That was true even before I started writing about wine, when I was just a consumer. There’s something about the business that attracts friendly people. They like to talk about what they do with people who are interested in wine.
I was reminded of that again last week when Mike and Terry Lamborn came to town for a practice round at the Masters Tournament. They were here three years ago, and I first met them four years ago when a group of friends visited their Lamborn Family Vineyards on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley.
Mike and Terry are special people. Every time we meet, they make you feel like best friends reuniting. My natural inclination is to be in awe of people like them because I cannot imagine going through what they go through to make great wine. But they put you at ease.
The Lamborns will tell you quickly that they don’t make the wine, they just grow the grapes. But as any great wine maker will tell you, you can’t make good wine without great grapes. It also helps that they have a great winemaker, Heidi Barrett, who gained fame with the spectacular wine at Screaming Eagle.
Mike says it’s because they sit above the fog that settles in the valley, so they get more sun. Then when the temperature inversion sets in at night, it stays warm on the mountain. The vineyard doesn’t get heat spikes, so the grapes ripen gradually and over a long period of time. He told me they picked their Zinfandel in November this year.
Lamborn has always produced only Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel from estate grapes. The family likes to control the growing process because they emphasize quality in everything they do.
Three years ago they added a Rosé, made from the Zinfandel grapes, and it is wonderful. My friend John Black, who with his wife Dorothy hosted the Lamborns, said it is the first Rosé he’s ever had that he enjoys.
The wine has good body and texture, with more complexity than you usually find in a blush wine.
The 2014 Mary-Hāna Rosé was full-bodied, full of rich flavor, without any sweetness. It was everything you could want in a Rosé. Here’s what winemaker Barrett has to say about it: “Flavors of freshly picked and totally ripe strawberries, this wine is lively, juicy, and fun.”
This Rosé, named after the two oldest and female members of the fourth generation (cousins Mary and Hāna), is bone dry and will not leave your palate “sticky.” The presence of color can often be associated with flavor, and this Rosé has plenty of both.
Barrett’s tasting notes:
“The nose immediately presents sumptuous notes of black cherry and raspberry, driven by the medium toast of new American oak. Fresh spice aromas give way to underlying tones of rich red fruit, briar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Supported on a solid foundation of maximum color extraction, this is a Zinfandel of incredible balance and smoothness. Dark fruits, pepper, and spice on the front palate give way to subtle crushed rock and mineral nuances with a luxuriously long finish. Another elegant Lamborn Zinfandel, this is one not to be missed!”
The most incredible thing to me is the day before we tasted a 2004 Lamborn Cab that was every bit as bright and vibrant as the 2011. It had not lost a bit of freshness in aging. And the flavors just got more complex and deep as the wine aged.
Here are Barrett’s tasting notes:
“Presenting with a dark and incredibly rich color, the aromas showcase a beautifully focused nose of black currant and blueberry with caramel and a slight dust. Soft and silky with moderate tannin, layers of blueberry and chocolate give way to secondary blue fruit and vanilla. Considered to be a ‘tough year,’ this hilltop Cabernet is a premium example of the myriad benefits of farming grapes at elevation.”
Author Dennis Sodomka