Hendricks Wines
Gold Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California, USA
On the nose, ripe, ruby, fruits of; mulberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries, blueberries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets.
The body is rich, ripe & full. The tannins are a little sticky but well softened, round and a touch chewy. The structure, tension, length, balance, tension and balance are very close to perfect and harmonious. Fruits are; mulberry, huckleberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets. The acidity is round and rains like a waterfall perfectly over the palate. The very long, ruby, rich, well balance lasts minutes and is absolutely heavenly. Gorgeous, elegant, stunning wine.
Photos of; the vertical tasting we attended of all Hendricks Cabernets; 04, 05, 09 & 12 at the time w/ one of our favorite paintings in the background, Charles Hendricks working in the cellar, very old rootstock from the Stag’s Leap Vineyard where the fruit to make this wine normally comes from and a wide shot of the Stag’s Leap Vineyard.
Producer notes and history...Hendricks Cabernet Sauvignon is consistently sourced from a few of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards. In those near perfect vintages, Charles only makes a small production wine of around 250-300 cases. Charles only produces it when he has exception fruit. He’s made Hendricks Cabernet in; 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012 & 2014. Notice he didn’t make Hendricks Cabernet in a great vintage year like 2013. He wasn’t happy enough with his fruit in 2013 to put his name on it. That says a lot and maybe all you need to know about his standard for quality. I do know what wine his 13 fruit made as I’ve had and it’s an unbelievable wine for far less money.
Charles also makes a fantastic Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands that is really quite amazing. Especially, if you give it 5 or 6 years in bottle. All his wines are sold exclusively through the Hope & Grace tasting room in Yountville as he is also the Hope & Grace Winemaker.
Charles graduated in 1982 from UC Davis in viticulture. He was also able to tailor his own curriculum and was one of the earliest to integrate winemaking and viticulture course work. Having knowledge of both viticulture and enology forms the basis for his well-rounded winemaking.
Over the years Charles has worked in both Napa and Sonoma Counties, gaining hands on experience in all aspects of winemaking. He has a strong reputation for excellence. In his career, he’s been a consulting winemaker for many wineries; Viader, Barnett Vineyards, Paoletti Vineyards, Regusci Winery, James Cole, T-Vine and Tamayo family Vineyard.
I asked Charles, “how does he make wines that are amazingly good in their youth but will age effortlessly for 15-20 years?” His answer was simply this, “its not that hard, you just have to know the perfect time to harvest fruit.” I would agree with that to a degree. But, you also have to know how to gently guide fruit onto it’s path into the barrel and not get in the wine’s way or overwork the process.
On the nose, ripe, ruby, fruits of; mulberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries, blueberries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets.
The body is rich, ripe & full. The tannins are a little sticky but well softened, round and a touch chewy. The structure, tension, length, balance, tension and balance are very close to perfect and harmonious. Fruits are; mulberry, huckleberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets. The acidity is round and rains like a waterfall perfectly over the palate. The very long, ruby, rich, well balance lasts minutes and is absolutely heavenly. Gorgeous, elegant, stunning wine.
Photos of; the vertical tasting we attended of all Hendricks Cabernets; 04, 05, 09 & 12 at the time w/ one of our favorite paintings in the background, Charles Hendricks working in the cellar, very old rootstock from the Stag’s Leap Vineyard where the fruit to make this wine normally comes from and a wide shot of the Stag’s Leap Vineyard.
Producer notes and history...Hendricks Cabernet Sauvignon is consistently sourced from a few of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards. In those near perfect vintages, Charles only makes a small production wine of around 250-300 cases. Charles only produces it when he has exception fruit. He’s made Hendricks Cabernet in; 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012 & 2014. Notice he didn’t make Hendricks Cabernet in a great vintage year like 2013. He wasn’t happy enough with his fruit in 2013 to put his name on it. That says a lot and maybe all you need to know about his standard for quality. I do know what wine his 13 fruit made as I’ve had and it’s an unbelievable wine for far less money.
Charles also makes a fantastic Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands that is really quite amazing. Especially, if you give it 5 or 6 years in bottle. All his wines are sold exclusively through the Hope & Grace tasting room in Yountville as he is also the Hope & Grace Winemaker.
Charles graduated in 1982 from UC Davis in viticulture. He was also able to tailor his own curriculum and was one of the earliest to integrate winemaking and viticulture course work. Having knowledge of both viticulture and enology forms the basis for his well-rounded winemaking.
Over the years Charles has worked in both Napa and Sonoma Counties, gaining hands on experience in all aspects of winemaking. He has a strong reputation for excellence. In his career, he’s been a consulting winemaker for many wineries; Viader, Barnett Vineyards, Paoletti Vineyards, Regusci Winery, James Cole, T-Vine and Tamayo family Vineyard.
I asked Charles, “how does he make wines that are amazingly good in their youth but will age effortlessly for 15-20 years?” His answer was simply this, “its not that hard, you just have to know the perfect time to harvest fruit.” I would agree with that to a degree. But, you also have to know how to gently guide fruit onto it’s path into the barrel and not get in the wine’s way or overwork the process.
On the nose, bold, ripe fruits of; blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, blueberries, dark cherries & black plum. Warm baking baking spices, mocha, light caramel, black cherry liqueur notes, rich dark soils, perfumed violets & lilacs. The body is round and full with powdery tannins. The fruits sing on the palate. There is waves of fruit, earth and florals that swirl and dance across your palette. The fruits are ripe, sweet and lush; blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, blueberries, dark cherries, black plum with juicy strawberries coming on strong at the mid palate. Black cherry cola/licorice, vanilla, light caramel, mocha, semi-sweet loamy dry soils, just a touch of crushed rock powder, soft spice-box, fresh tobacco leaf, perfumed violets & lilacs, round, rich, palate raining acidity and finish that is simply long, well balanced with perfect structure/length/tension and above all beautiful and elegant. It just swirls and dances endlessly & gloriously in the mouth. What mouth harmony! Photos of, vines in Stags Leap, Charles Hendricks, ripe fruit for the picking and one of mine and Charles favorite paintings. Producer notes and history...Charles Hendricks is one of the best Winemakers in Napa Valley. He is well grounded in the science of winemaking. As a 1982 UC Davis viticulture graduate, Charles was able to tailor his own curriculum, and was one of the earliest to integrate winemaking and viticulture course work. Having knowledge of both viticulture and enology forms the bases for well-rounded winemaking under varying circumstances; this is the making of a great Winemaker & consultant. His greatest gift is the ability to make wines the are elegant, beautiful and smooth young but will age effortlessly. Charles Hendricks sees himself as an assistant to the natural bounty of the vineyards. Using his knowledge and experience to guide and coax the very best from the wine grapes. Charles believes in minimal intervention in the wine cellar, but knows that if we leave nature completely on it own, we would be in the vinegar business! To quote him, “It is a wonderful game of hide and seek that we play with Mother Nature…It is natures glory to conceal, and the winemakers glory to reveal, to discover and to persuade the grapes to unveil their highest potential, It is the playfulness of guessing when and how much to step in, that is at the heart of the winemakers’ task." So true in his case. Charles makes his own label wines only when he has the very best of fruit. He is also is the Winemaker for Hope & Grace and until recently was the Winemaker for; Regusci, James Cole and T-Vine. In previous years, he's worked with; Viader, Barnett Vineyards & Paoletti Vineyards. He is truly a gifted Winemaker. If you are able, seek out and try his Henrick's Cabernet & Santa Lucia Pinot Noir, you absolutely won't regret it! @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher
On the nose, bold, ripe fruits of; blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, blueberries, dark cherries & black plum. Warm baking baking spices, mocha, light caramel, black cherry liqueur notes, rich dark soils, perfumed violets & lilacs. The body is round and full with powdery tannins. The fruits sing on the palate. There is waves of fruit, earth and florals that swirl and dance across your palette. The fruits are ripe, sweet and lush; blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, blueberries, dark cherries, black plum with juicy strawberries coming on strong at the mid palate. Black cherry cola/licorice, vanilla, light caramel, mocha, semi-sweet loamy dry soils, just a touch of crushed rock powder, soft spice-box, fresh tobacco leaf, perfumed violets & lilacs, round, rich, palate raining acidity and finish that is simply long, well balanced with perfect structure/length/tension and above all beautiful and elegant. It just swirls and dances endlessly & gloriously in the mouth. What mouth harmony! Photos of, vines in Stags Leap, Charles Hendricks, ripe fruit for the picking and one of mine and Charles favorite paintings. Producer notes and history...Charles Hendricks is one of the best Winemakers in Napa Valley. He is well grounded in the science of winemaking. As a 1982 UC Davis viticulture graduate, Charles was able to tailor his own curriculum, and was one of the earliest to integrate winemaking and viticulture course work. Having knowledge of both viticulture and enology forms the bases for well-rounded winemaking under varying circumstances; this is the making of a great Winemaker & consultant. His greatest gift is the ability to make wines the are elegant, beautiful and smooth young but will age effortlessly. Charles Hendricks sees himself as an assistant to the natural bounty of the vineyards. Using his knowledge and experience to guide and coax the very best from the wine grapes. Charles believes in minimal intervention in the wine cellar, but knows that if we leave nature completely on it own, we would be in the vinegar business! To quote him, “It is a wonderful game of hide and seek that we play with Mother Nature…It is natures glory to conceal, and the winemakers glory to reveal, to discover and to persuade the grapes to unveil their highest potential, It is the playfulness of guessing when and how much to step in, that is at the heart of the winemakers’ task." So true in his case. Charles makes his own label wines only when he has the very best of fruit. He is also is the Winemaker for Hope & Grace and until recently was the Winemaker for; Regusci, James Cole and T-Vine. In previous years, he's worked with; Viader, Barnett Vineyards & Paoletti Vineyards. He is truly a gifted Winemaker. If you are able, seek out and try his Henrick's Cabernet & Santa Lucia Pinot Noir, you absolutely won't regret it! @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher
Sep 17th, 2017One of the best California Cabernets, including all the Cult Cabs. It is pure elegance even at this still young age. It most certainly will only get better over the the next five to eight years. The hardest part is waiting as it's so good now. Blackberries, blueberries, blueberries and blueberries. Black plum, raspberries paint the background, liquid violets, milk chocolate, it's juicy to dry, underbrush, herbs, dry crush rocks, just a touch of baking spices, sweet leather and dry soft minerals. Smooooth! The fruit is perfect. Chuck really knows how to farm fruit and the exact time to reel it in. He is one of the most underrated Winemakers in CA.
One of the best California Cabernets, including all the Cult Cabs. It is pure elegance even at this still young age. It most certainly will only get better over the the next five to eight years. The hardest part is waiting as it's so good now. Blackberries, blueberries, blueberries and blueberries. Black plum, raspberries paint the background, liquid violets, milk chocolate, it's juicy to dry, underbrush, herbs, dry crush rocks, just a touch of baking spices, sweet leather and dry soft minerals. Smooooth! The fruit is perfect. Chuck really knows how to farm fruit and the exact time to reel it in. He is one of the most underrated Winemakers in CA.
1 person found it helpfulMar 26th, 2016
