Napa (Sonoma!) Day 2.5: Kutch Wines

When I planned this trip, I only wanted to visit and bring my offspring to friends and labels I enjoy.

My love of Pinot Noir firmly has Kutch wines in it.
I have been a fan for a bunch of years now. When I contacted Jamie about a visit he humbly admitted that he has no fancy tasting room to receive us. We’d taste over a bin or a table in his warehouse. I said ‘perfect’. I want my kids to appreciate how to do this old school style.
We arrived on a warm afternoon and were treated to some great wines and interesting stories.
2019 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. Always awesome. I love this year in and year out.
2017 Kutch Pinot Noir McDougal Ranch. Wow, some amazing. Love the red cherry notes. This is just bottled joy.
2019 Kutch Pinot Noir Mindengo Ridge. New to me (and most). This is interesting with electrifying red fruits. Pure and wonderfully balanced. On my radar now
2019 Kutch Pinot Noir Falstaff . Another great offering. Darker and bigger boned.
2019 Kutch Chardonnay Trout Gulch . Another crowd pleasing chardonnay. Clean and brisk. Love it.

Thanks to Jamie for taking the time to meet with us. The great second half of a day with great visits.
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5 Likes

Three weeks late I stumble upon this post …

What an amazing trip Mike. I can’t wait until things become more normal where I can make the long overdue trek back to Napa/Sonoma and take part in a tasting like this. Jamie’s wines have been a staple of my cellar since his first vintage and I love sharing his wine with friends. Always a great showing.

With knowledge of Jamie’s talent and passion it is little surprise that his new ventures meet and often exceed the stellar views of his Pinot Noirs. I would put his Chardonnays against anything produced in California with no fear of their strong showing. Come to think of it, that would not be a bad blind tasting: 6 - 8 of the highest-end California whites with a ~5-year old Kutch Chardonnay mixed into the group. I don’t drink enough whites select the top whites but if anyone reading this wants to suggest a few names, this should be a fun project over the coming months and set-up a showdown early next year.

Additionally, Jamie’s stealth Brandy offerings are something to behold. I shared more than a few pours with friends who all were taken aback by the rich and enjoyable flavor profile. I had to bury my last bottle of his inaugural offering because it was too popular among my friends and I wanted to have some remaining in the years to come.

There are few things I miss not living in NYC but the occasional visit and dinner with Jamie is one of them.

Cheers to you Mike on your fantastic trip with your children. Thank you for sharing your experiences with everyone so we can live vicariously through you … even three weeks later!

Cheers.

Those stacks of barrels scare me. What if there was an earthquake and one of them fell, squishing someone?

There’s some version of that at most wineries everywhere.

Looks like a wonderful visit. I hope to taste with Jamie one day.

But what’s with those knee-length shorts that Mike and Jamie are wearing? You coordinate that?

Short legs is my excuse.

I actually passed on the brandy as I had a 40 minute trip back to St Helena. Smelled awesome though.

Thanks for the many kind words by all of you in this post…

I strictly wear pants until harvest as I punch down fruit with my feet and pants are a pain in the ass to swap on and off. At least our socks aren’t pulled up to our knees!

I was at a Yakima Valley, WA winery (Barnard Griffin) in 1999, when a guy with a fork lift accidentally knocked over a huge stack of barrels, destroying their bottling line, and shaking all the walls of the winery and tasting room so that bottles fell all over the place.

Thankfully nobody was injured.

And no, I was not driving the forklift.

Just like an earthquake! What if Pobega had gotten damaged?

Just looked to confirm, but I have more Kutch than any other American wine. Love the style of these wines from top to bottom. My favorite is McDougall, but then when I have a Falstaff . . . And then a Bohan. Just great wines. Miss the rose, that was a classic as well.

Everything Kevin said, Mike. So glad you got to do this trip with your kids and, as usual, great photos.

Salud

Mike