Our next stop was at a smaller and more modest family owned winery, Nadeau Family Vintners (www.nadeaufamilyvintners.com), that had a handful of wines available. They focus mainly on red wines and that is their passion. Our tasting was poured by a young woman who was helping out the family for the weekend, as is often the case in these small operations. She was delightful and told us her name is “Cozy”. This is short for a name that was totally uncommon and unknown to me. Also present was one of the owners, Patrice Nadeau. One of the truly enjoyable experiences that comes with visiting small, family owned vineyards is that you often get to meet the owner or winemaker (who may be the same person) when you visit the tasting room because they “do it all”. As I well know, it is a labor of love and a passion and, without that, these folks could not work the hours they do.
The wines were excellent with one we thought outstanding. Here are some notes:
2005 Grenache – some earthy aromas with a wonderful raspberry character that kept growing as the wine was swirled.
2005 Petite Sirah – our favorite hands down. This was supposed to be a blending wine for them. I told them to forget the blending. It was so complex, chocolate, raspberry, black pepper, intense fruit and rich and velvety. Beautiful wine.
They have two Zinfandels, one called “Westside” and the other “Critical Mass”, after the vineyards. They were both beautifully made with all the classic character you expect from a great Zinfandel.
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