Trefethen

Eshcol Chardonnay provides all the beauty and charm of Trefethen’s signature Chardonnay but at a lower price - so feel free to load up and serve it anytime you need to scratch that itch for a yummy Chardonnay. Keep in mind that this is no typical second label sourced from “nearby” growers or distant appellations. 100% of the fruit was sourced from Trefethen’s Main Ranch. The difference between Eshcol and Trefethen’s top-of-the-line Chardonnay is that only 17% was fermented in barrel (as opposed to 60%) and only 5% (versus 12%) was aged in new oak. More of the vineyard blocks are more recent plantings, too. This is a fresh, well-balanced wine that emphasizes fresh green apple and citrus flavors with only a minimum of oak notes. 

Is there a wine more food-friendly than Riesling? Especially when made in a dry style, it compliments Japanese, South and Southeast Asian cuisine, as well as all manner of salads, seafood, chicken, pork, vegetarian, raw, grilled, or creamy dishes. While award-winning Trefethen Dry Riesling makes for a perfect aperitif, it belongs at the table. Bright, fresh, and fruity, but structured with mouthwatering acidity and minerality, the wine screams out for spicy Indian or fiery Thai, yet you wouldn’t go wrong pairing it with steak! Now that Japan's summer of ’22 has hit us early and hard, you couldn’t do better than to cool off with Trefethen's delicious 2021 Dry Riesling!

“Defined in the vineyard; refined in the cellar” is an apt description of the Trefethen style. The vineyard, planted in the cool climate and well-drained soils of the Oak Knoll AVA, is key to making a bright and delicate Chardonnay. But the winery’s preference for using barrel fermentation (for a softer, creamier structure) while strictly limiting new oak and malolactic fermentation produces a pure expression of Chardonnay fruit with roundness as well as a touch of vanilla on the palate. If you prefer Chardonnay with more apple, pear and bright citrus instead of pineapple and buttery notes, Trefethen is for you! Excellent balance of body and acidity (as well as moderate ABV of just 13.2%) make this Chardonnay an ideal food wine. The winery recommends recipes with almonds, hazelnuts, tarragon, lime zest and lemon thyme. Serve with seafood or lighter meats.

Eshcol (pronounced “esh-kol”) is a juicy Bordeaux blend that’s easy to enjoy casually without fretting over the occasion or the wine’s level of maturity. Sourced from the younger blocks on the Trefethen’s Main Ranch, Eshcol was the original name of the estate, way back in the 1800s when it helped establish the Napa Valley’s reputation for fine wine. The label is mandala-like in its complexity; a long stare will gradually reveal hidden items the Trefethens regard as key to sustainable viticulture and winemaking - butterflies, bats, bees, and barn owls among them. The blend changes somewhat each year. In 2019, it consists of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Eshcol is smooth and easy on the palate, with plenty of bright cherry and blackberry notes, hints of spice, and modest tannins. 

Cabernet Franc is one of Trefethen’s special “small-lot” bottlings. As a grape that ripens early, Cabernet Franc does best in cooler climates, such as the Loire Valley…. or Oak Knoll in Trefethen’s corner of the Napa Valley. With this wine’s lively red fruit and enticing earthiness, it’s clear that Trefethen grows some fantastic Cab Franc that deserves to be bottled as a varietal wine. If you are looking for a versatile red with somewhat lower alcohol (13.8%) than the typical Napa Cab, then give this a try. For food, think hardy or rustic fare like roasted pork, beef burgers, meatballs in tomato sauce, grilled lamb, or roasted duck. Earthy extras like mushrooms of all sorts will bring out the spice notes in this delicious wine.

Inky dark purple - almost black - in color but loaded with fruit and spice, Dragon’s Tooth is an expressive blend of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. While Malbec dominates wine production in Argentina, it also happens to be of the five approved varieties in Bordeaux. Like many Napa wineries, Trefethen has long added Malbec to their Bordeaux-inspired reds. A few years ago, however, they realized that Malbec has lovely qualities in it’s own right, such as intense aromatics and flavors as well as acidity and texture. The named it “Dragon’s Tooth” because of the obsidian shards, black volcanic glass, that lie scattered like dragons' teeth amongst the rows of Malbec vines. The summer of 2018 was on the cool side; hence, the grapes developed plenty of complex flavors before being harvested in October. In 2018, the blend consists of 49% Malbec, 27% Petit Verdot, and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The winery suggests pairing this wine with earthy and rich dishes such as mushroom pasta. 

A rich, structured and elegant wine with power, balance and beauty, HaLo – Trefethen’s flagship – is named for the family’s third generation, Hailey and Loren. This estate Cabernet Sauvignon is produced entirely from the estate’s Hillspring Vineyard, where Cabernet vines grow on gentle slopes, rocky soils and slightly warmer conditions than those at the winery at Oak Knoll. Deep, rich, complex and multi-layered, the wine is known for earthy flavors and aromas that hint at the oak forest surrounding the vineyard. 2017 can be seen as a difficult Napa vintage with its heat spikes and devastating late-October fires. Fortunately, the Trefethen winery, with its location in the cooler Oak Knoll District, avoided these challenges. In late 2021, the Connoisseur’s Guide to California wine awarded the 2017 HaLo 95 points, describing it as “a lavish wine long on deep fruit with a healthy measure of slightly caramelly oak in support. It is a big and potent wine, but it is not overdone, and its very fine tannic structure ensures a good decade of age, yet it is so very rich and outgoing now that is it is bound to test the patience of dedicated Cabernet collectors who are lucky enough to have a few bottles tucked away in their cellars.” The structure and tannins suggest that HaLo is a wine to put down for future celebrations, so be sure to decant when drinking young. Beef and lamb dishes would go well with HaLo, especially when enhanced with thyme and mushrooms.