Rich Cook at WineReviewOnline tastes the 2019 Riesling:
96 points: What to say that hasn’t already been said about the Smith brothers’ Riesling commitment? Many thought they should have been “committed” (likely more than once) for not grafting it over to something more market friendly — but thank your lucky stars that they persevered, as I do every time I open one. This continues a long line of age-worthy, drink any time over the next 20 years or so wines that you need to have in your cellar. I say this not as a seller, just as a fellow aficionado that wants to make sure you don’t miss out on one of California’s greats.
A superior Riesling from Napa Valley….not just Napa Valley but specifically from the Spring Mountain District and a seven-acre vineyard that slopes at 34-degrees and lies between 1,300- and 1,900-feet elevation. In other words, the Smith-Madrone Riesling 2019, Spring Mountain, is a mountainside wine whose environment pushes the vines — you could say, stresses them — to send their roots deep through the rocks and into the soil and subsoil for nutrients. In human beings, we would call this process “character-building.”
The color is very pale straw-gold; the bouquet offers intense, penetrating aromas of green apple and pear, tangerine and grapefruit, with beguiling notes of quince, green tea and lychee; a few moments in the glass elicit hints of jasmine and honeysuckle, damp limestone and flint; zinging acidity courses through this riesling like an electrical charge, lending tremendous vivacity and tone and tying together all the elements of ripe peach and pomelo, traces of dried sage and thyme and crystalline limestone minerality; the wine finishes with a high, wild note of slightly bitter grapefruit, bringing a perfect sense of balance. 13.3% alcohol. Now through 2030 to ‘34. Brothers Charles Smith and Stuart Smith produced 1,087 cases. Exceptional.
Esther Mobley in the April 10 San Francisco Chronicle:
“It isn’t just flared jeans and Fleetwood Mac. There’s another relic of the 1970s experiencing a comeback: the decade’s Napa Valley wines. Younger California vintners these days routinely cite “Napa from the 1970s” as their inspiration. Lately, the subject has come up almost weekly in my interviews with winemakers, including many who aren’t making wine in Napa Valley at all. They describe their intended style as “retro.” What these ’70s worshipers are trying to emulate, broadly, is Cabernet Sauvignon that was low in alcohol, with chewy tannins and plenty of vegetal flavors — a style that fell out of favor in the ’80s and ’90s when Napa Valley wines got riper, fruitier and more polished.……..
“Nobody who’s lived through the ’70s wants to go back to that equipment,” said Stu Smith, who co-founded Smith-Madrone Vineyards in 1974. Those green, herbal flavors? Those are due to compounds called pyrazines, which can be mitigated by increasing the sun exposure on the vine. But “we didn’t know anything about that until the late ’70s,” said Smith. The flavors appeared whether the winemakers wanted them or not.…………….
The winemakers who lived through those decades believe that the new technology, knowledge exchange with other global regions and improved farming techniques all have changed their wines for the better….”
Smith-Madrone Winery dates back to the very early 1970s in Napa Valley, a time when wineries weren’t so common. Stuart and Charlie Smith literally carved out an incredible future in fine wine making back then and have maintained top quality all those years. It’s been way too long since I last sat down with Charlie for an interview, in fact it’s been since 2013, and it was great to get caught up. Times have changed but one thing has not, the quest for making the best wine possible.
For many years we’ve been honored to support one of Napa Valley’s most impactful non-profits—Nimbus Arts, which offers a huge range of art programs for children & adults up and down the Valley.
As in previous years, we’ll be one of the wineries pouring our wine and supporting Nimbus Arts at the 15th annual NIMBASH fundraiser. The theme this year is AI – Art Intelligence. Think of the interconnectedness found in nature, the cosmos and the world of art and creativity.
Festivities take place on Saturday, May 11 from 5:30-10:00 pm at Charles Krug Winery, 2800 Main St, St Helena. Tickets are sold out but there is a waiting list at https://www.nimbusarts.org/nimbash-2024-waitlist/.
The evening includes great art activities, lots of wines and foods to try before a fun dinner and then a wild fashion show and benefit auction. We’ll be there with a table pouring our wines before dinner and have donated wines for a dinner and a super-special 3L double magnum of 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon for the auction.
In recent news, we are grateful for a great honor our Riesling recently received. At Houston’s 2024 Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition in February, our 2018 Riesling was awarded Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show, Class Champion, Double Gold. At the auction celebrating the Competition, a 9-liter bottle of this wine raised $225,000, the second highest amount for a lot in the history of the event. More details are here.
On to thoughts of spring! What will you be celebrating this spring? Holidays like Easter and Passover? A graduation or two? The arrival of wonderful weather and good friends for dinner?
At Smith-Madrone we’re celebrating two new releases—the 2019 Estate Riesling and the 2018 Cook’s Flat Reserve.
The 2018 Cook’s Flat Reserve is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Cabernet Franc.
Charlie’s thoughts on the wine: The 13% Cabernet Franc makes itself felt right from the start. The wine has a pronounced dark fruit aroma with an unmistakable suggestion of roses, tobacco, cassis and violets, plus potent hints of black and white pepper and turmeric. On the palate the 87% Cabernet Sauvignon asserts itself with a clear expression of its Smith-Madrone origin. It has a lovely silky texture on top of a fruity and youthful mid-palate. The proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. This, then, leads into a lip-smacking finish of soft tannins and gentle acidity. A worthy Cook’s Flat Reserve in every way.
We made only 2,300 bottles, each of which is wrapped in our proprietary full-color tissue, which reproduces our land patent signed by President Chester Arthur in 1884. Cook’s Flat Reserve is so important to us that we have a website devoted entirely to it: http://www.cooksflatreserve.com, where you’ll find its history and more.
The 2019 Riesling, made from the mountain slopes surrounding the winery at the top of the Spring Mountain District growing region, is 100% Riesling.
Charlie describes it: Aromatically, the wine opens with Meyer lemons, pomelo, orange flowers and just a dab of mandarin orange hiding shyly behind a rose bush. This is all backed up with a solid dose of minerality. On the palate the wine is racy and beautifully balanced with a backbone of juicy fruit acidity. Wonderfully stylish and delicious and built to last. Drink now, or twenty years from now. Seriously.
And on the horizon….only every couple of years do we make a Rosé, and we have made one with the 2023 vintage. We’ll be releasing it on May 1.
For the first time, in 2021, we made a Cabernet Franc and it will be released this fall. Stu will be traveling this spring! Look for him at vinNEBRASKA in Omaha April 5-6 (he’s attended every year since 1990; this will be his final appearance!).
And if you’re in Davenport, Iowa, on April 13, come find him at the St. Ambrose University Wine Festival Dinner. Details here.
As always we hope you can include a visit to the winery if your travels bring you to Napa Valley. Until that happens, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Stu has been a fan of Tarte Tatin for many years. On a trip to Paris years ago he bought two sizes of specialized copper Tarte Tatin pans at the famous cook ware store Dehillerin. There’s a great story about how this amazing apple tart came to be: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarte_Tatin
Tarte Tatin
1 sheet puff pastry (thawed if purchased frozen)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths
Crème fraîche or sour cream
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
On a floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a 12-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Move to a plate and refrigerate while you work on the apples.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter and then sprinkle over the sugar and add the apples. Once the sugar begins to melt, adjust the heat so the juices bubble rapidly but don’t boil wildly. Cook and stir occasionally until juices are light brown and apples are tender when you poke them with a fork. This will take 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Piece by piece position the apples in two concentric circles in your baking dish (a cast iron skillet is fine; we use a 10-inch copper Tarte Tatin pan).
Take the pastry out of the fridge and position it on top, tucking it in and folding the edges in. Use a fork to prick the pastry in 5 places.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F, until the pastry is puffed and light golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes.
To unmold, place a serving plate over the skillet and quickly but carefully flip the pan. The tart will unmold onto the plate, and if a few apple slices stick to the pan, return them to the tart. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the syrup to sink into the tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. You can offer a dollop of crème fraîche (or sour cream).
Controversial Tarte Tatin
This version is controversial because of the spices added. We find it fairly mild, see what you think! The Tatin sisters would probably not approve!
10 Granny Smith apples
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of ground clove
Pinch of nutmeg
2 sheets puff pastry (defrosted if frozen)
Crème fraîche or sour cream
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel, core and halve the apples. Reserve.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet (or a Tarte Tatin pan if you have one), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook, swirling the mixture, until a deep caramel forms. Watch closely, this may take only 4 minutes.
Arrange the apples in the pan in concentric circles, nestling them against each other. If you have extra apples you can lay them on top (as they cook they will shrink down).
Return this pan to the stove. Cover with an inverted large steel bowl and cook over medium heat. In about ten minutes, wiggle the pan to make sure there’s enough liquid and to force the apples on top to slide down. Continue cooking for about another ten minutes, checking and pushing the apples together. Check with a fork—the apples should be tender and the liquid firming up.
Make the spice mix: combine cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, clove. Using a small strainer, sprinkle the spices over the top.
Position the pastry over the top and tuck it in around the edges. Using a fork or knife, poke about five holes on the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through. Begin checking at 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Cover the pan with a large plate and very carefully invert the tart onto the plate. Serve with crème fraîche or sour cream.
A grape that’s captured hearts and palates for centuries!
Did you know Riesling boasts a rich history dating back to the 15th century? Renowned for its versatility at the table and ability to express terroir like no other, Riesling has rightfully earned its place among the elite “noble” grape varieties. From bone-dry to lusciously sweet, it enchants with its spectrum of flavors and unparalleled acidity.
I’m keeping it local, and what better way to honor this timeless varietal than with a glass of the 2015 Smith Madrone Riesling?
The fruit for this wine was sourced from Smith Madrone’s high elevation cooler climate estate vineyard on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley.
Bursting with enticing lemon-lime citrus zest, stone fruit, honeysuckle, petrol, and petrichor aromas, it dances on the palate with zesty acidity and white peach, apricot , honey, lemon-lime zest flavors accented with a wet stone minerality, and a long finish. Love it! And it’s a true testament to Riesling’s elegance and age-worthiness!
At Good Vitis, Aaron Menenberg took a look at our Rieslings. Please read the entire issue (link below). Here’s an excerpt:
One of my favorite things about Smith-Madrone is its dedication and pursuit of riesling, and I’ve come to conclude that Smith-Madrone riesling is America’s best example of this noble grape. Riesling is a complicated and mysterious wine, and very hard to grow well and just as hard to make so wonderfully.
One of the great challenges is getting all of the various aspects of the grape to develop on the vine in parallel. The goal is to have the right levels of acids, sugars, phenolics, seed and stem maturity, and other things come into balance and hit at the same time. If this happens, it’s the ideal time to harvest and is most likely to produce a balanced wine. And when you do it with dry farming like Smith-Madrone does, you’re accepting a higher chance on getting it wrong so that you get it right, you really get it right. Smith-Madrone’s riesling vines were planted in 1972, and the Smith brothers have spent untold hours, untold amounts of blood and sweat and tears, and walked untold miles through the rows to get things right. It’s a process.
This effort comes because of their true belief in riesling to be the most deserving of all white grapes. They don’t make a lot of money making it when the time it takes to farm and make is taken into consideration. My first wine conversation with Stu was about riesling and his commitment to producing and improving it. This conversation happened, appropriately, at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., situated no more than a 10 second walk from the Cannon Congressional Office Building, where much persuasion occurs. Stu spent that night persuading me on the merits of riesling, and I’ve been a loyal supporter ever since.…….
Smith-Madrone rieslings offer the faintest hint of residual sugar that adds more to the structure than it does to the flavor profile but is a welcomed feature for how it benefits both. These are, like the other wines of Smith-Madrone, world class wines of Old World temperament and refinement. They are not to be missed whether the survey is of riesling or America’s best producers. And I can’t suggest strongly enough that they be aged if possible, which is how they shine brightest.
2019 Riesling: This has lovely apricot aromas, there’s a sweetness to the bouquet. Vanilla pod. The nose is quite rich and deep. Warm vintage? Orange marmalade. Bit of lemon-lime. Seems young. Nearly full-bodied. The acid hits quick and deep, it’s sharp. Texturally grippy core, juicy edges, tart bite. Very mouth coating. It mellows just slightly with extended air, though enough to make a difference. Flavors include tart lemon and under ripe orange. White peach. Sharp. Very pithy in flavor on the finish, which goes for days. There’s a small amount of sweetness. Just like the structure, it mellows and meshes a bit with time. This is quite sharp and compact, feels young and in need of a lot of time.
On day 2 it’s softer, more integrated, less tart, more sweet, just better and more pleasant all around. The acid is robust and the defining feature of the structure and flavor. The more I taste this away from note taking, the more I like it.
On day 3 the nose hits some tropical notes. Structure hasn’t budged in terms of tightness, but the grippiness has faded into a more smooth mouthfeel. The flavors are a little more tropical today as well. Might be a touch of cooked vanilla.
We are releasing our 2019 vintage of Riesling today, on World Riesling Day.
Citrus blossom, brisk acidity, layers of succulent peaches and nectarines, fresh squeezed lime, crisp apples, minerality, and faint lemon verbena exhilarating the palate: just a few of the descriptors people have used to describe our Riesling.
Smith-Madrone News 