Summer 2005 News 
When we asked Winemaker Mike Chelini for a 2005 harvest prediction, he smiled and said “exceptional quality, small quantity.” Late rains all the way into June have made the vines healthier than ever. But at the same time they’ve diminished the size of the crop considerably by falling just as the berries were setting in late May. Usually we see the winter rains finish by the end of April.
He says the crop is a little behind this year because of the cool and rainy spring and early summer but predicts that we’ll start picking grapes about Labor Day and finish the harvest in late September. He needn’t worry about summer heat now as we’re starting our third week of 90 degree plus weather and little nighttime fog to cool the grapes down.
Scores – What should they mean?
As most of you know our 2001 Chardonnay is a fruity, well balanced wine, very true to the Stony Hill tradition of non-oaky, non- malolactic Chardonnays. It is crisp, fruity, flinty, and has an acid structure that will insure its ageability well into the future.
The wine has received many accolades from people who seem to understand our wine including:
- A 92 score from the Wine Enthusiast in its May 2005 issue, which recognized the amazing aging potential of Stony Hill Chardonnays
- An exceptional rating from Dan Berger who called it a classic style Chardonnay from Napa’s earliest days.
- A strong recommendation from Narsai David on his radio show …
With this background you can imagine that we were more than somewhat taken aback when in its July 31, 2005 issue the Wine Spectator gave this wine an 80 score with no reasons, simply a score (Hanzell’s Chardonnay received a 79). Clearly our style of Chardonnay is not theirs. This actually raises an interesting question - just what are the critics actually ranking. Do their rankings evaluate how well a wine is made, recognizing the style the winemaker is trying to achieve, or do they simply reflect how well a wine fits their preconceived notion of what a particular wine should taste like. In the case of the Wine Spectator, I think the answer is obvious.
This is actually very ironic given the fact that in their January 31, 2005 issue Jim Laube wrote the following:
“ A major change in Chardonnay style is beginning to emerge. More wineries are backing away from oak and Burgundy’s Montrachet model, instead honing in on the grape’s pure, unadulterated flavors.
I expect that within a few years, more Chardonnays will see little oak, or even none at all, and that many producers will emphasize non-malolactic styles. The result will be whites with rich fruit flavors but also livelier acidities.”
Clearly he doesn’t recognize one when he tastes it!
All this again reinforces what most wine lovers know to be true – you need to taste lots of different wines made in lots of different styles and decide for yourself what style or styles you like. Then you can look for a producer who produces well crafted wines in the style that you like.
Fortunately we are blessed with thousands of customers who believe in our style and the way we execute it. We thank you all for your ongoing support.
When it comes to charitable giving, wineries could give all their production away if they gave to everyone who asks for donations. The result is that we must all be selective about the causes we support.
Over the years Stony Hill has focused on local Napa Valley charities and a few other organizations outside the Valley that we are actively involved with.
Perhaps our greatest commitment at this time is to Community Health Clinic Ole, the primary healthcare provider to the uninsured and underinsured in Napa County. Started twenty years ago by several local physicians who volunteered some of their time, the Clinic now has four full time physicians, eight nurse practitioners, and a full time staff of fifty. Last year this great medical team provided 34,000 patient visits at the five clinic sites in Napa County.
Stony Hill has been a big supporter of Clinic Ole over the years, and its proprietor, Peter McCrea, has been the Chairman of the Board of the Clinic for the last four years. In addition, Mike Chelini, Stony Hill’s winemaker, with the help of the Stony Hill Gang, will once again run his world famous Taco Bar at the Chili Ball, a community party that raises funds for Clinic Ole each August. We truly believe in the work that Clinic Ole does to improve the quality of life for thousands of people who in turn make our Napa Valley wine industry possible.
What better way to serve Stony Hill wines than to pair them with menus from the great chefs of California! We’ve just enjoyed three memorable feasts and want to share them with you in case you might be looking for new inspiration for your next party. Although we will never achieve their culinary heights, we are constantly learning new flavor and texture combinations from these brilliant chefs.
The first was our lunch party here at Stony Hill on Saturday, June 4 th, to say thank you to some very generous bidders at Wine Auction 2005 Napa Valley. The very young and very talented Chef Nam Phan of The Napa General Store in Napa cooked seven spectacular courses of Vietnamese cuisine for us, each one designed to bring out the best in our Chardonnays, White Rieslings and Gewurztraminers. By keeping score, we could assess at the end of the meal which were the most successful pairings. Just about everybody agreed that the Wild Mushroom Pillows and the Crispy Crabmeat and Pork Spring Roll with Ginger dipping Sauce worked best with the crisp, palate-cleansing Gewurztraminer, especially with the tangy Ginger Sauce. The Chardonnay clearly enhanced the richer dishes such as the Sauteed Calamari Stuffed with Woodear Mushrooms and Cellophane Noodles and the Wild Alaskan Halibut with Caramelized Pineapple, Sweet and Sour Tapioca Sauce. And finally, the voting was just about unanimous that the White Riesling paired best with the Champagne Mango Crab Roll with Champagne Jelly, reinforcing our long held belief that our Riesling and Dungeness crab meat are a match made in heaven.
If these dishes make your mouth water, visit the Napa General Store Wednesdays through Saturdays when Chef Phan is cooking. For reservations call (707) 259-0762.
At Tapenade Restaurant in La Jolla, Stony Hill teamed up with Parry Cellars for a winemaker dinner on May 17 th that featured whites From Stony Hill and reds from Parry. Chef-owner Jean-Michel Diot grew up in the heart of France where he trained in two star Michelin restaurants. In New York he became famous in restaurant circles, and opened Tapenade in La Jolla in 1998. For our dinner he chose two appetizers to accompany our White Riesling, thin pizette with robiola cheese and proscuitto followed by shrimp and mango (there’s that mango again) salad with lime and coconut dressing. Next he served an Ahi tuna Carpaccio, ginger and piment d’espelette extra virgin olive oil dressing over avocado and fennel salad. If you can believe it, he then produced wild Alaskan halibut with artichokes ”Barigoule” to accompany 1997 Stony Hill Chardonnay in magnum bottles. Finally, out came orange flavored crème brulee with almonds financier, which nicely picked up the fruity flavors of our Semillon de Soleil. For reservations at Tapenade call (858) 551-7500.
Last week we traveled to Pasadena for a dinner at Bistro 45 where every guest is welcomed as an old friend, and practically everyone is. Bistro 45 definitely shares top honors with Tapenade. The team of chefs there led by Damon Brady created a stunning dinner including a Roulad of Wild White Salmon with an English pea puree and saffron-Maui onion dressing with 1995 Stony Hill Gewurztraminer. The Range chicken two ways, roasted and grilled, was accented by a light coconut curry sauce, red pepper risotto and toasted nuts. The richness of the 1999 Stony Hill Chardonnay in magnum bottles paired well with the grill flavors, nuts. The delicate fruitiness of the 1994 Chardonnay was especially noteworthy with the coconut curry sauce. Robert Simon, who owns Bistro 45 and oversees every detail at the restaurant, has recently opened Stomp, which is a ‘do not miss’ experience in Calistoga here in the Napa Valley. We love the imaginative menu and the lively crowd of locals. For Bistro 45 call (626) 795-2478. For Stomp call (707) 942-8272.
Many of you have inquired about the recent direct shipping case before the Supreme Court and what the decision means in terms of Stony Hill availability. Basically, the court ruled that every state must treat all direct shipments equally, whether they’re from in-state producers or out-of-state producers. The good part is that states can no longer discriminate against out-of-state wineries if they allow in-state wineries to ship directly, as was happening in Michigan and New York. The bad part is that states could decide to ban all direct shipments completely. We will watch closely as state legislatures decide which way to go.
Stony Hill can now legally ship to twenty-seven states, with New York, Connecticut and Texas added to the list of states offering direct shipper licenses. Mary Burklow and Willinda are experts on direct shipping laws so if you have any questions, give them a call.