Last weekend I got the chance to try some very interesting wines by a new boutique winery out of Napa by the name of Alpha Omega. Established in Rutherford only a number of years ago, Alpha Omega has already made a name for themselves among some of Napa’s best.
The tasting, which was hosted by one of my favorite wine destinations, The Packing House Wine Merchants in Claremont, featured six of their wines. They specialize primarily in Bordeax varietals, and the flight included a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon, two vintages of their Proprietary Blend, and a signature blend they call Era.
This is the kind of winery I love to write about. Small boutique wineries producing high quality vintages from exceptional appellations. That being the case, I’d like to be sure to give each of these wines the attention they deserve, so I’ll be breaking this post into two parts. Today let’s talk about the whites.
Wine #1: Alpha Omega 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
I have to say that I approached this wine with a degree of scepticism at first. I typically find Sauvignon Blancs from California to be the least impressive wines made with the varietal. They usually lack the depth, definition, and complexity that Sauvignon Blancs from France, New Zealand, Chile, and Australia can have. That said, I’m always willing to give a wine a fair shot, so I dove right in.
I was pleasantly surprised by this wine’s aroma, and I think I could do a pretty good job of summing it up simply by calling it “yummy.” It’s got some nice sweet gooseberry tones mixed in with this really fresh lemonade aroma. I get a little grapefruit, some green bananas, and an intense but hard to define tropical floral note, combined with some pretty strong stone.
The palate opens with delicate white peach, soft nectarine, and an almost creamy floral quality (live lavender infused custard.) There is a bit of agave syrup, sugar cane, and a spritz of citrus. There is also a delicate stony component and a strong tropical perfume on the finish.
This wine is smooth and fairly rich, with a nice creaminess, balanced nicely with some crisp, and very lightly bitter (in a good way) minerality. The finish is nice, with a good mouthwatering acidity that makes you want another sip. Overall, I’m impressed with this wine. I think that it’s refined and well made, and although it may not be quite as interesting as the Sauvignon Blancs I mentioned from other countries, I think it performs very nicely for one from California. This wine may be a bit over priced, and I think that the fact that it’s from Napa has a lot to do with that (the so called appellation ”name premium,”) but not by too much. I could see paying in the mid 20′s for this, and I think that if you want to check out a well done Sauvignon Blanc from California, it’s…
Worth Trying. 89 points.
Wine #2: Alpha Omega 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay
This wine is very attractive in the glass, and the nose is somewhat lemony, and very delicately oaky. There is a creaminess, complete with some kitchen spices, a nice kick of clove, and vanilla. It’s kind of
like warm apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream. It’s very nice, and there is also this sort of peach cobbler tone running through it, which makes the wine very cozy and inviting.
It opens with apple crisp, some spiced custard, and a pretty strong assortment of flowers. I get some tropical fruit and honey, with a bit of a butteriness that almost becomes somewhat oily on the mid palate. This wine is ripe and thick with an incredible mouthfeel. It’s so smooth and lush, while still maintaining a lightness about it. This is not one of those heavy, overly oaked Chardonnays that seem to turn up everywhere. This wine has excellent structure, great depth, and very nice, fresh fruit like acidity. At nearly $50 a bottle, this isn’t a cheap wine, but I think that if you’re looking for a really nice Chardonnay from Napa, this one solidly competes with the big names in area, making it a wine…
Worth Trying. 91 points.
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The Grapevine: How often do you drink Napa wines, and when you do, what are they?
