For the beginning of what is sure to be a cold winter, we take you this month on a trip to the west coast to bask in the warm sun and look out into the sea. More specifically we are traveling vicariously through our wines to the Northern Coast of California (Sonoma and Napa) with a luscious Viognier and racy Cabernet Sauvignon.

2006 Arrowood Viognier, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, California

The cool climate and long growing season of the Russian River Valley are well suited to Viognier, a grape which finds its origins in France’s Rhone valley. The slow ripening of the fruit results in a powerfully heady bouquet backed by wonderful acidity. Robert Parker awarded this wine with 90 points and we can see why. It is aged five months in seasoned French oak and undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation giving it a sumptuously creamy texture. With only just over 600 cases produced we are very pleased to be able to bring it to you.

The winemaking philosophy at Arrowood is simple: Produce classic varietal wines using grapes exclusively from Sonoma County’s diverse viticultural areas such as Russian River Valley, Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys or Sonoma-Carneros. This approach has not changed since the winery was founded in 1986 by Richard Arrowood, who has been making wine for more than four decades, and his wife and partner, Alis Demers Arrowood.

Viognier is one of those grapes that can be so over made that it gets too fatty and almost, dare we say, unapproachable and more like sweet flavored castor oil then a beautiful, expressive and aromatic wine. The Arrowood Viognier is not an example of that. It takes the fattiness of the grape and brings in subtle but noticeable amount of minerality and acidity to balance out the richness. Ripe tropical fruits of papaya, pineapple, melon, kiwi, lemon, yellow apple, apricot with some slight floral undertones of gardenia, and honey suckle overtake your senses. Slight spices of white pepper and clove linger generously in the finish. Exotic and tropical, perfect for this cold month to sweep you away to warmer places, if only for a few moments in your imagination.

2005 Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, California

Caravan is the second wine from the famous Napa producer Darioush.  Made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot and 2% Malbec this wine is by all accounts a classic Bordeaux blend but by California Law can be classified as a Cabernet Sauvignon (it only has to be 75%). But we sure are glad they blended because it has done nothing but add complexity and nuance to what has become one of the Wine. staff’s favorite wines. It has been aged 22 months in 70% new French oak, medium toast Bordeaux barrels with meticulous attention to detail. It is hand-harvested and hand-sorted twice, before and after de-stemming, cold soaked for 72 hours in small closed top fermenters and pumped over three times per day, pressed and racked to barrels. Did we mention meticulous attention?

The grapes come from an estate vineyard producing wines with more fruit and roundness than typically targeted for Darioush ‘Signature’ wines; and the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc components from the estate and Mount Veeder remaining after the Signature Cabernet blend is achieved.

Can you say berry?  We can! Blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry this wine has them all. Layers or flavors lay themselves before you in the form of milk chocolate, black pepper, clove, red chili, dark cherry, dried herbs, plum, cola, fig, red roses, violets and dried orange peel with a little toasted char. Not at all overwhelming yet still full of elegance and complexity this wines is good now and will only improve with age.