David Arthur Long at Wine Watch BBQ

“Someone said drink the water, but I will drink the wine / Someone said take a poor man, the rich don’t have a dime / Go fool yourself, if you will, I just haven’t got the time / I’ll give you back your water, and I will take the wine.”

Frank Sinatra
The Voice

This is one of my favorite wineries in Napa and David Arthur Long is one of the true characters in the wine industry.  I will never forget our first event with David at the New River Art Gallery on Las Olas.  After I gave David a brief introduction to the crowd he proceeded to tell his first story of fermentation science.  He was 10 years old when he figured out how to ferment apple juice into alcohol.  His parents soon knew that their son had a future in the wine business.

Many of the people in the crowd had been to the winery and as they walked up to the table to sample the wines, several remarked that they tasted this wine or that wine at the winery last summer or in the spring.  The wines always seem to taste better when you have a personal connection to them and David is such a personal guy, if you are lucky enough to have him tour you through the winery, you will not forget the experience and David Arthur wines will always have a special place in your cellar.

In addition to being a personality David is also a talented winemaker and all of these new releases are worthy of being on my shelf.  Our tasters this evening will be the first to try the newly released 2011 vintage wines that have just arrived in our market.

Wine Watch Catering's Toni Lampasone will be roasting a pig out in the courtyard at Progresso Plaza and we will be opening up everything we have in the store from David Arthur this evening!!

The price of this event is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

BBQ with David Arthur Long at Wine Watch
Saturday, January 31st
7pm

Tasting Line-up:

2012 David Arthur Chardonnay Napa
Price: $69.75       Sale $61.38          Case $712

This is a blend of Oak Knoll and Stagecoach fruit only 809 cases produced. Has a nice amount of ripe tropical fruit to the nose, notes of nutmeg and cinnamon spice, notes of fresh buttered popcorn, creme brulee with 40% new French oak this wine has just the right amount of oak spice, there are three different Chardonnay clones go into the blend to give the wine added complexity. A big and fruity chardonnay on the tongue with a smooth creamy texture and a host of that nuance and spice from the nose tasting through the finish, lovely balance here all the way to the end. Finish 45+ Excellent +

2009 David Arthur Meritaggio Napa
Price: $77.25    Your Price: $61.80
Quantity in Stock: 7

Meritaggio is the brainchild of the Long Brothers. Wanting to fulfill his desire of producing a fine Meritage blend, David set out to find clones of the five classic Bordeaux varietals. On his travels, he came across Sangiovese, which stole the spotlight from any Malbec he had ever tasted. Bob had the brilliance to name the wine, Meritaggio in honor of Sangiovese’s Italian heritage. We have continued the Merritaggo tradition ever since, always selecting the finest of our estate varietals for this special blend each year. This year the Meritaggio is a blend of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon from three different blocks,18 percent Sangiovese, 9 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 Percent Petite Verdot. Slowly aged in 60 percent new French oak, the wine was bottled after multiple gentle rackings and 22 months of rest. Only 839 cases were produced.

2011 David Arthur Meritaggio Red Blend Napa
Price: $76.50       Sale $67.32          Case $781

A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot 10% Sangiovese in the blend, just over 800 cases produced. A big and fruit driven wine with dark cherry and cassis berry fruit, a nice freshness to this wine from the Sangiovese still has that typical Prichard Hill minerality, mountain fruit intensity, toasty oak spice on the nose, milk chocolate, nice complexity coming out on the second day. A light and refreshing red for a Napa Valley with red cherry fruit, a nice zesty spice to the finish with some tannins on the finish but fairly ripe and round. Finish 40+ Excellent +

2012 David Arthur Meritagio Napa          
Price: $61.50       Sale $54.12          Case $628           

A blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, 3% petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc in the blend this year.  Meritaggio is the brainchild of the Long Brothers. Wanting to fulfill his desire of producing a fine Meritage blend, David set out to find clones of the five classic Bordeaux varietals. On his travels, he came across Sangiovese, which stole the spotlight from any Malbec he had ever tasted. Bob had the brilliance to name the wine, Meritaggio in honor of Sangiovese's Italian heritage. This 2012 vintage offers up a good amount of dark cherry and currant berry fruit with dark earth and spices, a very complex bouquet of aromas.  Juicy red and black berry fruit on the tongue, fine tannins and maybe a bit of a Tuscan flair with the freshness of the Sangiovese showing at the end.  finish 45)             Excellent +         

2011 David Arthur Cabernet Sauvignon Three Acre Napa
Price: $132.00    Sale $116.16       Case $1347

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petite Verdot, this was previously just called Napa but 2-3 vintages ago they added the size of the vineyard. Currant and cassis berry fruit, very forward and seductive with notes of dark chocolate, sweet tobacco spice and some fresh earth notes. A big and chewy wine on the tongue with lots of sweet succulent cherry and currant berry fruit, ripe round tannins with some dryness showing up at the finish but layers of everything here and in proportion. A fiarly forward and seductive wine with good balance and nice structure even though it is almost ready to drink right out of the bottle, well this wine was served to me out of the Corvin which they claim you can keep these wines open for months without any decline from oxidization. Finish 50+ Most Excellent

2011 David Arthur Elevation 1147 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $186.00    Sale $163.68       Case $1898

Always 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, only 540 cases produced, 100% new French oak treatment. This wine has a very rich and forward bouquet of cassis and currant berry fruit, espresso, bittersweet chocolate, cigar box spice. A very decadent wine with sweet berry fruit, cassis, raspberry coulis, very thick but has lovely balance and a long finish that dark chocolate, toasty oak spice, very well endowed, this wine is even better on the second day by far the most improved of the four with a long layered finish. Finish 50+ Most Excellent +

The fee for this event is $95 + Tax, for reservations.

Menu

Whole BBQ Pig with all the Sandwich fixings:
 Pickled Onions, Wicked Pickles and several types of Mustard, Honey Mayo, etc

Lime and Cilantro Corn on the Cob

Toni famous Cranberry Poblano Cole Slaw

Honeyed Jalapeno Cornbread

Established by David, Joye and Bob Long in 1985, David Arthur is dedicated to producing handcrafted wines that express the unique terroir of our estate.  Despite the rough rocky terrain these vines hail from, year after year they produce wines with lush fruit character and silky tannins.

 From the 21 acres planted on our Pritchard Hill estate, we cultivate small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.  Our wines, Meritaggio, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Elevation 1147, are all crafted 100% from these estate grapes.

ACQUIRING THE LAND

The David Arthur Estate is located high on Pritchard Hill, on the eastern side of the Napa Valley. Our hillside vineyards offer a breathtaking view of the valley floor 1200 feet below. The rough mountain terrain and rocky red soils provide ideal growing conditions for wine grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon.

We owe everything to the insightful vision of Donald Long, who realized the potential of this land in the early 1960s. A butcher by trade, with a keen eye for business opportunities, Donald slowly acquired over 1000 acres on the now infamous Pritchard Hill.

THE DAVID ARTHUR ESTATE

In 1978, Donald along with his 28 year old son David began the epic job of building roads, clearing land and finally planting wine grapes. Although David lacked a formal viticultural education, he learned hands-on by working in the vineyards and cellars of local wineries such as the Chappellet and Joseph Phelps. The first vintage of Chardonnay was harvested in 1985, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon in the nineties. As his experience and knowledge of the land grew, David learned the ability of these hills to grow the very finest wine grapes. Today, with the help of a highly insightful team, we continue to cultivate rich concentrated wine grapes that in turn help us craft distinctive and memorable wines.

THE WINES

David Arthur is dedicated to producing hand crafted wines that express the unique terroir of our estate. Despite the rough rocky terrain these vines hail from, year after year they produce wines with lush fruit character and silky tannins. From the 21 acres planted on our Pritchard Hill estate, we cultivate small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. Our wines, Meritaggio, Caberenet Sauvignon, and Elevation 1147, are all crafted 100% from these estate grapes.

In continuing with tradition, we produce a very limited amount of Chardonnay. We have found the highest quality grapes of this delicate variety thrive in the cooler temperatures of the Oak Knoll district in Napa. Our new project, Sauvignon Blanc, hails from vines grown in Yountville.

THE FAMILY

Three generations of the Long family have worked together to establish David Arthur as a world class producer of the highest quality wines. In this labor of love, everyone contributes their strengths to the strong group that makes up the David Arthur team. Brothers David and Bob along with Joye Long are co-owners, with David acting as General Manager. David works alongside his two daughters, Gretchen in charge of Marketing and Media relations, and Laura who runs the office and daily operations.