It isn’t unusual for me to plan on spending several hours in the car driving to visit with a winery for tasting wines. Just last week though I only needed to walk about fifty feet from my desk to taste the wines of Lava Vine and Zacherle, both made by Nile Zacherle, at the Lava Vine tasting room just outside the back door of my office in Calistoga.

With little fanfare, Zacherle (who also was appointed winemaker for David Arthur/Montagna in 2008) is making some solid, fun wines for Lava Vine as well as his own brand, and they sell everything from mailing list or in the tasting room. Opened just eight months ago, they have an impressive lineup of wine for a new producer and they are right under my nose.

I tasted with proprietor Joe Cabral and went through all of the current Lava Vine releases, and also tasted a single vineyard Syrah from Zacherle. Joe told me that the name Lava Vine comes from his and Nile’s focus on using fruit from volcanic soils. The project began in 2004 when Joe purchased a four acre vineyard in Franz Valley planted on 45 degree slopes and he and Nile were soon creating wine together. 

The eclectic lineup from Lava Vine includes everything from a rich Viognier to a micro production port-styled dessert wine. They range in price from mid $20 - $100

2008 Lava Vine Viognier Napa Valley; DW 89+

14.1% alcohol

Aromas: jasmine, nectarine and white peach with some crisp notes

Palate: rich, creamy white peach showing mineral and tropical fruit backbone with hints of macadamia

Impression: delightfully fresh and styled slightly round. An excellent choice for warm weather refreshing. I tried the wine initially at room temperature and a second sample from a chilled bottle had a tighter focus. 

2007 Lava Vine Chardonnay Napa Valley; DW 89

14.7% alcohol, 207 cases produced

Aromas: creamy lemon, salt and mineral with some flinty edge

Palate: very accessible, soft entry yet displays some mineral and lush citrus through the core

Impression: nice choice for a weekend dinner at home, shows nice structure throughout

2006 Lava Vine Syrah Knights Valley; DW 92+

14.9% alcohol, 266 cases produced

Aromas: warm, smooth and approachable black cherry, black plum and warm blue fruits, chocolate

Palate: solidly focused vanilla, spice, black cherry and dark chocolate

Impression: Syrah needs love in this market, and here is the fluffy poodle puppy. I can’t resist!

2006 Lava Vine Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley; DW 91

14.7% alcohol, 192 cases produced

Aromas: rich cherry, black fig, licorice and slightly dried black fruit

Palate: solidly smooth structure showing chocolate, saturated black currant and red cherry

Impression: very harmonious throughout, this is one of those sneaky wines where you can get into your second glass really fast!

2006 Zacherle Syrah Crowley Vineyard, Spring Mountain District; DW 92

14.5% alcohol, 100 cases produced

Aromas: rich chocolate, black currant and dark cherries

Palate: tobacco, nutmeg with blackberry, currants and graphite

Impression: a beautifully focused Syrah, with intense vibrancy that is hard to match

2006 Lava Vine Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley; DW 91+

14.7% alcohol, <100 cases produced

Aromas: herbs, black plum and fresh, ripe fig with hints of sweet blackberry

Palate: Firm entry with well defined blackberry, cherry, garden herbs and blueberry

Impression: still showing some tightness across the finish, it needs a bit more bottle time to show its potential

Both of these wines are available via mailing list, click the links below. 

Lava Vine

Zacherle

Or visit the tasting room at 965 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, CA 94515 10AM to 5PM, every day.