Region: California, US
Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Background: Fritz Winery has been undergoing a Renaissance of sorts for the last few years, evidenced first to me by their changing labels, since I am a label junkie. They used to employ an Eighties-style label that looked cheesy at worst and dated at best, and now they have moved to a much more sedate style of label involving some animals I think of mentally as "dinobirds" on it (I think they are really just peacocks or grouse or some land-bird along those lines, but the posing makes me think of dinosaur dioramas). From what I can tell the actual switch in labelling came about in 2001/2002, but because some of the older wines are just now being released, you can find a mix of labels for Fritz wines in the stores.
Jay and Barbara Fritz started Fritz winery in 1979, converting a family farm retreat they had owned since 1970 into a winery. It was the height of the energy crisis and gas shortage worries (as I can remember, since I was in elementary school at the time, being inundated with those "This Is A Landfill (Don't Be Part Of The Problem And Throw Things Away)" movies and Big Blue Marble), and echoing those early 1970s sentiments, they did the green thing and built an energy-conscious winery that is actually underground in a hillside. In 1996, they decided to ramp up their winemaking, and started making changes. They hired Helen Turley on as consultant, and worked with her for a few years. In 2002, they hired Christina Pällmann, who had worked with Jacques Seysses at Domaine Dujac, and Blair Walters at Felton Road, and she is now consulting with Merry Edwards on the winemaking.
This wine is interesting because it is a single vineyard Cab (Rockpile, no less... in what is now the Rockpile AVA, I believe, but that didn't happen until 2002) and it is cheap. It is about fifteen bucks normally, but I got some through my wine club for less than nine. And it is fairly simple and fruity, but still, for nine bucks it is a very good Cabernet. And I don't usually even like Cabernet very much, but this is kind of a guilty pleasure Cabernet.
In any case, it was just what I needed last night, after a weekend of weddings and cleaning and not enough studying. The exam is in ten days, I have an opera to see tonight, and my parents roll into town on Thursday. I am already having nightmares about misidentifying wines in blind tastings, and even though I need the next week to finish preparations (I am still trying to memorize all the sub-regions in Australia and where they are/what climates they possess/what grapes they grow, not to mention Bulgaria and Romania), I kind of wish it was over already, because I am tired of dreaming about wine (last night, I was creating a cellar from scratch, and that isn't even on the test).
Notes: Deep garnet with a slightly paler rim. Forward nose of black currants, bell pepper, mint, maybe some pine or spruce. Nicely balanced in the mouth... not a lot of tannin, enough but not a ton of acid. Pleasant persistent black cherries and currants, a tiny bit of leather, and minty freshness. It's simple and fruity, not complicated and brooding like a grown-up Cabernet, but tasty and easy enough to drink. I think that it is excellent value for the price, and am sad to see K&L is already sold out of it. It's the kind of thing you can take just about anywhere and people will enjoy it, rightly so.
Cost: $9 from my wine club (normally about $15)
Overall: B
(Old Fritz versus New Fritz, label-wise, for those interested:)
Next time I am over in Sonoma I do plan on visiting the winery and also driving around Rockpile a little bit... I thought about trying to head over there last weekend when we were in Napa but we ran out of time. I have had good luck with the Fritz wines I have tried... sometimes you can find them dirt cheap (well, half-price) at Trader Joe's here, and I have always thought them to be simple but solid and enjoyable.
I am glad to know the Chardonnay is not too oaky... did it have a lot of ML? I am always looking for CA Chardonnay that is low on the oak and ML. Or at least judicious in the use of said things.
I hope the Cabernet treats you well!
Posted by: Kieca | 14 July 2005 at 01:15 PM
Thanks for posting this note -- I just picked up a bottle at the winery last weekend (for $14 or so) and am glad to hear that it isn't over the hill. Last winter I took a chance on a Fritz 1999 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay I found in Chicago for $7 or so, and it was fading but still tasty and not overoaked -- what more do you want from a Russian River single-vineyard wine under $10?
After visiting the winery, I took a drive on Rockpile Road -- well worth seeing if you're in Sonoma Co.
Posted by: Eric Z. | 14 July 2005 at 01:24 AM