Hess Family Wines Elevate, Innovate

The Hess Family Winery was established during the late 1970s when Swiss bottled-water entrepreneur Donald Hess visited Napa Valley in search of spring water -- but fell in love with wine instead. He changed his life focus, befriended Robert Mondavi, and was among the first Napa winery owners seeking to source grapes from Mount Veeder. Five generations later, Donald has retired but his family succeeds him in running the business.

Today, the family owns wineries in California and Argentina – with more west coast vineyard acquisition planned.  Donald has also been an avid art collector and his wineries in Napa, California and Salta, Argentina include his carefully curated collection.

Nicole Carter, Hess Family Wine Estates Director of Winemaking and Chief Marketing Officer was in New York City this week to show some of the wines from the Hess Collection series and talk about exciting news in the winery.  

She started by explaining that, by planning the winery’s succession while Donald is still alive, the family is well-situated for a successful transition.  She explained that now millennials are at the helm of a 40-year-old business, which provides interesting opportunities to connect with the wine drinkers of tomorrow.  Another big change is Nicole’s own recent promotion to Director of Winemaking, Nicole is leading the enterprise in the development of new luxury wines – in other words, they are not aiming to develop more of the under $20 offerings. So Nicole is looking to elevate the offerings of the winery.

And, speaking of elevation, in addition to vineyards on Mount Veeder, the Hess family has historically planted high (harkening to Donald’s Swiss background.)  Donald was determined to plant the highest vineyard in the world and today his 10,000 foot high vineyard in the Andes, named Altura Maxima, is in the Guinness Book of World Records.  

The wines we tried at the recent tasting included current Napa offerings:

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 Hess Collection Estate Grown Chardonnay 2016 – Nicole said she thinks a Napa Valley Chardonnay requires a certain texture and this wine eschews the all-stainless approach that some winemakers have to deliver a definitely Californian Chardonnay – but with restraint. Grown in a cool pocket of Napa near the bay, the wine had refreshing acidity and flavors of crisp apples with a hint of butter. Oak was present but not pervasive, and careful aging included putting only 19% of wine in new French oak.  $22

-       Hess Collection Lion Tamer, Red Blend 2015 – The labeling on this project is distinct, with the family crest symbol of the lion taking on a beautiful, Byzantine feel.  Inside the bottle is a surprising blend that includes 50% Malbec, 23% Zinfandel, and five other traditional Bordeaux blend grapes. The result is a big wine with a sweet cherry/blackberry fruit profile and a kick of black pepper.  Great with the ribeye we enjoyed at the Tuscany Steakhouse. $45

-       Hess Collection Napa Valley “Allomi” Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 – A single vineyard comprised of six different Cabernet clones growing in the hills of northeastern Napa. This rich Cab had a pretty nose of roses, cherries, and leather. On the palate there was black cherry, black currants and black pepper. The wine offered nice acidity and a long finish.

-       Hess Collection Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 – While many Napa Cabs need a good deal of aging for tannins to settle down, this wine isn’t one. In another innovative blending twist, Nicole explains, “Malbec tames tannin.” The addition of 18% Malbec brings a quality of lushness to the often angular Napa Cab structure.  This wine had a blackberry nose and intense blackberry flavors on the plate.  It was a round, somewhat plush red, rich and full, but without the harshness of a full-on young Cab. Highly recommend. $65

For consumers looking for moderately priced Napa wines at a luxury taste level, look no further than the Hess Collection.

Valentin Bianchi - Argentine wines with Italian pedigree

In the 20th century, Italian immigrants came to Argentina in search of a new life, including Valentin Bianchi, who founded a winery in San Raphael, Mendoza in 1928.  After a few short years, the winery's efforts were winning awards, including the nation's Maximum Quality Prize in 1934.  Today the Bianchi family continues to make wine in Mendoza using rootstock from their ancestral home of Italy, as well as California and France.

The wines of Bodega Valentin Bianchi were poured at a media dinner at the Chimichurri Grill in Manhattan and wowed the participants with their high quality, variety of styles and varieties, and winning quality/price ratio.   

The wines poured are as follows: 

- Bianchi Brut Sparkling - This inviting sparkling wine has fresh, toasty nose from 12 months lees aging.  It is produced in the traditional method with second fermentation in the bottle. A crisp wine to celebrate with for only $21.99. 

- Elsa Torrontes - Named for the grandmother of the current owners, this expressive wine is highly aromatic.  The lush tropical fruit on the nose is rewarded with pineapple and mango on the palate.  It was a vibrant wine honoring a woman who was the same.  This terrific distinctive Argentine wine offers great quality for the low price of $11.99. 

- Valentin Bianchi Malbec 2016 - Delicious, well-priced Malbec with plummy notes, plush mouthfeel, medium tannins and leather and tobacco. Dark chocolate and cherries, too - all for $15.99

- L10 Premium Malbec 2015 - Complex layers of chocolate, plums, dark cherries with firmer tannins and good length.  This project was produced to benefit world-renowned soccer player Leo Messi's charity benefiting disadvantaged children. $29.99

-  Famiglia Bianchi Nebbiolo Malbec 2014 - And here the old and new heritage of the winery are both present in a blend of Italian Nebbiolo and Argentine Malbec.  Sweet fruit core of strawberries with spicy cloves, backed up by good acid and nice length.  $19.99

- Particular Malbec 2014 - Bright red fruit on nose and palate, well integrated tannins, long length, super plush mouthfeel. Highly recommend. $30.99 

- Enzo Bianchi 2013 - Dark black and red fruit, huge length, nice pepper spice as well.  This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Mabec (20%), and Petit Verdot (7%).  Fantastic age-worthy wine. $54.99

In this tasting, participants enjoyed a range of flavors from this Neuvo Argentine restaurant - from oysters to empanadas to filet mignon.  We found the range of wines worked really well with all the bold flavors served.  Seek out the wines of Valentin Bianchi for well-priced wines of distinctive  character. 

Attilio Ghisolfi working magic with seven hectares of prime Langhe

The wines of Attilio Ghisolfi were recently poured at a media dinner in New York City at Bobby Van’s Grill. The tasting covered a range of wines from the portfolio, and there’s something for everyone there.  The winery intentionally is creating some entry-point Barolo and Barbera, as well as high-end single vineyard offerings from prime Piedmont real estate.

Founder Carlo Ghisolfi started out by buying a compact, nine acre property in 1895 where he began making wine.  Carlo's great grandson Gianmarco along with his father started producing wines under their own label in 1987.  Today, this family-owned winery is committed to farming organically, eschewing pesticides and chemical fertilizers in favor of organic soil enrichments.  The small winery itself is surrounded by vineyards that fall within “Bussia,” one of the best Barolo cru production areas.

The portfolio tasting included: 

Attilio Ghisolfi Barbara d'Alba Maggiore 2013 - A dark and lovely wine with firm tannins, juicy cherry, and nice acidity. Am a big fan of Barbara d'Alba as a moderately priced, high quality northern Italian red.  

Attilio Ghisolfi Langhe Nebbiolo 2015 - Fragrant nose of dried cherry and leather, with good acid and a long finish. A delicious entry point to the winery's Nebbiolo-based wines. 

Attilio Ghisolfi Barolo Bussia 2013 - Elegant wine with dried rose petals, cherries, good acid structure. Grapes are from vines grown in white tufa soil near Monforte d'Alba.

Attilio Ghisolfi Barolo Bricco Visette 2013- The 2013 shows good potential for development with ripe cherry flavors, firm tannins, and plenty of acid. The vines used in this wine range from 15 - 50 years old, and the maturation combines large and smaller French oak barriques.

Attilio Ghisolfi Barolo Bricco Visette 2011 - Seeing the development from this highly prized vineyard region, which is 300-350 meters high.  The 2011 is drinking great now - a rich wine with tart blackberries mingling with the cherries and firm tannins propped up by good acidity. Highly recommend.

Attilio Ghisolfi Barolo Bricco Visette 2010 - Nose offers hints of coffee, while palate is bright with lush ripe cherries as well as baking spices. Long finish. At eight years old, this Barolo from the Bussia area is drinking great now, highly recommend.

The wines of Attilio Ghisolfi are widely available in both New York and New Jersey.  Seek them out for elegant expressions of age-worthy Barolo and delicious Barbara and Nebbiolo.