Markham Vineyards Revisited

 Back in the 1990's when Merlot was a hot commodity, Markham was a marquee brand. It was from Napa Valley, around $25 bucks a bottle, and it was damn good wine. In fact, the 1990 Markham Merlot was named Merlot of the Year by Wine Spectator magazine. California wine was on fire back then. 

But demand for Merlot was so strong that growers started planting Merlot in all of the wrong places, and it started to suck. And the movie Sideways. And fashion trends. And consumers moved on. This was not good for Markham.

Good luck googling the various ownership changes at Markham - the record is a little bit obscure and complicated, but today it appears to the in the hands of a Japanese company called Distinguished Brands. Somehow, Kimberlee Nicholls has been at Markham since 1993 when she was hired on as an oenologist. Today, she is the winemaker, and her name is on the front label. It should be.

 I have recently tasted a few wines from Markham, including the 2021 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, and I have to say they are super impressive, even if they're a bit more expensive than they were in the 1990's. They're also BETTER. Understand, the 2021 vintage is quite special, but there's unquestionably some winemaking finesse going on here. Kimberlee Nicholls is not a youngster, and not new to Markham, but I still reckon she's a winemaker to watch.

2021 Marked Parcels Little Cannon Vineyard Oak Knoll, Napa Valley ($73) This wine is simply superb! Easily one of the best California Merlots that I've tried in the past few years. It's fresh, vivacious, versatile and flavorful with gorgeous cherry, plum and blackberry fruit and great acidity. It's delicious now and I would love to try it in ten years. Super impressive. (95 Points) 

 2021 Markham Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($53) When I tried this red weeks later, I said to myself, "OK, that Merlot was no fluke." This is in the exact same vein. It is similarly focused, fresh, not overripe, not over-oaked, just juicy and balanced, with good concentration and lots of cassis, black cherry, and blackberry fruit with just a hint of cocoa. It is clearly very lightly filtered and already dropping a fair amount of sediment, which is fine. Everyone in my household was impressed, and the price makes it one of the better values in Napa Valley Cabernet that I can think of. It's right up there with Turnbull's outstanding entry-level Napa Cab. I know it isn't a cheap date, but this is a really good Napa Cab for the price. (93 Points)

 

Textbook 2022 Pey Family Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40)

 

 

I know Jonathan Pey best for his work in Marin County (a very cool climate just north of the Golden Gate Bridge), where he made Riesling and some other wines for many years. His newer value-oriented brand, Textbook, makes Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and Paso Robles, red blends, and a couple of white wines. In 2019, as the brand was seeing good growth, it was sold to Distinguished Vineyards and Wine Partners (a subsidiary of Kirin), but Jonathan Pey stayed on as winemaker. As Napa Cabs go, this one is a good value if you can get it for under $40. It's very well-made, velvety, has rich black and red fruit, and has nice structure for short-term drinking. Recommended.

- Tim Teichgraeber

Auteur 2022 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Carneros ($65)

Kenneth Juhasz is making some very Burgundian-inspired, spectacular wines at Sonoma-based Auteur. This Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay is decidedly restrained, weighing in at an alleged 12.8% alcohol, with tense flint, apricot, gardenia, and jasmine aromas. Well-chilled, it would be hard to peg this as a California Chardonnay, but it doesn't come across as Burgundy, either. As it warms, a bit of subtle oak becomes apparent, but it remains bright, elegant, and tightly-wound. This is a subtle, not showy wine, but it has tons of class. It's a little like a Wong Kar-wai Film - it rewards the attentive and patient. (94 Points).

 

Calera 2021 Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir Mt. Harlan, CA ($125)

 

 I have to hand it to Calera winemaker Mike Waller, this wine speaks softly, but exudes class. Made from an 11-acre vineyard of 4 hilltops at around 2,000 ft. elevation that Josh Jensen planted with a suitcase clone quaintly described as the "Calera selection," this wine is a California classic year in, year out. It has generous, expressive black cherry, mulberry, conifer, and oyster mushroom notes with a hint of soy sauce and limestone. The oak is so perfectly integrated that you barely notice it at all. Effortly impressive. (96 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber

Sky 2017 Zinfandel Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley ($48)

 

It's been a little while since I have tried Sky's wines, but I've always found them to be well made and very reflective of the cool, mountain terroir of Mt. Veeder. It's a little surprising that the current vintage is 2017, which probably says a lot about the state of the wine business (and the market for Zinfandel). That said, the wine is holding up pretty well with notes of black pepper, brambly berry fruit that's just beginning to take on a bit of a baked character. It has a hefty alcohol content at 15.5%, but it also has great natural acidity. Recommended.

- Tim Teichgraeber

Smith Madrone 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District Napa Valley ($65)

 If you're looking for a truly age-worthy Cab from Napa Valley at a reasonable price, seek out this gem from Spring Mountain. Yes, it is a little bit rustic in that it has a little bit of environmental herbaceousness (think madrone scrub, and not a bad thing for me tbh), and a good bit of rocky, mountain minerality. The oak is still integrating, but the cocktail of deep red and black fruit, anise, vanilla, toast, sage, and stone is mesmerizing. This is a refreshing departure from some of the often too decadent, over-polished, over-priced wines from Napa Valley bench. It's a resolute mountain wine with a critical point of view from the mountaintop, a wine from a very particular place atop Spring Mountain. I would love to try this again in 20 years. Respect. (94 Points)

 

 

- Tim Teichgraeber

Brandlin Estate 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder Napa Valley ($110)

 I can't say enough good things about the 2021 vintage for Napa Cabernet. Early estimations were largely extremely positive, but the more wines I taste from this vintage, the more impressed I am. Brandlin is the brother / sister estate of Cuvaison in Carneros, and it has a great track record for Mt. Veeder Cabernet and more. This wine captures what is special about the relatively small, elevated Mt. Veeder district. With mountain wines you get plenty of intensity, and this wine has all that, especially in the nose, which is loaded with brambly blackberry, rose, violet, tar, and graphite. The relatively cool Mt. Veeder area also delivers on elegance, with fragrant, perfumed aromas, and not too much weight on the palate - just a firm, minerally finish. This Cab delivers on that second front, too, and that quality ramps up the seductiveness of the wine with every sip. I love it. (96 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber