Mitchell Katz Winery

Mitch Katz, winemaker at Mitchell Katz Winery in Livermore, wonders year after year: how do John Canfield and Courtney Cooke, the self-deterministic owners and caretakers of Crackerbox Vineyard, do it? He knows they meticulously maintain their vineyard, caring for each vine as if it were their flesh and blood. In a sense, they are. He knows these two growers care more about the health of their vineyard than most people care about their own. Yet, how do they consistently pick those grapes at just the right moment? It’s all about pulling in the fruit while it’s still wild, child. Just before it takes the extra leap into the sugar zone.

Mitch has been making some very fine wine from this vineyard, and this 2004 is one of the best yet. He’s grateful to have access to this premium fruit from what is becoming an increasingly popular place to plant Italian varieties, including Sangiovese and Barbera.

This 100% Sangiovese is a beautiful inky-dark purple, like a perfect Italian Chianti. It bursts forth with aromas of cherries, basil and earthy clay, promising a rich and satisfying experience: it most certainly delivers. This is not always the case with wines that have a promising nose. Having just returned from judging the 2006 Indy International Competition, I can say that it was with great frequency that I encountered wines of promising aroma, only to be bleakly disappointed by the lack of follow-through on the palate. Not so here. This is a big wine with chewy plums, a hint of sweet cherries; followed by bright acid, roasted sweet sun dried tomatoes, cedar, basil and oregano. The finish is thyme, pepper, and sweet roasted onion, all wrapped in a smooth package of velvety tannins. This is a stand-up food wine that won’t back down. If you serve it with a dish that incorporates sun dried tomatoes and basil, you will call out these flavors like an orchestra conductor asking the violas to play a little louder: forté, forté, mille grazie!

(Alc: 14.8%, Retail: $22)

Reviewed August 6, 2006 by Laura Ness.