Palmaz Tasting at Wine Watch

If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am not drinking any fucking Merlot!

Miles, Sideways (2004)

Relax Miles, some of the world's greatest wines are Merlot.  Everyone has their haters and Merlot you know who yours are...

Don’t worry we will be drinking Cabernet Sauvignon on this night and this is one of the most exciting wineries to come along in quite a few years from Napa.  The Palmaz family is dedicated to making great wines and their state of the art winery is proof.  We have been sending people to visit for the last few years and have made many fans of Palmaz wines.  Most of the tours are conducted by a member of the Palmaz family and there are few structures like this one anywhere in the world.  A sixteen story winery built into the side of a mountain, this place is something out of a James Bond movie.

Tonight we have one of the extended members of the Palmaz winery in town, the sales and marketing department for Palmaz winery, Shawn Lutwak.  Shawn has been by to see me with every vintage of this wine and he is the reason so many of our wine drinking people know about this up and coming star of Napa Valley.  Shawn has brought some very special wines with him from the winery for this occasion and if you love Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon this is an event you do not want to miss.

This is a pre-poured seated event so we are limited to 15 tasters this evening.  Wine Watch Catering's Toni Lampasone will be making a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines.  The fee for this event is $65+ tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or just respond to this e-mail.

Palmaz Wine Tasting at Wine Watch

Saturday, October 6th

7pm

 

Tasting Line-up:

2010 Palmaz Amailia Chardonnay Napa                

Price: $57.75       Sale $50.82          Case $589

The wet toast the barrels so that they loose some of the aggressive note from the new oak.  They have been making chardonnay since 2004 but this is the first release in FL.  A very bright and fruity bouquet with just the right touch of lightly toasted oak spice notes of vanilla bean creme brulee, meyer lemon and white peach like fruit.  A 50% estate and 50% from the Stagecoach vineyard.  Lovely balance here on the tongue with ripe tropical fruit and wonderful freshness lemon zest and just the right touch of lightly toasted oak spice.  Finish 45+   Excellent +         

2007 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Cedar Knoll Napa       

Price: $34.50       Sale $30.36          Case $352

A good amount of currant and black cherry fruit on the nose with hints of toasty oak spice, milk chocolate and a good hand of fresh earth and some fine herbs.  Smooth and elegantly fashioned with milk chocolate with some tannins but well rounded with a good amount of minerality showing along with the ripe fruit through the finish.  Finish 45+           Excellent +               

 

2008 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Cedar Knoll Napa

Price: $34.50       Sale $30.36          Case $352

This second label of Palmaz is all estate fruit and is farmed the same way and treated the same way in the winery.  This Cedar Knoll label is one of the best values in Napa Valley today, made with the same exacting care as the Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon at a fraction of the cost.

2005 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

Price: $105                          Sale $92.40          Case $1071

The 2005 vintage was exceptional for the Mt. George region of Napa Valley. Our cooler climate ensured wines of great depth and structure. The 2005 Palmaz Estate is deep, lush and wonderfully aromatic. The palate is generous and silky with flavors ranging from dark fruits and cassis to earth and spice. This is a complete wine that drinks well in its youth and will continue to improve over the next decade.

 

2006 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

Price: $105                          Sale $92.40          Case $1071

The 2006 vintage is a blend of estate Cabernet was selected from the best location of our three distinct elevation vineyards. The wine exhibits intense ripe flavors of blackberry, cassis and black cherry. Supple and refined in the pallet, this wine shows excellent balance with a long, moderately tannic finish. While this wine is drinking excellent now, the density and structure of this wine will allow it to mature elegantly for the next eight to ten years.  1642 cases produced.

 

2007 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa                

Price: $105                          Sale $92.40          Case $1071

A very well endowed wine with tobacco spice, cigar box, dark coco and fresh plowed earth, soy and espresso notes to the dark currant and black cherry fruit, dark earth very complex bouquet.  Nice concentration and depth of flavors on the tongue with smooth round tannins, a very drinkable, dark coco notes chalky mineral notes, long finish with a long mineral laced finish.  Finish 50+  Most Excellent

 

2008 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa                

Price: $105                          Sale $92.40          Case $1071

The moderately cool weather of 2008 contributed to the excellent texture and depth of this vintage. The resulting wine exhibits dense layers of silky tannins and dark fruit that will evolve beautifully. The structure of this wine promises to age elegantly with an abundance of fine grained tannins exhibiting our signature cashmere mouth feel. This is a wine that will promise to cellar extraordinarily well but at the same time if you can’t wait and drink one now, you will not be disappointed.

 

2001 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon"Cave Release" Napa

The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon from Palmaz Vineyards has a deep complex aroma of dark fruit, toasty oak and exotic spices.  There are generous amounts of supple approachable tannins while the flavors integrate smoothly from attack to finish, promising great aging potential and development through 2010.  The blend was chosen for its complimentary characteristics achieving the balance and finesse for which we are looking.  Our wine is created from 100% estate grown vineyards on the site of one of the oldest wine operations in the Napa Valley.  The 2001 harvest marks the rebirth of Henry Hagen's winery and vineyard established 120 years ago.  Drink: 2005-2012.

 

Menu:

Selection of Cheese:  Reggiano Parmesan, Hard Cheddar, Beemster Gouda and marcona almonds

Mole BBQ Salmon with cheddar cheese grits

Chimichurri glazed skirt steak with grilled bread

 

The fee for this tasting is $65 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.

 

A Bit about Palmaz Winery:

 

The Palmazes bought a forgotten stone winery, a fine old house badly in need of renovation, and acres of land that had once produced fine Napa wines. The little valley had been the site of Cedar Knoll Vineyard and Winery, founded in 1881 by Henry Hagen, one of Napa Valley's pioneer winemakers.

Henry Hagen produced wines that garnered many awards, including a silver medal at the Paris Exposition of 1889. During that era, Cedar Knoll was one of Napa's premier wineries. The vineyards survived the Wine Country’s phylloxera infestation in the 1890s, but Prohibition was fatal. The winery fell into disrepair and the vineyards lay fallow for nearly eighty years.

Today, the vineyards are burgeoning, the restored Hagen house is a family home again, and the winery has been reinvented.

 

Palmaz Vineyards' winemaking and aging takes place within the living rock of Mount George, in a flawlessly engineered maze of tunnels and lofty domes. The height of the wine cave is equivalent to an 18-storey building, providing the vertical range needed for true gravity-flow winemaking. Thus, the wine is never subjected to the violent agitation of pumping, which can change the wine’s intra-molecular structure. This gentle treatment allows the finest nuances of flavor to develop naturally—the result is a complex, elegant wine.

 

    The fermentation dome is the world’s largest underground reinforced structure. It is 72’ in diameter and 54’ high.

    Temperature stays constant at 60 degrees and humidity at 75%, the perfect atmosphere for aging wine.

    The cave houses its own water treatment plant built to comply with strict conservation guidelines.

    Fermentation tanks rotate on a custom-designed carousel.

 

Great wines are made in the vineyard. At Palmaz, we are fortunate to have three separate, distinct estate vineyards located at 400, 1200 and 1400 feet above sea level. Each site has its own unique microclimate and soils. Individual blocks are planted and harvested based upon soil variations, aspect and exposure. All vines are farmed under the respectful tenets of sustainable agriculture.

To guarantee the highest quality fruit we have a full-time farming team dedicated to all of our estate vineyards. The experience and knowledge gained over time helps ensure greater continuity and site character in all of the fruit we harvest.

Mia Klein is one of America’s most sought-after consulting winemakers. In addition to her work in the winery and vineyards at Palmaz, Mia has consulted with Araujo Estate, Spottswoode, Dalla Valle and Viader. Mia also produces Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet and Merlot under her own Selene label. Food & Wine named Mia “Winemaker of the Year” in 2003.