-toned wine, decidedly masculine for the absence of floral fragrance. The texture defies the expectations of the nose, and although the wine has weight, there is a rose-petal nap to the feel of the tannins. It is fine-grained, lush and wholly seductive.
Vineyard: Our vineyard was planted by Peter Kazmer Molnar’s family in 1973. Primo’s Hill is a magical seven-acre hillside nestled within Poseidon’s Vineyard in the Carneros appellation of Napa. Carneros soils began as the bed under San Pablo Bay – the silt of marine plants and animals decomposing over time, integrating with the finest particles of eroded rock, became clay. This dark and heavy soil comprises most of the vineyard land in Carneros, but as the Bay retreated and the drainage of Napa and Sonoma Valley cut through the clay, deposits of pebbles accumulated on the embankments. It is one such gravelly patch that lies under our vineyard, which makes for better drainage and reduces soil compaction to allow deeper root penetration. With its roots seeking nutrients and water below the clay layer, the vine expresses its circumstance by producing grapes with unique and delightful flavors.
Cooperage: Kádár Hungary exclusively supplies us with our barrels. The Tokaj forest that supplies the oak is in northeastern Hungary where the winters are cold and the mountain soils are shallow and stony. These conditions are ideal for slowing the growth of Quercus Petrea, the same species of European white oak that populates the forests of central France. Slow growth means tight grain, and tight grain confers spice on the wine. Kádár Hungary barrels are among the tightest-grained barrels made anywhere.
Vintage: This year provided curious challenges in the vineyard with early warmth encouraging tremendous fruitfulness and late-season coolness prolonging ripening. First, the warmth allowed nearly every flower to become a grape. This in itself was thrilling to see, as the clusters were compact and tight with gorgeous small berries. As the season continued and cool fog rolled in day after day, these dense clusters developed color slowly because the sunlight could only touch a relatively smaller area of the grape skins due to the tight nestling. Ultimately we harvested on our own terms and are pleased to observe the vintage is relflected in the wine's character more so than other years.
2009 Chardonnay, Boon Fly's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
2010 Chardonnay, Boon Fly's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
2006 Pinot Noir, Primo's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
2009 Chardonnay, Boon Fly's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
2010 Chardonnay, Boon Fly's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
2006 Pinot Noir, Primo's Hill, Carneros, Napa 750ml
Kazmer & Blaise makes micro production (<300 cs.) of "block specific" Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir hails from Primo's Hill, and the Chardonnay originates from Boonfly's Hill, both of which are in the southern fringes of Carneros/Napa. Crafted by famed winemaker Michael Terrien, former winemaker at esteemed Hanzell Vineyards, these are deeply personal renditions of the varietals, emphasizing the Kadar oak barrels from the Tokaji, Hungary.
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