Dr. David Muhleman

The-Wine-Educator    WINE & SPIRITS EDUCATION AND CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE CONSUMER AND THE PROFESSIONAL

HESS WINES - DRINKIN’ BUDDIES

North, and a little west, from the town of Napa, you will find the Hess Collection winery. The Hess Collection Winery is the flagship of a number of wineries which form the Hess Group.

The Hess Collection Winery and the Hess Group were founded by Donald Hess, who moved to the United States from Bern, Switzerland, where he was a successful owner of a bottled water business. Donald Hess started out running the family business which was a brewery and hotel in Bern. The business had been handed down over many generations.

It just so happens that my “generations” also originated from Bern Switzerland, so I’m assuming that my family stayed in those hotels, drank at that brewery, and that Donald’s great-grand parents and my great-grand parents were probably drinkin’ buddies a 150 years ago.

But Donald Hess came to America and in the ‘70’s started to buy agricultural land in Napa valley and eventually began growing grapes and making wine. He began growing grapes in the late ‘70s and started making his own wine in the mid-80’s. I believe his first release was in 1987, using 1983 grapes. Then in 1989, Hess opened his winery to the public and has been growing ever since.

The Hess Collection continued to grow and became the Hess Group when they added several other labels to their organizations. One of those wineries was Artezin, who make an incredible Zinfandel. 

Most wine drinkers that have followed the Hess wines are familiar with the three tiers of wines the winery offered: the Estate, the Select, and the Collection. And for many years you could choose the level of wine from these three choices. However, in the past few years the Hess Collection Winery has changed their offering and is now more focused on labeling their wines by where the grapes are from; their best being from Mount Veeder. The unique soil composition and cool mountain climate produce their best wines. Currently they do a Mount Veeder Cab, a Cuvee, and a Chardonnay.

They also do the Hess Vineyard Designate series, from throughout the Napa Valley. These vineyard designated wines are estate grown. They are named for the historical names of the properties:

Su’skol Vineyard Chardonnay (formerly Hess Collection)

Allomi Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (formerly Hess Estate)

Allomi Sauvignon Blanc (first vintage 2006 to be released in 2007).

The Hess Collection Winery also does what they call their Hess California Series, (previously called Hess Select); the vineyard sources for these wines have evolved to be mostly appellation specific:

Hess Monterey Chardonnay (Formerly Hess Select)

Hess Monterey Syrah (Formerly Hess Select)

Hess California Cabernet Sauvignon (Formerly Hess Select).

However, the wines from the Hess Collection Winery are only a small part of the wines from the Hess Group. The Hess Groups consists of several wineries to include:

Peter Lehmann Wines in the Barossa Valley, The Hess Collection Winery in the Napa Valley, Glen Carlou in South Africa and Bodega Colomé in Argentina – and this month’s pick -

Artezin

For over a century, some of the best Zinfandel was made from field blends. This tradition was largely forgotten. In the past 25 years of California's winemaking renaissance, this challenging grape has humbled many a winemaker. True to its history, Artezin has captured the essence of these traditional practices by blending grapes from distinct vineyards to create true varietal character.

I have tasted the Artezin Zin before, but I have not tried the 2005 vintage, so I went to the website to see what they had to say. Here’s what I found:

Winemaker Note: The personally selected fruit for Artezin comes from some of California’s finest Zinfandel regions including Sonoma Valley, Amador (Shenandoah) Valley, and Mendocino. A deep crimson red in color, this Zinfandel shows forward blackberry and raspberry jam aromas interfacing with black pepper, licorice and currants. Black cherry flavors follow with nutmeg, allspice, white pepper, and baker’s chocolate undertones while the mouthfeel is rich and round with some sweet tannins showing structure. The blend is 94% Zinfandel, and 6% Petite Sirah.

Based on this description, I think I need to get down to the store and get a few bottles for now, and a few more for the cellar (but not too long).

I want to add one more thing. Starting this month I want to include a “Rule of Thumb” to each of my articles. But let me start by saying there are ALWAYS exceptions to the “Rule.” But these may help you as you travel through the world of wine.

This month’s Rule of Thumb is that wine should never get over 80 degrees in its life. Over 80 degrees the wine begins to “cook” and changes favor and character very quickly. So wine that is delivered to the store, or kept in the store, or stored in your home that is over 80 degrees will have a tendency to deteriorate. (That’s why wines delivered to the retailers should come in a refrigerated truck). The higher the temperature, or the longer the time, the more the wine will be ruined. So never leave a bottle of wine in the car in Arizona, even for a few minutes, without putting it in an ice chest or a cooler (that is cool).