The best wines are pressed from grapes that are stressed. That’s the philosophy behind Stressed Vines, a boutique winery that specializes in vine-bothering. These are all wines that have been though a little bit of heck on their way from field to bottle–small-production wines from some of California’s best old-vine, dry-farmed, and high-elevation vineyards.
The grapes’ pain was our pleasure on Thursday night. Founder Rob Barney and crew came to The Wine Authority for a special member tasting event. We tried five bottles from their wide-ranging portfolio: A traditional-method bubbly, a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, a Cabernet Franc, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.
The bottles are all individually numbered, a cool reminder that Stressed Vines is a passion project and not a mass-production winery. (“A hobby turned obsession,” Barney explained as we crowded around the bar.)
The 2021 Vineyard Select Reserve Brut is a blend of 59% Chardonnay and 49% Pinot Noir from Napa Valley. It’s made in a ripe and rich style with aromas of golden apple, peach, toast, orange-frosted cake, and lemon cream. Its sweetness is complemented by a long, mouth-filling finish of toasted almond and orange spice. Only 1596 bottles were produced and it’s almost gone–I’m pretty sure I was drinking from bottle 1581!
The 2023 Bennet Valley Chardonnay is similarly full, with toasty oak underpinning its fresh flavors of apple, pear, and quince. Aromas of green apple and apple blossom segue into toasted nuts/grain, almond butter, and vanilla spice. It finishes creamy, tropical, and floral all at once, offering crème brûlée and guava custard. This one underwent full malolactic conversion and several months aging in 20% new French oak. Wine club exclusive, 5184 bottles produced.
Is is time for reds? Oh yes, it is! The 2022 Eden Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was up next. This single-vineyard bottling is also single-clone, made entirely from the Mt. Eden clone of Pinot Noir. Darker and more extracted than your average wimpy Pinot, it was the perfect act to follow those indulgent white wines. Bramble, toast, caramel, and fresh mulch on the nose. The taste is dark-fruited and medium-bodied with blackberries, root beer, sarsaparilla and persistent medium tannins. The final impression on the palate is just a little gentler, with mixed berry, vanilla, roots/herbs, and milk tea. 2820 bottles produced.
The newest addition to the Stressed Vines lineup is the “Roscoe & Deluca” Dry Creek Cabernet Franc. The 2023 is the first vintage. It’s deep ruby and robustly fruity with 14.7% alcohol and plush flavors of black/red plum and cinnamon spice. (It is thirst that’s been stressing these vines out, with Dry Creek’s long sunny days and well-draining soil creating insane fruit concentration.)
The Cab Franc had a lot of admirers in the bar, but I thought that it need some time to open up in the glass, and that it’s maybe just a little young to fully express its Cab Franc-iness. It’s a brand new release–not even on the website yet–and I’ll definitely try it later if I get the chance.
The final treat of the night was the 2021 Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak Cabernet Sauvignon. (This Cab is stressed by altitude!) Deep ruby with aromas of blackberry, bramble, earth, tar, and crushed mint. Lighter-feeling than it looks, it’s medium-bodied with flavors of blackcurrants and black/red cherries all subtlely accented with oaky spice. There’s some tannic grip here, which soon eases off into a delicate finish of vanilla, cherry blossom, and violet. 1428 bottles produced.
Stressed Vines Cellars has created a special niche, crafting premium California wines for Texans, by Texans. The vines might be riding the struggle bus, but tasting them was a smooth ride through some of the North Coast’s most exceptional vineyards.
Stressed Vines has two tasting room locations: In Richardson, Texas and Healdsburg, California. Tastings are by appointment and start at $35/person for an exploratory tasting and $45/person for a luxury tasting.
I’m told that the Texas location has walk-in hours on the first Saturday of each month–check with the winery for details. You can also find Stressed Vines wines at more than 50 restaurant and retail locations in Dallas and the surrounding suburbs.
Wines tasted (prices are retail):
Stressed Vines Vineyard Select Reserve Méthode Traditionelle Brut Sparkling Wine (2021) – Napa Valley, California – $65
Stressed Vines Taylor’s Crown Bennet Valley Chardonnay (2023) – Sonoma County, California – $50
Stressed Vines Eden Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (2022) – Sonoma County, California – $65
Stressed Vines “Roscoe & Deluca” Dry Creek Cabernet Franc (2023) – Sonoma County, California – $75
Stressed Vines Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak Cabernet Sauvignon (2021) – Sonoma County, California – $90
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review (except for the tasting included with my membership at The Wine Authority). Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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