Vine Cliff and Gravel Pit Winery Wine Tasting with Special Guests Rob and Ginny Sweeney Friday, August 11th 7:30pm
My name is August West
and I love my Pearly Baker best
more than my wine
...more than My wine
more than my maker
though he’s no friend of mine
Half of my life
I spent doin’ time for
some other fucker’s crime
Other half found me stumbling around
drunk on burgundy wine
“Wharf Rat”
Words by Robert Hunter, music by Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead)*
This event just popped on our calendar as I never miss a chance to host an event with our good friends Rob and Ginny Sweeney now back with his family’s winery Vine Cliff and we will also be showing the Sweeney family’s newest label Gravel Pit Wines. As always we have a few surprises for this evening and one of the largest verticals of the Private Stock Cabernet Sauvignon that we have ever put on the table!
We have hosted over a dozen events with Rob and Vine Cliff Winery over the years and his wines are very well known with our “Wine Drinking People”. Chef Toni will be making a special dinner to accompany the tasting wines and the fee for this event which includes dinner is $350 per person plus tax. For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Vine Cliff and Gravel Pit Winery Wine Tasting
with Special Guest Owners Rob and Ginny Sweeney
Friday, August 11th
7:30 PM
2018 Gravel Pit Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
2017 Gravel Pit Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
2018 Gravel Pinot Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
2018 Vine Cliff Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa
2019 Vine Cliff Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa
2014 Vine Cliff Private Stock Cabernet Sauvignon 16 Rows Oakville Napa
2015 Vine Cliff Private Stock Cabernet Sauvignon 16 Rows Oakville Napa
2017 Vine Cliff Private Stock Cabernet Sauvignon 16 Rows Oakville Napa
2018 Vine Cliff Private Stock Cabernet Sauvignon 16 Rows Oakville Napa
2019 Vine Cliff Private Stock Cabernet Sauvignon 16 Rows Oakville Napa
2019 Gravel Pit Cabernet Sauvignon Tokalon Creek Napa
Menu
American Sturgeon Caviar Potatos
Canadian Lobster Enchilada with Salsa Verde
Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras served over Bourbon Soy Consomé with Tomato Concasse and Edamame
Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib Wellington served over Cabernet Demi
Belgian Chocolate Mousse Bomb with Raspberry Sauce
The fee for this tasting which included dinner is $350 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any issues with the menu and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
A bit about Vine Cliff Winery:
It took close to 85 years before Vine Cliff, like the phoenix in its seal, rose from the ashes. Chuck and Nell Sweeney, along with their son Rob are tireless hosts with an appetite for hard work, long hours, good food and great wine. Their love of fine wines turned them into zealous collectors, and they became familiar and generous faces at the Napa Valley Wine Auction. In 1985, the Sweeneys’ hobby turned serious when they bought a rugged, 100-acre parcel in the eastern hills of Napa Valley along the Silverado Trail. Vine Cliff Winery was borne out of the Sweeneys' love and dedication to the production of fine wines. The labor of love continues. The original winery was resurrected in 1990 and 1991 with the construction of barrel chais. In 1995 the gravity fed production facility was completed and is considered one of the top production facilities in California. Additional vineyards were purchased in Calistoga, Carneros and Howell Mountain. Today, Vine Cliff has over 40 acres of estate vineyards. In 2000, the construction of 15,000 square feet of caves for barrel aging of the red wines was completed.
The Vine Cliff Estate of today is an exquisite mountainside property located on land which was once part of the original George C. Yount estate. Noteworthy locals George Burrage and Thomas Tucker purchased the site for Vine Cliff Winery from the Yount Estate in 1871 (five years after Yount’s death). Burrage and Tucker built Vine Cliff into what appears to be the largest winery in the Napa Valley. After the deaths of Burrage and Tucker, wealthy San Franciscan John Fry bought the property and immediately set out to achieve his vision for the winery, which he did by the 1890’s. Fry had made a fortune in Nevada silver and invested heavily in San Francisco real estate. He served on the board of directors of a dozen major companies, including the Bank of California and the Napa Valley Wine Company. A half-dozen wineries were affiliated with the Napa Valley Wine Company, the leaders of which wanted to build name recognition for the company by setting a quality standard with its wines, unmatched in California. In 1886 the company began building a huge wine cellar at Vine Cliff - 60 by 150 feet - which was to be the principal cellar for the allied producers of wine. Vine Cliff wines were considered the reserve wines of the Napa Valley Wine Company.
As Vine Cliff Winery prospered, it attracted the social set of San Francisco. Prominent San Franciscans visiting Vine Cliff included William Ralston, the founder of the Bank of California. Amazingly, the early history of Vine Cliff is contained within a short thirty years. Phylloxera destroyed the vineyards and supporting wine production by about 1900. It would seem that after Fry’s death in 1901, most of the winery structure disappeared in a matter of a few years, with the exception of the stone first floor and tunnels.
The Sweeney Family continues the vision of Vine Cliff founders Burrage and Tucker, and that of Col. Fry - to produce outstanding and distinctive wines and to create a landmark where the incredible beauty of this historic hillside setting is to be enjoyed and where the legacy of Vine Cliff lives on into its third century. The Oakville Estate vineyard consists of a total of twenty-two acres of vines on the one hundred acre estate. This is also the location of the Winery, Caves and Sweeney family home that is featured on the Vine Cliff wine label.
Situated about three hundred and fifty feet above the Silverado Trail on the East side of the Napa Valley is a plateau called the Oakville Bench. On this portion of the estate is eight acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. The balance of the estate’s vines are planted on terraces starting just above and East of the Trail, both to the North and South of the main drive. These are also planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. Additionally, between the two lower Cabernet blocks, close to the North side of the drive, two acres of Merlot are planted.
The Oakville Estate vineyard, originally planted in the 1870s, but destroyed by Phylloxera in the 1890’s, was replanted by The Sweeney Family in 1985-1987 with AXR-1 rootstock vines. These unfortunately became infested with Phylloxera, and replanting with certified resistant rootstock began in 1990, at a density of about 1,340 vines per acre, on nine vineyard lots. This replanting enabled the old vines to be replaced with exactly suited varietals, clones, rootstocks, and trellising and irrigation systems.
Vine Cliff has three other vineyards in addition to the Oakville bench property. The Carneros Vineyard consists of twenty-acres located on Carneros Creek. It was planted with 13 acres of Chardonnay in May of 1999. It will ultimately have about eighteen acres of the twenty total planted with Chardonnay. The Calistoga Vineyard is located a few miles south of Calistoga, on the east side of the Silverado Trail, about fifteen miles north of the winery. It is adjacent to the famous Eisele Vineyard and is planted to five acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and one of Cabernet Franc. Situated on hilly terrain, some of the vineyard is terraced, while the rest is sloping. And finally the Howell Mountain Vineyard latest vineyard project is a choice site on the higher elevations of Howell Mountain. During the growing season, this vineyard will often be above the fog that can envelop the valley floor. With its south facing slopes and excellent exposure, this vineyard is perfectly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon and other red Bordeaux varieties. The deep iron-red volcanic soils will allow Vine Cliff to ultimately dry farm the vineyard. Protecting this unique environment will also be a main focus of Rob Sweeney's plans for this vineyard. Wines from the Howell Mountain Appellation have long been acclaimed as being very powerful and concentrated, and this great region will round out our estate vineyard program.
Since 1990 all of Vine Cliff’s vineyards have been managed according to the principles and practices of Sustainable Viticulture. This has meant that, where possible, no pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilizer have been used on the vines for almost a decade. Additionally, ten tons of plant materials are returned to the soil as compost annually. The vineyards have native species of grasses planted as ground cover between the rows of vines. These are never plowed under but only cut; allowed to naturally compost and further enrich the soil. The most ecologically complex and diverse biosystem has been established over the years resulting in natural control of plant pests and diseases. The private stock began as a sixteen row section of the vineyard and has become a selection of the best barrels from each harvest. We routinely put this wine into blind tastings against the best that Napa has to offer. At our 2009 California cult wine tasting at Café Maxx we showed this wine in our final flight with Screaming Eagle 2002, Sloan 2003, Pride Reserve 2004, Schrader To Kalon 2006 and blind with 20 tasters the Vine Cliff Private Stock was overwhelmingly the crowd favorite!
All the wines from Vine Cliff Winery on SALE!!
2019 VINE CLIFF CABERNET SAUVIGNON OAKVILLE NAPA
Price: $130.50 Your Price: $114.84
The 2019 Vine Cliff Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep garnet-purple color. It prances out of the glass with scents of stewed plums, warm cassis, bay leaves and cedar chest. Suggestions of cinnamon stick and sandalwood with a waft of tobacco leaf rounds out the nose. The medium to full-bodied palate is coated with juicy black fruits and a plush texture; offering oaky accents and a herbal lift to finish
2018 VINE CLIFF CABERNET SAUVIGNON OAKVILLE NAPA
Price: $121.50 Your Price: $106.92
The 2018 Vine Cliff Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep garnet-purple color. It prances out of the glass with scents of stewed plums, warm cassis, bay leaves and cedar chest. Suggestions of cinnamon stick and sandalwood with a waft of tobacco leaf rounds out the nose. The medium to full-bodied palate is coated with juicy black fruits and a plush texture; offering oaky accents and a herbal lift to finish.
2014 VINE CLIFF PRIVATE STOCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 16 ROWS OAKVILLE NAPA
Price: $202.50 Your Price: $178.20
Touches of crushed raspberry, black fruits, pencil lead, clove and tapenade pour from the glass. The palate is distinctly Oakville. It is richly concentrated from the start though manages to build power across the palate. The finish demonstrates the recurring Vine Cliff traits of graphite, crushed rocks and dried herbs.
2015 VINE CLIFF PRIVATE STOCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 16 ROWS OAKVILLE NAPA
Price: $202.50 Your Price: $178.20 Quantity in Stock: 10
Reflecting the "best of our best" standards for this wine, the 2015 delivers on every count. Intense, yet supple, age-worthy, yet approachable. A classic cabernet in every respect.
Made with fruit from the first sixteen rows of vines planted in front of the Sweeney family’s hilltop home, this bottling represents the oldest and most mature fruit from our Oakville Estate. It is layered with ripe blackberry and boysenberry jam and deep, bittersweet chocolate. It has extraordinary texture and concentration that will stay with you long after you've finished the bottle.
2017 VINE CLIFF PRIVATE STOCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 16 ROWS OAKVILLE NAPA
Price: $202.50 Your Price: $178.20 Quantity in Stock: 5
Vineyard Notes: The Oakville Estate vineyard is essentially two different vineyards. The lower blocks are terraced into steep canyon walls layered in volcanic Andesite and Rhyolite rocks. These terrace contours provide complexity from the various orientations that face southeast, south, southwest and west. The upper blocks are planted on the Oakville Bench (affectionately called ‘magic mountain’), a gentle sundrenched slope of red clay loam at 680’ in elevation. The five Cabernet Sauvignon clones planted provide another layer of complexity to our wines. Our location in the Oakville appellation combined with our unique farming practices and low yield produces grapes and wine with incredible flavor and concentration.
SOIL: Volcanic origin Boomer gravelly loam
Elevation: 280’-680’ VARIETAL COMPOSITION: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Fermentation Protocol: Harvested by hand, vigorous cluster and berry selection for optimal quality and uniformity. Extended maceration for 30-42 days to preserve only the mature supple tannins from this structured site.
Cooperage Composition: 95% new French Oak from coopers Taransaud and Sequin Moreau BARREL AGING: 20 months
Production Quantity: 156 cases
2018 VINE CLIFF PRIVATE STOCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 16 ROWS OAKVILLE NAPA
Price: $202.50 Your Price: $178.20
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Stock 16 Rows gives up a dense, black-fruited style carrying lots of graphite, gravelly earth, chocolate, and smoked tobacco. With an almost graves-like sense of minerality and earthiness, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a concentrated, layered mid-palate, lots of background oak, and a great finish. It's an impressive wine that has depth, richness, balance, and length. It should see its 20th birthday in fine form.
2019 VINE CLIFF PRIVATE STOCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 16 ROWS OAKVILLE NAPA
Price: $216.00 Your Price: $190.08
This is another great vintage for Napa Valley and the current release of this tiny production wine from one of our best friends in Napa Valley. It’s not what you know when it comes to attaining the top wines from Napa Valley it’s more like who you know…There are only a few 6pks of this wine available in SFL…
“Not everyone has the chance in life to work at what they love and are truly passionate about.
My desire is to make wines that bring you as much joy to drink as they did for me to make.”
Rob Sweeney-
Rob Sweeney arrived in the Napa Valley in 1986 when his family bought a piece of raw land in Oakville. A ghost winery of the former Vine Cliff estate which was defunct since the early 1900’s when phylloxera killed every vine. The property presented quite a project, one that Rob coveted. Excited to be involved, so began his journey to learn the business by working at other properties around the valley.
Rob was first hired at Buena Vista Winery by winemaker Jill Davis as a harvest cellar intern where he started building his vast experience. Interested in every facet of a winery he moved on to the tasting room at Franciscan Winery, it provided the backdrop for where Rob learned the art of selling wine. His interest in the vineyards then took him to A&P Structures where he learned how to build trellis systems from true pioneers in the field.
Concurrently Rob attended Napa Valley College and earned his degree in Viticulture under the tutelage of the inspirational Dr. Steve Krebs. Several years later and with a strong foundation of knowledge and well rounded education under his belt, Rob returned to Vine Cliff.
“Back then if I needed to know the answer to something, I couldn’t look it up on the internet or watch a how-to YouTube video, I rode my ATV across the field or jumped in my truck and asked a neighbor. That might have been Gustav Dalle Valle who showed me how to calibrate the sprayer, or Alex Vyborny, famed vineyard manager responsible for Far Niente and Joseph Phelps, whose ranch was across the street. Or after we bought a vineyard on Pickett Road, Al Frediani who would always dispense his advice with a twinkle in his eye. Occasionally we would source grapes from other vineyards, and I think I bought more grapes from Laurie Wood and visited his vineyard more times just in the hope that Laurie would beckon me to his porch for a visit. Their collective knowledge was invaluable.” These salt of the earth farmers had a wealth of experience and they were happily willing to pass on their knowledge and even loan their equipment. Their seeds of wisdom fell on fertile ground and as Rob’s knowledge grew, so did his passion.
Ultimately, the Vine Cliff family vineyard grew into a winery operation and over the years Rob was inspired by having winemakers such as John Gibson, Paul Hobbs and Celia Welch who introduced him to cutting edge techniques and mentored him through blind tastings and blending trials. Each harvest Rob acquired more experience and honed his skills-different vintage, different outcomes, different vineyards telling different stories. More knowledge, more comparisons to draw from year to year. Crucial picking decisions became second nature and difficult blending trials made sense. The family business grew and made a place for itself among other wineries producing award winning wines with a reputation for excellence.
Over time, Rob identified and personally developed vineyards on properties which the winery purchased in Calistoga and on Howell Mountain. With Rob’s viticultural acumen and diligence these projects ultimately became the storied Pickett Road vineyard now known as the 100-point generating Few and Far Between vineyard purchased by Hundred Acre vineyard and the estate vineyards now owned by Cade Winery, Howell Mountain. At the time they each sold, both were the highest per-acre price ever paid for vineyards in the country.
As one chapter ends, so another begins-
A culmination of 30 years of experience, 30 years of literal blood, sweat and tears led Rob to realize an unfulfilled dream, one that remained dormant surfaced and was the itch he needed to scratch. It was time to branch out on his own and add winemaker to his portfolio.
All the Gravel Pit wines in the store:
2018 GRAVEL PIT CHARDONNAY SONOMA COAST
Price: $46.50 Your Price: $40.92 Quantity in Stock: 35
This Sonoma Coast Chardonnay hails from 2 vineyards. we made 6 barrels from Lazy w vineyard Russian River, and 4 barrels from Frostwatch Vineyard, Bennett Valley/Sonoma Coast. Both vineyard sections were Old Wente clone.
Aromas of honeysuckle and white peach with juicy and bright tropical fruit, and lemon oil, and lime zest on the finish.RS
2017 GRAVEL PIT PINOT NOIR SONOMA COAST
Price: $64.50 Your Price: $56.76 Quantity in Stock: 12
Our Pinot Noir comes from one of the most sought after and prized vineyards in Sonoma County. This very special site is influenced by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the San Francisco bay to the south. The well drained soil is derived from volcanic parent material and is very gravelly and rocky. We received two clones of pinot noir from this very well farmed site. Clone 115 known to be one of the only pinot noir clones to make stand alone quality wine, and the Swan clone, which is very aromatic.
The grapes were hand harvested at night to ensure cold fruit for a three day pre-fermentation maceration. We hand sorted 80% of the clusters to the berry level after adding 20% whole clusters to the small stainless steel fermentation vessels. After fermentation we aged the wine for 11 months in 30% new, 35% 1 yr and 35% neutral, experienced French oak barrels. We elected to bottle the wine unfined and unfiltered.
We enjoyed a long cool vintage following a winter of abundant rainfall after some very dry years. This lead to an early exuberant canopy followed by some heat in June that helped to settle down the growth. We had an unprecedented heat wave at the beginning of September just as the grapes were almost in the perfect flavor window. Giving the vines a chance to recover and rehydrate the fruit is critical for the best possible wine. We picked on September 10th, a full week and a half after the big heat, and just before the next temperature spike.
2018 GRAVEL PINOT PINOT NOIR RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $66.00 Quantity in Stock: 9
90% Anderson Ross vineyard, Forestville. goldridge soil, clone 115.
10% Wohler vineyard, Russian River. clone 667
Floral with red rose petal, caramel, and spicy red fruit aromatics, leading to juicy cherry cola fruit that is supported by structured yet smooth rich Tannins.
Vineyard Sources: 90% Anderson Ross 10% Wohler
2018 GRAVEL PIT CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY
Price: $96.00 Your Price: $84.48 Quantity in Stock: 21
This Cabernet Sauvignon was grown in a single vineyard ,in Napa Valley, on the eastern foothills of Calistoga. it has very rocky, gravelly soils, and some of the smallest berries i have ever seen. the wine is very smooth, richly aromatic, with a persistent long finish. RS
2019 GRAVEL PIT CABERNET SAUVIGNON TO KALON CREEK NAPA
Price: $205.50 Your Price: $180.84
The newest wine in the Gravel Pit line-up from one of the most celebrated Vineyards on the Valley Floor.
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