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Smith-Madrone News |
Honorably Mentioned....Wine reviews, news articles, blogs, podcasts and other media mentions are located here.
Press Releases |
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Smith-Madrone on vacation with Eric Asimov! Eric Asimov, "The Pour," New York Times, Aug. 20, 2008 In Napa, Some Wineries Choose the Old Route
That's why, on a recent trip to Napa, I was so happy to find producers who are still making the kinds of wines I crave. Other producers in this undersung category include… Smith-Madrone on Spring Mountain, which makes lovely, structured cabernets… . These wines are often derided by critics as rustic or green. That's a damning term in today's Napa that refers not only to the vegetal quality that comes from underripe fruit but also to any herbal aromas and flavors, which to my mind are integral to cabernet sauvignon. Cabernets Like Cabernets Should Be Eric Asimov, The Pour Blog, nytimes.com, entry posted Aug. 19, 2008 Even if I didn't find people who were changing their style, I found plenty of Napa producers who were making balanced, restrained cabernets all along. But most nowadays largely operate under the radar, popular with their clients but not always recognized for the quality of their wines. I'm thinking of producers like… Smith-Madrone… While I'm grouping these wineries together, it should be recognized that they are all different sizes, with different budgets, different philosophies and different business plans. I think many of the wines that I love have a clear connection to the history of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, literally and figuratively. Some are classics, and some are making classic-style wines. Either way, they are worthy of more respect.
Rating: 91Smith-Madrone 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District ($40): This wine has been historically underrated, lost in the attention heaped on more expensive and trendy Napa Valley cabs. Could be because it's truly a mountain cab, crafted from vineyards on the cooler side of the Valley and thus slightly more austere in its youth than the flashier, jammier wines from the eastern hills above the valley floor. This vintage shows excellent depth and structure, complex dark-fruited aromas with a touch of earthiness, and fine tannins. I suspect it will improve over the next seven to 10 years. http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080213/news_1f13whitley.html
SF Chronicle's TOP WINES OF 2007 includes Smith-Madrone
Cabernet Sauvignon also had a good outing, with 14 wines on the list. For all the talk of California Cabernet becoming a beast fueled by blackberry jam and overt alcohol, we found several ageless examples of how the state still makes some of the world's finest Cabernets. If there's a complaint, it's that price tags are generally stratospheric. But even there, Napa Valley's Spring Mountain District was a hero; Smith-Madrone and Terra Valentine offer world-class Cabernets for $40 or less. .... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/02/CM0ET4P7F.DTL (Link to article) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/wine/top100-2007/wines/ (Link to list) The Real Napa? We're a part of it."Napa Off the Map; Beyond the corporate players and cult hits is a side of the valley few people know "
Smith-Madrone isn't on the map, and if ever there was a voice for the alternative view of Napa, it's Stuart Smith, who founded the winery in 1971. Fresh out of UC Davis with a degree in viticulture and looking for a challenge, he acquired a plot of wooded mountain land from a fraternity brother's uncle. A Recent Visitor to Smith-Madrone...Eric Asimov, "The Pour," New York Times, Aug. 8, 2007 "Mountain Men"
Link to full article on "The Pour." "Riesling's California comeback - Wineries race to meet rising demand for domestic Riesling"Janet Fletcher, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer
The SF Chronicle weighs in on the state of riesling. (Includes quotes from Stu, below.) "It's been a struggle," says Smith of Smith-Madrone. "I feel as though my entire adult life I've had to push Riesling. If I had a nickel for every time somebody said, 'I don't like Riesling, it's too sweet,' I'd be retired to the Bahamas." But Smith believes that today's young drinkers are not the snobs their parents were, with "their nose in the air" about Riesling. These open-minded young people are scouting out aromatic whites like Riesling and Pinot Gris as an alternative to the ubiquitous Chardonnay, and they have repeatedly heard wine professionals tout Riesling as food-friendly. What's more, they're discovering that California Rieslings aren't so sweet anymore, that almost every producer has significantly toned down the sugar. Several of the state's dry Rieslings today are truly brisk and all but bone-dry, and even those Rieslings with noticeable sugar usually have a firm acidic backbone. The industry still has no standards or regulations governing the meaning of dry, off-dry or sweet, so each winemaker -- or, more likely, each marketing department -- decides where to draw the lines. '02 Cabernet Sauvignon in "Stars of 2006" from the San Francisco Chronicle.See the complete list at this link.
Stuart Smith discusses the life and times of Smith-MadroneThirty-five years ago Stuart Smith left the UC Davis campus and headed toward Napa Valley, where he wandered around a 200-acre forest at about the 1,900 foot level on Spring Mountain, adjacent to Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. As he explored the area, he discovered some old grape stakes among the trees, indicating that grapes had once been planted in the area. By JACK HEEGER, Register Staff Writer.Aug. 10, 2006 Read article. Charles Smith Interview on www.AppellationAmerica.comThree and a half decades on the mountain has given Charles Smith a deep understanding of what it takes to grow and produce great wines on these steep slopes. By Alan Goldfarb Smith-Madrone in Oscars Gift Baskets... say "Cheese"The envelope please…..we are recognized as an outstanding artisanal winery and are included in an elaborate wine and cheese tasting being given to Academy Award presenters and performers at the Oscar festivities March 5 in Hollywood! Stay tuned! For more details on the cheeses, please visit www.TheCheeseImpresario.com. Jay McInerny on the Brothers SmithUncorked: Domestic Bliss by Jay McInerney © House & Garden, June 2005
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"The ThrowBacks: They aren’t well-known, but the Smith Brothers of Smith-Madrone have been producing outstanding Rieslings (and Cabernets and Chardonnays) at old-fashioned prices since the 1970s...