2009 Donkey & Goat Four Thirteen

Wineries? In Berkeley?!

Let’s not get carried away.

Obviously, the wine I’m telling you about today is not from grapes grown in Berkeley, California. While I have not scoured the streets, alleyways, and head shops of the home not only of the great University of California Golden Bears football team, but also of aging hippies, I do know I have never found a vineyard in Berkeley.

And I know for sure, that wine grapes are not what’s growing in People’s Park.

That having been said, there are wineries in Berkeley. Oakland and San Francisco, as well. Small-batch, family-owned boutique wineries in Northern California have begun setting up shop in the Bay Area’s urban centers, and not just the fertile valleys of Napa and Sonoma counties.

Because they do not grow their own grapes (at least not on the estate!) but instead buy them from grapegrowers all over the state, what chance these winemakers have to set themselves apart is often in the blending.

2009 Donkey & Goat Four Thirteen

Which is why I was so excited to taste this, a Chateauneuf-du-Pape-style red blend from one of Berkeley’s best-named wineries, A Donkey & Goat Winery.

Seriously. Nailed the name.

So, what do we have here in Donkey & Goat’s 2009 Four Thirteen blend? 46% syrah, 33% grenache, 18% mourvedre, and 3% counoise, all from El Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills. Details and digits aside, we also have a very tasty wine.

The first thing you want to do after you pour yourself a glass of the Four Thirteen is take look. The wine is stunning. Blood red at the core— really vibrant— with ruby edges that are only slightly lighter.

On the nose, the heat shows off just a bit— never a good thing, but here, not enough to kill off the nose’s strong points. Blackberry, black pepper, leather, and notes of dark caramel. Rich, strong, weighty, meaty, and hefty. This wine is like Gerard Depardieu: it’s got a nose with gravitas.

The wine is medium bodied, and the finish is passable but could be longer. The nose is so awesomely bombastic that the palate could be a bit of letdown, were it not so damn tasty. Black fruits, earth and leather, and a hint of cassis round out this wine’s palate. I do wish it packed the punch hinted at by the nose, but I’m not going to complain.

Wine this good just doesn’t come around all that often. And in my experience, it never comes from Berkeley.

Bravo, Donkey & Goat. Bravo.

Price Point: $30

2007 Hess Collection Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvée

Big-Time High-Elevation Cab Blend

I’m a huge fan of this wine, for more than a few reasons.

It’s a mostly-Bordeaux-style blend (called “meritage” (rhymes with “heritage”) here in California), but there’s this dollop of Syrah thrown in for good measure.

2007 Hess Collection Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvée

In general, I’ve found myself becoming a big fan of wine that, while officially from the Napa Valley, is not from the valley floor. One of my favorite Napa reds is Regusci’s “Angelo’s Vineyard” Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon from the eastern edge of the Stag’s Leap AVA. I have adored just about everything I’ve ever tried from Howell Mountain. I’m even going to put that on my birthday list this year: if you want to get me wine, just get me something—anything—from Howell Mountain.

Mount Veeder, an appelation that hugs the Napa/Sonoma county line along the western edge of Napa Valley, is one I haven’t been as familiar with. Most of my Napa Valley experience has been along the iconic St. Helena Highway (a.k.a. Highway 29) or the Silverado Trail, to the east. But that’s simply going to have to change. I want more.

To this wine in particular, then. The 2007 Hess Collection Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvée (whew!) is a gorgeous wine in the glass: a burgundy red core with just barely-lighter ruby edges. The nose shows off subtle, but apparent, fruit notes. Mostly blackberry and raspberry, but some plum as well. The nose more obviously shows off some earthier tones, tobacco, cedar, and cigar box. Very rich.

The wine is medium bodied, a bit lighter than I’d expected, but it shows off right away, with lush, supple tannins and a long, lingering finish. The palate is a bit fruitier than the nose, and some of the notes lighten slightly to cherry and strawberry, but everything is nuanced and in balance. There is structure here, structure like a nun running detention. Not to be trifled with.

This is really great wine. This is really, really easy to recommend wine. I’m a recent convert, but I’m going to be doing some more exploring of Mount Veeder, I can promise you that much.

Price Point: $36

2009 The Prisoner

A Slight Decline, But Still Sublime

I am a big fan of The Prisoner. This is not news to anyone who previously read my rhapsodic review of the 2008 vintage. If you haven’t, feel free to, either now, or when you’re finished here.

I’m also a big fan of this wine, although it does show some dissimilarities with its immediate predecessor.

2009 The Prisoner Napa Valley Red Wine

For one thing, while Orin Swift Cellars is still the name on the bottle, a new crew owns The Prisoner. The 2009 is the first vintage bottled by The Prisoner’s new owners, Huneeus Vintners, who also own (among others) Quintessa and Faust in Napa Valley, Flowers on the Sonoma Coast, and Veramonte in Chile.

I’m not so sure the change in ownership has benefitted the wine. In fact, before finding any of this out, I had already decided I preferred the 2008. Still, this remains one of the single finest value buys in Napa Valley wine in my opinion. At $35 per bottle, you can easily do much, much worse.

In fact, don’t let my hand-wringing over the inside baseball of ownership dissuade you: this is some really, really good wine.

The 2009 Prisoner has a dark burgundy core in the glass, that lightens a bit to red at its edges. On the nose you’ll find ripe cherries, a touch of strawberry and raspberry. The nose is almost entirely fruit, and not quite as complex as the previous vintage. The wine is medium bodied, and the palate gives more of the complex aromas and flavors that are missing a bit from the nose: incredibly bright, jammy raspberry and cherry notes mingle with subtle dark chocolate and just a touch of smoke.

Soft, supple tannins round out the mouthfeel. Incredibly tasty.

Hopefully, Huneeus won’t fix what ain’t broke, and hopefully fans will be able to enjoy The Prisoner for years to come.