Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/21004
Trinchero 2008 Central Park West Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena (SRP $40) conjures up exotic flo- ral notes of lavender and jasmine with hints of tea. Billowy soft texture plays well with an earthy core of espresso and dark mocha, while a blackberry creaminess floats along the palate. “This wine has all the complexity of the ’07 with even more power and intensity,” Monticelli confirms. “When I think of St. Helena Cab, I think of the style that people come to expect from Napa Valley.” A Family’s History Mario and Mary Trinchero came to the Napa Valley in 1947 and purchased an abandoned winery in St. Helena. The name of the winery was painted in huge letters across the roof of the barn: SUTTER HOME. Not able to afford the paint it would take to paint over and replace the sign, the Trincheros decided to let the name stay. The overwhelming success At Trinchero’s Hospitality Center (open only to the trade), four full-time chefs prepare fresh seasonal meals for guests in a state-of-the-art open show kitchen. Here, Chef James Houghton pairs the ’08 Trinchero Central Park West Cab with a grilled Masami Wagyu flatiron steak with trumpet mushrooms and herb purée. of Sutter Home White Zinfandel —the varietal actually invented by Bob Trinchero—allowed the Trincheros to expand. Today, the family-owned company produces more than 25 brands, including Sutter Home, Trinchero Napa Valley, Napa Cellars, Terra d’Oro, Montevina, Trinity Oaks, Folie à Deux and Ménage à Trois, as well as Fre, the number-one alcohol- removed wine. The company also imports Angove Vineyards and Little Boomey wines from Australia and markets the Joel Gott and Three Thieves brands. For more information, go to www.tfewines.com. Seasonal greetings: Trinchero’s 2008 Cab Franc has a flavor and aromatic character that whips up thoughts of the winter holidays. Trinchero 2008 Central Park West Cabernet Franc, St. Helena (SRP $50) sparks a chorus of Christmas carols. Clove, mint, sarsaparilla and dried herbs find their way beyond the glass but mingle back on the palate with black tea and juicy pomegranate. Old World acidity and a surprising turn for the softer side of this sometimes-hard- to-hold-its-own varietal. Trinchero 2008 Chicken Ranch A wood-burning pizza oven at Trinchero’s Hospitality Center and Kitchen makes for mouth-water- ing views of a variety of locavore ingredients that converge on round, flour-dusted dough. The Trinchero ’08 Merlot’s Old World character couldn’t be a better pairing with this fig and goat cheese pizza made by Chef James Houghton. Vineyard Merlot, Rutherford (SRP $40) begins with wafting aromas of cin- namon and brown sugar stirred with red fruit. On the palate, the cherries grow riper amid even more red fruit: strawberries and raspberries unite. But it’s mid-palate that this red dives into the Old World, when soil and sun kick in with pencil lead, cedar and cigar box to make you think you’re drinking a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. No Ordinary Barrel Room “Million Dollar Smell.” That’s how winemaker Mario Monticelli refers to the fragrant lightness of the oak that perme- ates the air in this exquisite French oak barrel room. Note the ceiling, an architectural inspiration that salutes Italian immigrant Mario Trinchero’s arrival at Ellis Island in New York City in the 1920s. december 2010 / the tasting panel / 63