When we pulled up to the front gate of Nickel and Nickel’s Oakville Winery and pushed the call button to open the gates, we knew we were in for a premium experience with some premium wines.  As we walked through the front entrance (pictured above) we were greeted with a glass of Nickel & Nickel’s 2008 Truchard Vineyard Chardonnay on a silver platter (literally).  While waiting in the parlor room, we took in the vintage furnishings of the perfectly restored 1884 vineyard house.  Every structure on the property has been perfectly restored to better than original condition but with a specific effort to stay true to the original.

Originally founded by John C. Sullenger in the 1880′s, Gil Nickel purchased the property in 1998 with two goals in mind: pay tribute to John Sullenger’s farmstead vision and create a premium winery for the production of single vineyard wines.  He was successful on both fronts.  Both the property and the wines are exceptional.  Gil made his money in the nursery business (trees not children).  Every winery story starts similarly.  It seems like starting a winery is a great way to spend money but not really make money, because none of the stories feature the founder getting rich from making great wine.

The barn pictured to the right was originally built in 1770 in New Hampshire and was purchased by Gil Nickel from that original farm when it was about to be burned down, disassembled, shipped across the county, and reassembled using the original construction techniques.  The barn now contains a banquet table, kitchen and glass enclosed offices but retains the original post and beam construction.  It’s really a spectacular modern twist on the original barn.

Next we moved on through the fermentation barn, a new structure built in the ancient post and beam technique.  Nickel and Nickel has a unique challenge since they make 27 single vineyard wines, requiring many more tanks since the wine must be fermented independently.

They are also one of the very few valley wineries that feature a “cave” because there are no mountains into which the cave can be dug.  This one is actually under the barn but once down there, it’s the same as being in the side of any mountain on the perimeter of the valley.  The cave actually provides an economic benefit for the winery because air conditioning isn’t required for the extensive barrel aging.  Nickel and Nickel is 100% solar powered keeping with an admirable trend toward green winemaking in Napa Valley.

Sitting on the back porch of the winery, taking in the scenery, it’s easy to see why Gil Nickel wanted to restore this property.  It’s a stunning setting to grow, create, and drink fantastic single vineyard wines.  I’m not going to write specific notes on each of the six Cabernets we tasted but all were very good and a couple were exceptional.  The 2007 Vogt Vineyard from Howell Mountain and the 2007 John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernets (grown on the adjacent 30 acres) were standouts.  At $90-120 a bottle, these are not cheap or even value priced wines, but they are collectible, highly rated and ageworthy.  The tour and tasting are $40 per person, on the high end of the spectrum, but for the right occasion, it’s definitely worth the money. Make this one your splurge and you won’t be disappointed.

It’s a Tuesday, but I still found a reason to celebrate (and no it wasn’t that I found out I owe Uncle Sam an ungodly amount of money).  So I opened the 2006 Trinitas Cabernet- a bottle I’ve been excited about trying since I had their Chardonnay a few months ago.

Oakville is arguably the most sought after AVA in the United States, if not the entire world, and limited supply plus high demand should equal high prices. Throw a little Howell Mountain into the mix and you have a recipe for a high priced, premium Cabernet.  This wine hits on the premium but not the price.

Grown on the lower elevations of Howell Mountain on the east side of Oakville, the 2006 Trinitas Cabernet Sauvignon has chocolaty, almost sweet Oakville characteristics combined with the elegance and focus of Howell Mountain.  I could smell this wine from a few feet away, after a couple of hours in the decanter, which adds a special appeal for me.  It pours a deep red/purple and tastes dense without being syrupy and oaky but not being overpowering.  This is a well balanced wine that allows you to have a special treat without spending a ton of money.

So what is it about Oakville that produces such fantastic wines?  Groth, Robert Mondavi, Plumpjack, Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle and Opus One, just to name a few, share a special soil and a micro climate that produces some very special Cabernet.  Buy this Oakville wine to impress your friends if you want, but most importantly, buy it because it’s a great wine and a great value.  It’s $40 at the winery and only $24.95 at LA Wine Co.  The next lowest price I can find anywhere online?  $33.97.  See for yourself.

Wine Enthusiast 89 points

“Lush, dry and delicious, with firm but finely ground tannins framing black currant, cassis, mocha and cedar flavors. Feels soft and plush, and should improve through 2011.”

2006 Trinitas Cabernet 2006- LA Wine Company $24.95

It’s not often that you can find a Napa Cabernet for under $20 let alone a single vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet.  Mountain wine is notoriously expensive and, in my opinion, for good reason.  The 2005 Bella Vetta “Ami’s Vineyard” Howell Mountian Cabernet has a knock out nose and a long,  lingering finish, in typical mountain style.  It’s medium to full bodied with lots of fruit, but not in an over-ripe style sometimes found down the hill in the valley.

Watch for this wine to get much more expensive as the vines get some age- this is the wineries first offering from the 2 acre Ami’s Vineyard.  But if you had told me the vines are 15 years old, I wouldn’t have thought twice.  Only 248 cases were made, and I wouldn’t be surprised if K&L bought a healthy percentage of it.  I personally own .4% of their production (only 1 case).

This wine definitely has the potential to age at least 10 years, but it will be difficult to hold it for that long.  Enjoy!

91 points Wine Enthusiast:

“Very ripe in cassis, with plenty of smoky oak influence and a spicy, dry finish. This is a bold, tannic young wine, tight and astringent in youth. It needs time in the cellar to soften and meld. Should be best between 2009 and 2011, and live far longer.” (6/1/2009)

2005 Bella Vetta “Ami’s Vineyard” Howell Mountian Cabernet- K&L Wines $19.99