Stephane Derenoncourt Launches Napa Wines

Stephane Derenoncourt has launched his own Napa wines, appropriately called Derenoncourt California.

Deroncourt has experience in Napa already, having consulted for Francis Ford Coppola Winery and others.

The wines have generated a lot of buzz. As usual, Jane Anson, is all over the story:

This is the first time he has made his own wine in the United States.

'I held back the wines until I felt they were ready to be drunk,' Derenoncourt told decanter.com. 'The 2007s will be out next Autumn.''

The five wines come from 14 small-scale plots across Napa, chosen for their altitude, cool microclimates, and soil characteristics. They are made in custom crush facilities in Arkenstone in Howell Mountain.

More from The Examiner:

Derenoncourt's objective in making Napa Valley wines is to make "American wines with freshness" and distinct terroir, and so he sought out expressive single-vineyards at high elevations such as Stagecoach Vineyard or cool micro-climates such as Carneros – the cool temperatures helping to retain acidity in these full-bodied wines. Derenoncourt has other single-vineyard wines in development including one from Howell Mountain which is expected to be released with the 2007's; overall case production though is expected to remain low.

It appears that Derenoncourt favors Cabernet Franc (good man ;)). From the Decanter article:

Derenoncourt particularly favours Cabernet Franc, growing it on his biodynamic vineyard Domaine de l'A in Cotes de Bordeaux in Castillon.

And, from The Examiner, the description of his Cabernet Franc:

The 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc ($140) from Caldwell Vineyard is a near perfect expression of the grape. Napa Valley does single varietal cabernet franc so well, yet few attempt it. This is not the dense, lush style of cabernet franc – it is fruit-driven with lifted black currant and chambord aromas and concentrated black berry fruit, but under Derenoncourt's gentle handling it is utterly transparent, with the minerality leaping out of the glass and lingering on the palate. The wine has very fine, ripe tannins, balanced acidity, integrated oak and long finish. 225 case production.

It would be really fun to a cross-vineyard tasting between his Bordeaux Cabernet Franc and his Napa Cabernet Franc.

New Years Eve at Boxwood Tasting Room

The Boxwood Tasting Room hosted a big New Years Gala. For $50 you got a cheese tray, two glasses of Champagne and a $40 Eno Card. A good deal and a lot of fun!




I was surprised at the selections on the Eno machines. In the past there has been a focus on French wines, with emphasis on wines made by Stephane Derenoncourt. This time, there was a greater variety, with wines from around the world, including a Syrah from Idaho.

Update on 2009 Bordeaux

There has been a lot of talk about how well the 2009 Bordeaux vintage is coming along. With the Primeurs just over three months away, I imagine there will be even more talk. Stephane Derenoncourt recently conducted an interview on the topic. Among other things he had this to say:

It’s undoubtedly a great vintage. Now that the fermentations have finished, we can observe very promising balances in the wines. They combine power with fresh fruit aroma, though without much exoticism. It’s always tricky to decide which vintage it resembles most, but the closest to me would be the 1989.

The interview is a quick read, and worth it.

Jane Anson also has some into this vintage. She and Derenoncourt both remind readers that 19.000 hectares of vines were lost to hail in May, which will mean less production than in previous years.

Anson also goes on to speculate about pricing for this vintage, especially if continues to develop as well as it has. Many argue that producers in Bordeaux were slow to drop their prices as the global economy collapsed, but 2007 to some extent, and most definitely 2008 have seen pricing more in line with the economy. The question becomes will producers continue to reduce their pricing, even if the vintage continues to surpass expectations?

I will keep you all posted on additional 2009 Bordeaux reports as I come across them.

The Tasting Room at Reston Town Center

I've written about the Boxwood Tasting Room in Middleburg. Now Boxwood has opened Tasting Rooms in Reston Town Center and in Chevy Chase.

I recently visited the one in Reston Town Center and had a great experience. The Tasting Room has a modern feel; it is sparsely decorated with lots of gray and black. I think this style works much better in Reston Town Center then it does in Middleburg. Middleburg tends to focus on the old and the cozy, so the Tasting Room there is slightly jarring in its contrast to the rest of the town.





The wine selection was great and they seem to have expanded from offering just the wines of Stephane Derenoncourt to offer a wide variety of Bordeaux wines. In fact, I was very excited to see that they are offering a Henri Lurton (owner of Brane Cantenac) wine!

They also offer light faire, such as olives and almonds and, of course, and excellent selection of cheeses.

I've mentioned Stephane Derencourt and the great work he's done at Boxwood Winery previously. Well, now he is going to be consulting for a second American winery, Francis Ford Coppola. If he does the same things for the Coppolla brand that he has done for Boxwood it should be interesting:

"California wines are often easy to taste but difficult to drink. I intend to do something different," the Frenchman said. In addition to the two US consultancies he is about to release the 'Derenoncourt' label made at Cuvaison and John Caldwell wineries.

I'd like to introduce you to Stephane Derenoncourt a Bordeaux "rebel" and creator of right bank garage wines (much like one of my favorite left bank wine makers).

What are the results of Derenoncourt's style? Check it out for yourself.

Why the interest in Derenoncourt? He is the winemaker at a new winery in Middleburg. One that has set out to make wines similar to those in Bordeaux.

We visited the Boxwood Tasting Room on Saturday, and it is impressive. The centerpiece of the Tasting Room is an Italian-imported tasting station that features a variety of left bank and right bank Bordeauxs as well as Boxwood's Topiary. Being able to sample their Topiary against a sampling of other Bordeaux wines really helped put it into perspective.

How does it stack up? Well, it is a medium-bodied Bordeaux that is a blend of 49% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. It has a deep color with hints of cherry and a subtle tobacco aroma. Considering that it is a 2005 it has soft tannins and a smooth finish. The Merlot does a nice job of offsetting the pepperiness of the Cabernet Franc, but making Cabernet Franc the primary grape gives it a unique taste and a strong flavor.

The tasting room is a very pleasant experience, and a great opportunity to sample a wide variety of Bordeaux wines in one place.