Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/931490
january/february 2018 / the tasting panel / 107 DEEPEST THINKERS Miner Family Winery 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley ($23) Before making his entrance into the wine business, Dave Miner previously worked in the software industry. But just three years after he was named president of his uncle's winery Oakville Ranch Vineyards in 1993, Miner had channeled his great love for wine and keen business sense into establishing his own label: the Miner Family Winery. The winery is located along the eastern hills of the Oakville appellation in the heart of Napa Valley; in 1999, more than 20,000 square feet of caves were carved into the hillside and now serve as Miner's cellar and events space (it also houses wine storage for other wineries). Miner creates wines from a selection of high-profile California vineyards, and the Miner Family Winery 2016 Sauvignon Blanc particularly caught the attention of our Editor-in-Chief Anthony Dias Blue. The fusion of superb vineyard sites and thoughtful winemaking allows Miner to deliver elegant, expressive wines; for this reason, we've deemed the Miner Family Winery team the "Deepest Thinkers" of 2017. Smooth and peachy with silky texture and clean, invigorating style from a winery with nine vineyard sites; bright, tangy, and racy with balance, bracing flavors, and good length. 92 —A.D.B., September 2017 Cadaretta 2013 Windthrow Red Blend, Columbia Valley, WA MIDDLETON FAMILY WINES Cadaretta 2014 Southwind Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, WA MIDDLETON FAMILY WINES Calcareous Vineyard 2013 Moose Red Wine, Paso Robles, CA KOBRAND WINE & SPIRITS Calla Lily Estate 2014 Ultimate Red Pinot Noir, Carneros, Napa Valley, CA Cambria Wines 2015 Benchbreak Estate Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, CA JACKSON FAMILY WINES Camparo 2011 Barolo Boiolo, La Morra, Italy THE ORGANIC CELLAR Campo alla Sughera 2011 Arnione, Bolgheri Rosso Superiore DOC, Italy CURIOUS CORK IMPORTS Celler de Capçanes 2013 La Flor del Flor de Primavera Garnacha, Montsant, Spain ROYAL WINE CORP. Capensis 2014 Chardonnay, Western Cape, South Africa JACKSON FAMILY WINES Cardinal Rule 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley, CA Carrick Wines 2015 Bannockburn Chardonnay, Central Otago, New Zealand PACIFIC PRIME WINES Castlepoint 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough, New Zealand WINE DOGS IMPORTS Castoro Cellars 2015 Zinfusion Reserve Zinfandel, Paso Robles, CA Cave Spring Cellars 2014 Riesling Icewine, Niagara Peninsula, Canada Cave Spring Cellars 2015 Estate Riesling, VQA Beamsville Bench, Canada Cellardoor Winery 2013 Artist Series Iron Gate, Yakima Valley, CA Center of Effort 2013 Chardonnay, Edna Valley, CA Chamisal Vineyards 2013 Estate Pinot Noir, Edna Valley, CA CRIMSON WINE GROUP Champagne Lombard Brut Nature, Le Mesnil sur Oger Grand Cru, France Charles Heintz 2013 Valentina Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA Château de Beaucastel 2014 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France VINEYARD BRANDS Château Léoville Poyferré 2014 Pavillon de Léoville Poyferré, Saint Julien, France ROYAL WINE CORP. Château Malartic-Lagravière 2014 Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé, France ROYAL WINE CORP. Chimney Rock 2014 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA TERLATO WINE GROUP Clos de la Tech 2012 Domaine du Docteur Rodgers Vineyard Pinot Noir, San Francisco Bay, CA Clos Du Val 2014 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Hirondelle Vineyard, Stags Leap District, CA CLOS DU VAL WINE CO., LTD. Concha y Toro 2012 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, Alto Maipo Valley, Chile EXCELSIOR WINES Copain Wines 2015 Tous Ensemble Pinot Noir, Mendocino, CA Craggy Range 2016 Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand KOBRAND WINE & SPIRITS Craggy Range 2016 Te Muna Road Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough, New Zealand KOBRAND WINE & SPIRITS Dobbes Family Estate 2015 Sundown Vineyard Viognier, Rogue Valley, OR Domaine Carneros 2008 Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs, Carneros, CA KOBRAND WINE & SPIRITS Domaine de Terra Vecchia 2016 Syrah-Nielluccio Rosé, Île-de-Beauté IGP, Corsica, France GASKO & MEYER Don Sebastiani & Sons 2015 Don & Sons Chardonnay, Watmaugh Ranch, CA DON SEBASTIANI & SONS Doña Paula 2016 Los Cardos Malbec, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina TRINCHERO FAMILY ESTATES Doña Paula 2016 Los Cardos Sauvignon Blanc, Mendoza, Argentina TRINCHERO FAMILY ESTATES Donati Family Vineyard 2013 The Immigrant Barrel Reserve Bordeaux Blend, CA Donelan Wines 2013 Two Brothers Pinot Noir, Sonoma, CA Donelan Wines 2013 Cuvée Christine Syrah, Sonoma, CA Donelan Family Wines 2013 Walker Vine Hill Vineyard Syrah, Russian River Valley, CA Donelan Family Wines 2014 Nancie Chardonnay, Sonoma, CA Donnafugata 2014 Ben Ryé Zibibbo, Passito di Pantelleria DOC, Italy FOLIO FINE WINE PARTNERS Dr. Loosen 2015 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany EDWARD MOSELEY/LOOSEN BROS. USA Draxton Wines 2016 Nelson Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley, CA Dry Creek Vineyard 2014 Merlot, Dry Creek Valley, CA Duckhorn 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA DUCKHORN VINEYARDS Ehlers Estate 2013 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA LEDUCQ FOUNDATION Eighty Four 2013 Malbec, Napa Valley, CA SHAFER VINEYARDS Famille Perrin 2014 Les Sinards Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France VINEYARD BRANDS Feliz Noche Cellars 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Barbara County, CA ONYX WINE Felton Road 2015 Block 5 Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand THE COUNTRY VINTNER Feudo Maccari 2014 Saia Nero d'Avola, Sicily, Italy KOBRAND WINE & SPIRITS