Patz & Hall at Thief Wine

Fabulous tasting tonight at Thief Wine in Milwaukee Public Market. Thanks to TJ for the heads up and invitation. TJ was working the event and TS joined in the fun. We got to meet winemaker Don Patz and grill him about the movie Bottle Shock. He’s been in the Napa Valley making wines since 1988, so he knows the players in the region, including all the characters depicted in the movie. He said the portrayal of Jim Barret was pretty right on—a tough guy. Portrayal of the son Bo seemed reasonable. His girlfriend, Sam, who later became his wife didn’t actually moon the crowd, but the real people being portrayed didn’t harbor any resentment toward the filmmaker, they mostly felt it was all in good fun. I asked him about the phenomenon about the Chardonnay turning brown in the bottle. He specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—about eight of each. We had five total and they were all beautiful wines—more about them in a minute. Don said he’s never had the experience of wines turning brown in the bottle and didn’t know anyone else who had either, and that the chances are much less than being struck by lightning. He did say that the part of the story about the wine turning brown is part of the folklore of Chateau Montelena. Don said that shortly after pressing, you get a lot of agents in the juice that are susceptible to oxidation and turn brown pretty early on, but they also settle out to the bottom pretty quickly well before bottling and leaving a clear, beautiful wine. At that point, what’s left is pretty resistant to oxidation and can last many years before suffering the symptoms of further oxidation.

About the wines—we had three Chardonnays and two Pinot Noirs. Don only makes wines from these two varietals, sourcing from various vineyards in the Napa Region. We had one of each varietal with a designation of Napa Valley, the least expensive, and then one of each from the very reputable Hyde Vineyard in Carneros (SW corner of Napa and high country—great microclimate for both grapes). The Hydes were the most expensive. He also had a Chardonnay from Duton Ranch. I had never had any Patz and Hall wines before tonight and am now a huge fan. All five wines were delicious, gorgeous wines. CG, you would love all of these Chardonnays!! I bought two bottles of one of them and hope to share some with you before the fall season sets in. All the Chardonnays are barrel fermented with a second malolactic fermentation. The effects of the wood were nicely understated—a little buttered toast under scoring the fruit. Nicely balanced with no oiliness. These were outstanding wines. The Pinot Noir wines were even better, sporting ripe fruit, black berries (not much of that sour cherry thing going on—these wines were much richer and had more depth). The first Pinot was from Hyde Vineyard and the second was his Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Not much earthiness from either, but a little spice from the oak barrels. Both were elegant and sensuous wines. Pinot lovers will want to have these in their cellars. Discounted prices ranged from $28.50 to $52.95 per bottle.

After the tasting, we retired to the wine bar on the first floor to split a bottle of the Foley 2006 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Rancho Santa Rosa. Another beautiful Pinot, this one has some cherry notes, and less of the ripe black fruit found in the Patz and Hall. Thanks to AF for introducing me to this wine earlier this year—a perfect way to round out the evening.