Christie Kiley on October 13, 2014 1 Comment It is about that time of the year when we wake up to still somewhat warm air, but there is a change, a shift in the air. It is chilled, crisp, and refreshingly clean. A look out the kitchen window while preparing your morning coffee, you catch a glimpse of silver frost on the grass, on the leaves of the turning leaves. These are the mornings you want to go out and do a little grocery shopping to get the ingredients for some warming comfort food; chili, lasagna, pasta, maybe some stuff for chicken pot pie from scratch, dough-and-all. In case the latter is on your to-make list then this is a wine that would go quite nicely, maybe even invite some friends over. A Little History Patz & Hall winery began in the 1980s with the assistant winemaker James Hall and the national sales manager Donald Patz. At the time, they were co-workers at Flora Springs Winery and Vineyards in Oakville. They both shared a passion and love for rich styles of wine crafted with traditional techniques; starting with only the best of fruit from very selected and elite vineyards. So in 1988, they partnered up with Anne Moses and Heather Patz, planting the seeds of Patz & Hall winery. The Principals Behind the Wine The original goal was to obtain only the best fruit from the most elite of vineyards. In order to do so, the team had to combine their knowledge and commit to their principals to create unique, artisanal and small batch wines. It all starts with building relationships and that is just what they did. A big part of their success is due to their close relationships with just a handful of California’s best grape cultivators. Larry Hyde knows what he needs to make his quality wines. He is considered one of California’s most legendary viticulturists and has a long list to prove his title with an impressive list of producers on his resume of some of Napa’s most renowned vineyards; Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Joseph Phelps and Ridge Vineyards. Larry has a close connection with his vineyards in the Carneros region—Napa’s cool region—south in the valley. Here he selected only two grapes which are signature of cool-climate grapes in California; Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The key is to have small berries and lower yields and this is what they get in this location. From the Hyde vineyard he has developed his own world-class label, HdV, with his associate Aubert de Villaine (a gentleman who married into the family and is now among the owners of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti). The Vineyard The Hyde Vineyard, consisting of 179 acres and 44 separate blocks, is referred to as the ‘superstar’ of the Carneros region. In the Napa Valley, it is iconic with ten different clones of Pinot Noir; one of the clones which was isolated by Larry Hyde called Hyde-Calera. It is known as possibly the finest selections in all of the viticulture of California. Patz & Hall has been purchasing fruit from this vineyard since 1990 and bottling the Pinot Noir since 1996. The Wine The Hyde Vineyard Pinot Noir is only bottled from their single vineyards, creating a one-of-a-kind wine, one which is elegant and has become a Napa classic. Think about it, a Pinot Noir that stands out in big Cab country! Now back to the wine you are going to have along with that chicken pot pie you are going to make lovingly from scratch. If that does not work, try a leg of pork, slow-roasted with a whole-grain and Dijon mustard Bechamel. I say have that with some scalloped potatoes and you have an amazing dinner. The spices of the mustard and the aromas that will waft around your house will marry so amazingly with even just the aroma of this wine with cranberries, citrus zest, raspberry preserves and earthy black olives. The nose, as you might be able to tell is bright and complex and will develop and open in your glass into many other layers in just a couple minutes with more earthiness that comes through along with the smell a forest takes on after a soaking rain. The palate is fresh of bright red, fresh cherries, mature strawberries and finishes of soft tannin, but balanced and livened with subtle acidity which creates a seamless taper from the fruit of the wine to its earthy characteristics. Autumn just got better. More Wine Reviews: Fromm Clayvin Vineyard 2011 Pinot Noir Gary Farrell Ramal Vineyard 2010 Pinot Noir St. Supery 2011 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Cakebread Napa Valley 2012 Chardonnay
