Mayacamas Vineyards

I recently had the distinct pleasure of dining with Mayacamas VP Chris Travers and some friends. I can vouch for the fact that Chris is buried in his work by the fact that he has apparently never seen any movie that is off the beaten path. (I think he may have asked “where do you find the time?”) Of course, we were pulling out some fairly obscure movies (Wristcutters, Hobo the shotgun, Shakes the Clown, and the modern-day classic: the Human Centipede). Hmmm… now that I think of it, I had to explain the “pod people” reference (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) I made to his neighbor, Kathy Dennett of Wing Canyon. Maybe those “mountain dwellers” just don’t have the leisure time the rest of us do…

…but I digress…

Apparently, Mayacamas Vineyards has a program of releasing “library” wines in tandem with current releases and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.

Their current library releases are the 2003 Chardonnay and the 1998 Merlot. If you’ve ever wanted to try some perfectly aged wines, without breaking the bank, then look no further. (We also tried the current vintage, 2006 Merlot with dinner, and it was terrific too!)

I don’t yet have pricing for Houston, but the winery sells the two library releases for $45, and I can tell you that they’re well worth it!

Here are my brief notes about the wines.

2003 Chardonnay – Burgundian, with some spice and a little age, but still bright and crisp (no Malolactic fermentation) with distinct citrus notes. This just got bigger and more rounded as we enjoyed dinner. My “happiness index” kept going up and was at $50+ by the time we finished the bottle. I think it would have continued its upward trend if we !

1998 Merlot – More proof that the ’98 vintage wasn’t the dog that the wine publications were touting upon release. (I’m pleased to report that MANY of my customers trusted their own palates, and are enjoying ‘98’s from their cellars today.) This wine was fat, layered, and still evolving today. I am convinced that it will still be drinking great in another 10 years, but why wait?

2006 Merlot – Crisp acidity will allow this wine to age gracefully for years, and for now it’s silky, spicy and layered, with plum and currant flavors.

Kudos for the library program at Mayacamas Vineyards!!