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KULETO ESTATE Napa Valley, California K uleto Estate's 761-acre ranch overlooks Lake Hennessey and Prichard Hill in eastern Napa Valley. Steeply wooded hillsides interspersed with 82.9 acres of tiny vineyards divided into more than 100 micro-blocks. Complexity of topography, geology and climate supports a range of varieties that comprise three succulent estate blends. Kuleto's in-house crew picks small lots just in time and winemaker Dave Lattin wholeheartedly embraces co-fermentation. "Instead of waiting for enough of a particular variety to have a pure tank or lot, we combine whatever fruit happens to be perfectly ripe at the moment." The resulting blended bottles vary quite a bit from each other. The Kuleto 2009 Native Son (83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Sangiovese and 2% Zinfandel) brings red cherry candy, milk chocolate and bloody black cherry to a smooth, rich fi nish. The red-blue Kuleto 2009 Frog Prince (67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Syrah and 5% Petit Verdot) smells like pine and tastes like Rainier cherry and dark chocolate. The black-red Kuleto 2009 India Ink (55% Syrah and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon) noses blackberry liqueur and vanilla, while the palate is all dark ash and blueberry. Blended wines are Lattin's chance to express his artistic vision. "It's exciting to fi nd special terroir and employ cutting-edge viticulture. It's satisfying to vinify fruit in a thoughtful and artistic fashion. But the most important factor in creating a successful brand is distribution. You can make all the great wine in the world, but if you can't sell it, you're not going to be in business long." FOLEY FAMILY WINES FLORA SPRINGS Napa Valley, California F lora Springs, founded in 1978 (although its winemaking roots go back to the 19th cen- tury), lies at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains in the far northwest corner of Napa's Rutherford appellation. Ninety percent of this family estate's red wines are sourced from 650 acres of organically farmed estate vineyards and crafted in a solar-powered, 19th-century stone winery and caves. The winery also owns a fully automated grape sorting system which has the ability to remove shot or dehydrated berries, stems and leaves, all of which otherwise subtract from quality. While Aristotle may have not been referring to the grape when he said the whole is more than the sum of its parts, winemaker Paul Steinauer believes that this sentiment could not be truer than in the blending of wines. "Not taking advantage of the possibilities offered by blending would be like a chef limiting himself to only one spice. Mixing enhances any or all of the attributes of wine, including aromatics, mouthfeel and fi nish." The 25th anniversary vintage of Flora Springs Trilogy, vintage 2008 ($65), is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 2.5% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Malbec. It exhibits a beautiful deep ruby color that leads to blueberry, black raspberry and black currant fruit on the nose. The tongue feels fl owers, well-integrated oak and spice. This is medium- to full-bodied with silky tannins, already complex and delicious, enjoyable by itself or with food, today and in the coming decades. Steinauer says his only problem lies in keeping up with demand. "The worldwide market has really blossomed in recent years, particularly in Asia. As some of our new vine- yard blocks in Rutherford come into production, we hope to be able to provide more bottles." 126 / the tasting panel / april 2012