|
Contact: Julie Ann Kodmur,
707/963-9632, corking@julieannkodmur.com, www.smithmadrone.com
Or: www.palomavineyard.com or www.pridewines.com
3 SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT WINES HONORED BY
WINE SPECTATOR Smith-Madrone, Pride, Paloma chosen in "Top 100" issue
St. Helena, CA, December 4, 2003----Three wines from one of Napa Valley's
oldest and least-known appellations---the Spring Mountain District---received
enormous honors in The Wine Spectator's annual "Top 100" issue
now on newstands (issue date: December 31, 2003). One of the most scenic
appellations of the Napa Valley, the Spring Mountain District was recognized
by the B.A.T.F. in May of 1993. The three Spring Mountain District wineries
are Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery, Pride Mountain Vineyards and
Paloma Vineyard. This is an important accolade for the Spring Mountain
District: no other U.S. growing region had 3 wineries chosen (only Russian
River Valley and Edna Valley had more than 1 winery each---and then, only
2).
The "Wine Of The Year" was the 2001 Paloma Vineyard Merlot ($45,
95 points), leading off the "Top 100" wines ranking. The 92nd
wine of the "Top 100" was the 2001 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot
($48, 93 points).
In the same issue of The Wine Spectator, one of only eight wines chosen
by columnist Matt Kramer as his "Wines of the Year" was Smith-Madrone's
Riesling (no vintage specified). Kramer explained that to be one of his "wines
of the year" "a wine has to deliver real originality, not just
intellectually but at some atavistic level where you sense that the earth
speaks." Why did he choose Smith-Madrone's Riesling? "California
dry riesling is nobody's idea of a cult wine. And few would think of Napa
Valley's Spring Mountain District as a choice Riesling location. Yet brothers
Stu and Charles Smith are believers. So much so that we tasted 17 vintages
of their estate-grown Riesling, back to 1977. And the oldest ones were
among the best--which isn't always the case in California winemaking. These
are superb dry Rieslings, with a textural density and lip-smacking earthiness
rarely seen outside of Alsace."
At a 1,900-foot elevation on top of Spring Mountain (west of St. Helena),
with slopes up to 35%, Smith-Madrone is one of the oldest vineyard-wineries
on the Mountain and a "textbook" mountain vineyard; the grapes
are dry-farmed in red volcanic soil. Smith-Madrone is a family-owned estate-bottled
winery dedicated to producing fine wines exclusively from its own vineyards,
founded in 1971 by Stuart Smith. Current releases are the 2000 Cabernet
Sauvignon, 2000 Chardonnay and 2002 Riesling. This fall Smith-Madrone took
the unusual step of re-releasing a limited quantity of its 1997 Riesling
(which won a gold medal and "Best of Region" at the California
State Fair). The property has a well-documented and historically important
past: in exploring the ranch before purchasing it, Stuart discovered old
grape stakes interspersed with the forest's tall trees, evidence of a vineyard
planted in the 1880s and abandoned with the onset of Prohibition. The name
for the winery came as a tribute to Stuart and his brother Charles, who
pursued their dream, and to the Madrone trees which distinguish the ranch.
|
